Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Jun 1, 2022
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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To be held at 2pm on 28 June 2022 at the offices of CMS Law, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon St, London EC4N 6AF 263654 Aquila Letter.qxp 31/05/2022 16:27 Page 2
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I am writing to you to give you notice for the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of the Company to be held on 28 June 2022. This will be the Company's first AGM. For reasons I will explain, this year will be unusual because of the need to meet various regulatory timetables and the AGM will be followed by another general meeting in late July 2022. The further general meeting in late July 2022 will be held in order to: receive the Company's annual report and accounts for the period ended 31 December 2021, with the reports of the directors and auditors thereon; to approve the directors' remuneration policy report included in the annual report and accounts for the period ended 31 December 2021; to approve the directors' remuneration implementation report included in the annual report and accounts for the period ended 31 December 2021; to reappoint the PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") as auditors to the Company; to authorise the directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors until the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company; and, to approve the Company's dividend policy.
The Company is required to hold an AGM by 30 June 2022, and, to announce and file the accounts by the same date. As you will be aware, between February and April 2022 the Board conducted an independent review of the Company's investment strategy. The result of this review was announced on 21 April 2022 and included a number of recommendations, including that modifications be made to the Company's contract with the Investment Adviser. The work involved in the investment strategy review, and, subsequently on implementing and documenting the recommendations, has inevitably had an impact on the timing of the production of the annual report and accounts and subsequent timing and completion of the audit by PwC. We are confident that we will publish the audited accounts for the period ended 31 December 2021 by the end of June 2022 (and file them by the statutory due date). However, we will be unable to put the accounts to members for consideration at the AGM because we do not expect that they will be published in time to fulfil the statutory requirement that the accounts be in the hands of members 21 days prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered. This is predominantly a procedural matter to ensure that the annual report and accounts appropriately reflect the outcome of the investment strategy review and the changes to fee arrangements with the Investment Adviser, and, in no way reflect any concerns about the Company and its financial position.
Therefore, we are calling an AGM for 28 June 2022 in order to comply with the statutory requirement to hold the AGM by 30 June 2022. At this AGM, resolutions will be put forward to elect each director, to give authority to allot new shares, to give authority to allot new shares free from pre-emption rights, to give authority for the Company to purchase its own shares, and, to authorise calling general meetings (other than AGMs) on 14 clear days' notice.
These are standard resolutions and further explanations are set out below. At the second general meeting, expected to be in late July 2022, resolutions on the annual report and accounts will be put to shareholders, as explained above and there will be a presentation from the Investment Adviser on the Company and its prospects for 2022.
Formal notice of the AGM, to be held at 2.00 p.m. at the offices of CMS Law, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon St, London EC4N 6AF is included with this letter.
Yours faithfully
Miriam Greenwood OBE DL Chair
31 May 2022
Explanation of the resolutions to be presented to shareholders at the AGM to be held on 28 June 2022.
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Resolution 1. To elect Miriam Greenwood OBE DL – Appointed on 19 April 2021 as a director of the Company.
With qualifications as a barrister and in corporate finance, Miriam has spent more than 30 years working for a number of leading investment banks and other financial institutions and has been a non-executive director of several publicly listed and private companies. She was, for nine years until 2013, a non-executive director of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (Ofgem) and, until recently, Chair of the Gas Network Innovation Competition for seven years and has extensive experience in the energy and utilities industry. Miriam is Chair of SMS plc and holds non-executive director positions at River and Mercantile Group plc and at Gulf International Bank (UK), where she also chairs their respective Remuneration Committees. She is also a non-executive director of Canopius Managing Agents Ltd. Beyond Board roles, Miriam is an adviser to Ofgem on the current RIIO2 price control and to the Mayor of London's Energy Efficiency Fund. A Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, Miriam was awarded an OBE for services to corporate finance. Miriam chairs the Management Engagement Committee and the Nomination Committee.
Resolution 2. To elect David Fletcher – Appointed on 29 April 2022 as a director of the Company.
David was group finance director of Stonehage Fleming Family & Partners, a leading independently owned multi-family office, until 2019 having joined in 2002. Prior to that, he spent 20 years in investment banking with JPMorgan Chase, Robert Fleming & Co. and Baring Brothers & Co Limited, latterly focused on financial services in the UK (asset management and life insurance). He started his career with Price Waterhouse and is a chartered accountant. David is an independent non-executive director of Ecofin U.S. Renewables Infrastructure Trust PLC, where he is the chair of the audit committee, and an independent chair of JP Morgan Claverhouse Investment Trust plc. Additionally, David is an independent non-executive director of abrdn Smaller Companies Income Trust plc, where he is the chair of the audit committee. With effect from his appointment to the Board on 29 April 2022, David is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Resolution 3. To elect Nicholas Bliss – Appointed on 9 April 2021 as a director of the Company.
Nicholas established and led the global infrastructure and transport sector group at the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, where he was a partner for over 20 years and also served on the Partnership Council, the supervisory board of the firm. During this period, he led on mandates involving some of the most notable infrastructure projects across the UK, Europe, Africa and the Gulf. In particular, he was heavily involved in the development and application of PFI, PPP and other project finance techniques to the delivery of major infrastructure projects. Since leaving Freshfields, he has developed an expertise in both advising and acting as an independent director in "distressed situations" at SPV corporates owned by infrastructure funds or industrials. Among his other engagements, he is Of Counsel at Chatham Partners LLP, a Hamburg based infrastructure/energy/real estate "boutique" law firm. Nicholas acted as interim Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, as well as Remuneration Committee, between 31 January 2022 and 29 April 2022.
Resolutions 4 and 5. To give authority to issue new shares and to dis-apply pre-emption rights.
At the forthcoming AGM, the Board are seeking authority to allot up to a maximum of 10 per cent. of the Company's shares in issue as at the date of the Notice of AGM (equating to 10 million Ordinary Shares) and to dis-apply pre-emption rights. Authority granted under these resolutions will expire at the conclusion of the AGM to be held in 2023 unless renewed prior to this date via a General Meeting. The full text of these resolutions are set out in the Notice of Meeting accompanying this letter.
The authority granted by Shareholders to issue Ordinary Shares will provide flexibility to grow the Company and further expand the Company's list of assets. Ordinary Shares will only be issued at a premium to the prevailing NAV (cum income) to reflect the costs of issue. Ordinary Share issues are at the discretion of the Board.
Resolution 6. To give authority for the Company to purchase its own shares.
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The Directors recommend that an authority to purchase up to 14,999,000 Ordinary Shares (subject to the condition that not more than 14.99 per cent. of the Ordinary Shares in issue, excluding Treasury Shares, at the date of the AGM are purchased) be granted and a resolution to that effect will be put to the AGM. Any Ordinary Shares purchased will either be cancelled or, if the Directors so determine, held in treasury.
The Companies Act 2006 permits companies to hold shares acquired by way of market purchase as treasury shares, rather than having to cancel them. This provides the Company with the ability to re-issue Ordinary Shares quickly and cost effectively, thereby improving liquidity and providing the Company with additional flexibility in the management of its capital base. No Ordinary Shares will be sold from treasury at a price less than the (cum-income) NAV per existing Ordinary Share at the time of their sale unless they are first offered pro rata to existing Shareholders. At the period end the Company did not hold any shares in treasury.
Unless otherwise authorised by Shareholders, Ordinary Shares will not be issued at less than NAV and Ordinary Shares held in treasury will not be sold at less than NAV.
Resolution 7. To authorise calling general meetings (other than Annual General Meetings) on 14 clear days' notice.
The Board believes that it is in the best interests of Shareholders of the Company to have the ability to call meetings on 14 days' clear notice on matters requiring urgent approval. The Board will therefore propose resolution 7 at the AGM to approve the reduction in the minimum notice period from 21 to 14 clear days for all general meetings other than annual general meetings.
Once approval is granted, the approval would be effective until the Company's next AGM, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed. In accordance with the Shareholders' Rights Directive, the Company will offer the Shareholders the ability to vote by electronic means. This facility will be accessible to all Shareholders, should the Board call a General Meeting at 14 clear days' notice. Short notice will only be used by the Board under appropriate circumstances.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Aquila Energy Efficiency Trust PLC will be held at CMS Law, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon St, London EC4N 6AF on 28 June 2022 at 2.00 p.m. for the following purposes:
To consider and if thought fit pass the following resolutions of which resolutions 1 to 4 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and resolutions 5 to 7 will be proposed as special resolutions.
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This power applies in relation to the sale of shares which is an allotment of equity securities that immediately before the allotment are held by the Company as treasury shares as if in the opening paragraph of this resolution the words ''subject to the passing of resolution 4 in the notice convening the meeting at which this resolution is to be proposed (''the notice of meeting")'' and ''pursuant to the authority under section 551 of the Act conferred by resolution 4 in the notice of meeting'' were omitted.
Registered Office: 6th Floor, 125 London Wall, London, England, EC2Y 5AS
By order of the Board
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Sanne Fund Services (UK) Limited Company Secretary 31 May 2022
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A company incorporated in England and Wales or Northern Ireland should execute the Form of Proxy under its common seal or otherwise in accordance with Section 44 of the Companies Act 2006 or by signature on its behalf by a duly authorised officer or attorney whose power of attorney or other authority should be enclosed with the Form of Proxy.
On completing the Form of Proxy, sign it and return it to Computershare at the address shown on the Form of Proxy in the envelope provided. As postage has been pre-paid no stamp is required.
In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a 'CREST Proxy Instruction') must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & International Limited's specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed proxy, must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by the Company's agent (ID: 3RA50) by the latest time(s) for receipt of proxy appointments specified in the notice of meeting.
For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied to the message by the CREST Applications Host) from which the Company's agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time, any change of instructions to a proxy's appointee through CREST should be communicated to the appointee through other means.
CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note that Euroclear UK & International Limited does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. Normal system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member or sponsored member or has appointed a voting service provider(s), to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.
The Company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.
All messages relating to the appointment of a proxy or an instruction to a previously appointed proxy, which are to be transmitted through CREST, must be lodged at 2pm on 24 June 2022 in respect of the meeting. Any such messages received before such time will be deemed to have been received at such time. In the case of an adjournment, all messages must be lodged with Computershare no later than 48 hours before the rescheduled meeting.
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In the case of a member which is a company, the revocation notice must be executed under its common seal or otherwise in accordance with section 44 of the Companies Act 2006 or by signature on its behalf by an officer or attorney whose power of attorney or other authority should be included with the revocation notice.
Once a proxy has been lodged, it can be amended up to the meeting. If you attempt to revoke your proxy appointment but the revocation is received after the time specified in note 6 above then, subject to the paragraph directly below, your proxy will remain valid.
Completion of a Form of Proxy will not preclude a member from attending and voting in person. If you have appointed a proxy and attend the meeting in person, your proxy appointment will be automatically terminated.
If you submit more than one valid proxy appointment in respect of the same Ordinary Shares, the appointment received last before the latest time for receipt of proxies will take precedence.
If you are a person who has been nominated under section 146 of the Companies Act 2006 to enjoy information rights:
l You may have a right under an agreement between you and the member of the Company who has nominated you to have information rights (Relevant Member) to be appointed or to have someone else appointed as a proxy for the meeting.
You may not use any electronic address provided either in this notice of meeting or in any related documents (including the Form of Proxy for this meeting) to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.
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