COMPANIES ACT 2006
A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
of
ENERGEAN OIL & GAS PLC
| PRELIMINARY 4 |
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SHARE CAPITAL AND LIMITED LIABILITY 6 |
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VARIATION OF RIGHTS 10 |
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SHARE CERTIFICATES 10 |
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| LIEN 12 |
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CALLS ON SHARES 12 |
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FORFEITURE AND SURRENDER 13 |
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TRANSFER OF SHARES 15 |
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TRANSMISSION OF SHARES 16 |
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ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL 17 |
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GENERAL MEETINGS 17 |
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NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS 18 |
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PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS 21 |
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VOTES OF MEMBERS 25 |
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PROXIES AND CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVES 28 |
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NUMBER OF DIRECTORS 31 |
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APPOINTMENT AND RETIREMENT OF DIRECTORS 31 |
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ALTERNATE DIRECTORS 33 |
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POWERS OF THE BOARD 34 |
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DELEGATION OF POWERS OF THE BOARD 35 |
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BORROWING POWERS 36 |
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DISQUALIFICATION AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS 36 |
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NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 38 |
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DIRECTORS' EXPENSES 38 |
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 38 |
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DIRECTORS' INTERESTS 39 |
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GRATUITIES, PENSIONS AND INSURANCE 42 |
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD 42 |
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| SECRETARY 45 |
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| EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS 46 |
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| MINUTES 46 |
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THE SEAL 46 |
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| REGISTERS 47 |
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| DIVIDENDS 47 |
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CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS AND RESERVES 52 |
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RECORD DATES 53 |
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| ACCOUNTS 54 |
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| COMMUNICATIONS 54 |
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DESTRUCTION OF DOCUMENTS 58 |
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UNTRACED SHAREHOLDERS 59 |
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WINDING UP 60 |
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| INDEMNITY 60 |
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PRELIMINARY
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Neither the regulations in The Companies (Model Articles) Regulations 2008, nor any other articles or regulations prescribing forms of articles applicable to the Company under any former enactment relating to companies shall apply to the Company.
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In these Articles, except where the subject or context otherwise requires:
| "Act" |
means the Companies Act 2006 including any modification or re enactment of it for the time being in force; |
| "Articles" |
means these articles of association as altered from time to time by special resolution; |
| "auditors" |
means the auditors from time to time of the Company; |
| "the board" |
means the directors from time to time of the Company or any of them acting as the board of directors of the Company; |
| "certificated share" |
means a share in the capital of the Company that is not an uncertificated share and references in these Articles to a share being held in certificated form shall be construed accordingly; |
| "clear days" |
in relation to the sending of a notice means the period excluding the day on which a notice is given or deemed to be given and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect; |
| "Company" |
means Energean Oil & Gas PLC; |
| "director" |
means a director of the Company; |
| "dividend" |
means dividend or bonus; |
"entitled by transmission" |
means, in relation to a share in the capital of the Company, entitled as a consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder or otherwise by operation of law; |
| "holder" |
in relation to a share in the capital of the Company means the member whose name is entered in the register as the holder of that share; |
| "member" |
means a member of the Company; |
| "office" |
means the registered office of the Company; |
| "paid" |
means paid or credited as paid; |
| "recognised person" |
means a recognised clearing house or a nominee of a recognised clearing house or of a recognised investment exchange, each of which terms has the meaning given to it by section 778 of the Act; |
| "register" |
means either or both of the issuer register of members and the Operator register of members of the Company; |
| "Regulations" |
means the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 including any modification or re-enactment of them for the time being in force; |
| "seal" |
means the common seal of the Company and includes any official seal kept by the Company by virtue of section 49 or 50 of the Act; |
| "secretary" |
means the secretary of the Company and includes a joint, assistant, deputy or temporary secretary and any other person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary; |
"uncertificated share" |
means (subject to Regulation 42(11)(a) of the Regulations) a share in the capital of the Company title to which is recorded on the Operator register of members of the Company and which may, by virtue of the Regulations, be transferred by means of a relevant system and references in these Articles to a share being held in uncertificated form shall be construed accordingly; |
| "United Kingdom" |
means Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and |
| "UKLA" |
means the United Kingdom Listing Authority, being the Financial Conduct Authority when performing its functions under Part VI of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (including any modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force). |
- Where, in relation to a share, these Articles refer to a "relevant system", the reference is to the relevant computer based system and procedures in which that share is a participating security at the relevant time.
References to a document or information being "sent, supplied or given" to or by a person mean such document or information, or a copy of such document or information, being sent, supplied, given, delivered, issued or made available to or by, or served on or by, or deposited with or by that person by any method authorised by these Articles, and "sending", "supplying" and "giving" shall be construed accordingly.
References to "writing" mean the representation or reproduction of words, symbols or other information in a visible form by any method or combination of methods, whether in electronic form or otherwise, and "written" shall be construed accordingly.
Words denoting the singular number include the plural number and vice versa; words denoting the masculine gender include the feminine gender; and words denoting persons include corporations.
Words or expressions contained in these Articles which are not defined in Article 2 but are defined in the Act have the same meaning as in the Act (but excluding any modification of the Act not in force at the date these Articles took effect) unless inconsistent with the subject or context.
Words or expressions contained in these Articles which are not defined in Article 2 but are defined in the Regulations have the same meaning as in the Regulations (but excluding any modification of the Regulations not in force at the date of adoption of these Articles) unless inconsistent with the subject or context.
Subject to the preceding two paragraphs, references to any provision of any enactment or of any subordinate legislation (as defined by section 21(1) of the Interpretation Act 1978) include any modification or re-enactment of that provision for the time being in force.
Headings and marginal notes are inserted for convenience only and do not affect the construction of these Articles.
In these Articles, (a) powers of delegation shall not be restrictively construed but the widest interpretation shall be given to them; (b) the word "board" in the context of the exercise of any power contained in these Articles includes any committee consisting of one or more directors, any director, any other officer of the Company and any local or divisional board, manager or agent of the Company to which or, as the case may be, to whom the power in question has been delegated; (c) no power of delegation shall be limited by the existence or, except where expressly provided by the terms of delegation, the exercise of that or any other power of delegation; and (d) except where expressly provided by the terms of delegation, the delegation of a power shall not exclude the concurrent exercise of that power by any other body or person who is for the time being authorised to exercise it under these Articles or under another delegation of the power.
SHARE CAPITAL AND LIMITED LIABILITY
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- The liability of each member is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares held by that member.
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- Subject to the provisions of the Act and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing shares or class of shares, any share may be issued with such rights or restrictions as the Company may by ordinary resolution determine or, subject to and in default of such determination, as the board shall determine.
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- The board may issue share warrants to bearer in respect of any fully paid shares under a seal of the Company or in any other manner authorised by the board. Any share while represented by such a warrant shall be transferable by delivery of the warrant relating to it. In any case in which a warrant is so issued, the board may provide for the payment of dividends or other moneys on the shares represented by the warrant by coupons or otherwise. The board may decide, either generally or in any particular case or cases, that any signature on a warrant may be applied by electronic or mechanical means or printed on it or that the warrant need not be signed by any person.
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- The board may determine, and from time to time vary, the conditions on which share warrants to bearer shall be issued and, in particular, the conditions on which:
- (a) a new warrant or coupon shall be issued in place of one worn-out, defaced, lost or destroyed (but no new warrant shall be issued unless the Company is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the original has been destroyed); or
- (b) the bearer shall be entitled to attend and vote at general meetings; or
- (c) a warrant may be surrendered and the name of the bearer entered in the register in respect of the shares specified in the warrant.
The bearer of such a warrant shall be subject to the conditions for the time being in force in relation to the warrant, whether made before or after the issue of the warrant. Subject to those conditions and to the provisions of the Act, the bearer shall be deemed to be a member of the Company and shall have the same rights and privileges as he would have if his name had been included in the register as the holder of the shares comprised in the warrant.
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- The Company shall not be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise any right in respect of the share represented by a share warrant other than the bearer's absolute right to the warrant.
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- Subject to the provisions of the Regulations, the board may permit the holding of shares in any class of shares in uncertificated form and the transfer of title to shares in that class by means of a relevant system and may determine that any class of shares shall cease to be a participating security.
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- Shares in the capital of the Company that fall within a certain class shall not form a separate class of shares from other shares in that class because any share in that class:
- (a) is held in uncertificated form; or
- (b) is permitted in accordance with the Regulations to become a participating security.
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- Where any class of shares is a participating security and the Company is entitled under any provision of the Act, the Regulations or these Articles to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, forfeit, re-allot, accept the surrender of, or otherwise enforce a lien over, a share held in uncertificated form (but the relevant power of the Company is expressed in terms which assume the use of a certificate or other written instrument), the Company shall be entitled, subject to the provisions of the Act, the Regulations, these Articles and the facilities and requirements of the relevant system:
- (a) to require the holder of that uncertificated share by notice to change that share into certificated form within the period specified in the notice and to hold that share in certificated form so long as required by the Company;
- (b) to require the holder of that uncertificated share by notice to give any instructions necessary to transfer title to that share by means of the relevant system within the period specified in the notice;
- (c) to require the holder of that uncertificated share by notice to appoint any person to take any step, including without limitation the giving of any instructions by means of the relevant system, necessary to transfer that share within the period specified in the notice;
- (d) to require the Operator to convert that uncertificated share into certificated form; and
(e) to take any action that the board considers appropriate to achieve the sale, transfer, disposal, forfeiture, re-allotment or surrender of that share, or otherwise to enforce a lien in respect of that share.
The directors shall have power to take such steps as they think fit in relation to the evidencing of and transfer of title to uncertificated shares (including in connection with the issue of such shares), any records relating to the holding of uncertificated shares, the conversion of certificated shares into uncertificated shares, or the conversion of uncertificated shares into certificated shares. The Company may by notice to the holder of a share require that share, if it is uncertificated, to be converted into certificated form; and if it is certificated, to be converted into uncertificated form, in each case to enable it to be dealt with in accordance with the Articles.
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- The board has general and unconditional authority to exercise all the powers of the Company to allot shares in the Company or to grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to the section 551 amount, for each prescribed period.
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- Pursuant to section 570 of the Act, the board is empowered for each prescribed period to allot equity securities (or sell transferring shares) for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by Article 12 as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment, provided that its power shall be limited in the following manner:
- (a) where an allotment referred to in this Article to which section 561 of the Act would otherwise apply is in connection with a pre-emptive offer, the board is authorised to allot those equity securities during the prescribed period up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to the section 551 amount; and
- (b) where an allotment referred to in this Article to which section 561 of the Act would otherwise apply is not in connection with a pre-emptive offer, the board is authorised to allot or sell those equity securities during the prescribed period up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to the section 561 amount.
This Article applies in relation to a sale of shares which is an allotment of equity securities by virtue of section 560(3) of the Act as if in this Article the words "pursuant to the authority conferred by Article 12" were omitted.
"pre-emptive offer" means an offer of equity securities to ordinary shareholders or an invitation to ordinary shareholders to apply to subscribe for equity securities and, if in accordance with their rights the board so determines, holders of other equity securities of any class (whether by way of rights issue, open offer or otherwise) where the equity securities respectively attributable to the interests of ordinary shareholders or holders of other equity securities, if applicable are proportionate (as nearly as practicable) to the respective number of ordinary shares or other equity securities, as the case may be, held by them, but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the board may deem necessary or expedient in relation to fractional entitlements or any legal, regulatory or practical problems under the laws or regulations of any territory or the requirements of any regulatory body or stock exchange;
"prescribed period" means any period for which the authority conferred by Article 13(a) is given by ordinary or special resolution stating the section 551 amount and/or the power conferred by Article 13(b) is given by special resolution stating the section 561 amount;
"section 551 amount" means, for any prescribed period, the amount stated as such in the most recent ordinary or special resolution applicable to that prescribed period; and
"section 561 amount" means, for any prescribed period, the amount stated as such in the most recent special resolution applicable to that prescribed period.
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- Subject to the provisions of the Act relating to authority, pre-emption rights or otherwise and of any resolution of the Company in general meeting passed pursuant to those provisions, and, in the case of redeemable shares, the provisions of Article 18:
- (a) all shares for the time being in the capital of the Company shall be at the disposal of the board; and
- (b) the board may reclassify, allot (with or without conferring a right of renunciation), grant options over, or otherwise dispose of them to such persons on such terms and conditions and at such times as it thinks fit.
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- Subject to the provisions of the Act, and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing shares or class of shares, shares may be issued which are to be redeemed or are to be liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the holder. The board may determine the terms, conditions and manner of redemption of shares provided that it does so before the shares are allotted.
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- The Company may exercise all powers of paying commissions or brokerage conferred or permitted by the Act and the Regulations. Subject to the provisions of the Act and the Regulations, any such commission or brokerage may be satisfied by the payment of cash or by the allotment of fully or partly paid shares or other securities or the grant of an option to call for an allotment of shares or any combination of such methods.
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- Except as otherwise expressly provided by these Articles, required by law or as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, the Company shall recognise no person as holding any share on any trust and (except as otherwise provided by these Articles or by law) the
Company shall not be bound by or recognise any interest in any share (or in any fractional part of a share) except the holder's absolute right to the entirety of the share (or fractional part of the share).
VARIATION OF RIGHTS
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- Subject to the provisions of the Act, if at any time the capital of the Company is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class may (unless otherwise provided by the terms of allotment of the shares of that class) be varied or abrogated, whether or not the Company is being wound up, either:
- (a) with the written consent of the holders of three-quarters in nominal value of the issued shares of the class (excluding any shares of that class held as treasury shares), which consent shall be in hard copy form or in electronic form sent to such address (if any) for the time being specified by or on behalf of the Company for that purpose, or in default of such specification to the office, and may consist of several documents, each executed or authenticated in such manner as the board may approve by or on behalf of one or more holders, or a combination of both; or
- (b) with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of the class,
but not otherwise.
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- For the purposes of Article 21, if at any time the capital of the Company is divided into different classes of shares, unless otherwise expressly provided by the rights attached to any share or class of shares, those rights shall be deemed to be varied by:
- (a) the reduction of the capital paid up on that share or class of shares otherwise than by a purchase or redemption by the Company of its own shares; and
- (b) the allotment of another share ranking in priority for payment of a dividend or in respect of capital or which confers on its holder voting rights more favourable than those conferred by that share or class of shares,
but shall not be deemed to be varied by:
- (c) the creation or issue of another share ranking equally with, or subsequent to, that share or class of shares or by the purchase or redemption by the Company of its own shares; or
- (d) the Company permitting, in accordance with the Regulations, the holding of and transfer of title to shares of that or any other class in uncertificated form by means of a relevant system.
SHARE CERTIFICATES
- Every member whose name is entered on the Register as the holder of any certificated share (except a recognised person in respect of whom the Company is not required by law to complete and have ready for delivery a certificate) shall be entitled, without payment, to
receive within the time limits prescribed by the Act (unless the terms of issue prescribe otherwise) one certificate for all the certificated shares of each class held by him (and, on transferring a part of his holding of certificated shares of any class, to a certificate for the nominal value of his remaining holding of certificated shares). He may elect to receive one or more additional certificates for any of his certificated shares if he pays a reasonable sum determined from time to time by the board for every certificate after the first. Every certificate shall:
- (a) be executed under the seal or otherwise in accordance with Article 191 or in such other manner as the board may approve; and
- (b) specify the number, class and distinguishing numbers (if any) of the shares to which it relates and the amount or respective amounts paid up on the shares.
The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for certificated shares held jointly by more than one person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them. Shares of different classes may not be included in the same certificate.
24.
- (a) If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be replaced on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and payment of any exceptional out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence and preparing the requisite form of indemnity as the board may determine but otherwise free of charge, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) on delivery up of the old certificate.
- (b) If a member's holding of shares of a particular class increases, the Company must issue that member with either:
- (i) a consolidated certificate in respect of all of the shares of that class held by that member; or
- (ii) a separate certificate in respect of only the number of shares of that class by which that member's holding has increased.
- (c) If some only of the shares comprised in a share certificate are transferred, or the member's holding of those shares is otherwise reduced, the Company shall issue a new certificate for the balance of such shares to the extent that the balance is to be held in certificated form.
- (d) Any two or more certificates representing shares of any one class held by any member may at his request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such shares issued in lieu.
- (e) No new certificate will be issued pursuant to this Article 24 unless the relevant member has:
- (i) first delivered any old certificate or certificates that represent any of the same shares to the Company for cancellation; or
- (ii) complied with such conditions as to evidence and indemnity as the directors may think fit and paid such reasonable fee as the directors may decide.
- (f) Every share certificate sent in accordance with these Articles will be sent at the risk of the member or other person entitled to the certificate. The Company will not be responsible for any share certificate lost or delayed in the course of delivery.
LIEN
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- The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on every share that is not being a fully paid share for all moneys payable to the Company (whether presently or not) in respect of that share. The board may at any time (generally or in a particular case) waive any lien or declare any share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company's lien on a share shall take priority over the rights of any third party and extend to any amount (including without limitation dividends) payable by the Company in respect of it.
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- The Company may sell, in such manner as the board determines, any share on which the Company has a lien if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable and is not paid within 14 clear days after notice has been sent to the holder of the share, or to the person entitled to it by transmission, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the share may be sold.
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- To give effect to that sale the board may, if the share is a certificated share, authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer in respect of the share sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the buyer. If the share is an uncertificated share, the board may exercise any of the Company's powers under Article 11 to effect the sale of the share to, or in accordance with the directions of, the buyer. The buyer shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money and his title to the share shall not be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings in relation to the sale.
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- The net proceeds of the sale, after payment of the costs, shall be applied in or towards payment or satisfaction of so much of the sum in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable. Any residual amount shall (if the share sold is a certificated share, on surrender to the Company for cancellation of the certificate in respect of the share sold (or an indemnity in a form reasonably satisfactory to the directors has been given for any lost certificates) and, whether the share sold is a certificated or uncertificated share, subject to a like lien for any moneys not presently payable as existed on the share before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the share at the date of the sale.
CALLS ON SHARES
- Subject to the terms of allotment, the board may from time to time make calls on the members in respect of any moneys unpaid on their shares (whether in respect of nominal value or premium) and not payable on a date fixed by or in accordance with the terms of issue. Each member shall (subject to receiving at least 14 clear days' notice specifying when and where payment is to be made) pay to the Company the amount called on his shares as required by the notice. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A call may be revoked in whole or part and the time fixed for payment of a call may be postponed in whole or part as the board may determine. A person on whom a call is made shall remain
liable for calls made on him even if the shares in respect of which the call was made are subsequently transferred.
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- A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the board authorising the call was passed.
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- The joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of it.
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- If a call or any instalment of a call remains unpaid in whole or in part after it has become due and payable the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid. Interest shall be paid at the rate fixed by the terms of allotment of the share or in the notice of the call or, if no rate is fixed, the rate determined by the board, not exceeding 15 per cent. per annum, or, if higher, the appropriate rate (as defined in the Act), but the board may in respect of any individual member waive payment of such interest wholly or in part.
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- An amount payable in respect of a share on allotment or at any fixed date, whether in respect of nominal value or premium or as an instalment of a call, shall be deemed to be a call duly made and notified and payable on the date so fixed or in accordance with the terms of the allotment. If it is not paid the provisions of these Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.
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- Subject to the terms of allotment, the board may make arrangements on the issue of shares for a difference between the allottees or holders in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their shares.
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- The board may, if it thinks fit, receive from any member all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid on any share held by him. Such payment in advance of calls shall extinguish the liability on the share in respect of which it is made to the extent of the payment. The Company may pay on all or any of the moneys so advanced (until they would but for such advance become presently payable) interest at such rate agreed between the board and the member not exceeding (unless the Company by ordinary resolution otherwise directs) 15 per cent. per annum or, if higher, the appropriate rate (as defined in the Act).
FORFEITURE AND SURRENDER
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- If a call or any instalment of a call remains unpaid in whole or in part after it has become due and payable, the board may give the person from whom it is due not less than 14 clear days' notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued and any costs, charges and expenses incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment. The notice shall name the place where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.
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- If that notice is not complied with, any share in respect of which it was sent may, at any time before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the board. The forfeiture shall include all dividends or other moneys payable in respect of the forfeited share which have not been paid before the forfeiture. When a share has
been forfeited, notice of the forfeiture shall be sent to the person who was the holder of the share or the person entitled to such share by transmission (as the case may be) before the forfeiture. Where the forfeited share is held in certificated form, an entry shall be made promptly in the register opposite the entry of the share showing that notice has been sent, that the share has been forfeited and the date of forfeiture. No forfeiture shall be invalidated by the omission or neglect to send that notice or to make those entries.
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- Subject to the provisions of the Act, a forfeited share shall be deemed to belong to the Company and may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the board determines, either to the person who was the holder before the forfeiture or to any other person. At any time before sale, re-allotment or other disposal, the forfeiture may be cancelled on the terms that payment shall be made of all calls and interest due on it and all expenses incurred in respect of the share and on such further terms as the board thinks fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited share held in certificated form is to be transferred to any person, the board may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the share to that person. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited share held in uncertificated form is to be transferred to any person, the board may exercise any of the Company's powers under Article 11. The Company may receive the consideration given for the share on its disposal and may register the transferee as holder of the share.
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- A person shall cease to be a member in respect of any share which has been forfeited and shall, if the share is a certificated share, surrender the certificate for any forfeited share to the Company for cancellation. The person shall remain liable to the Company for all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of that share with interest on that amount at the rate at which interest was payable on those moneys before the forfeiture or, if no interest was so payable, at the rate determined by the board, not exceeding 15 per cent. per annum or, if higher, the appropriate rate (as defined in the Act), from the date of forfeiture until payment. The board may waive payment wholly or in part or enforce payment without any allowance for the value of the share at the time of forfeiture or for any consideration received on its disposal.
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- The board may accept the surrender of any share which it is in a position to forfeit on such terms and conditions as may be agreed. Subject to those terms and conditions, a surrendered share shall be treated as if it had been forfeited.
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- The forfeiture of a share shall involve the extinction at the time of forfeiture of all interest in and all claims and demands against the Company in respect of the share and all other rights and liabilities incidental to the share as between the person whose share is forfeited and the Company, except only those rights and liabilities expressly saved by these Articles, or as are given or imposed in the case of past members by the Act.
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- A statutory declaration by a director or the secretary that a share has been duly forfeited or surrendered on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share. The declaration shall (subject if necessary to the execution of an instrument of transfer or transfer by means of the relevant system, as the case may be) constitute a good title to the share. The person to whom the share is disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, and his title to the share shall not be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of,
the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, surrender, sale, re-allotment or disposal of the share.
TRANSFER OF SHARES
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- Without prejudice to any power of the Company to register as shareholder a person to whom the right to any share has been transmitted by operation of law, the instrument of transfer of a certificated share may be in any usual form or in any other form which the board may approve. An instrument of transfer shall be signed by or on behalf of the transferor and, unless the share is fully paid, by or on behalf of the transferee. An instrument of transfer need not be under seal. The transferor shall remain the holder of the shares concerned until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of those shares.
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- All transfers which are in uncertificated form shall be effected by means of the relevant system unless the Regulations provide otherwise No provisions of these Articles shall apply in respect of an uncertificated share to the extent that it requires or contemplates the effecting of a transfer by an instrument in writing or the production of a certificate for the share to be transferred.
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- The board may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to register the transfer of a certificated share (or renunciation of a renounceable letter of allotment) which is not fully paid, provided that the refusal does not prevent dealings in shares in the Company from taking place on an open and proper basis. The board may also refuse to register the transfer of a certificated share unless the instrument of transfer:
- (a) is lodged, duly stamped (if stampable), at the office or at another place appointed by the board accompanied by the certificate for the share to which it relates and such other evidence as the board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;
- (b) is in respect of only one class of shares; and
- (c) is in favour of not more than four transferees.
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- In the case of a transfer of a certificated share by a recognised person, the lodging of a share certificate will only be necessary if and to the extent that a certificate has been issued in respect of the share in question.
-
- If the board refuses to register a transfer of a share in certificated form, it shall send the transferee notice of its refusal within two months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged with the Company.
-
- The board may refuse to register a transfer of uncertificated shares in any circumstances allowed or required by the Regulations.
-
- No fee shall be charged for the registration of any instrument of transfer or other document relating to or affecting the title to a share or for making any other entry in the Register.
-
- The Company shall be entitled to retain an instrument of transfer which is registered, but an instrument of transfer which the board refuses to register shall be returned to the person lodging it when notice of the refusal is sent (except if there is suspected or actual fraud).
-
- If a notice is given to a member in respect of a share, which is subsequently transferred, a person entitled to that share is bound by the notice if it was given to the member before the person entitled to that share was entered into the Register as the holder of that share.
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
-
- If a member dies, the survivor or survivors where he was a joint holder, and his executors or administrators where he was a sole holder or the only survivor of joint holders, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his interest. Nothing in these Articles shall release the estate of a deceased member (whether a sole or joint holder) from any liability in respect of any share held by him.
-
- A person becoming entitled by transmission to a share may, on production of any evidence as to his entitlement properly required by the board, elect either to become the holder of the share or to have another person nominated by him registered as the transferee. If he elects to become the holder he shall send notice to the Company to that effect. If he elects to have another person registered and the share is a certificated share, he shall execute an instrument of transfer of the share to that person. If he elects to have himself or another person registered and the share is an uncertificated share, he shall take any action the board may require (including without limitation the execution of any document and the giving of any instruction by means of a relevant system) to enable himself or that person to be registered as the holder of the share. All the provisions of these Articles relating to the transfer of shares apply to that notice or instrument of transfer as if it were an instrument of transfer executed by the member and the death or bankruptcy of the member or other event giving rise to the transmission had not occurred. Where the entitlement of a person to a share because of the death or bankruptcy of a member or otherwise by operation of law is proved to the satisfaction of the board, the board shall within 28 days after proof cause the entitlement of that person to be noted in the Register.
-
- The board may at any time send a notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the share. If the notice is not complied with within 60 days, the board may after the expiry of that period withhold payment of all dividends or other moneys payable in respect of the share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.
-
- A person becoming entitled by transmission to a share shall, on production of any evidence as to his entitlement properly required by the board and subject to the requirements of Article 53, have the same rights in relation to the share as he would have had if he were the holder of the share, subject to Article 201. That person may give a discharge for all dividends and other moneys payable in respect of the share, but he shall not, before being registered as the holder of the share, be entitled in respect of the share to receive notice of, or to attend or vote at, any meeting of the Company or to receive notice of, or to attend or vote at, any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company.
ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL
-
- The Company may increase its share capital in accordance with section 617 of the Act.
-
- The Company may reduce its share capital by special resolution confirmed by the court in accordance with Chapter 10 of Part 17 of the Act.
-
- All shares created by increase of the Company's share capital, by consolidation, division or sub-division of its share capital or the conversion of stock into paid-up shares shall be subject to all the provisions of these Articles, including without limitation provisions relating to payment of calls, lien, forfeiture, transfer and transmission.
-
- Any resolution authorising the Company to sub-divide its shares or any of them may determine that, as between the shares resulting from the sub-division, any of them may have any preference or advantage or be subject to any restrictions as compared with others.
-
- Whenever any fractions arise as a result of a consolidation or sub-division of shares, the board may on behalf of the members deal with the fractions as it thinks fit. In particular, without limitation, the board may sell shares representing fractions, for the best price reasonably obtainable, to which any members would otherwise become entitled to any person (including, subject to the provisions of the Act, the Company) and distribute the net proceeds of sale in due proportion among those members. Where the shares to be sold are held in certificated form the board may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the buyer. Where the shares to be sold are held in uncertificated form, the board may do all acts and things it considers necessary or expedient to effect the transfer of the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the buyer. The buyer shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase moneys and his title to the shares shall not be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of, the proceedings in relation to the sale.
GENERAL MEETINGS
-
- The board shall convene and the Company shall hold general meetings as annual general meetings in accordance with the requirements of the Act.
-
- All provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to every separate general meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, except that:
- (a) the necessary quorum shall be two persons entitled to vote upon the business to be transacted, each being a member or a proxy for a member or a duly authorised representative of a corporation which is a member (including for this purpose two persons who are proxies or corporate representatives of the same member);
- (b) any holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll; and
- (c) each holder of shares of the class shall, on a poll, have one vote in respect of every share of the class held by him.
For the purposes of this Article, where a person is present by proxy or proxies, he is treated only as holding the shares in respect of which those proxies are authorised to exercise voting rights.
- The board may call general meetings whenever and at such times and places as it shall determine. On the requisition of members pursuant to the provisions of the Act, the board shall promptly convene a general meeting in accordance with the requirements of the Act. If there are insufficient directors in the United Kingdom to call a general meeting any director of the Company may call a general meeting, but where no director is willing or able to do so, any two members of the Company may summon a meeting for the purpose of appointing one or more directors.
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
-
- An annual general meeting shall be called by at least 21 clear days' notice. Subject to the provisions of the Act, all other general meetings may be called by at least 14 clear days' notice.
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, to the provisions of these Articles and to any restrictions imposed on any shares, the notice shall be sent to every member entered on the Register (other than those who are not entitled to receive such notices from the Company) at the close of business on a day decided by the Board, such day being no more than 7 days before the day on which the notice is to be sent, and every director. The Company may give such notice by any means or combination of means permitted by the Act. The auditors are entitled to receive all notices of, and other communications relating to, any general meeting which any member is entitled to receive.
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, the notice shall specify the time, date and place of the meeting (including without limitation any satellite meeting place arranged for the purposes of Article 69, which shall be identified as such in the notice) and the general nature of the business to be dealt with. There shall appear with reasonable prominence in any such notice a statement that a member entitled to attend and vote is entitled to a proxy or (if he has more than one share) proxies to exercise all or any of his rights to attend, speak and vote and that a proxy need not be a member of the Company. Such notice shall also include the address of the website on which the information required by the Act is published, state the procedures with which members must comply in order to be able to attend and vote at the meeting (including the date by which they must comply), provide details of any forms to be used for the appointment of a proxy and state that a member has the right to ask questions at the meeting in accordance with the Act. For the purposes of determining which persons are entitled to attend or vote at a meeting, and how many votes such persons may cast, the Company must specify in the notice of the meeting a time, not more than 48 hours before the time fixed for the meeting (not taking into account non-working days), by which a person must be entered on the Register in order to have the right to attend or vote at the meeting or appoint a proxy to do so.
-
- In the case of an annual general meeting, the notice shall specify the meeting as such. In the case of a meeting to pass a special resolution, the notice shall specify the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution.
-
- The notice shall include details of any arrangements made for the purpose of Article 71 (making clear that participation in those arrangements will not amount to attendance at the meeting to which the notice relates).
-
- The board may resolve to enable persons entitled to attend a general meeting to do so by simultaneous attendance and participation at a satellite meeting place anywhere in the world. The members present in person or by proxy at satellite meeting places shall be counted in the quorum for, and entitled to vote at, the general meeting in question, and that meeting shall be duly constituted and its proceedings valid if the chairman of the general meeting is satisfied that adequate facilities are available throughout the general meeting to ensure that members attending at all the meeting places are able to:
- (a) participate in the business for which the meeting has been convened;
- (b) hear and see all persons who speak (whether by the use of microphones, loudspeakers, audio-visual communications equipment or otherwise) in the principal meeting place and any satellite meeting place; and
- (c) be heard and seen by all other persons so present in the same way.
The chairman of the general meeting shall be present at, and the meeting shall be deemed to take place at, the principal meeting place. A person (a "satellite chairman") appointed by the directors shall preside at each satellite meeting. Every satellite chairman shall carry out all requests made of him by the chairman of the general meeting, may take such action as he thinks necessary to maintain the proper and orderly conduct of the satellite meeting and shall have all powers necessary or desirable for such purposes.
-
- If it appears to the chairman of the general meeting that the facilities at the principal meeting place or any satellite meeting place have become inadequate for the purposes referred to in Article 69, then the chairman may, without the consent of the meeting, interrupt or adjourn the general meeting. All business conducted at that general meeting up to the time of that adjournment shall be valid. The provisions of Article 83 shall apply to that adjournment.
-
- The board may make arrangements for persons entitled to attend a general meeting or an adjourned general meeting to be able to view and hear the proceedings of the general meeting or adjourned general meeting and to speak at the meeting (whether by the use of microphones, loudspeakers, audio-visual communications equipment or otherwise) by attending at a venue anywhere in the world not being a satellite meeting place. Those attending at any such venue shall not be regarded as present at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting and shall not be entitled to vote at the meeting at or from that venue. The inability for any reason of any member present in person or by proxy at such a venue to view or hear all or any of the proceedings of the meeting or to speak at the meeting shall not in any way affect the validity of the proceedings of the meeting.
-
- The board may from time to time make any arrangements for controlling the level of attendance to ensure the safety of persons attending the meeting at any venue for which arrangements have been made pursuant to Article 71 (including without limitation the issue of tickets or the imposition of some other means of selection) it in its absolute discretion considers appropriate, and may from time to time change those arrangements. If a member,
pursuant to those arrangements, is not entitled to attend in person or by proxy at the principal meeting place, he shall be entitled to attend in person or by proxy at any other venue for which arrangements have been made pursuant to Article 71. The entitlement of any member to be present at such venue in person or by proxy shall be subject to any such arrangement then in force and stated by the notice of meeting or adjourned meeting to apply to the meeting.
-
- If, after the sending of notice of a general meeting but before the meeting is held, or after the adjournment of a general meeting but before the adjourned meeting is held (whether or not notice of the adjourned meeting is required), the board decides that it is impracticable or unreasonable, for a reason beyond its control, to hold the meeting at the declared place (or any of the declared places, in the case of a meeting to which Article 69 applies) and/or time, it may change the place (or any of the places, in the case of a meeting to which Article 69 applies) and/or postpone the time at which the meeting is to be held. If such a decision is made, the board may then change the place (or any of the places, in the case of a meeting to which Article 69 applies) and/or postpone the time again if it decides that it is reasonable to do so. In either case:
- (a) no new notice of the meeting need be sent, but the board shall, if practicable, advertise the date, time and place of the meeting in at least two newspapers having a national circulation and shall make arrangements for notices of the change of place and/or postponement to appear at the original place and/or at the original time; and
- (b) a proxy appointment in relation to the meeting may, if by means of a document in hard copy form, be delivered to the office or to such other place within the United Kingdom as may be specified by or on behalf of the Company in accordance with Article 113(a) or, if in electronic form, be received at the address (if any) specified by or on behalf of the Company in accordance with Article 113(b), at any time not less than 48 hours before the postponed time appointed for holding the meeting provided that the board may specify, in any case, that in calculating the period of 48 hours, no account shall be taken of any part of a day that is not a working day.
-
- For the purposes of Articles 69, 70, 71, 72 and 73, the right of a member to participate in the business of any general meeting shall include without limitation the right to speak, vote on a show of hands, vote on a poll, be represented by a proxy and have access to all documents which are required by the Act or these Articles to be made available at the meeting.
-
- The accidental omission to send a notice of a meeting or resolution, or to send any notification where required by the Act or these Articles in relation to the publication of a notice of meeting on a website, or to send a form of proxy where required by the Act or these Articles, to any person entitled to receive it, or the non-receipt for any reason of any such notice, resolution or notification or form of proxy by that person, whether or not the Company is aware of such omission or non-receipt, shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting.
-
- The board and, at any general meeting, the chairman may make any arrangement and impose any requirement or restriction it or he considers appropriate to ensure the security of a general meeting including, without limitation, requirements for evidence of identity to
be produced by those attending the meeting, the searching of their personal property and the restriction of items that may be taken into the meeting place.
-
- The board and, at any general meeting, the chairman are entitled to:
- (a) refuse entry to a person who refuses to comply with these arrangements, requirements or restrictions; and
- (b) eject from a meeting any person who causes the proceedings to become disorderly.
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
-
- No business shall be dealt with at any general meeting unless a quorum is present, but the absence of a quorum shall not preclude the choice or appointment of a chairman, which shall not be treated as part of the business of the meeting. Save as otherwise provided by these Articles, two qualifying persons present at a meeting and entitled to vote on the business to be dealt with are a quorum, unless:
- (a) each is a qualifying person only because he is authorised under the Act to act as a representative of a corporation in relation to the meeting, and they are representatives of the same corporation; or
- (b) each is a qualifying person only because he is appointed as proxy of a member in relation to the meeting, and they are proxies of the same member.
For the purposes of this Article a "qualifying person" means (i) an individual who is a member of the Company, (ii) a person authorised under the Act to act as a representative of the corporation in relation to the meeting, or (iii) a person appointed as proxy of a member in relation to the meeting.
-
- If such a quorum is not present within five minutes (or such longer time not exceeding 30 minutes as the chairman of the meeting may decide to wait) from the time appointed for the meeting, or if during a meeting such a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened on the requisition of members, shall be dissolved, and in any other case shall stand adjourned to such time and place as the chairman of the meeting (or, in default, the board) may, subject to the provisions of the Act, determine. The adjourned meeting shall be dissolved if a quorum is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting. At such adjourned meeting, one person entitled to vote on the business to be transacted, being a member or a proxy for a member or a duly authorised representative of a corporation which is a member, shall be a quorum and any notice of an adjourned meeting shall state this.
-
- The chairman, if any, of the board or, in his absence, any deputy chairman of the Company or, in his absence, some other director nominated by the board, shall preside as chairman of the meeting. If neither the chairman, deputy chairman nor such other director (if any) is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is not willing to act as chairman, the directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman. If there is only one director present and willing to act, he shall be chairman. If no director is willing to act as chairman, or if no director is present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the members present in person or by proxy
and entitled to vote shall choose a member or a proxy of a member or a person authorised to act as a representative of a corporation in relation to the meeting to be chairman. Nothing in these Articles shall restrict or exclude any of the powers or rights of a chairman of a meeting which are given by law.
-
- A director shall, notwithstanding that he is not a member, be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting and at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company.
-
- The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time to time (or indefinitely) and from place to place. No business shall be dealt with at an adjourned meeting other than business which might properly have been dealt with at the meeting had the adjournment not taken place. The chairman of a general meeting at which a quorum is present must adjourn the meeting if requested to do so by the meeting. In addition (and without prejudice to the chairman's power to adjourn a meeting conferred by Article 70), the chairman may adjourn the meeting to another time and place or for an indefinite period without such consent if it appears to him that:
- (a) it is likely to be impracticable to hold or continue that meeting because of the number of members wishing to attend who are not present; or
- (b) the unruly conduct of persons attending the meeting prevents or is likely to prevent the orderly continuation of the business of the meeting; or
- (c) an adjournment is otherwise necessary so that the business of the meeting may be properly conducted.
-
- Any such adjournment may, subject to the provisions of the Act, be for such time and to such other place (or, in the case of a meeting held at a principal meeting place and a satellite meeting place, such other places) as the chairman may, in his absolute discretion determine, notwithstanding that by reason of such adjournment some members may be unable to be present at the adjourned meeting. Where a meeting is adjourned without specifying a new time and place, the time and place for the adjourned meeting shall be fixed by the directors. Any such member may nevertheless appoint a proxy for the adjourned meeting either in accordance with Article 113 or by means of a document in hard copy form which, if delivered at the meeting which is adjourned to the chairman or the secretary or any director, shall be valid even though it is given at less notice than would otherwise be required by Article 113(a). When a meeting is adjourned for 30 days or more or for an indefinite period, notice shall be sent at least seven clear days before the date of the adjourned meeting specifying the time and place (or places, in the case of a meeting to which Article 69 applies) of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to send any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be dealt with at an adjourned meeting.
-
- If an amendment is proposed to any resolution under consideration but is in good faith ruled out of order by the chairman, the proceedings on the substantive resolution shall not be invalidated by any error in such ruling. With the consent of the chairman, an amendment may be withdrawn by its proposer before it is voted on. No amendment to a resolution duly proposed as a special resolution may be considered or voted on (other than a mere
clerical amendment to correct a patent error). No amendment to a resolution duly proposed as an ordinary resolution may be considered or voted on (other than a mere clerical amendment to correct a patent error) unless either:
- (a) at least 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the ordinary resolution is to be considered (which, if the board so specifies, shall be calculated taking no account of any part of a day that is not a working day), notice of the terms of the amendment and the intention to move it has been delivered in hard copy form to the office or to such other place as may be specified by or on behalf of the Company for that purpose, or received in electronic form at such address (if any) for the time being specified by or on behalf of the Company for that purpose, or
- (b) the chairman in his absolute discretion decides that the amendment may be considered and voted on.
-
- At general meetings, resolutions shall be put to the vote by the chairman of the meeting and there shall be no requirement for the resolution to be proposed or seconded by any person.
-
- A resolution put to the vote of a general meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before, or on the declaration of the result of, a vote on the show of hands, or on the withdrawal of any other demand for a poll, a poll is duly demanded. Subject to the provisions of the Act, a poll may be demanded by:
- (a) the chairman of the meeting (who may also demand a poll before a resolution is put to the vote on a show of hands); or
- (b) (except on the election of the chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment) at least five members present in person or by proxy having the right to vote on the resolution; or
- (c) any member or members present in person or by proxy representing not less than 10% of the total voting rights of all the members having the right to vote on the resolution (excluding any voting rights attached to any shares held as treasury shares); or
- (d) any member or members present in person or by proxy holding shares conferring a right to vote on the resolution, being shares on which an aggregate sum has been paid up equal to not less than 10% of the total sum paid up on all the shares conferring that right (excluding any shares conferring a right to vote on the resolution which are held as treasury shares).
The appointment of a proxy to vote on a matter at a meeting authorises the proxy to demand, or join in demanding, a poll on that matter. In applying the provisions of this Article, a demand by a proxy counts (i) for the purposes of paragraph (b) of this Article, as a demand by the member, (ii) for the purposes of paragraph (c) of this Article, as a demand by a member representing the voting rights that the proxy is authorised to exercise, and (iii) for the purposes of paragraph (d) of this Article, as a demand by a member holding the shares to which those rights are attached.
-
- Unless a poll is duly demanded (and the demand is not withdrawn before the poll is taken) a declaration by the chairman that a resolution has been carried or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, or not carried by a particular majority shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against the resolution.
-
- The demand for a poll may be withdrawn before the poll is taken, but only with the consent of the chairman. A demand so withdrawn shall not be taken to have invalidated the result of a show of hands declared before the demand was made. If the demand for a poll is withdrawn, the chairman or any other member entitled may demand a poll.
-
- Subject to Article 90, a poll shall be taken in such manner (including by use of ballot or voting papers, electronic means, or any combination thereof) as the chairman directs and he may, and shall if required by the meeting, appoint scrutineers (who need not be members) and fix a time and place for declaring the result of the poll. On a poll, votes may be given either personally or by proxy, and a person entitled to more than one vote need not use all of his votes or cast all of the votes he uses in the same way. The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.
-
- A poll duly demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken immediately. A poll duly demanded on any other question shall be taken either at the meeting or at such time and place as the chairman directs not being more than 30 days after the poll is demanded. The demand for a poll (other than on the election of a chairman or any question of adjournment) shall not prevent the continuance of a meeting for the transaction of any business other than the question on which the poll was demanded. If a poll is demanded before the declaration of the result of a show of hands and the demand is duly withdrawn, the meeting shall continue as if the demand had not been made.
-
- No notice need be sent of a poll not taken at the meeting at which it is demanded if the time, date and place at which it is to be taken are announced at the meeting. In any other case notice shall be sent at least seven clear days before the taking of the poll specifying the time and place at which the poll is to be taken.
-
- Where for any purpose an ordinary resolution of the Company is required, a special resolution shall also be effective.
-
- At any general meeting, the Company must cause to be answered any question relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting put by a member attending the meeting. The Company does not need to give an answer to any such question if
(a) to do so would interfere unduly with the preparation for the meeting or would involve the disclosure of confidential information;
(b) the answer has already been given on a website in the form of an answer to a question; or
(c) it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good order of the meeting that the question be answered.
VOTES OF MEMBERS
-
- Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares, and any rights or restrictions detailed in the notice of the meeting on a vote on a resolution on a show of hands:
- (a) every member who is present in person shall have one vote;
- (b) subject to paragraph (c) of this Article, every proxy present who has been duly appointed by one or more members entitled to vote on the resolution has one vote;
- (c) a proxy has one vote for and one vote against the resolution if:
- (i) the proxy has been duly appointed by more than one member entitled to vote on the resolution, and
- (ii) the proxy has been instructed by one or more of those members to vote for the resolution and by one or more other of those members to vote against it, or the proxy has been instructed by one or more those members to vote either for or against the resolution and by or more other of those members to use her discretion as to how to vote; and
-
- In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded shall not have a casting vote.
-
- Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares, on a vote on a resolution on a poll every member present in person or by proxy shall have one vote for every share of which he is the holder.
-
- In the case of joint holders of a share, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders. For this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the register.
-
- A member in respect of whom an order has been made by a court or official having jurisdiction (whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder may vote (or exercise any other right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company), whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his receiver, curator bonis or other person authorised for that purpose appointed by that court or official, at the sole discretion of the board. That receiver, curator bonis or other person may, on a show of hands or on a poll, vote by proxy. The right to vote shall be exercisable only if evidence satisfactory to the board of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote has been delivered to the office, or another place specified in accordance with these Articles for the delivery of proxy appointments, not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the right to vote is to be exercised provided that the Company may specify, in any case, that in calculating the period of 48 hours, no account shall be taken of any part of a day that is not a working day.
-
- No member shall be entitled to vote at a general meeting or at a separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, either in person or by proxy,
in respect of any share held by him unless all moneys presently payable by him in respect of that share have been paid, or the Board determines otherwise.
-
- If at any time the board is satisfied that any member, or any other person appearing to be interested in shares held by such member, has been duly served with a notice under section 793 of the Act (a "section 793 notice") and is in default for the prescribed period in supplying to the Company the information thereby required, or, in purported compliance with such a notice, has made a statement which is false or inadequate in a material particular, then the board may, in its absolute discretion at any time thereafter by notice (a "direction notice") to such member direct that:
- (a) in respect of the shares in relation to which the default occurred (the "default shares", which expression includes any shares issued after the date of the section 793 notice in respect of those shares) the member shall not be entitled to attend or vote either personally or by proxy at a general meeting or at a separate meeting of the holders of that class of shares or on a poll or to exercise any other right conferred by membership in relation to any such meeting or poll; and
- (b) where the default shares represent at least ¼ of one per cent. in nominal value of the issued shares of their class (excluding any shares of that class held as treasury shares), the direction notice may additionally direct that in respect of the default shares:
- (i) any dividend or other money payable for such shares shall be withheld by the Company, which shall have no obligation to pay interest on it, and the member shall not be entitled to elect, pursuant to Article 199, to receive shares instead of the dividend;
- (ii) no transfer of any default share shall be registered unless:
- (A) the member is not himself in default as regards supplying the information requested and the transfer when presented for registration is accompanied by a certificate by the member in such form as the board may in its absolute discretion require to the effect that after due and careful enquiry the member is satisfied that no person in default as regards supplying such information is interested in any of the shares the subject of the transfer; or
- (B) the transfer is an approved transfer; or
- (C) registration of the transfer is required by the Regulations.
-
- The Company shall send the direction notice to each other person appearing to be interested in the default shares, but the failure or omission by the Company to do so shall not invalidate such notice.
-
- Any direction notice shall cease to have effect (and any dividends payable under Article 100(b)(i) shall become payable) not more than seven days after the earlier of receipt by the Company of:
- (a) a notice of an approved transfer, but only in relation to the shares transferred; or
- (b) all the information required by the relevant section 793 notice, in a form satisfactory to the board.
-
- The board may at any time send a notice cancelling a direction notice.
-
- The Company may exercise any of its powers under Article 11 in respect of any default share that is held in uncertificated form.
-
- For the purposes of this Article and Articles 100, 101, 102, 103 and 104:
- (a) a person shall be treated as appearing to be interested in any shares if the member holding such shares has sent to the Company a notification under section 793 of the Act which either (i) names such person as being so interested or (ii) fails to establish the identities of all those interested in the shares, and (after taking into account the said notification and any other relevant section 793 notification) the Company knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the person in question is or may be interested in the shares;
- (b) the prescribed period is 14 days from the date of service of the section 793 notice; and
- (c) a transfer of shares is an approved transfer if:
- (i) it is a transfer of shares pursuant to an acceptance of a takeover offer (within the meaning of section 974 of the Act); or
- (ii) the board is satisfied that the transfer is made pursuant to a sale of the whole of the beneficial ownership of the shares the subject of the transfer to a party unconnected with the member and with any other person appearing to be interested in the shares; or
- (iii) the transfer results from a sale made through a recognised investment exchange as defined in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 or any other stock exchange outside the United Kingdom on which the Company's shares are normally traded.
-
- Nothing contained in Article 100, 101, 102, 103, 104 or 105 limits the power of the Company under section 794 of the Act.
-
- If any votes are counted which ought not to have been counted, or might have been rejected, the error shall not vitiate the result of the voting unless it is pointed out at the same meeting, or at any adjournment of the meeting, and, in the opinion of the chairman, it is of sufficient magnitude to vitiate the result of the voting.
-
- No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting or poll at which the vote objected to is tendered. Every vote not disallowed at such meeting shall be valid and every vote not counted which ought to have
been counted shall be disregarded. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.
- On a poll, a member entitled to more than one vote need not, if he votes, use all his votes or cast all the votes he uses in the same way.
PROXIES AND CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVES
-
- The appointment of a proxy shall be made in writing and shall be in any usual form or in any other form which the board may approve. A proxy shall not be entitled to vote on a show of hands or on a poll where the member appointing the proxy would not have been entitled to vote on the resolution had he been present in person. Subject thereto, the appointment of a proxy may be:
- (a) in hard copy form; or
- (b) in electronic form, to the electronic address provided by the Company for this purpose.
-
- The appointment of a proxy, whether made in hard copy form or in electronic form, shall be executed in such manner as may be approved by or on behalf of the Company from time to time. Subject thereto, the appointment of a proxy shall be executed by the appointor or any person duly authorised by the appointor or, if the appointor is a corporation, executed by a duly authorised person or under its common seal or in any other manner authorised by its constitution.
-
- The board may, if it thinks fit, but subject to the provisions of the Act, at the Company's expense send hard copy forms of proxy for use at the meeting and issue invitations in electronic form to appoint a proxy in relation to the meeting in such form and to any (or none) of the persons entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the meeting as may be approved by the board. The appointment of a proxy shall not preclude a member from attending and voting in person at the meeting or poll concerned. A member may appoint more than one proxy to attend on the same occasion, provided that each such proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by that member. A proxy need not be a member of the Company.
-
- Without prejudice to Article 73(b) or to the second sentence of Article 83, the appointment of a proxy shall:
- (a) if in hard copy form, be delivered by hand or by post to the office or such other place within the United Kingdom as may be specified by or on behalf of the Company for that purpose:
- (i) in the notice convening the meeting; or
- (ii) in any form of proxy sent by or on behalf of the Company in relation to the meeting;
not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting (or any postponed time appointed for holding the meeting
pursuant to Article 72) at which the person named in the appointment proposes to vote; or
- (b) if in electronic form, be received at any address to which the appointment of a proxy may be sent by electronic means pursuant to a provision of the Act or to any other address specified by or on behalf of the Company for the purpose of receiving the appointment of a proxy in electronic form:
- (i) in the notice convening the meeting; or
- (ii) in any form of proxy sent by or on behalf of the Company in relation to the meeting; or
- (iii) in any invitation to appoint a proxy issued by the Company in relation to the meeting; or
- (iv) on a website that is maintained by or on behalf of the Company and identifies the Company;
not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting (or any postponed time appointed for holding the meeting pursuant to Article 72) at which the person named in the appointment proposes to vote; or
- (c) in either case, where a poll is taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, be delivered or received as aforesaid after the poll has been demanded and not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; or
- (d) if in hard copy form, where a poll is not taken forthwith but is taken not more than 48 hours after it was demanded, be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the chairman or to the secretary or to any director.
In calculating the periods mentioned in this Article, the board may specify, in any case, that no account shall be taken of any part of a day that is not a working day.
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, where the appointment of a proxy is expressed to have been or purports to have been made, sent or supplied by a person on behalf of the holder of a share:
- (a) the Company may treat the appointment as sufficient evidence of the authority of that person to make, send or supply the appointment on behalf of that holder; and
- (b) that holder shall, if requested by or on behalf of the Company at any time, send or procure the sending of reasonable evidence of the authority under which the appointment has been made, sent or supplied (which may include a copy of such authority certified notarially or in some other way approved by the board), to such address and by such time as may be specified in the request and, if the request is not complied with in any respect, the appointment may be treated as invalid.
-
- A proxy appointment which is not delivered or received in accordance with Article 113 shall be invalid. When two or more valid proxy appointments are delivered or received in respect of the same share for use at the same meeting, the one that was last validly delivered or received (regardless of its date or the date of its execution) shall be treated as replacing or revoking the others as regards that share, provided that if the Company determines that it has insufficient evidence to decide whether or not a proxy appointment is in respect of the same share, it shall be entitled to determine which proxy appointment (if any) is to be treated as valid. Subject to the Act, the Company may determine at its discretion when a proxy appointment shall be treated as delivered or received for the purposes of these Articles.
-
- A proxy appointment shall be deemed to entitle the proxy to exercise all or any of the appointing member's rights to attend and to speak and vote at a meeting of the Company in respect of the shares to which the proxy appointment relates. The proxy appointment shall, unless it provides to the contrary, be valid for any adjournment of the meeting as well as for the meeting to which it relates.
-
- The Company shall not be required to check that a proxy or corporate representative votes in accordance with any instructions given by the member by whom he is appointed. Any failure to vote as instructed shall not invalidate the proceedings on the resolution.
-
- Any corporation which is a member of the Company (in this Article the "grantor") may, by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such person or persons as it thinks fit to act as its representative or representatives at any meeting of the Company or at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares. A director, the secretary or other person authorised for the purpose by the secretary may require all or any of such persons to produce a certified copy of the resolution of authorisation or such other evidence of his authority reasonably satisfactory to them before permitting him to exercise his powers. Such person is entitled to exercise (on behalf of the grantor, and in respect of that part of the corporation's holdings to which the authority relates) the same powers as the grantor could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company. Where a grantor authorises more than one person:
- (a) on a vote on a resolution on a show of hands at a meeting of the Company, each authorised person has the same voting rights as the grantor would be entitled to; and
- (b) where paragraph (a) of this Article does not apply and more than one authorised person purport to exercise a power in respect of the same shares:
- (i) if they purport to exercise the power in the same way as each other, the power is treated as exercised in that way; and
- (ii) if they do not purport to exercise the power in the same way as each other, the power is treated as not exercised.
-
- The termination of the authority of a person to act as a proxy or duly authorised representative of a corporation does not affect:
- (a) whether he counts in deciding whether there is a quorum at a meeting;
- (b) the validity of anything he does as chairman of a meeting;
- (c) the validity of a poll demanded by him at a meeting; or
- (d) the validity of a vote given by that person,
unless notice of the termination was either delivered or received as mentioned in the following sentence at least 24 hours before the start of the relevant meeting or adjourned meeting or (in the case of a poll taken otherwise than on the same day as the meeting or adjourned meeting) the time appointed for taking the poll. Such notice of termination shall be either by means of a document in hard copy form delivered to the office or to such other place within the United Kingdom as may be specified by or on behalf of the Company in accordance with Article 113(a) or in electronic form received at the address specified by or on behalf of the Company in accordance with Article 113(b), regardless of whether any relevant proxy appointment was effected in hard copy form or in electronic form.
-
- Without limiting the foregoing, in relation to any uncertificated shares, the board may from time to time:
- (a) permit appointments of a proxy by means of a communication sent in electronic form in the form of an uncertificated proxy instruction; and
- (b) permit supplements to, or amendments or revocations of, any such uncertificated proxy instructions by the same means.
The board may in addition prescribe the method of determining the time at which any uncertificated proxy instruction is to be treated as received by the Company or a participant acting on its behalf. The board may treat any such uncertificated proxy instruction which purports to be or is expressed to be sent on behalf of a holder of a share as sufficient evidence of the authority of the person sending that instruction to send it on behalf of that holder.
NUMBER OF DIRECTORS
- Unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution, the number of directors (other than alternate directors) shall be not less than two but shall not be subject to any maximum in number.
APPOINTMENT AND RETIREMENT OF DIRECTORS
-
- Subject to the Articles, any person who is willing to act as a director, and is permitted by law to do so, may be appointed to be a director:
- (a) by ordinary resolution;
- (b) at a general meeting;
- (c) by a decision of the board; or
- (d) under Article 174 if the Company has only one director.
-
- At every annual general meeting all the directors appointed under (c) and (d) of Article 122 at the date of the notice convening the annual general meeting shall retire from office.
-
- If the Company does not fill the vacancy at the meeting at which a director retires, the retiring director shall, if willing to act, be deemed to have been re-appointed unless at the meeting it is resolved not to fill the vacancy or unless a resolution for the re-appointment of the director is put to the meeting and lost.
-
- No person other than a retiring director shall be appointed a director at any general meeting unless:
- (a) he is recommended by the board; or
- (b) not less than seven nor more than 42 days before the date appointed for the meeting, notice by a member qualified to vote at the meeting (not being the person to be proposed) has been received by the Company of the intention to propose that person for appointment or re-appointment stating the particulars which would, if he were so appointed or re-appointed, be required to be included in the Company's register of directors, together with notice by that person of his willingness to be appointed or re-appointed.
-
- If:
- (a) any resolution or resolutions for the appointment or re-appointment of the persons eligible for appointment or re-appointment as directors are put to the annual general meeting and lost, and
- (b) at the end of that meeting the number of directors is fewer than any minimum number of directors required under Article 121,
all retiring directors who stood for re-appointment at that meeting (the "Retiring Directors") shall be deemed to have been re-appointed as directors and shall remain in office, but the Retiring Directors may only:
- (c) act for the purpose of filling vacancies and convening general meetings of the Company; and
- (d) perform such duties as are appropriate to maintain the Company as a going concern and to comply with the Company's legal and regulatory obligations,
but not for any other purpose. If for any other reason the number of directors is less than the minimum prescribed in Article 121 or decided by the Company by ordinary resolution, the remaining director or directors may act only for the purposes of appointing an additional director or directors to make up that minimum or convening a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment. If no director or directors is or are able or willing to act, two members may convene a general meeting for the purpose of appointing directors. An additional director appointed in this way holds office (subject to these Articles) only until the dissolution of the next annual general meeting after his appointment unless he is reappointed during the annual general meeting.
-
- The Retiring Directors shall convene a general meeting as soon as reasonably practicable following the annual general meeting referred to Article 126, and they shall retire from office at that meeting. If at the end of any meeting convened under this Article the number of directors is fewer than any minimum number of directors required under Article 121, the provisions of Article 126 and Article 127 shall also apply to that meeting.
-
- Except as otherwise authorised by the Act, a motion for the appointment of two or more persons as directors by a single resolution shall not be made unless a resolution that it should be so made has first been agreed to by the meeting without any vote being given against it.
-
- Subject as aforesaid, the Company may by ordinary resolution appoint a person who is willing to act to be a director either to fill a vacancy or as an additional director. The appointment of a person to fill a vacancy or as an additional director shall take effect from the end of the meeting.
-
- The board may appoint a person who is willing to act to be a director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional director and in either case whether or not for a fixed term. In accordance with Article 122, irrespective of the terms of his appointment, a director so appointed shall hold office only until the first annual general meeting notice of which is first given after his appointment. If not re-appointed at such annual general meeting, he shall vacate office at its conclusion.
-
- Subject to the Act, the board may enter into an agreement or arrangement with any director for the provision of any services outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a director. Any such agreement or arrangement may be made on such terms and conditions as (subject to the Act) the directors think fit and (without prejudice to any other provision of the Articles) they may remunerate any such director for such services as they think fit.
-
- A director who retires at an annual general meeting may, if willing to act, be re-appointed. If he is not re-appointed, he shall, unless Article 126 applies, retain office until the meeting appoints someone in his place, or if it does not do so, until the end of the meeting.
-
- A director shall not be required to hold any shares in the capital of the Company by way of qualification.
ALTERNATE DIRECTORS
-
- Any director (other than an alternate director) may appoint any other director, or any other person approved by resolution of the board and willing to act, to be an alternate director and may remove from office an alternate director so appointed by him.
-
- An alternate director shall be entitled to receive notice of all meetings of the board and of all meetings of committees of the board of which his appointor is a member, to attend and vote at any such meeting at which his appointor is not personally present, and generally to perform all the functions of his appointor (except as regards power to appoint an alternate) as a director in his absence. It shall not be necessary to send notice of such a meeting to an alternate director who is absent from the United Kingdom.
-
- A director or any other person may act as alternate director to represent more than one director, and an alternate director shall be entitled at meetings of the board or any committee of the board to one vote for every director whom he represents (and who is not present) in addition to his own vote (if any) as a director, but he shall count as only one for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.
-
- An alternate director is entitled to contract and be interested in and benefit from contracts or arrangements with the Company, may be repaid by the Company such expenses as might properly have been repaid to him if he had been a director but shall not be entitled to receive any remuneration from the Company in respect of his services as an alternate director except such part (if any) of the remuneration otherwise payable to his appointor as such appointor may by notice to the Company from time to time direct. An alternate director shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company to the same extent as if he were a director.
-
- An alternate director shall cease to be an alternate director:
- (a) if his appointer revokes his appointment; or
- (b) if his appointor ceases to be a director; but, if a director retires but is re-appointed or deemed to have been re-appointed at the meeting at which he retires, any appointment of an alternate director made by him which was in force immediately prior to his retirement shall continue after his re-appointment; or
- (c) on the happening of any event which, if he were a director, would cause him to vacate his office as director; or
- (d) if he resigns his office by written notice to the Company.
-
- Any appointment or removal of an alternate director shall be by notice to the Company by the director making or revoking the appointment and shall take effect in accordance with the terms of the notice (subject to any approval required by Article 134) on receipt of such notice by the Company which shall be in hard copy form or in electronic form sent to such address (if any) for the time being specified by or on behalf of the Company for that purpose.
-
- Except as otherwise expressly provided in these Articles, an alternate director shall be deemed for all purposes to be a director. Accordingly, except where the context otherwise requires, a reference to a director shall be deemed to include a reference to an alternate director. An alternate director shall alone be responsible for his own acts and defaults and he shall not be deemed to be the agent of the director appointing him.
-
- An alternate director must provide the particulars, and sign any form for public filing, required by the Act relating to his appointment.
POWERS OF THE BOARD
- Subject to the provisions of the Act and these Articles and to any directions given by special resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by the board which may pay all expenses incurred in forming and registering the Company and may exercise all the powers
of the Company, whether relating to the management of the business or not, including without limitation the power to dispose of all or any part of the undertaking of the Company. No alteration of the Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the board which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. The powers given by this Article shall not be limited by any special power given to the board by these Articles. A meeting of the board at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the board.
-
- The board may exercise the voting power conferred by the shares in any body corporate held or owned by the Company, or any power of appointment to be exercised by the Company, in such manner in all respects as it thinks fit (including without limitation the exercise of that power in favour of any resolution appointing its members or any of them directors of such body corporate, or voting or providing for the payment of remuneration to the directors of such body corporate).
-
- All acts done by:
- (a) a meeting of the board;
- (b) a meeting of a committee of the board;
- (c) written resolution of the board; or
- (d) a person acting as a director, alternate director or a committee,
shall be valid notwithstanding that it is discovered afterwards that there was a defect in the appointment of a person or persons acting or that any of them were disqualified from holding office, had ceased to hold office or were not entitled to vote on the matter in question.
DELEGATION OF POWERS OF THE BOARD
-
- The board may delegate any of its powers to any person (who need not be a director) or committee consisting of one or more directors. The board may also delegate to any director holding any executive office such of its powers as the board considers desirable to be exercised by him. Any such delegation shall, in the absence of express provision to the contrary in the terms of delegation, be deemed to include authority to sub-delegate to one or more directors (whether or not acting as a committee) or to any employee or agent of the Company all or any of the powers delegated and may be made subject to such conditions as the board may specify, and may be revoked or altered. The board may coopt on to any such committee persons other than directors, who may enjoy voting rights in the committee. The co-opted members shall be less than one-half of the total membership of the committee and a resolution of any committee shall be effective only if:
- (a) where the resolution is passed at a meeting of the committee, a majority of the members present are directors; and
- (b) where the resolution is passed by the committee in writing pursuant to Article 177, a majority of those who agree to the resolution are directors.
Subject to any conditions imposed by the board, the proceedings of a committee with two or more members shall be governed by these Articles regulating the proceedings of directors so far as they are capable of applying.
-
- Subject to Article 145, the board may approve the terms of reference of any committee, governing the procedures to be followed by such committee and stipulating the requirements as to its composition and the casting votes attributed to the chairman of such committees.
-
- The board may establish local or divisional boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company in any specified locality, either in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, and may appoint any persons to be members of the local or divisional boards, or any managers or agents, and may fix their remuneration. The board may delegate to any local or divisional board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in or exercisable by the board, with power to sub-delegate, and may authorise the members of any local or divisional board, or any of them, to fill any vacancies and to act notwithstanding vacancies. Any appointment or delegation made pursuant to this Article may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the board may decide. The board may confer such powers either collaterally with, or to the exclusion of and in substitution for, all or any of the powers of the board in that respect. The board may remove any person so appointed and may revoke or vary the delegation but no person dealing in good faith and without notice of the revocation or variation shall be affected by it.
-
- The board may, by power of attorney or otherwise, appoint any person to be the agent of the Company for such purposes, with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in the board) and on such conditions as the board determines, including without limitation authority for the agent to delegate all or any of his powers, authorities and discretions, and may revoke or vary such delegation. The board may also authorise any such attorney to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions voted in him.
-
- The board (or a duly approved committee thereof) may appoint any person to any office or employment having a designation or title including the word "director" or attach to any existing office or employment with the Company such a designation or title and may terminate any such appointment or the use of any such designation or title. The inclusion of the word "director" in the designation or title of any such office or employment shall not imply that the holder is a director of the Company, and the holder shall not thereby be empowered in any respect to act as, or be deemed to be, a director of the Company for any of the purposes of these Articles.
BORROWING POWERS
- The board may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money, to guarantee, to indemnify, to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property, assets (present and future) and uncalled capital, and to issue debentures and other securities whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.
DISQUALIFICATION AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS
-
A person ceases to be a director as soon as:
-
(a) that person ceases to be a director by virtue of any provision of the Act or is prohibited from being a director by law;
- (b) a bankruptcy order is made against that person;
- (c) a composition or arrangement is made with that person's creditors generally in satisfaction of that person's debts;
- (d) a registered medical practitioner who is treating that person gives a written opinion to the Company stating that that person has become physically or mentally incapable of acting as a director and may remain so for more than three months, or he is or has been suffering from mental or physical ill health and the board resolves that his office be vacated;
- (e) by reason of that person's mental health, a court makes an order which wholly or partly prevents that person from personally exercising any powers or rights which that person would otherwise have;
- (f) notification is received by the Company from the director that the director is resigning or retiring from office, and such resignation or retirement has taken effect in accordance with its terms, or his office as a director is vacated pursuant to Article 130;
- (g) that person has been absent for more than six consecutive months without permission of the board from meetings of the board held during that period and his alternate director (if any) has not attended in his place during that period and the board resolves that his office be vacated; or
- (h) that person receives notice signed by not less than three quarters of the other directors stating that that person should cease to be a director. In calculating the number of directors who are required to give such notice to the director, (i) an alternate director appointed by him acting in his capacity as such shall be excluded; and (ii) a director and any alternate director appointed by him and acting in his capacity as such shall constitute a single director for this purpose, so that notice by either shall be sufficient.
-
- The shareholders of the Company may, without prejudice to the provisions of the Act, by ordinary resolution remove any director from office (notwithstanding any provision of these Articles or of any agreement between the Company and such director, but without prejudice to any claim he may have for damages for breach of any such agreement). No special notice need be given of any resolution to remove a director in accordance with this Article and no director proposed to be removed in accordance with this Article has any special right to protest against his removal. The shareholders of the Company may, by ordinary resolution, appoint another person in place of a director removed from office in accordance with this Article. Any person so appointed shall be treated, for the purposes of determining the time at which he or any other director is to retire, as if he had become a director on the day on which the person in whose place he is appointed was last appointed or re-appointed a director.
-
If a director ceases to be a director for any reason, he shall cease to be a member of any committee or sub-committee of the directors.
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, the board may enter into, vary and terminate an agreement or arrangement with any director who does not hold executive office for the provision of his services to the Company. Subject to Article 155 and 156, any such agreement or arrangement may be made on such terms as the board determines.
-
- The ordinary remuneration of the directors who do not hold executive office for their services (excluding amounts payable under any other provision of these Articles) shall be such amount as the board may from time to time determine. Each such director shall be paid a fee for their services (which shall be deemed to accrue from day to day) at such rate as may from time to time be determined by the board. However, the aggregate of all fees payable to the directors (other than amounts payable under any other provision of these Articles) must not exceed £2,000,000 a year or such higher amount as may from time to time be decided by ordinary resolution of the Company.
-
- Any director who does not hold executive office and who performs special services which in the opinion of the board are outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a director, may (without prejudice to the provisions of Article 155) be paid such extra remuneration by way of additional fee, salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise as the board may determine.
DIRECTORS' EXPENSES
- The directors may be paid all reasonable travelling, hotel, and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of the board or committees of the board, general meetings or separate meetings of the holders of any class of shares or of debentures of the Company or otherwise in connection with the discharge of their duties. Subject to the Act, the board shall have the power to make arrangements to provide a director with funds to meet expenditure incurred or to be incurred by him for the purposes of the Company or for the purpose of enabling him to perform his duties as an officer of the Company or to enable him to avoid any such expenditure.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, the board may appoint one or more of its body to be the holder of any executive office (except that of auditor) in the Company and may enter into an agreement or arrangement with any such director for his employment by the Company or for the provision by him of any services outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a director. Any such appointment, agreement or arrangement may be made on such terms, including without limitation terms as to remuneration, as the board determines. The board may revoke or vary any such appointment but without prejudice to any rights or claims which the person whose appointment is revoked or varied may have against the Company because of the revocation or variation.
-
- Any appointment of a director to an executive office shall terminate if he ceases to be a director but without prejudice to any rights or claims which he may have against the
Company by reason of such cessation. A director appointed to an executive office shall not cease to be a director merely because his appointment to such executive office terminates.
- The emoluments of any director holding executive office for his services as such shall be determined by the board, and may be of any description, including without limitation admission to, or continuance of, membership of any scheme (including any share acquisition scheme) or fund instituted or established or financed or contributed to by the Company for the provision of pensions, life assurance or other benefits for employees or their dependants, or the payment of a pension or other benefits to him or his dependants on or after retirement or death, apart from membership of any such scheme or fund.
DIRECTORS' INTERESTS
-
- For the purposes of, and to the extent permitted by, section 175 of the Act, the board may authorise any matter proposed to it in accordance with these Articles which would, if not so authorised, involve a breach of duty by a director under that section, including, without limitation, any matter which relates to a situation in which a director has, or can have, an interest which conflicts, or possibly may conflict, with the interests of the Company (an "Interested Director"). Any such authorisation will be effective only if:
- (a) any requirement as to quorum at the meeting at which the matter is considered is met without counting the Interested Director or any other interested director; and
- (b) the matter was agreed to without their voting or would have been agreed to if their votes had not been counted.
The board may (whether at the time of the giving of the authorisation or subsequently) make any such authorisation subject to any limits or conditions it expressly imposes but such authorisation is otherwise given to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any authorisation of a conflict of interest under this Article must be recorded in writing (but the authority shall be effective whether or not the terms are so recorded) and may (whether at the time of giving the authorisation or subsequently):
- (i) extend to any actual or potential conflict of interest which may reasonably be expected to arise out of the matter or situation so authorised;
- (ii) provide that the Interested Director be excluded from the receipt of documents and information and the participation in discussions (whether at meetings of the directors or otherwise) related to the conflict of interest;
- (iii) impose upon the Interested Director such other terms for the purposes of dealing with the conflict of interest as the directors think fit;
- (iv) provide that, where the Interested Director obtains, or has obtained (through his involvement in the conflict of interest and otherwise than through his position as a director) information that is confidential to a third party, he will not be obliged to disclose that information to the Company, or to use it in relation to the Company's affairs where to do so would amount to a breach of that confidence; and
(v) permit the Interested Director to absent himself from the discussion of matters relating to the conflict of interest at any meeting of the directors and be excused from reviewing papers prepared by, or for, the directors to the extent they relate to such matters.
The board may vary or revoke any such authorisation at any time but this will not affect anything done by the Interested Director, prior to such revocation or variation, in accordance with the terms of such authorisation.
For the purposes of the Articles, a conflict of interest includes a conflict of interest and duty and a conflict of duties, and interest includes both direct and indirect interests, but shall exclude an interest of which a director has no knowledge and of which it is unreasonable to expect him to have knowledge.
-
- Provided that he has disclosed to the board the nature and extent of his interest (unless the circumstances referred to in section 177(5) or section 177(6) of the Act apply, in which case no such disclosure is required) a director notwithstanding his office:
- (a) may be a party to, or otherwise interested in, any transaction or arrangement, existing or proposed, with the Company or in which the Company is otherwise (directly or indirectly) interested;
- (b) may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company (otherwise than as auditor) and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a director;
- (c) may hold any office or place of profit with the Company (otherwise than as auditor) in conjunction with his office of director for such period and upon such terms, including as to remuneration as the board may decide; and
- (d) may be a director or other officer of, or employed by, or a party to a transaction or arrangement with, or otherwise interested in, any body corporate:
- (i) in which the Company is (directly or indirectly) interested as shareholder or otherwise; or
- (ii) with which he has such a relationship at the request or direction of the Company.
-
- A director shall not (save as he may otherwise agree), by reason of his office, be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefit which he derives from any office or employment or from any transaction or arrangement or from any interest in any body corporate:
- (a) the acceptance, entry into or existence of which has been approved by the board pursuant to Article 161 (subject, in any such case, to any limits or conditions to which such approval was subject); or
- (b) which he is permitted to hold or enter into by virtue of Article 162,
nor shall the receipt of any such remuneration or other benefit constitute a breach of his duty under section 176 of the Act, nor shall any such contract, transaction or arrangement be liable to be avoided on the grounds of any such interest or benefit.
-
- Any disclosure required by Article 162 may be made at a meeting of the board, by notice in writing or by general notice or otherwise in accordance with section 177 of the Act.
-
- A director shall be under no duty to the Company with respect to any information which he obtains or has obtained otherwise than as a director of the Company and in respect of which he owes a duty of confidentiality to another person. However, to the extent that his relationship with that other person gives rise to a conflict of interest or possible conflict of interest, this Article applies only if the existence of that relationship has been approved by the board pursuant to Article 161. In particular, the director shall not be in breach of the general duties he owes to the Company by virtue of sections 171 to 177 of the Act because he fails:
- (a) to disclose any such information to the board or to any director or other officer or employee of the Company; and/or
- (b) to use or apply any such information in performing his duties as a director of the Company.
-
- Where the existence of a director's relationship with another person has been approved by the board pursuant to Article 161 and his relationship with that person gives rise to a conflict of interest or possible conflict of interest, the director shall not be in breach of the general duties he owes to the Company by virtue of sections 171 to 177 of the Act because he:
- (a) absents himself from meetings of the board at which any matter relating to the conflict of interest or possible conflict of interest will or may be discussed or from the discussion of any such matter at a meeting or otherwise; and/or
- (b) makes arrangements not to receive documents and information relating to any matter which gives rise to the conflict of interest or possible conflict of interest sent or supplied by the Company and/or for such documents and information to be received and read by a professional adviser,
for so long as he reasonably believes such conflict of interest or possible conflict of interest subsists.
-
- The provisions of Articles 165 and 166 are without prejudice to any equitable principle or rule of law which may excuse the director from:
- (a) disclosing information, in circumstances where disclosure would otherwise be required under these Articles; or
- (b) attending meetings or discussions or receiving documents and information as referred to in Article 166, in circumstances where such attendance or receiving such documents and information would otherwise be required under these Articles.
GRATUITIES, PENSIONS AND INSURANCE
-
- The board may (by establishment of, or maintenance of, subscription to, or contribution to, schemes or otherwise) provide benefits, whether by the payment of gratuities or pensions or by insurance or otherwise, for any past or present director or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings or any body corporate associated with, or any business acquired by, any of them, and for any member of his family (including a spouse, a civil partner, a former spouse and a former civil partner) or any person who is or was dependent on him, and may (as well before as after he ceases to hold such office or employment) contribute to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such benefit.
-
- Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 237, the board may exercise all the powers of the Company to purchase and maintain insurance for or for the benefit of any person who is or was:
- (a) a director, officer or employee of the Company, or any body which is or was the holding company or subsidiary undertaking of the Company, or in which the Company or such holding company or subsidiary undertaking has or had any interest (whether direct or indirect) or with which the Company or such holding company or subsidiary undertaking is or was in any way allied or associated; or
- (b) a trustee of any pension fund in which employees of the Company or any other body referred to in paragraph (a) of this Article are or have been interested,
including without limitation insurance against any liability incurred by such person in respect of any act or omission in the actual or purported execution or discharge of his duties or in the exercise or purported exercise of his powers or otherwise in relation to his duties, powers or offices in relation to the relevant body or fund.
-
- No director or former director shall be accountable to the Company or the members for any benefit provided pursuant to these Articles. The receipt of any such benefit shall not disqualify any person from being or becoming a director of the Company.
-
- The board may make provision for the benefit of any persons employed or formerly employed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than a director or former director or shadow director in connection with the cessation or the transfer of the whole or part of the undertaking of the Company or any subsidiary undertaking. Any such provision shall be made by a resolution of the board in accordance with section 247 of the Act.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD
- Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the board may regulate its proceedings as it thinks fit. A director may, and the secretary at the request of a director shall, call a meeting of the board by giving notice of the meeting to each director. Notice of a board meeting shall be deemed to be given to a director if it is given to him personally or by word of mouth or sent in hard copy form to him at his last known address or such other address (if any) as may for the time being be specified by him or on his behalf to the Company for that purpose, or sent in electronic form to such address (if any) for the time being specified by him or on his behalf to the Company for that purpose. A director absent or intending to be absent from the United Kingdom may request the board that notices of board meetings
shall during his absence be sent in hard copy form or in electronic form to such address (if any) for the time being specified by him or on his behalf to the Company for that purpose, but such notices need not be sent any earlier than notices sent to directors not so absent and, if no such request is made to the board, it shall not be necessary to send notice of a board meeting to any director who is for the time being absent from the United Kingdom. Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall not have a second or casting vote. Any director may waive notice of a meeting and any such waiver may be retrospective. Any notice pursuant to this Article need not be in writing if the board so determines and any such determination may be retrospective. Any retrospective waiver shall not affect the validity of the meeting or of any business conducted at the meeting.
-
- The quorum for the transaction of the business of the board may be fixed by the board and unless so fixed at any other number shall be two. A person who holds office only as an alternate director may, if his appointor is not present, be counted in the quorum. Any director who ceases to be a director at a board meeting may continue to be present and to act as a director and be counted in the quorum until the termination of the board meeting if no director objects and if otherwise a quorum of directors would not be present.
-
- The continuing directors may act notwithstanding any vacancies in their number, but if the number of directors is less than the number fixed as the quorum the continuing directors or director may, unless Article 126 applies, act only for the purpose of filling vacancies or of calling a general meeting for the purpose of making such appointment.
-
- The board may appoint one of their number to be the chairman, and one of their number to be the deputy chairman, of the board and may determine the period for which they are to hold office and may at any time remove either of them from such office. Unless he is unwilling to do so, the director appointed as chairman, or in his place the director appointed as deputy chairman, shall preside at every meeting of the board at which he is present. If there is no director holding either of those offices, or if neither the chairman nor the deputy chairman is willing to preside or neither of them is present within five minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, the directors present may appoint one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.
-
- All acts done by a meeting of the board, or of a committee of the board, or by a person acting as a director or alternate director, shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was a defect in the appointment of any director or any member of the committee or alternate director or that any of them were disqualified from holding office, or had vacated office, or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified and had continued to be a director or, as the case may be, an alternate director and had been entitled to vote.
-
- A resolution in writing agreed to by all the directors entitled to vote at a meeting of the board or of a committee of the board (not being less than the number of directors required to form a quorum of the board) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the board or (as the case may be) a committee of the board duly convened and held. For this purpose:
- (a) a director signifies his agreement to a proposed written resolution when the Company receives from him a document indicating his agreement to the resolution
authenticated in the manner permitted by the Act for a document in the relevant form;
- (b) the director may send the document in hard copy form or in electronic form to such address (if any) for the time being specified by the Company for that purpose;
- (c) if an alternate director signifies his agreement to the proposed written resolution, his appointer need not also signify his agreement; and
- (d) if a director signifies his agreement to the proposed written resolution, an alternate director appointed by him need not also signify his agreement in that capacity.
-
- Without prejudice to the first sentence of Article 172, a person entitled to be present at a meeting of the board or of a committee of the board shall be deemed to be present for all purposes if he is able (directly or by electronic communication) to speak to and be heard by all those present or deemed to be present simultaneously. A director so deemed to be present shall be entitled to vote and be counted in a quorum accordingly. Such a meeting shall be deemed to take place where it is convened to be held or (if no director is present in that place) where the largest group of those participating is assembled, or, if there is no such group, where the chairman of the meeting is. The word "meeting" in these Articles shall be construed accordingly.
-
- Except as otherwise provided by these Articles, a director shall not vote at a meeting of the board or a committee of the board on any resolution of the board concerning a matter in which he has an interest (other than by virtue of his interests in shares or debentures or other securities of, or otherwise in or through, the Company) which can reasonably be regarded as likely to give rise to a conflict with the interests of the Company, unless his interest arises only because the resolution concerns one or more of the following matters:
- (a) the giving of a guarantee, security or indemnity in respect of money lent or obligations incurred by him or any other person at the request of or for the benefit of, the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings;
- (b) the giving of a guarantee, security or indemnity in respect of a debt or obligation of the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings for which the director has assumed responsibility (in whole or part and whether alone or jointly with others) under a guarantee or indemnity or by the giving of security;
- (c) a contract, arrangement, transaction or proposal concerning an offer of shares, debentures or other securities of the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings for subscription or purchase, in which offer he is or may be entitled to participate as a holder of securities or in the underwriting or sub-underwriting of which he is to participate;
- (d) a contract, arrangement, transaction or proposal concerning any other body corporate in which he or any person connected with him is interested, directly or indirectly, and whether as an officer, shareholder, creditor or otherwise, if he and any persons connected with him do not to his knowledge hold an interest (as that term is used in sections 820 to 825 of the Act) representing one per cent. or more of either any class of the equity share capital (excluding any shares of that class
held as treasury shares) of such body corporate (or any other body corporate through which his interest is derived) or of the voting rights available to members of the relevant body corporate (any such interest being deemed for the purpose of this Article to be likely to give rise to a conflict with the interests of the Company in all circumstances);
- (e) a contract, arrangement, transaction or proposal for the benefit of employees of the Company or of any of its subsidiary undertakings which does not award him any privilege or benefit not generally accorded to the employees to whom the arrangement relates;
- (f) a contract, arrangement, transaction or proposal concerning any insurance which the Company is empowered to purchase or maintain for, or for the benefit of, any directors of the Company or for persons who include directors of the Company; and
- (g) a contract relating to a pension, superannuation or similar scheme or a retirement, death, disability benefits scheme or employees' share scheme which gives the director benefits which are also generally given to the employees to whom the scheme relates.
For the purposes of this Article, in relation to an alternate director, an interest of his appointor shall be treated as an interest of the alternate director without prejudice to any interest which the alternate director has otherwise.
-
- The Company may by ordinary resolution suspend or relax to any extent, either generally or in respect of any particular matter, any provision of these Articles prohibiting a director from voting at a meeting of the board or of a committee of the board.
-
- Where proposals are under consideration concerning the appointment (including without limitation fixing or varying the terms of appointment) of two or more directors to offices or employments with the Company or any body corporate in which the Company is interested, the proposals may be divided and considered in relation to each director separately. In such cases each of the directors concerned shall be entitled to vote in respect of each resolution except that concerning his own appointment.
-
- If a question arises at a meeting of the board or of a committee of the board as to the entitlement of a director to vote, the question may, before the conclusion of the meeting, be referred to the chairman of the meeting and his ruling in relation to any director other than himself shall be final and conclusive except in a case where the nature or extent of the interests of the director concerned have not been fairly disclosed. If any such question arises in respect of the chairman of the meeting, it shall be decided by resolution of the board (on which the chairman shall not vote) and such resolution will be final and conclusive except in a case where the nature and extent of the interests of the chairman have not been fairly disclosed.
SECRETARY
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, the secretary shall be appointed by the board for such term, at such remuneration and on such conditions as it may think fit. Any secretary so
appointed may be removed by the board, but without prejudice to any claim for damages for breach of any contract of service between him and the Company.
EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS
-
- The Company may execute a document by affixing its common seal.
-
- Notwithstanding Article 179, any one director or the secretary or any person appointed by the board for the purpose may execute any document (other than a deed) on behalf of the Company.
-
- A deed may be executed by the Company by:
- (a) any two directors; or
- (b) any one director and the secretary; or
- (c) any one director in the presence of a witness who attests the signature.
-
- The Company may, by way of power of attorney executed as a deed in accordance with Article 186, empower a person, either generally or in respect of specified matters, as its attorney to execute deeds or other documents on its behalf and such deed or other document so executed, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, shall have effect as if executed by the Company.
MINUTES
-
- The board shall cause minutes to be recorded for the purpose of:
- (a) all appointments of officers made by the board; and
- (b) all proceedings at meetings of the Company, the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, the board and committees of the board, including the names of the directors present at each such meeting.
-
- Any such minutes, if purporting to be authenticated by the chairman of the meeting to which they relate or of the next meeting, shall be sufficient evidence of the proceedings at the meeting without any further proof of the facts stated in them.
THE SEAL
-
The board shall provide for the safe custody of the seal. The seal shall only be used by the authority of a resolution of the board or of a committee of the board so authorised. The board may determine who shall sign any document executed under the seal. Any document may be executed under the seal by impressing the seal by mechanical means or by printing the seal or a facsimile of it on the document or by applying the seal or a facsimile of it by any other means to the document. A document executed, with the authority of a resolution of the board, in any manner permitted by section 44(2) and 44(3) of the Act and expressed (in whatever form of words) to be executed by the Company has the same effect as if executed under the seal.
-
The board may by resolution determine either generally or in any particular case that any certificate for shares or debentures or representing any other form of security may have any signature affixed to it by some mechanical or electronic means, or printed on it or, in the case of a certificate executed under the seal, need not bear any signature.
REGISTERS
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act and the Regulations, the Company may keep an overseas or local or other register in any place, and the board may make, amend and revoke any regulations it thinks fit about the keeping of that register.
-
- Any director or the secretary or any other person appointed by the board for the purpose shall have power to authenticate and certify as true copies of and extracts from:
- (a) any document comprising or affecting the constitution of the Company, whether in hard copy form or electronic form;
- (b) any resolution passed by the Company, the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, the board or any committee of the board, whether in hard copy form or electronic form; and
- (c) any book, record and document relating to the business of the Company, whether in hard copy form or electronic form (including without limitation the accounts).
If certified in this way, a document purporting to be a copy of a resolution, or the minutes or an extract from the minutes of a meeting of the Company, the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, the board or a committee of the board, whether in hard copy form or electronic form, shall be conclusive evidence in favour of all persons dealing with the Company in reliance on it or them that the resolution was duly passed or that the minutes are, or the extract from the minutes is, a true and accurate record of proceedings at a duly constituted meeting.
DIVIDENDS
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, the Company may by ordinary resolution declare dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the members provided that no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the board.
-
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, the board may pay interim dividends if it appears to the board that they are justified by the profits of the Company available for distribution. If the share capital is divided into different classes, the board may:
- (a) pay interim dividends on shares which confer deferred or non-preferred rights with regard to dividends as well as on shares which confer preferential rights with regard to dividends, but no interim dividend shall be paid on shares carrying deferred or non-preferred rights if, at the time of payment, any preferential dividend is in arrear; and
- (b) pay at intervals settled by it any dividend payable at a fixed rate if it appears to the board that the profits available for distribution justify the payment.
If the board acts in good faith it shall not incur any liability to the holders of shares conferring preferred rights for any loss they may suffer by the lawful payment of an interim dividend on any shares having deferred or non-preferred rights.
-
- Dividends may be declared and paid in any currency or currencies that the board shall determine. The board may also determine the exchange rate (and how any costs involved are to be met) and the relevant date for determining the value of the dividend in any currency provided that the exchange rate and relevant date is disclosed in the ordinary resolution of the Company that declares the relevant dividend.
-
- Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the shares on which the dividend is paid; but no amount paid on a share in advance of the date on which a call is payable shall be treated for the purpose of this Article as paid on the share. All dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amounts paid up on the shares during any portion or portions of the period in respect of which the dividend is paid; but, if any share is allotted or issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, that share shall rank for dividend accordingly.
-
- A general meeting declaring a dividend may, on the recommendation of the board, by ordinary resolution (or in the case of an interim dividend, without the authority of an ordinary resolution), direct that it shall be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets, including without limitation paid up shares or debentures of another body corporate. The board may make any arrangements it thinks fit to settle any difficulty arising in connection with the distribution, including without limitation:
- (a) the fixing of the value for distribution of any assets;
- (b) the payment of cash to any member on the basis of that value in order to adjust the rights of members;
- (c) the vesting of any asset in a trustee; and
- (d) issuing fractional certificates.
-
- The board may, if authorised by an ordinary resolution of the Company (the "Resolution"), offer any holder of ordinary shares (excluding any member holding shares as treasury shares) the right to elect to receive ordinary shares, credited as fully paid, instead of cash in respect of the whole (or some part, to be determined by the board) of all or any dividend specified by the Resolution. The offer shall be on the terms and conditions and be made in the manner specified in Article 200 or, subject to those provisions, specified in the Resolution.
-
- The following provisions shall apply to the Resolution and any offer made pursuant to it and Article 199.
- (a) The Resolution may specify a particular dividend, or may specify all or any dividends declared within a specified period, but such period may not end later than the third anniversary of the date of the meeting at which the Resolution is passed.
- (b) Each holder of shares shall be entitled to that number of new shares as are together as nearly as possible equal in value to (but not greater than) the cash amount (disregarding any tax credit) of the dividend that such holder elects to forgo (each a "new share"). For this purpose, the value of each new share shall be:
- (i) equal to the "average quotation" for the Company's ordinary shares, that is, the average of the middle market quotations for those shares on the London Stock Exchange plc, as derived from the Daily Official List, on the day on which such shares are first quoted ex the relevant dividend and the four subsequent dealing days; or
- (ii) in such manner as the board may determine on such basis as it considers to be fair and reasonable; or
- (iii) calculated in any other manner specified by the Resolution,
but shall never be less than the par value of the new share.
A certificate or report by the auditors as to the value of a new share in respect of any dividend shall be conclusive evidence of that value.
- (c) On or as soon as practicable after announcing that any dividend is to be declared or recommended, the board, if it intends to offer an election in respect of that dividend, shall also announce that intention. If, after determining the basis of allotment, the board decides to proceed with the offer, it shall notify the holders of shares of the terms and conditions of the right of election offered to them, specifying the procedure to be followed and place at which, and the latest time by which, elections or notices amending or terminating existing elections must be delivered in order to be effective. No such notice need be given to holders of ordinary shares who have previously given election mandates in accordance with this Article and whose mandates have not been revoked. The accidental omission to give notice of any right of election to, or the non-receipt (even if the Company becomes aware of such non-receipt) of any such notice by, any holder of ordinary shares entitled to the same shall neither invalidate any offer of an election nor give rise to any claim, suit or action.
- (d) The board shall not proceed with any election unless the board has sufficient authority to allot shares and sufficient reserves or funds that may be appropriated to give effect to it after the basis of allotment is determined.
- (e) The board may exclude from any offer any holders of shares where the board believes the making of the offer to them would or might involve the contravention of the laws of any territory or that for any other reason the offer should not be made to them.
- (f) The board may establish or vary a procedure for election mandates in respect of future rights of election and may determine that every duly effected election in respect of any ordinary shares shall be binding on every successor in title to the holder.
- (g) The dividend (or that part of the dividend in respect of which a right of election has been offered) shall not be payable in cash on shares in respect of which an election has been made (the "elected shares") and instead such number of new shares shall be allotted to each holder of elected shares as is arrived at on the basis stated in paragraph (b) of this Article. For that purpose the board shall appropriate out of any amount for the time being standing to the credit of any reserve or fund (including without limitation the profit and loss account), whether or not it is available for distribution, a sum equal to the aggregate nominal amount of the new shares to be allotted and apply it in paying up in full the appropriate number of new shares for allotment and distribution to each holder of elected shares as is arrived at on the basis stated in paragraph (b) of this Article.
- (h) The board may decide how any costs relating to the new shares available in place of a cash dividend will be met, including to deduct an amount from the entitlement of a holder of ordinary shares under this article.
- (i) The new shares when allotted shall rank equally in all respects with each other and with the fully paid shares of the same class then in issue except that they shall not be entitled to participate in the relevant dividend.
- (j) No fraction of a share shall be allotted. The board may make such provision as it thinks fit for any fractional entitlements including without limitation payment in cash to holders in respect of their fractional entitlements, provision for the accrual, retention or accumulation of all or part of the benefit of fractional entitlements to or by the Company or to or by or on behalf of any holder or the application of any accrual, retention or accumulation to the allotment of fully paid shares to any holder.
- (k) The board may do all acts and things it considers necessary or expedient to give effect to the allotment and issue of any share pursuant to this Article or otherwise in connection with any offer made pursuant to this Article and may authorise any person, acting on behalf of the holders concerned, to enter into an agreement with the Company providing for such allotment or issue and incidental matters. Any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all concerned.
- (l) The board may, at its discretion, amend, suspend or terminate any offer pursuant to this Article at any time.
-
- The board may deduct from any dividend or other moneys payable to any member in respect of a share any moneys presently payable by him to the Company in respect of that share. Sums so deducted can be used to pay amounts owing to the company in respect of the shares. Where a person is entitled by transmission to a share, the board may retain any dividend payable in respect of that share until that person (or that person's transferee) becomes the holder of that share.
-
- Any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of a share may be paid:
- (a) in cash; or
- (b) by cheque or warrant made payable to or to the order of the holder or person entitled to payment; or
- (c) by any direct debit, bank or other funds transfer system to the holder or person entitled to payment or, if practicable, to a person designated by notice to the Company by the holder or person entitled to payment; or
- (d) by any other method approved by the board and agreed (in such form as the Company thinks appropriate) by the holder or person entitled to payment including without limitation in respect of an uncertificated share by means of the relevant system (subject to the facilities and requirements of the relevant system).
-
- If two or more persons are registered as joint holders of any share, or are entitled by transmission jointly to a share, the Company may:
- (a) pay any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of the share to any one of them and any one of them may give effectual receipt for that payment; and
- (b) for the purpose of Article 202, rely in relation to the share on the written direction, designation or agreement of, or notice to the Company by, any one of them.
-
- A cheque or warrant may be sent by post:
- (a) where a share is held by a sole holder, to the registered address of the holder of the share; or
- (b) if two or more persons are the holders, to the registered address of the person who is first named in the register; or
- (c) if a person is entitled by transmission to the share, as if it were a notice to be sent under Article 220; or
- (d) in any case, to such person and to such address as the person entitled to payment may direct by notice to the Company.
-
- Payment of a cheque or warrant by the bank on which it was drawn or the transfer of funds by the bank instructed to make the transfer or, in respect of an uncertificated share, the making of payment in accordance with the facilities and requirements of the relevant system (which, if the relevant system is CREST, may include the sending by the Company or by any person on its behalf of an instruction to the Operator of the relevant system to credit the cash memorandum account of the holder or joint holders or, if permitted by the Company, of such person as the holder or joint holders may in writing direct) shall be a good discharge to the Company. Every cheque or warrant sent or transfer of funds made by the relevant bank or system in accordance with these Articles shall be at the risk of the holder or person entitled. The Company shall have no responsibility for any sums lost or delayed in the course of payment by any method used by the Company in accordance with Article 202.
-
- No dividend or other moneys payable in respect of a share shall bear interest against the Company unless otherwise provided by the rights attached to the share.
-
Any dividend which has remained unclaimed for 12 years from the date when it became due for payment shall, if the board so resolves, be forfeited and cease to remain owing by the Company. The payment of any unclaimed dividend or other moneys payable in respect of a share may (but need not) be paid by the Company into an account separate from the Company's own account. Such payment shall not constitute the Company a trustee in respect of it. The Company shall be entitled to cease sending dividend warrants and cheques by post or otherwise to a member if those instruments have been returned undelivered, or left uncashed by that member, on at least two consecutive occasions, or, following one such occasion, reasonable enquiries have failed to establish the member's new address, until the member notifies the Company of an address to be used for the purpose. The entitlement conferred on the Company by this Article in respect of any member shall cease if the member claims a dividend or cashes a dividend warrant or cheque.
CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS AND RESERVES
-
- The board may with the authority of an ordinary resolution of the Company:
- (a) subject to the provisions of this Article, resolve to capitalise any undistributed profits of the Company not required for paying any preferential dividend (whether or not they are available for distribution) or any sum standing to the credit of any reserve or other fund, including without limitation the Company's share premium account and capital redemption reserve, if any;
- (b) appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the members or any class of members on the record date specified in the relevant resolution who would have been entitled to it if it were distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions;
- (c) apply that sum on their behalf either in or towards paying up the amounts, if any, for the time being unpaid on any shares held by them respectively, or in paying up in full shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company of a nominal amount equal to that sum but the share premium account, the capital redemption reserve, and any profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up shares to be allotted to members credited as fully paid;
- (d) allot the shares, debentures or other obligations credited as fully paid to those members, or as they may direct, in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other;
- (e) where shares or debentures become, or would otherwise become, distributable under this Article in fractions, make such provision as they think fit for any fractional entitlements including without limitation authorising their sale and transfer to any person, resolving that the distribution be made as nearly as practicable in the correct proportion but not exactly so, ignoring fractions altogether or resolving that cash payments be made to any members in order to adjust the rights of all parties;
- (f) authorise any person to enter into an agreement with the Company on behalf of all the members concerned providing for either:
- (i) the allotment to the members respectively, credited as fully paid, of any shares, debentures or other obligations to which they are entitled on the capitalisation; or
- (ii) the payment up by the Company on behalf of the members of the amounts, or any part of the amounts, remaining unpaid on their existing shares by the application of their respective proportions of the sum resolved to be capitalised,
and any agreement made under that authority shall be binding on all such members;
- (g) generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the ordinary resolution; and
- (h) for the purposes of this Article, unless the relevant resolution provides otherwise, if the Company holds treasury shares of the relevant class at the record date specified in the relevant resolution, it shall be treated as if it were entitled to receive the dividends in respect of those treasury shares which would have been payable if those treasury shares had been held by a person other than the Company.
RECORD DATES
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- Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, the Company or the board may:
- (a) fix any date as the record date for any dividend, distribution, allotment or issue, which may be on or at any time before or after any date on which the dividend, distribution, allotment or issue is declared, paid or made, on which persons registered as the holders of shares or other securities shall be entitled to receipt of any dividend, distribution, interest, allotment, issue, notice, information, document or circular;
- (b) for the purpose of determining which persons are entitled to attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company, or a separate general meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, and how many votes such persons may cast, specify in the notice of meeting a time, not more than 48 hours before the time fixed for the meeting (which shall, if the board so specifies, be calculated taking no account of any part of a day that is not a working day), by which a person must be entered on the register in order to have the right to attend or vote at the meeting; changes to the register after the time specified by virtue of this Article shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend or vote at the meeting; and
- (c) for the purpose of sending notices of general meetings of the Company, or separate general meetings of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, under these Articles, determine that persons entitled to receive such notices are those persons entered on the register at the close of business on a day determined
by the Company or the board, which day may not be more than 21 days before the day that notices of the meeting are sent.
ACCOUNTS
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- No member shall (in its capacity as a member) have any right to inspect any accounting records or other book or document of the Company except as conferred by statute or authorised by the board or by ordinary resolution of the Company or order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
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- Subject to the provisions of the Act, a copy of the Company's annual accounts, the strategic report, the director's report, the director's remuneration report, the auditor's report on those accounts and on the auditable part of the director's remuneration report for that financial year shall, at least 21 clear days before the date of the meeting at which copies of those documents are to be laid in accordance with the provisions of the Act, be sent to every member and to every holder of the Company's debentures, and to every person who is entitled to receive notice of meetings from the Company under the provisions of the Act or of these Articles or, in the case of joint holders of any share or debenture, to one of the joint holders. A copy need not be sent to a person for whom the Company does not have a current address.
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- Subject to the Act, the requirements of Article 211 shall be deemed satisfied in relation to any person by sending to the person, instead of such copies, a summary financial statement derived from the Company's annual accounts and the directors' report, which shall be in the form and containing the information prescribed by the Act and any regulations made under the Act.
COMMUNICATIONS
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- Any notice to be sent to or by any person pursuant to these Articles (other than a notice calling a meeting of the board) shall be in writing.
-
- Subject to Article 213 and unless otherwise provided by these Articles, the Company shall send or supply a document or information that is required or authorised to be sent or supplied to a member or any other person by the Company by a provision of the Act or pursuant to these Articles or to any other rules or regulations to which the Company may be subject in such form and by such means as it may in its absolute discretion determine provided that the provisions of the Act which apply to sending or supplying a document or information required or authorised to be sent or supplied by the Act shall, the necessary changes having been made, also apply to sending or supplying any document or information required or authorised to be sent by these Articles or any other rules or regulations to which the Company may be subject.
-
- Subject to Article 213 and unless otherwise provided by these Articles, a member or a person entitled by transmission to a share shall send a document or information pursuant to these Articles to the Company in such form and by such means as it may in its absolute discretion determine provided that:
- (a) the determined form and means are permitted by the Act for the purpose of sending or supplying a document or information of that type to a company pursuant to a provision of the Act; and
- (b) unless the board otherwise permits, any applicable condition or limitation specified in the Act, including without limitation as to the address to which the document or information may be sent, is satisfied.
Unless otherwise provided by these Articles or required by the board, such document or information shall be authenticated in the manner specified by the Act for authentication of a document or information sent in the relevant form.
-
- In the case of joint holders of a share any document or information shall be sent to the joint holder whose name stands first in the register in respect of the joint holding and any document or information so sent shall be deemed for all purposes sent to all the joint holders.
-
- A member (or, in the case of joint holders, the person first named in the Register) whose registered address is not within an EEA State and who sends to the Company an address within an EEA State at which a document or information may be sent to him shall be entitled to have the document or information sent to him at that address (provided that, in the case of a document or information sent by electronic means, including without limitation any notification required by the Act that the document or information is available on a website, the Company so agrees, which agreement the Company shall be entitled to withhold in its absolute discretion including, without limitation, in circumstances in which the Company considers that the sending of the document or information to such address using electronic means would or might infringe the laws of any other jurisdiction) but otherwise:
- (a) no such member shall be entitled to receive any document or information from the Company; and
- (b) without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any notice of a general meeting of the Company which is in fact sent or purports to be sent to such member shall be ignored for the purpose of determining the validity of the proceedings at such general meeting.
-
- A member present, either in person or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company or of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company shall be deemed to have been sent notice of the meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which it was called. Any notice, document or other information may be served, sent or supplied by the Company by reference to the register as it stands at any time not more than 15 days before the date of service, sending or supplying. No change in the register after that time shall invalidate that service, sending or supply. Where any notice, document or other information is served on, sent or supplied to any person in respect of a share in accordance with these Articles, no person deriving any title or interest in that share shall be entitled to any further service, sending or supplying of that notice, document or other information.
-
- The board may from time to time issue, endorse or adopt terms and conditions relating to the use of electronic means for the sending of notices, other documents and proxy
appointments by the Company to members or persons entitled by transmission and by members or persons entitled by transmission to the Company.
-
- A document or information may be sent or supplied by the Company to the person or persons entitled by transmission to a share by sending it in any manner the Company may choose authorised by these Articles for the sending of a document or information to a member, addressed to them by name, or by the title of representative of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt or by any similar description at the address (if any) in the United Kingdom as may be supplied for that purpose by or on behalf of the person or persons claiming to be so entitled. Until such an address has been supplied, a document or information may be sent in any manner in which it might have been sent if the death or bankruptcy or other event giving rise to the transmission had not occurred.
-
- Every person who becomes entitled to a share shall be bound by any notice in respect of that share which, before his name is entered in the register, has been sent to a person from whom he derives his title, provided that no person who becomes entitled by transmission to a share shall be bound by any direction notice sent under Article 100 to a person from whom he derives his title.
-
- Proof that a document or information was properly addressed, prepaid and posted shall be conclusive evidence that the document or information was sent or supplied. A document or information sent by the Company to a member by post shall be deemed to have been received:
- (a) if sent by first class post or special delivery post from an address in the United Kingdom to another address in the United Kingdom, or by a postal service similar to first class post or special delivery post from an address in another country to another address in that other country, on the day following that on which the document or information was posted;
- (b) if sent by airmail from an address in the United Kingdom to an address outside the United Kingdom, or from an address in another country to an address outside that country (including without limitation an address in the United Kingdom), on the third day following that on which the document or information was posted;
- (c) in any other case, on the second day following that on which the document or information was posted.
-
- A document or information sent by the Company to a member by hand shall be deemed to have been received by the member when it is handed to the member or left at his registered address or an address notified to the Company in accordance with Article 217.
-
- Proof that a document or information sent or supplied by electronic means was properly addressed shall be conclusive evidence that the document or information was sent or supplied. A document or information sent or supplied by the Company to a member in electronic form shall be deemed to have been received by the member on the day following that on which the document or information was sent to the member. Such a document or information shall be deemed received by the member on that day notwithstanding that the Company becomes aware that the member has failed to receive the relevant document or
information for any reason and notwithstanding that the Company subsequently sends a hard copy of such document or information by post to the member.
-
- A document or information sent or supplied by the Company to a member by means of a website shall be deemed to have been received by the member:
- (a) when the document or information was first made available on the website; or
- (b) if later, when the member is deemed by Article 222, 223 or 224 to have received notice of the fact that the document or information was available on the website. Such a document or information shall be deemed received by the member on that day notwithstanding that the Company becomes aware that the member has failed to receive the relevant document or information for any reason and notwithstanding that the Company subsequently sends a hard copy of such document or information by post to the member.
-
- A member shall not be entitled to receive any document or information that is required or authorised to be sent or supplied to him by the Company by a provision of the Act or pursuant to these Articles or to any other rules or regulations to which the Company may be subject if documents or information sent or supplied to that member by post in accordance with the Articles have been returned undelivered to the Company:
- (a) on at least two consecutive occasions; or
- (b) on one occasion and reasonable enquiries have failed to establish the member's address.
For these purposes, any notice, document or information served, sent or supplied by post shall be treated as returned undelivered if the notice, document or other information is served, sent or supplied back to the Company (or its agents) and a notice, document or other information served, sent or supplied in electronic form shall be treated as returned undelivered if the Company (or its agents) receives notification that the notice, document or other information was not delivered to the address to which it was served, sent or supplied. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any notice of a general meeting of the Company which is in fact sent or purports to be sent to such member shall be ignored for the purpose of determining the validity of the proceedings at such general meeting.
Subject to Article 217, a member to whom this Article applies shall become entitled to receive such documents or information when he has given the Company an address to which they may be sent or supplied.
- Subject to the Act, if at any time the Company is unable effectively to convene a general meeting by notices sent through the post in the United Kingdom as a result of the suspension or curtailment of postal services, notice of general meeting may be sufficiently given by advertisement in the United Kingdom. Any notice given by advertisement for the purpose of this Article shall be advertised in at least one newspaper having a national circulation. If advertised in more than one newspaper, the advertisements shall appear on the same date. Such notice shall be deemed to have been sent to all persons who are entitled to have notice of meetings sent to them on the day when the advertisement appears. In any
such case, the Company shall send confirmatory copies of the notice by post, if at least seven days before the meeting the posting of notices to addresses throughout the United Kingdom again becomes practicable.
DESTRUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
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- The Company shall be entitled to destroy:
- (a) all instruments of transfer of shares which have been registered, and all other documents on the basis of which any entry is made in the register, at any time after the expiration of six years from the date of registration;
- (b) all dividend mandates, variations or cancellations of dividend mandates, and notifications of change of address at any time after the expiration of two years from the date of recording;
- (c) all share certificates which have been cancelled at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of the cancellation;
- (d) all paid dividend warrants and cheques at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of actual payment;
- (e) all proxy appointments which have been used for the purpose of a poll at any time after the expiration of one year from the date of use;
- (f) all proxy appointments which have not been used for the purpose of a poll at any time after one month from the end of the meeting to which the proxy appointment relates and at which no poll was demanded;
- (g) all share warrants (including coupons or tokens detailed from it) which have been cancelled at any time after seven years from the date of cancellation; and
- (h) all other documents for which entries in the Register were made, after six years from the date of registration,
provided that the Company may destroy any such type of document at a date earlier than that authorised by this Article if a copy of such document is made and retained (whether electronically, by microfilm, by digital imaging or by other similar means) until the expiration of the period applicable to the destruction of the original of such document.
-
- It shall conclusively be presumed in favour of the Company that:
- (a) every entry in the register purporting to have been made on the basis of an instrument of transfer or other document destroyed in accordance with Article 228 was duly and properly made;
- (b) every instrument of transfer destroyed in accordance with Article 228 was a valid and effective instrument duly and properly registered;
- (c) every share certificate destroyed in accordance with Article 228 was a valid and effective certificate duly and properly cancelled; and
(d) every other document destroyed in accordance with Article 228 had been properly dealt with under its terms and was a valid and effective document in accordance with its recorded particulars in the books or records of the Company,
but:
- (e) the provisions of this Article and Article 228 apply only to the destruction of a document in good faith and without notice of any claim (regardless of the parties) to which the document might be relevant;
- (f) nothing in this Article or Article 228 shall be construed as imposing on the Company any liability in respect of the destruction of any document earlier than the time specified in Article 228 or in any other circumstances which would not attach to the Company in the absence of this Article or Article 228; and
- (g) any reference in this Article or Article 228 to the destruction of any document includes a reference to its disposal in any manner.
-
- References in Articles 228 and 229 to instruments of transfer shall include, in relation to uncertificated shares, instructions and/or notifications made in accordance with the relevant system relating to the transfer of such shares.
UNTRACED SHAREHOLDERS
-
- The Company shall be entitled to sell, at the best price reasonably obtainable, the shares of a member or the shares to which a person is entitled by transmission if:
- (a) during the period of 12 years before the date of the publication of the advertisements referred to in paragraph (b) of this Article (or, if published on different dates, the first date) (the "relevant period") at least three dividends in respect of the shares in question have been declared and all dividend warrants and cheques which have been sent in the manner authorised by these Articles in respect of the shares in question have remained uncashed;
- (b) the Company shall as soon as practicable after expiry of the relevant period have inserted advertisements both in a national daily newspaper and in a newspaper circulating in the area of the last known address of such member or other person giving notice of its intention to sell the shares; and
- (c) during the relevant period and the period of three months following the publication of the advertisements referred to in paragraph (b) of this Article (or, if published on different dates, the first date) the Company has received no indication either of the whereabouts or of the existence of such member or person.
- (d) the Company has given notice to the UKLA of its intention to make such sale, if shares of the class is concerned are listed on the Official List or dealt in on the London Stock Exchange.
-
- To give effect to any sale pursuant to Article 231, the board may:
- (a) where the shares are held in certificated form, authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the buyer; or
- (b) where the shares are held in uncertificated form, do all acts and things it considers necessary or expedient to effect the transfer of the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the buyer.
-
- An instrument of transfer executed by that person in accordance with Article 232(a) shall be as effective as if it had been executed by the holder of, or person entitled by transmission to, the shares. An exercise by the Company of its powers in accordance with Article 232(b) shall be as effective as if exercised by the registered holder of or person entitled by transmission to the shares. The transferee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, and his title to the shares shall not be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of, the proceedings in reference to the sale.
-
- The net proceeds of sale shall belong to the Company which shall be obliged to account to the former member or other person previously entitled for an amount equal to the proceeds. The Company shall enter the name of such former member or other person in the books of the Company as a creditor for that amount. In relation to the debt, no trust is created and no interest is payable. The Company shall not be required to account for any money earned on the net proceeds of sale, which may be used in the Company's business or invested in such a way as the board from time to time thinks fit.
WINDING UP
-
- If the Company is wound up, the liquidator may, with the sanction of a special resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Insolvency Act 1986:
- (a) divide among the members in specie the whole or any part of the assets of the Company and may, for that purpose, value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the members or different classes of members (this shall apply whether the assets consist of property of one kind or different kinds);
- (b) vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees for the benefit of the members; and
- (c) determine the scope and terms of those trusts,
but no member shall be compelled to accept any asset on which there is a liability.
- The power of sale of a liquidator shall include a power to sell wholly or partially for shares or debentures or other obligations of another body corporate, either then already constituted or about to be constituted for the purpose of carrying out the sale.
INDEMNITY
- Subject to the provisions of the Act, but without prejudice to any indemnity to which the person concerned may otherwise be entitled, every director or other officer of the Company
(other than any person (whether an officer or not) engaged by the Company as auditor) shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against:
- (a) any liability incurred by him for negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the affairs of the Company, or any of its subsidiary undertakings;
- (b) any liability incurred by him in defending any civil or criminal proceedings, in which judgment is given in his favour or in which he is acquitted or the proceedings are otherwise disposed of without any finding or admission of any material breach of duty on his part or in connection with any application in which the court grants him, in his capacity as a relevant director or officer; and
- (c) any other liability incurred by or attaching to him in relation to or in connection with his duties, powers or office, including in connection with the activities of the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings in its capacity as a trustee of an occupational pension scheme,
provided that this Article shall not apply to any liability owed to the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings and shall be deemed not to provide for, or entitle any such person to, indemnification to the extent that it would cause this Article, or any element of it, to be treated as void under the Act.
This indemnity shall extend to all costs, changes, losses, expense and liabilities incurred by him in relation thereto. The Company may provide any director or relevant officer with funds to meet expenditure incurred or to be incurred by him in connection with any proceedings or application referred to in paragraph (b) of this Article and otherwise may take any action to enable any such director or officer to avoid incurring such expenditure.
- The directors may decide to purchase and maintain insurance, at the expense of the Company, for the benefit of any relevant officer in respect of any relevant loss.