AGM Information • Sep 6, 2022
AGM Information
Open in ViewerOpens in native device viewer
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your ordinary shares in Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust plc please send this Notice of General Meeting, together with the accompanying form of proxy, 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 delivery to the purchaser or transferee.
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 10253041 and registered as an investment company under Section 833 of the Companies Act 2006)
to be held at 10.00am on 22 September 2022 at Burdett House, 15 Buckingham Street, London, WC2N 6DU to consider the proposal for the renewal of disapplication of pre-emption rights
A form of proxy for Shareholders is provided for use at the General Meeting. To be valid, the form of proxy should be completed and returned in accordance with the instructions thereon to Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZZ as soon as possible but in any event so as to arrive not later than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the General Meeting (excluding non-working days).
In order to give you the opportunity to engage with the Management team and the Board you are invited to submit your questions in writing to [email protected], stating the subject as EGL GM. Questions will be responded to in writing as soon as possible and, where feasible, ahead of the General Meeting.
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 10253041 and registered as an investment company under Section 833 of the Companies Act 2006)
David Simpson (Chairman) Hamilton Centre Iain McLaren Rodney Way Malcolm King Chelmsford CM1 3BY Susanna Nicklin
Directors: Registered Office:
6 September 2022
To the holders of Ordinary Shares
The purpose of this letter is to explain the business to be considered at the forthcoming General Meeting ("GM").
The Directors are seeking to renew the Company's existing disapplication of pre-emption rights granted at the Company's annual general meeting held on 3 March 2022 (the "2022 AGM" and the "2022 AGM Disapplication Authority").
Since the 2022 AGM, the Company has seen significant demand for its ordinary shares ("Ordinary Shares" or "shares") as a result of good performance. The shares have predominantly traded at a small premium to their Net Asset Value ("NAV") and the Board has sought to address temporary imbalances of supply and demand which might otherwise create an excessive and unsustainable premium and to meet the continued market demand through the regular issuance of shares. This has resulted in the number of Ordinary Shares in issue increasing significantly from 101,288,423 at the date of the 2022 AGM to 110,357,423 at 2 September 2022 (the latest practicable date prior to publication of this document). This has been achieved through the issue of new Ordinary Shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis under the 2022 AGM Disapplication Authority and the general authority to allot shares also granted at the 2022 AGM (the "2022 AGM Allotment Authority"). Only 1.0m Ordinary Shares remain available for issue on a non-preemptive basis under the 2022 AGM Disapplication Authority, which is due to expire at the next AGM of the Company, expected to be held in early March 2023 (the "2023 AGM").
There has been recent sizable daily issuance of new Ordinary Shares and it is possible that the 2022 AGM Disapplication Authority will be exhausted before the date of the 2023 AGM. Therefore, to ensure that the Board has maximum flexibility to meet demand, the Board considers it desirable to seek to renew the 2022 AGM Disapplication Authority at the GM to ensure that the Company has the ability to continue to issue new Ordinary Shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis, rather than wait until the 2023 AGM. This will allow the Company to continue to respond to the strength of demand and improve liquidity for Shareholders.
To vote on these proposals, the Board is providing for the GM to be held in-person. The Board has determined that the resolution to disapply the pre-emption rights to be proposed at the GM (the "Disapplication Resolution") will be voted on by a poll and we would therefore encourage you to submit your votes by proxy in accordance with the instructions included with this Notice of GM to ensure they are counted.
We are also inviting questions ahead of the GM by email to [email protected] (subject marked "EGL GM"). Where possible we will respond to the questions ahead of the General Meeting
The Disapplication Resolution deals with the Directors' power to allot shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis (the "New Disapplication Authority").
If passed, the Disapplication Resolution will give the Directors power to allot Ordinary Shares pursuant to the 2022 AGM Allotment Authority for cash without, in certain circumstances, being required to comply with the pre-emption rights in the Companies Act 2006. In particular, the New Disapplication Authority will permit the Directors to allot in aggregate Ordinary Shares up to a maximum nominal value of £110,357 (representing 10 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 2 September 2022) or, if changed, the nominal value which represents 10 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital at the date of the GM, for cash otherwise than in connection with an offer to existing Shareholders. The New Disapplication Authority will also permit the Directors to sell any such Ordinary Shares held in treasury without applying pre-emption rights. If approved the New Disapplication Authority will apply in substitution for the 2022 AGM Disapplication Authority. Unless renewed or revoked earlier, the New Disapplication Authority will expire upon the expiry of the 2022 AGM Allotment Authority.
The Directors' policy on the issue of new Ordinary Shares is for the net issue price (after an allocation of costs) to be above the prevailing fully diluted NAV per share.
The Directors consider that renewing the Company's existing disapplication of pre-emption rights to a limited extent in respect of the allotment of Ordinary Shares under the 2022 AGM Allotment Authority would continue to give the Company flexibility to address the imbalance of supply and demand which might otherwise create an excessive and unsustainable premium, and is additionally advantageous for Shareholders on the basis that:
The Company will make an application to block list the new Ordinary Shares under the New Disapplication Authority to ensure such Ordinary Shares are able to be issued into the market in the most cost and time effective manner.
The formal Notice of the GM is set out on page 3 of this document.
The Board believes that the passing of the Disapplication Resolution should help to promote the success of the Company and is in the best interests of its Shareholders as a whole. The Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of the Disapplication Resolution, as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings, which amount in aggregate to 147,284 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 0.14 per cent. of the total voting rights of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company.
If you would like to vote on the Disapplication Resolution, you can appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of your rights to attend, vote and speak at the GM by using one of the methods set out in the notes to the notice of GM. You are therefore urged to return the enclosed form of proxy without delay.
Yours faithfully
David Simpson Chairman
Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust plc
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 10253041 and registered as an investment company under Section 833 of the Companies Act 2006)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Meeting ("GM") of the Company will be held at 10.00am on 22 September 2022 at Burdett House, 15 Buckingham Street, London, WC2N 6DU to consider and, if thought fit, to pass the Resolution as a Special Resolution.
A Special Resolution is one that requires a majority of at least 75 per cent. of those present and voting to be passed.
THAT, in substitution for all subsisting authorities to the extent unused, the Directors be and are hereby empowered pursuant to Section 570 and Section 573 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act") to allot equity securities (within the meaning of Section 560 of the Act) for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by resolution 11 passed at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 3 March 2022 as if Section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment, provided that this power shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities:
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
Faith Pengelly, Maitland Administration Services Limited Hamilton Centre Company Secretary Rodney Way 6 September 2022 Chelmsford CM1 3BY
You can vote either:
In order for a proxy appointment to be valid a form of proxy must be completed. In each case the form of proxy must be received by Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZY by 10.00am on 20 September 2022.
If you return more than one proxy appointment, either by paper or electronic communication, the appointment received last by the Registrar before the latest time for the receipt of proxies will take precedence. You are advised to read the terms and conditions of use carefully. Electronic communication facilities are open to all shareholders and those who use them will not be disadvantaged.
The return of a completed form of proxy, electronic filing or any CREST Proxy Instruction (as described in note 5 below) will not prevent a shareholder from attending the Meeting and voting in person if he/she wishes to do so.
If the Company is unable to determine the one which was last sent, the one which is last received shall be so treated. If the Company is unable to determine either which is last sent or which is last received, none of them shall be treated as valid in respect of that share. Every Shareholder who is present in person at the Meeting, and every person (not being himself or herself a member entitled to vote) who is present as proxy for a member entitled to vote, shall have one vote on a show of hands. On a poll, every Shareholder who is present in person or by proxy shall have one vote for every share held by them.
continued
The return of the form of proxy duly completed will not preclude a member from attending and voting in person at the Meeting. CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies by utilising the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may do so by utilising the procedures described in the CREST Manual which can be viewed at www.euroclear.co.uk. CREST Personal Members or other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a voting service provider(s), should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf. In order for a proxy appointment made by means of CREST to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a 'CREST Proxy Instruction') must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & International Limited's (EUI) 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 Company's agent (ID number 3RA50) not later than 48 hours before the time appointed for the holding of the Meeting (excluding non-working days i.e. by 20 September 2022).
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 Applications Host) from which the Company's agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST.
CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note that Euroclear UK & International 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, to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider takes) 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 sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.
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 (as amended).
As at 2 September 2022 (being the latest practicable business day prior to the publication of this Notice), the issued share capital and total voting rights in the Company consists of 110,357,423 Ordinary Shares of 1p each.
Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust plc
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales, registered number 10253041, as an investment company within the meaning of Section 833 of the Companies Act 2006) Registered office: Hamilton Centre, Rodney Way, Chelmsford, CM1 3BY
Building tools?
Free accounts include 100 API calls/year for testing.
Have a question? We'll get back to you promptly.