AGM Information • Apr 3, 2018
AGM Information
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(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 10629250)
If you are in any doubt as to any aspect of the proposals referred to in this document or as to the action you should take, you should seek your own advice from a stockbroker, solicitor, accountant, or other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares, please pass this document together with the accompanying documents to the purchaser or transferee, or to the person who arranged the sale or transfer so they can pass these documents to the person who now holds the shares.
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 10629250) (the "Company")
Notice of the first Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at the Mount Vernon Room in The Westbury Hotel, 37 Conduit Street, London W1S 2YF, United Kingdom on Tuesday, 8 May 2018 at 11:00 am (British Summer Time ("BST")).
Whether or not you propose to attend the 2018 Annual General Meeting, please complete and submit a proxy form in accordance with the instructions printed on the enclosed form. The proxy form must be received not less than 48 hours (excluding any part of any day that is not a working day) before the time of the holding of the 2018 Annual General Meeting.
To the holders of the Ordinary Shares in Global Ports Holding PLC
REGISTERED OFFICE: 100 New Bridge Street London United Kingdom EC4V 6JA
Dear Shareholder,
I am pleased to be writing to you with details of our first Annual General Meeting which we are holding at the Mount Vernon Room in The Westbury Hotel, 37 Conduit Street, London W1S 2YF, United Kingdom on Tuesday, 8 May 2018 at 11:00 am (BST).
The formal notice of the 2018 Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") is set out on pages 3 and 4 of this document.
If you would like to vote on the resolutions but cannot come to the 2018 Annual General Meeting, please fill in the proxy form sent to you with this notice and return it to our registrars as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may appoint a proxy electronically, if you hold your shares in CREST, through the CREST system. The registrars must receive your proxy appointment by 11:00 am (BST) on 3 May 2018, excluding any part of any day that is not a working day.
I would draw your attention in particular to the following items of business:
Final Dividend: Shareholders are being asked to declare 20.1 pence per ordinary share of the Company as a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2017. If you declare the recommended final dividend, it will be paid on 11 May 2018 to the holders of ordinary shares on the register of members at the close of business on 20 April 2018. For further details regarding the proposed final dividend, please see the Explanatory Note (Resolution 6 (final dividend)) set out on page 7 of this document.
Remuneration Policy: Shareholders are also being asked to approve the Company's initial Remuneration Policy, which is contained in the Directors' Remuneration Report section of the 2017 Annual Report accompanying this document, to take effect from 1 January 2018. The Remuneration Policy sets out principles by which the Company will remunerate its Non-Executive Directors, the Chairman and senior management and any Executive Directors who may join the Board during the three-year term of the policy.
Subject to the approval of the Remuneration Policy pursuant to Resolution 3, you are also asked to approve Resolution 5, which increases the maximum aggregate amount of fees which may be paid to Directors under article 82.1 of the Company's Articles of Association from £1,000,000 to £1,500,000 per annum to provide greater flexibility for future implementation of the Remuneration Policy only in the event of additional members joining the Board during the term of the policy. No increase in the remuneration level of the existing Non-Executive Board members is proposed, and the increase is not otherwise required in order to implement the Remuneration Policy for the existing Directors.
Long Term Incentive Share Plan: The Remuneration Policy includes a long term incentive share plan ("LTIP") for senior management and any Executive Directors who may join the Board during the term of the policy. The principal terms of the LTIP are set out on pages 146 to 148 in the Directors' Remuneration Report section of the 2017 Annual Report. In accordance with the Listing Rules, Shareholders are being asked to approve the LTIP separately pursuant to Resolution 4.
An explanation of the resolutions to be considered at the 2018 Annual General Meeting can be found on pages 6 to 8 of this document. Resolutions 1 to 16 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. Resolutions 17 to 19 will be proposed as special resolutions.
The Board believes that it is important that the voting intentions of all members are taken into account, not just those who are able to attend the 2018 Annual General Meeting and, as such, we propose putting all resolutions to shareholders by way of poll using a poll card, rather than on a show of hands. This is a more transparent method of voting as shareholder votes are counted according to the number of shares held and this will ensure an exact and definitive result. Shareholders attending the 2018 Annual General Meeting will still have the opportunity to ask questions and vote on each resolution.
The Board considers that all the resolutions to be put to the Meeting are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole and unanimously recommends that you vote in favour of them.
The results of the 2018 Annual General Meeting will be announced through a Regulatory Information Service and on the Company's website at www.globalportsholding.com as soon as possible after the Meeting has been held.
Mehmet Kutman Chairman
Notice is hereby given that the first annual general meeting of Global Ports Holding PLC (the "Company") will be held at the Mount Vernon Room in The Westbury Hotel, 37 Conduit Street, London W1S 2YF, United Kingdom on Tuesday, 8 May 2018 at 11:00 am (BST), in accordance with Article 38 of the Company's Articles of Association, to consider and, if thought fit, pass the resolutions below.
The following Resolutions 1 to 15 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions.
The following Resolution 16 will be proposed as an ordinary resolution.
subject to the Directors having a right to make such exclusions or other arrangements as they consider necessary or expedient to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems arising in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter,
for a period expiring at the conclusion of the Company's next Annual General Meeting (or at close of business on 8 August 2019, if earlier) save that the Company may before the expiry of this authority make an offer or agreement which would or might require shares to be allotted or Rights to be granted after such expiry and the Directors may allot shares and grant Rights in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the authority conferred by this resolution had not expired.
The following Resolutions 17 to 20 will be proposed as special resolutions.
securities), but subject to the Directors having a right to make such exclusions or other arrangements as they consider necessary or expedient to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems arising in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter; and
17.2 the allotment of equity securities for cash or sale of treasury shares (otherwise than pursuant to paragraph 17. 1 above) having, in the case of ordinary shares, a nominal amount or, in the case of other equity securities, giving the right to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares having a nominal amount not exceeding, in aggregate, £31,413 (representing 3,141,348 ordinary shares, which represents 5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 27 March 2018),
provided that the powers conferred by this Resolution 17 will expire at the Company's next Annual General Meeting (or at close of business on 8 August 2019, if earlier) save that, in each case, the Company may, before the expiry of such powers, make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted and/or treasury shares to be sold after such authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities and/or sell treasury shares in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the powers conferred by this Resolution 17 had not expired.
provided that the powers conferred by this Resolution 18 will expire at the Company's next Annual General Meeting (or at close of business on 8 August 2019, if earlier) save that, in each case, the Company may before the expiry of such powers make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted and/or treasury shares to be sold after such authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities and/or sell treasury shares in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the powers conferred by this Resolution 18 had not expired.
19.4 the authority conferred by this resolution shall, unless varied, revoked or renewed prior to such time, expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company (or at close of business 8 August 2019, if earlier) save that the Company may before the expiry of this authority make a contract to purchase ordinary shares which will or might be executed wholly or partly after the expiry of this authority and may make a purchase of ordinary shares in pursuance of such contract as if the authority conferred by this resolution had not expired.
THAT the Company may call General Meetings other than Annual General Meetings on not less than 14 clear days' notice.
By order of the Board
Mehmet Kutman Chairman 27 March 2018
Registered Office: 100 New Bridge Street, London, United Kingdom EC4V 6JA Registered in England and Wales No. 10629250
Resolutions 1 to 16 are proposed as ordinary resolutions. This means that for each of those resolutions to be passed, more than half of 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 threequarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
Under Resolution 1, the Company's annual accounts for the year ended 31 December 2017, together with the Directors' report, the strategic report, the Directors' remuneration report and the auditor's report (the "2017 Annual Report and Accounts") are received. As a shareholder, you will have received the 2017 Annual Report and Accounts either as a hard copy or via our website (www.globalportsholding.com). Further copies will be available at the 2018 Annual General Meeting.
The Directors' Remuneration Report (which is set out on pages 139 to 151 of the 2017 Annual Report and Accounts) contains (i) the annual report on remuneration; and (ii) the annual statement by the chairman of the Remuneration Committee. Resolution 2 is an ordinary resolution which seeks shareholder approval for the Directors' Remuneration Report (excluding the Directors' Remuneration Policy), which gives details of the remuneration of the Company's Directors during the year ended 31 December 2017.
The vote upon this resolution is advisory and the Directors' entitlement to remuneration is not conditional upon it.
Resolution 3 is an ordinary resolution to approve the Company's initial Remuneration Policy (which is set out on pages 142 to 149 in the Directors' Remuneration Report), excluding the long term share incentive plan ("LTIP"). The Remuneration Policy sets out the principles by which the Company will remunerate its Non-Executive Directors, the Chairman and senior management and any Executive Directors who may join the Board during the term of the policy.
The Remuneration Policy will take effect as of 1 January 2018 and will be subject to a binding shareholder vote by ordinary resolution at least every three years.
Resolution 4 is an ordinary resolution to approve the LTIP, the principal terms of which are set out on pages 146 to 148 in the Directors' Remuneration Report.
The LTIP will take effect as of 1 January 2018 and will be subject to a binding shareholder vote by ordinary resolution at least every three years.
Pursuant to article 82.1 of the Company's Articles of Association, the maximum aggregate amount of fees which may be paid the Company's Directors for their services as Directors is such amount as the Board decides "not exceeding £1,000,000 per annum or such larger amount as the Company may by ordinary resolution decide".
Subject to the approval of the Remuneration Policy pursuant to Resolution 3, Resolution 5 by ordinary resolution increases the maximum aggregate fee amount to £1,500,000 per annum.
No increase in the remuneration level of the existing Non-Executive Board members is proposed, and the increase is not otherwise required in order to implement the Remuneration Policy for the existing Directors. Instead, Resolution 5 is intended to provide greater
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2018
flexibility for future implementation of the Remuneration Policy only in the event of additional members joining the Board during the term of the policy.
A final dividend may only be paid after it has been approved by shareholders. The Board recommends a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2017 of 20.1 pence per ordinary share, representing a final dividend in the amount of 27.9 US cents per ordinary share converted from US Dollars into Pounds Sterling ("GBP") on 12 March 2018, being the date on which the Company announced its 2017 year-end results, at a rate of 1.3815 US Dollars per GBP. Subject to approval by shareholders of Resolution 6, the final dividend will be paid on 11 May 2018 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 20 April 2018.
The recommended final dividend is in the same amount as the interim dividend of USD 17.5 million (£13,570,624) that was paid on 29 September 2017 at the rate of 21.6 pence per ordinary share.
Resolutions 7 to 13 deal with the election of the Directors. In accordance with the terms of their appointment letters, all of the Directors are standing for election by the shareholders at this year's Annual General Meeting, being the first Annual General Meeting since their appointment by the Board in April 2017. The Directors will be subject to re-election at each subsequent Annual General Meeting.
Biographies of each of the Directors can be found on pages 122 and 123 of the 2017 Annual Report and Accounts. The Board has confirmed, on the recommendation of the Nomination Committee following an internal performance review, that all Directors standing for election continue to perform effectively and demonstrate commitment to their roles. The Board has considered whether each of the independent Directors is free from any relationship that could materially interfere with the exercise of his independent judgement and has determined that each continues to be considered to be independent.
The Company must appoint auditors at each general meeting at which accounts are presented to shareholders to hold office until the conclusion of the next such meeting.
Deloitte LLP of 2 New Street Square, London EC4A 3B2, United Kingdom ("Deloitte LLP") were appointed on 12 April 2017 as the Company's first auditors.
On the recommendation of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Board is recommending to shareholders the re-appointment of Deloitte LLP as the Company's auditors to hold office from the conclusion of this Annual General Meeting until the conclusion of the next general meeting of the Company at which accounts are laid.
Resolution 15 follows best practice in corporate governance by separately seeking authority for the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board to determine the auditors' remuneration.
Under a written resolution of the sole member of the Company dated 25 April 2017, the Directors were given authority to allot ordinary shares in the capital of the Company up to a maximum nominal amount representing approximately two-thirds of the Company's then issued share capital. This authority expires at the 2018 Annual General Meeting and the Directors would like to renew it.
There is no statutory limit on the maximum nominal amount of the section 551 allotment authority under the Companies Act 2006 ("CA 2006") but, under the Investment Association's guidelines (the "IA Guidelines"), Investment Association members will regard as routine resolutions seeking authority to allot shares representing up to two-thirds of the Company's existing issued share capital, providing any amount in excess of one-third of existing issued shares should be applied to fully pre-emptive rights issues only.
In light of the IA Guidelines, the Board considers it appropriate that the Directors, be granted authority to allot shares in the capital of the Company up to a maximum nominal amount of £418,846, being 41,884,642 ordinary shares of £0.01 each. This represents two-thirds of the Company's issued share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 27 March 2018, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular. In accordance with the IA Guidelines, a maximum nominal amount of £209,423, being 20,942,321 ordinary shares of £0.01 each, representing one-third of the Company's issued share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 27 March 2018, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular, can only be allotted pursuant to a fully pre-emptive rights issue.
The authority sought under Resolution 16 will expire at the end of the Company's Annual General Meeting in 2019, or at close of business on 8 August 2019, if earlier.
The Directors have no present intention to exercise these authorities except in connection with grants under the Company's LTIP but consider it prudent to obtain the flexibility that this authority provides.
As at 27 March 2018, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular, the Company held no treasury shares.
Under section 561 of CA 2006, if the Directors wish to allot any equity securities for cash or sell any treasury shares (other than in connection with an employee share plan), they must, in the first instance, offer them to existing shareholders in proportion to their holdings (a "pre-emptive offer"). There may be occasions, however, when the Directors need the flexibility to allot shares for cash, or sell treasury shares, without a pre-emptive offer, which can be done under CA 2006 if the shareholders have first waived their pre-emption rights by special resolution.
Resolutions 17 and 18 will allow the Directors to allot equity securities for cash pursuant to the authority granted by Resolution 16, and/or sell treasury shares, as if section 561 of CA 2006 did not apply in certain circumstances.
Under Resolution 17, the Directors will be authorised to allot equity securities for cash, and/or sell treasury shares, up to a maximum nominal amount of £31,413, being 3,141,348 ordinary shares representing approximately 5 per cent of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 27 March 2018, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular.
Resolution 18 extends the Directors' authority under Resolution 17 to allot equity securities for cash, or sell treasury shares, up to a further a maximum nominal amount of £31,413, bringing the combined authority under Resolution 17 and Resolution 18 to an aggregate nominal value of £62,826 (6,282,696 million ordinary shares), representing approximately 10% of the Company's issued share capital as at 27 March 2018, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular.
Resolutions 17 and 18 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 compliance with the Statement of Principles, the Directors confirm that they will not allot equity securities for cash, and/or sell treasury shares, on a non pre-emptive basis pursuant to the authority in Resolution 18 other than in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the issue or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the allotment.
In addition, the Directors also confirm that in accordance with the Statement of Principles, they do not intend to allot equity securities for cash, and/or sell treasury shares, representing more than 7.5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital in any rolling threeyear 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 authorities sought under Resolutions 17 and 18 will expire at the end of the Company's Annual General Meeting in 2019, or at close of business on 8 August 2019, if earlier.
The Directors have no present intention to exercise the authority conferred by this resolution.
Under CA 2006, the Company requires authorisation from shareholders if it is to purchase its own shares. Resolution 19 authorises the Company to make market purchases of up to 6,282,696 of its own ordinary shares, representing approximately 10 per cent of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 27 March 2018, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this circular. The resolution specifies the minimum and maximum prices at which the ordinary shares may be bought under this authority.
The Directors have no present intention of exercising the authority granted by this Resolution 19, but the authority provides the flexibility to allow them to do so in the future. The authority will be exercised only if the Directors believe that to do so would be likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its shareholders as a whole and would result in an increase in the earnings per share. Any ordinary shares purchased pursuant to this authority may either be held as treasury shares or cancelled by the Company, depending on which course of action is considered by the Directors to be in the best interests of shareholders at the time. No dividends are paid on shares held as treasury shares nor do they have voting rights. There is no statutory limit on the percentage of share capital that the Company is permitted to hold as treasury shares. However, in keeping with the Investment Association's guidelines, the Company will limit the number of shares that it will hold as treasury shares to no more than 10 per cent of its issued share capital.
The authority sought under Resolution 19 will expire at the end of the Company's Annual General Meeting in 2019, or at close of business on 8 August 2019, if earlier.
CA Act 2006 requires listed companies to provide shareholders with 21 clear days' notice of any general meeting unless the shareholders have approved the calling of general meetings on shorter notice, which cannot in any event be less than 14 clear days. Companies must also offer shareholders a facility to vote by electronic means in order to be permitted to call meetings on shorter notice. The notice period for an Annual General Meeting cannot be reduced in this way.
While the Directors do not intend calling general meetings on short notice as a matter of routine, enabling the Board to call general meetings on 14 clear days' notice would provide flexibility where that was merited by the business of the relevant meeting taking into account the circumstances, including where the business of the meeting is time sensitive and is thought to be to the advantage of the shareholders as a whole.
Resolution 20 will expire at the end of the Company's Annual General Meeting in 2019.
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