AGM Information • Jun 17, 2015
AGM Information
Open in ViewerOpens in native device viewer
THIS DOCUMENT, WHICH CONTAINS THE NOTICE OF THE COMPANY'S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any doubt as to what action to take, you are recommended to seek immediately your own financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant, fund manager or other appropriate independent financial adviser, who is authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 if you are resident in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriately authorised independent financial adviser.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all your shares in Babcock International Group PLC, please forward this document and the accompanying Form of Proxy to the person through whom the sale or transfer was effected, for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
A Form of Proxy for the Annual General Meeting is enclosed and should be completed and returned so as to reach the Company's registrars no later than 11:00 am on Tuesday 28 July 2015. Alternatively, you can vote online at www.babcock-shares.com or, if you are a member of CREST, you can register your vote electronically by using the service provided by Euroclear. Further details are provided in the Important Information for Shareholders section on pages 4 and 5 of this document. Completion and return of the Form of Proxy will not prevent you from attending and voting at the Meeting in person, should you so wish.
Notice is hereby given that the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the members of Babcock International Group PLC ('the Company') will be held at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London W1K 7TN on Thursday 30 July 2015 at 11:00 am to consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following Resolutions. It is intended to propose Resolutions 22 to 24 as special resolutions. All other Resolutions will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. Voting on all Resolutions will be by way of a poll.
That, in accordance with sections 366 and 367 of the Companies Act 2006 (the '2006 Act'), the Company and all companies that are its subsidiaries at any time during the period for which this Resolution 19 is effective are authorised to:
(a) make political donations to a political party or to an independent election candidate;
up to an aggregate amount of £100,000, with the amount authorised under each of paragraphs (a) to (c) also being limited to such amount, in each case during the period beginning with the date of the passing of this Resolution 19 and ending on 30 September 2016 or, if sooner, the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company in 2016. For the purpose of this Resolution 19 'political donation', 'political party', 'political organisation', 'independent election candidate' and 'political expenditure' are to be construed in accordance with sections 363, 364 and 365 of the 2006 Act.
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 authorisations to apply (unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company in General Meeting) until the end of the Company's next Annual General Meeting (or, if earlier, until the close of business on 30 September 2016) but, in each case, so that the Company may make offers and enter into agreements before the authority expires which would, or might, require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares to be granted after the authority expires and the Directors of the Company may allot shares or grant such rights under any such offer or agreement as if the authority conferred hereby had not expired. References in this Resolution 21 to the nominal amount of rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares (including where such rights are referred to as equity securities as defined in section 560(1) of the 2006 Act) are to the nominal amount of shares that may be allotted pursuant to the rights.
(i) the allotment of equity securities and sale of treasury shares for cash in connection with or pursuant to an offer of, or an invitation to apply for, equity securities (but in the case of an allotment pursuant to the authority granted under paragraph (b) of Resolution 21, such power shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities in connection with an offer by way of a rights issue only):
(A) to ordinary shareholders in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their holdings; and
but subject to such limits, exclusions, restrictions or other arrangements as the Directors may consider necessary or appropriate to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical difficulties which may arise in, or under the laws or regulatory requirements of, any territory or any other matter whatsoever; and
(ii) the allotment of equity securities pursuant to the authority granted by paragraph (a) of Resolution 21 and/or sale of treasury shares for cash (in each case otherwise than in the circumstances set out in paragraph (a) of this Resolution 22), up to an aggregate nominal amount of £30,251,795 calculated, in the case of equity securities which are rights to subscribe for, or to convert securities into, ordinary shares by reference to the aggregate nominal amount of relevant shares which may be allotted pursuant to such rights,
such powers to apply (unless previously renewed, varied or revoked by the Company in General Meeting) until the end of the Company's next Annual General Meeting (or, if earlier, until the close of business on 30 September 2016) but, in each case, so that the Company may make offers and enter into agreements before the power expires which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares to be granted after the power expires and the Directors of the Company may allot equity securities or grant such rights under any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired.
By order of the Board.
Company Secretary
10 June 2015
Registered Office: 33 Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QX.
The ordinary resolutions (1 to 21) will be passed if the votes cast for the Resolutions are more than those cast against. The Resolutions to be proposed as special resolutions (22 to 24) will be passed if at least 75% of the votes cast for and against the Resolutions are in favour.
The Board considers that all the Resolutions in the notice of the Annual General Meeting are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. Your Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of them as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings.
Resolution 1: The Directors are required to lay the Annual Report and Accounts before the shareholders at each Annual General Meeting. The Directors' and Auditor's reports and the audited financial statements of the Company to be approved at this Annual General Meeting relate to the financial year ended 31 March 2015.
Resolution 2: The Directors' remuneration report is divided into three parts: the Annual Statement of the Remuneration Committee Chairman, the Remuneration Policy Report and the Annual Report on Remuneration.
The Annual Statement of the Remuneration Committee Chairman, which can be found on pages 86 to 87 of the Company's Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2015, provides a summary of the major decisions relating to Directors' remuneration for the year ended 31 March 2015.
The Remuneration Policy Report, which can be found on pages 88 to 97 of the Company's Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2015, sets out the Company's future policy on Directors' remuneration. This Remuneration Policy Report was approved by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in 2014. As there are no changes to the policy and the approval obtained at the Annual General Meeting in 2014 is effective for three years, no shareholder approval of the Remuneration Policy Report is being sought this year.
The Annual Report on Remuneration, which can be found on pages 98 to 118 of the Company's Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2015, gives details of the remuneration arrangements and payments made to the Directors during the year ended 31 March 2015. It also details how the Company's policy on Directors' remuneration will be operated in the year ending 31 March 2016.
Resolution 2 seeks shareholder approval for the Annual Statement of the Remuneration Committee Chairman and the Annual Report on Remuneration for the year ended 31 March 2015. The vote upon this Resolution is advisory. The vote is not specific to individual levels of remuneration and the Directors' entitlement to remuneration is not conditional on it.
Resolution 3: The Board has recommended that a final dividend of 18.1p per ordinary share be declared and paid in respect of the Company's performance in the financial year ended 31 March 2015. If approved at the Annual General Meeting, this would be paid on Wednesday 12 August 2015 to those shareholders on the Company's register at the close of business on Friday 3 July 2015.
Resolutions 4 to 14: Under the UK Corporate Governance Code (the 'Code'), Section B.7.1 states that all directors of FTSE 350 companies should be subject to annual re-election by shareholders. The Directors follow this provision of the Code. The Directors covered by Resolutions 4 to 14 were each re-appointed (and in the case of Jeff Randall, appointed) as Directors at last year's Annual General Meeting and are now standing for their annual re-election under this provision. Following the annual performance evaluation (which, in the case of David Omand, who has been on the Board for more than six years and whose current three-year term of appointment is due to expire at this year's Annual General Meeting, was particularly rigorous), the Board is satisfied that each Director continues to be effective and to demonstrate commitment to their role. Accordingly, the Board unanimously recommends their re-election. Their biographical details are set out on pages 70 and 71 of the Annual Report (a copy of which is available on the Company's website at www.babcockinternational.com). The Board considers each of the Non-Executive Directors standing for re-election named in Resolutions 10 to 14 to be independent.
Resolutions 15 and 16: Under section B.7.1 of the Code and Article 123 of the Company's Articles, all Directors appointed by the Board since the date of the last Annual General Meeting should be subject to election by shareholders at the first Annual General Meeting after their appointment. Accordingly, Franco Martinelli, appointed to the Board on 1 August 2014, and Myles Lee, appointed to the Board on 1 April 2015, whose biographical details are set out on pages 70 and 71 of the Annual Report, will be proposed for election by shareholders. The Nominations Committee led the process of identifying and recommending the appointment of Franco Martinelli and Myles Lee to the Board based on pre-defined criteria of experience, knowledge, skills and, in the case of Non-Executive Directors, independence. This process is outlined in further detail on pages 80 and 81 of the Annual Report.
The Nominations Committee and the Board unanimously support the election of Franco Martinelli and Myles Lee, who bring valuable experience to the Board. The Board is satisfied as to their effectiveness in and their commitment to their roles as Directors. The Board considers Myles Lee to be independent.
Resolution 17: The Company is required to appoint an auditor to serve for each financial year of the Company. At the Annual General Meeting held on 21 July 2014, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was re-appointed as auditor of the Company. Resolution 17 would re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to act as auditor of the Company until the next Annual General Meeting. Further information regarding the Company's plans in respect of re-tender of the external audit can be found on page 85 of the Annual Report.
Resolution 18: This Resolution authorises the Directors, in accordance with standard practice, to negotiate and agree the remuneration of the Company's auditor.
Resolution 19: It is the Company's policy not to make political donations or incur political expenditure as those expressions are normally understood. However, certain activities undertaken in the usual course of business may fall within the legal definition of political donation or political expenditure. The authority is sought annually to ensure that all the activities of the Company fully comply with the law.
Resolution 20: If passed, Resolution 20 will approve the introduction of the Plan. The Plan is an all-employee share plan which is designed to operate in a similar way to the Babcock Employee Share Plan (the UK tax-qualifying share incentive plan) but is intended to be capable of being offered to employees outside the UK. Set out below is a summary of its main features:
The Plan is intended to be flexible and the Company may offer any combination of the features outlined below to allow eligible employees to obtain ordinary shares in the Company (the 'Shares'). Under the Plan, the Company can:
Any award under the Plan is not pensionable.
Each time the Board (or a duly authorised committee of the Board) decides to operate the Plan, employees of the Company and its participating subsidiaries may be offered the opportunity to participate. The Board will decide the countries in which it will offer the Plan and the employees of which subsidiaries in that country who will be eligible to participate.
Up to £3,600 (or the local currency equivalent) worth of Free Share Awards can be granted to each employee every year. A Free Share Award can, if the Company so chooses, be subject to the satisfaction of a performance target which measures the objective success of the individual, team, division or business.
The vesting period for the Free Share Awards will be between three and five years (the precise duration to be determined by the Board) during which the employee is not entitled to the Shares under the Free Share Award, unless the employee leaves employment as a 'good leaver' (for example, for reasons of retirement or redundancy) or a change of control event occurs.
The Board may allow an employee to use post-tax salary to buy Partnership Shares. The maximum limit is set by the Board and may not exceed the lower of £1,800 (or the local currency equivalent) or 10% of salary in any year. The salary allocated to Partnership Shares can be accumulated for a period set by the Board not exceeding 12 months or Partnership Shares can be purchased monthly out of deductions from the employee's pay. An employee may stop and start deductions at any time. Once acquired, Partnership Shares are not forfeitable in any circumstances.
The Board may grant Matching Share Awards to an employee who has purchased Partnership Shares based on a ratio set by the Board or duly authorised committee from time to time.
The vesting period for the Matching Share Awards will be between three and five years during which the employee is not entitled to the Shares unless the employee leaves employment as a 'good leaver' (for example, for reasons of retirement or redundancy) or a change of control event occurs.
Subject to local law restrictions, the Board may allow an employee to reinvest dividends paid on Shares received by employees under the Plan into Dividend Shares. Dividend Shares will be subject to a three-year holding period, unless the employee leaves employment or a change of control event occurs.
The Board may pay an amount in cash or in shares to employees who held Matching Share Awards equal to the dividends that would have been paid on matching Shares during the vesting period of the Matching Share Awards.
In any period of ten years, not more than 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital may be issued (or placed under option or award to be issued) under the Plan and under any other employees' share plan adopted by the Company.
The Board may at any time amend the Plan. The prior approval of the Company in General Meeting must be obtained in the case of any amendment to the advantage of participants which is made to the provisions relating to eligibility, individual or overall limits, the basis for determining an employee's entitlement to, or the provisions affecting variations of share capital. 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 participants, the Company or any subsidiary do not require the approval of the Company in General Meeting. Any amendment to the material disadvantage of participants requires their majority consent.
Resolution 21: Under section 551 of the 2006 Act, the Directors may only allot shares or grant rights over shares if authorised to do so by shareholders. Resolution 21 will be proposed as an ordinary resolution to grant a new authority to allot (a) shares up to an aggregate nominal value of £100,738,480 and (b) equity securities up to an aggregate nominal amount (when added to any allotments under part (a) of Resolution 21) of £201,779,478 where the allotment is in connection with a fully pre-emptive rights issue. These amounts will represent a maximum of 33.3% and a maximum of 66.7% respectively of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 9 June 2015. This is in accordance with the guidance provided by The Investment Association on the Directors' authority to allot, which permits resolutions seeking authority to allot shares representing two-thirds of the Company's issued share capital provided that the extra authority (that part provided by part (b) of Resolution 21) shall only be used to allot shares pursuant to a fully pre-emptive rights issue. If granted, this authority will expire at the end of the Company's Annual General Meeting in 2016 (or, if earlier, the close of business on 30 September 2016). As at the date of the notice of this meeting, the Company held no treasury shares.
The Directors have no present intention of exercising the allotment authority sought under Resolution 21 unless if required for the allotment of ordinary shares in respect of options and awards under employee share plans. However, the Directors consider it desirable to have the flexibility to use it should opportunities arise. If the Directors do exercise the authority, the Directors intend to follow market best practice as regards its use.
Resolution 22: The Directors also require additional authority from shareholders to allot shares or grant rights over shares or sell treasury shares where they propose to do so for cash and otherwise than to existing shareholders pro rata to their holdings. Resolution 22 will be proposed as a special resolution to grant such authority. Apart from offers or invitations in proportion to the respective number of shares held, the authority will be limited to the issue of shares and sales of treasury shares for cash up to a maximum aggregate nominal value of £30,251,795 (being a maximum of 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 9 June 2015). If given, this authority will expire at the Annual General Meeting in 2016 (or, if earlier, the close of business on 30 September 2016).
This Resolution seeks authority over a maximum of 10% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital rather than 5% as in previous years, following changes to the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles in March 2015. The Company will have regard to the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles in relation to any exercise of this authority, and not allot shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis in excess of an amount equal to:
in each case other than in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the allotment.
With the exception of issues, if necessary, of further shares under the Company's executive or employee share schemes, the Directors do not have any present intention of exercising this authority, but consider it desirable to have the flexibility to use it should opportunities arise.
Resolution 23: If passed, Resolution 23 will renew the general authority for the Company to make market purchases of its own ordinary shares. The renewed authority, in respect of a maximum of 10% of the Company's issued share capital as at 9 June 2015 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document), would be exercisable with a minimum purchase price of 60p per share and a maximum price of not more than the higher of (i) 105% of the average middle market quotation for an ordinary share as derived from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for the five business days preceding the day of purchase; and (ii) an amount equal to the higher of the price of an ordinary share quoted for the last independent trade and the highest current independent bid for an ordinary share on the trading venues where the purchase is carried out. If granted, the authority would expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2016 or, if earlier, the close of business on 30 September 2016. Shares purchased under the authority would either be cancelled or held by the Company as treasury shares. The Directors have no present intention of using this power, and would only exercise the power if they were satisfied at any time that it was in the best interests of shareholders generally to do so, and that (except in the case of a purchase of own shares to be held as treasury shares to fulfil obligations under the Company's executive or employee share schemes) any purchase would be likely to result in an increase in earnings per share. The Company has no warrants outstanding and employee share trusts currently hold sufficient shares to satisfy other currently vested share plan awards.
Resolution 24: This is required to reflect section 307A of the 2006 Act, which requires a minimum notice period for General Meetings of the Company of 21 days, unless the shareholders have approved the calling of meetings (other than Annual General Meetings) on 14 days' notice at the immediately preceding Annual General Meeting or at a General Meeting held since that Annual General Meeting. As a result of the resolution which was passed at the 2014 Annual General Meeting, the Company is currently authorised to call General Meetings (other than an Annual General Meeting) on 14 clear days' notice and would like to preserve this authority. Resolution 24 seeks such approval as a special resolution. The approval will be effective until the Company's next Annual General Meeting, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed. The Company also needs to meet the requirements for electronic voting under the Shareholders' Rights Directive (which it currently does and intends to continue to do so) before it can call a General Meeting on 14 clear days' notice.
The shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of routine for General Meetings, but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting and is thought to be to the advantage of shareholders as a whole.
Babcock International Group PLC 33 Wigmore Street London W1U 1QX Tel +44(0)20 7355 5300 Fax +44 (0)20 7355 5360 www.babcockinternational.com
Building tools?
Free accounts include 100 API calls/year for testing.
Have a question? We'll get back to you promptly.