BlackBerry Grants Equity Inducement Award to John Giamatteo

WATERLOO, ON – February 25, 2022 – BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced that it has granted an equity inducement award to John Giamatteo, President of BlackBerry’s Cybersecurity business unit. 

BlackBerry is issuing this announcement pursuant to, and in reliance on, the employment inducement exemption under the NYSE’s Listed Company Manual Rule 303A.08.  Mr. Giamatteo’s equity inducement award was granted outside of the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan.

Mr. Giamatteo received an award of 800,425 time-based and performance-based restricted share units (the “RSUs”) as a material inducement to entering into employment with BlackBerry.  Mr. Giamatteo’s employment began on October 4, 2021.

The time-based RSUs will vest in equal installments on the first three anniversaries of January 3, 2022.  Subject to the satisfaction of certain performance conditions, the performance-based RSUs will vest on January 3, 2025.

If Mr. Giamatteo’s employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason absent a change of control, any unvested RSUs will continue to vest during the severance period provided under Mr. Giamatteo’s employment agreement.  If Mr. Giamatteo’s employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason during the negotiation of or within 24 months following the completion of a change of control, or if Mr. Giamatteo dies, any unvested RSUs will vest immediately.  Any unvested RSUs will be cancelled in the event of Mr. Giamatteo’s resignation or termination for cause.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world.  The company secures more than 500M endpoints including over 195M vehicles.  Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint management, endpoint security, encryption, and embedded systems.  BlackBerry’s vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere. 

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