Registration Form • Apr 27, 2020
Registration Form
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No articles set out in any statute, or in any statutory instrument or other subordinate legislation made under any statute, concerning companies shall apply as the articles of the company.
In these articles unless the context otherwise requires:-
"address" includes any number or address used for the purposes of sending or receiving documents or information by electronic means;
"these articles" means these articles of association as altered from time to time and the expression "this article" shall be construed accordingly;
"the auditors" means the auditors from time to time of the company or, in the case of joint auditors, any one of them;
"the Bank of England base rate" means the base lending rate most recently set by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England in connection with its responsibilities under Part 2 of the Bank of England Act 1998;
"the board" means the board of directors from time to time of the company or the directors present at a meeting of the directors at which a quorum is present;
"certificated share" means a share which is not an uncertificated share and references in these articles to a share being held in certificated form shall be construed accordingly;
"clear days" in relation to the period of a notice means that period excluding the day when the notice is served or deemed to be served and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect;
"the Companies Acts" means every statute (including any orders, regulations or other subordinate legislation made under it) from time to time in force concerning companies in so far as it applies to the company;
"the holder" in relation to any shares means the member whose name is entered in the register as the holder of those shares;
"member" means a member of the company;
"the office" means the registered office from time to time of the company;
"Operator" means a person approved by the Treasury under the uncertificated securities rules as Operator of a relevant system;
"paid up" means paid up or credited as paid up;
"participating class" means a class of shares title to which is permitted by an Operator to be transferred by means of a relevant system;
"person entitled by transmission" means a person whose entitlement to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member or of any other event giving rise to its transmission by operation of law has been noted in the register;
"the register" means the register of members of the company;
"seal" means any common or official seal that the company may be permitted to have under the Companies Acts;
"the secretary" means the secretary, or (if there are joint secretaries) any one of the joint secretaries, of the company and includes an assistant or deputy secretary and any person appointed by the board to perform any of the duties of the secretary;
"the uncertificated securities rules" means any provisions of the Companies Acts relating to the holding, evidencing of title to, or transfer of uncertificated shares and any legislation, rules or other arrangements made under or by virtue of such provision;
"uncertificated share" means a share of a class which is at the relevant time a participating class, title to which is recorded on the register as being held in uncertificated form and references in these articles to a share being held in uncertificated form shall be construed accordingly;
"United Kingdom" means Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
references to a document being signed or to signature include references to its being executed under hand or under seal or by any other method and, in the case of a communication in electronic form, such references are to its being authenticated as specified by the Companies Acts;
references to writing include references to any method of representing or reproducing words in a legible and non-transitory form whether sent or supplied in electronic form or otherwise;
words or expressions to which a particular meaning is given by the Companies Acts in force when these articles or any part of these articles are adopted bear (if not inconsistent with the subject matter or context) the same meaning in these articles or that part (as the case may be) save that the word "company" shall include any body corporate;
references to a meeting shall not be taken as requiring more than one person to be present if any quorum requirement can be satisfied by one person; and
headings are included only for convenience and shall not affect meaning.
The liability of members of the company is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares in the company held by them.
The company may change its name by resolution of the board.
Subject to any rights attached to existing shares, any share may be issued with or have attached to it such rights and restrictions as the company may by ordinary resolution decide or, if no such resolution has been passed or so far as the resolution does not make specific provision, as the board may decide. Such rights and restrictions shall apply to the relevant shares as if the same were set out in these articles.
Subject to any rights attached to existing shares, any share may be issued which is to be redeemed, or is liable to be redeemed at the option of the company or the holder. The board may determine the terms, conditions and manner of redemption of any redeemable share so issued. Such terms and conditions shall apply to the relevant shares as if the same were set out in these articles.
Subject to the provisions of the Companies Acts, all or any of the rights attached to any existing class of shares may from time to time (whether or not the company is being wound up) be varied either with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than three-fourths in nominal value of the issued shares of that class (excluding any shares of that class held as treasury shares) or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of those shares. All the provisions of these articles as to general meetings of the company shall, with any necessary modifications, apply to any such separate general meeting, but so that the necessary quorum shall be two persons entitled to vote and holding or representing by proxy not less than one-third in nominal value of the issued shares of the class (excluding any shares of that class held as treasury shares), (but so that at any adjourned meeting one holder entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy (whatever the number of shares held by him) shall be a quorum) and that any holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote may demand a poll. The foregoing provisions of this article shall apply to the variation of the special rights attached to some only of the shares of any class as if each group of shares of the class differently treated formed a separate class and their special rights were to be varied.
The rights conferred upon the holders of any shares shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided in the rights attaching to those shares, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with them.
Subject to the provisions of these articles and to any resolution passed by the company and without prejudice to any rights attached to existing shares, the board may offer, allot, grant options over or otherwise deal with or dispose of shares in the company to such persons, at such times and for such consideration and upon such terms as the board may decide.
The company may in connection with the issue of any shares or the sale for cash of treasury shares exercise all powers of paying commission and brokerage conferred or permitted by the Companies Acts. Any such commission or brokerage may be satisfied by the payment of cash or by the allotment of fully or partly-paid shares or other securities or partly in one way and partly in the other.
Except as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction or as required by law, no person shall be recognised by the company as holding any share upon any trust and the company shall not be bound by or required in any way to recognise (even when having notice of it) any interest in any share or (except only as by these articles or by law otherwise provided) any other right in respect of any share other than an absolute right to the whole of the share in the holder.
(A) Where the holder of any shares in the company, or any other person appearing to be interested in those shares, fails to comply within the relevant period with any statutory notice in respect of those shares or, in purported compliance with such a notice, has made a statement which is false or inadequate in a material particular, the company may give the holder of those shares a further notice (a "restriction notice") to the effect that from the service of the restriction notice those shares will be subject to some or all of the relevant restrictions, and from service of the restriction notice those shares shall, notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, be subject to those relevant restrictions accordingly. For the purpose of enforcing the relevant restriction referred to in sub-paragraph (iii) of the definition of "relevant restrictions", the board may give notice to the relevant member requiring the member to change the relevant shares held in uncertificated form to certificated form by the time stated in the notice and to keep them in certificated form for as long as the board requires. The notice may also state that the member may not change any of the relevant shares held in certificated form to uncertificated form. If the member does not comply with the notice, the board may authorise any person to instruct the Operator to change the relevant shares held in uncertificated form to certificated form.
a sale is an "arm's length sale" if the board is satisfied that it is a bona fide sale of the whole of the beneficial ownership of the shares to a party unconnected with the holder or with any person appearing to be interested in such shares and shall include a sale made by way of or in pursuance of acceptance of a takeover offer and a sale made through a recognised investment exchange or any other stock exchange outside the United Kingdom. For this purpose an associate (within the definition of that expression in any statute relating to insolvency in force at the date of adoption of this article) shall be included amongst the persons who are connected with the holder or any person appearing to be interested in such shares;
"person appearing to be interested" in any shares shall mean any person named in a response to a statutory notice or otherwise notified to the company by a member as being so interested or shown in any register or record kept by the company under the Companies Acts as so interested or, taking into account a response or failure to respond in the light of the response to any other statutory notice and any other relevant information in the possession of the company, any person whom the company knows or has reasonable cause to believe is or may be so interested;
"person with a 0.25 per cent. interest" means a person who holds, or is shown in any register or record kept by the company under the Companies Acts as having an interest in, shares in the company which comprise in total at least 0.25 per cent. in number or nominal value of the shares of the company (calculated exclusive of any shares held as treasury shares), or of any class of such shares (calculated exclusive of any shares of that class held as treasury shares), in issue at the date of service of the restriction notice;
"relevant period" means a period of 14 days following service of a statutory notice;
"relevant restrictions" mean in the case of a restriction notice served on a person with a 0.25 per cent. interest that:-
and in any other case mean only the restriction specified in subparagraph (i) of this definition; and
"statutory notice" means a notice served by the company under the Companies Acts requiring particulars of interests in shares or of the identity of persons interested in shares.
and, without prejudice to the generality of this article, no provision of these articles shall apply or have effect to the extent that it is in any respect inconsistent with the maintenance, keeping or entering up by the Operator, so long as that is permitted or required by the uncertificated securities rules, of an Operator register of securities in respect of that class of shares in uncertificated form.
articles and the Companies Acts, such entitlement shall include the right of the board to:
Every person (except a person to whom the company is not by law required to issue a certificate) whose name is entered in the register as a holder of any certificated shares shall be entitled, without payment, to receive within the time limits prescribed by the Companies Acts (or, if earlier, within any prescribed time limit or within a time specified when the shares were issued) one certificate for all those shares of any one class. In the case of a certificated share held jointly by several persons, the company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate and delivery of a certificate to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all. A member who transfers some but not all of the shares comprised in a certificate shall be entitled to a certificate for the balance without charge to the extent the balance is to be held in certificated form.
If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be replaced on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity as the board may decide and, where it is defaced or worn out, after delivery of the old certificate to the company. Any two or more certificates representing shares of any one class held by any member shall at his request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such shares issued in lieu. Any certificate representing shares of any one class held by any member may at his request be cancelled and two or more certificates for such shares may be issued instead. The board may require the payment of any exceptional out-of-pocket expenses of the company incurred in connection with the issue of any certificates under this article. Any one of two or more joint holders may request replacement certificates under this article.
Every share certificate shall be executed under a seal or in such other manner as the board, having regard to the terms of issue and any listing requirements, may authorise and shall specify the number and class of the shares to which it relates and the amount or respective amounts paid up on the shares. The board may by resolution decide, either generally or in any particular case or cases, that any signatures on any share certificates need not be autographic but may be applied to the certificates by some mechanical or other means or may be printed on them or that the certificates need not be signed by any person.
Every share certificate sent in accordance with these articles will be sent at the risk of the member or other person entitled to the certificate. The company will not be responsible for any share certificate lost or delayed in the course of delivery.
The company shall have a first and paramount lien on every share (not being a fully paid share) for all amounts payable to the company (whether presently or not) in respect of that share. The company's lien on a share shall extend to every amount payable in respect of it. The board may at any time either generally or in any particular case waive any lien that has arisen or declare any share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this article.
The company may sell, in such manner as the board may decide, any share on which the company has a lien if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable and is not paid within 14 clear days after a notice has been served on the holder of the share or the person who is entitled by transmission to the share, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the share may be sold. For giving effect to the sale the board may authorise some person to sign an instrument of transfer of the share sold to or in accordance with the directions of the purchaser. The transferee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in relation to the sale.
The net proceeds, after payment of the costs, of the sale by the company of any share on which it has a lien shall be applied in or towards payment or discharge of the debt or liability in respect of which the lien exists so far as it is presently payable, and any residue shall (subject to a like lien for debts or liabilities not presently payable as existed upon the share prior to the sale and upon surrender, if required by the company, for cancellation of the certificate for the share sold) be paid to the person who was entitled to the share at the time of the sale.
Subject to the terms of issue, the board may from time to time make calls upon the members in respect of any moneys unpaid on their shares (whether on account of the nominal amount of the shares or by way of premium) and not payable on a date fixed by or in accordance with the terms of issue, and each member shall (subject to the company serving upon him at least 14 clear days' notice specifying when and where payment is to be made) pay to the company as required by the notice the amount called on his shares. A call may be made payable by instalments. A call may be revoked or postponed, in whole or in part, as the board may decide. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable jointly and severally with the successors in title to his shares for all calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the shares in respect of which the call was made.
A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the board authorising the call was passed.
The joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of the share.
If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it is due and payable to the time of actual payment at such rate (not exceeding the Bank of England base rate by more than five percentage points) as the board may decide, and all expenses that have been incurred by the company by reason of such non-payment, but the board shall be at liberty in any case or cases to waive payment of the interest or expenses wholly or in part.
Any amount which becomes payable in respect of a share on allotment or on any other date fixed by or in accordance with the terms of issue, whether in respect of the nominal amount of the share or by way of premium or as an instalment of a call, shall be deemed to be a call and, if it is not paid, all the provisions of these articles shall apply as if the sum had become due and payable by virtue of a call.
The board may on or before the issue of shares differentiate between the allottees or holders as to the amount of calls to be paid and the times of payment.
The board may, if it thinks fit, receive from any member who is willing to advance them all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any shares held by him and on all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until they would, but for the advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding the Bank of England base rate by more than five percentage points, unless the company by ordinary resolution shall otherwise direct) as the board may decide.
If any call or instalment of a call remains unpaid on any share after the day appointed for payment, the board may at any time serve a notice on the holder requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued and any expenses incurred by the company by reason of such non-payment.
The notice shall name a further day (not being less than 14 clear days from the date of the notice) on or before which, and the place where, the payment required by the notice is to be made and shall state that in the event of non-payment on or before the day and at the place appointed, the shares in respect of which the call has been made or instalment is payable will be liable to be forfeited.
If the notice is not complied with, any share in respect of which it was given may, at any time before payment of all calls or instalments and interest and expenses due in respect of it has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the board to that effect and the forfeiture shall include all dividends declared and other moneys payable in respect of the forfeited shares and not paid before the forfeiture. The board may accept the surrender of any share liable to be forfeited and, in that event, references in these articles to forfeiture shall include surrender.
When any share has been forfeited, notice of the forfeiture shall be served upon the person who was before forfeiture the holder of the share but no forfeiture shall be invalidated by any omission or neglect to give notice.
Until cancelled in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Acts, a forfeited share shall be deemed to be the property of the company and may be sold or otherwise disposed of either to the person who was, before forfeiture, the holder or to any other person upon such terms and in such manner as the board shall decide. The board may for the purposes of the disposal authorise some person to sign an instrument of transfer to the designated transferee. The company may receive the consideration (if any) given for the share on its disposal. At any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled by the board on such terms as the board may decide.
A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a member in respect of them and shall surrender to the company for cancellation the certificate for the forfeited shares but shall remain liable to pay to the company all moneys which at the date of the forfeiture were payable by him to the company in respect of those shares with interest thereon at such rate (not exceeding the Bank of England base rate by more than five percentage points) as the board may decide from the date of forfeiture until payment, and the company may enforce payment without being under any obligation to make any allowance for the value of the shares forfeited or for any consideration received on their disposal.
A statutory declaration that the declarant is a director of the company or the secretary and that a share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share. The declaration shall (subject to the signing of an instrument of transfer if necessary) constitute a good title to the share and the person to whom the share is sold or otherwise disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money (if any) nor shall his title to the share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings relating to the forfeiture, sale or disposal.
transfer by an instrument in writing or the production of a certificate for the share to be transferred; and
The instrument of transfer of a certificated share shall be signed by or on behalf of the transferor and (in the case of a partly paid share) the transferee. All instruments of transfer, when registered, may be retained by the company.
The board can decline to register any transfer of any share which is not a fully paid share.
the same powers of refusing to give effect to such a renunciation as if it were a transfer.
No fee shall be charged by the company for registering any transfer, document or instruction relating to or affecting the title to any share or for making any other entry in the register.
the holder of, or person entitled by transmission to, the shares. The purchaser shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase moneys nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings relating to the sale. The net proceeds of sale shall belong to the company and, upon their receipt, the company shall become indebted to the former holder of, or person entitled by transmission to, the shares for an amount equal to the net proceeds unless and until forfeited under this article. No trust shall be created in respect of the debt and no interest shall be payable in respect of it and the company shall not be required to account for any moneys earned from the net proceeds which may be employed in the business of the company or as it thinks fit. If no valid claim for the money has been received by the company during a period of six years from the date on which the relevant shares were sold by the company under this article, the money will be forfeited and will belong to the company.
(D) For the purpose of this article:-
"the qualifying period" means the period of 12 years immediately preceding the date of publication of the advertisements referred to in paragraph (A)(iv) above or of the first of the two advertisements to be published if they are published on different dates; and
"the relevant period" means the period beginning at the commencement of the qualifying period and ending on the date when all the requirements of paragraph (A)(i) to (iv) above have been satisfied.
If a member dies, the survivor or survivors, where he was a joint holder, and his personal representatives, where he was a sole holder or the only survivor of joint holders, shall be the only persons recognised by the company as having any title to his shares; but nothing contained in these articles shall release the estate of a deceased holder from any liability in respect of any share held by him solely or jointly with other persons.
Where the entitlement of a person to a certificated share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member or of any other event giving rise to its transmission by operation of law is proved to the satisfaction of the board, the board shall within two months after proof cause the entitlement of that person to be noted in the register.
Any person entitled by transmission to a share may, subject as provided elsewhere in these articles, elect either to become the holder of the share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the holder. If he elects to be registered himself he shall give notice to the company to that effect. If he elects to have another person registered and the share is a certificated share, he shall sign an instrument of transfer of the share to that person. If he elects to have himself or another person registered and the share is an uncertificated share, he shall take any action the board may require (including, without limitation, the signing of any document and the giving of any instruction by means of relevant system) to enable himself or that person to be registered as the holder of the share. The board may at any time require the person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the share and if the requirements are not complied with within 60 days of being issued the board may withhold payment of all dividends and other moneys payable in respect of the share until the requirements have been complied with. All the provisions of these articles relating to the transfer of, and registration of transfers of, shares shall apply to the notice or transfer as if the death or bankruptcy of the member or other event giving rise to the transmission had not occurred and the notice or transfer was given or signed by the member.
Where a person becomes entitled by transmission to a share, the rights of the holder in relation to that share shall cease, but the person entitled by transmission to the share may give a good discharge for any dividends or other moneys payable in respect of it and shall have the same rights in relation to the share as he would have had if he were the holder of it save that, until he becomes the holder, he shall not be entitled in respect of the share (except with the authority of the board) to receive notice of, or to attend or vote at, any general meeting of the company or at any separate general meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the company or to exercise any other right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings.
Any resolution authorising the company to sub-divide its shares or any of them may determine that, as between the shares resulting from the sub-division, any of them may have any preference or advantage or be subject to any restriction as compared with the others.
Whenever as a result of a consolidation, consolidation and sub-division or sub-division of shares any members would become entitled to fractions of a share, the board may deal with the fractions as it thinks fit including by aggregating and selling them or by dealing with them in some other way. For the purposes of effecting any such sale, the board may arrange for the shares representing the fractions to be entered in the register as certificated shares. The board may sell shares representing the fractions to any person including the company and may authorise some person to transfer or deliver the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The person to whom any shares are transferred or delivered shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of, the proceedings relating to the sale.
(A) The accidental omission to give any notice of a meeting or the accidental omission to send or supply any document or other information relating to any meeting to, or the non-receipt (even if the company becomes aware of such non-receipt) of any such notice, document or other information by, any person entitled to receive the notice, document or other information shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting.
(B) A member present in person or by proxy at a meeting shall be deemed to have received proper notice of that meeting and, where applicable, of the purpose of that meeting.
If the board, in its absolute discretion, considers that it is impractical or undesirable for any reason to hold a general meeting on the date or at the time or place specified in the notice calling the general meeting, it may postpone or move the general meeting to another date, time and/or place. The board shall take reasonable steps to ensure that notice of the date, time and place of the rearranged meeting is given to any member trying to attend the meeting at the original time and place. Notice of the date, time and place of the rearranged meeting shall, if practicable, also be placed in at least two national newspapers in the United Kingdom. Notice of the business to be transacted at such rearranged meeting shall not be required. If a meeting is rearranged in this way, the appointment of a proxy will be valid if it is received as required by these articles not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the rearranged meeting. The board may also postpone or move the rearranged meeting under this article.
No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business, but the absence of a quorum shall not preclude the choice or appointment of a chairman of the meeting which shall not be treated as part of the business of the meeting. Save as otherwise provided by these articles, two members present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall be a quorum for all purposes.
If within five minutes (or such longer time not exceeding one hour as the chairman of the meeting may decide to wait) after the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting a quorum is not present, or if during the meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting:
The board may direct that persons wishing to attend any general meeting should submit to such searches or other security arrangements or restrictions as the board shall consider appropriate in the circumstances and shall be entitled in its absolute discretion to, or to authorise some one or more persons who shall include a director or the secretary or the chairman of the meeting to, refuse entry to, or to eject from, such general meeting any person who fails to submit to such searches or otherwise to comply with such security arrangements or restrictions.
The chairman (if any) of the board or, in his absence, the deputy chairman (if any) shall preside as chairman at every general meeting. If more than one deputy chairman is present they shall agree amongst themselves who is to take the chair or, if they cannot agree, the deputy chairman who has been in office as a director longest shall take the chair. If there is no chairman or deputy chairman, or if at any meeting neither the chairman nor any deputy chairman is present within five minutes after the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting, or if neither the chairman nor any deputy chairman is willing to act as chairman, the directors present shall choose one of their number to act, or if one director only is present he shall preside as chairman of the meeting if willing to act. If no director is present, or if each of the directors present declines to take the chair, the persons present and entitled to vote shall appoint one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. Nothing in these articles shall restrict or exclude any of the powers or rights of a chairman of a meeting which are given by law.
The chairman of the meeting shall take such action or give directions for such action to be taken as he thinks fit to promote the orderly conduct of the business of the meeting as laid down in the notice of the meeting. The chairman's decision on points of order, matters of procedure or arising incidentally from the business of the meeting shall be final as shall be his determination as to whether any point or matter is of such a nature.
Each director shall be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting of the company. The chairman of the meeting may invite any person to attend and speak at any general meeting of the company where he considers that this will assist in the deliberations of the meeting.
The chairman of the meeting may at any time without the consent of the meeting adjourn any meeting (whether or not it has commenced or a quorum is present) either sine die or to another time or place where it appears to him that (a) the members entitled to vote and wishing to attend cannot be conveniently accommodated in the place appointed for the meeting (b) the conduct of persons present prevents or is likely to prevent the orderly continuation of business or (c) an adjournment is otherwise necessary so that the business of the meeting may be properly conducted. In addition, the chairman of the meeting may at any time with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting either sine die or to another time or place. When a meeting is adjourned sine die the time and place for the adjourned meeting shall be fixed by the board. No business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting except business which might properly have been transacted at the meeting had the adjournment not taken place. Any meeting may be adjourned more than once.
If the continuation of an adjourned meeting is to take place three months or more after it was adjourned or if business is to be transacted at an adjourned meeting the general nature of which was not stated in the notice of the original meeting, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Except as provided in this article, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjourned meeting or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.
In the case of a resolution duly proposed as a special resolution no amendment thereto (other than an amendment to correct a patent error) may be considered or voted upon and in the case of a resolution duly proposed as an ordinary resolution no amendment thereto (other than an amendment to correct a patent error) may be considered or voted upon unless either at least two working days prior to the date appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which such ordinary resolution is to be proposed notice in writing of the terms of the amendment and intention to move the same has been received by the company or the chairman of the meeting in his absolute discretion decides that it may be considered or voted upon. With the consent of the chairman of the meeting, an amendment may be withdrawn by its proposer before it is put to the vote.
If an amendment shall be proposed to any resolution under consideration but shall be ruled out of order by the chairman of the meeting the proceedings on the substantive resolution shall not be invalidated by any error in such ruling.
Subject to any special terms as to voting upon which any shares may be issued or may at the relevant time be held and to any other provisions of these articles, members shall be entitled to vote at a general meeting whether on a show of hands or on a poll as provided in the Companies Acts. For this purpose, where a proxy is given discretion as to how to vote on a show of hands, this shall be treated as an instruction by the relevant member to vote in the way that the proxy elects to exercise that discretion.
At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by:-
The chairman of the meeting can also demand a poll before a resolution is put to the vote on a show of hands.
Unless a poll is so demanded and the demand is not withdrawn, a declaration by the chairman of the meeting that a resolution on a show of hands has been carried or carried unanimously or by a particular majority or not carried by a particular majority or lost shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded for or against the resolution.
If a poll is properly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman of the meeting shall direct. The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.
A poll demanded on the election of a chairman of the meeting, or on a question of adjournment, shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken either forthwith or on such date (being not later than 30 days after the date of the demand) and at such time and place as the chairman of the meeting shall direct. It shall not be necessary (unless the chairman of the meeting otherwise directs) for notice to be given of a poll.
The demand for a poll (other than on the election of a chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment) shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the transaction of any business other than the question on which the poll was demanded, and it may be withdrawn with the consent of the chairman of the meeting at any time before the close of the meeting or the taking of the poll, whichever is the earlier, and in that event shall not invalidate the result of a show of hands declared before the demand was made.
In the case of joint holders of a share the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders and, for this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the register in respect of the joint holding.
A member in respect of whom an order has been made by any competent court or official on the ground that he is or may be suffering from mental disorder or is otherwise incapable of managing his affairs may vote at any general meeting of the company or at any separate general meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the company and may exercise any other right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings by or through any person authorised in such circumstances to do so on his behalf (and that person may vote by proxy), provided that evidence to the satisfaction of the board of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote or such other right has been received by the company not later than the last time at which appointments of proxy should have been received in order to be valid for use at that meeting or on the holding of that poll.
No member shall, unless the board otherwise decides, be entitled in respect of any share held by him to attend or vote (either personally or by proxy) at any general meeting of the company or at any separate general meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the company or upon a poll or to exercise any other right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings or polls unless all calls or other sums presently payable by him in respect of that share have been paid.
If:-
the objection or error shall not vitiate the decision of the meeting or adjourned meeting or poll on any resolution unless it is raised or pointed out at the meeting or, as the case may be, the adjourned meeting or poll at which the vote objected to is given or tendered or at which the error occurs. Any objection or error shall be referred to the chairman of the meeting and shall only vitiate the decision of the meeting on any resolution if the chairman decides that the same may have affected the decision of the meeting. The decision of the chairman on such matters shall be conclusive.
The appointment of a proxy shall be in writing signed by the appointor or his duly authorised attorney or, if the appointor is a corporation, shall either be executed under its seal or signed by an officer, attorney or other person authorised to sign it. If a member appoints more than one proxy and the proxy forms appointing those proxies would give those proxies the apparent right to exercise votes on behalf of the member in a general meeting over more shares than are held by the member, then each of those proxy forms will be invalid and none of the proxies so appointed will be entitled to attend, speak or vote at the relevant general meeting.
be received as aforesaid before the end of the meeting at which it was demanded (or at such later time as the board may determine),
and an appointment of a proxy which is not, or in respect of which the authority or copy thereof is not, received in a manner so permitted shall be invalid. When two or more valid but differing appointments of a proxy are received in respect of the same share for use at the same meeting or poll, the one which is last received (regardless of its date or of the date of its signature) shall be treated as replacing and revoking the others as regards that share; if the company is unable to determine which was last received, none of them shall be treated as valid in respect of that share. The appointment of a proxy shall not preclude a member from attending and voting in person at the meeting or poll concerned. The proceedings at a general meeting shall not be invalidated where an appointment of a proxy in respect of that meeting is sent in electronic form as provided in these articles, but because of a technical problem it cannot be read by the recipient.
(B) The board may at its discretion determine that in calculating the periods mentioned in this article no account shall be taken of any part of a day that is not a working day.
No appointment of a proxy shall be valid after 12 months have elapsed from the date of its receipt save that, unless the contrary is stated in it, an appointment of a proxy shall be valid for use at an adjourned meeting or a poll after a meeting or an adjourned meeting even after 12 months, if it was valid for the original meeting.
The appointment of a proxy shall be in any usual form or in such other form as the board may approve. The appointment of a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll and to vote on any amendment of a resolution put to, or any other business which may properly come before, the meeting for which it is given as the proxy thinks fit. The appointment of a proxy shall, unless the contrary is stated in it, be valid as well for any adjournment of the meeting as for the meeting to which it relates.
A vote given or poll demanded by a proxy or by the duly authorised representative of a corporation shall be valid notwithstanding the previous determination of the authority of the person voting or demanding a poll, unless notice in writing of the determination was received by the company at the office (or such other place or address as was specified by the company for the receipt of appointments of proxy) not later than the last time at which an appointment of a proxy should have been received in order to be valid for use at the meeting or on the holding of the poll at which the vote was given or the poll taken.
The provisions of these articles relating to general meetings shall apply, with any necessary modifications, to any separate general meeting of the holders of shares of a class convened otherwise than in connection with the variation or abrogation of the rights attached to the shares of that class. For this purpose, a general meeting at which no holder of a share other than an ordinary share may, in his capacity as a member, attend or vote shall also constitute a separate general meeting of the holders of the ordinary shares.
Unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution of the company, the directors (disregarding alternate directors) shall be not less than two nor more than nine in number.
No shareholding qualification for directors shall be required.
Subject to the provisions of these articles, the company may by ordinary resolution appoint any person who is willing to act to be a director, either to fill a vacancy or as an addition to the existing board, but so that the total number of directors shall not at any time exceed any maximum number fixed by or in accordance with these articles.
Subject to the provisions of these articles, the board may appoint any person who is willing to act to be a director, either to fill a vacancy or as an addition to the existing board, but so that the total number of directors shall not at any time exceed any maximum number fixed by or in accordance with these articles. Any director so appointed shall retire at the next annual general meeting and shall then be eligible for re-appointment.
At every annual general meeting any director:
shall retire from office and may offer himself for re-appointment by the members.
Subject to the provisions of these articles, at the meeting at which a director retires the company can pass an ordinary resolution to re-appoint the director or to appoint some other eligible person in his place.
In addition to any power of removal conferred by the Companies Acts, the company may by special resolution remove any director before the expiration of his period of office and may (subject to these articles) by ordinary resolution appoint another person who is willing to act to be a director in his place.
No person other than a director retiring at the meeting (whether by rotation or otherwise) shall be appointed or re-appointed a director at any general meeting unless:-
A director who retires (whether by rotation or otherwise) at an annual general meeting may, if willing to continue to act, be re-appointed. If he is re-appointed he is treated as continuing in office throughout. If he is not re-appointed, he shall retain office until the end of the meeting or (if earlier) when a resolution is passed to appoint someone in his place or when a resolution to re-appoint the director is put to the meeting and lost.
Without prejudice to the provisions for retirement contained in these articles, the office of a director shall be vacated if:-
(ii) by notice in writing sent to or received at the office or at an address specified by the company for the purposes of communication by electronic means or tendered at a meeting of the board, he offers to resign and the board resolves to accept such offer; or
(iii) by notice in writing sent to or received at the office or at an address specified by the company for the purposes of communication by electronic means or tendered at a meeting of the board, his resignation is requested by all of the other directors and all of the other directors are not less than three in number; or
If the office of a director is vacated for any reason, he shall cease to be a member of any committee or sub-committee of the board.
expenses and shall be entitled to be indemnified by the company to the same extent as if he were a director. An alternate director shall not be entitled to receive from the company any fee in his capacity as an alternate director but the company shall, if so requested in writing by the appointor, pay to the alternate director any part of the fees or remuneration otherwise due to the appointor.
The board or any committee authorised by the board may from time to time appoint one or more directors to hold any employment or executive office with the company for such period and upon such other terms as the board or any committee authorised by the board may in its discretion decide and may revoke or terminate any appointment so made. Any revocation or termination of the appointment shall be without prejudice to any claim for damages that the director may have against the company or the company may have against the director for any breach of any contract of service between him and the company which may be involved in the revocation or termination. A director so appointed shall receive such remuneration (whether by way of salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise) as the board or any committee authorised by the board may decide, and either in addition to or in lieu of his remuneration as a director.
Each of the directors shall be paid a fee at such rate as may from time to time be determined by the board provided that the aggregate of all fees so paid to directors (excluding amounts payable under any other provision of these articles) shall not exceed £500,000 per annum or such higher amount as may from time to time be decided by ordinary resolution of the company.
Any director who performs services which in the opinion of the board or any committee authorised by the board go beyond the ordinary duties of a director may be paid such extra remuneration (whether by way of salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise) as the board or any committee authorised by the board may in its discretion decide in addition to any remuneration provided for by or pursuant to any other article.
Each director may be paid his reasonable travelling, hotel and incidental expenses of attending and returning from meetings of the board or committees of the board or general meetings of the company or any other meeting which as a director he is entitled to attend and shall be paid all other costs and expenses properly and reasonably incurred by him in the conduct of the company's business or in the discharge of his duties as a director. The company may also fund a director's or former director's expenditure and that of a director or former director of any holding company of the company for the purposes permitted under the Companies Acts and may do anything to enable a director or former director or a director or former director of any holding company of the company to avoid incurring such expenditure as provided in the Companies Acts.
The board or any committee authorised by the board may exercise all the powers of the company to provide benefits, either by the payment of gratuities or pensions or by insurance or in any other manner whether similar to the foregoing or not, for any director or former director or the relations, or dependants of, or persons connected to, any director or former director provided that no benefits (except such as may be provided for by any other article) may be granted to or in respect of a director or former director who has not been employed by, or held an executive office or place of profit under, the company or any body corporate which is or has been its subsidiary undertaking or any predecessor in business of the company or any such body corporate without the approval of an ordinary resolution of the company. No director or former director shall be accountable to the company or the members for any benefit provided pursuant to this article and the receipt of any such benefit shall not disqualify any person from being or becoming a director of the company.
(iii) the board may provide that where the relevant director obtains (otherwise than through his position as a director of the company) information that is confidential to a third party, the director will not be obliged to disclose that information to the company, or to use or apply the information in relation to the company's affairs, where to do so would amount to a breach of that confidence;
(iv) the terms of the authority shall be recorded in writing (but the authority shall be effective whether or not the terms are so recorded); and
A director shall not, by reason of his office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established, be liable to account to the company or the members for any remuneration, profit or other benefit realised by reason of his having any type of interest authorised under Article 90(A) or permitted under Article 91(B) and no contract shall be liable to be avoided on the grounds of a director having any type of interest authorised under Article 90(A) or permitted under Article 91(B).
(v) where the company or any of its subsidiary undertakings is offering securities in which offer the director is or may be entitled to participate as a holder of securities or in the underwriting or sub-underwriting of which the director is to participate;
(vi) any contract in which he is interested by virtue of his interest in shares or debentures or other securities of the company or by reason of any other interest in or through the company;
question shall be decided by a resolution of the board (for which purpose the chairman of the meeting shall be counted in the quorum but shall not vote on the matter) and the resolution shall be conclusive except in a case where the nature or extent of the interest of the chairman of the meeting (so far as it is known to him) has not been fairly disclosed to the board.
(G) Subject to these articles, the board may also cause any voting power conferred by the shares in any other company held or owned by the company or any power of appointment to be exercised in such manner in all respects as it thinks fit, including the exercise of the voting power or power of appointment in favour of the appointment of the directors or any of them as directors or officers of the other company, or in favour of the payment of remuneration to the directors or officers of the other company. Subject to these articles, a director may also vote on and be counted in the quorum in relation to any of such matters.
Subject to these articles and to any directions given by the company in general meeting by special resolution, the business of the company shall be managed by the board which may exercise all the powers of the company whether relating to the management of the business of the company or not. No alteration of these articles and no special resolution shall invalidate any prior act of the board which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that resolution had not been passed. The powers given by this article shall not be limited by any special power given to the board by any other article.
(A) The board may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge all or any part of the undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital of the company, to issue debentures and other securities and to give security, whether outright or as collateral security, for any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third party.
(B) The board shall restrict the borrowings of the company and exercise all voting and other rights or powers of control exercisable by the company in relation to its subsidiary undertakings (if any) so as to secure (but as regards subsidiary undertakings only in so far as by the exercise of the rights or powers of control the board can secure) that, save with the previous sanction of an ordinary resolution, no money shall be borrowed if the aggregate principal amount outstanding of all borrowings by the group (exclusive of borrowings owing by one member of the group to another member of the group) then exceeds, or would as a result of such borrowing exceed an amount equal to three times the adjusted capital and reserves.
For the purposes of this paragraph of this article:-
all as shown by the then latest audited balance sheet but after
(b) the nominal amount of any other issued and paid up share capital and the principal amount of any debentures or borrowed moneys which is not at the relevant time beneficially owned by a member of the group, the redemption or repayment of which is the subject of a guarantee or indemnity by a member of the group or which any member of the group may be required to purchase,
(c) the outstanding amount raised by acceptances by any bank or accepting house under any acceptance credit opened on behalf of and in favour of any member of the group,
but do not include:-
months before that date and so that for these purposes the rate of exchange shall be taken as the spot rate in London recommended by a London clearing bank, selected by the board, as being the most appropriate rate for the purchase by the company of the currency in question for sterling on the day in question;
(A) The board can appoint anyone as the company's attorney by granting a power of attorney or by authorising them in some other way. Attorneys can either be appointed directly by the board or the board can give someone else the power to select attorneys. The board or the persons who are authorised by it to select attorneys can decide on the purposes, powers, authorities and discretions of attorneys. But they cannot give an attorney any power, authority or discretion which the board does not have under these articles.
Any appointment or delegation by the board which is referred to in this article can be on any conditions decided on by the board.
(D) The ability of the board to delegate under this article applies to all its powers and is not limited because certain articles refer to powers being exercised by the board or by a committee authorised by the board while other articles do not.
The board may entrust to and confer upon any director any of its powers, authorities and discretions (with power to sub-delegate) upon such terms and conditions and with such restrictions as it thinks fit, and either collaterally with, or to the exclusion of, its own powers, authorities and discretions and may from time to time revoke or vary all or any of them but no person dealing in good faith and without notice of the revocation or variation shall be affected by it. The power to delegate contained in this article shall be effective in relation to the powers, authorities and discretions of the board generally and shall not be limited by the fact that in certain articles, but not in others, express reference is made to particular powers, authorities or discretions being exercised by the board or by a committee authorised by the board.
The company may keep an overseas or local or other register in any place and the board may make and vary such regulations as it may think fit respecting the keeping of the register.
The board may exercise any power conferred by the Companies Acts to make provision for the benefit of persons employed or formerly employed by the company or any of its subsidiaries in connection with the cessation or the transfer to any person of the whole or part of the undertaking of the company or that subsidiary.
The board may meet for the despatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate its meetings as it thinks fit. A director at any time may, and the secretary on the requisition of a director at any time shall, summon a board meeting.
Notice of a board meeting shall be deemed to be properly given to a director if it is given to him personally or by word of mouth or sent in writing to him at his last known address or any other address given by him to the company for this purpose. A director may waive his entitlement to notice of any meeting either prospectively or retrospectively and any retrospective waiver shall not affect the validity of the meeting or of any business conducted at the meeting.
The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the board may be fixed by the board and, unless so fixed at any other number, shall be three. Subject to the provisions of these articles, any director who ceases to be a director at a board meeting may continue to be present and to act as a director and be counted in the quorum until the termination of the board meeting if no other director objects and if otherwise a quorum of directors would not be present.
The continuing directors or a sole continuing director may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their number but, if and so long as the number of directors is reduced below the minimum number fixed by or in accordance with these articles or is below the number fixed by or in accordance with these articles as the quorum or there is only one continuing director, the continuing directors or director may act for the purpose of filling vacancies or of summoning general meetings of the company but not for any other purpose. If there are no directors or director able or willing to act, then any two members (excluding any member holding shares as treasury shares) may summon a general meeting for the purpose of appointing directors.
The board may appoint a director to be the chairman or a deputy chairman of the board, and may at any time remove him from that office. The chairman of the board or failing him a deputy chairman shall act as chairman at every meeting of the board. If more than one deputy chairman is present they shall agree amongst themselves who is to take the chair or, if they cannot agree, the deputy chairman who has been in office as a director longest shall take the chair. But if no chairman of the board or deputy chairman is appointed, or if at any meeting neither the chairman nor any deputy chairman is present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. References in these articles to a deputy chairman include, if no one has been appointed to that title, a person appointed to a position with another title which the board designates as equivalent to the position of deputy chairman.
A meeting of the board at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all the powers, authorities and discretions vested in or exercisable by the board.
Questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
All or any of the members of the board may participate in a meeting of the board by means of a conference telephone or any communication equipment which allows all persons participating in the meeting to speak to and hear each other. A person so participating shall be deemed to be present in person at the meeting and shall be entitled to vote and be counted in a quorum accordingly.
A resolution in writing signed by all the directors who are at the relevant time entitled to receive notice of a meeting of the board and who would be entitled to vote on the resolution at a meeting of the board (if that number is sufficient to constitute a quorum) shall be as valid and effectual as a resolution passed at a meeting of the board properly called and constituted. The resolution may be contained in one document or in several documents in like form each signed by one or more of the directors concerned.
All acts done by the board or by any committee or by any person acting as a director or member of a committee shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any member of the board or committee or person so acting or that they or any of them were disqualified from holding office or had vacated office or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if each such member or person had been properly appointed and was qualified and had continued to be a director or member of the committee and had been entitled to vote.
The board shall provide for the custody of every seal of the company. A seal shall only be used by the authority of the board or of a committee of the board authorised by the board in that behalf. Subject as otherwise provided in these articles, and to any resolution of the board or committee of the board dispensing with the requirement for any counter-signature on any occasion, any instrument to which the common seal is applied shall be signed by at least one director and the secretary, or by at least two directors or by one director in the presence of a witness who attests the signature or by such other person or persons as the board may approve. Any instrument to which an official seal is applied need not, unless the board otherwise decides or the law otherwise requires, be signed by any person.
The company may by ordinary resolution from time to time declare dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the members, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the board.
The board may pay such interim dividends as appear to the board to be justified by the financial position of the company and may also pay any dividend payable at a fixed rate at intervals settled by the board whenever the financial position of the company, in the opinion of the board, justifies its payment. If the board acts in good faith, it shall not incur any liability to the holders of any shares for any loss they may suffer in consequence of the payment of an interim or fixed dividend on any other class of shares ranking pari passu with or after those shares.
Except in so far as the rights attaching to, or the terms of issue of, any share otherwise provide:-
(i) all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the share in respect of which the dividend is paid, but no amount paid up on a share in advance of calls shall be treated for the purposes of this article as paid up on the share;
The board may decide the basis of conversion for any currency conversions that may be required and how any costs involved are to be met.
The board may deduct from any dividend or other moneys payable to a member by the company on or in respect of any shares all sums of money (if any) presently payable by him to the company on account of calls or otherwise in respect of shares of the company. Sums so deducted can be used to pay amounts owing to the company in respect of the shares.
Subject to the rights attaching to, or the terms of issue of, any shares, no dividend or other moneys payable by the company on or in respect of any share shall bear interest against the company.
Any dividend or other sum payable in cash by the company in respect of a share may be paid by cheque, warrant or similar financial instrument sent by post addressed to the holder at his registered address or, in the case of joint holders, addressed to the holder whose name stands first in the register in respect of the shares at his address as appearing in the register or addressed to such person and at such address as the holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every cheque, warrant or similar financial instrument shall, unless the holder or joint holders otherwise direct, be made payable to the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the holder whose name stands first on the register in respect of the shares, and shall be sent at his or their risk and payment of the cheque, warrant or similar financial instrument by the financial institution on which it is drawn shall constitute a good discharge to the company. In addition, any such dividend or other sum may be paid by any bank or other funds transfer system or such other means including, in respect of uncertificated shares, by means of the facilities and requirements of a relevant system and to or through such person as the holder or joint holders may in writing direct and the company may agree, and the making of such payment shall be a good discharge to the company and the company shall have no responsibility for any sums lost or delayed in the course of payment by any such system or other means or where it has acted on any such directions and accordingly, payment by any such system or other means shall constitute a good discharge to the company. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any dividends or other moneys payable or property distributable on or in respect of the shares held by them. Where a person is entitled by transmission to a share, any dividend or other sum payable by the company in respect of the share may be paid as if he were a holder of the share and his address noted in the register were his registered address and where two or more persons are so entitled, any one of them may give effectual receipts for any dividends or other moneys payable or property distributable on or in respect of the shares.
The company may cease to send any cheque, warrant or similar financial instrument through the post or to employ any other means of payment, including payment by means of a relevant system, for any dividend payable on any shares in the company which is normally paid in that manner on those shares if in respect of at least two consecutive dividends payable on those shares the cheques, warrants or similar financial instruments have been returned undelivered or remain uncashed during or at the end of the period for which the same are valid or that means of payment has failed. In addition, the company may cease to send any cheque, warrant or similar financial instrument through the post or may cease to employ any other means of payment if, in respect of one dividend payable on those shares, the cheque, warrant or similar financial instrument has been returned undelivered or remains uncashed during or at the end of the period for which the same is valid or that means of payment has failed and reasonable enquiries have failed to establish any new address or account of the holder. Subject to the provisions of these articles, the company must recommence sending cheques, warrants or similar financial instruments or employing such other means in respect of dividends payable on those shares if the holder or person entitled by transmission requests such recommencement in writing.
All dividends or other sums payable on or in respect of any shares which remain unclaimed may be invested or otherwise made use of by the board for the benefit of the company until claimed. Any dividend or other sum unclaimed after a period of 12 years from the date when it was declared or became due for payment shall be forfeited and shall revert to the company unless the board decides otherwise and the payment by the board of any unclaimed dividend or other sum payable on or in respect of a share into a separate account shall not constitute the company a trustee in respect of it.
Any general meeting declaring a dividend may, upon the recommendation of the board, by ordinary resolution direct, and the board may in relation to any interim dividend direct, that it shall be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets, and in particular of paid up shares or debentures of any other company, and where any difficulty arises in regard to the distribution the board may settle it as it thinks expedient, and in particular may authorise any person to sell and transfer any fractions or may ignore fractions altogether, and may fix the value for distribution purposes of any assets or any part thereof to be distributed and may determine that cash shall be paid to any members upon the footing of the value so fixed in order to secure equality of distribution and may vest any assets to be distributed in trustees as may seem expedient to the board.
The board may, if authorised by an ordinary resolution of the company, offer any holders of ordinary shares (excluding any member holding shares as treasury shares) the right to elect to receive ordinary shares, credited as fully paid, instead of cash in respect of the whole (or some part, to be determined by the board) of any dividend specified by the ordinary resolution. The following provisions shall apply:
territory, or the board believes that for any other reason the offer should not be made to them;
The company may, upon the recommendation of the board, at any time and from time to time pass an ordinary resolution to the effect that it is desirable to capitalise all or any part of any amount standing to the credit of any reserve or fund (including the profit and loss account or retained earnings) at the relevant time whether or not the same is available for distribution and accordingly that the amount to be capitalised be set free for distribution among the members or any class of members who would be entitled to it if it were distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions, on the footing that it is applied either in or towards paying up the amounts unpaid at the relevant time on any shares in the company held by those members respectively or in paying up in full shares, debentures or other obligations of the company to be allotted and distributed credited as fully paid up among those members, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but so that, for the purposes of this article: (i) a share premium account and a capital redemption reserve, and any reserve or fund representing unrealised profits, may be applied only in paying up in full shares of the company that are to be allotted and distributed as fully paid up; and (ii) where the amount capitalised is applied in paying up in full shares that are to be allotted and distributed as fully paid up, the company will also be entitled to participate in the relevant distribution in relation to any shares of the relevant class held by it as treasury shares and the proportionate entitlement of the relevant class of members to the distribution will be calculated accordingly. The board may authorise any person to enter into an agreement with the company on behalf of the persons entitled to participate in the distribution and the agreement shall be binding on those persons.
Where any difficulty arises in regard to any distribution of any capitalised reserve or fund the board may settle the matter as it thinks expedient and in particular may authorise any person to sell and transfer any fractions or may resolve that the distribution should be as nearly as may be practicable in the correct proportion but not exactly so or may ignore fractions altogether, and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any members in order to adjust the rights of all parties, as may seem expedient to the board.
Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the company or the board may fix any date as the record date for any dividend, distribution, allotment or issue and such record date may be on or at any time before or after any date on which the dividend, distribution, allotment or issue is declared, paid or made. The power to fix any such record date shall include the power to fix a time on the chosen date.
No member in his capacity as such shall have any right of inspecting any accounting record or book or document of the company except as conferred by law, ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction or authorised by the board or by ordinary resolution of the company.
The company may send or supply summary financial statements to members of the company instead of copies of its full accounts and reports.
document or other information served, sent or supplied in electronic form shall be treated as returned undelivered if the company (or its agents) receives notification that the notice, document or other information was not delivered to the address to which it was sent.
(D) The company may at any time and in its sole discretion choose to serve, send or supply notices, documents or other information in hard copy form alone to some or all members.
Any notice, document or other information may be served, sent or delivered by the company by reference to the register as it stands at any time not more than 15 days before the date of service, sending or delivery. No change in the register after that time shall invalidate that service, sending or delivery. Where any notice, document or other information is served on or sent or delivered to any person in respect of a share in accordance with these articles, no person deriving any title or interest in that share shall be entitled to any further service, sending or delivery of that notice, document or other information.
A person who is entitled by transmission to a share, upon supplying the company with a postal address within the United Kingdom for the service of notices and the despatch or supply of documents and other information shall be entitled to have served upon or sent or supplied to him at such address any notice, document or other information to which he would have been entitled if he were the holder of that share or, where applicable, to be notified at that address of the availability of the notice, document or other information on a website. A person who is entitled by transmission to a share, upon supplying the company with an address for the purposes of communications by electronic means for the service of notices and the despatch or supply of documents and other information may have served on, sent or supplied to him at such address any notice, document or other information to which he would have been entitled if he were the holder of that share or, where applicable, may be notified at that address of the availability of the notice, document or other information on a website. In either case, such service, sending or supply shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service, sending or supply of such notice, document or other information on all persons interested (whether jointly with or as claimants through or under him) in the share. Otherwise, any notice, document or other information served on or sent or supplied to any member pursuant to these articles shall, notwithstanding that the member is then dead or bankrupt or that any other event giving rise to the transmission of the share by operation of law has occurred and whether or not the company has notice of the death, bankruptcy or other event, be deemed to have been properly served, sent or supplied in respect of any share registered in the name of that member as sole or joint holder.
(E) Any notice, document or other information served, sent or supplied by the company by any other means authorised in writing by the member concerned shall be deemed to have been received when the company has carried out the action it has been authorised to take for that purpose.
If there is a suspension or curtailment of postal services within the United Kingdom or some part of the United Kingdom, the company need only give notice of a general meeting to those members with whom the company can communicate by electronic means and who have provided the company with an address for this purpose. The company shall also advertise the notice in at least one newspaper with a national circulation and make it available on its website from the date of such advertisement until the conclusion of the meeting or any adjournment thereof. If at least six clear days prior to the meeting the sending or delivery of notices by post in hard copy form has again become generally possible, the company shall send or delivery confirmatory copies of the notice by post to those members who would otherwise receive the notice in hard copy form.
If the company destroys or deletes:-
and the company destroys or deletes the document or instruction in good faith and without express notice that its preservation was relevant to a claim, it shall be presumed irrebuttably in favour of the company that every share certificate so destroyed was a valid certificate and was properly cancelled, that every instrument of transfer or Operator-instruction so destroyed or deleted was a valid and effective instrument of transfer or instruction and was properly registered and that every other document so destroyed was a valid and effective document and that any particulars of it which are recorded in the books or records of the company were correctly recorded. If the documents relate to uncertificated shares, the company must comply with any requirements of the uncertificated securities rules which limit its ability to destroy these documents. Nothing contained in this article shall be construed as imposing upon the company any liability which, but for this article, would not exist or by reason only of the destruction of any document of the kind mentioned above before the relevant period mentioned in this article has elapsed or of the fact that any other condition precedent to its destruction mentioned above has not been fulfilled. References in this article to the destruction of any document include references to its disposal in any manner.
To the extent permitted by the Companies Acts, the company may indemnify any director or former director of the company or of any associated company against any liability and may purchase and maintain for any director or former director of the company or of any associated company insurance against any liability. No director or former director of the company or of any associated company shall be accountable to the company or the members for any benefit provided pursuant to this article and the receipt of any such benefit shall not disqualify any person from being or becoming a director of the company.
CE102240019
| 1. | Exclusion of Model Articles | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | Definitions | 1 |
| 3. | Limited Liability | 3 |
| 4. | Change of Name | 3 |
| 5. | Rights Attached to Shares | 3 |
| 6. | Redeemable Shares | 3 |
| 7. | Variation of Rights | 3 |
| 8. | Pari Passu Issues | 4 |
| 9. | Shares | 4 |
| 10. | Payment of Commission | 4 |
| 11. | Trusts Not Recognised | 4 |
| 12. | Suspension of Rights Where Non-Disclosure of Interest | 4 |
| 13. | Uncertificated Shares | 7 |
| 14. | Right to Share Certificates | 8 |
| 15. | Replacement of Share Certificates | 9 |
| 16. | Execution of Share Certificates | 9 |
| 17. | Share Certificates Sent at Holder's Risk | 9 |
| 18. | Company's Lien on Shares Not Fully Paid | 9 |
| 19. | Enforcing Lien by Sale | 9 |
| 20. | Application of Proceeds of Sale | 10 |
| 21. | Calls | 10 |
| 22. | Timing of Calls | 10 |
| 23. | Liability of Joint Holders | 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 24. | Interest Due on Non-Payment | 10 |
| 25. | Sums Due on Allotment Treated as Calls | 11 |
| 26. | Power to Differentiate | 11 |
| 27. | Payment of Calls in Advance | 11 |
| 28. | Notice if Call or Instalment Not Paid | 11 |
| 29. | Form of Notice | 11 |
| 30. | Forfeiture for Non-Compliance with Notice | 11 |
| 31. | Notice after Forfeiture | 12 |
| 32. | Sale of Forfeited Shares | 12 |
| 33. | Arrears to be Paid Notwithstanding Forfeiture | 12 |
| 34. | Statutory Declaration as to Forfeiture | 12 |
| 35. | Transfer | 12 |
| 36. | Signing of Transfer | 13 |
| 37. | Right to Decline Registration of Partly Paid Shares | 13 |
| 38. | Other Rights to Decline Registration | 13 |
| 39. | No Fee for Registration | 14 |
| 40. | Untraced Shareholders | 14 |
| 41. | Transmission on Death | 15 |
| 42. | Entry of Transmission in Register | 15 |
| 43. | Election of Person Entitled by Transmission | 15 |
| 44. | Rights of Person Entitled by Transmission | 16 |
| 45. | Sub-Division | 16 |
| 46. | Fractions | 16 |
| 47. | Omission or Non-Receipt of Notice | 16 |
| 48. | Postponement of General Meetings | 17 |
|---|---|---|
| 49. | Quorum | 17 |
| 50. | Procedure if Quorum Not Present | 17 |
| 51. | Security Arrangements | 18 |
| 52. | Chairman of General Meeting | 18 |
| 53. | Orderly Conduct | 18 |
| 54. | Entitlement to Attend and Speak | 18 |
| 55. | Adjournments | 18 |
| 56. | Notice of Adjournment | 19 |
| 57. | Amendments to Resolutions | 19 |
| 58. | Amendments Ruled Out of Order | 19 |
| 59. | Votes of Members | 19 |
| 60. | Method of Voting | 20 |
| 61. | Procedure if Poll Demanded | 20 |
| 62. | When Poll to be Taken | 20 |
| 63. | Continuance of Other Business after Poll Demand | 20 |
| 64. | Votes of Joint Holders | 21 |
| 65. | Voting on Behalf of Incapable Member | 21 |
| 66. | No Right to Vote where Sums Overdue on Shares | 21 |
| 67. | Objections or Errors in Voting | 21 |
| 68. | Appointment of Proxies | 22 |
| 69. | Receipt of Proxies | 22 |
| 70. | Maximum Validity of Proxy | 23 |
| 71. | Form of Proxy | 23 |
| 72. | Cancellation of Proxy's Authority | 23 |
| 73. | Separate General Meetings | 24 |
|---|---|---|
| 74. | Number of Directors | 24 |
| 75. | Directors' Shareholding Qualification | 24 |
| 76. | Power of Company to Appoint Directors | 24 |
| 77. | Power of Board to Appoint Directors | 24 |
| 78. | Retirement of Directors by Rotation | 24 |
| 79. | Filling Vacancies | 25 |
| 80. | Power of Removal by Special Resolution | 25 |
| 81. | Persons Eligible as Directors | 25 |
| 82. | Position of Retiring Directors | 25 |
| 83. | Vacation of Office by Directors | 25 |
| 84. | Alternate Directors | 26 |
| 85. | Executive Directors | 27 |
| 86. | Directors' Fees | 28 |
| 87. | Additional Remuneration | 28 |
| 88. | Expenses | 28 |
| 89. | Pensions and Gratuities for Directors | 28 |
| 90. | Conflicts of Interest Requiring Board Authorisation | 29 |
| 91. | Other Conflicts of Interest | 30 |
| 92. | Benefits | 30 |
| 93. | Quorum and Voting Requirements | 31 |
| 94. | General | 33 |
| 95. | General Powers of Company Vested in Board | 33 |
| 96. | Borrowing Powers | 33 |
| 97. | Agents | 36 |
| 98. | Delegation to Individual Directors | 37 |
|---|---|---|
| 99. | Registers | 37 |
| 100. | Provision for Employees | 37 |
| 101. | Board Meetings | 38 |
| 102. | Notice of Board Meetings | 38 |
| 103. | Quorum | 38 |
| 104. | Directors below Minimum through Vacancies | 38 |
| 105. | Appointment of Chairman | 38 |
| 106. | Competence of Meetings | 39 |
| 107. | Voting | 39 |
| 108. | Delegation to Committees | 39 |
| 109. | Participation in Meetings by Telephone | 39 |
| 110. | Resolution in Writing | 39 |
| 111. | Validity of Acts of Board or Committee | 40 |
| 112. | Use of Seals | 40 |
| 113. | Declaration of Dividends by Company | 40 |
| 114. | Payment of Interim and Fixed Dividends by Board | 40 |
| 115. | Calculation and Currency of Dividends | 40 |
| 116. | Amounts Due on Shares may be Deducted from Dividends | 41 |
| 117. | No Interest on Dividends | 41 |
| 118. | Payment Procedure | 41 |
| 119. | Uncashed Dividends | 42 |
| 120. | Forfeiture of Unclaimed Dividends | 42 |
| 121. | Dividends Not in Cash | 42 |
| 123. | Power to Capitalise Reserves and Funds | 45 |
|---|---|---|
| 124. | Settlement of Difficulties in Distribution | 45 |
| 125. | Power to Choose Any Record Date | 45 |
| 126. | Inspection of Records | 46 |
| 127. | Summary Financial Statements | 46 |
| 128. | Service of Notices | 46 |
| 129. | Record Date for Service | 47 |
| 130. | Members Resident Abroad or on branch registers | 47 |
| 131. | Service of Notice on Person Entitled by Transmission | 47 |
| 132. | Deemed Delivery | 48 |
| 133. | Notice When Post Not Available | 49 |
| 134. | Presumptions Where Documents Destroyed | 49 |
| 135. | Indemnity of Directors | 50 |
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