AGM Information • Apr 30, 2021
AGM Information
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Springwood Court, Springwood Close, Tytherington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 2XF on Thursday 27 May 2021 at 12 noon. As at the date of circulation of this notice, Stay at Home Measures for public gatherings are in place which prohibit gatherings of more than two people, therefore under current restrictions, shareholders will not be allowed to attend the meeting in person. Anyone seeking to attend the meeting will be refused entry. Shareholders are strongly recommended to vote by proxy and appoint the "Chairman of the Meeting" as their proxy rather than appointing one or more named persons who may not be permitted to attend the meeting.
We will continue to closely monitor the developing COVID-19 situation as well as any further UK Government advice and if it becomes possible and appropriate we will seek to amend the arrangements for the Annual General Meeting to allow shareholders to attend and vote at the meeting in person and have the opportunity to ask questions of the directors who will be present in person or by video-conferencing software. We will give as much notice as possible to shareholders via RNS announcement and on the Company's website if shareholders are permitted to attend in person. We strongly recommend that shareholders continue to vote by proxy even if permitted, and appoint the "Chairman of the Meeting" should there be any limits on numbers present at the meeting or further changes in COVID-19 related regulations ahead of the meeting.
If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you should consult your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other professional adviser authorised pursuant to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. If you have sold or transferred all of your shares in the Company, please forward this document together with the accompanying Form of Proxy to the purchaser or transferee, or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale was effected without delay, for delivery to the purchaser or transferee. If you have sold some but not all of your shares, please contact your stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale was effected without delay for advice as to how to proceed. Shareholders may, as an alternative, register a proxy electronically on the Company registrar's website at www.sharevote.co.uk. To be valid, the Form of Proxy, or registration of your proxy electronically, in accordance with the instructions printed thereon, must be lodged by post or by hand with the Company's registrar, Equiniti, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA during normal office hours or registered electronically on the Company registrar's website at www.sharevote.co.uk, no later than 48 hours before the time of the meeting.
Bodycote plc Registered in England and Wales No 519057
Registered Office: Springwood Court, Springwood Close Tytherington Business Park Macclesfield Cheshire SK10 2XF
30 April 2021 From the Chair, Ms Anne C. Quinn
It has come to the Company's attention that the notice of the 2021 Annual General Meeting ("AGM") published and posted to shareholders on 20 April 2021 and setting out details of the resolutions to be proposed at the 2021 AGM contained an error. As such, the Company has today posted to shareholders a replacement notice convening the 2021 AGM (the "Replacement AGM Notice") and a replacement associated form of proxy.
The Replacement AGM Notice contains all of the resolutions to be considered at the AGM (as corrected from the previous notice of meeting). An additional resolution, resolution 2 – to declare a final dividend (the terms of which were announced by the Company on 12 March 2021), has been added to the previous notice. Certain other consequential amendments have also been made to the Notice, including the explanatory notes to the resolutions, to reflect this change. Other than as described above, the Replacement AGM Notice does not reflect any further changes to the business to be considered at the AGM or the manner in which the AGM is to be held. The business as set out in the Replacement AGM Notice, including new resolution 2, will be the only business considered at the AGM to be held on Thursday 27 May 2021. As such, shareholders should disregard the notice of meeting and form of proxy which were posted to them on 20 April 2021 and should only have regard to the Replacement AGM Notice and replacement form of proxy which have been published and posted to them today.
As you will see from the enclosed Replacement AGM Notice of the Company, to be held on Thursday 27 May 2021 at 12 noon, in addition to the ordinary business to be transacted at the meeting, your Board is proposing 5 items of special business, as set out in resolutions 14 to 18.
The ordinary business of the meeting will include the approval of the Annual Report, declaration of a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2020, appointment of auditors, authorisation of auditors' remuneration, proposals to re-elect each of the Directors, in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code and to approve the annual remuneration report. Further explanation of the ordinary business of the AGM is set out on page 3 of this notice.
The special business includes the renewal of the authority for Directors to allot shares, the renewal of the authority for Directors to allot shares on a non-pre-emptive basis, the renewal of authority for the Company to purchase its own shares and the renewal of authority for the Company to call General Meetings on 14 days' notice. Further details of the special business of the AGM are set out on pages 3 and 4 of this notice.
You will find enclosed a ("Replacement Form of Proxy") which, to be effective, you should please complete in accordance with the instructions given and return by post, courier or hand so as to reach the Company's registrar or electronically via the Company's registrar's website at www.sharevote.co.uk as soon as possible but in any event not later than 48 hours before the time of the meeting. As detailed above, we strongly recommend that you vote by proxy and appoint the "Chairman of the meeting" as your proxy to ensure that your vote is registered should shareholder attendance in person not be permitted. Shareholders who have already completed and returned forms of proxy utilising the original form of proxy in respect of the AGM, should note that these will now be disregarded. Shareholders are asked to exercise their votes in relation to the business of the AGM by submitting the replacement form of proxy electronically or by post as soon as possible, and these must be received by no later than two days before 27 May 2021, the day of the AGM.
In any event, like last year, shareholders may submit questions for the Board of Directors in writing in advance of the meeting to the registered office address given above or by email to [email protected] stating your name and Investor Code (as printed on your share certificate or obtained through Equiniti, the registrar). Representative answers will be published on the Company's website in due course.
Your Board believes that resolutions 1 to 18 to be proposed are all in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole and accordingly recommend that you vote in favour of them as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings.
Yours sincerely,
Anne C. Quinn Chair
www.bodycote.com
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 68th annual general meeting of BODYCOTE PLC will be held at Springwood Court, Springwood Close, Tytherington Business Park, Macclesfield SK10 2XF on Thursday, 27 May 2021, at 12 noon for the following purposes:
To consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following resolutions, of which resolution 14 will be proposed as an ordinary resolution and resolutions 15 to 18 will be proposed as special resolutions:
but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal or practical problems in or under the laws of any territory or the requirements of any regulatory body or stock exchange; and
(b) in any other case, up to a nominal amount £11,023,234 (representing one third of the existing issued ordinary share capital) (such amount to be reduced by the nominal amount of any equity securities allotted pursuant to the authority in paragraph (a) above in excess of £11,023,234),
and such authorities shall expire on the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2022 or on 26 August 2022, whichever is earlier, save that, the Company may make offers or agreements which would or might require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or convert securities into shares to be granted after the authority ends and the Directors may allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert securities into shares in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not ended. These authorities are in substitution for all existing authorities under section 551 of the Act (which, to the extent unused at the date of this resolution, are revoked with immediate effect).
and such power shall expire on the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2022 or on 26 August 2022, whichever is earlier, save that the Company may before such expiry make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted or treasury shares to be sold after such expiry, and the Directors may allot equity securities or sell treasury shares in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the power conferred by this resolution had not expired.
By order of the Board:
Group Company Secretary 30 April 2021
Springwood Court Springwood Close Tytherington Business Park Macclesfield Cheshire SK10 2XF
Under the Articles each Director must retire from office and stand for re-election by shareholders as a minimum at every third annual general meeting in order to continue to serve as a Director. However, in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018, and to further increase accountability, all Directors will retire at this Annual General Meeting and stand for re-election by the shareholders if they wish to continue to serve as Directors. Accordingly, the Directors retiring and offering themselves for re-election are Ms A.C. Quinn, Mr S.C. Harris,Ms E. Lindqvist, Mr I.B. Duncan, Mr P. Larmon, Mr D. Yates and Ms L. Chahbazi.
Mr K. Boyd was appointed as an additional director on 1 September 2020 and he therefore offers himself for re-election pursuant to article 116.1 of the Articles.
E. Lindqvist was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 June 2012 and is approaching the end of her ninth consecutive year as a Non-Executive Director. After careful consideration, the Board has asked E. Lindqvist to continue to serve as a Non-Executive Director until the 2022 AGM, subject to re-election. The Board considers that this is in the best interests of the Group and shareholders. In particular, it will ensure that there is a smooth transition of Remuneration Committee Chair responsibilities to E. Lindqvist's successor. The Board considers that E. Lindqvist remains independent for the purposes of the Code. With the exception of serving on the Board for more than nine years, none of the circumstances which can impair independence set out in provision 10 of the Code apply to E. Lindqvist
Biographical details of the Directors, including their membership of Board committees, are set out in the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020 on pages 44 to 45.
UK listed companies are required to put before shareholders in general meeting a resolution inviting shareholders to approve the remuneration report. This is an advisory vote and the Directors' entitlement to receive remuneration is not conditional on it. The Remuneration Report gives details of the Directors' remuneration for the period ended 31 December 2020 and has been prepared in accordance with Part 3 of Schedule 8 of The Large and Medium-Size Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 (as amended).
The Act provides that Directors shall only allot unissued shares with the authority of shareholders in general meeting. The authority given to the Directors at the last Annual General Meeting to allot (or issue) unissued shares expires on the date of this year's Annual General Meeting.
Resolution 14 renews a similar authority given at last year's Annual General Meeting. Resolution 14 will be proposed as an ordinary resolution for the renewal of the Directors' general authority to issue shares in the Company and to grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company:
The Directors have no present intention of exercising either of these authorities but consider that it is in the best interests of the Company to have the authorities available so that they have the maximum flexibility permitted by institutional shareholder guidelines to allot shares or grant rights to be allotted without the need for a general meeting should they determine that it is appropriate to do so.
As at the date of this document, no ordinary shares are held by the Company as treasury shares.
If given, the authority granted under resolution 14 will expire on the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2022 or on 26 August 2022, whichever is earlier.
The Act also provides that any allotment of new shares for cash must be made pro rata to individual shareholders' holdings, unless such provisions are disapplied under section 570 of the Act. The authorities given to the Directors at the last Annual General Meeting to allot shares for cash pursuant to section 570 of the Act expire on the date of this year's Annual General Meeting.
Resolutions 15 and 16 which will be proposed as special resolutions will enable the Directors' to allot equity securities for cash or sell treasury shares for cash, without first offering them to shareholders pro rata to their holdings. These resolutions take the same form as the resolutions proposed at last year's Annual General Meeting.
Resolution 15 facilitates issues made by way of rights to shareholders which are not strictly in accordance with section 561(1) of the Act, and authorises other allotments of up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £1,653,485, representing approximately 5 per cent of the current issued ordinary share capital of the Company without having to comply with statutory pre-emption rights. This resolution renews the authority obtained at last year's Annual General Meeting. If given, the authority granted under resolution 15 will expire on the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2022 or on 26 August 2022, whichever is earlier.
Resolution 16 seeks authority to allot an additional maximum aggregate nominal amount of £1,653,485, representing approximately 5 per cent of the current issued ordinary share capital of the Company without having to comply with statutory pre-emption rights. Like last year, the power proposed under resolution 16 will be limited for use only for the purposes of financing (or refinancing, if such refinancing occurs within six months of the original transaction) a transaction which the Directors determine to be an acquisition or other capital investment of a kind contemplated by the Statement of Principles on Disapplying Pre-Emption Rights most recently published by the Pre-Emption Group prior to the date of this notice. If given, the authority granted under resolution 16 will expire on the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2022 or on 26 August 2022, whichever is earlier.
The Directors intend to adhere to the Statement of Principles issued by The Pre Emption Group, as updated in March 2015, and not allot shares on a non pre-emptive basis pursuant to the authorities in resolutions 15 and 16 in excess of an amount equal to 7.5 per cent of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company (excluding treasury shares) within a rolling three year period, without prior consultation with shareholders.
Under article 9 of the Articles, the Company is empowered to purchase its own shares. The Directors consider that the power to make purchases in the market of the Company's own shares should be maintained and accordingly recommend the approval of the special resolution set out as resolution 17. The Directors intend to exercise this authority only where, in the light of market conditions prevailing at that time, they believe that the effect of such purchases would be to increase earnings per share and would be in the best interests of the Company and of its shareholders generally. Any shares purchased in this way will be cancelled and the number of shares in issue will be reduced accordingly, or held as treasury shares. The resolution specifies the maximum and minimum prices at which shares may be bought, and the maximum number of shares which may be bought, being 10 per cent of the Company's issued ordinary share capital at 28 April 2021. At that date there were no share options over unissued shares.
Section 307A of the Act provides that a general meeting of a 'traded company' such as the Company must be called by at least 21 days' notice, but may be called by at least 14 days' notice if three conditions are met. The three conditions are:
The Directors consider it desirable that general meetings of the Company, other than the Annual General Meeting, can be called on at least 14 clear days' notice. Resolution 18, which will be proposed as a special resolution, will authorise the Company to call general meetings other than Annual General Meetings on 14 days' notice and the authority of this resolution will expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.
Any members' statements, members' resolutions and members' matters of business received by the Company after the date of this notice will be added to the information already available on the website as soon as reasonably practicable and will also be made available for the following two years.
and in the case of (a), (b) and (c) must be received by the Company not less than 48 hours before the time of the meeting.
Whichever form of communication is chosen, the request must either set out the statement in full or, if supporting a statement sent by another member, clearly identify the statement which is being supported, and be received by the Company at least one week before the Annual General Meeting.
The address at paragraphs (b) above are, in accordance with article 178 of the Articles, specified solely for the purpose of communications in respect of this meeting and for no other purpose.
11. If permitted under Stay at Home Measures currently in force, copies of the Executive Directors' service contracts and Non-executive Directors' letters of appointment will be available for inspection at the Company's registered office during normal business hours on each business day (Saturday, Sundays and public holidays excepted) from the date of this notice until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting. The documents referred to above will also be available for inspection at the place of the meeting from at least 15 minutes before the meeting until it ends.
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