AGM Information • Mar 10, 2021
AGM Information
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If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you are recommended immediately to seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, auditor, accountant or other independent financial adviser duly authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your Ordinary Shares in Aptitude Software Group plc, please send this document, together with the accompanying form of proxy and annual report, as soon as possible, to the purchaser or transferee or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
9 March 2021
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales with registered number 01602662)
Dear Shareholder
Set out in this circular letter, on pages 5 to 10, is a formal notice of the Annual General Meeting of Aptitude Software Group plc to be held on Tuesday 27 April 2021 at 9.00 am at 50-60 Station Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB1 2JH ("AGM").
Our preference had been to welcome shareholders in person to our 2021 AGM, particularly given the constraints we faced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, at the time of writing of this Notice of AGM, it is expected that there will still be limitations on our ability to host shareholders at our Annual General Meeting on 27 April 2021. We therefore strongly recommend that shareholders do not attend the AGM in person and instead appoint the Chair of the meeting to act as their proxy. Shareholders are invited to submit questions ahead of the AGM (see below for details of how to do this). Due to the expected restrictions applicable at that time, shareholders may not be permitted to attend the physical location for the AGM in person or, if attendance at the venue is permissible at the relevant time, it is likely to be restricted in terms of numbers. We would therefore still encourage shareholders not to attend the venue in person and instead to appoint the Chair of the meeting to act as their proxy. If any shareholders do intend to attend the meeting in person, the Company strongly encourages them to advise the Company at least 48 hours in advance of the AGM by using the contact details below. Any such communication shall not provide a guarantee that admittance to the AGM will be permitted where to do so would be in breach of rules governing public gatherings and/or the need to protect the health and safety of those already in the meeting.
Any updates to the position will be published on our website at www.aptitudesoftware.com.
The Board considered carefully whether to put arrangements in place to enable shareholders to attend the AGM by virtual means. However, it was felt that the financial and operational expenditure in providing a means of virtual attendance would be disproportionate and therefore it would not be in the best interests of the Company as a whole, to do so.
Given the constantly evolving nature of the situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, should circumstances change before the time of the AGM, we will seek to adapt arrangements and to welcome shareholders to the AGM, within safety constraints and in accordance with government guidelines. Should we consider that it has become possible to do so, we will notify shareholders of the change via letter and through an RNS announcement as early as is possible before the date of the meeting. Any updates to the position will also be included on our website at www.aptitudesoftware.com
The Board recommends that all shareholders appoint the Chairman of the AGM as their proxy to attend the meeting and vote on their behalf. Shareholders may register the appointment of a proxy for the AGM electronically via the website of Link Group, the Company's Registrars, at www.signalshares.com. Further information on submitting proxies can also be found on page 8 of this Notice of AGM. Please note the deadline for the receipt of proxies by our Registrar, Link Group, is 9:00 am on Friday 23 April 2021.
The Board recognises the importance of shareholder engagement through the AGM process and encourages shareholders to submit any questions relating to the business to be conducted at the AGM to the Company in advance of the meeting. Questions should be sent by email to [email protected]. Please state "Aptitude Software Group: AGM" in the subject line of the email. The Company will publish any relevant questions, together with the Board's answers to these, on its website following the AGM.
The purpose of this letter is for the Board to explain to you the Resolutions numbered 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 which are proposed in the Notice of AGM.
Resolution 2 is an Ordinary Resolution to approve the Annual Report on Remuneration, which is Part B of the Directors' Remuneration Report and is set out on pages 53 to 64 of the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020. Resolution 2 is an advisory Resolution which means that entitlement of a Director to remuneration is not conditional on the Resolution being passed.
The Company's Articles of Association require any Directors who were not appointed or re-appointed at one of the preceding two Annual General Meetings to retire and offer themselves for re-election. However, notwithstanding this provision, in accordance with the recommendations of the 2018 Corporate Governance Code, all Directors offer themselves for annual re-election.
Biographical details of each Director (as at the date of this Notice) are set out inside the front cover of the Annual Report and Accounts and appear on the Company's website www.aptitudesoftware.com. Having considered the performance of, and contribution made by each Director, the Board remains satisfied that the individual performance of each Director is of a high standard and that their continuing appointment is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. As such, the Board recommends the re-election of each Director under Resolutions 4 to 8.
This Resolution deals with the Directors' authority to allot Relevant Securities in accordance with section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) in order to replace the authority given at the annual general meeting of the Company held on 28 April 2020. This Resolution complies with the Investment Association Share Capital Management Guidelines issued in July 2016 and the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles issued in March 2015.
If passed, the Resolution will authorise the Directors to allot Relevant Securities up to a maximum nominal amount of £1,379,508 which represents approximately 33.3% of the Company's issued Ordinary Shares (excluding treasury shares) as at 9 March 2021 and a further amount of £1,379,508 which represents approximately 33.3% of the Company's issued Ordinary Shares (excluding treasury shares) as at 9 March 2021 in respect of a fully pre-emptive offer. As at close of business on 9 March 2021, the Company did not hold any treasury shares.
The authority granted by this Resolution will expire on 31 May 2022 or, if earlier, on the conclusion of next year's annual general meeting. The Directors have no immediate intention to exercise the authority conferred by this Resolution, but consider it desirable to have sufficient authority in place, as permitted by corporate governance guidelines, to respond to market developments and to enable allotments to take place in a timely manner, should such a situation arise.
In this Resolution, Relevant Securities means:
Resolution 12 will, if passed, give the Directors power, pursuant to the authority to allot granted by Resolution 11, to allot equity securities (as defined by section 560 of the CA 2006) or sell treasury shares for cash without first offering them to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings: (a) in relation to pre-emptive offers; and (b) in any other case, up to a maximum nominal amount of £206,926 (2,821,850 shares) which represents approximately 5% of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 9 March 2021 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document).
The power granted by this Resolution replaces the authority given at the General Meeting of the Company held on 27 April 2020 and will expire on the conclusion of next year's annual general meeting or, if earlier, on 31 May 2022.
Resolution 13 will, if passed, give the Directors power, pursuant to the authority to allot granted by Resolution 11 and in addition to the authority granted pursuant to Resolution 12, to allot equity securities (as defined by section 560 of the CA 2006) or sell treasury shares for cash without first offering them to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings up to a maximum nominal amount of £206,926 (2,821,850 shares) which represents approximately 5% of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 9 March 2021 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document) where such allotment is used only for the purposes of financing (or refinancing, if the authority is to be used within six months after the original transaction) a transaction which the Board of the Company determines to be an acquisition or another capital investment of a kind contemplated by the Statement of Principles on Disapplying Pre-Emption Rights most recently published by the Pre-Emption Group prior to the date of this notice.
These Resolutions are in line with guidance issued by the Investment Association (as updated in July 2016) and the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles (as updated in March 2015) (the Statement of Principles), and the template Resolutions published by the Pre-Emption Group in May 2016.
In addition, the Directors also confirm that in accordance with the Statement of Principles, they do not intend to issue shares for cash representing more than 7.5% of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital in any rolling three-year period other than to existing shareholders, save as permitted in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment as described above, unless shareholders have been notified and consulted in advance.
The Directors have no present intention to exercise the authority conferred by these Resolutions, but wish to have the flexibility to do so, should it be deemed to be in the best interests of the Company to do so.
It is proposed that the existing authority to enable the Company to make purchases of its own shares should be renewed until the next annual general meeting in 2022. The Special Resolution proposed would enable the Company to make purchases on the London Stock Exchange limited to 5,643,701 shares (equivalent to 10 per cent. of its issued share capital as at 9 March 2021), at, or between, the minimum and maximum prices specified in Resolution 14. Any shares purchased by the Company pursuant to this Resolution may be immediately cancelled or held in treasury. Under the CA 2006, the Company is permitted to hold its own shares in treasury following a buy-back, instead of cancelling them. Such shares may be resold for cash or used to satisfy share options but all rights attaching to them, including voting rights and any right to receive dividends are suspended whilst they are held in treasury. The Directors currently have no immediate intention to exercise the authority sought under Resolution 14 to make market purchases, but consider the authority desirable to provide maximum flexibility in the management of the Company's capital base. This power would only be used after careful consideration by the Directors, having taken into account such matters as market conditions prevailing at that time, the investment needs of the Company and its overall financial position. The Directors would exercise the proposed authority to purchase Ordinary Shares only if they considered it to be in the best interests of shareholders and if the purchases could be reasonably expected to result in an increase in earnings per share.
As at 9 March 2021, options were outstanding to subscribe for 1,757,142 Ordinary Shares, representing 3.1 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Company. The proportion of issued share capital represented by such share options would increase to 3.5 per cent. if the authority to purchase shares (existing and sought) proposed by Resolution 14 is utilised in full by the Directors. There are currently no warrants outstanding and no treasury shares in issue. The authority sought in Resolution 14 is to replace the authority given at the last annual general meeting and will expire at the conclusion of the annual general meeting in 2022 or on 31 May 2022, whichever is the earlier.
Under the Shareholders' Rights Regulations, the prescribed notice period for general meetings of a company is 21 days, unless certain requirements are satisfied including that a Special Resolution of shareholders is passed to allow notice of general meetings (other than annual general meetings) to be given by way of 14 days clear notice. At the last annual general meeting of the Company authority was granted by shareholders to allow a shorter notice of 14 clear days. The Directors believe it is in the best interests of the shareholders to retain the flexibility of a shorter notice period and intend to renew the authority at this Annual General Meeting by proposing a Special Resolution to allow notice of meetings to be given by way of 14 days clear notice. It is intended by the Directors that a shorter notice period will be used where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting, where the matter is time sensitive and where it is thought to be to the advantage of shareholders. The approval will be effective until the Company's annual general meeting in 2022, when a Resolution will be proposed to renew the authority. In order to be able to call a general meeting on less than 21 clear days' notice, the Company must make a means of electronic voting available to all shareholders at the time of calling the meeting.
The Directors believe that the adoption of all the Resolutions to be put to the Meeting are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and are most likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of shareholders as a whole. The Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of all the Resolutions to be proposed at the AGM, as they themselves intend to do in respect of their own beneficial shareholdings which in aggregate amount to a total of 388,207 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 0.7 per cent. of the existing issued Ordinary Share capital of the Company as at 9 March 2021, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular letter containing the Notice of AGM.
Yours sincerely
Ivan Martin CHAIRMAN
Registered Office: Old Change House, 128 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4BJ. Registered in England Number 1602662
(Incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Acts 1948 to 1980 with number 1602662)
To consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following Resolutions. Resolutions 1 to 11 will be proposed as Ordinary Resolutions and Resolutions 12 to 15 will be proposed as Special Resolutions.
and further,
(b) that, in accordance with section 551 of the CA 2006, and in addition to the authority granted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Resolution, the Directors be generally and unconditionally authorised to allot Relevant Securities in connection with a rights issue in favour of Ordinary shareholders where the equity securities respectively attributable to the interests of all Ordinary shareholders are proportionate (as nearly as may be) to the respective numbers of Ordinary Shares held by them up to an aggregate nominal amount of £1,379,508 but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal or practical problems in or under the laws of any territory or the requirements of any regulatory body or stock exchange, provided that this authority shall, unless renewed, varied or revoked by the Company, expire at 23:59 on 31 May 2022 or, if earlier, the date of the next annual general meeting of the Company, save that the Company may, before such expiry, make offers or agreements which would or might require Relevant Securities to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or convert any Relevant Security into shares to be granted after it expires and the Directors may allot Relevant Securities or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any Relevant Security into shares in pursuance of such offer or agreement notwithstanding that the authority conferred by this Resolution has expired.
In this resolution, "Relevant Securities" means shares in the Company or rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company; a reference to the allotment of Relevant Securities includes the grant of such a right; and a reference to the nominal amount of a Relevant Security which is a right to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company is to the nominal amount of the shares which may be allotted pursuant to that right.
These authorities are in substitution for all existing authorities under section 551 of the CA 2006 (which to the extent unused at the date of this resolution, are revoked with immediate effect).
The authority granted by this Resolution will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting after the passing of this Resolution or, if earlier, at 23:59 on 31 May 2022, save that the Company may, before such expiry make offers or agreements which would or might require equity securities to be allotted (or treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities (or sell treasury shares) in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
This Resolution revokes and replaces all unexercised powers previously granted to the Directors pursuant to sections 570 and 573 of the CA 2006 to allot equity securities or sell treasury shares as if section 561 of the CA 2006 did not apply but without prejudice to any allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares already made or agreed to be made pursuant to such authorities.
The authority granted by this Resolution will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting after the passing of this Resolution or, if earlier, at 23:59 on 31 May 2022, save that the Company may, before such expiry make offers or agreements which would or might require equity securities to be allotted (or treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities (or sell treasury shares) in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
The authority conferred by this Resolution 14 shall expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company in 2022 or at 23:59 on 31 May 2022, whichever is earlier (except in relation to the purchase of Ordinary Shares, the contract for which was concluded before such date and which is completed wholly or partly after such date) unless such authority is renewed prior to such time.
By order of the Board
9 March 2021
Registered Office: Old Change House 128 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4BJ
The following notes explain your general rights as a shareholder and your rights to attend and vote at the AGM or to appoint someone else to vote on your behalf.
If you are an institutional investor you may be able to appoint a proxy electronically via the Proxymity platform, a process which has been agreed by the Company and approved by the Registrar. For further information regarding Proxymity, please go to www.proxymity.io.
Your proxy must be lodged no later than 48 hours before the time of the Annual General Meeting, in order to be considered valid. Before you can appoint a proxy via this process you will need to have agreed to Proxymity's associated terms and conditions. It is important that you read these carefully as you will be bound by them and they will govern the electronic appointment of your proxy. Proxymity will then contract with your underlying institutional account holder directly to accept their vote instructions through the platform.
that the shareholders propose to raise at a meeting relating to either the audit of the Company's accounts (including the auditor's report and the conduct of the audit) that are to be laid before the meeting or any circumstances connected with an auditor of the Company ceasing to hold office since the last annual general meeting of the Company in accordance with section 527 of the Act. Any such request must:
Where the Company is required to publish such a statement on its website:
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