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Bittium Oyj — Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2021
Mar 22, 2021
3258_rns_2021-03-22_d14b539b-30e2-42af-82e2-9eac735850d3.html
Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement
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Bittium Cancels the Notice to the Annual General Meeting Published on February 11, 2021 and Publishes a New Notice to the Annual General Meeting to be Held on April 14, 2021
Bittium Cancels the Notice to the Annual General Meeting Published on February 11, 2021 and Publishes a New Notice to the Annual General Meeting to be Held on April 14, 2021
Stock exchange release
Free for publication on March 22, 2021 at 8:00 pm (CET+1)
Bittium Cancels the Notice to the Annual General Meeting Published on February
11, 2021 and Publishes a New Notice to the Annual General Meeting to be Held on
April 14, 2021
Bittium Corporation (the "Company") announced earlier today on March 22, 2021
certain changes concerning the proposals to the Annual General Meeting by the
Company's three largest shareholders. Due to the changed proposals, the Board of
Directors of the Company has resolved to cancel the notice to the Annual General
Meeting published on February 11, 2021, and to publish a new notice to the
Annual General Meeting to be held on April 14, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. (Finnish time).
The new notice to the General Meeting has been published below in its entirety.
The new notice to the General Meeting corresponds for the most part to the
previous notice. The changes concern the proposals regarding the number of the
members of the Board of Directors and its composition, the deadline set for
making counterproposals and the advance voting and advance registration periods.
In addition, a few technical changes have been made to the meeting notice.
Notice to the Annual General Meeting of Bittium Corporation
Notice is given to the shareholders of Bittium Corporation (the "Company") to
participate in the Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday April 14, 2021
at 13.00 noon (EEST) in the Company’s headquarters at Ritaharjuntie 1, 90590
Oulu, Finland. In order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the
Annual General Meeting will be held without shareholders’ and their proxy
representatives’ presence at the meeting venue. Shareholders of the Company and
their proxy representatives may participate in the meeting and exercise
shareholder rights only through voting in advance as well as by making
counterproposals and presenting questions in advance. Instructions for
shareholders are presented in this notice under section C “Instructions for the
participants in the Annual General Meeting”.
The Board of Directors of the Company has resolved on the exceptional procedure
for the meeting based on the temporary legislative act (677/2020) to limit the
spread of the Covid-19 pandemic approved by the Finnish Parliament on September
15, 2020. The Company has resolved to take actions enabled by the act in order
to hold the meeting in a predictable manner, taking into account the health and
safety of the Company‘s shareholders, personnel and other stakeholders.
A. MATTERS ON THE AGENDA OF THE GENERAL MEETING
At the General Meeting, the following matters will be considered:
-
Opening of the meeting
-
Calling the meeting to order
The Chair of the General Meeting will be Manne Airaksinen, attorney-at-law. In
case Manne Airaksinen would not be able to act as the Chair of the General
Meeting for a weighty reason, the Board of Directors will name another person it
deems most suitable to act as the Chair.
- Election of the person to scrutinize the minutes and to verify the counting
of votes
The person to scrutinize the minutes and to verify the counting of votes will be
Matias Oikarinen, LL.M. In case Matias Oikarinen would not be able to act as the
person to scrutinize the minutes and to verify the counting of votes for a
weighty reason, the Board of Directors will name another person it deems most
suitable to act in that role.
-
Recording the legality of the meeting
-
Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes
The shareholders who have voted in advance within the advance voting period and
who have the right to participate in the meeting pursuant to Chapter 5 Sections
6 and 6a of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act will be recorded to have
been represented at the meeting. The list of votes will be adopted according to
the information provided by Euroclear Finland Oy.
- Presentation of the annual accounts and consolidated annual accounts, the
annual report of the Board of Directors and the auditor's report for the year
2020
As participation in the General Meeting is possible only in advance, the Annual
Report to be published by the Company on March 19, 2021, including the Company’s
Annual Accounts, the Consolidated Annual Accounts, the Annual Report of the
Board of Directors and the Auditor’s Report, which are available on the
Company‘s website https://annualreport.bittium.com, will be deemed to have been
presented to the General Meeting. A video recording of the CEO's review will be
available on the Company’s website www.bittium.com/agm no later than on the day
of the General Meeting at 9.00 a.m.
- Adoption of the annual accounts
The Board of Directors proposes that the General Meeting adopt the Annual
Accounts and the Consolidated Annual Accounts.
- Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet and the
distribution of dividend
On December 31, 2020, the parent company’s distributable funds amounted to
approximately EUR 118,979,681.46, of which approximately EUR 2,220,655.48 is
profit for the financial year. The Board of Directors proposes to the General
Meeting that no dividend be distributed by the General Meeting based on the
adopted balance sheet for the financial period of January 1, 2020 - December 31,
2020.
As the Board of Directors has proposed that no dividend be decided by the
General Meeting, the shareholders have the right to demand minority dividend
pursuant to Chapter 13 Section 7 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act.
The minority dividend must be distributed, if a demand to this effect is made by
shareholders who have at least one tenth of all shares. The amount of minority
dividend is EUR 1,110,327.74 which corresponds to half of the profit for the
financial year. A shareholder demanding minority dividend may vote for the
minority dividend through advance voting, and no separate demand or
counterproposal is required.
-
Resolution on the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the
President and CEO from liability for the financial year 2020 -
Handling of the remuneration report for governing bodies
As participation in the General Meeting is possible only in advance, the
Remuneration Report for governing bodies, describing the implementation of the
Company’s Remuneration Policy and presenting the remuneration of the governing
bodies in the financial year 2020, to be published by a stock exchange release
on March 19, 2021 is deemed to have been presented to the General Meeting. The
Report is available on the Company’s website www.bittium.com/agm. The resolution
concerning approval of the Remuneration Report is advisory.
- Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors
The three largest shareholders who represent approximately 12.92 per cent of the
shares in the Company propose to the General Meeting that to the members of the
Board of Directors to be elected be paid the following monthly remuneration for
the term of office ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting: to the
chairman of the Board of Directors EUR 3,150 and to the other members of the
Board of Directors EUR 1,800 each. In addition, the members of the Board of
Directors are entitled to compensation for attending Board meetings as follows:
the chairman of the Board EUR 875 for each meeting and other members EUR 500 for
each meeting. In addition, the members of the Board of Directors are entitled to
compensation for attending Committee meetings as follows: the chairman of the
Committee EUR 600 for each meeting and other Committee members EUR 400 for each
meeting.
The above-mentioned shareholders propose that 50 per cent of the total amount of
the monthly remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors will be paid
at once as Bittium Corporation’s shares acquired for the price formed in public
trading, through share issue or, in special circumstances if share based
remuneration cannot be paid for some reason, in money. The shares will be
acquired according to a share purchase program prepared by the Company. A member
of the Board of Directors may not transfer the shares received as remuneration
before his/her membership in the Board of Directors has ended.
The above-mentioned shareholders furthermore propose that the travel expenses of
the members of the Board of Directors be compensated in accordance with the
Company's travel compensation policy.
- Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors
The three largest shareholders who represent approximately 12.92 per cent of the
shares in the Company propose to the General Meeting that the number of members
of the Board of Directors shall be five (5).
- Election of members of the Board of Directors
The three largest shareholders who represent approximately 12.92 per cent of the
shares in the Company propose to the General Meeting that for a term of office
ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting following the election, Mr.
Erkki Veikkolainen, Ms. Riitta Tiuraniemi, Mr. Veli-Pekka Paloranta and Mr.
Pekka Kemppainen be re-elected as members of the Board of Directors and Mr.
Petri Toljamo be elected as a new member of the Board of Directors. All
candidates and the evaluation regarding their independence have been presented
on the Company’s website www.bittium.com. The CV of Petri Toljamo is attached to
this notice. All candidates have given their consent to the election. Current
members of the Board Mr. Juha Putkiranta and Mr. Seppo Mäkinen have stated to
the above mentioned three largest shareholders that they will no longer be
available for election as members of the Board of Directors.
- Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor
Based on the proposal of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, the
Board of Directors proposes that the remuneration for the auditor to be elected
will be paid against the auditor's reasonable invoice.
- Election of auditor
Based on the proposal of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, the
Board of Directors proposes that Ernst & Young Ltd, Authorized Public
Accountants, be re-elected auditor of the Company for a term of office ending at
the end of the next Annual General Meeting. Ernst & Young Ltd has notified that
Mr. Jari Karppinen, APA, would act as responsible auditor.
- Authorizing the Board of Directors to decide on the repurchase of own shares
The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the Board of
Directors be authorized to decide on the repurchase of the Company's own shares
as follows.
The number of own shares to be repurchased shall not exceed 3,500,000 shares,
which corresponds to approximately 9.81 per cent of all of the shares in the
Company. Only the unrestricted equity of the Company can be used to repurchase
own shares on the basis of the authorization.
Own shares can be repurchased at a price formed in public trading on the date of
the repurchase or otherwise at a price formed on the market.
The Board of Directors decides how own shares will be repurchased. Own shares
can be repurchased using, inter alia, derivatives. Own shares can be repurchased
otherwise than in proportion to the shareholdings of the shareholders (directed
repurchase).
The authorization cancels the authorization given by the General Meeting on June
15, 2020 to decide on the repurchase of the Company's own shares.
The authorization is effective until June 30, 2022.
- Authorizing the Board of Directors to decide on the issuance of shares as
well as the issuance of special rights entitling to shares
The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the Board of
Directors be authorized to decide on the issuance of shares as well as the
issuance of other special rights entitling to shares referred to in Chapter 10
Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act as follows.
The number of shares to be issued shall not exceed 3,500,000 shares, which
corresponds to approximately 9.81 per cent of all of the shares in the Company.
The Board of Directors decides on all the conditions of the issuance of shares
and of special rights entitling to shares. The authorization concerns both the
issuance of new shares as well as the transfer of treasury shares. The issuance
of shares and of special rights entitling to shares may be carried out in
deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive rights (directed issue).
The authorization cancels the authorization given by the General Meeting on June
15, 2020 to decide on the issuance of shares as well as the issuance of other
special rights entitling to shares referred to in Chapter 10 Section 1 of the
Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act.
The authorization is effective until June 30, 2022.
-
Decision making order
-
Closing of the meeting
B. DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL MEETING
The above-mentioned proposals for the resolutions on the matters on the agenda
of the General Meeting, this notice, the Company's Remuneration Report and the
Annual Report of Bittium Corporation, which includes the Company's Annual
Accounts, the Consolidated Annual Accounts, the Annual Report of the Board of
Directors and the Auditor's Report are available on the website
www.bittium.com/agm. The minutes of the General Meeting will be available on the
above-mentioned website latest on April 28, 2021.
C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE GENERAL MEETING
In order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the General Meeting
will be organized so that the shareholders and their proxies are not allowed to
be present at the General Meeting venue. Shareholders and their proxies cannot
participate in the General Meeting through real-time telecommunications either.
Shareholders and their proxies can participate in the General Meeting and use
their shareholder rights only by voting in advance and by submitting
counterproposals and asking questions in advance in the manner instructed below.
- Shareholders registered in the shareholders' register
Each shareholder who is registered on the record date of the General Meeting,
Wednesday March 31, 2021, in the shareholders’ register of the Company kept by
Euroclear Finland Ltd is entitled to participate in the General Meeting. A
shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her Finnish book-entry account,
is registered in the Register of Shareholders of the Company. Shareholders
cannot participate in the General Meeting by any other means than voting in
advance in the manner instructed below as well as by submitting counterproposals
and asking questions in advance.
- Registration and advance voting
Registration for the General Meeting and advance voting will begin on March 26,
2021 at 10.00 a.m. following the deadline for submitting counterproposals. A
shareholder with a Finnish book-entry account, who wishes to participate in the
General Meeting, must register for the General Meeting and vote in advance no
later than by April 7, 2021 at 4.00 p.m. by which time the registration and
votes need to have been received.
When registering, requested information such as the name, personal
identification number, address and telephone number of the shareholder as well
as requested information on a possible proxy representative such as the name and
personal identification number of the proxy representative must be provided. The
personal data given by the shareholder to Bittium Corporation and Euroclear
Finland Oy will be used only in connection with the General Meeting and with the
processing of related registrations.
A shareholder, who has a Finnish book-entry account, may register and vote in
advance on certain items on the agenda of the General Meeting from 10.00 a.m. on
March 26, 2021 until 4.00 p.m. on April 7, 2021 by the following means:
a. through the website at www.bittium.com/agm
The Finnish personal identity code or business ID and book-entry account number
of the shareholder is needed for voting in advance. When a shareholder who is
individual logs in to Euroclear Finland Oy's service via the Company's website,
he or she is directed to strong electronic identification. For shareholders that
are legal persons strong electronic identification is not required. Strong
electronic authentication takes place either with a Finnish bank ID or a Finnish
mobile certificate.
b. by mail or email
A shareholder may send the advance voting form available on the Company’s
website or corresponding information to Euroclear Finland Oy by letter to
Euroclear Finland Oy, Yhtiökokous, P.O. Box 1110, FI-00101 Helsinki or by email
at [email protected]. If the shareholder participates in the General
Meeting by sending the votes in advance by mail or email to Euroclear Finland
Oy, this constitutes registration for the General Meeting, if the shareholder
simultaneously provides the information required for registration mentioned
above.
Instructions relating to the advance voting may be found on the Company's
website www.bittium.com/agm. Further information is available by telephone at
+358 40 344 3322 from Monday to Friday at 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m (with the
exception of Good Friday and Easter Monday).
- Proxy representatives and powers of attorney
A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and use his/her rights by
proxy. The proxy representative of a shareholder may participate in the General
Meeting only by voting in advance on behalf of the shareholder in the manner
instructed above.
A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a
reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder. Should a
shareholder participate in the General Meeting by means of several proxy
representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different book-entry
accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the
shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the
General Meeting.
Possible proxy documents should be delivered by regular mail to Euroclear
Finland Oy, Yhtiökokous, PL 1110, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland or by e-mail to
[email protected]. before the end of the registration period, by which
time the documents must be received by Euroclear Finland Oy.
- Holders of nominee registered shares
A holder of nominee-registered shares has the right to participate in the
General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which he/she on the record
date of the General Meeting Wednesday March 31, 2021, would be entitled to be
registered in the Register of Shareholders of the Company held by Euroclear
Finland Oy. The right to participate in the General Meeting requires, in
addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been registered
into the temporary shareholders’ register held by Euroclear Finland Oy at the
latest by Friday April 9, 2021 by 10.00 a.m. As regards nominee-registered
shares this constitutes due registration for the General Meeting.
A holder of nominee-registered shares is advised to request without delay
necessary instructions regarding the temporary registration in the Register of
Shareholders of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for
the General Meeting from his/her custodian bank. The account management
organization of the custodian bank shall temporarily register a holder of
nominee-registered shares into the Register of Shareholders of the Company at
the latest by the time stated above. In addition, the account management
organization of the custodian bank shall arrange advance voting on behalf of a
nominee-registered shareholder within the registration period applicable to
nominee-registered shares.
- Other instructions and information
Shareholders who hold at least one hundredth of all the shares in the Company
have a right to make a counterproposal concerning the items on the agenda of the
General Meeting to be placed for a vote. Such counterproposals are required to
be sent to the Company by email to [email protected] no later than by
March 25, 2021 at 6.00 p.m. In connection with making a counterproposal,
shareholders are required to provide adequate evidence of shareholding. The
counterproposal will be placed for a vote subject to the shareholder having the
right to participate in the General Meeting and that the shareholder holds at
least one hundredth of all shares in the Company on the record date of the
General Meeting. Should the counterproposal not be placed for a vote at the
General Meeting, advance votes in favor of the proposal will not be taken into
account. The Company will publish possible counterproposals to be put to a vote
on the Company‘s website www.bittium.com/agm by no later than March 26, 2021.
A shareholder has the right to ask questions referred to in Chapter 5, Section
25 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act with respect to the matters to
be considered at the General Meeting. Such questions must be sent by email to
[email protected] no later than March 29, 2021 at 4.00 p.m. Such questions
from shareholders, the Company’s management’s answers to them, and any
counterproposals that have not been placed for a vote are available on the
Company’s website www.bittium.com/agm on April 1, 2021 at the latest. In
connection with asking questions and making counterproposals, shareholders are
required to provide adequate evidence of shareholding. Questions received
pursuant to the previous meeting notice are deemed to have been duly submitted,
unless otherwise stated by the sender.
Information on the General Meeting required by the Finnish Limited Liability
Companies Act and the Securities Markets Act is available on the Company’s
website www.bittium.com/agm.
On the date of this notice, March 22, 2021, of the General Meeting the total
number of shares in Bittium Corporation and votes represented by such shares is
35,693,166. On the date of this notice to the General Meeting the Company does
not hold any of its own shares.
Changes in the number of shares held after the record date of the General
Meeting shall not have an effect on the right to participate the General Meeting
nor on the number of votes held by a shareholder in the General Meeting.
Oulu, March 22, 2021
Bittium Corporation
The Board of Directors
Further information
Kari Jokela
Chief Legal Officer
Tel. +358 40 344 5258
Distribution
Nasdaq Helsinki Oy
Main media
Bittium
Bittium specializes in the development of reliable, secure communications and
connectivity solutions leveraging its 35 year legacy of expertise in advanced
radio communication technologies. Bittium provides innovative products and
services, customized solutions based on its product platforms and R&D services.
Complementing its communications and connectivity solutions, Bittium offers
proven information security solutions for mobile devices and portable computers.
Bittium also provides healthcare technology products and services for biosignal
measuring in the areas of cardiology, neurology, rehabilitation, occupational
health and sports medicine. Net sales in 2020 were EUR 78.4 million and
operating profit was EUR 2.1 million. Bittium is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.bittium.com
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