EX-99.28.D.17.A 18 fp0074782_ex9928d17a.htm

Exhibit 99(d)(17)(a)

 

SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT

 

This Agreement is made as of March 31, 2021 by and between Ohio National Investments, Inc., an Ohio corporation (the "Adviser"), and Janus Capital Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the "Sub-Adviser").

 

WHEREAS, Ohio National Fund, Inc. (the "Fund"), is a Maryland corporation that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (together with the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, the "1940 Act"); and

 

WHEREAS, the Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, (together with the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, the "Advisers Act"); and

 

WHEREAS, the Adviser has been appointed as investment adviser to the Fund in accordance with the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act; and

 

WHEREAS, the Sub-Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act and engages in the business of providing investment advisory services; and

 

WHEREAS, the Fund has authorized the Adviser to appoint the Sub-Adviser, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act, as a sub-adviser with respect to that portion of the assets of the Fund designated as the ON Janus Henderson U.S. Low Volatility Portfolio ("Portfolio") of the Fund on the terms and conditions set forth below;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:

 

SECTION 1.        Investment Advisory Services

 

(a) The Adviser hereby retains the Sub-Adviser, and the Sub-Adviser hereby accepts engagement by the Adviser, to supervise and manage on a fully-discretionary and exclusive basis the cash, securities and other assets of the Portfolio. The Fund is the owner of all cash, securities and other assets in the Portfolio, and there are no restrictions on the pledge, hypothecation, transfer or sale of such cash, securities or assets. To enable the Sub-Adviser to exercise fully its discretion hereunder, the Adviser herby appoints the Sub-Adviser as agent and attorney-in-fact for the Portfolio with full authority to buy, sell and otherwise deal in securities and other intangible investments and contracts relating to the same for the Portfolio. Adviser acknowledges that Sub- Adviser has the authority to trade every day the market is open.

 

(b) All activities by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Adviser and the Portfolio shall be in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions set forth in the 1940 Act and in the Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information, as amended from time to time (together, the "Prospectus") and as interpreted from time to by the Board of Directors of the Fund and by the Adviser (as communicated to the Sub-Adviser in writing by the Fund or the Adviser). All activities of the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Adviser and the Portfolio shall also be subject to the due diligence oversight and direction of the Adviser.

 

(c) Subject to the supervision of the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser shall have the sole and exclusive responsibility to select members of securities exchanges, brokers, dealers and futures commission merchants for the execution of transactions of the Portfolio and, when applicable, shall negotiate commissions and trading agreements in connection therewith. All such selections shall be made in accordance with the Fund's policies and restrictions regarding brokerage allocation set forth in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s best execution policies. The Sub-Adviser may, on behalf of the Portfolio, pay brokerage commissions to a broker which provides brokerage and research services to the Sub-Adviser in excess of the amount another broker would have charged for effecting the transaction, provided (i) the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that the amount is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by the executing broker in terms of the particular transaction or in terms of the Sub-Adviser's overall responsibilities with respect to the Portfolio and the accounts as to which the Sub-Adviser exercises investment discretion, (ii) such payment is made in compliance with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any other applicable laws and regulations, and (iii) in the opinion of the Sub-Adviser, the total commissions paid by the Portfolio will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Portfolio over the long term. It is recognized that the services provided by such brokers may be useful to the Sub-Adviser in connection with the Sub-Adviser's services to other clients. The Adviser shall provide such assistance in setting up brokerage or other accounts as the Sub-Adviser may reasonably request.

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(d) In carrying out its obligations to manage the investments and reinvestments of the assets of the Portfolio, the Sub-Adviser shall:

 

(1) employ a systematic mathematical investment process in the selection of securities. The goal of the investment process is to determine potentially more efficient equity weightings of the securities held in the benchmark index by utilizing a mathematical optimization and disciplined rebalancing process;

 

(2) formulate and implement a continuous investment program for the Portfolio consistent with the investment objectives and related investment policies and restrictions for such Portfolio as set forth in the Prospectus;

 

(3) take such steps as are necessary to implement the aforementioned investment program by placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities; and

 

(4) coordinate with the Adviser to assure compliance with the Prospectus, qualification of the Portfolio as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") and compliance with the diversification requirements of Section 817(h) of the Code.

 

(e) In connection with the purchase and sale of securities of the Portfolio, the Sub-Adviser shall arrange for the transmission to the Adviser and the Portfolio's custodian on a daily basis such confirmation, trade tickets and other documents as may be necessary to enable them to perform their administrative responsibilities with respect to the Portfolio. With respect to Portfolio securities to be purchased or sold through the Depository Trust Company, the Sub-Adviser shall arrange for the automatic transmission of the I.D. confirmation of the trade to the Portfolio's custodian.

 

(f) In connection with the placement of orders for the execution of the Portfolio's securities transactions, the Sub- Adviser shall create and maintain all necessary records of the Portfolio as are required of an investment adviser of a registered investment company including, but not limited to, records required by the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act. All such records pertaining to the Portfolio shall be the property of the Fund and shall be available for inspection and use by the Securities and Exchange Commission, any other regulatory authority having jurisdiction, the Fund, the Adviser or any person retained by the Fund or the Adviser. Where applicable, such records shall be maintained by the Sub-Adviser for the period and in the place required by Rule 31 a-2 under the 1940 Act.

 

(g) The Sub-Adviser shall render such reports to the Adviser and/or to the Board of Directors of the Fund concerning the investment activity and composition of the Portfolio in such form and at such intervals as the Adviser or the Board may from time to time reasonably require, other than proprietary information and provided that the Sub- Adviser shall not be responsible for portfolio accounting (including but not limited to the preparation of the daily net asset value of the Portfolio) nor shall it be required to generate information derived from Portfolio accounting data.

 

(h) In acting under this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall be an independent contractor and not an agent of the Adviser, the other sub-adviser or the Fund.

 

(i) The Portfolio assets shall be maintained in the custody of its custodian. Any assets added to the Portfolio shall be delivered directly to such custodian. The Sub-Adviser shall have no liability for the acts or omissions of any custodian of the Portfolio's assets. The Sub-Adviser shall have no responsibility for the segregation requirement of the 1940 Act or other applicable law.

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(j) Sub-Adviser agrees that it will not consult with any other sub-adviser engaged by Adviser with respect to transactions in securities or other assets concerning the Portfolio or another subadvised fund, except to the extent permitted by certain exemptive rules under the 1940 Act that permit certain transactions with a sub- adviser or its affiliates.

 

(k) The Sub-Adviser makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, that any level of performance or investment results will be achieved by the Portfolio or that the Portfolio will perform comparably with any standard of index, including other clients of the Sub-Adviser, whether public or private.

 

SECTION 2.         Expenses

 

(a) The Sub-Adviser shall assume and pay all of its own costs and expenses, including those for furnishing such office space, office equipment, office personnel and office services as the Sub-Adviser may require in the performance of its duties under this Agreement.

 

(b) The Fund shall bear all expenses of the Portfolio's organization and registration, and the Fund and Adviser shall bear all of their respective expenses of their operations and businesses not expressly assumed or agreed to be paid by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement. In particular, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Fund shall pay any fees due to the Adviser, all interest, taxes, governmental charges or duties, fees, brokerage and commissions of every kind arising hereunder or in connection herewith, expenses of transactions with shareholders of the Portfolio, expenses of offering interests in the Portfolio for sale, insurance, association membership dues, all charges of custodians (including fees as custodian and for keeping books, performing portfolio valuations and rendering other services to the Fund), independent auditors and legal counsel, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing all prospectuses, proxy and class action material, reports and notices to shareholders of the Fund, and all other costs incident to the Portfolio's existence. Any reimbursement of management fees required by any expense limitation provision and any liability arising out of a violation of Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act shall be the sole responsibility of the Adviser.

 

SECTION 3.         Use of Services of Others

 

The Sub-Adviser may (at its expense except as set forth in Section 2 hereof) enter into arrangements with its affiliates or other persons or organizations for the purpose of providing certain personnel, services and facilities to the Sub- Adviser (including, for example, services provided by Intech Investment Management, LLC) as the Sub-Adviser may deem necessary, appropriate or convenient for the discharge of the Sub-Adviser's obligations hereunder or otherwise helpful to the Fund and the Portfolio, provided that such arrangements comply with the 1940 Act (including, if applicable, the requirements of Section 15 of the 1940 Act).

 

SECTION 4.         Sub-Advisory Fees

 

In consideration of the Sub-Adviser’s services to the Fund hereunder, the Sub-Adviser shall be entitled to an advisory fee, payable monthly, at the annual rate of 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Portfolio during the month preceding each payment (the "Sub-Advisory Fee") The Sub-Advisory Fee shall be accrued for each calendar day and the sum of the daily Sub-Advisory Fee accruals shall be paid monthly to the Sub-Adviser on or before the fifth business day of the next succeeding month. The daily fee accruals will be computed on the basis of the valuations of the total net assets of the Portfolio as of the close of business each day. The Sub-Advisory Fee shall be payable solely by the Adviser, and the Fund shall not be liable to the Sub- Adviser for any unpaid Sub-Advisory Fee.

 

SECTION 5.         Limitation of Liability of Sub-Adviser

 

(a) The Sub-Adviser shall be liable for losses resulting from its own acts or omissions caused by the Sub- Adviser's willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties hereunder or its reckless disregard of its duties under this Agreement, and nothing herein shall protect the Sub-Adviser against any such liability to the shareholders of the Fund or to the Adviser. Except as provided in the previous sentence, the Sub-Adviser shall not be liable to the Fund or to any shareholder of the Fund or to the Adviser for any claim or loss arising out of any investment or other act or omission in the performance of the Sub-Adviser's duties under this Agreement, or for any loss or damage resulting from the imposition by any government of exchange control restrictions which might affect the liquidity of the Fund's assets maintained with custodians or securities depositories in foreign countries, or from any political acts of any foreign governments to which such assets might be exposed, or for any tax of any kind (other than taxes on the Sub-Adviser's income), including without limitation any statutory, governmental, state, provincial, regional, local or municipal imposition, duty, contribution or levy imposed by any government or governmental agency upon or with respect to such assets or income earned with respect thereto (collectively "Taxation"). Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence and the provisions of Section 5(b), the Sub-Adviser shall be liable for taxes or tax penalties incurred by the Fund for, and shall indemnify the Fund and hold it harmless from and against, any failure of the Portfolio to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M, or to meet the diversification requirements of Section 817(h), of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, to the extent resulting from the Sub-Adviser's management of the Portfolio.

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(b) In the event the Sub-Adviser is assessed any Taxation in respect of the assets, income or activities of the Portfolio, the Adviser and the Fund jointly and severally will indemnify the Sub-Adviser for all such amounts wherever imposed, together with all penalties, charges, costs and interest relating thereto and all expenditures, including reasonable attorney's fees, incurred by the Sub-Adviser in connection with the defense or settlement of any such assessment. The Sub-Adviser shall undertake and control the defense or settlement of any such assessment, including the selection of counsel or other professional advisers, provided that the selection of such counsel and advisers and the settlement of any assessment shall be subject to the approval of the Adviser and the Fund, which approvals shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Adviser and the Fund shall have the right to retain separate counsel and assume the defense or settlement on behalf of the Adviser and the Fund, as the case may be, of any such assessment if representation of the Adviser and the Fund by counsel selected by the Sub- Adviser would be inappropriate due to actual or potential conflicts of interest.

 

The obligations contained in this Section 5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

 

SECTION 6.         Services to Other Clients and the Fund

 

(a) Subject to compliance with the 1940 Act, nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to prohibit the Sub-Adviser or any of its affiliated persons from acting, and being separately compensated for acting, in one or more capacities on behalf of the Fund. The Adviser and the Fund understand that the Sub-Adviser may act as investment manager or in other capacities on behalf of other customers including entities registered under the 1940 Act.

 

(b) While information, recommendations and actions which the Sub-Adviser supplies to and does on behalf of the Portfolio shall in the Sub-Adviser's judgment be appropriate under the circumstances in light of the investment objectives and policies of the Fund, as set forth in the Prospectus delivered to the Sub-Adviser from time to time, it is understood and agreed that they may be different from the information, recommendations and actions the Sub- Adviser or its affiliated persons supply to or do on behalf of other clients. The Sub-Adviser and its affiliated persons shall supply information, recommendations and any other services to the Portfolio and to any other client in an impartial and fair manner in order to seek good results for all clients involved. As used herein, the term "affiliated person" shall have the meaning assigned to it in the 1940 Act.

 

(c) On occasions when the Sub-Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Portfolio as well as other customers, the Sub-Adviser may, but shall be under no obligation, to the extent permitted by applicable law, aggregate the securities to be so sold or purchased in order to obtain the best execution or lower brokerage commissions, if any. The Sub-Adviser may also on occasion purchase or sell a particular security for one or more customers in different amounts. On either occasion, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and regulations, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Adviser in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other customers.

 

(d) The Sub-Adviser agrees to use the same skill and care in providing services to the Fund as it uses in providing services to other similar accounts for which it has investment responsibility. The Sub-Adviser will comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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SECTION 7.        Reports to the Sub-Adviser

 

The Adviser shall furnish to the Sub-Adviser the Prospectus, proxy statements, reports and other information relating to the business and affairs of the Fund as the Sub-Adviser may, at any time or from time to time, reasonably require in order to discharge the Sub-Adviser's duties under this Agreement. The Adviser shall forward to the Sub-Adviser drafts of all amendments to the Fund's registration statement that are related to the Portfolio, and the Adviser shall afford the Sub-Adviser an opportunity to comment thereon prior to filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

SECTION 8.         Proxies and Class Actions

 

The Adviser shall vote proxies for securities held by the Fund in accordance with the Adviser's policies for proxy voting. The Adviser agrees it shall provide the Sub-Adviser a copy of the Adviser's policies upon written request.

 

The Adviser acknowledges and agrees that the Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible for taking any action or rendering advice with respect to any class action claim relating to any assets held in the Portfolio. The Adviser will instruct the applicable service providers not to forward to the Sub-Adviser any information concerning such actions. The Sub- Adviser will, however, forward to the Adviser any information it receives regarding any legal matters involving any asset held in the Portfolio.

 

SECTION 9.        Term of Agreement

 

Provided that this Agreement shall have first been approved by the Board of Directors of the Fund, including a majority of the members thereof who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of either party, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting such approval, then this Agreement shall be effective on the date hereof for an initial terms of two (2) years. Thereafter, this Agreement shall continue in effect from year to year, subject to approval annually by the Board of Directors of the Fund, by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, of a majority of the Directors of the Fund who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such person. A vote by a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities (within the meaning of the 1940 Act), is not required as the Adviser has authority to enter into this Agreement pursuant to exemptive relief from the SEC without a vote of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities

 

SECTION 10.        Termination of Agreement; Assignment

 

(a) This Agreement may be terminated by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser without the payment of any penalty, upon 90 days' prior notice in writing to the other party and to the Fund, or upon 60 days' written notice by the Fund to the two parties; provided, that in the case of termination by the Fund such action shall have been authorized by resolution of a majority of the Board of Directors of the Fund. In addition, this Agreement shall terminate upon the later of (1) the termination of the Adviser's agreement to provide investment advisory services to the Portfolio or (2) notice to the Sub-Adviser that the Adviser's agreement to provide investment advisory services to the Portfolio has terminated.

 

(b) This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

(c) Termination of this Agreement for any reason shall not affect rights of the parties that have accrued prior thereto.

 

SECTION 11.        Notices

 

(a) The Sub-Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Adviser of the occurrence of any of the following events: (1) any change in the portfolio manager of the Portfolio; (2) the Sub-Adviser fails to be registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act or under the laws of any jurisdiction in which the Sub-Adviser is required to be registered as an investment adviser in order to perform its obligations under this Agreement; (3) the Sub- Adviser is the subject of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation at law or in equity, before or by any court, public board or body, involving the affairs of the Portfolio; or (4) any proposed change in control of the Sub-Adviser.

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(b) Any notice given hereunder shall be in writing and may be served by being sent by telex, facsimile or other electronic transmission or sent by registered mail or by courier to the address set forth below for the party for which it is intended. A notice served by mail shall be deemed to have been served seven days after mailing and in the case of telex, facsimile or other electronic transmission twelve hours after dispatch thereof. Addresses for notice may be changed by written notice to the other party.

 

If to the Adviser:

 

Attn: Legal Department

Ohio National Investments, Inc.

P.O. Box 237

Cincinnati, Ohio 45201

Fax No. (513) 794-4507

 

With a copy to:

 

President

Ohio National Investments, Inc.

P.O. Box 237

Cincinnati, Ohio 45201

 

If to the Sub-Adviser:

Janus Capital Management LLC

151 Detroit Street

Denver, CO 80206

Attention: General Counsel

 

SECTION 12.         Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and subject to the requirements of the laws of the State of Ohio without reference to the choice of law provisions thereof.

 

SECTION 13.         Applicable Provisions of Law

 

The Agreement shall be subject to all applicable provisions of law, including, without limitation, the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, and to the extent that any provisions herein contained conflict with any such applicable provisions of law, the latter shall control. The parties agree to comply with all applicable law in connection with the performance of this Agreement.

 

SECTION 14.        Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be entered into in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be deemed an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

 

SECTION 15.        Representations and Warranties of Sub-Adviser

 

The Sub-Adviser represents and warrants to the Adviser and the Fund as follows:

 

(a) The Sub-Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act;

 

(b) The Sub-Adviser is a limited liability company duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted;

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(c) The execution, delivery and performance by the Sub-Adviser of this Agreement are within the Sub-Adviser's powers and have been duly authorized, and no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Sub-Adviser for the execution, delivery and performance by the Sub- Adviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Sub-Adviser of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a default under (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Sub- Adviser's governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Sub-Adviser;

 

(d) This Agreement is a valid and binding agreement of the Sub-Adviser;

 

(e) A true and complete copy of the Form ADV of the Sub-Adviser (including the Form ADV of any registered advisory subsidiary or affiliate providing services on behalf of the Sub-Adviser), as amended to the date hereof and filed with the Commission has been furnished to the Adviser, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

 

(f) The Sub-Adviser agrees to observe and comply with Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and the Sub-Adviser's Code of Ethics, as may be amended from time to time. The Sub-Adviser shall not be subject to any other code of ethics, including that of the Adviser, unless specifically adopted by the Sub-Adviser.

 

SECTION 16.        Representations and Warranties of Adviser.

 

The Adviser represents and warrants to the Sub-Adviser as follows:

 

(a) The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act;

 

(b) Either (i) it is not a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”) and is not required to be registered with the NFA or under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “CEA”), or (ii) if it is a member of the NFA or registered under the CEA, it has notified Sub-Adviser in writing of its status; in any such case, Adviser agrees to promptly notify Sub- Adviser of any change in its NFA membership status or if it becomes required to become a member of the NFA or register under the CEA;

 

(c) The Adviser is a corporation duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Ohio with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted;

 

(d) The execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement are within the Adviser's powers and have been duly authorized, and no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Adviser for the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a default under (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Adviser's governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Adviser;

 

(e) This Agreement is a valid and binding agreement of the Adviser;

 

(f) A true and complete copy of the Form ADV of the Adviser, as amended to the date hereof and filed with the Commission has been furnished to the Sub-Adviser, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

 

(g) The Adviser acknowledges that it received a copy of the Sub-Adviser's Form ADV;

 

(h) The Adviser agrees to observe and comply with Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and the Adviser's Code of Ethics as may be amended from time to time;

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(i) The Adviser shall be responsible for setting up and maintaining brokerage accounts and other accounts the Sub- Adviser deems advisable to allow for the purchase or sale of various forms of securities pursuant to this Agreement;

 

(j) As permitted under the Shareholder Communications Act of 1985, as amended, the Adviser has elected Objecting Beneficial Owner status (restricting custodian from disclosing Portfolio holdings to third parties) with respect to its relationship with the custodian. Throughout the term of this Agreement, the Adviser shall maintain Objecting Beneficial Owner status and, upon written request of the Sub-Adviser, shall provide written confirmation of such status;

 

(k) The Adviser hereby represents it is in compliance with all currently applicable anti-money laundering laws, rules and regulations including, but not limited to, the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act of 2001, P.L. 107-56.

 

SECTION 17.        Survival of Representations and Warranties: Duty to Update Information.

 

All representations and warranties made by the Sub-Adviser and the Adviser pursuant to Sections 15 and 16 hereof shall survive for the duration of this Agreement and the Parties hereto shall immediately notify, but in no event later than five (5) business days, each other in writing upon becoming aware that any of the foregoing representations and warranties are no longer true. In addition, the Sub-Adviser will deliver to the Adviser and the Fund copies of any amendments, supplements or updates to any of the information provided to the Adviser and attached as exhibits hereto within fifteen (15) days after becoming available.

 

SECTION 18.        Confidentiality

 

Subject to the duties of the Adviser, the Fund and the Sub-Adviser to comply with applicable law, including any demand of any regulatory or taxing authority having jurisdiction, the parties hereto shall treat as confidential all information pertaining to the Fund and the actions of the Sub-Adviser, the Adviser and the Fund in respect thereof.

 

The Adviser will not, directly or indirectly, and will not permit its affiliates, employees, officers, directors, agents, contractors, or the Portfolio to, in any form or by any means, use, disclose, or furnish, to any person or entity, records or information concerning the business of the Sub-Adviser, except as necessary for the performance of its duties under this Agreement or its agreement to provide investment advisory services to the Fund, or as required by law upon prior written notice to the Sub-Adviser. The Adviser agrees not to employ deliberately an investment strategy the primary purpose of which is to replicate the methods of the Sub-Adviser’s strategy for this Portfolio (“Strategy”), including, but not limited to, purchasing shares of the same stocks as those in such Strategy, in a similar number and in similar weightings as in such Strategy. The Sub-Adviser is the sole owner of the name and mark "Janus." The Adviser shall not, and shall not permit its affiliates, employees, officers, directors, agents, contractors or the Portfolio to, without prior written consent of the Sub-Adviser, use the name or mark "Janus" or make representations regarding the Sub-Adviser or its affiliates. Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, the Adviser shall immediately cease, and the Adviser shall cause the Portfolio to immediately cease, all use of the Janus name or any Janus mark.

 

The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser will not use any information concerning the Portfolio's holdings, including, without limitation, the names of the portfolio holdings and the values thereof for purposes of making any decision about whether to purchase or redeem shares of the Portfolio or to execute any other securities transactions.

 

SECTION 19.        Non-Exclusivity

 

Adviser acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement and the arrangements described herein are intended to be non-exclusive and that Sub-Adviser is free to enter into similar agreements and arrangements with other entities.

 

SECTION 20.        Amendment

 

This Agreement may be amended only in accordance with applicable law, and only by a written instrument signed by all the parties to this Agreement.

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SECTION 21.        General

 

(a) This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties with respect to its subject matter, shall supersede all prior understandings agreements, contracts or other documents, and shall continue in full force and effect until terminated.

 

(b) If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement shall be enforced to the greatest extent permitted by law.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF this Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.

 

  Ohio National Investment, Inc.  
       
  By: /s/ Gary Rodmaker  
    Gary Rodmaker, President  
       
  Janus Capital Management LLC  
       
  By: /s/ Russell P. Shipman  
    Russell P. Shipman, Head of Retirement  
    Sales and Strategy  

 

 

Accepted and Agreed:  
Ohio National Fund, Inc.  
     
By: /s/ Tara York  
  Tara York, President  

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