Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Mar 15, 2024
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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The shareholders of AQ Group AB (publ), reg. no. 556281–8830, ("AQ" or the "Company"), are hereby given notice of the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 18 April 2024 at 18.00 at Konserthuset, Kopparbergsvägen 1, in Västerås. Registration to the meeting will open at 17.30.
Shareholders who wish to attend the meeting shall:
Notice of attendance may be given in writing to AQ Group AB, Att: Årsstämma, Regattagatan 29, 723 48 Västerås, or by e-mail [email protected]. When giving notice of attendance, state the shareholders name, personal- or corporate identity number, address, telephone number, and number of accompanying persons if any (maximum two), and, if applicable information about proxy or representatives (see further below).
Shareholders whose shares are registered in the name of the nominee must, in addition to giving notice of attendance to the meeting, temporarily register their shares in their own names (so-called voting rights registration) in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB to be entitled to participate in the AGM. Such registration may be temporary and is requested at the nominee, according to the nominees' routines, in such time in advance as decided by the nominee. Voting rights registration that have been done by the nominee no later than Friday, 12 april 2024 will be taken into account in the presentation of the shareholder register.
Shareholders that participate through proxy or representative should send authorization documents (power of attorney and/or certification of registration) well in advance to the meeting to the Company at the above address. The Company provides proxy forms and this is available on the Company's website, www.aqgroup.com.
For information about the Company's processing of personal data and your rights, see https://www.aqgroup.com/en/investor/corporate-governance/annual-general-meeting.
Ahead of the 2024 AGM, AQ's Nomination Committee consists of Björn Henriksson, Chairman of the Nomination Committee, (Nordea Fonder), Hans Christian Bratterud (ODIN Fonder), Per Olof Andersson (own holding) and Claes Mellgren (own holding).
The Nomination Committee proposes that Per Olof Andersson is elected as Chairman of the meeting.
The Board of directors proposes a dividend for the financial year 2023 with a cash amount of SEK 6,66 per share. As record day, the Board of directors proposes Monday, 22 April 2024. If the meeting resolves according with the proposal, payment for the dividend is expected to take place through Euroclear Sweden AB's care on Thursday, 25 April 2024.
The Nomination Committee proposes that:
The Nomination Committee proposes that remuneration to the chairman of the Board shall amount to SEK 470,000 (450,000) and SEK 235,000 (225,000) to each of the other Board members elected by the meeting. To the chairman of Audit Committee, a remuneration is proposed of SEK 120,000 (100,000) and to the other members of the Audit Committee, SEK 60,000 (40,000). No remuneration is proposed to be paid for work in the Remuneration Committee. Fee to the auditor shall be paid in accordance with approved invoice.
The Nomination Committee proposes:
• re-election of the directors Per Olof Andersson, Ulf Gundemark, Gunilla Spongh, Claes Mellgren, Lars Wrebo and Kristina Willgård, and
• re-election of Claes Mellgren as Chairman of the Board.
Information about the persons proposed by the Nomination Committee to Board members is available on the Company's website, www.aqgroup.com.
As auditor, in accordance with the audit committee's recommendation, a re-election of the authorized auditing company Ernst & Young AB is proposed, for the period until the end of the 2025 AGM. Ernst & Young AB has announced that authorized public accountant Jennifer Rock-Baley will be the auditor in charge, provided that re-election takes place.
The Board proposes that the meeting approves the Boards report of remunerations.
The Board proposes that the meeting resolves to authorize the Board to, on one or more occasions during the next period up to the next meeting, with or without deviation from the shareholders' preferential rights, decide on a new issue of shares in the Company. The authorization comprises shares that correspond to a maximum of ten (10) per cent of the total number of shares issued by the Company at the time when the authorisation is utilized. The newly issues shares must be subscribed for in cash, in kind or with the right of set-off.
The reasons for the deviation from the preferential right is that the Company must be able to issue shares as payment in connection with agreements in company acquisitions, or alternatively raise capital for such acquisitions.
The Board, the CEO or the person appointed by one of them shall have the right to make minor adjustments to the above decisions that may prove necessary in connection with the registration with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.
A resolution under this item is valid only if it is supported by shareholders with at least two-thirds of the votes cast and the shares represented at the meeting.
The Board proposes that the general meeting resolves to issue a long-term incentive program as follows, comprising of a directed new issuance of warrants.
The Board of AQ Group AB (publ) proposes that the AGM establish a long-term warrant-based incentive program for employees within the AQ Group (the "Program") by carrying out a private placement in respect of not more than 155,000 warrants, entailing an increase in the share capital of not more than SEK 310,000 if the private placement is fully taken up.
The Board finds it important and in the interest of all shareholders that the employees in the AQ Group have a long-term interest in good value development in the Company. Through a warrantbased incentive program for the AQ Group's employees, employees' rewards can be linked to the Company's future earnings and value development. The long-term value growth is thereby rewarded, and shareholders and affected employees have common goals. Share-based incentive programs also create a Group-wide focus for the employees concerned and thereby promotes long-term actions. The program is also considered to make it easier for the Company to recruit and retain key employees. The Board therefore assesses, based on the design of the Program, that there is no need to establish any predetermined and measurable performance criteria for participation in the Program.
The reason for not applying the shareholders' pre-emption rights is to introduce a warrant-based incentive program in the Company whereby the employees are offered to take part in and work for a positive value development of the share in the Company during the period covered by the proposed Program, and to enable the Company to recruit and retain competent and committed employees. The Board assesses that the Program may have a positive impact on the Company's continued development, for the benefit of the Company as well as its shareholders. In light of the terms and conditions, the size of the allotment and other circumstances, the Board deem that the proposed Program, in accordance with the below, is reasonable and beneficial to the Company and its shareholders.
| Category | Number of persons | Maximum number of warrants/person |
Maximum number of warrants/category |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEO | 1 | 10 000 | 10 000 |
| GM | 9 | 5 000 | 45 000 |
| Other key | |||
| employees | 40 | 2 500 | 100 000 |
| Total | 50 | 155 000 |
All warrants shall be issued at market price to the Participants. The price per warrant shall then correspond to the warrant's market value calculated using the customary valuation model (the so-called Black-Scholes model) based on the listed share price and other prevailing market conditions on the day for subscription. Calculation of market value and calculation of subscription price regarding subscription of a new share in the Company shall be performed by Grant Thornton Sweden AB, or, if this is not possible, by another independent valuation institution.
Based on a price for the Company's share of SEK 545.00 a subscription price of SEK 681.25 per share, a risk-free interest rate of 2.47 percent and a volatility of 32.0 percent, the value per warrant has been estimated at SEK 91.39, which gives a value for all warrants of SEK 14 165 450.
Calculated on the basis of the above-mentioned estimated warrant value and that the Participants will pay market value for the warrants, the Program is only expected to incur certain limited costs, mainly in the form of external consulting fees and administration regarding the warrants and the Program as a whole.
It is proposed that a maximum of 155 000 warrants be issued that can be exercised for subscription of a total of a maximum of 155 000 shares, which corresponds to a dilution effect of a maximum of one (1) percent. The Company's share capital may increase by a maximum of SEK 310 000, with reservation of the increase that may be caused by the fact that recalculation may take place in accordance with the terms of the warrants.
The dilution and costs of establishing and administering the Program are expected to have a marginal impact on the Company's key ratios.
The proposal has been prepared by the Board after obtaining the viewpoint of majority shareholders and independent experts and has been addressed at board meetings in early 2024.
There is one outstanding warrant-based incentive program, 2022-2025, resolved upon at the annual general meeting 2022. For a description of this, please refer to the company's website and annual report for 2023.
A resolution under this item is valid only if it is supported by shareholders with at least nine-tenths of the votes cast and the shares represented at the AGM.
The Board proposes that the AGM resolves that the number of shares in the Company is increased by division of each existing share into five shares (Share split 5:1) under the following conditions. The purpose of the share split is to achieve an appropriate number of shares for the Company.
The resolutions proposed by the Board under item a) – b) below shall be adopted as one resolution and are conditional on both being adopted by the AGM. Resolutions under these items may be registered together or in whole or in part separately.
In order to enable the split of shares according to item b) below, the Board proposes that the AGM resolves to amend the limits for the permitted number of shares in § 4 of the Articles of Association as follows.
The Board also proposes that the AGM resolves to insert a new section (§) in the Articles of Association to enable the Board to collect proxies and allow postal voting for general meetings. According to Chapter 7, Section 4 and Section 4 a of the Swedish Companies Act (2005:551), the Board may collect proxies and may decide that the shareholders shall be able to exercise their voting rights by post before the general meeting if there is a provision to that effect in the Articles of Association.
The Board's proposal of new Articles of Association is available at the Company and at www.aqgroup.com
| Current wording | Proposed wording |
|---|---|
| § 4 Share capital and Shares | § 4 Share capital and Shares |
| The Company's share capital shall be no less than SEK twenty million (20,000,000) and no |
The Company's share capital shall be no less than SEK twenty million (20,000,000) and no |
| more than SEK sixty million (60,000,000). The number of shares shall be no less than ten million (10,000,000) and no more than thirty million (30,000,000) shares. |
more than SEK sixty million (60,000,000). The number of shares shall be no less than fifty million (50,000,000) and no more than one hundred and fifty million (150,000,000) shares. |
|---|---|
| Current wording | Proposed wording |
| § 11 Collection of proxies and postal voting The Board of Directors may collect proxies pursuant to the procedure stated in Chapter 7, Section 4, paragraph 2 of the Swedish Companies Act (2005:551). The Board of Directors may resolve, before a general meeting, that the shareholders shall be able to exercise their voting rights by post prior to the general meeting pursuant to Chapter 7, Section 4 a of the Swedish Companies Act (2005:551). Voting by post may be made by electronic means if the Board of Directors so decides. |
The Board proposes that the AGM resolves on a share split, whereby one (1) existing share is split into five (5) shares (share split 5:1). Following the share split, the number of shares in the Company will increase from 18,294,058 to 91,470,290. The proposed share split means that the quota value of the share will change from SEK 2 to SEK 0.40.
The Board proposes that the AGM resolves to authorize the Board to determine the record day for the share split.
The Board further proposes that the AGM resolves to authorize the Board to take any other measures or amendments of this resolution required to carry out or register the share split.
A resolution under this item is valid only if it is supported by shareholders with at least two-thirds of both the votes cast and the shares presented at the AGM.
The Board's and the Nomination Committee's proposals and other documents that must be available in accordance with the Swedish Companies Act and the Swedish Corporate Governance Code are kept available at the Company, at Regattagatan 29, 723 48 Västerås, and on the Company's website, www.aqgroup.com, no later than three weeks before the meeting. The documents are sent to those shareholders who specifically request it and state their postal or e-mail address. The AGM share register will be kept available at the Company at the above address.
At the time for this notice, the total number of shares and votes in the Company amounts to 18,294,058. The Company does not hold any own shares.
The Board of Directors and the CEO shall, if any shareholder so requests and the Board considers that this can be done without significant damage to the Company, provide information on circumstances that may affect the assessment of a matter on the agenda, and circumstances that may affect the assessment of the Company or the subsidiary's financial situation or the Company's relationship with another group company.
Västerås in March 2024 AQ Group AB (publ) The Board of Directors
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