AGM Information • Dec 11, 2020
AGM Information
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THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any doubt about the action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own independent financial advice from your stockbroker, solicitor, accountant, bank manager or other independent financial adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 if you are in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriately authorised financial adviser.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your ordinary shares in Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon PLC (the "Company"), please send this document, together with the accompanying form of proxy, as soon as possible, to the purchaser or transferee or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected, for onward transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
(Incorporated and registered in Scotland with registered number SC093345) (Registered as an investment company under section 833 of the Companies Act 2006)
Notice of the general meeting of the Company to be held at 11 a.m. on 14 January 2021 at the offices of Baillie Gifford, Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh, EH1 3AN (the "General Meeting") is set out at the end of this document.
Shareholders are encouraged to vote in favour of the resolution to be proposed at the General Meeting and if the shares are not held directly to arrange for their nominee to vote on their behalves. Shareholders are encouraged to return the form of proxy accompanying this document for use at the General Meeting. This will ensure your votes are registered. Given the risks posed by the spread of COVID-19 and in accordance with the provisions of the Company's articles of association, the Corporate Insolvency Act 2000 and Government guidance, the Directors will impose entry restrictions on attendance at the General Meeting in order to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of the Company's shareholders and officers as well as compliance with the venue's security requirements. To be valid, the form of proxy accompanying this document must be completed and returned, in accordance with the instructions printed on it, so as to be received by the Company's registrars, Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZZ or lodged at www.eproxyappointment.com as soon as possible, but in any event not later than 11 a.m. on 12 January 2021.
| Page | |
|---|---|
| EXPECTED TIMETABLE | 2 |
| LETTER FROM THE CHAIR | |
| Introduction | 3 |
| Background | 3 |
| How the existing authorities have been used | 3 |
| Reasons for requiring the extension and early renewal of the authorities | 4 |
| The General Meeting | 4 |
| Action to be taken | 5 |
| Recommendation | 5 |
| NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING | 6 |
| 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Latest time and date for receipt of forms of proxy | 11 a.m. on 12 January |
| General Meeting | 11 a.m. on 14 January |
(Incorporated and registered in Scotland with registered number SC093345) (Registered as an investment company under section 833 of the Companies Act 2006)
Directors Registered Office MN Donaldson (Chair) Calton Square J Skinner 1 Greenside Row MR Somerset Webb Edinburgh KJ Troup EH1 3AN S Vijayakumar
11 December 2020
Dear Shareholder
In order to meet the continuing demand for the Company's ordinary shares of 2 pence each (the "Ordinary Shares") we are writing to you to seek your approval for a proposal to meet this demand.
The purpose of this document is to convene a general meeting at which the requisite new shareholder authority will be sought. The General Meeting will be held at 11a.m. on 14 January 2021 at the offices of Baillie Gifford, Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh, EH1 3AN.
At the last annual general meeting ("AGM") of the Company on 14 May 2020 the Board was granted authority by shareholders to allot 93,192,495 ordinary shares of 2 pence in the Company (the "Ordinary Shares"). This equated to 33.3 per cent. of the Company's then issued share capital. The Directors were also granted the authority to disapply the pre-emption rights on the issue of the Ordinary Shares for cash up to the nominal value of £559,154.96. Both of these authorities were granted for the period until the next AGM to be held in 2021 unless previously renewed, revoked or varied.
The granting of this authority allowed the Board to satisfy demand for the Ordinary Shares by issuing, at a premium to the prevailing net asset value per share cum income with debt at market value ("NAV"), Ordinary Shares without first having to offer these to existing shareholders, to meet demand from existing and new investors in the Company under its existing authorities.
Since the AGM we have seen an increase in demand for the Ordinary Shares and the shares have been consistently trading at a premium to NAV over recent weeks. In order to meet the continuing demand for the Ordinary Shares, the Board is seeking the early renewal of its shareholder authority to issue Ordinary Shares and resell Ordinary Shares held in treasury (as applicable) on a non pre-emptive basis, prior to the Company's next annual general meeting, which is expected to be held by the end of May 2021 (the "Proposal") as the existing authority is now close to being exhausted. This new authority, if granted, will permit the Company to continue to issue Ordinary Shares which, based on current issuing patterns, may otherwise be prevented if the existing authority is fully utilised prior to the next AGM.
When the Ordinary Shares are trading at a premium, new Ordinary Shares are issued to meet natural demand in the market. Conversely, when the Ordinary Shares are trading at a discount shares may be bought back. The Board may buy back shares when deemed by the Board to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders if the Ordinary Shares trade at a substantial discount to NAV, over a sustained period of time either in absolute terms or in relation to its peers.
Whilst it was envisaged that the authority granted at the 2020 AGM would be sufficient issuance authority for the Company up until the 2021 AGM, the Board is pleased to report that there has been strong demand for the Ordinary Shares. Since the granting of authority at the 2020 AGM, approximately 17.6 million Ordinary Shares have been issued using this authority.
The premium on the issue of such new Ordinary Shares will cover the cost of operating the share issuances and has also provided some additional net asset value enhancement for existing investors.
As at 8 December 2020 (the last practicable date prior to the publication of this document) the Company only has capacity to issue a further 10,327,748 Ordinary Shares on a non pre-emptive basis, until the authority is renewed at the 2021 AGM.
The Board wishes to continue to satisfy demand for the Ordinary Shares during the period up to the Company's next AGM. The Board believes that the increase in demand for the Ordinary Shares from a wide range of investors is likely to continue. The Board is pleased with the strong progress that the Company has made and is delighted with the support shown by existing and new investors.
The Board believes that any share issuance pursuant to the Proposal has the following principal benefits:
The costs of seeking this fresh authority are relatively limited and are expected to be covered by the premium on issuing new Ordinary Shares.
If such renewed authorities are granted by shareholders, the Directors will only use the authorities to disapply pre-emption rights and issue Ordinary Shares:
The Proposal is conditional on the approval of shareholders. You will find set out at the end of this document a notice convening the General Meeting at which shareholders will be asked to consider and, if thought fit, approve the Proposals. The General Meeting is to be held at 11 a.m. on 14 January 2021 at the offices of Baillie Gifford, Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh, EH1 3AN.
The resolution will be proposed at the General Meeting as a special resolution. The resolution will, if passed, enable the Directors to allot and issue new Ordinary Shares, in addition to their existing authority without first offering such Ordinary Shares to existing shareholders pro rata to their existing shareholdings up to an aggregate nominal amount of £594,414.96 (being 29,720,748 Ordinary Shares) which equates to approximately 10 per cent. of the total Ordinary Share capital of the Company in issue as at 8 December 2020 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document).
In accordance with the Company's articles of association, all shareholders entitled to vote and present by proxy at the General Meeting shall upon a show of hands have one vote and upon a poll shall have one vote in respect of every Ordinary Share held. However, given the risks posed by the spread of COVID-19 and in accordance with the provisions of the Company's articles of association, the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 and Government guidance, the Directors will impose entry restrictions on attendance at the General Meeting in order to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of the Company's shareholders and officers as well as compliance with the venue's security requirements. The Board therefore urges shareholders to comply with the UK Government's instructions to stay safe and not undertake unnecessary travel. However shareholders may and are strongly encouraged to participate in the business of the General Meeting by exercising their votes in advance of the General Meeting by completing and returning the form of proxy. The Board and the Company's manager will ensure that a quorum of two shareholders is present at the General Meeting to allow it to take place and for the proxy votes to be exercised.
Shareholders will find enclosed a form of proxy for use in connection with the General Meeting. We request that Shareholders complete, sign and return the form of proxy as soon as possible, in accordance with the instructions printed on it.
To be valid, the enclosed form of proxy must be lodged with the Company's registrars, Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS99 6ZY or lodged at www.eproxyappointment.com as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to arrive by not later than 11 a.m. on 14 January 2021.
The Directors consider the passing of the resolution to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Directors unanimously recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the resolution.
The Directors intend to vote in favour of the resolution in respect of their own beneficial holdings of Ordinary Shares (amounting to 155,285 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 0.05 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Company as at the date of this document).
Yours faithfully
M Neil Donaldson Chair
(Incorporated and registered in Scotland with registered number SC093345) (Registered as an investment company under section 833 of the Companies Act 2006)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a general meeting of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon PLC (the "Company") will be held at 11 a.m. on 14 January 2021 at the offices of Baillie Gifford, Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh, EH1 3AN to consider and, if thought fit, pass the following resolution set out below, which will be proposed as a special resolution:
THAT, in addition to all existing authority, the Directors of the Company be and are hereby generally empowered, pursuant to sections 570 and 573 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act") to allot equity securities (within the meaning of section 560 of the Act) pursuant to any authority for the time being in force under section 551 of the Act and to sell shares held by the Company in treasury, wholly for cash, as if section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment, provided that this power:
By order of the Board Registered office Baillie Gifford & Co Limited Calton Square Company Secretary 1 Greenside Row
Edinburgh EH1 3AN
11 December 2020
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