Except as otherwise provided in this Section 10, this Agreement may not be amended or modified at any time except by a written instrument approved by the Board, and executed by the Companies and the Executive; provided , however , that any attempted amendment or modification without such approval and execution shall be null and void ab initio and of no effect.   Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective upon 30 days’ notice to Executive and without further consideration from the Companies, this Agreement may be amended by the Companies in their sole discretion to the limited extent they deem necessary and appropriate to conform the terms of this Agreement to the requirements of any applicable laws, rules and regulations enacted or promulgated after the Effective Date of this Agreement.  Any such amendments shall preserve the value of any payments or benefits payable to Executive under this Agreement to the extent practicable without defeating the purpose of the amendment, as determined in the sole discretion of the Companies.