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Amplifon — Governance Information 2018
Sep 4, 2018
4030_cgr_2018-09-04_73fb01cc-0571-4fca-9bb9-026f39d19b30.pdf
Governance Information
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| As per the subscriptions of the share capital gathered on 3 rd September 2018 |
|
|---|---|
| in partial execution of the capital increase of EUR 150,000 approved by the | |
| Board of Directors in a deed notarized by Notary Giuseppe Calafiori on 28 | |
| October 2010 in Index 64027/17030 pursuant to the powers granted by the | |
| Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting in a deed notarized by Notary Giuseppe | |
| Calafiori on 27 April 2006 in Index 54093/12134, the Articles of Association | |
| as updated on 11 April 2018 based on which the share capital subscribed and |
|
| paid-in on that date amounts to EUR 4,526,872.40 are hereby transcribed. | |
| ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION of | |
| "AMPLIFON S.p.A." | |
| --==oo0oo==-- | |
| Art. 1 = A joint stock company is incorporated under the name of "AMPLIFON | |
| S.p.A.". | |
| Art. 2 = The company's purpose is the sale of hearing aids, optical items, | |
| technical and scientific instruments and devices for all applications, with | |
| particular regard to those for use in the medical sector, as well as the | |
| production, design on its own account, study and sale of any other electronic | |
| and non-electronic devices, equipment, remedy or product, for curative, health, | |
| educational and rehabilitative purposes as well as prevention and protection in | |
| the workplace and in research laboratories and for the protection of the | |
| individual; the production and sale of sound booths and noise-insulation | |
| products for use in any sector; and the provision of technological support to | |
| the national health service. | |
| The company may promote and organize industrial and market research, | |
| organize refresher and educational courses, coordinate and perform scientific | |
| research on its own account and that of third parties into the items produced, | |
|---|---|
| sold and studied by the company, within the limits of Law 1815/1939, and it | |
| may carry out publishing activities, nonetheless excluding the publication of | |
| daily newspapers. | |
| It may also carry out the maintenance, repair and construction and assembly | |
| of accessory or related parts, both to secure the customer base and to facilitate | |
| marketing and penetration of the respective markets. | |
| The company may act on its own account and in representation of others or | |
| under commission from others. | |
| The company may undertake all commercial, industrial and financial | |
| transactions and those involving movable and immovable properties which are | |
| deemed by the Board of Directors necessary or useful in order to attain the | |
| company's business purpose; it may also grant secured or unsecured | |
| endorsements, sureties and guarantees of any kind to any person for its own | |
| obligations and those of others. | |
| In any case, the company is expressly forbidden from the professional | |
| provision of investment services to the general public, as defined under Decree | |
| 58/1998 and subsequent amendments and additions thereto, and from any | |
| kind of activity that legally requires specific authorization unless already | |
| obtained. | |
| Lastly, the company may invest in enterprises, entities or companies which are | |
| functionally related to achieving the business purpose, and may take part in | |
| consortia and cooperative companies and enter into partnership |
|
| arrangements, in compliance with current legislation and therefore explicitly | |
| excluding the exercise of the above financial and investment activities which | |
| are prohibited under law. | |
|---|---|
| Art. 3 = The company's registered office is in Milan, Italy. | |
| The company is entitled to open and close branches, agencies or |
|
| representative offices, including abroad, and secondary offices, in accordance | |
| with the rules and procedures applicable on each occasion. | |
| = The shareholders shall be domiciled for the purposes of their Art. 4 |
|
| relationship with the company at the address shown in the shareholders' | |
| register. | |
| Art. 5 = The company's duration is fixed until 31 December 2100 and may be | |
| extended. | |
| Art. 6 = The company's share capital is Euro 4,526,872.40 (four million, five | |
| hundred and twenty-six thousand, eight hundred and seventy-two, forty cents), | |
| divided into 226,343,620 (two hundred and twenty-six million, three hundred | |
| and forty-three thousand, six hundred and twenty) shares with a nominal value | |
| of € 0.02 (zero point zero two) each. | |
| The Extraordinary Shareholders' meeting held on 27 April 2006 voted: | |
| - to grant the Board of Directors, for a period of five years from the date of the | |
| resolution, the power, pursuant to Article 2443 of the Italian Civil Code, to | |
| increase share capital for cash, on one or more occasions, by a maximum | |
| amount of € 150,000.00 (one hundred fifty thousand) at par, by issuing up to | |
| 7,500,000 (seven million five hundred thousand) shares of a nominal value of | |
| € 0.02 (zero point zero two) each, with ordinary dividend rights, to be offered | |
| for subscription to employees of the company and its subsidiaries, to be | |
| identified with regard to the strategic importance of the position held within the | |
| Group; this capital increase shall exclude rights as allowed by the last | |
| paragraph of Article 2441 of the Italian Civil Code and Article 114-bis and | |
|---|---|
| paragraph 2, Article 134 of Decree 58/98 and any amendments or additions | |
| thereto; resolutions passed in relation to the capital increase shall state that, if | |
| the capital increase approved in execution of the authority to increase share | |
| capital is not subscribed within the time limits established on each occasion (in | |
| any case not after 31 December 2020), the share capital will be increased by | |
| the amount of the subscriptions received by those deadlines. Pursuant to the | |
| power granted to the Board of Directors by the Extraordinary Shareholders' | |
| Meeting held on 27 April 2006, during the meeting held on 28 October 2010 | |
| the Board of Directors resolved to increase share capital for cash, on one or | |
| more occasions, by a maximum amount of € 150,000.00 (one hundred fifty | |
| thousand) at par, by issuing up to 7,500,000 (seven million five hundred | |
| thousand) shares of a nominal value of € 0.02 (zero point zero two) each, with | |
| ordinary dividend rights, to be offered for subscription to employees of the | |
| company and its subsidiaries, to be identified with regard to the strategic | |
| importance of the position held within the Group; this capital increase shall | |
| exclude rights as allowed by the last paragraph of Article 2441 of the Italian | |
| Civil Code and Article 114-bis and paragraph 2, Article 134 of Decree 58/98 | |
| and any amendments or additions thereto. Any shares issued pursuant to this | |
| resolution must be placed no later than 30 April 2019 in accordance with the | |
| terms and conditions as per the "Stock Option Plan 2010-2011" approved by | |
| the Company's Shareholders' Meeting in ordinary session. | |
| As of 3rd September, 2018 the amount of € 141,521.68 (one hundred and forty |
|
| one thousand, five hundred and twenty-one and sixty-eight cents) with the | |
| correspondent issuance of number 7,076,084 (seven million and seventy-six | |
| thousand and eighty-four) ordinary shares with a nominal value of € 0.02 (zero | |
|---|---|
| point zero two) has been subscribed and paid-in with reference to this capital | |
| increase. | |
| On 16 April 2014 the Shareholders, meeting in Extraordinary Session, resolved | |
| to grant to the Board of Directors the power, pursuant to Art. 2443 of the Italian | |
| Civil Code, to increase the share capital without consideration, for a period of | |
| five years from the date of the resolution, on one or more occasions, for up to | |
| a maximum nominal amount of Euro 100,000.00, through the issue of a | |
| maximum of 5,000,000 ordinary shares with a nominal value of Euro 0.02 | |
| each, with voting rights, to be assigned to employees of Amplifon S.p.A. and/or | |
| its subsidiaries, pursuant to Art. 2349 of the Italian Civil Code, as part of the | |
| Company's current and future stock-based incentive plans. These capital | |
| increases must be made using the earnings or available reserves shown in the | |
| last financial statements approved each time. | |
| If the shareholders' meeting so resolves, share capital may be increased by | |
| issuing shares with different rights to those already in circulation, and for | |
| settlement in a form other than in cash, within the limits allowed by law and | |
| also pursuant to Art. 2441, 4th paragraph, second part of the Italian Civil Code, | |
| with respect to the terms, conditions and procedures provided for therein; the | |
| Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting may also grant the Directors the power – | |
| pursuant to and in accordance with Art. 2443 of the Italian Civil Code. – to | |
| proceed with a capital increase, free or otherwise, with or without option rights, | |
| including in accordance with Art. 2441, 4th paragraph (second part) and 5th | |
| paragraph of the Italian Civil Code In compliance with current limits and | |
| regulations, meaning in accordance with the principles established by the | |
| Interministerial Committee for Savings and Credit, the company may accept | |
|---|---|
| loans from shareholders and/or receive payments from the same, with or | |
| without the obligation to repay them and without the payment of interest, | |
| except as otherwise resolved in shareholders' meetings. | |
| Art. 7 = Every share is indivisible and registered. | |
| If allowed by prevailing law, shareholders may request at their own expense to | |
| convert their registered shares into bearer shares. | |
| Art. 8 = The shares can be freely sold and transferred. | |
| The right of withdrawal may be exercised only in cases where it is | |
| unconditionally allowed by law. The right of withdrawal does not apply to | |
| resolutions concerning the extension of the company's duration, and the | |
| introduction, amendment or removal of restrictions on the circulation of shares. | |
| Art. 9 = Ordinary and extraordinary shareholders' meetings, which may be | |
| called in a place other than the company's registered office provided within | |
| Italy, are governed by the law and this article. | |
| Shareholders' meetings are called by publishing a notice on the company's | |
| website or in accordance with the modalities referred to in Consob regulations | |
| within the time limit required by the law pursuant to Art. 113-ter, paragraph 3 | |
| of Legislative Decree 58/1998. | |
| The same notice may set another date for a possible second calling of the | |
| meeting, and, where allowed by law, also the date for a third calling. | |
| The ordinary shareholders' meeting must be called at least once a year, within | |
| one hundred twenty days of the end of the financial year or, when specific legal | |
| requirements are met, within one hundred eighty days of the end of the | |
| financial year. | |
| The Directors shall set out the reasons for the delay in the report drawn up in | |
|---|---|
| accordance with Article 2428 of the Italian Civil Code. | |
| The extraordinary shareholders' meeting can create classes of shares carrying | |
| different rights from the ordinary ones. More specifically, it is possible to issue | |
| preference shares which enjoy preferential treatment in the distribution of | |
| earnings and repayment of capital. | |
| In addition, the company is entitled to issue bearer or registered bonds in the | |
| manner and form allowed by law. | |
| Art. 10 = Attendance rights and exercise of voting rights during the |
|
| shareholders' meeting are governed by law and the terms indicated in the | |
| notice of call. Those in possession of voting rights may be represented via a | |
| written proxy submitted in accordance with the law. The proxy may be made | |
| via e-mail, in accordance with specific regulations issued by the Ministry of | |
| Justice, as per the terms and conditions indicated in the notice of call. The | |
| related documents will be held in Company archives. | |
| Art. 11 = The shareholders' meeting is presided over by the Chairman of the | |
| Board of Directors or, if absent or unable, by another person elected by | |
| majority vote of the meeting's participants. The Chairman is assisted by a | |
| secretary, who need not be a shareholder and who is appointed in the same | |
| way. | |
| = The formation of shareholders' meetings and validity of their Art. 12 |
|
| resolutions, both in ordinary and extraordinary session, are governed by law. | |
| Art. 13 = 1. – Pursuant to article 127-quinquies of Legislative Decree. 58/1998, | |
| ("TUF"), each share held by the same party for an uninterrupted period of no | |
| less than twenty-four months starting from the date of registration on the list | |
| contemplated in paragraph 2 below shall be assigned two votes. Parties | |
|---|---|
| entitled to the voting right may irrevocably waive, fully or in part, the increased | |
| votes for the shares they hold. | |
| 2. – The fulfilment of the conditions for attribution of the increase vote is verified | |
| by the management body – and, on its behalf, by the Chairman or Executive | |
| Directors, also through appropriately delegated Proxies, – based on the results | |
| of a specific list ("List") kept by the Company, in compliance with the current | |
| laws and regulations, in line with the provisions below: | |
| a) shareholders intending to register on the List shall provide the Company | |
| with the certification required by Article 83-quinquies, Paragraph 3 of TUF; | |
| b) the Company shall record the registration into the List by the 15th day of the | |
| month following the one during which the shareholder's request – complete | |
| with the aforementioned certification - was received; | |
| c) the List shall include the identification details of the shareholders requesting | |
| to be registered and the number of shares for which registration was | |
| requested, detailing the relevant transfers and restrictions, as well as the | |
| registration date; | |
| d) after the registration request: (i) the intermediary shall notify the Company | |
| of the transfer of shares with increased voting rights, also in order to comply | |
| with the provisions of Article 85-bis of the Issuer Regulation; (ii) the holder | |
| of the shares that have been registered into the List – or the owner of the | |
| right in rem that confers voting rights – shall promptly notify the Company | |
| of any termination of increased voting rights or their relevant prerequisites; | |
| e) after twenty-four months from the date of registration into the List and if the | |
| relevant prerequisites still apply, each share registered into the List shall | |
| allocate two votes in all ordinary and extraordinary shareholders' meetings | |
|---|---|
| whose record date (pursuant to Art. 83-sexies TUF) occurs after the expiry | |
| of the aforementioned twenty-four month deadline; | |
| f) the List is updated with intermediaries' notifications, pursuant to TUF and | |
| relevant implementation rules, as well as with any notifications received | |
| from shareholders, in compliance with provisions of Article 85-bis, | |
| paragraph 4-bis of Consob Resolution No. 11971 dated 14 May 1999 | |
| (Issuer Regulation); | |
| g) the List is updated by the 15th day of the calendar month following: (i) the | |
| event that determines the loss of increased voting rights or the non-vesting | |
| of such rights within twenty-four months with subsequent cancellation from | |
| the List; or (ii) the vesting of increased voting rights at the expiry of the | |
| twenty-four month term from registration into the List, with subsequent | |
| registration into a dedicated section of the List which states all identification | |
| data for shareholders with increased voting rights, the number of shares | |
| with increased voting rights, indicating any relevant transfers and | |
| restrictions connected to them, as well as any waivers and the date on | |
| which increased voting rights were granted; | |
| h) the List's records can also be made available to shareholders in a commonly | |
| used electronic format, upon request; | |
| i) the Company shall announce, by publishing them on its website, the names |
|
| of the shareholders with shareholdings exceeding the thresholds set out in | |
| article 120, paragraph 2 of TUF, which have requested to be registered on | |
| the List, indicating their investments and the date of registration on the List, | |
| along with all other information required by current laws and regulations, | |
| without prejudice to the other disclosure obligations of the holders of | |
|---|---|
| relevant shareholdings. | |
| 3. – The transfer of shares against payment or free of charge, including the | |
| establishment or disposal of partial rights on shares by virtue of which the | |
| voting right is taken from shareholders registered on the List, or direct or | |
| indirect sales of controlling shareholdings in companies or entities holding | |
| shares with increased votes exceeding the threshold set out by Article 120, | |
| paragraph 2 of Legislative Decree 58/1998, shall result in the loss of the | |
| increased vote. | |
| 4. – The increased voting right: | |
| (i) shall be maintained in case of succession pursuant to death and in case |
|
| of the merger or demerger of the holder of the shares; | |
| (ii) shall extend to newly issued shares in the case of a capital increase |
|
| pursuant to article 2442 of the Italian Civil Code; | |
| (iii) may also apply to shares assigned in exchange for those to which the |
|
| increased vote is attributed, in the case of merger or demerger, where | |
| such condition is provided for in the relevant plan; | |
| (iv) shall also be proportionately extended to the shares issued in execution |
|
| of a capital increase by means of new contributions. | |
| 5. – The increased voting right shall also be calculated to determine the | |
| quorums required for convening and passing resolutions of shareholders' | |
| meetings referring to share capital quotas, but shall not affect rights other than | |
| voting rights due as a result of possession of certain capital quotas. | |
| Art. 14 = The company shall be run by a Board of Directors, comprising | |
| between three and eleven members, as decided by the shareholders in | |
| shareholders' meetings. | |
|---|---|
| Art. 15 = Members of the Board of Directors are appointed for a maximum | |
| period of three years; they are reappointed and replaced in accordance with | |
| the law and are eligible for re-election. | |
| The members of the Board of Directors are elected on the basis of candidate | |
| lists submitted by individual shareholders and/or groups of shareholders | |
| owning at least 2.5% of the share capital, or any smaller amount established | |
| by inviolable provision of law or regulation. | |
| The members of the Board of Directors must possess the professionalism, | |
| honourability and independence required under the law; in particular, at least | |
| one member of the Board of Directors, or two if the Board has more than seven | |
| members, must meet the independence criteria established for Statutory | |
| Auditors by the law in effect at that time. | |
| Loss of independent status will require the Director to step down, but without | |
| prejudice to the obligation to notify the Board of Directors immediately, that | |
| principle does not apply if independent status is still held by the minimum | |
| number of Directors required to meet such criteria by the law in effect at that | |
| time. | |
| The Board of Directors is appointed based on the lists presented in accordance | |
| with the subsequent paragraphs and in compliance with the law in effect at the | |
| time relating to gender equality, rounding up the number of the least |
|
| represented gender in the event application of the gender quotas does not | |
| result in a whole number. | |
| The lists which contain a number of candidates equal to or more than three | |
| must be composed of both genders in accordance with the quotas established | |
| under the law in effect (rounding up in the event of a fractional number). | |
|---|---|
| One member of the Board of Directors is elected from the minority list obtaining | |
| the highest number of votes which is not associated, even indirectly, with the | |
| shareholders who have submitted or voted for the winning list. | |
| The lists must specify which candidates qualify as independent as defined by | |
| the law and the Articles of Association, which shareholders submitted the lists, | |
| and the percentage of shares they cumulatively hold. | |
| For the purposes of selecting the winning candidates, account is not taken of | |
| lists that fail to obtain a percentage of votes equal to at least half that required | |
| for the submission of lists. | |
| The lists submitted, on which the candidates are numbered sequentially, must | |
| be filed at the company's registered office at least twenty-five days before the | |
| date set for the shareholders' meeting. | |
| The lists will be published on the Company's website, as well as in accordance | |
| with the methods indicated in Consob regulations pursuant to Art. 147-ter, | |
| paragraph 1-bis of Legislative Decree. 58/1998 at least twenty-one days prior | |
| to the date of the meeting. Each shareholder who submits a list or is party to a | |
| list must submit the certificate issued by the authorized intermediary, by the | |
| legal deadline set for the Company's publication of said lists. | |
| Each shareholder may submit or take part in the submission of one list only. | |
| Shareholders who are members of a single voting syndicate, as defined by Art. | |
| 122 of Legislative Decree 58 of 24 February 1998 (TUF) and its amendments, | |
| and likewise the parent company, subsidiaries and sister companies, may | |
| submit or take part in the submission of a single list. Participation and votes | |
| expressed in violation of the above will not be attributed to any list. | |
| Attached to each list shall be a description of the candidates' professional | |
|---|---|
| background, information on their personal traits and professional |
|
| qualifications, and statements in which the individual candidates agree to run | |
| and declare, under their own responsibility, the absence of causes of | |
| ineligibility and disqualification, their fulfilment of the prerequisites required by | |
| law or the company's Articles of Association and, if applicable, their status as | |
| independent pursuant to current regulations. | |
| Any lists that fail to observe the above conditions will be treated as never | |
| submitted. | |
| Each candidate may appear on one list only or will be disqualified. | |
| All open directorships are filled from the list obtaining the majority of votes cast, | |
| in the order in which candidates are listed, with the exception of one | |
| directorship which is filled by the first candidate with independent status on the | |
| list receiving the second highest number of votes which is not associated, even | |
| indirectly, with the shareholders who have submitted or voted for the winning | |
| list. | |
| The above rules for electing the Board of Directors do not apply if at least two | |
| lists have not been submitted or voted for, or at shareholders' meetings called | |
| to replace Directors during their term of office. | |
| If a single list is submitted, the procedure described above is disregarded and | |
| the shareholders resolve, with the majority votes required by law, to fill all open | |
| directorships (in the number previously determined by the shareholders) from | |
| that list in the order in which the candidates are presented; at least as many | |
| shareholders as are required by the law in effect at that time must qualify as | |
| independent pursuant to Art. 148, paragraph 3 of Legislative Decree 58 of 24 | |
| February 1998 (TUF). | |
|---|---|
| In the event that after the list voting or voting for the only list presented is | |
| completed the composition of the Board of Directors fails to comply with the | |
| law relating to gender balance, the last candidate elected with the greatest | |
| number of votes, based on the order in which he/she appears on the list, will | |
| be substituted by the first candidate of the least represented gender not elected | |
| on the same list, based on the order in which they appear. This procedure will | |
| be adhered to until it is assured that the composition of the Board of Directors | |
| complies with the law in force at the time with regard to gender balance. | |
| If no lists are submitted or if the preference list system produces fewer | |
| candidates than the minimum number of Directors stated in the Articles of | |
| Association, and in the event that through list voting the number of directors of | |
| the least represented gender fails to comply with the law in force at the time, | |
| the Board of Directors is elected or completed, respectively, by the majority | |
| votes established by law, as long as the gender balance called for in the current | |
| law is achieved and as long as the presence of the minimum number of | |
| directors qualifying as independent under the law in effect at the time is | |
| guaranteed. | |
| If one or more Directors leaves office during the year, for any reason, the | |
| remaining Directors shall proceed in accordance with Art. 2386 of the Italian | |
| Civil Code. If one or more of the outgoing Directors was elected from a list that | |
| also included candidates who were not elected, the Board of Directors shall | |
| replace the Director(s) by appointing, in sequential order, the person(s) on the | |
| list to which the former Director belonged who is/are still eligible and willing to | |
| accept the position. Should an Independent Director leave office, the position | |
| will be filled, if possible, by the first independent candidate not elected from the | |
|---|---|
| list to which the outgoing Director belonged. In any case the Board will appoint | |
| the number of independent directors needed to ensure compliance with the | |
| law in effect at the time relating to the total number of independent directors | |
| and gender quotas. | |
| If the Board of Directors loses a majority of its members due to resignation or | |
| any other cause, the entire Board shall leave office and a shareholders' | |
| meeting shall be called without delay to fill all positions by vote. | |
| The Board of Directors shall remain in office only for the conduct of acts of | |
| ordinary administration until the shareholders' meeting has decided on the new | |
| Directors and the majority of the new Directors have accepted their | |
| appointment. | |
| Art. 16 = If the shareholders' meeting has not already done so at the time of | |
| appointing or reappointing the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors elects | |
| a Chairman from among its members every time it is appointed or reappointed | |
| and, if it deems so fit, a Vice Chairman authorized to act as the Chairman's | |
| Deputy. | |
| The Board of Directors may also appoint a secretary who need not be a | |
| shareholder. | |
| Art. 17 = Board meetings are held either at the company's registered office or | |
| elsewhere, every time the Chairman, or his or her deputy, deems so fit, or | |
| when either at least one Statutory Auditor or at least one of the Directors so | |
| requests. | |
| The Board of Directors may also meet by teleconference, as long as all | |
| participants can be identified and are permitted to follow and participate in the | |
| discussion in real time. In this case, the meeting is considered to have been | |
|---|---|
| held in the place where the Chairman is and where the secretary must also be | |
| located for the purposes of drawing up and signing the minutes in the minute | |
| book. | |
| Board meetings are validly formed if attended by at least half of the Directors, | |
| while resolutions are passed by majority vote of the Directors in attendance; in | |
| the event of a tied vote, the Chairman shall have the casting vote. | |
| Art. 18 = Board meetings are called by the Chairman, or his Deputy, by letter | |
| to be sent to the domicile of each Director and Statutory Auditor at least five | |
| days in advance of the meeting. In urgent cases meetings may be called at | |
| least one day in advance by telegram, telex, fax or electronic mail with proof | |
| of receipt. If the company is listed on the stock market, the Board of Directors | |
| or Executive Committee, if appointed, may also be called by the Board of | |
| Statutory Auditors, or by two members of the same, after giving prior notice to | |
| the Chairman of the Board of Directors. | |
| Art. 19 = Unless otherwise decided by the shareholders' meeting at the time | |
| of appointing the Board of Directors, the latter is invested, within the limits | |
| established by law, with the broadest powers for the company's ordinary and | |
| extraordinary administration, and of decision without any restriction, including | |
| the power to give guarantees and sureties to third parties, as allowed by | |
| paragraph 5, Article 2 of these Articles of Association. | |
| Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 2420-ter and 2443 of the Italian | |
| Civil Code, the Board of Directors shall have exclusive authority for passing | |
| resolutions, nonetheless in accordance with Article 2436 of the Italian Civil | |
| Code, to open and close secondary offices, to specify which one of the | |
| directors shall be the company's representative, to reduce share capital in the | |
|---|---|
| event of shareholder withdrawal, to amend the articles of association for | |
| regulatory changes, to transfer the registered office within Italy, and to approve | |
| mergers in the cases described in Articles 2505 and 2505-bis of the Italian Civil | |
| Code, including as referenced with regard to demergers in Art. 2506 ter. | |
| The Board of Directors and Board of Statutory Auditors shall receive a report | |
| at least once every three months during directors' meetings that covers the | |
| business general performance, its outlook and the transactions of greatest | |
| impact on profitability, assets and liabilities and financial position, with | |
| particular regard to transactions in which the Directors have a direct or third | |
| party interest and which are influenced by any party that directs and | |
| coordinates the company. This report, which also refers to the company's | |
| subsidiaries, may also be presented by those Directors with executive powers. | |
| For the sake of timeliness, the report to the Board of Statutory Auditors may | |
| also be made directly or during meetings of the Executive Committee. | |
| Art. 20 = The Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Vice Chairman, and any | |
| Executive Director(s) shall represent the company individually before third | |
| parties and in a court of law and shall be entitled to sign on its behalf. | |
| These persons, again on an individual basis, are delegated with the power to | |
| decide regarding legal actions, including appeals and annulments, and to act | |
| as plaintiff and defendant and appoint lawyers in civil, criminal and | |
| administrative proceedings, with the power to abandon such proceedings, | |
| reach settlements, and accept arbitration judgments and friendly agreements. | |
| Art. 21 = The Board of Directors may delegate its functions and powers, within | |
| the limits set by Article 2381 of the Italian Civil Code, to a committee consisting | |
| of some of its members, to the Chairman or to another of its members, | |
|---|---|
| including on a cumulative basis, establishing the related remuneration. The | |
| Board of Directors is also entitled to appoint managers and attorneys for | |
| specific deeds or categories of deed. | |
| The Board of Directors, as well as the Executive Committee, may set up one | |
| or more committees, with purely consultative and/or proposal-making | |
| functions, such as for example a Remuneration Committee for Directors | |
| invested with particular duties and for determining the policy to apply to the | |
| company's top management, which shall consist primarily of non-executive | |
| Directors and provide the Board with suitable recommendations, and an | |
| Internal Control Committee, on which a suitable number of non-executive | |
| Directors sit, who act in a consultative capacity and make recommendations | |
| particularly with regard to reports by the Independent Auditors and persons | |
| responsible for internal control and the choice of and work performed by the | |
| Independent Auditors. | |
| Art. 22 = The Directors are entitled to be reimbursed for any expenses incurred | |
| in connection with their office. | |
| The shareholders' meeting may also grant them extraordinary or periodic | |
| indemnity and remuneration, including in relation to profits. | |
| Art. 23 = The Board of Directors, subject to the mandatory but non-binding | |
| opinion of the Board of Statutory Auditors, appoints the Manager charged with | |
| preparing company's financial reports in accordance with Art. 154 bis of | |
| Legislative Decree 58 of 24 February 1998 (TUF). | |
| Those eligible for the position of financial reporting officer are executives with | |
| at least three years' executive-level experience in administration/accounting | |
| and/or finance and/or control at the company and/or its subsidiaries and/or | |
|---|---|
| other joint-stock corporations. | |
| Art. 24 = The Board of Statutory Auditors consists of three standing members | |
| and two alternate members, who satisfy the requirements (including those | |
| regarding experience, integrity and number of positions held and those defined | |
| by the law in effect at the time relating to gender balance) stated in laws and | |
| regulations. | |
| In the event that after applying the Law the gender quotas fail to reach a whole | |
| number; the number of the least represented gender must be rounded up to | |
| the higher number. | |
| As regards to the requirement of experience, for the purposes of paragraph 3, | |
| Article 1 of Ministerial Decree 162 of 30 March 2000 with reference to | |
| paragraph 2 letters b) and c) of said article, "matters strictly associated with | |
| the company's activities" mean commercial law, company law, |
|
| microeconomics, public finance and statistics as well as topics relating to the | |
| field of medicine and electronic engineering and disciplines with the same or | |
| similar purpose, while "sectors of activity strictly associated with the sectors in | |
| which the company operates" mean the sectors of producing, wholesaling and | |
| retailing the instruments, equipment and products mentioned in Article 2 | |
| above. | |
| The ordinary shareholders' meeting elects the Board of Statutory Auditors and | |
| decides its remuneration. | |
| Apart from the duties envisaged by current legal requirements, the Board of | |
| Statutory Auditors is entitled to express non-binding opinions on the | |
| information received from the Board of Directors concerning transactions | |
| carried out by the company or its subsidiaries having a significant impact on | |
|---|---|
| profitability, assets and liabilities and financial position, and on related-party | |
| transactions. | |
| The Statutory Auditors are domiciled at the company's registered office for their | |
| entire term in office. | |
| The minority shareholders are entitled to elect one standing member of the | |
| Board of Statutory Auditors and one alternate member. | |
| The Board of Statutory Auditors is appointed on the basis of lists submitted by | |
| individual shareholders or groups of shareholders who together hold voting | |
| shares representing at least 2% of the share capital with voting rights at the | |
| ordinary shareholders' meeting, subscribed to as of the date the list is | |
| submitted, or representing a smaller percentage established by inviolable | |
| provision of law or regulation. | |
| The lists must contain the names of the candidates, numbered sequentially, | |
| who may not exceed the number of Statutory Auditors to be elected. | |
| The lists must include candidates for Standing and Alternate Auditor of both | |
| genders in order to ensure the gender balance called for under the law in effect | |
| at the time. The Standing Auditors elected are the first and second candidates | |
| on the list obtaining the highest number of votes and the candidate obtaining | |
| the highest number of votes from among the minority lists. The alternate | |
| auditors elected are the first alternate candidate on the list obtaining the | |
| highest number of votes and the first alternate candidate on the minority list | |
| obtaining the highest number of votes. No shareholder, either individually or in | |
| conjunction with others, may submit more than one list and no shareholder, or | |
| any other party entitled to vote, may vote for more than one list either directly | |
| or through intermediaries. In addition, shareholders which: i) pursuant to Art. | |
|---|---|
| 93 of Legislative Decree 58 of 24 February 1998 (TUF) are in a relationship of | |
| control with one another or are controlled by the same party, even if the | |
| controlling party is a natural person; ii) are party to a shareholders' agreement | |
| relevant under the terms of Art. 122 of Legislative Decree 58 of 24 February | |
| 1998 (TUF); or iii) are party to a shareholders' agreement and are, as defined | |
| by the law, parent companies, subsidiaries or sister companies of another | |
| shareholder in the trust, may not submit, alone or in conjunction with others, | |
| more than one list or vote for different lists. Participation and votes expressed | |
| in violation of the above will not be attributed to any list. | |
| The lists must be filed at the company's registered office at least twenty-five | |
| days before the date set for the shareholders' meeting and published in | |
| accordance with the methods provided for at law and in current regulations at | |
| least twenty-one days prior to the date of the meeting. Each shareholder who | |
| submits a list or is party to a list must submit the certificate issued by the | |
| authorized intermediaries, together with the lists, by the legal deadline set for | |
| the Company's publication of said lists, along with a declaration, under his/her | |
| own responsibility, that there are no connections with the other lists presented, | |
| pursuant to applicable norms and regulations. | |
| Each list must be accompanied by a description of each candidate's career, | |
| personal traits and professional qualifications and by declarations in which | |
| each candidate accepts his/her candidacy and confirms, under his/her own responsibility, that there are no reasons why he/she may be ineligible for election or his/her election incompatible and that he/she possesses the requirements established by law and these Articles of Association. |
| Notice of the lists and of their accompanying information shall be given in the | |
|---|---|
| forms required by regulations in effect at the time. | |
| Any lists that fail to observe the above conditions will be treated as never | |
| submitted. | |
| Each candidate may appear on one list only or will be disqualified. | |
| The lists with three or more candidates must include candidates of both | |
| genders and at least one third of the candidates (rounded up) for Standing and | |
| Alternate Auditor must be of the least represented gender. | |
| The following persons may not be elected as Statutory Auditors and, if elected, | |
| lose office: a) persons who do not satisfy the requirements established by the | |
| applicable legislation and b) persons who are standing members of the Board | |
| of Statutory Auditors at more than five companies listed on organized markets | |
| in Italy. | |
| The members of the Board of Statutory Auditors are elected as follows: | |
| - from the list obtaining the highest number of votes, two regular auditors and | |
| one alternate auditor will be taken in the order in which they are presented on | |
| the list; | |
| - the third standing member of the Board of Statutory Auditors, who serves as | |
| its Chairman, and the other alternate member are elected in order of | |
| appearance from the list with the second largest number of votes which is not | |
| associated, even indirectly, with the shareholders who submitted or voted for | |
| the winning list, or with shareholders who submitted or voted for the list per the | |
| preceding paragraph. | |
| For purposes of electing the minority auditor in accordance with the above | |
| paragraph, in the event of a tie between lists, the prevailing list is that submitted | |
| by shareholders owning the greatest cumulative interest or, as a secondary | |
|---|---|
| measure, by the greatest number of shareholders, without prejudice to the law | |
| in effect at the time relating to gender balance. | |
| In the event of a tie between two or more lists, provided none of the lists is | |
| associated, even indirectly, with the shareholders who submitted or voted for | |
| the other, a new ballot is held between these lists on which all shareholders | |
| present in shareholders' meeting shall vote. The candidates on the list winning | |
| a simple majority of votes shall be elected. | |
| In the event of death, waiver or loss of office by a member of the Board of | |
| Statutory Auditors, the alternate member belonging to the same list as the | |
| outgoing auditor shall take up office, without prejudice to the law in effect at | |
| the time relating to gender balance. | |
| In the event of replacing the Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors, the | |
| chair is taken by the other standing member on the same list as the outgoing | |
| Chairman; if, due to previous or concurrent departures from office, it is not | |
| possible to make the replacement in accordance with the above principles, a | |
| shareholders' meeting will be called to appoint the missing members. | |
| If, in accordance with the preceding paragraph or with law, the shareholders' | |
| meeting is required to appoint missing standing and/or alternate members of | |
| the Board of Statutory Auditors, it shall act as follows: if it is a question of | |
| replacing standing members elected on the majority list, the appointment is | |
| made by majority vote, choosing where possible from the candidates | |
| appearing in the list to which the member being replaced belonged, without | |
| prejudice to the law in effect at the time relating to gender balance. | |
| If just one list has been submitted, the shareholders' meeting casts its vote on | |
| that list; if the list gets the relative majority, the first three candidates appearing | |
|---|---|
| on it are elected as standing members of the Board of Statutory Auditors, | |
| without prejudice to the law in effect at the time relating to gender balance, | |
| while the fourth and fifth names are appointed as alternate members; the | |
| Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors is the first candidate appearing on | |
| the list presented; in the event of death, waiver or loss of office by a standing | |
| member of the Board of Statutory Auditors or replacement of its Chairman, | |
| their place is taken respectively by the alternate member and standing member | |
| next appearing on the list. | |
| In the event that the above mentioned procedures do not guarantee that the | |
| number of standing auditors complies with the law in effect at the time relating | |
| to gender balance, the necessary substitutions will be made from the list that | |
| obtained the greatest number of votes based on the sequential order in which | |
| the candidates were listed. | |
| If, by the deadline for submitting lists, the company has received a single list | |
| or only lists submitted by shareholders who are "associated" with one another | |
| as defined in regulations issued by the Commissione Nazionale per le Società | |
| e la Borsa (CONSOB), lists may be presented by the end of the extended | |
| period where provided for. In this case, the minimum share ownership required | |
| for the submission of lists for the election of statutory auditors is reduced by | |
| half. | |
| These circumstances and this possibility will be announced in accordance with | |
| the law. | |
| In the absence of lists, the Board of Statutory Auditors and its Chairman are | |
| elected by the shareholders' meeting with the majorities stated by law. | |
| Outgoing statutory auditors may be re-elected. | |
|---|---|
| = The company's financial year ends on the 31st (thirty-first) of Art. 25 |
|
| December of every year. | |
| Art. 26 = After allocating a portion of net profit to the legal reserve, until this | |
| reaches one-fifth of share capital, the rest of net profit shall be distributed to | |
| the shareholders, unless the shareholders' meeting decides otherwise. | |
| The dividends shall be paid by authorized intermediaries in accordance with | |
| the terms established by the shareholders' meeting, pursuant to prevailing | |
| legal requirements. The Board of Directors may vote to distribute advances on | |
| the dividends in the circumstances and manner established by Article 2433- | |
| bis of the Italian Civil Code and by Article 158 of Legislative Decree 58/1998. | |
| Dividends not collected within five years of the date they become payable shall | |
| revert to the company. | |
| Art. 27 = In the event of winding up and liquidating the company and generally | |
| any other matter not explicitly covered by these Articles of Association, the | |
| related provisions of law shall apply. | |
| Milan, 3rd September, 2018 | |
| The Executive Director | |
| Enrico Vita | |
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