AGM Information • Mar 29, 2023
AGM Information
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If you are in any doubt as to what action you should take, you should consult your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other professional adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) as soon as possible. If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your ordinary shares in Forterra plc please pass this document, together with the accompanying documents, 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.
(incorporated in England and Wales under number 09963666)
Notice of Annual General Meeting to be held at 12 pm on Tuesday 23 May 2023
Registered Office: 5 Grange Park Court Roman Way Northampton NN4 5EA
29 March 2023
To the holders of ordinary shares in Forterra plc (the 'Company')
Dear Shareholder,
I am writing to give you details of the 2023 Annual General Meeting ('AGM' or 'Meeting') of the Company to be held at 12 pm on Tuesday 23 May 2023 at the offices of Forterra plc, Atherstone Road, Measham, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 7EL.
The following are enclosed with this letter:
The formal notice convening the AGM is set out on pages 8 to 12 of this document. The explanatory notes to accompany the formal notice are set out on pages 5 to 7 of this document.
If you wish to attend the AGM in person, please bring a form of ID (such as a driving licence or a passport) with you. Ordinary shareholders are also requested, whether or not they intend to attend the AGM in person, to submit a proxy vote:
By registering on the Signal shares portal at www.signalshares.com, you can manage your shareholding, including:
(c) If you hold your ordinary shares in uncertificated form through CREST, appoint your proxy through the CREST proxy appointment service as detailed in note 3 on page 11.
Please note that the deadline for the receipt by our Registrars of all proxy appointments, in respect of registered shareholders, is 12 pm on Friday 19 May 2023.
The deadline for the receipt by Link Market Services Trustees (Nominees) Limited of all proxy appointments, in respect of members of the Corporate Sponsored Nominee, is 12 pm on Thursday 18 May 2023.
The Board is unanimous in its view that all the resolutions set out in the notice of AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Board recommends that you vote in favour of each of the resolutions. Where applicable, each Director intends to vote in favour of the resolutions in respect of their own beneficial shareholding, which in aggregate amounts to 389,388 ordinary shares at the date of this letter.
The results of the AGM will be announced through the Regulatory News Service ('RNS') and will be made available on the Company's website as soon as practicable following the closing of this year's AGM.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Justin Atkinson Chairman
The following notes give an explanation of the proposed resolutions set out in the notice of Annual General Meeting.
Resolutions 1 to 16 are proposed as ordinary resolutions meaning that for each of those resolutions to be passed, more than half the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 17 to 20 are proposed as special resolutions. This means that for each of those resolutions to be passed, at least three-quarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
Ordinary resolution 1 proposes the receipt and adoption of the Annual Report and Accounts, together with the reports of the Directors and the independent auditor, for the year ended 31 December 2022.
The Company is required to appoint an auditor at each Annual General Meeting at which accounts are laid to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. Ordinary resolution 2 therefore proposes that Ernst & Young LLP, the Company's existing auditor, be re-appointed as auditor to the Company until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting in 2024 (at which the accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 will be laid).
The Audit Committee of the Company has responsibility for overseeing the relationship with the external auditor. This responsibility includes approving the external auditor's engagement letter and the audit fee. Ordinary resolution 3 seeks shareholder approval to authorise the Audit Committee to determine the remuneration of the auditor to the Company.
A final dividend of 10.1 pence per ordinary share is recommended by the Directors for payment to shareholders on the register of members of the Company at the close of business on 16 June 2023. Subject to approval by the shareholders at the AGM of ordinary resolution 4, the dividend will be paid on 7 July 2023.
The Company's Articles of Association contain powers of removal, appointment, election and re-election of Directors and provide that each Director should retire at the Annual General Meeting if they had been a Director at each of the two preceding Annual General Meetings and were not reappointed by the Company in a general meeting at or since such meeting. A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-election. Furthermore, the Company's Articles of Association provide that any Director appointed by the Board is required to submit themselves for election at the Annual General Meeting following their appointment. Since the last Annual General Meeting, the Board will have appointed Neil Ash as the new Chief Executive Officer, with Stephen Harrison stepping down, and Gina Jardine as a new Non-Executive Director, both of which are dealt with by resolutions 6 and 12 respectively, which propose their election.
The Company supports the principles of good governance as laid out in the UK Corporate Governance Code and, accordingly, all the Executive and Non-Executive Directors will retire and put themselves forward for re-election annually at each Annual General Meeting.
Ordinary resolutions 5 to 12 therefore deal with the re-election of each Director. As described in further detail on page 102 and 103 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts, during 2022 the Board conducted an internal evaluation of both its own effectiveness and that of its Committees. The evaluation process included the consideration of the effectiveness of each Director. In addition, the Chairman also met with each Director during the year to discuss their contribution to the Board and their personal development. These processes allow the Board to conclude that each Director makes a positive and effective contribution to the Board and demonstrates commitment to the role.
The biographies of each of the Directors can be found on pages 88 to 91 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts. The Board considers Divya Seshamani, Martin Sutherland, Katherine Innes Ker, Vince Niblett and Gina Jardine to be independent and there are no relationships or circumstances which are likely to affect their character or judgement.
Ordinary resolution 13 seeks shareholder approval for the Directors' remuneration policy which is set out on pages 124 to 134 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts. The Directors' remuneration policy sets out the Company's future policy on directors' remuneration, including the setting of the directors' pay and the granting of share awards. The policy will be subject to a binding shareholder vote and, if approved, the Company will not be able to make a remuneration payment to a current or future Director or a payment for loss of office to a current or future Director unless that payment is consistent with the remuneration policy (or unless a payment has been separately approved by a shareholder resolution).
Ordinary resolution 14 seeks shareholder approval for the Remuneration Committee Report (excluding the Remuneration Policy set out on pages 124 to 134 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts) for the year ended 31 December 2022 (which is set out on pages 118 to 146 of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts). This vote is advisory in nature, with the consequence that if this resolution is not passed, payments made or promised to Directors will not have to be repaid, reduced or withheld.
Part 14 of the Companies Act 2006 (the 'Act'), amongst other things, prohibits the Company and its subsidiaries from making political donations or from incurring political expenditure in respect of a political party or other political organisation or an independent election candidate unless authorised by the Company's shareholders. Aggregate donations made by the Company and/or any of its subsidiaries of £5,000 or less in any 12-month period will not be covered by this prohibition. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any intention of making any political donations or incurring any political expenditure. However, the Act defines 'political party', 'political organisation', 'political donation' and 'political expenditure' widely. For example, bodies, such as those concerned with policy review and law reform or with the representation of the business community or sections of it, which the Company and/or its subsidiaries may see benefit in supporting, may be caught. Accordingly, the Company wishes to ensure that neither it nor its subsidiaries inadvertently commits any breach of the Act through the undertaking of routine activities, which would not normally be considered to result in the making of political donations and political expenditure being incurred. As permitted under the Act, ordinary resolution 15 covers the Company and extends to all companies which are subsidiaries of the Company at any time the authority is in place. The proposed authority will expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, 30 June 2024.
The Directors may only allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, shares if authorised to do so by shareholders. The previous authority granted by shareholders at the Company's 2022 Annual General Meeting in respect of the allotment of shares will expire on the holding of the 2023 AGM or, if earlier, 30 June 2023. The Directors are now seeking renewal of that authority.
Accordingly, resolution 16 will be proposed as an ordinary resolution. Part (a) of resolution 16 grants new authority to allot shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of £709,344. This amount represents approximately one third (33.33%) of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as calculated at 23 March 2023, being the latest practicable date before the publication of the notice of AGM.
In accordance with the institutional guidelines issued by the Investment Association, paragraph (b) of resolution 16 will also authorise Directors to allot, including the ordinary shares referred to in paragraph (a) of resolution 16, ordinary shares in connection with a pre-emptive offer by way of a rights issue to ordinary shareholders up to a maximum nominal amount of £1,418,688. This amount represents approximately twothirds (66.67%) of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as calculated at 23 March 2023, the latest practicable date before the publication of the notice of AGM. The Directors have no present intention of exercising these authorities.
If given, these authorities will expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, 30 June 2024.
The Directors require a power from shareholders to allot equity securities or sell treasury shares where they propose to do so for cash and otherwise than to existing shareholders pro-rata to their holdings. The previous power granted by shareholders at the Company's 2022 Annual General Meeting in respect of the disapplication of pre-emption rights will expire on the holding of the 2023 AGM or, if earlier, 30 June 2023.
Resolutions 17 and 18 will both be proposed as special resolutions. If passed, these resolutions would authorise the Directors to allot equity shares for cash without first being required to offer such shares to existing shareholders. The combined effect of both resolutions will provide authority to issue up to (approximately) 24% of the issued ordinary share capital (excluding any treasury shares). Each resolution follows the guidance from the Pre-Emption Group's new Statement of Principles, published in November 2022.
In accordance with this updated guidance, the Company confirms that it intends to use:
The Directors are proposing both resolutions as they consider it prudent to maintain the flexibility the resolutions provide individually and in aggregate. The Directors do not currently intend to make use of either element of the authority, and anticipate only making use of the additional 10% authority where the specific circumstances of the Company require. The aggregated authority contained in resolutions 17 and 18 will be limited to an aggregate nominal value of £510,728.13 (being approximately 24% of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as calculated at 23 March 2023, being the latest practicable date before the publication of the notice of AGM).
If given, these authorities will expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, 30 June 2024.
The Directors will have due regard to institutional guidelines and the Statement of Principles in relation to any exercise of this authority.
This resolution will give the Company authority to purchase its own shares in the market up to a limit of 10% of its issued ordinary share capital, being 21,280,338 ordinary shares as calculated at 23 March 2023, being the latest practicable date before the publication of the notice of AGM. The maximum and minimum prices are stated in the resolution. The Directors believe that it is advantageous for the Company to have the flexibility to make market purchases of its own shares.
It is the Directors' intention only to exercise the authority to purchase the Company's shares for the purpose of employee share schemes or (as in the case of the previous buyback programme) where it would increase the earnings per share of those ordinary shares that are not re-purchased. This power will only be used if the Directors consider that to do so would be in the best interests of shareholders generally. Save to the extent ordinary shares purchased are then held in treasury, any ordinary shares purchased in this way will be cancelled and the number of shares in issue will be reduced accordingly. The Company may hold in treasury any of its own ordinary shares that it purchases pursuant to the authority conferred by resolution 19. This would give the Company the ability to re-issue treasury shares quickly and cost-effectively and would provide the Company with greater flexibility in the management of its capital base.
As at 23 March 2023 (being the last practicable date before the publication of the notice of AGM) options to subscribe for a total of 10,601,190 ordinary shares were outstanding under the Company's employee share schemes representing 4.94% of the total issued share capital of the Company at that date and 5.49% of the issued share capital of the Company if the authority sought by resolution 19 were to be exercised in full.
Resolution 19 will be proposed as a special resolution and will expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, 30 June 2024.
Resolution 20 seeks to renew the authority granted at the Company's 2022 Annual General Meeting to allow the Company to hold general meetings (other than the Annual General Meeting) on 14 clear days' notice. This is in order to avoid the effect of section 307A of the Act which, without such a resolution, would have the effect of requiring the Company to give not less than 21 clear days' notice of general meetings. 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 for that meeting. The Company undertakes to meet the requirements for electronic voting in the Act before calling a general meeting on 14 clear days' notice. It is intended that this flexibility will only be used for non-routine business where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting and it is thought to be in the best interests of shareholders as a whole. If passed, the approval will be effective until the Company's Annual General Meeting to be held in 2024.
2023
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Forterra plc (the 'Company') will be held at the offices of Forterra plc, Atherstone Road, Measham, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 7EL at 12 pm on Tuesday 23 May 2023 to consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following Resolutions, of which Resolutions 1 to 16 (inclusive) will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and Resolutions 17 to 20 (inclusive) will be proposed as special resolutions.
(a) make political donations to political parties or to independent election candidates not exceeding £100,000 in total;
(b) make political donations to political organisations (other than political parties) not exceeding £100,000 in total; and
in each case, during the period beginning with the conclusion of this meeting and ending on the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, 30 June 2024. For the purpose of this resolution 'political donation', 'political party', 'political organisation', 'independent election candidate' and 'political expenditure' are to be construed in accordance with sections 363, 364 and 365 of the Act.
these authorisations to expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, 30 June 2024, save that the Company may before such expiry make any offer or enter into any agreement which would or might require shares to be allotted, or rights to be granted, after such expiry and the Directors may allot shares, or grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares, in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the authorisations conferred hereby had not expired.
NOTICE OF MEETING 2023
as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale, provided that this power shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities for cash and the sale of treasury shares:
this power to expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, on 30 June 2024, save that the Company may at any time before the expiry of such power make any offer or enter into any agreement that would or might require equity securities to be allotted, or treasury shares to be sold, after the expiry of such power and the Directors may allot equity securities or sell treasury shares in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired.
as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale, provided that this power shall be:
this power to expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2024 or, if earlier, on 30 June 2024, save that the Company may at any time before the expiry of such power make any offer or enter into any agreement that would or might require equity securities to be allotted, or treasury shares to be sold, after the expiry of such power and the Directors may allot equity securities or sell treasury shares in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired.
NOTICE OF MEETING 2023
(e) the Company may, before this authority expires, make a contract to purchase ordinary shares that would or might be executed wholly or partly after the expiry of this authority, and may make purchases of ordinary shares pursuant to it as if this authority had not expired.
THAT a general meeting of the Company other than an Annual General Meeting of the Company may be called on not less than 14 clear days' notice.
By Order of the Board
Ashley Thompson Company Secretary
Forterra plc
Registered Office: 5 Grange Park Court Roman Way Northampton NN4 5EA
(Incorporated in England and Wales under number 09963666)
29 March 2023
2023
must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK and Ireland 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 issuer's agent (ID: RA10) by 12 pm Friday 19 May 2023. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the time stamp applied to the message by the CREST Applications Host) 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 and Ireland 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 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. 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.
NOTICE OF MEETING 2023
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