AGM Information • Mar 12, 2024
AGM Information
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If you are in any doubt as to what action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker, solicitor, accountant or other professional adviser or other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all your shares in Porvair plc, please pass this document, together with the accompanying documents, as soon as possible to the purchaser or transferee, or to the person who arranged the sale or transfer, so they can pass these documents to the person who now holds the shares.
4 March 2024
Dear Shareholder
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The Annual General Meeting of Porvair plc (the "Company") will be held at 11.00 a.m. on Tuesday 16 April 2024 at the offices of Buchanan, 107 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6DN. The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is to seek shareholders' approval for the resolutions set out in the Notice of the Annual General Meeting. The Notice of the Annual General Meeting, the explanatory notes and Form of Proxy are attached to this letter.
I am pleased to inform you that the Annual Report and Accounts for 2023 (the "Annual Report") has now been published and is available as a download from our website, www.porvair.com. The Investor tab on the website includes Company reports and presentations and has a range of other shareholder services that you may find useful.
If you have elected to continue to receive paper copies of Shareholder Information, then the Annual Report is included with this letter.
The Annual General Meeting is an important event in the Company's corporate calendar. It provides the Board with an opportunity to engage with shareholders. We encourage you to attend to meet the Board and find out more about the Company.
If you have questions which you would like to discuss in advance of the Annual General Meeting, please email them to me at [email protected] by no later than 11.00 a.m. on 12 April 2024. I will pass your questions on to the appropriate person at the Company, who will endeavour to respond as soon as practicable. Responses will either be made by return email or published on our investors' website at www.porvair.com/investors, as deemed appropriate by the Board.
To appoint a proxy, please complete the enclosed form of proxy and send it to our registrar, Link Group, alternatively you may appoint a proxy online by following the instructions for the electronic appointment of a proxy appointment via www.signalshares.com. If you hold shares in CREST, you can appoint a proxy online by using the CREST electronic proxy appointment service. If you are an institutional investor, you may be able to appoint a proxy electronically via the Proxymity platform, a process which has been agreed by the Company and approved by the Registrar. Proxy appointments must be received by Link Group by no later than 11.00 a.m.on 12 April 2024. The Board encourages shareholders to submit their proxies as early as possible and to appoint the Chair of the Annual General Meeting as their proxy.
The Company actively encourages all shareholders to register for our electronic communications service. You can register for this by emailing the Registrars at [email protected].
In the opinion of the Directors, each of the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting is in the best interests of the Company and shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Directors recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the resolutions at the Annual General Meeting, as the Directors intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings of ordinary shares, which amount to approximately 0.93 per cent of the issued ordinary shares of the Company.
Yours faithfully
Chris Tyler Company Secretary Porvair plc
(Registered in England and Wales with No. 01661935)
To consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following resolutions, of which numbers 1 to 14 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and numbers 15 to 18 will be proposed as special resolutions:
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and so that the Directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter;
such authorities to expire at the end of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or, if earlier, at 6.00 p.m. on 15 July 2025 (unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company at a general meeting). The Company may, before these authorities expire, make an offer or enter into an agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) in pursuance of that offer or agreement as if the power conferred by this resolution had not expired.
such authority to expire at the end of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or, if earlier, at 6.00 p.m. on 15 July 2025 (unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company at a general meeting). The Company may before this authority expires, make an offer or enter into an agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) in pursuance of that offer or agreement as if the power conferred by this resolution had not expired.
By order of the Board
Chris Tyler Company Secretary 4 March 2024
Resolutions 1 to 14 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. For each of these to be passed, more than half of the votes cast must be in favour of the relevant resolution. Resolutions 15 to 18 will be proposed as special resolutions. For each of these to be passed, at least three quarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
An explanation of each of the resolutions is set out below:
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The Directors are required to present to the Annual General Meeting the audited accounts and the Directors' and Auditor's Reports for the financial year ended 30 November 2023.
Resolution 2 to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting seeks shareholder approval for the revised Remuneration Policy set out on pages 74 to 82 of the Annual Report. The current Remuneration Policy was approved by shareholders in 2021 and expires after three years.
The changes proposed to be made to the Remuneration Policy, and the reasons for the changes proposed, are set out in the Chair of the Remuneration Committee's report on page 65 of the Annual Report. In summary, an external benchmarking exercise showed that executive director pay levels remain below those in companies of similar scale and spread. If the Group's long-term growth record continues, these pay differentials are likely to increase. Shareholder approval is sought to increase flexibility around variable pay by increasing the annual bonus maximum that the Remuneration Committee may award from 100% of base salary to the sector group median level of 125% of base salary. The LTSP policy maximum would remain at its current level of 150% of base salary, which is already in line with market. Should an increase in annual bonus maxima be approved by shareholders, the Committee will exercise discretion as to whether it will actually use the increased headroom. No other changes to the 2021 policy are proposed.
If approved by shareholders, the new Remuneration Policy will take effect immediately upon conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.
In accordance with section 439 of the Companies Act 2006, shareholders are requested to approve the Directors' Remuneration Report (excluding the Directors' Remuneration Policy set out on pages 74 to 82 of the Annual Report). The Directors' Remuneration Report is set out on pages 65 to 73 of the Annual Report. The vote is advisory and the Directors'entitlement to receive remuneration is not conditional on it.
Resolution 4 recommends that a final dividend of 4.0 pence per share be declared for the financial year ended 30 November 2023. If approved, the recommended final dividend will be paid on 5 June 2024 to shareholders on the Company's register of members at 6.00 p.m. on 3 May 2024.
Resolutions 5 to 10 are to approve the re-election of the Board. In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, all the Directors are subject to annual re-election by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting, or, in the case of Sarah Vawda, election by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting. The Directors believe that the Board offers an appropriate balance of knowledge and skills and that all the Non-Executive Directors are independent in character and judgement. Each Director makes an important contribution to the Company's long-term sustainable success. The Nomination Committee, which considers the balance of the Board and the mix of skills, knowledge and experience of its members, has considered and recommends to the Board the appointment of all of the Directors of the Company standing for re-election, and, in the case of Sarah Vawda, for election. The Chair confirms that, following a formal performance evaluation, the Non-Executive Directors continue to demonstrate effective performance and commitment to the role and have sufficient time to meet their responsibilities. A brief outline of the relevant experience they bring is set out below:
Sally joined the Board in October 2016. She was, until recently, Supply and Trading Operations Manager for Europe & Africa in the Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited. In a thirty year career with Shell, Sally built a strong track record in strategy; M&A; international business development; and engineering and operations. Sally brings a wealth of experience in strategy, business development, engineering and operations. She has particular focus on safety management, large project delivery and managing large and dispersed teams. Her extensive team management skills make her ideally suited to lead our Employee Engagement processes and Chair the Group's Remuneration Committee. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
James joined the Board in April 2021 as Group Finance Director. James brings significant expertise and relevant experience in strategic financial management for engineering-led businesses, most recently from his role as a Divisional Finance Director for Ricardo plc. Prior to Ricardo, he was responsible for group reporting at G4S plc. James is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with KPMG.
John joined the Board in October 2017 and became Chair in April 2018. He is an experienced Non-Executive Director with broad experience in manufacturing and service industries. John brings strong leadership skills and provides an effective commitment to the Board. He was Group Finance Director at Tate & Lyle PLC and Kidde plc. John was, until January 2022, Non-Executive Chairman of Diploma PLC. John holds an MBA from Kingston University and is a Chartered Certified Accountant.
Ami joined the Board in January 2023 and became Chair of the Audit Committee on 1 February 2023. Ami is an experienced finance director, operating for over 30 years in public and private companies, with particular focus on international manufacturing, high-growth businesses, corporate transactions, driving operational improvements and raising finance. This track record makes him ideally suited to Chair the Audit Committee. He is a Chartered Accountant.
Ben has been Group Chief Executive since joining the Board in 1998. He leads the Group's management and has been instrumental in delivering the Group's consistent strategy and growth. Over his career with the Group, he has acquired considerable domain knowledge and extensive filtration market knowledge. He is Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of the Aerospace Technology Institute and Chairman of its Remuneration Committee. He has an MBA from ISEAD.
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Sarah joined the Board in June 2023. Sarah brings a wealth of experience in corporate development, strategy, M&A, finance and business transformation gained within public, private equity and entrepreneurial companies in diverse industries including energy, metals, chemicals, logistics and manufacturing. She has a particular focus on change management, complex transactions, strategic reviews, diversity, and leading large multi-disciplinary teams to deliver success. She is a Chartered Accountant.
Resolution 11 proposes the re-appointment of RSM UK Audit LLP as Auditor of the Company until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company. The Company is required to appoint an auditor at every general meeting of the Company at which accounts are presented to shareholders. The current appointment of RSM UK Audit LLP as the Company's Auditors will end at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting and it has advised of its willingness to stand for re-appointment. It is normal practice for a company's directors to be authorised to agree how much the auditors should be paid and Resolution 12 grants this authority to the Directors.
Resolution 13 requests shareholder approval of the rules of the Porvair plc SAYE Share Option Plan 2024 ("SAYE plan") in the form produced at the Annual General Meeting.
The Company's previous SAYE Share Option plan is the Porvair plc SAYE Share Option Plan 2014 (as amended from time to time) ("2014 SAYE Plan"). The terms of the SAYE plan have been drafted to be similar to the 2014 SAYE Plan but with appropriate changes to bring the SAYE plan in line with current law and regulation, prevailing best practice and to ease administration.
A summary of the key terms of the SAYE plan is set out at Appendix 1.
The SAYE plan will be available for inspection:
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Resolution 14 is proposed to renew the Directors' power to allot shares. Paragraph 14.1 gives the Directors customary authority to allot ordinary shares or grant such subscription or conversion rights as are contemplated by sections 551(1)(a) and (b) respectively of the Act up to an aggregate nominal amount of £309,068, being an amount equal to approximately one third of the Company's issued share capital as at 1 March 2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this circular). As at 1 March 2024, the Company did not hold any treasury shares.
The authority granted under Resolution 14 shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company or, if earlier, at 6.00 p.m. on 15 July 2025. Resolution 14 replaces a similar resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 18 April 2023. The Directors have no present intention of exercising the authority under this resolution, but the Board wishes to ensure that it has flexibility in managing the financial resources of the Company.
If the Directors wish to allot shares or other equity securities for cash or sell any shares which the Company holds in treasury, following a purchase of its own shares pursuant to the authority in Resolution 17, the Act requires that such shares or other equity securities are offered first to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holding.
Resolutions 15 and 16 ask shareholders to approve the disapplication of pre-emption rights. The passing of these resolutions would allow the Directors to allot shares for cash and/or sell treasury shares without first having to offer such shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings.
The authority under Resolution 15 would be limited to:
Resolution 16 would give the Directors authority to (i) allot a further 10% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 1 March 2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice) for the purposes of financing a transaction which the Directors determine to be an acquisition or other capital investment contemplated by the Statement of Principles on Disapplying of Pre-emption Rights most recently published by the Pre-Emption Group prior to the date of this Notice (the "Statement of Principles") and (ii) allot or sell shares (otherwise than under paragraph (i)) up to an aggregate nominal amount of £18,544, which represents approximately 2% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 1 March 2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice) to be used only for the purposes of making a follow-on offer to retail investors or existing investors not allocated shares in the offer.
The disapplication authorities under Resolutions 15 and 16 are in line with guidance set out in the Statement of Principles.
The Statement of Principles allows a board to allot shares for cash otherwise than in connection with a pre-emptive offer (i) up to 10% of a company's issued share capital for use on an unrestricted basis, (ii) up to a further 10% of a company's issued share capital for use in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment announced either contemporaneously with the issue, or which has taken place in the preceding twelve month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the issue and (iii) in the case of both (i) or (ii), up to an additional 2% in connection with a follow-on offer to retail investors or existing investors not allocated shares in the offer.
The Directors confirm that, in considering the exercise of the authority under Resolutions 15 and 16, they intend to follow the shareholder protections set out in Part 2B of the Pre-emption Group's Statement of Principles to the extent reasonably practicable.
The authorities under Resolutions 15 and 16 will expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company or, if earlier, at 6.00 p.m. on 15 July 2025.
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Resolution 17 to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting seeks authority from shareholders for the Company to make market purchases of its own ordinary shares, such authority being limited to the purchase of approximately 10% of the ordinary shares in issue as at 1 March 2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this circular). The maximum price payable for the purchase by the Company of its own ordinary shares will be limited to the higher of (i) 5% above the average of the middle market quotations of the Company's ordinary shares, as derived from the Daily Official List of the London Stock Exchange, for the five business days prior to the purchase and (ii) the higher of the price of the last independent trade of an ordinary share and the highest current independent bid for an ordinary share as derived from the London Stock Exchange Trading System (SETS). The minimum price payable by the Company for the purchase of its own ordinary shares will be 2.0 pence per share (being the nominal value of an ordinary share). Such authority would (unless previously renewed or revoked) expire on the earlier of the end of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company and 6.00 p.m. on 15 July 2025.
The authority to purchase the Company's own ordinary shares will only be exercised if the Directors consider that there is likely to be a beneficial impact on earnings per ordinary share and that it is in the best interests of the Company and of its shareholders generally at the time. The Directors have no present intention of exercising the authority to purchase the Company's ordinary shares. The resolution renews a similar resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 18 April 2023. Any ordinary shares so purchased by the Company will be held in treasury by the Company and will remain in issue and be capable of being re-sold by the Company or used in connection with certain of its share schemes.
To understand the impact of dilution, options to subscribe for up to 829,035 ordinary shares have been granted and are outstanding as at 1 March 2024 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this circular) which, if issued, would represent 1.76% of the issued ordinary share capital at that date. If the Directors were to exercise in full the power for which they are seeking authority under Resolution 17, the options outstanding as at 1 March 2024 would represent 1.95% of the ordinary share capital (excluding shares held in treasury) in issue following such exercise.
Resolution 18 to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting seeks authority from shareholders to hold general meetings (other than Annual General Meetings) on 14 clear days' notice. This is permissible under the Company's Articles of Association and the Act. However, pursuant to the Companies (Shareholders' Rights) Regulations 2009, the Company must offer the facility, accessible to all shareholders, to vote by electronic means and must obtain specific shareholder approval on an annual basis to retain this ability. The Directors believe that there may be circumstances in which it would be in the interests of the Company to be able to convene meetings at such short notice. The shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of course, but only where it is merited by the business of the meeting, the proposals are time sensitive and it is thought to be to the advantage of the shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Directors believe that it is important for the Company to retain this flexibility. Resolution 18 renews a similar resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 18 April 2023.
The SAYE plan is intended to meet the requirements of Schedule 3 to the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 ("ITEPA") and provides for the grant of tax-advantaged options. The SAYE plan shall be administered by the Board or a committee of Directors appointed by the Board to carry out any of its functions under the scheme.
To be eligible to participate in the SAYE plan an individual must be an employee or full-time director of the Company or a participating subsidiary of the Company who is liable to UK income tax and must have been such an employee or full-time director for such period of time (not exceeding five years) as may be determined by the Board. An individual is a full-time director if they are obliged to devote not less than 25 hours per week to their duties with the company concerned.
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Invitations to participate in the SAYE plan may be made during the period of 42 days (i) following the date on which the SAYE plan (or any amendment to the SAYE plan) is adopted, (ii) following the announcement of the Company's final or interim results for any financial period, (iii) following the occurrence of an event which the Board considers to be an exceptional event concerning the Porvair group or (iv) of any changes to legislation (or the effective bonus rate) affecting tax advantaged share plans.
If the Board is restricted by statute, order or regulation from granting options within one of these periods, the Board may grant options within 42 days of such restrictions being removed. No invitations may be issued or options granted more than 10 years after the adoption of the SAYE plan.
The price at which an option holder may acquire ordinary shares in the capital of the Company on the exercise of an option shall be determined by the Board, but shall not be less than the greater of 80 per cent of the market value of an ordinary share at the time of grant and its nominal value.
Upon applying for an option, the participant will be required to enter into an approved SAYE contract with a savings institution nominated by the Company which lasts for either three or five years (or such other standard periods as may be available under HM Treasury specifications for savings arrangements). The maximum amount which an employee is permitted to contribute under SAYE contracts is £500 per month (or such other amount specified in Schedule 3 to the ITEPA to be the maximum). The Board may set lower savings limits than this for different participants by reference to objective criteria such as levels of salary or length of service. The minimum contribution is £5 per month (or such greater amount as the Board may specify, not to exceed £10 and, in both cases, subject to such other amounts as are specified by HM Treasury or in Schedule 3 to the ITEPA to be the minimum or maximum). The total exercise price of the Shares over which the option is granted may not exceed the aggregate of the monthly contributions and bonus payable at the end of the participant's related SAYE contract.
The number of Shares over which options may be granted under the SAYE plan on any date of grant shall be limited so that the total number of Shares issued or capable of being issued in any 10-year period under all the Company's employee share plans is restricted to 10 per cent of the Company's issued Shares calculated at the relevant time. For the purposes of the above limits, Shares held in treasury count as newly issued Shares for as long as it is required by UK investor share incentive scheme guidelines, but any Shares where the right to acquire them has lapsed will not count towards such limits.
Options will normally be exercisable during a period of six months following the allocation of a bonus under the related SAYE contract and will normally lapse upon cessation of employment. Earlier exercise is, however, permitted if the participant dies or leaves employment through injury, disability, redundancy or retirement, or where a participant leaves employment of the Porvair group by reason of their employing company ceasing to be a member of the Porvair group, or if the undertaking in which they are employed is sold outside the Porvair group. Early exercise will also be permitted in the event of a takeover, relevant reconstructions or amalgamations, on court sanction of
a scheme of arrangement, or voluntary winding-up of the Company.
Within 30 days of the receipt of a notice of exercise of an option, the Shares in respect of which the option has been exercised must be issued by the Company, or the Company must procure their transfer (which for the purposes of the scheme includes the transfer of Shares out of treasury), to the option holder and shall issue a definitive certificate in respect of the Shares allotted or transferred or such other evidence of allotment or issue as may be prescribed by the Board where such allotment and issue is by means of a relevant system, as defined in Regulation 2(1) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations (2001). Shares issued or transferred by the Company on the exercise of options will rank equally with existing Shares.
If any company obtains control of the Company as a result of a takeover offer or the sanctioning of a scheme of arrangement or if a company has become bound or entitled to acquire all the Shares or as a result of an overseas reorganisation, an option holder may, by agreement with that other company, seek the release of options in return for the grant of equivalent options.
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In the event of a variation of the share capital of the Company (whether that variation is a capitalisation issue other than a scrip dividend),or offer by way of rights, consolidation, subdivision or reduction or other variation of the Company's capital), the number of Shares subject to the option and/or the exercise price may be adjusted in such manner as the Board in its absolute discretion considers to be fair and appropriate, provided that the exercise price per Share remains at least equal to the nominal value of a Share, and the total market value of the Shares and the total exercise price of the option is substantially the same immediately before and after the variation. If the exercise price would otherwise fall below the nominal value, the Company may capitalise reserves to the extent it is lawful to pay up additional shares for allotment to option holders.
No rights under an option may be transferred by an option holder to any other person except in the event of an option holder's death when rights will become exercisable by the option holder's personal representative within 12 months of the date of death.
Options granted under the SAYE plan shall not be pensionable.
The SAYE plan may be amended by the Board in any way provided that:
(a) no material amendment may be made to options already granted without the consent of the option holders; and
(b) no amendment may be made without the prior approval of the Company in general meeting if it would make the terms on which the options may be granted materially more generous or increase any of the limits specified in the plan, change the definition of Eligible Employee or Exercise Price, or expand the class of potential option holders or change the rights of option holders in the event of a variation of share capital to the benefit of option holders, unless they are minor amendments to benefit the administration of the plan, to take account of a change in legislation or to obtain or maintain favourable tax, exchange control or regulatory treatment for option holders, the Company or a member of the Porvair group.
The Board may add to, vary or amend the rules of the SAYE plan by way of a separate schedule to take account of overseas legal, taxation or securities laws.
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