AGM Information • May 25, 2023
AGM Information
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THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you are recommended immediately to seek your own personal financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares in Capricorn Energy PLC, you should pass this document, the accompanying Form of Proxy and the Annual Report and Accounts of Capricorn Energy PLC for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 without delay to the stockbroker, bank or other person who arranged the sale or transfer so they can pass these documents to the person who now holds the shares.

(incorporated in Scotland with registered number SC226712)
Notice of Annual General Meeting
This document should be read as a whole and in conjunction with the accompanying Form of Proxy. Your attention is drawn to the letter from the Chair of Capricorn Energy PLC (the "Company" or "Capricorn"), which is set out on pages 3-7 of this document recommending, on behalf of the Directors, that you vote in favour of the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting referred to below.
Notice of the 2023 Annual General Meeting of Capricorn to be held at The Gallery, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ at 12.00 noon (BST) on Monday, 26 June 2023, is set out at the end of this document.
Shareholders are encouraged to vote either in advance of the Annual General Meeting or at the meeting itself. Enclosed with this document is a Form of Proxy for use in respect of the Annual General Meeting. Shareholders wishing to vote in advance may appoint a proxy by submitting their completed Forms of Proxy as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to arrive at the offices of the Company's registrars, Equiniti, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA, not later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023. Alternatively, you may register your proxy appointment or voting directions electronically via the www. sharevote.co.uk website not later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023 (further information regarding the use of this facility is set out in the notes to the Notice of Annual General Meeting). If you hold your Ordinary Shares in CREST, you may appoint a proxy by completing and transmitting a CREST Proxy Instruction so as to be received by the Company's registrars, Equiniti, not later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023.
A summary of the action to be taken by Shareholders in relation to the Annual General Meeting is set out in section 3 of the Chair's letter on page 7 of this document and in the accompanying Notice of Annual General Meeting.
Letter from the Chair of Capricorn Energy PLC 3 Notice of Annual General Meeting 8
Questions of a factual nature relating to the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting may be directed to the Company's registrars, Equiniti, using the telephone helpline number +44 (0)371 384 2660 between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (BST) on any day (other than a Saturday or Sunday or public holiday) on which pound sterling deposits may be dealt in on the London inter-bank market and commercial banks are open for general business in London (a "Business Day"). Please note that calls to this number may be monitored or recorded.
This helpline will not be able to provide advice on the merits of the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting, or give personal, legal, financial or tax advice.
(Incorporated in Scotland with registered number SC226712)
Craig van der Laan (Non-Executive Chair) Registered and Head Office: Hesham Mekawi (Non-Executive Director) 50 Lothian Road Catherine Krajicek (Non-Executive Director) Edinburgh Richard Herbert (Non-Executive Director) EH3 9BY Maria Gordon (Non-Executive Director) Tom Pitts (Non-Executive Director) Erik B. Daugbjerg (Non-Executive Director) Chris Cox (Interim Chief Executive)
25 May 2023
Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to invite you to the Company's Annual General Meeting which will be held at The Gallery, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ at 12.00 noon (BST) on Monday, 26 June 2023. Enclosed with this letter is a Form of Proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.
The business to be conducted at the Annual General Meeting is set out in the Notice of Annual General Meeting at the end of this document (the "Notice"). You will be asked to consider and vote on the resolutions set out in the Notice. Shareholders should read the whole of this document and not just rely on the summarised information set out in this letter.
There are 18 resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting. Resolutions 1-13, inclusive, are to be proposed as ordinary resolutions and accordingly will be passed if more than 50% of the votes cast are in favour. Resolutions 14-18, inclusive, are to be proposed as special resolutions and accordingly will be passed if at least 75% of the votes cast are in favour. The main terms of the resolutions are summarised below.
In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018, which provides for all directors of companies with a premium listing to be subject to annual re-election, Craig van der Laan, Randall Neely, Maria Gordon, Richard Herbert, Hesham Mekawi and Tom Pitts will, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election as directors at the Annual General Meeting. These resolutions seek such re-elections.
It was announced on 27 April 2023 that the Board was seeking to appoint at least one new director, as soon as possible. It was stated that any such appointment would, in particular, focus on improving the current diversity of the Board and that an update would be provided at the Annual General Meeting. Having evaluated the skillset required for any new appointment, the Board engaged an independent specialist executive recruitment agency in order to assist with the search. As a result of this process, the Company announced on 18 May 2023 that Patrice Merrin had been nominated to stand for election as a director at the Annual General Meeting. Resolution 12 proposes that Patrice Merrin be elected as a director with effect from the conclusion of the meeting.
Patrice Merrin is a high quality corporate director, with extensive and broad experience in the resources sector, heavy industry and capital markets. Since 2014, Ms. Merrin has been an independent non-executive director of Glencore plc, where she currently chairs the Ethics, Culture and Compliance Committee and is a member of the Health, Safety, Environment and Communities Committee and the Investigations Committee; she is also Glencore's Engagement Director for North America. Following nine years in post, Ms. Merrin will be retiring from the Board of Glencore at its annual general meeting on 26 May 2023.
Ms. Merrin is also an independent director of Metals Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose company focused on acquiring assets needed in the broad energy transformation. In 2022, she joined the board of Lancium, Inc., a leading energy technology and infrastructure company dedicated to accelerating the energy transition. She was previously nonexecutive Chair of the Board of Detour Gold, a role which concluded with the merger of Detour into Kirkland Lake Gold in January 2020, a deal valued at approximately \$4.9 billion CAD. She has chaired and/or served on numerous Board committees such as Nominations and Governance and Compensation committees.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University and completed the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD. She holds Canadian and Irish citizenship.
The Board believes that Ms. Merrin is an excellent candidate and her extensive experience will greatly complement and be additive to the existing skillset of the current Board. The Board unanimously recommends that shareholders vote in favour of the election of Ms. Merrin as a director. If elected, it is intended that Ms. Merrin will also act as a member of the Company's Nomination and Governance and Sustainability committees.
The current Directors' biographies are set out on pages 50-51 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts and details of Randall Neely's biography are available in the Company's full year results announcement of 27 April 2023. Ms. Merrin's biography is set out in the paragraphs above and in the announcement of her nomination on 18 May 2023.
The Articles of Association provide that directors can be appointed by the Company, by ordinary resolution or by the Board. The Nomination Committee makes recommendations to the Board on the appointment and replacement of directors. Further details of the rules governing the appointment and replacement of directors are set out in the Corporate Governance Statement on pages 54-65 (inclusive) of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts and in the Articles of Association. An explanation of the performance evaluation procedure carried out by the Company is also contained in the Corporate Governance Statement, on pages 57-58 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts.
13 Resolution 13 seeks to renew the Directors' power to allot shares. Section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 provides that the Directors may not allot new shares (other than pursuant to employee share schemes) without Shareholder approval. It proposes that authority be granted in substitution for the existing authority to allot securities up to a maximum amount of £1,686,960.54, representing approximately 33.33% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 23 May 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document.
Following share capital management guidelines issued by the Investment Association in July 2016, the Company is seeking an additional authority to allot securities in connection with a pre-emptive rights issue up to a maximum amount of £1,686,960.54, representing approximately 33.33% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 23 May 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document. The benefit to the Company of obtaining such authority on an annual basis is that it would allow the Company to implement a rights issue of up to approximately 66.66% of the issued ordinary share capital without the need to call an additional general meeting. This would shorten the implementation timetable of such a rights issue.
The Directors consider that the authorities sought pursuant to resolution 13 are desirable to allow the Company to retain flexibility, although they have no present intention of exercising these authorities. The authorities will expire on 30 June 2024 or, if earlier, at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company to be held in 2024.
As at 23 May 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document, the Company did not hold any shares in treasury.
14 and 15 Resolutions 14 and 15 are to approve the disapplication of pre-emption rights. Section 561(1) of the Companies Act 2006 provides that if the Directors wish to allot any equity securities, or sell any treasury shares (if it holds any), for cash, they must first offer them to existing Shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings. Section 561 does not apply to allotments of equity securities made in connection with an employee share scheme.
In accordance with the guidance issued by the Pre-Emption Group, two separate resolutions are being proposed in connection with the disapplication of pre-emption rights.
The first, resolution 14, seeks to give the Directors power to allot equity securities or sell treasury shares for cash as if section 561(1) of the Companies Act 2006 did not apply, in connection with rights issues, open offers and other pre-emptive offers pursuant to the authority granted by resolution 13, and otherwise up to a total amount of £253,069.39, representing approximately 5% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 23 May 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document.
The second, resolution 15, is being proposed to give the Directors further power to allot equity securities or sell treasury shares for cash as if section 561(1) of the Companies Act 2006 did not apply, for transactions which the board determines to be an acquisition or specified capital investment defined by the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles (the Pre-Emption Principles), up to a further total amount of £253,069.39 representing approximately 5% of the company's total issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 23 May 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document.
These two disapplication authorities are in line with the authorities sought at the 2022 AGM and with institutional shareholder guidance. The Pre-Emption Principles were revised in 2022 to allow the authority for an issue of shares otherwise than in connection with a pre-emptive offer to be increased from 10% to 20% of the company's issued ordinary share capital, provided that the company confirms that it intends to use the additional 10% authority only in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment. For each limb, companies are also able to seek further authority to disapply pre-emption rights for up to an additional 2%, to be used only for a 'follow-on offer' to retail investors and existing shareholders after a placing. The Directors do not intend to apply for this increased authority or the additional 2% and will continue to seek a disapplication authority of 10% in line with the approach that the company has taken in previous years.
The power conferred by resolutions 14 and 15 will expire at the same time as the authority conferred by resolution 13, unless previously revoked, varied or extended by the Company in a general meeting.
16 If passed, resolution 16 will authorise the Company to make market purchases of its own Ordinary Shares. Ordinary Shares repurchased by the Company pursuant to such authority may be cancelled or held in treasury and then either sold (in whole or in part) for cash or cancelled (in whole or in part). No dividends will be paid on treasury shares and no voting rights attach to them.
The maximum aggregate number of Ordinary Shares that may be purchased pursuant to the authority shall be 14.99% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company (excluding treasury shares) as at 23 May 2023 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publishing of this document), being 22,141,712 Ordinary Shares. The maximum price which may be paid for an Ordinary Share pursuant to this resolution (exclusive of expenses) shall be the higher of (i) an amount equal to 105% of the average of the middle market quotations for the Company's Ordinary Shares for the five Business Days immediately preceding the date of purchase and (ii) the higher of the price of the last independent trade of an Ordinary Share and the highest current independent bid for an Ordinary Share on the trading venues where the purchase is carried out. The minimum price that may be paid for an Ordinary Share pursuant to this resolution (exclusive of expenses) shall be 490/143 pence, being the nominal value of an Ordinary Share.
This authority, if conferred, will only be exercised if the Directors consider that any purchase would be in the best interests of Shareholders generally, and normally only if it would result in an increase in earnings per share of the ordinary share capital in issue after the purchase.
This authority will expire on the earlier of 30 June 2024 or the conclusion of the annual general meeting of the Company to be held in 2024, unless previously revoked, varied or renewed by the Company in a general meeting. The Directors intend to seek renewal of this authority at subsequent annual general meetings.
The Company's existing policy is to satisfy all currently outstanding options and awards granted under its employee share schemes by the transfer of existing Ordinary Shares. Consequently, as at 23 May 2023 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publishing of this document), there were no outstanding options or awards to subscribe for Ordinary Shares.
17 Under the Companies Act 2006, the notice period required for general meetings of the Company is 21 clear days unless Shareholders approve a shorter notice period, which cannot however be less than 14 clear days. Annual general meetings must be held on at least 21 clear days' notice.
At the Company's annual general meeting in 2022, Shareholders authorised the calling of general meetings other than annual general meetings on not less than 14 clear days' notice. The Directors believe that it is appropriate for the Company to retain the flexibility of being able to call a general meeting on 14 clear days' notice and in order to preserve this ability, resolution 17 seeks such approval. The flexibility offered by this resolution will be used where, taking into account all the circumstances, the Directors consider this appropriate in relation to the business to be considered at the meeting. The approval will be effective until the Company's next annual general meeting in 2024, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed.
18 Resolution 18 proposes the adoption of new Articles of Association of the Company to make certain amendments to the current Articles of Association of the Company as summarised below.
Fees payable to Directors – it is proposed that the cap on the aggregate amount of fees which may be paid to Directors for their services as directors be increased from £900,000 (being the amount last approved by shareholders approximately eleven years ago) to £1.1 million. The Board considers that this increased amount will provide future flexibility to ensure that market competitive levels of fees can be paid to Directors over the coming years, with a view to maintaining a diverse and experienced Board and high standards of corporate governance.
Miscellaneous amendments – the following amendments are proposed in order to reflect changes in law and practice since the AGM of the Company held in 2012 (being the last time the Articles of Association were updated) and to make some general improvements and updates to the Articles:
A copy of the proposed new Articles of Association (including a comparison showing the differences from the current Articles of Association) is available for inspection at the registered office of the Company during normal business hours on any weekday (public holidays excepted) up to and including the day of the Annual General Meeting. The proposed new Articles of Association can also be accessed on the Company's website at www.capricornenergy.com/investors/ shareholder-information/agm/.
Shareholders are encouraged to vote either in advance of the Annual General Meeting or at the meeting itself. Enclosed with this document is a Form of Proxy for use in respect of the Annual General Meeting. If you wish to vote in advance, you are requested to complete, sign and return the Form of Proxy as soon as possible, and in any event, so as to arrive at the offices of the Company's registrars, Equiniti, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA, not later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023, being 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting (excluding any part of any day that is not a working day). Alternatively, you may register your proxy appointment or voting directions electronically via the www.sharevote.co.uk website not later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023. Further information regarding the use of this facility is set out in the notes to the Notice. If you hold your Ordinary Shares in CREST, you may appoint a proxy by completing and transmitting a CREST Proxy Instruction so as to be received by the Company's registrars, Equiniti, by no later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023. If you do require a copy of the Form of Proxy, this can be downloaded on the Company website at www.capricornenergy.com/ investors/shareholder-information/agm/, where you will also find instructions for completion of that Form.
If you have any queries in relation to the Form of Proxy you may call the Shareholder helpline on +44 (0)371 384 2660 between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. (BST) on any Business Day. Please note that calls to this number may be monitored or recorded.
Please note that the Shareholder helpline will not provide advice on the merits of the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting, or give any personal, legal, financial or tax advice.
If Shareholders have any questions for the Board in advance of the Annual General Meeting, these can be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. The Board will endeavour to answer key themes of these questions on the Company's website as soon as practical.
As was the case last year, the presentation will be made available on the Company's website at www.capricornenergy.com/investors/ shareholder-information/agm/ following the closure of the meeting. The voting results on the resolutions put to the Annual General Meeting shall be announced to the market and uploaded onto the Company's website following the closure of the Annual General Meeting.
The Board is of the opinion that the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General Meeting are in the best interests of Shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Board unanimously recommends that you vote in favour of the resolutions.
Yours faithfully,
Craig van der Laan Chair
(Incorporated in Scotland with registered number SC226712)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") of Capricorn Energy PLC (the "Company") will be at The Gallery, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ at 12.00 noon (BST) on Monday, 26 June 2023 for the following purposes of considering and, if thought fit, passing the following resolutions, of which resolutions 1 to 13 (inclusive) will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and resolutions 14 to 18 (inclusive) will be proposed as special resolutions:
in each case, subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or appropriate in relation to fractional entitlements, legal, regulatory or practical problems under the laws or the requirements of any regulatory body or stock exchange of any territory or otherwise.
By Order of the Board Anne McSherry Company Secretary 50 Lothian Road Edinburgh EH3 9BY
25 May 2023
In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a "CREST Proxy Instruction") must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited's specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed proxy must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by the Registrars (ID RA19) by no later than 12.00 noon (BST) on Thursday, 22 June 2023, or, in the event that the Meeting is adjourned, not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the adjourned Meeting (excluding any part of any day that is not a working day). No such message received through the CREST network after this time will be accepted. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied to the message by the CREST core processor) from which the issuer's agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time, any change of instructions to proxies appointed through CREST should be communicated to the appointee through other means.
CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service provider(s) should note that Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. Normal system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member or sponsored member or has appointed a voting service provider(s), to procure that his or her CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service provider(s) are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings, which can be viewed at www.euroclear. com. The Company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the circumstances set out in regulation 35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.
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