UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of The
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): December 4, 2014
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Baker Hughes Incorporated
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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Delaware
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1-9397
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76-0207995
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(State of Incorporation)
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(Commission
File No.)
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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2929 Allen Parkway
Houston, Texas 77019
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (713) 439-8600
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N/A
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
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o
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
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Section 5 – Corporate Governance and Management
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
As previously announced in Baker Hughes Incorporated’s (the “Company” or “Baker Hughes”) Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 18, 2014, the Company and Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”) have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, the Company will be merged with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Halliburton (the “Merger”). On December 4, 2014, the following appointments were made in connection with the Merger: (1) President of Global Products and Services, Belgacem Chariag, to the role of Vice President, Chief Integration Officer to lead the Company’s integration team and (2) President of Completions and Wellbore Intervention, Richard Ward, to the role of acting President of Global Products and Services.
Mr. Chariag, age 52, has served as President of Global Products and Services since October 2013 and Vice President of the Company since 2009. Prior to joining the Company in 2009, he served as President of Eastern Hemisphere Operations from 2009 to 2013, Vice President/Director HSE of Schlumberger Limited from May 2008 to May 2009, President of Well Services, a Schlumberger product line, from 2006 to 2008 and Vice President Strategic Marketing Oilfield Services for Europe, Africa and CIS of Schlumberger from 2004 to 2006.
Mr. Ward, age 46, has served as President of Completions and Wellbore Intervention of the Company since 2012, Region President for Asia Pacific from 2009 to 2012, Vice President for Baker Oil Tools in the Middle East Asia Pacific region from 2007 to 2009. Prior to 2007, Mr. Ward served in various leadership roles throughout the Company.
There are no family relationships existing between Messrs. Chariag and Ward and any director or executive officer of the Company. There have been no transactions, and no transactions are currently proposed, in which the Company was or is to be a participant and in which Messrs. Chariag and Ward or any member of their immediate families had or will have any interest, that are required to be disclosed by Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. In addition, there are no arrangements or understandings between Messrs. Chariag and Ward and any other persons pursuant to which Messrs. Chariag and Ward were appointed to such positions.
The Company will enter into an Indemnification Agreement with Mr. Ward, which requires the Company to indemnify Mr. Ward against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of his status or service as an officer, to advance expenses incurred as a result of a proceeding as to which he may be indemnified and to cover such person under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy the Company chooses to maintain. The Indemnification Agreement is intended to provide indemnification rights to the fullest extent permitted under applicable indemnification rights statutes in the State of Delaware and shall be in addition to any other rights Mr. Ward may have under the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and applicable law.
The foregoing description of the Indemnification Agreement, as amended, does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable agreement which is filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 and Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 19, 2008, respectively, both of which are incorporated into this Item 5.02 by reference.
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Important Information For Investors And Stockholders
This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This communication relates to a proposed business combination between Baker Hughes Incorporated (“Baker Hughes”) and Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”). In connection with this proposed business combination, Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton may file one or more proxy statements, registration statements,
proxy statement/prospectus or other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This communication is not a substitute for any proxy statement, registration statement, proxy statement/prospectus or other document Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF BAKER HUGHES AND HALLIBURTON ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT(S), REGISTRATION STATEMENT(S), PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Any definitive proxy statement(s) (if and when available) will be mailed to stockholders of Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton, as applicable. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of these documents (if and when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Baker Hughes and/or Halliburton through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Baker Hughes will be available free of charge on Baker Hughes’ internet website at http://www.bakerhughes.com or by contacting Baker Hughes’ Investor Relations Department by email at trey.clark@bakerhughes.com or alondra.oteyza@bakerhughes.com or by phone at +1-713-439-8039 or +1-713-439-8822. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Halliburton will be available free of charge on Halliburton’s internet website at http://www.halliburton.com or by contacting Halliburton’s Investor Relations Department by email at investors@halliburton.com or by phone at +1-281-871-2688.
Participants in Solicitation
Baker Hughes, Halliburton, their respective directors and certain of their respective executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Baker Hughes is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on February 12, 2014, its proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 5, 2014, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 which was filed with the SEC on October 21, 2014 and its Current Reports on Form 8-K, which were filed with the SEC on June 10, 2014 and September 10, 2014. Information about the directors and executive officers of Halliburton is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on February 7, 2014, its proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 8, 2014, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 which was filed with the SEC on October 24, 2014 and its Current Reports on Form 8-K, which were filed with the SEC on July 21, 2014 and December 9, 2014.
These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication regarding the proposed acquisition of Baker Hughes by Halliburton, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the proposed transaction, benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction, future opportunities for the combined company and products, future financial performance and any other statements regarding Halliburton’s and Baker Hughes’ future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts are “forward-looking” statements made within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “ensure,” “expect,” “if,” “intend,” “estimate,” “probable,” “project,” “forecasts,” “predict,” “outlook,” “aim,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “potential,” “may,” “might,” “anticipate,” “likely” “plan,” “positioned,” “strategy,” and similar expressions, and the negative thereof, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking information are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Baker Hughes and Halliburton, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: failure to
obtain the required votes of Baker Hughes’ or Halliburton’s stockholders; the timing to consummate the proposed transaction; the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or that the closing of the proposed transaction might otherwise not occur; the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is not obtained or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; the ultimate timing, outcome and results of integrating the operations of Baker Hughes and Halliburton and the ultimate outcome of Halliburton’s operating efficiencies applied to Baker Hughes’ products and services; the effects of the business combination of Baker Hughes and Halliburton, including the combined company’s future financial condition, results of operations, strategy and plans; expected synergies and other benefits from the proposed transaction and the ability of Halliburton to realize such synergies and other benefits; expectations regarding regulatory approval of the transaction; results of litigation, settlements, and investigations; civil unrest, government expropriations and/or epidemic outbreaks; final court approval of, and the satisfaction of the conditions in, Halliburton’s September 2014 settlement relating to the Macondo well incident in the Gulf of Mexico; appeals of the multi-district litigation District Court's September 2014 ruling regarding Phase 1 of the trial, and future rulings of the District Court; results of litigation, settlements, and investigations not covered by the settlement or the District Court's rulings; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies, relating to the Macondo well incident; BP's April 2012 settlement relating to the Macondo well incident, indemnification, and insurance matters; with respect to repurchases of Halliburton common stock, the continuation or suspension of the repurchase program, the amount, the timing and the trading prices of Halliburton common stock, and the availability and alternative uses of cash; actions by third parties, including governmental agencies; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas can be significantly impacted by weakness in the worldwide economy; consequences of audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies and related publicity and potential adverse proceedings by such agencies; protection of intellectual property rights and against cyber attacks; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements, particularly those related to offshore oil and natural gas exploration, radioactive sources, explosives, chemicals, hydraulic fracturing services and climate-related initiatives; compliance with laws related to income taxes and assumptions regarding the generation of future taxable income; risks of international operations, including risks relating to unsettled political conditions, war, the effects of terrorism, and foreign exchange rates and controls, international trade and regulatory controls, and doing business with national oil companies; weather-related issues, including the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms; changes in capital spending by customers; delays or failures by customers to make payments owed to us; execution of long-term, fixed-price contracts; impairment of oil and natural gas properties; structural changes in the oil and natural gas industry; maintaining a highly skilled workforce; availability and cost of raw materials; and integration of acquired businesses and operations of joint ventures. Expectations regarding business outlook, including changes in revenue, pricing, capital spending, profitability, strategies for our operations, oil and natural gas market conditions, customers’ business plans, market share and contract terms, costs and availability of resources, legal, economic and regulatory conditions, and environmental matters are only forecasts regarding these matters. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in Baker Hughes’ and Halliburton’s respective filings with the SEC and available through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval system at http://www.sec.gov, including Baker Hughes’ and Halliburton’s most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.
The foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. Baker Hughes’ forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Baker Hughes believes to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Baker Hughes and Halliburton assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED
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Date:
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December 10, 2014
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By:
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/s/ Lee Whitley
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Name:
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Lee Whitley
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Title:
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Vice President and Corporate Secretary
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