DEF 14A 1 airspannet_def14a.htm DEF 14A

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

__________________

SCHEDULE 14A
__________________

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrant

 

   

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant

 

   

Check the appropriate box:

       
 

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement

   

 

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

   

 

Definitive Proxy Statement

   

 

Definitive Additional Materials

   

 

Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

Airspan Networks Holdings Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

_____________________________________________________________

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

 

 

No fee required

   

 

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials

   

 

Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1)

 

Dear Airspan Stockholder:

I am pleased to invite you to the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., to be held on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The annual meeting will be a completely virtual meeting conducted via live webcast. Stockholders will have an equal opportunity to participate at the annual meeting online regardless of their geographic location. You will be able to attend the annual meeting online and vote your shares electronically during the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MIMO2022 and entering the control number that appears on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, proxy card or any additional voting instructions accompanying these proxy materials. For further information on how to participate at the annual meeting, please see the accompanying proxy statement. We recommend that you log in a few minutes before the annual meeting to ensure you are admitted when the annual meeting starts.

We are pleased to make our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and proxy materials available to stockholders over the Internet under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Notice and Access rules. We believe this electronic delivery option provides our stockholders with information in a more timely, cost-efficient and environmentally-conscious manner versus providing materials in paper form.

It is very important that your shares be represented and voted at the annual meeting regardless of whether you plan to attend electronically. The accompanying proxy statement contains information about the matters on which you are asked to vote as well as specific instructions for voting over the telephone or via the Internet, or submitting your proxy. If you have previously received our Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, the instructions regarding how you can vote are contained in that notice. You are encouraged to read the materials carefully and vote in accordance with the recommendations of the Board of Directors.

Thank you for your investment in Airspan. We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

/s/ Eric D. Stonestrom

Eric D. Stonestrom
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors

May 10, 2022

This proxy statement, along with the enclosed proxy card, is first being made available to stockholders on or about May 10, 2022.

 

AIRSPAN NETWORKS HOLDINGS INC.
777 Yamato Road, Suite 310
Boca Raton, Florida 33431

NOTICE OF 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Time and Date:

 

Tuesday, June 21, 2022, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Please allow ample time for the online check-in process.

Place:

 

The 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. (the “Annual Meeting”) will be held through a virtual web conference at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MIMO2022.

   

To participate at the Annual Meeting, you will need your 16-digit control number, which can be found in your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, on your proxy card or any additional voting instructions accompanying these proxy materials.

Record Date:

 

April 26, 2022 (the “Record Date”)

Items to be Voted On:

 

1.      The election of Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom as Class I directors, each for a three-year term ending at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successor is duly elected and qualified;

   

2.      To approve the Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2021 Stock Incentive Plan;

   

3.      To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022; and

   

4.      To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

How to Vote:

 

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOUR SHARES ARE REPRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING. EVEN IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL PROMPTLY VOTE AND SUBMIT YOUR PROXY BY TELEPHONE, MAIL OR VIA THE INTERNET, AS DESCRIBED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT. THIS WILL NOT LIMIT YOUR RIGHTS TO ATTEND OR VOTE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING.

Our Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on April 26, 2022 as the record date for determining holders of our common stock entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. A complete list of such stockholders will be open to the examination of any stockholder for a period of ten days prior to the Annual Meeting for a purpose germane to the meeting at our principal executive offices, located at 777 Yamato Road, Suite 310, Boca Raton, Florida, during normal business hours. The complete list of these stockholders will also be available during the Annual Meeting for examination by any stockholder at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MIMO2022.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

/s/ David Brant

David Brant
Secretary
May 10, 2022

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 21, 2022.

Our proxy materials, including our proxy statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, are available at the following websites: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MIMO2022 and https:ir.airspan.com.

We are furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders primarily via the Internet, instead of mailing printed copies of those materials to each stockholder. By doing so, we save costs and reduce the environmental impact of the Annual Meeting. We will mail a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to certain of our stockholders. This Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions about how to access our proxy materials and vote online or vote by telephone. If you would like to receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, please follow the instructions included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. If you previously chose to receive our proxy materials electronically, you will continue to receive access to these materials via e-mail unless you elect otherwise.

 

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BACKGROUND NOTE

On August 13, 2021 (the “Closing”), New Beginnings Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“New Beginnings”), Artemis Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned direct subsidiary of New Beginnings (“Merger Sub”), and Airspan Networks Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy Airspan”), consummated their previously announced business combination (the “Business Combination”) pursuant to the terms of a Business Combination Agreement, dated as of March 8, 2021 (the “Business Combination Agreement”).

Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, on the Closing date, (i) New Beginnings changed its name to “Airspan Networks Holdings Inc.” and (ii) shares of Legacy Airspan capital stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Closing (including shares of Legacy Airspan capital stock issued pursuant to the net exercise of warrants to purchase Legacy Airspan capital stock, but excluding shares of Legacy Airspan restricted stock that were not Legacy Airspan accelerated restricted stock) were automatically converted into and became the right to receive 59,726,486 shares of Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. common stock and 9,000,000 warrants to purchase Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. common stock.

In this proxy statement, unless the context requires otherwise, references to “Airspan,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our,” and similar references refer to Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries following the Business Combination and to Legacy Airspan prior to the Business Combination.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

Why did you send me this proxy statement?

We sent you this proxy statement because our Board of Directors (the “Board”) is soliciting your proxy to vote at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on June 21, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and at any postponements or adjournments of the Annual Meeting. This proxy statement summarizes information that is intended to assist you in making an informed vote on the proposals described in this proxy statement.

Who can vote at the Annual Meeting?

Only stockholders as of the record date are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. The record date to determine stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting is the close of business on April 26, 2022. On the record date, there were 72,335,952 shares of our common stock outstanding. We have no other securities entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

How many votes do I have?

Each share of common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote with respect to all matters submitted to stockholders at the Annual Meeting. We do not have cumulative voting rights for the election of directors.

How many shares must be present to conduct the Annual Meeting?

The presence electronically or representation by proxy of a majority of the shares of common stock of the Company issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is necessary to establish a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be included in the shares present or represented at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present, but will not affect the outcome of the vote on any proposal. As of the record date, there were 72,335,952 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote. Accordingly, the holders of 36,167,977 shares of our common stock must be present or represented at the Annual Meeting to have a quorum. If a quorum is not present, the chair of the Annual Meeting may adjourn the meeting until a quorum is obtained.

What matters are to be voted on at the Annual Meeting?

The following proposals are scheduled to be voted on at the Annual Meeting:

1.      The election of Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom as Class I directors, each for a three-year term ending at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successor is duly elected and qualified;

2.      The approval of the Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Amended and Restated 2021 Plan”);

3.      The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022; and

4.      Any other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

As of the date of this proxy statement, we do not know of any other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, however, the persons named as proxies will be authorized to vote or otherwise act in accordance with their judgment.

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How does the Board recommend that I vote?

The Board recommends that you vote:

1.      FOR the election the election of each of Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom as a Class I director, each for a three-year term ending at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successor is duly elected and qualified;

2.      FOR the approval of our Amended and Restated 2021 Plan; and

3.      FOR the ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

How do I vote at the Annual Meeting?

Stockholders of record, who hold shares registered in their names, can vote by:

 

 

Internet
www.proxyvote.com

 

Calling 1-800-690-6903
Toll
-free from the U.S. or Canada

 

Mail
Return the signed proxy card

Telephone and internet voting facilities for stockholders of record will be available 24 hours a day. You may vote over the telephone or via the Internet until 11:59 p.m. on June 20, 2022.

Stockholders of record and beneficial stockholders may vote online during the Annual Meeting. You may cast your vote electronically during the Annual Meeting using the 16-digit control number included in your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, on your proxy card or on any additional voting instructions accompanying these proxy materials. If you do not have a control number, please contact your broker, bank or other nominee as soon as possible so that you can be provided with a control number.

Beneficial owners, who own shares through a bank, brokerage firm, or other nominee, can vote by returning the voting instruction form, or by following the instructions for voting via telephone or the internet, as provided by the bank, broker or other nominee. If you own shares in different accounts or in more than one name, you may receive different voting instructions for each type of ownership. Please vote all of your shares.

Even if you plan to participate at our Annual Meeting via virtual web conference, please cast your vote as soon as possible.

Your proxy will be voted in accordance with your instructions, so long as, in the case of a proxy card returned by mail, such card has been signed and dated. If you vote your shares via the Internet, by telephone or by executing and returning a proxy card by mail but you do not provide specific instructions with respect to the proposals, your shares will be voted FOR the director nominees named in this proxy statement, FOR the approval of our Amended and Restated 2021 Plan and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

As of the date of this proxy statement, we do not know of any matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting except those described in this proxy statement. If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, however, the persons named as proxies will be authorized to vote or otherwise act in accordance with their judgment.

During the Annual Meeting, a list of stockholders entitled to vote will be available for examination at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MIMO2022. The list will also be available for 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting for a purpose germane to the meeting at our principal executive offices, Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., 777 Yamato Road, Suite 310, Boca Raton, Florida 33431.

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What does it mean if I receive more than one set of proxy materials?

You may receive more than one set of proxy materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement, multiple copies of the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you may receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. If you are a stockholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you may receive more than one Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or more than one proxy card. To vote all of your shares by proxy, you must complete, sign, date and return each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive and vote over the telephone or via the Internet the shares represented by each Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials that you receive (unless you have requested and received a proxy card or voting instruction card for the shares represented by one or more of those Notices of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials).

May I change or revoke my vote?

Yes. You may change or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the Annual Meeting. If you are a stockholder of record, you may change or revoke your vote by submitting another later dated proxy by telephone, Internet or mail, by voting your shares electronically on the virtual meeting platform at the Annual Meeting (your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy; you must vote in person at the Annual Meeting to revoke your proxy) or by delivering a signed revocation letter to David Brant, the Company’s Secretary, at our address above before the Annual Meeting, which states that you have revoked your proxy. Your latest dated proxy card, Internet vote or telephone vote is the one that is counted. If you are a beneficial owner and your shares are held in street name, you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your bank, broker, trustee or nominee, or if you have obtained a legal proxy from such entity giving you the right to vote your shares, you may change your vote by attending the Annual Meeting and voting electronically on the virtual meeting platform.

What vote is required to elect directors and approve the other matters described in this proxy statement?

The election of Class I directors requires the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, provided a quorum is present. Accordingly, the three director nominees receiving the highest number of “FOR” votes will be elected. With respect to proposal to elect three Class I directors, you may vote “FOR” or “WITHHOLD” authority to vote for each of the director nominees. If you “WITHHOLD” authority to vote with respect to one or more director nominees, your vote will have no effect on the election of such nominees. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the election of the director nominees.

The approval of our Amended and Restated 2021 Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of the votes cast on this proposal. For this purpose, “votes cast” means all votes cast in favor of or against this proposal by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, provided a quorum is present, but will not include abstentions or broker non-votes. Accordingly, if you “ABSTAIN” from voting with respect to this proposal, it will have no effect on the vote for this proposal. Similarly, broker non-votes will also have no effect on the vote for this proposal.

The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton requires the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of the votes cast on this proposal. For this purpose, “votes cast” means all votes cast in favor of or against this proposal by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, provided a quorum is present, but will not include abstentions or broker non-votes. Accordingly, if you “ABSTAIN” from voting with respect to this proposal, it will have no effect on the vote for this proposal. Similarly, broker non-votes will also have no effect on the vote for this proposal.

What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner?

If your shares are registered in your name with our transfer agent, you are the “stockholder of record” of those shares. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the individuals listed on the proxy card or to vote on your own behalf at the Annual Meeting. On the other hand, if you purchased your shares through a brokerage or other financial intermediary, the brokerage or other financial intermediary will automatically put your shares into “street name” which means that the brokerage or other financial intermediary will hold your shares in its name or another nominee’s name and not in your name, but will keep records showing you as the “beneficial owner.”

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How do I vote if my bank or broker holds my shares in “street name”?

If, at the close of business on the record date, you held your shares in “street name” through a bank, broker or other nominee, such bank, broker or nominee will vote those shares in accordance with your instructions. To so instruct your bank, broker or nominee, you should refer to the information provided to you by such entity. Without instructions from you, a bank, broker or nominee will be permitted to exercise its own voting discretion with respect to so-called routine matters (Proposal 3 (Ratification of Independent Registered Accounting Firm)), but will not be permitted to exercise voting discretion with respect to non-routine matters (Proposal 1 (Election of Directors) and Proposal 2 (Amendment and Restatement of 2021 Stock Incentive Plan). Thus, if you do not give your bank, broker or nominee specific instructions with respect to Proposal 3, your shares will be voted in such entity’s discretion. If you do not give your bank, broker or nominee specific instructions with respect to Proposal 1 and Proposal 2, your shares will not be voted on such proposal. This is called a “broker non-vote.” Shares represented by such broker non-votes will be counted in determining whether there is a quorum and will have no effect on the non-routine proposal. We urge you to promptly provide your bank, broker or nominee with appropriate voting instructions so that all your shares may be voted at the Annual Meeting.

How will the votes be counted at the Annual Meeting?

The votes will be counted by the inspector of election appointed for the Annual Meeting.

How will the Company announce the voting results?

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. In addition, the Company will report the final results of the voting at the Annual Meeting in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) within four business days of the Annual Meeting.

Who pays for the Company’s solicitation of proxies?

The Board is soliciting your proxy to vote your shares of common stock at the Annual Meeting. We will bear the cost of soliciting proxies on behalf of the Company, including preparing, printing and mailing this proxy statement. Proxies may be solicited personally, by mail, email or by telephone by certain of our directors, officers, employees or representatives. Our directors and employees will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. We will reimburse brokerage houses, banks, custodians and other nominees and fiduciaries for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in forwarding our proxy solicitation materials.

What is “householding” and how does it work?

Under the rules adopted by the SEC, we may deliver a single set of proxy materials to one address shared by two or more of our stockholders. This delivery method is referred to as “householding” and can result in significant cost savings. To take advantage of this opportunity, we have delivered only one set of proxy materials to multiple stockholders who share an address, unless we received contrary instructions from the impacted stockholders prior to the mailing date. We agree to deliver promptly, upon written or oral request, a separate copy of the proxy materials, as requested, to any stockholder at the shared address to which a single copy of these documents was delivered. If you prefer to receive separate copies of the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, proxy statement or Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, contact Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. by calling 1-866-540-7095 or in writing at 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717, Attention: Householding Department.

In addition, if you currently are a stockholder who shares an address with another stockholder and would like to receive only one copy of future notices and proxy materials for your household, you may notify your broker if your shares are held in a brokerage account or you may notify us if you hold registered shares. Registered stockholders may notify us by contacting Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. at the above telephone number or address or sending a written request to Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., 777 Yamato Road, Suite 310, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, Attention: Investor Relations.

Stockholder who hold shares in street name may contact their brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other nominee to request information about householding.

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How do I participate in the Annual Meeting?

We are hosting the Annual Meeting through a virtual web conference. You will not be able to attend the meeting in person. You will be able to attend the virtual Annual Meeting and vote your shares electronically during the live webcast of the Annual Meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/MIMO2022 and entering your 16-digit control number included in your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, on your proxy card or on any additional voting instructions accompanying these proxy materials. The Annual Meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Online check-in will be available beginning at 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time. Please allow ample time for the online check-in process. Please be assured that you will be afforded the same rights and opportunities to participate in the virtual meeting as you would at an in-person meeting.

What if I need technical assistance?

There will be technicians ready to assist you with any technical difficulties you may have accessing the virtual Annual Meeting website. If you encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual Annual Meeting website during the check-in or meeting time, please call the technical support number that will be posted on the Annual Meeting login page.

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PROPOSAL ONE — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board (the “Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee”), the Board has nominated Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom as Class I director nominees for election at the Annual Meeting, each for a three-year term ending at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successor is duly elected and qualified.

Our Board is currently comprised of nine directors. As described in our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“Certificate of Incorporation”) our Board is currently divided into three classes. The term of our Class I directors expires at this Annual Meeting, the term of our Class II directors expires at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company to be held in 2023 and the term of our Class III directors expires at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company to be held in 2024. The following table describes the schedule for the election of our directors over the next three annual meetings of our stockholders and the terms our directors will serve if elected.

Meeting

 

Class of Directors
Standing for Election

 

Term

2022 Annual Meeting

 

Class I

 

Three-year term expiring at 2025 Annual Meeting

2023 Annual Meeting

 

Class II

 

Three-year term expiring at 2026 Annual Meeting

2024 Annual Meeting

 

Class III

 

Three-year term expiring at 2027 Annual Meeting

If you return a duly executed proxy card without specifying how your shares are to be voted, the persons named in the proxy card will vote to elect Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom as Class I directors. Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom each currently serve on our Board, have consented to being named in this proxy statement and indicated their willingness to continue to serve on the Board if elected. However, if any director nominee should be unable to serve, or for good cause will not serve, the shares of our common stock represented by proxies may be voted for a substitute nominee designated by our Board, or, in the discretion of our Board, our Board may reduce its size. Our Board has no reason to believe that any of the nominees will be unable to serve if elected.

The biographies of each of our current directors, including our Class I director nominees, are included below. No director or executive officer is related by blood, marriage or adoption to any other director or executive officer. Other than disclosed in this proxy statement, no arrangements or understandings exist between any director and any other person pursuant to which such person was selected as a director or nominee.

Required Vote

The election of Class I directors requires the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon, provided a quorum is present.

Board Recommendation

Our Board unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the election of each of Mathew Oommen, Divya Seshamani and Eric D. Stonestrom as Class I directors.

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DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHIES

Class I director nominees to be elected at the Annual Meeting (subsequent term to expire in 2025)

Mathew Oommen, age 53, joined the board of directors of Legacy Airspan in June 2014. Mr. Oommen is President of Reliance Jio, leading the company’s Network and Service Platforms, which support over 400 million mobile customers and an extensive set of business and consumer fiber customers. In this role, Mr. Oommen is enabling India’s digital transformation to affordable and scalable broadband connectivity, driving the creation and adoption of digital services in the emerging metaverse and digital 3.0 economy. Mr. Oommen is a member of the board of directors of the GSMA, O-RAN Alliance, and Netradyne. Prior to Reliance, Mr. Oommen was Chief Technology Officer of Sprint, responsible for product, network and technology development, systems architecture, and device development, including M2M/Connected Car services. Prior to joining Sprint in 2008, Mr. Oommen also held executive positions at Williams Communications Group/Wiltel and MCI Worldcom/Verizon. Mr. Oommen’s industry experience make him a valued member of the Board.

Divya Seshamani, age 43, joined our Board in October 2021. Ms. Seshamani has served as the Managing Partner of Greensphere Capital LLP since 2011. From 2014 to 2017, she was a partner at TPG Europe LLP. A World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for her work in sustainable and impact investing, Ms. Seshamani was previously a council member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) for two consecutive terms. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Forterra PLC, a FTSE-250 British manufacturing business. She was appointed by the Secretary of State to advise the UK Government as a member of the HMG’s Council for Sustainable Business, where she leads the Net-Zero Initiative. Ms. Seshamani holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard University. Ms. Seshamani’s experience as a private equity and venture capital investor in technology companies make her a valued member of the Board.

Eric D. Stonestrom, age 60, joined us as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in January 1998. In May 1998, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as a member of the board of directors of Legacy Airspan. Mr. Stonestrom remained President until the appointment of Glenn Laxdal as President in January 2022. In February 2022, Mr. Stonestrom was appointed Chairman of the Board. From 1995 to January 1998, Mr. Stonestrom was employed by DSC Communications Corporation (“DSC”), a provider of telecommunications equipment and services, as a Vice President of operating divisions, including our product line. From 1984 until 1995, Mr. Stonestrom worked at telecommunications corporations Bell Laboratories and AT&T in a variety of positions. He received B.S., M.S. and M. Eng. degrees in 1982, 1983 and 1984, respectively, from the College of Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Stonestrom’s industry experience, leadership abilities and strategic insight make him a valued member of the Board.

Class II directors (terms to expire in 2023)

Bandel L. Carano, age 60, joined the Legacy Airspan board of directors in September 2006. Mr. Carano, who was a member of the Legacy Airspan board of directors from January 1998 to February 2001, has been a general partner of Oak Investment Partners, a multi-stage venture capital firm, since 1987. Mr. Carano also serves on the board of directors of Centric Software, NeoPhotonics (NPTN:NYSE), NextNav (NN:NASDAQ) and nLight. Prior to Oak Investment Partners, Mr. Carano joined Morgan Stanley’s Venture Capital Group in 1983, where he was responsible for advising Morgan Stanley on high-tech new business development, as well as sponsoring venture investments. Mr. Carano holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Carano’s board experience and experience as a venture capital investor in technology companies make him a valued member of the Board.

Michael T. Flynn, age 73, joined the Legacy Airspan board of directors in July 2001. From 1994 to 2004, Mr. Flynn served as group president of ALLTEL Corporation, an integrated telecommunications provider of wireline and wireless telephony, Internet and high-speed data services. Prior to that, he was an officer with SBC Corp and the Bell System for 25 years. From September 2005 to June of 2018, he was a member of the board of CALIX Inc. (CALX:NYSE), a manufacturer of broadband access equipment, and participated in its successful initial public offering in 2010. Mr. Flynn also served as a director of Atlantic Tel-Networks (ATNI:NASDAQ) from June 2010 to June 2019. He has previously served as a board member of several companies resulting in successful mergers or acquisitions, including: Taqua sold to Tekelec in 2004; WebEx Communications (WEBX:NASDAQ) sold to Cisco for $3.2 billion in 2007;

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Bay Packets merged with GENBAND in 2006, where Mr. Flynn continued to serve until 2009; and iLinc (ILC:AMEX) sold to Broadsoft. Mr. Flynn earned his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1970. He attended the Dartmouth Institute in 1986 and the Harvard Advanced Management Program in 1988. Mr. Flynn’s business experience, mergers and acquisitions experience and board experience make him a valued member of the Board.

Scot B. Jarvis, age 61, joined the board of directors of Legacy Airspan in January 2011. He joined Oak Investment Partners in 1999 as a Venture Partner after a highly successful career in management and investment roles in the wireless communications industry. A graduate of the University of Washington, Scot founded and served as the first President of Nextlink Communications, served as a Regional President of Nextel, and served as a Senior Executive with McCaw Cellular (now AT&T Wireless). More recently, Scot was the Founder of Cedar Grove Investments, a private equity firm with a focus on wireless communications. He has served or currently serves on the boards of public and private companies, including Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Vitesse Semiconductor, Spectrum Effect and Slingshot Sports. Mr. Jarvis’ industry experience, business experience and board experience make him a valued member of the Board.

Class III directors (terms to expire in 2024)

Thomas S. Huseby, age 74, joined the Legacy Airspan board of directors in January 1998, serving as Chairman of the Board from 1998 until 2000 and a second term as Chairman from 2010 until February 2022. Since August 1997, Mr. Huseby has served as the Managing Partner of SeaPoint Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on communications infrastructure. Mr. Huseby has served as a Venture Partner at Oak Investment Partners since 1997. Prior to founding SeaPoint Ventures, Mr. Huseby was the Chairman and CEO of Metawave Communications and prior to that of Innova Corporation. Mr. Huseby has a B.A. and a B.S.I.E. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Mr. Huseby’s business experience and experience as a venture capital investor in the communications industry make him a valued member of the Board.

Michael Liebowitz, age 53, has been a director since the inception of New Beginnings. He is an entrepreneur, private investor and seasoned business executive with extensive experience founding, acquiring, and monetizing businesses in the insurance and financial industries. Mr. Liebowitz served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Harbor Group Consulting LLC, an insurance and risk management consulting firm, from its formation in 1995 to 2018. Mr. Liebowitz currently serves as a Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Harbor Group Division of Alliant Insurance Services Inc., which acquired Harbor Group Consulting in 2018. Mr. Liebowitz served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Innova Risk Management, a boutique real-estate insurance firm, which he acquired in 2006 in a joint venture with Douglas Elliman Real Estate and was subsequently sold in 2019. Innova is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance in the co-op and condominium markets in the New York area. In 2017, Mr. Liebowitz founded High Street Valuations, a firm that specializes in providing insurable value calculations for banks, capital market lenders, owners, and property management companies, for which he serves as President at Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Liebowitz has been a director of Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG) since December 2021. Mr. Liebowitz served on the board of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE American: LTS), the parent company of Ladenburg Thalmann, from January 2019 to February 2020 and the board of The Hilb Group, a leading middle market insurance agency headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, from 2011 to 2013. Since 2008, Mr. Liebowitz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hallman & Lorber Associates, Inc., a firm that provides consultancy and actuarial services to qualified pension plans. In 1999, Mr. Liebowitz was a founding principal of National Financial Partners Corp. (NYSE: NFP), which was taken public in 2003 and was acquired by a controlled affiliate of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC in 2013. Mr. Liebowitz has acted as an advisor to many of the largest financial services companies around the globe on their complex insurance matters within their investment banking/M&A groups. Mr. Liebowitz is the managing member of M2AFO, LLC a family office vehicle he created in 2018. Mr. Liebowitz graduated from CW Post College-LI University with a B.S. in Finance. Mr. Liebowitz’s mergers and acquisitions experience, experience with special acquisition companies and board experience make him a valued member of the Board.

On August 13, 2021, New Beginnings Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain stockholders of Legacy Airspan entered into a stockholders agreement (the “Stockholders Agreement) with us, which provides, among other things, that, from and after the Closing and until such time as the Sponsor beneficially owns less than 1,535,000 shares of our common stock, the Sponsor will have the right to nominate a director (the “Sponsor Director”), who is initially

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Mr. Liebowitz. The Stockholders Agreement also provides that for so long as the Sponsor Director is an independent director, the Sponsor Director will be appointed to, and serve on, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board (or such other committee of the Board that is primarily responsible for nominating and corporate governance matters).

Dominique Trempont, age 68, joined the board of directors of Legacy Airspan in May 2018. He also serves on the board of On24, a public cloud based SaaS company that provides a leading cloud-based digital experience platform that makes it easy to create, scale, and personalize engaging experiences to drive measurable business growth, as its Lead Director and chair of the Compensation and Nomination/Governance Committees, since February 2010. He serves as a board director of Daily Mail and General Trust plc, a producer of content, information analytics and events for businesses and consumers, since February 2011. He served on the board of Real Networks, a cloud based SaaS company focused on mobile applications, as its Lead director and Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee, since July 2010. He also served as a director, chair of the Audit Committee and of the Nomination and Governance Committee of Energy Recovery, Inc., a manufacturer of efficient energy recovery devices utilized in the water desalination industry, for 9 years, since July 2008. From 2005 to November 2011, Mr. Trempont served as a director of Finisar Corporation, a global company that develops and markets high-speed data communication systems and software for networking and storage. From 2006 to April 2010, Mr. Trempont served as a director and chair of the audit committee of 3Com Corporation, a network management company that was acquired by Hewlett Packard in April 2010. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Trempont was CEO-in-Residence at Battery Ventures, a venture capital firm. Prior to joining Battery Ventures, Mr. Trempont was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kanisa, Inc., a cloud service company focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable enterprise self-service applications, from 1999 to 2002. Mr. Trempont was President and CEO of Gemplus Corporation, a smart card and Internet-of-Things focused company, from 1997 to 1999. Prior to Gemplus, Mr. Trempont worked closely with Steve Jobs on the turnaround of NeXT Software; he served as Chief Financial Officer and head of Operations of the company. Mr. Trempont began his career at Raychem Corporation, a materials science and technology company focused on telecommunications, electronics, automotive and other industries. He was an adjunct professor at INSEAD from 2010 to 2016. Mr. Trempont earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from College St. Louis (Belgium), a B.A. with high honors in Business Administration and Software Engineering (LSM) from the University of Louvain (Belgium) and a master’s degree in Business Administration from INSEAD (France/Singapore). Mr. Trempont’s industry and board experience make him a valued member of the Board. In addition, Mr. Trempont’s background and skills qualify him to serve as an audit committee financial expert.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Our business and affairs are managed under the direction of our Board. Pursuant to our Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”), the total number of directors is determined from time to time by resolution of our Board, subject to the Certificate of Incorporation and the Stockholders Agreement. Our Board currently consists of nine directors.

Director Independence

NYSE American LLC (“NYSE American”) listing standards require that we have a sufficient number of independent directors on our Board such that at least a majority of such directors are independent directors. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an executive officer or employee of the Company or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our Board has determined that Ms. Seshamani and Messrs. Carano, Flynn, Huseby, Jarvis, Liebowitz and Trempont are “independent directors” under NYSE American listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, the board of directors of New Beginnings had determined that former New Beginnings directors Mr. Benjamin Garrett, Mr. Frank A. Del Rio, Mr. Perry Weitz and Dean Kate Walsh were “independent directors” under NYSE American listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

Board Leadership Structure

We believe that the structure of our Board and its committees provides strong overall management of our Company. We do not currently have a policy as to whether the offices of Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be separate, or whether the Chair of the Board should be an employee or elected from among non-employee directors. Our Board believes that it is in the best interests of the Company to have the flexibility to make this determination as circumstances require, and in a manner that it believes is best to provide appropriate leadership. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a lead director may be elected by the independent directors when the Chair of the Board is a member of management or does not otherwise qualify as independent. The lead director’s responsibilities would include, among other things, presiding over all meetings of the Board at which the Chair of the Board is not present, approving Board meeting schedules and agendas and acting as the liaison between the independent directors and the Chief Executive Officer and the Chair of the Board.

The Board has determined that the best leadership structure for Airspan at this time is to combine the Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer positions, with Mr. Stonestrom serving as Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and not having a lead director. Our Board has determined that combining the roles of Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer is best for our Company and its stockholders at this time because it provides unified leadership by Mr. Stonestrom and allows for a single, clear focus for management to execute the Company’s strategy and business plans. The Board believes that this overall structure meets the current corporate governance needs and oversight responsibilities of the Board. Moreover, the Board believes that the independent directors, who compromise a majority of the Board, provide an effective oversight of management.

The Board may modify its leadership structure in the future as it deems appropriate.

Risk Oversight

Our Board is responsible for overseeing our risk management process. Our Board focuses on our general risk management strategy, the most significant risks facing us, and oversees the implementation of risk mitigation strategies by management. The audit committee of our Board (the “Audit Committee”) is also responsible for discussing our policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management. Our Board believes its administration of its risk oversight function has not negatively affected our Board’s leadership structure.

Board Meetings and Attendance

Board members are expected to prepare for and attend all meetings of the Board and committees on which they serve. Given the timing of the Closing of our Business Combination on August 13, 2021, our Board held one meeting in 2021, the Audit Committee held one meeting in 2021, the compensation committee of our Board (the “Compensation Committee”) held one meeting in 2021 and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held no meetings

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in 2021. During 2021, each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of the total number of Board meetings (held during the period for which they were a director) and the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board on which they served (during the periods that they served), except for Mr. Oommen. Although we do not maintain a formal policy regarding director attendance at stockholder meetings, we encourage all directors to attend and attempt to schedule such meetings so that all directors can attend. We did not hold an annual meeting of stockholders in 2021.

Criteria for Selection of Directors

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for identifying individuals that are qualified to become members of the Board and ensuring that the Board has the requisite expertise and that its membership consists of persons with sufficiently diverse and independent backgrounds. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may take into account many factors and seek individuals with backgrounds and qualities that, when combined with those of the Company’s incumbent directors, provide a mix of specific experience qualifications and skills in order to assure that the Board, as a whole, has the necessary tools to perform its oversight function effectively in light of our business and structure. In recommending director candidates for election to the Board, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider candidates who have a high level of personal and professional integrity, strong ethics and values and the ability to make mature business judgments, as well as whether there are potential conflicts of interest with the candidate’s other personal and professional pursuits. In evaluating director candidates, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may also consider the following criteria, as well as any other factor that it deems to be relevant: the candidate’s experience in corporate management, such as serving as an officer or former officer of a publicly-held company; the candidate’s experience as a board member of another publicly-held company; the candidate’s professional and academic experience relevant to our industry; the strength of the candidate’s leadership skills; the candidate’s experience in finance and accounting and/or executive compensation practices; whether the candidate has the time required for preparation, participation and attendance at Board meeting and committee meetings, if applicable; and the candidate’s geographic background, gender, age and ethnicity.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe in attracting, developing and retaining diverse teams. We embrace diversity and inclusion and strive to provide an environment rich with diverse skills, backgrounds and perspectives.

Recommendation of Directors by Stockholders

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider candidates for election as a director of the Company that are recommended by any stockholder, provided that the recommending stockholder follows the procedures set forth in our Bylaws for nominations by stockholders of persons to serve as directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee evaluates such candidates in the same manner by which it evaluates other director candidates considered by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, as described above.

Pursuant to the Bylaws, nominations of persons for election to the Board at a meeting of stockholders may be generally made by any stockholder of the Company entitled to vote for the election of directors at the meeting who sends a timely notice in writing to our Secretary. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, our principal executive offices not less than 90 nor more than 120 days before the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event no annual meeting of stockholders was held in the preceding year, a stockholder’s notices must be so delivered, or mailed and received, not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or, if later, the 10th day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting is first made by us; provided, further, that if the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, a stockholder’s notice must be so delivered, or mailed and received, not later than the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or, if later, the 10th day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting is first made by us. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice with respect to a special meeting of stockholders must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, our principal executive offices not earlier than 120 days prior to the special meeting and not later than the later of 90 days prior to the special meeting and the 10th day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of the special meeting is first made by us.

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The stockholder’s notice or recommendation is required to contain certain prescribed information about each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director, the stockholder giving notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf notice is given. The stockholder’s notice must also include the consent of the person proposed to be nominated and to serve as a director if elected. Recommendations or notices relating to director nominations should be sent to Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., 777 Yamato Road, Suite 310, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, Attention: Secretary. See “Additional Information — Stockholder Proposals for 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.”

Corporate Governance

We have structured our corporate governance in a manner we believe closely aligns our interests with those of our stockholders. Notable features of this corporate governance include:

•        we have independent director representation on our Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, and our independent directors meet regularly in executive sessions without the presence of our management or non-independent directors;

•        at least one of our directors qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC; and

•        we have implemented a range of other corporate governance best practices, including a robust director education program.

Board Committees

Our Board directs the management of our business and affairs, as provided by Delaware law, and conducts its business through meetings of the Board and standing committees. We have a standing Audit Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Compensation Committee. In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of the Board when necessary to address specific issues.

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee is responsible for, among other things:

•        the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

•        pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;

•        setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations;

•        setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

•        obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence;

•        reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and

•        reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

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Our Audit Committee consists of Ms. Seshamani and Messrs. Liebowitz and Trempont, with Mr. Trempont serving as chair. Under the NYSE American listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the Audit Committee, all of whom must be independent. Our Board has affirmatively determined that Ms. Seshamani and Messrs. Liebowitz and Trempont each meet the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on the Audit Committee under Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the NYSE American rules. Each member of our Audit Committee also meets the financial literacy requirements of NYSE American listing standards. In addition, our Board has determined that Mr. Trempont qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC. Our Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, which is available in the “Investor Relations” section of our corporate website at https://ir.airspan.com/. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.

Compensation Committee

Our Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things:

•        reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

•        reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers;

•        reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;

•        implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

•        assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

•        approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;

•        if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

•        reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

Our Compensation Committee consists of Messrs. Flynn, Huseby and Jarvis, with Mr. Jarvis serving as chair. Our Board has affirmatively determined that Messrs. Flynn, Huseby and Jarvis each meet the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on the Compensation Committee under the NYSE American rules, including the heightened independence standards for members of a compensation committee, and are “non-employee directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. Our Board has adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee, which is available in the “Investor Relations” section of our corporate website at https://ir.airspan.com/. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things:

•        identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to the Board candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the Board;

•        developing and recommending to the Board and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;

•        coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of our Board, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of our company; and

•        reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.

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Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of Ms. Seshamani and Messrs. Carano, Huseby, Liebowitz and Trempont, with Mr. Huseby serving as chair. Our Board has affirmatively determined that Ms. Seshamani and Messrs. Carano, Huseby, Liebowitz and Trempont each meet the definition of “independent director” under the NYSE American rules. Our Board has adopted a written charter for the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which is available in the “Investor Relations” section of our corporate website at https://ir.airspan.com/. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the code is available in the “Investor Relations” section of our corporate website at ir.airspan.com/corporate-governance. We intend to disclose any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of the code of business conduct that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer on our corporate website. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statements or to be part of this proxy statement.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

No member of the Compensation Committee was at any time during 2021, or at any other time, one of our officers or employees. During 2021, none of our executive officers served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee (or other committee performing equivalent functions) of any entity that had one or more executive officers serving on our Board or Compensation Committee.

Hedging of Company Securities

We believe it is improper and inappropriate for any person associated with Airspan to engage in short-term or speculative transactions involving our securities. Directors, officers and employees of the Company, including contractors and other temporary personnel, and immediate family members of employees of the Company (collectively referred to as “Insiders”) are therefore prohibited under our Insider Trading Policy from trading in any interest or position relating to the future price of our securities, such as a put, call or short sale or other derivative securities on our securities. Our Insider Trading Policy also prohibits Insiders from (i) entering into hedging or monetization transactions or similar arrangements with respect to our securities, (ii) holding our securities in a margin account or (iii) pledging our securities as collateral for a loan.

Communications from Stockholders

The Board will give appropriate attention to written communications that are submitted by stockholders and interested parties, and will respond if and as appropriate. Our General Counsel is primarily responsible for monitoring communications from stockholders and interested parties and for providing copies or summaries to the directors, as appropriate. Our General Counsel, in consultation with appropriate directors as necessary, will review all incoming stockholder and interested party communications and screen for communications that (i) are solicitations for products and services, (ii) relate to matters of a personal nature not relevant for our Board to consider and (iii) matters that are of a type that render them improper or irrelevant to the functioning of the Board or us, including, without limitation, mass mailings, product complaints or inquiries, job inquiries, business solicitations and patently offensive or otherwise inappropriate material. If appropriate, our General Counsel will route such communications to the appropriate director(s) or, if none is specified, to the Chair of the Board or the lead independent director if the Chair of the Board is not independent. Stockholders and interested parties who wish to send communications on any topic to the Board, the non-employee directors or any director should address such communications to the Board of Directors/Non-Employee Directors, c/o General Counsel, Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., 777 Yamato Road, Suite 310, Boca Raton, Florida 33431.

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Our Executive Officers

The following table sets forth the names, ages and positions of our executive officers as of the date of this proxy statement:

Name

 

Age

 

Position

Eric D. Stonestrom*

 

60

 

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

Glenn Laxdal

 

62

 

President and Chief Operating Officer

David Brant

 

58

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Henrik Smith-Petersen

 

58

 

Chief Sales and Marketing Officer

Uzi Shalev

 

64

 

Chief Technology Officer

Eli Leizerovitz

 

58

 

Head of Products

____________

*        Mr. Stonestrom is a member of our Board. See “Proposal One — Election of Directors” for more information about Mr. Stonestrom.

Glenn Laxdal was appointed as our President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2022. Mr. Laxdal previously served since 2017 as senior vice president and general manager of product management at Infinera Corp., a provider of connectivity solutions (“Infinera”), where he was responsible for all operational aspects of Infinera’s product business. Prior to joining Infinera, Mr. Laxdal was head of network products in North America for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (“Ericsson”) from 2016 to 2017, overseeing strategy, product management and solution development. Mr. Laxdal also served as chief technology officer and head of strategy for Ericsson North America from 2014 to 2017. Prior to Ericsson, Mr. Laxdal served as vice president of global product management at BlackBerry Ltd. from 2009 to 2012 and prior to that held executive roles in product management and operations at Airvana, Inc. and Nortel Networks Inc. Mr. Laxdal holds an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto and a B.A. in Economics and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Saskatchewan.

David Brant joined us in January 1998 as Finance Director. He became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in January 2007. Between July 2000 and December 2005 Mr. Brant served as Vice President Finance and Controller. In December 2005 we transferred our Finance function to the United States, and he assumed an operating role leading our AS.NET division, broadening his experience across the operational functions of our Company. From 1990 to 1998, Mr. Brant was employed by DSC in various financial roles, the last post as Director of European Accounting. He received a B.A. in Mathematical Economics in 1984 from Essex University and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Henrik Smith-Petersen is our Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Mr. Smith-Petersen joined us in February 1998 as Senior Director in Sales. He became Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific in April 2000, in February 2001 became President, Asia Pacific, and in February 2009 became President, Global Business Development. Prior to joining us, from July 1997 he was with DSC as Director of Business Development. At DSC he gained extensive experience developing new business and partnerships worldwide in the wireless telecommunication market. Before joining DSC, he worked for four years for AT&T’s Network Systems Group in Italy, where he developed AT&T’s operation systems business and later became Key Account Manager for Italtel, AT&T’s local partner in Milan, developing the Telecom Italia business. He received his B.Sc. in Business Economics degree from Copenhagen School of Economics in Denmark in 1990, and an M.B.A. from SDA BOCCONI University in Milan in 1992.

Uzi Shalev is our Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Shalev was our Chief Operating Officer from August 2008 until January 2022, when he was appointed as our Chief Technology Officer. Prior to being appointed Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Shalev was Vice President and General Manager of Airspan Israel. Mr. Shalev joined Marconi in January 2001 as Vice President of Engineering and was appointed as Vice President and General Manager of Airspan Israel at the acquisition in 2002. Prior to joining us, he served as Senior Vice President Engineering with RADVision, developing Voice and Video over IP products. From 1985 until 1993, Mr. Shalev worked in various projects in the Israel Aircraft Industries. He has 23 years of experience in telecommunications and wireless products, in managerial and technical roles. Mr. Shalev holds a B.Sc. degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Eli Leizerovitz joined us in July 2018 as Head of Products, responsible for leading our product innovation, strategy and technology. Mr. Leizerovitz has a wealth of experience in the telecommunication industry, most recently spending six years as Senior Director of Business Development at Qualcomm Incorporated (“Qualcomm”), heading business

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development for Qualcomm’s Cellular Infrastructure Products. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Mr. Leizerovitz spent a combined 11 years as Vice President of Sales at DesignArt Networks and Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Provigent. Mr. Leizerovitz has also held Sales, Business Development and Project Management positions at Nice Systems and Tadiran Spectralink. Mr. Leizerovitz holds a B.Sc. degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the Technion and an M.B.A. degree from Tel-Aviv University.

Compensation of Directors and Officers

Our executive compensation program reflects our compensation policies and philosophies, as they may be modified and updated from time to time.

Decisions with respect to the compensation of our executive officers, including our named executive officers, is made by the Compensation Committee. In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Compensation Committee has the authority to delegate any or all of its responsibilities to a subcommittee of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain advice from compensation consultants, independent legal counsel or other advisers.

In 2021, our Compensation Committee retained Board Advisory, LLC (“Board Advisory”) as its compensation consultant to provide advice and guidance on the overall competitiveness of our pay methodology for 2021. Board Advisory was instructed to provide an independent review of our peer group, provide a review of executive and Board compensation against peer companies and provide recommendations for prospective awards of performance-based cash and equity. Board Advisory reports directly to our Compensation Committee. Our Compensation Committee may, in its sole discretion, terminate or replace any compensation consultant it retains, and we are required to provide appropriate funding, as determined by our Compensation Committee, for the payment of reasonable compensation to any compensation consultant retained by our Compensation Committee. Board Advisory provides no services to, and earns no fees from, us outside of its engagement with our Compensation Committee. Our Compensation Committee has determined that Board Advisory is independent from management based upon the consideration of relevant factors, including:

•        that Board Advisory does not provide any services to us, except advisory services to our Compensation Committee;

•        that the amount of fees received from us by Board Advisory is not material as a percentage of Board Advisory’s total revenue;

•        that Board Advisory has policies and procedures that are designed to prevent conflicts of interest;

•        that Board Advisory and its employees who provide services to our Compensation Committee do not have any business or personal relationship with any member of our Compensation Committee or any of our executive officers; and

•        that Board Advisory and its employees who provide services to our Compensation Committee do not own any shares of our common stock.

Our executive compensation programs for 2021 are further described below under “Executive Compensation.”

Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our common stock to file initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership with the SEC. Such executive officers, directors and greater than 10% beneficial owners are required by the regulations of the SEC to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file.

Based solely upon a review of copies of reports on Forms 3 and 4 and amendments thereto filed electronically with the SEC during, and reports on Form 5 and amendments thereto filed electronically with the SEC with respect to, the year ended December 31, 2021, and based further upon written representations received by us with respect to the need to file reports on Form 5, no persons filed late reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act during the year ended December 31, 2021.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

This section discusses the material components of the executive compensation program for our executive officers who are named in the “Summary Compensation Table” below. As an emerging growth company, we comply with the executive compensation disclosure rules applicable to “smaller reporting companies,” as such term is defined in the rules promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which require compensation disclosure for our principal executive officer and the two most highly compensated executive officers other than our principal executive officer. These three officers are referred to as our named executive officers.

In 2021, our “named executive officers” and their positions were as follows:

•        Eric. D. Stonestrom, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors;

•        David Brant, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer; and

•        Henrik Smith-Petersen, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer.

This discussion may contain forward-looking statements that are based on our current plans, considerations, expectations and determinations regarding future compensation programs. The actual compensation programs that we adopt in the future may differ materially from the currently planned programs summarized in this discussion.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table provides summary information concerning compensation paid or accrued by us to or on behalf of our named executive officers.

Name and Principal Position

 

Year

 

Salary
($)

 

Bonus
($)

 

Stock
Awards
($)
(1)

 

Option
Awards
($)
(2)

 

Non-equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
(3)

 

All Other
Compensation
($)
(4)

 

Total
($)

Eric D. Stonestrom,

 

2021

 

 

$

512,922

 

$

216,945

 

$

6,825,000

 

$

851,245

 

$

7,000,000

 

$

169,113

 

$

15,575,225

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

2020

 

 

$

500,000

 

$

225,000

 

$

609,128

 

$

602,395

 

$

 

$

11,400

 

$

1,947,923

David Brant,

 

2021

(5)

 

$

373,742

 

$

131,679

 

$

3,412,500

 

$

425,625

 

$

3,455,202

 

$

49,041

 

$

7,847,789

Senior Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer

 

2020

(6)

 

$

340,369

 

$

127,639

 

$

304,564

 

$

301,197

 

$

 

$

25,530

 

$

1,099,299

Henrik Smith-Petersen

 

2021

(5)

 

$

359,504

 

$

 

$

2,849,438

 

$

355,372

 

$

3,213,775

 

$

26,963

 

$

6,805,052

Chief Sales &
Marketing Officer

 

2020

(6)

 

$

307,678

 

$

 

$

76,147

 

$

677,205

 

$

215,555

 

$

23,249

 

$

1,299,834

____________

(1)      The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted to each named executive officer pursuant to Legacy Airspan’s management incentive plan (the “MIP”) in connection with the Closing of the Business Combination, computed in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 718. See Note 17 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, for a discussion of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair value of our equity awards.

(2)      The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards granted to each named executive officer, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 17 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, for a discussion of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair value of our equity awards.

(3)      The amounts in this column represent amounts paid pursuant to the MIP in connection with the Closing of the Business Combination and amounts earned by Mr. Smith-Petersen under a sales compensation plan.

(4)      With respect to Mr. Stonestrom, represents our matching contributions under our 401(k) plan and payment for unused vacation. With respect to Messrs. Brant and Smith-Petersen, represents our contributions under U.K. pension scheme and payment for unused vacation.

(5)      Amounts have been converted from British pounds to U.S. dollars at a rate of £1 to $0.7266, which represents the average of the exchange rate on the last day of each month in 2021.

(6)      Amounts have been converted from British pounds to U.S. dollars at a rate of £1 to $0.7774, which represents the average of the exchange rate on the last day of each month in 2020.

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Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table

We have historically provided compensation for our named executive officers by way of base salary and bonus, both of which are provided under the named executive officer’s employment agreement, as well as equity awards.

Employment Agreements

All of our named executive officers are employed with employment agreements.

Eric Stonestrom, Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Stonestrom’s base salary under his employment agreement, dated January 12, 1998, is subject to periodic review and adjustment by our Board. As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Stonestrom’s base salary was $517,500 per year. On February 8, 2022, the Board increased Mr. Stonestrom’s base salary to $567,500 per year. Additionally, Mr. Stonestrom is eligible to receive certain bonus compensation under our bonus plan at a target of 60% of his base salary and is eligible to receive grants under our equity compensation plans. Mr. Stonestrom’s employment agreement has no specified term. See the caption “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” for details regarding potential severance payments.

David Brant, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Brant’s base salary under his employment agreement, effective as of January 1, 2007, has since been increased to its current level of £273,877 per year, subject to periodic review and adjustment. Additionally, Mr. Brant is eligible to receive certain bonus compensation under our bonus plan at a target of 50% of his base salary and is eligible to receive grants under our equity compensation plans. Mr. Brant’s employment agreement has no specified term. See the caption “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” for details regarding potential severance payments.

Henrik Smith-Petersen, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer

Mr. Smith Petersen’s base salary under his employment agreement, dated October 7, 2009, has since been increased to its current level of £254,999 per year, subject to periodic review and adjustment. Additionally, Mr. Smith-Petersen is eligible to receive certain bonus compensation under our sales compensation plan at a level of up to 70% of his base salary, plus certain spot bonuses for achieving specific sales goals. Mr. Smith-Petersen is also eligible to receive grants under our equity compensation plans. Mr. Smith-Petersen’s employment agreement has no specified term. See the caption “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” for details regarding potential severance payments.

Equity Awards

We have historically offered stock options and restricted stock awards to our named executive officers, as the long-term incentive component of our compensation program. Our stock options generally allow employees to purchase shares of common stock at a price equal to the fair market value of that common stock on the date of grant. Our restricted stock awards generally remain subject to forfeiture until the risks of forfeiture lapse according to their terms. Historically, restricted stock awards vested upon the earlier of either of the following events that occurred on or prior to the 10th anniversary of the date of grant: (i) the date of a change in control; or (ii) the effective date of an initial public offering. In connection with the Closing of the Business Combination, the provisions of our outstanding restricted stock awards were amended to provide that vesting would occur on the earliest to occur of (a) August 13, 2022, (b) death, (c) disability and (d) qualifying separation, provided that the holder continues to be employed by us, or continues to be a director of ours, through such date or event.

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The following table sets forth the options to purchase shares of common stock granted to our named executive officers during 2021.

Named Executive Officer

 

2021
Stock
Options
Granted

Eric D. Stonestrom

 

135,333

David Brant

 

67,667

Henrik Smith-Petersen

 

56,498

These stock options were granted on January 28, 2021 and vest as to 25% of the shares on the first anniversary of the date of grant, and vest monthly as to 1/48 of the shares for each of the 36 months following the first anniversary of the date of grant, such that the stock option is fully-vested in four years. The number of stock options presented in the above table represents stock options to purchase Legacy Airspan stock. In connection with the Closing, the stock options were converted into options to purchase shares of our common stock. See the “Outstanding Equity Awards at 2021 Fiscal Year-End” table below.

No restricted stock awards were made to our named executive officers during 2021.

In addition, as described in greater detail below, in connection with the Closing of the Business Combination, we granted restricted stock units with respect to 1,750,000 shares of our common stock (“MIP RSUs”) to the participants in the MIP (the “MIP Participants”), which included our named executive officers and certain of our directors.

MIP

At the Closing of the Business Combination, certain of our directors and executive officers received, in full satisfaction of their rights under the MIP, an aggregate of $17,500,000 in cash and MIP RSUs with respect to an aggregate of 1,750,000 shares of our common stock. The MIP RSUs will vest on the earliest to occur of (i) August 13, 2022, (ii) the MIP Participant’s death, (iii) the MIP Participant’s disability and (iv) the MIP Participant’s qualifying separation, provided that the MIP Participant continues to be employed by us, or continues to be a director of ours, through such date or event. The amounts of cash and MIP RSUs received by our directors and named executive officers under the MIP in connection with the Closing of the Business Combination are set forth below:

Name

 

Cash

 

MIP RSUs

Eric D. Stonestrom

 

$

7,000,000

 

700,000

David Brant

 

$

3,500,000

 

350,000

Henrik Smith-Petersen

 

$

2,922,500

 

292,250

Thomas S. Huseby

 

$

1,750,000

 

175,000

Michael T. Flynn

 

$

577,500

 

57,750

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Outstanding Equity Awards at 2021 Fiscal Year-End

The following table provides information regarding outstanding equity awards for our named executive officers as of December 31, 2021.

     

Option Awards

 

Stock Awards

Name

 

Grant
Date

 

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable

 

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable

 

Option
Exercise
Price
($)

 

Option
Expiration
Date

 

Number
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
(1)

 

Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
($)

Eric D. Stonestrom

 

8/13/21(1)

         

 

       

700,000

 

$

2,653,000

(5)

   

1/28/21(2)

 

 

42,292

 

$

6.29

 

1/28/31

     

 

 

 

   

2/11/20(2)

 

61,371

 

85,921

 

$

3.96

 

2/11/30

     

 

 

 

   

2/11/20(3)

         

 

       

153,712

 

$

582,568

(5)

   

1/29/19(2)

 

171,798

 

63,811

 

$

5.42

 

1/29/29

     

 

 

 

   

4/27/17(2)

 

234,739

 

 

$

3.36

 

4/27/27

     

 

 

 

   

2/3/16(2)

 

111,566

 

 

$

2.66

 

2/3/26

     

 

 

 

   

1/29/15(2)

 

83,334

 

 

$

2.53

 

1/29/25

     

 

 

 

   

11/4/14(2)

 

103,957

 

 

$

2.53

 

11/4/24

     

 

 

 

   

6/9/14(2)

 

194,803

 

 

$

1.95

 

6/9/14

     

 

 

 

David Brant

 

8/13/21(1)

         

 

       

350,000

 

$

1,326,500

(5)

   

1/28/21(2)

 

 

21,146

 

$

6.26

 

1/28/31

     

 

 

 

   

2/11/20(2)

 

30,685

 

42,961

 

$

3.96

 

2/11/30

     

 

 

 

   

2/11/20(3)

         

 

       

76,856

 

$

291,284

(5)

   

1/29/19(2)

 

85,899

 

31,906

 

$

5.42

 

1/29/29

     

 

 

 

   

4/27/17(3)

 

117,370

 

 

$

3.36

 

4/27/27

     

 

 

 

   

2/3/16(2)

 

55,783

 

 

$

2.66

 

2/3/26

     

 

 

 

   

1/29/15(2)

 

41,667

 

 

$

2.53

 

1/29/25

     

 

 

 

   

11/4/14(2)

 

51,976

 

 

$

2.53

 

11/4/24

     

 

 

 

   

6/9/14(2)

 

97,404

 

 

$

1.95

 

6/9/24

     

 

 

 

Henrik Smith-Petersen

 

8/13/21(1)

         

 

       

292,250

 

$

1,107,628

(5)

   

1/28/21(4)

 

 

17,656

 

$

6.29

 

1/28/31

     

 

 

 

   

2/11/20(4)

 

68,993

 

96,592

 

$

3.96

 

2/11/20

     

 

 

 

   

2/11/20(3)

         

 

       

19,215

 

$

72,825

(5)

   

1/29/19(4)

 

42,949

 

15,953

 

$

5.42

 

1/29/29

     

 

 

 

   

4/27/17(4)

 

58,685

 

 

$

3.36

 

4/27/27

     

 

 

 

   

2/3/16(4)

 

27,897

 

 

$

2.66

 

2/3/26

     

 

 

 

   

1/29/15(4)

 

20,831

 

 

$

2.53

 

1/29/25

     

 

 

 

   

11/4/14(4)

 

25,982

 

 

$

2.53

 

11/4/24

     

 

 

 

   

6/9/14(4)

 

72080

 

 

$

1.95

 

6/9/24

     

 

 

 

____________

(1)      Represents MIP RSUs granted at the Closing of the Business Combination. Vests on the earliest to occur of (i) August 13, 2022, (ii) the MIP Participant’s death, (iii) the MIP Participant’s disability and (iv) the MIP Participant’s qualifying separation, provided that the MIP Participant continues to be employed by us, or continues to be a director of ours, through such date or event.

(2)      Vests (subject to continued service) as to 25% on first anniversary of grant date, and in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter, with all remaining unvested options vesting upon a change in control.

(3)      Originally vested upon the earlier of either of the following events that occurred on or prior to the 10th anniversary of the date of grant: (i) the date of a change in control; or (ii) the effective date of an initial public offering. At Closing, the vesting restrictions with respect to these restricted stock awards were revised to provide that the restricted stock will vest in full on

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the earliest to occur of (i) August 13, 2022, (ii) the holder’s death, (iii) the holder’s disability and (iv) the holder’s qualifying separation, provided that the holder continues to be employed by us, or continues to be a director of ours, through such date or event.

(4)      Vests (subject to continued service) as to 25% on first anniversary of grant date, and in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter, with 50% of any remaining unvested options vesting upon a change in control.

(5)      Valued at $3.79 per share, the closing market price of one share of our common stock on the NYSE American on December 31, 2021.

Retirement Benefits

We maintain a 401(k) retirement savings plan for our U.S.-based employees, including Mr. Stonestrom. Mr. Stonestrom is eligible to participate in the 401(k) plan on the same terms as other full-time employees, including employer matching contributions.

With respect to our European-based employees, including named executive officers, Messrs. Brant and Smith-Petersen, we contribute an amount equivalent to 7.5 percent of base salary to a pension plan.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

Name

 

Amount Paid on Our Terminating
the Employment Contract without Cause(4)

Eric D. Stonestrom(1)

 

$

517,500 (equivalent to 12 months’ base salary)

David Brant(2)

 

$

376,929 (equivalent to 12 months’ base salary)

Henrik Smith-Petersen(3)

 

$

350,948 (equivalent to 12 months’ base salary)

____________

(1)      On involuntary termination of Mr. Stonestrom’s contract he is entitled to receive severance of 12 months’ base salary. On February 8, 2022, Mr. Stonestrom’s base salary under his employment agreement was increased to $567,500 per year.

(2)      Under Mr. Brant’s current employment agreement, which became effective January 1, 2007, in the event of termination of Mr. Brant other than for “cause” (as defined in his employment agreement) or if he terminates his employment with “good reason” (as defined in his employment agreement), Mr. Brant would be entitled to severance equal to 12 months’ base salary as of the termination date or approximately $376,929, payable bi-weekly. If Mr. Brant is terminated within one year of the effective date of a “change in control” (as defined in his employment agreement) or voluntarily terminates his employment because of a required relocation or a material change in his responsibilities, Mr. Brant would be entitled to receive severance of 12 months’ total cash compensation that would otherwise have been payable, including all bonuses. Assuming termination based on a change in control at December 31, 2021, Mr. Brant would have been entitled to compensation of approximately $376,929 (equivalent to 12 months’ base salary), plus bonuses and benefits, payable bi-weekly.

(3)      On termination without cause, Mr. Smith-Petersen would be entitled to severance equal to twelve months’ base pay or approximately $350,948, assuming termination on December 31, 2021, plus any accrued commissions Mr. Smith-Petersen had earned on Asia business.

(4)      The termination payment arrangements for the named executive officers were individually negotiated with each named executive officer at different time periods. We do not have a policy or set parameters for such arrangements and do not believe that such arrangements materially affected the other compensation elements for the named executive officers.

Upon the occurrence of a “change in control”, as defined in our stock option agreements under our equity compensation plans, the following provisions apply to option awards under our equity compensation plans:

Upon the occurrence of a “change in control,” if we or any successor, assign, or purchaser thereof does not either: (a) continue the option (as adjusted, if necessary, to retain its pre-“change in control” economic value and aggregate “spread” between the option shares’ fair market value and exercise price) or (b) grant a new option of at least equivalent economic value, aggregate “spread,” and other terms and conditions as the pre-“change in control” option, then an additional 50 percent (100 percent in the case of options granted to Mr. Stonestrom and Mr. Brant) of any remaining unvested options will automatically vest. In the case of options granted to Mr. Stonestrom and Mr. Brant, if there is a “change in control” and we or any successor, assign, or purchaser thereof either: (i) continues the option (as adjusted, if necessary, to retain its pre-“change in control” economic value and aggregate “spread” between the option shares’ fair market value and exercise price) or (ii) grants a new option of at least equivalent economic value, aggregate “spread,” and other terms and conditions as the pre-“change in control” option, and within two years of the effective date of the “change in control” either optionee’s employment is terminated, or the optionee voluntarily terminates their employment with good reason, then 100 percent of any remaining options will automatically vest. All such vested

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options may be exercised (together with any other previously or subsequently vested options) until the later of (A) the date related to termination of the employee, or (B) one year from such “change in control”, but in no event longer than ten years from the original date of grant.

A “change in control” as defined in the stock option agreements under our equity compensation plans means any consolidation or merger of us with or into another corporation or entity (after which our pre-existing stockholders do not own a majority of the outstanding shares of the surviving entity), an acquisition or sale of substantially all of our assets or a sale of stock in a single transaction (or several related transactions) to one person (or a group acting together) who, as a result of such transaction, shall own more than 50% voting control of us, or any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

Legacy Airspan 2009 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan

At the Closing, we assumed Legacy Airspan’s 2009 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan (the “Legacy Airspan Plan”) and the options to purchase Legacy Airspan capital stock granted thereunder that were outstanding immediately prior to the Closing were converted into options to purchase an aggregate of 5,815,796 shares of our common stock and the shares of Legacy Airspan restricted stock granted thereunder that were outstanding immediately prior to the Closing were converted into an aggregate of 345,471 shares of our restricted common stock. We have not granted and will not grant any awards under the Legacy Airspan Plan following the Closing.

Airspan Networks Holdings Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan

On August 11, 2021, at a special meeting in lieu of the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders of New Beginnings, the stockholders of New Beginnings considered and approved our 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Original 2021 Plan”). The Original 2021 Plan authorizes the compensation committee of the Board to provide incentive compensation to eligible employees, officers, non-employee directors, consultants, independent contractors or advisors providing services to us, or any person to whom we extend an offer of employment or engagement, in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, dividend equivalents and other stock-based awards. The Original 2021 Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 6,007,718 shares of our common stock, plus any shares of our common stock subject to outstanding awards under the Legacy Airspan Plan that are forfeited or reacquired by us due to termination or cancellation. At the Annual Meeting, our stockholders will vote on the approval of our Amended and Restated 2021 Plan. See “Proposal Two — Amendment and Restatement of 2021 Stock Incentive Plan” for more information.

Director Compensation

We have historically paid certain of our directors annual fees, as well as meeting fees, for participation on certain committees. Prior to the Closing on August 13, 2021, Legacy Airspan paid its directors the annual and meeting fees set forth in the following table:

Director

 

Fee

Thomas S. Huseby

 

$175,000 annual fee and $1,000 per meeting of the Compensation Committee or Audit Committee

Michael T. Flynn

 

$25,000 annual fee, $1,000 per meeting of the Audit Committee, $1,000 per meeting of the Compensation Committee and $750 per meeting of the Special Committee

Scot B. Jarvis

 

$2,000 per Board meeting, $1,500 per meeting of the Compensation Committee (Chair) and $1,000 per meeting of the Audit Committee

Dominique Trempont

 

$50,000 annual fee, $1,500 per meeting of the Audit Committee (Chair) and $750 per meeting of the Special Committee

In addition to annual fees and meeting fees, Legacy Airspan historically granted options to its non-management directors under the Legacy Airspan Plan. These options were granted at fair market value on the date of grant and were generally subject to vesting over a four year period, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of grant date, and 1/48th of the shares vesting in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter; however, in certain instances, the options granted were subject to vesting over a two year period, vesting in equal monthly installments. In the event of a change in control, historically all of the unvested options would vest automatically immediately prior the change in control, subject to the option holder’s continued service through the change in control. In 2020, we also granted shares of

23

restricted stock to Messrs. Huseby and Flynn, which originally vested upon the earlier of either of the following events that occurred on or prior to the 10th anniversary of the date of grant: (i) the date of a change in control; or (ii) the effective date of an initial public offering. At Closing, the vesting restrictions with respect to the restricted stock were revised to provide that the restricted stock will vest in full on the earliest to occur of (a) August 13, 2022, (b) the holder’s death, (c) the holder’s disability and (d) the holder’s qualifying separation, provided that the holder continues to be a director through such date or event.

New Beginnings did not provide any fees to its directors for their service prior to the Closing.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, following the Closing on August 13, 2021, we paid our non-management directors the annual fees set forth in the following table:

Name

 

Board Fee

 

Board
Chair

 

Audit
Committee

 

Compensation
Committee

 

Nominating
and
Corporate
Governance
Committee

 

Technology
and Cyber
Security
Committee

 

Total

Bandel L. Carano

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

$

15,000

 

$

65,000

Michael T. Flynn

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

 

   

$

7,500

 

 

   

 

   

$

57,500

Thomas S. Huseby

 

$

50,000

 

$

45,000

 

 

   

$

7,500

 

$

10,000

 

 

   

$

112,500

Scot B. Jarvis

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

 

   

$

15,000

 

 

   

 

   

$

65,000

Michael Liebowitz

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

$

12,500

 

 

   

$

5,000

 

 

   

$

67,500

Mathew Oommen

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

$

50,000

Divya Seshamani

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

$

12,500

 

 

   

$

5,000

 

$

7,500

 

$

75,000

Dominique Trempont

 

$

50,000

 

 

   

$

25,000

 

 

   

$

5,000

 

 

   

$

80,000

In addition to the annual fees set forth above, during the year ended December 31, 2021, following the Closing on August 13, 2021, we granted restricted stock units with respect to 20,173 shares of our common stock to each non-management director. In connection with the Closing, we also granted the MIP RSUs described above to Messrs. Huseby and Flynn.

Mr. Stonestrom does not receive any compensation for his services as a director.

The following table provides information on the compensation of our non-management directors in 2021.

Name

 

Fees
Earned
or Paid in
Cash
($)

 

Stock
Awards
($)
(1)(2)

 

Option
Awards
($)
(3)(4)

 

Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
(5)

 

Total
($)

Bandel L. Carano

 

21,808

 

140,000

 

 

 

161,808

Michael T. Flynn

 

37,677

 

703,063

 

85,123

 

577,500

 

1,403,363

Thomas S. Huseby

 

156,356

 

1,846,251

 

212,810

 

1,750,000

 

3,965,417

Scot B. Jarvis

 

32,432

 

140,000

 

53,157

 

 

225,589

Michael Liebowitz

 

25,890

 

140,000

 

 

 

165,890

Mathew Oommen

 

19,178

 

140,000

 

 

 

159,178

Divya Seshamani

 

13,151

 

140,000

 

 

 

153,151

Dominique Trempont

 

61,937

 

140,000

 

53,157

 

 

255,094

Benjamin Garrett

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Del Rio

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Walsh

 

 

 

 

 

Perry Weitz

 

 

 

 

 

____________

(1)      The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted to our directors, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 17 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, for a discussion of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair value of our equity awards.

(2)      As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Flynn had 25,359 and Mr. Huseby had 38,424 restricted common stock awards outstanding. As of December 31, 2021, Mr. Flynn had restricted stock units with respect to 77,923 shares of common stock outstanding,

24

Mr. Huseby had restricted stock units with respect to 195,173 shares of common stock outstanding and Messrs. Carano, Jarvis, Liebowitz, Oommen and Trempont and Ms. Seshamani each had restricted stock units with respect to 20,173 shares of common stock outstanding.

(3)      The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards granted to certain directors, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 17 to the audited consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, for a discussion of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair value of our equity awards.

(4)      As of December 31, 2021, the following stock options were outstanding and held by our directors: Mr. Flynn, 104,380; Mr. Huseby, 288,401; Mr. Jarvis, 70,976; and Mr. Trempont, 79,304.

(5)      The amounts in this column represent cash amounts paid pursuant to the MIP in connection with the Closing of the Business Combination.

25

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth information known to us regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 26, 2022, by:

•        each person who is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock;

•        each of our current named executive officers and directors; and

•        all of our executive officers and directors as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the SEC, which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of the security or the right to acquire such powers within 60 days. In computing the number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by a person or entity and the percentage ownership, we deem outstanding shares of our common stock subject to options and warrants held by that person or entity that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April 26, 2022. We do not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person or entity.

Unless otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws, we believe that the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.

The beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock is based on 72,335,952 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of April 26, 2022.

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

 

Number of
shares of
Common Stock

 

%

Directors and Executive Officers(1)

       

 

Eric D. Stonestrom(2)

 

1,386,302

 

1.9

%

David Brant(3)

 

680,156

 

*

 

Henrik Smith-Petersen(4)

 

500,369

 

*

 

Bandel L. Carano(5)

 

32,949,384

 

43.0

%

Michael T. Flynn(6)

 

134,844

 

*

 

Thomas S. Huseby(7)

 

339,136

 

*

 

Scot B. Jarvis(8)

 

363,971

 

*

 

Michael S. Liebowitz(9)

 

1,016,395

 

1.4

%

Mathew Oommen

 

 

 

Divya Seshamani

 

 

 

Dominique Trempont(10)

 

97,034

 

*

 

All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (14 individuals)

 

37,888,014

 

47.3

%

         

 

Five Percent Holders:

       

 

Oak Investment Partners(5)

 

32,949,384

 

43.0

%

SoftBank Group Capital Limited(11)

 

15,721,957

 

21.2

%

____________

*        Less than 1%

(1)      Unless otherwise noted, the address of each beneficial owner is c/o Airspan Networks Holdings Inc., 777 Yamato Road, Suite 310, Boca Raton, Florida 33431.

(2)      Common stock consists of (i) 27,285 shares of common stock; (ii) 1,202,836 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022, (iii) 153,712 shares of restricted common stock and (iv) 2,469 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants.

(3)      Common stock consists of (i) 1,633 shares of common stock, (ii) 601,418 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022, (iii) 76,856 shares of restricted common stock and (iv) 249 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants.

26

(4)      Common stock consists of (i) 481,154 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022, and (ii) 19,215 shares of restricted common stock.

(5)      Includes 4,310,325 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. Shares are held by Oak Investment Partners XI, Limited Partnership and Oak Investment Partners XIII, Limited Partnership (collectively, “Oak Investment Partners” or “Oak”). The address of the entities affiliated with Oak Investment Partners is 901 Main Avenue, Suite 600, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851. Mr. Carano has shared power to vote and dispose of the shares held by Oak Investment Partners. Mr. Carano disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Oak Investment Partners, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

(6)      Common stock consists of (i) 109,485 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022, and (ii) 25,359 shares of restricted common stock.

(7)      Common stock consists of (i) 300,711 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022, and (ii) 38,425 shares of restricted common stock.

(8)      Common stock consists of (i) 251,910 shares of common stock held by Connis Point Partners, LLC, of which Mr. Jarvis is the Managing Member, (ii) 38,181 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants held by Connis Point Partners, LLC and (iii) 73,880 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022. The address of Connis Point Partners, LLC is 3825 Issaquah Pine Lake Rd. SE, Sammamish, Washington 98075.

(9)      Common stock consists of (i) 876,426 shares of common stock and (ii) 139,969 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants.

(10)    Common stock consists of (i) 11,250 shares of common stock and (ii) 85,784 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options that are exercisable within 60 days from April 26, 2022.

(11)    Includes 1,938,071 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. The address of SoftBank Group Capital Limited (“SoftBank”) is 69 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JP United Kingdom. Shares are subject to an irrevocable proxy and power of attorney dated March 8, 2021, as further described in this proxy statement in the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions — Legacy Airspan — SoftBank.

27

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

Airspan

Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement

On August 13, 2021, the Company, certain stockholders of New Beginnings (the “Sponsor Holders”) and certain stockholders of Legacy Airspan (collectively with the Sponsor Holders, the “Holders”) entered into a Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement (the “Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement”).

Pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement, we are obligated to file a shelf registration statement to register the resale of certain of our securities held by the Holders. In addition, subject to certain requirements and customary conditions, including with regard to the number of demand rights that may be exercised, the Holders may demand at any time or from time to time, to sell all or any portion of their registrable securities in an underwritten offering pursuant to a shelf registration statement so long as (i) the total offering price is reasonably expected to exceed $50 million or (ii) if such requesting Holder reasonably expects to sell all of the registerable securities held by such Holder in such underwritten offering pursuant to a shelf registration statement, the total offering price is reasonably expected to exceed $10 million. The Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement also provides the Holders with “piggy-back” registration rights, subject to certain requirements and customary conditions.

Subject to certain exceptions, the Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement further provided for our securities held by Oak Investment Partners, Qualcomm, Reliance Jio Infocomm USA Inc. (“Reliance”) and SoftBank to be locked-up for a period of six months following the Closing, while the shares of common stock initially purchased by the Sponsor in a private placement in September 2020 (the “Founder Shares”) held by the Sponsor will be locked-up for a period of one year following the Closing, in each case subject to earlier release upon (i) the date on which the last reported sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30-day trading period or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction after the Closing that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of our common stock for cash, securities or other property.

The Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement also provided that the warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) and shares of common stock underlying the units (the “Private Placement Units”) sold by New Beginnings in a private placement concurrent with its initial public offering (the “IPO”), along with any shares of common stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants, were locked-up for a period of 30 days following the Closing so long as such securities were held by the initial purchasers of the Private Placement Units or their permitted transferees.

Stockholders Agreement

On August 13, 2021, the Company, the Sponsor and certain stockholders of Legacy Airspan entered into the Stockholders Agreement, which provides, among other things, that, from and after the Closing and until such time as the Sponsor beneficially owns less than 1,535,000 shares of our common stock, the Sponsor will have the right to nominate the Sponsor Director, who is initially Michael Liebowitz. The Stockholders Agreement also provides that for so long as the Sponsor Director is an independent director, the Sponsor Director will be appointed to, and serve on, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (or such other committee of the Board that is primarily responsible for nominating and corporate governance matters).

Amended Credit Agreement

At Closing, on August 13, 2021, the Company, Legacy Airspan and certain of its subsidiaries who are party to our Assignment Agreement, Resignation and Assignment Agreement and Credit Agreement (the “Fortress Credit Agreement”) with DBFIP ANI LLC (“Fortress”) entered into a Waiver and Consent, Second Amendment, Restatement, Joinder and Omnibus Amendment to Credit Agreement and Other Loan Documents relating to the Fortress Credit Agreement with Fortress to, among other things, add the Company as a guarantor, recognize and account for the Business Combination, recognize and account for our senior secured convertible notes (the “Convertible Notes”) and provide updated procedures for replacement of LIBOR. On March 29, 2022, the Company, Legacy Airspan and certain of its subsidiaries who are party to the Fortress Credit Agreement entered into a Third Amendment and Waiver

28

to Credit Agreement and Other Loan Documents relating to the Fortress Credit Agreement with Fortress (the “March 2022 Fortress Amendment”) to, among other things, amend the financial covenants included in the Fortress Credit Agreement. SoftBank has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in Fortress, which is the agent and principal lender under the Fortress Credit Agreement. At December 31, 2021, there was approximately $46.5 million aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding under the Fortress Credit Agreement, which is the largest aggregate principal amount outstanding during the year ended December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we paid approximately $2.1 million in interest and no principal under the Fortress Credit Agreement.

The Fortress Credit Agreement has a maturity date of December 30, 2024. Under the Fortress Credit Agreement, the initial term loan (“Tranche 1”) total commitment of $34.0 million and a term loan (“PIK”) commitment of $10.0 million (“Tranche 2”) were both funded to Legacy Airspan on December 30, 2020. Under the terms of the Fortress Credit Agreement, we may expand the term loan commitment by $20.0 million, subject to the terms of the Fortress Credit Agreement. The Fortress Credit Agreement contains a prepayment premium of 5.0% if the prepayment occurs during the period from December 30, 2021 through December 29, 2022, and 3.0% if the prepayment occurs during the period from December 30, 2022 through December 29, 2023. The Fortress Credit Agreement also contains a prohibition on prepayment during the period from December 30, 2020 through December 29, 2021 and a related fee in the amount of the make-whole amount of interest that would have been payable had such prepayment not been made.

To secure its obligations under the Fortress Credit Agreement, Fortress was assigned Pacific Western Bank’s security interest under its Second Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with Legacy Airspan and we granted Fortress, as security for the obligations, a security interest in (a) all of the real, personal and mixed property in which liens are granted or purported to be granted pursuant to any of the collateral documents as security for the obligations, (b) all products, proceeds, rents and profits of such property, (c) all of each loan party’s book and records and (d) all of the foregoing whether now owned or existing, in each case excluding certain excluded assets.

The Fortress Credit Agreement contains representations and warranties, events of default and affirmative and negative covenants, which include, among other things, certain restrictions on the ability to pay dividends, create liens, incur additional indebtedness, make investments, dispose of assets, consummate business combinations (except for permitted investments, as defined in the Fortress Credit Agreement) and make distributions. In addition, financial covenants apply. Prior to the March 2022 Fortress Amendment, these financial covenants included (a) minimum liquidity of $4.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and $5.0 million thereafter, (b) minimum last twelve-month revenue and (c) minimum last twelve-month Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (“EBITDA”). Pursuant to the March 2022 Fortress Amendment, the financial covenants included in the Fortress Credit Agreement were amended to increase the minimum liquidity requirement to an amount between $15.0 million and $20.0 million, depending on EBITDA performance levels and whether a default or event of default exists under the Fortress Credit Agreement, and decrease the minimum last twelve-month revenue and EBITDA requirements. Revenue and EBITDA financial covenants are tested quarterly.

29

The interest rate for Tranche 1 is based on the level of our Net EBITDA Leverage Ratio. The initial applicable rate for Tranche 1 is set at Level V (see table below). After the initial applicable rate period, the relevant rate is as follows for Tranche 1:

Level

 

Net EBITDA
Leverage Ratio

 

Base Rate Loan

 

LIBOR Loan

Level I

 

Less than or equal to 2.00:1.00

 

The applicable rate is the base rate plus 6.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 0.50%

 

The applicable rate is LIBOR plus 7.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 1.50%

             

Level II

 

Less than or equal to 3.00:1.00 but greater than 2.00:1.00

 

The applicable rate is the base rate plus 7.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 1.50%

 

The applicable rate is LIBOR plus 8.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 2.50%

             

Level III

 

Less than or equal to 4.00:1.00 but greater than 3.00:1.00

 

The applicable rate is the base rate plus 8.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 2.50%

 

The applicable rate is LIBOR plus 9.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 3.50%

             

Level IV

 

Less than or equal to 5.00:1.00 but greater than 4.00:1.00

 

The applicable rate is the base rate plus 9.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 3.50%

 

The applicable rate is LIBOR plus 10.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 4.50%

             

Level V

 

Greater than 5.00:1.00

 

The applicable rate is the base rate plus 10.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 4.50%

 

The applicable rate is LIBOR plus 11.00% per annum, of which the Margin Cash Component is 5.50% and the Margin PIK Component is 5.50%

Interest with respect to Tranche 1 is payable monthly in accordance with the Cash Component/PIK Component split described in the foregoing table. With respect to Tranche 2, the relevant applicable rate is 5.0% as of December 31, 2021, and is payable monthly as interest paid in kind.

Convertible Notes

Immediately prior to Closing, on August 13, 2021, we issued $50,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes under a Senior Secured Convertible Note Purchase and Guarantee Agreement (the “Convertible Note Purchase Agreement”). At Closing, Legacy Airspan and certain of its subsidiaries who are party to the Fortress Credit Agreement entered into a joinder agreement to add Legacy Airspan and such subsidiaries as guarantors under the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement and to reaffirm the obligations and security intended to be granted thereby. On March 29, 2022, we and certain of our subsidiaries who are party to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement entered into a First Amendment and Waiver to Senior Secured Convertible Note Purchase and Guarantee Agreement and Other Note Documents relating to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement and the Convertible Notes (the “Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment”) to, among other things, amend the financial covenants included in the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement, the conversion price of the Convertible Notes and the optional redemption provisions of the Convertible Notes. SoftBank has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in Fortress, which is the collateral agent and trustee under the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement and the Convertible Notes. SoftBank has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in each holder of Convertible Notes.

The Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate equal to 7.0% per annum (the “Base Rate”), payable quarterly in arrears on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year, beginning on September 30, 2021. Under certain circumstances, a default interest will apply following an event of default under the Convertible Notes at a per annum

30

rate equal to the lower of (i) the Base Rate plus 3.75% and (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. The Convertible Notes mature on December 30, 2024, unless earlier accelerated, converted, redeemed or repurchased. The Convertible Notes are secured by substantially all of our assets and a pledge of the capital stock of our subsidiaries.

Prior to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment, each Convertible Note, together with all accrued but unpaid interest thereon, was convertible, in whole or in part, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time prior to the payment in full of the principal amount thereof (together with all accrued but unpaid interest thereon), into shares of our common stock at a conversion price equal to $12.50 per share. Pursuant to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment, the conversion price with respect to the Convertible Notes was decreased to $8.00 per share. The conversion price with respect to the Convertible Notes is subject to adjustment to reflect stock splits and subdivisions, stock and other dividends and distributions, recapitalizations, reclassifications, combinations and other similar changes in capital structure. The conversion price with respect to the Convertible Notes is subject to a broad-based weighted average anti-dilution adjustment in the event we issue, or are deemed to have issued, shares of our Common Stock, other than certain excepted issuances, at a price below the conversion price then in effect. In addition, pursuant to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment, if, during the period commencing on and including the date of the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment and ending on and including the 15-month anniversary of the date of the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment, there is no 30 consecutive trading day-period during which the average of the daily volume weighted average price of our common stock (“Daily VWAP”) for such 30 consecutive trading day-period (after excluding the three highest and three lowest Daily VWAPs during such period) equals or exceeds $10.00 (as adjusted for stock splits, stock combinations, dividends, distributions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the conversion price with respect to the Convertible Notes will be reduced to the amount that such conversion price would otherwise have been had the conversion price with respect to the Convertible Notes been $6.00 on the date of the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment (the “Stock Threshold Reduction”). Notwithstanding the above, the number of shares of our common stock that may be acquired by a holder upon any conversion of a Convertible Note will be limited to the extent necessary to insure that, following such conversion, the total number of shares of our common stock then beneficially owned by that holder and its affiliates and any other person whose beneficial ownership of our common stock would be aggregated with the holder’s for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act does not exceed 4.999% of the total number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (including the shares of our common stock issuable upon such conversion).

Upon the occurrence of a change of control, or if our common stock or other securities into which the Convertible Notes are then convertible cease to be listed for trading on a U.S. national securities exchange, in each case, prior to the maturity date of the Convertible Notes, a holder of Convertible Notes will have the right, at its option, to require us to repurchase for cash all or a portion of the holder’s Convertible Notes at a repurchase price equal to the sum of (i) all of the principal to be repurchased, (ii) any accrued and unpaid interest thereon through the date of repurchase and (iii) any applicable make-whole amount. In addition, a future voluntary prepayment of our senior secured debt under the Fortress Credit Agreement will grant a holder of Convertible Notes the right, at its option, to require us to repurchase for cash a proportionate amount of the holder’s Convertible Notes at a repurchase price equal to the sum of (a) the principal to be repurchased, (b) any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the date of repurchase and (c) any applicable make-whole amount. In the event certain other events occur or conditions exist, including the issuance of certain indebtedness, certain asset dispositions, and certain issuances of equity, a holder of Convertible Notes will have the right, at its option, to require us to repurchase for cash a portion of the holder’s Convertible Notes at a repurchase price equal to the sum of (x) the principal to be repurchased, (y) any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the date of repurchase and (z) any applicable make-whole amount. In the event certain cash flow thresholds are exceeded or certain proceeds of condemnation or insurance are received and not reinvested, a holder of Convertible Notes will have the right, at its option, to require us to repurchase for cash a portion of the holder’s Convertible Notes at a repurchase price equal to the sum of (A) all of the principal to be repurchased and (B) any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to or through, as applicable, the date of repurchase.

The Convertible Notes will not be redeemable by us prior to the second anniversary of the issuance of the Convertible Notes. On or after such second anniversary, the Convertible Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part, by us for cash, shares of our common stock or any combination thereof, at our option, if the last reported sale price of our common stock has been at least 130% of the “triggering price” then in effect for the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of redemption to the holders of Convertible Notes at a redemption price equal to (i) all of the principal to be redeemed, (ii) any accrued and unpaid interest thereon through the date of redemption and (iii) any applicable make-whole amount. The current “triggering price” is $12.50 per share, which triggering price is subject to adjustment in the same manner and

31

at the same times as the conversion price with respect to the Convertible Notes is adjusted pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Notes, except that no adjustment will be made to the triggering price in connection with the Stock Threshold Reduction.

The terms of the Convertible Notes and the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement contains representations and warranties, events of default and affirmative and negative covenants, which include, among other things, certain restrictions on the ability to pay dividends, create liens, incur additional indebtedness, make investments, dispose of assets, consummate business combinations (except for permitted investments, as defined in the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement) and make distributions. In addition, financial covenants apply. Prior to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment, these financial covenants included (a) minimum liquidity of $5.0 million, (b) minimum last twelve-month revenue and (c) minimum last twelve-month EBITDA and certain other expenses including non-cash stock compensation, non-recurring costs in connection with the loan and Convertible Notes documentation and the Business Combination, warrant liabilities, and other noncash amortization expenses, in each case, determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Pursuant to the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement Amendment, the financial covenants included in the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement were amended to increase the minimum liquidity requirement to an amount between $15.0 million and $20.0 million, depending on EBITDA performance levels and whether a default or event of default exists under the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement, and decrease the minimum last twelve-month revenue and EBITDA requirements. Revenue and EBITDA financial covenants are tested quarterly. The Convertible Notes are pari passu in right of payment and lien priority and are secured by a security interest in (a) all of the real, personal and mixed property in which liens are granted or purported to be granted pursuant to any of the collateral documents as security for the obligations, (b) all products, proceeds, rents and profits of such property, (c) all of each loan party’s book and records and (d) all of the foregoing whether now owned or existing, in each case excluding certain excluded assets.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we paid approximately $1.3 million in interest and no principal under the Convertible Notes.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into separate indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers, in addition to the indemnification provided for in the Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify our directors and executive officers for certain expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or executive officer in any action or proceeding arising out of their services as one of our directors or executive officers or as a director or executive officer of any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request. We believe that these provisions and indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might benefit us and our stockholders. A stockholder’s investment may decline in value to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

Prior to the Closing, Legacy Airspan and New Beginnings had also entered into customary indemnification agreements with all of their respective directors and executive officers.

Legacy Airspan

Investment Private Placement

Contemporaneously with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, certain investors entered into certain subscription agreements, pursuant to which such investors agreed to subscribe for and purchase shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $10.00 per share in a transaction to be consummated immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination (the “PIPE”). SoftBank and Oak Investment Partners, each of whom, at the time of the subscription agreements, beneficially owned more than 5% of the issued and outstanding Legacy Airspan common stock, on a fully-converted basis, agreed to invest in the PIPE. The investments in the PIPE closed on August 13, 2021. In addition, Bandel Carano, the general partner of Oak, and Scot Jarvis and Thomas Huseby, venture partners of Oak, were members of the Legacy Airspan board of directors prior to Closing and are current members of our Board.

32

Stockholder Support Agreement

Concurrently with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, New Beginnings and Oak, Qualcomm and SoftBank (collectively, the “Key Airspan Stockholders”) entered into a Stockholder Support Agreement, pursuant to which such Key Airspan Stockholders agreed, among other things, to vote their shares of Legacy Airspan common stock, Legacy Airspan Class B common stock and voting Legacy Airspan preferred stock in favor of adopting the Business Combination Agreement and approving the Business Combination. The Key Airspan Stockholders include Oak, with whom our current Board members Bandel Carano, Scot Jarvis and Thomas Huseby are affiliated, and Qualcomm, with whom, Quinn Li, a former member of the Legacy Airspan board of directors, is affiliated. The Stockholder Support Agreement terminated at Closing.

Equity Financings

From December 14, 2020 to February 2, 2021, Legacy Airspan sold an aggregate of 181,294 shares of its Series H Senior Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $61.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $11,149,581, pursuant to its Series H Senior Preferred Stock financing.

The following table summarizes purchases of Legacy Airspan’s Series H Senior Preferred Stock by related persons and their affiliated entities. None of Legacy Airspan’s executive officers purchased shares of its Series H Senior Preferred Stock.

Stockholder

 

Shares of
Legacy
Airspan
Series H
Senior
Preferred
Stock

 

Total
Purchase
Price

Oak Investment Partners XIII, Limited Partnership(1)

 

56,910

 

$

3,499,965

Qualcomm Incorporated(2)

 

12,194

 

$

749,931

Connis Point Partners, LLC(3)

 

4,066

 

$

250,059

New Enterprise Associates 14, L.P.(4)

 

29,594

 

$

1,820,031

NEA 15 Opportunity Fund, L.P.(4)

 

2,928

 

$

180,072

SoftBank Group Capital Limited(5)

 

48,780

 

$

2,999,970

____________

(1)      Bandel Carano, a member of Legacy Airspan’s board of directors at the time of the investment and current member of our Board, is general partner of Oak. Scot Jarvis and Thomas Huseby, members of Legacy Airspan’s board of directors at the time of the investment and current members of our Board, are venture partners in Oak.

(2)      Quinn Li, a member of Legacy Airspan’s board of directors at the time of the investment, is affiliated with Qualcomm.

(3)      Scot Jarvis, a member of Legacy Airspan’s board of directors at the time of the investment and a current member of our Board is an affiliate of Connis Point Partners, LLC.

(4)      These entities are former stockholders of our subsidiary Mimosa Networks, Inc. and, prior to the Closing, held 234,856 shares of Legacy Airspan’s Class B common stock.

(5)      SoftBank is our subordinated lender and has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in Fortress, which is the agent and principal lender under the Fortress Credit Agreement and the collateral agent and trustee under the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement and the Convertible Notes, and also has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in each holder of Convertible Notes.

SoftBank

On October 1, 2015, Legacy Airspan issued a warrant to SoftBank to purchase shares of Legacy Airspan’s Series D Preferred Stock, which was amended by Amendment No. 1, dated February 3, 2016, Amendment No. 2, dated July 1, 2016, and Amendment No. 3, dated July 3, 2017 (the “SoftBank Warrant”). In connection with the Business Combination, on March 8, 2021, concurrently with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, SoftBank and New Beginnings entered into the an irrevocable proxy agreement (the “Proxy Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, SoftBank granted to the proxyholder named therein an irrevocable proxy and power of attorney with respect to any shares of common stock held by SoftBank representing in excess of 9.90% of our voting power in any applicable vote, consent, election, waiver or other action of our stockholders (the “Subject Shares”). Pursuant to the Proxy Agreement the proxyholder named in the Proxy Agreement will vote the Subject Shares in the same manner

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and proportion as all other shares of stock entitled or eligible to vote on the applicable matter, excluding any shares of stock held by SoftBank and its affiliates. As consideration for, among other things, SoftBank’s cooperation with, participation in and consent to the Business Combination and the entry into the Proxy Agreement, Legacy Airspan and SoftBank agreed to amend and restate the SoftBank Warrant to, among other things, (i) reduce the purchase price to $45.9875 per share and (ii) provide for the automatic net exercise of the SoftBank Warrant upon the completion of the Business Combination.

As further described above under “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions — Airspan — Amended Credit Agreement” and “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions — Airspan — Convertible Notes,” SoftBank has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in Fortress, which is the agent and principal lender under the Fortress Credit Agreement and the collateral agent and trustee under the Convertible Note Purchase Agreement and the Convertible Notes, and also has an indirect, non-controlling beneficial interest in each holder of Convertible Notes.

SoftBank is a subordinated lender to Legacy Airspan under the term loan agreement, dated February 9, 2016, as amended by amendments thereto, including Amendment No. 5 thereto dated as of December 30, 2020 (the “SoftBank Working Capital Agreement”). At December 31, 2021, there was approximately $38.0 million aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding under the SoftBank Working Capital Agreement. The SoftBank Working Capital Agreement bears interest at a rate of 9% per annum. Since January 1, 2021, we have paid no principal and have accrued, but not yet paid any interest, under the SoftBank Working Capital Agreement.

We derived approximately $0.6 million in revenue from sales of products and services to SoftBank from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Additionally, we derived approximately $1.2 million in revenue from sales of products and services to Dense Air Limited between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2021, Dense Air Limited was controlled by SoftBank.

Pendrell Corporation (“Pendrell”)

Pendrell is a lender under the Fortress Credit Agreement and through affiliates, prior to Closing, held warrants to purchase an aggregate of 8,130 shares of Legacy Airspan’s Series H Senior Preferred Stock at a price of $61.50 per share expiring on December 30, 2025. Prior to the Closing, Pendrell also owned an aggregate of 16,260 shares of Legacy