AGM Information • Apr 1, 2021
AGM Information
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If you are in any doubt as to what action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker or other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or transferred all of your shares in Macfarlane Group PLC, please forward this document, together with the accompanying documents, as soon as possible either 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.
31 March 2021
Dear Shareholder
This year's Annual General Meeting ('AGM') is to be held at 3 Park Gardens, Glasgow, G3 7YE on 11 May 2021 at 12 noon. The current Covid-19 lockdown is scheduled to end in the next few months, but thereafter the tier system will be re-introduced in Scotland. Although the position is likely to remain fluid, it is anticipated the post-lockdown measures commencing in May will prevent us from holding a physical meeting for our AGM which is open to all shareholders. The Company has taken steps to ensure that the meeting will be quorate and therefore, further shareholders are requested not to attend the meeting as they will, regretfully, be refused entry. Shareholders are strongly encouraged to vote by appointing the Chairman of the AGM as your proxy, using the card distributed with the notice of meeting.
The Board places a high value on the opportunity to meet shareholders at its AGM. However, the current situation necessitates this course of action and I am sure that you support the Board in this decision. If you wish to submit questions at the AGM, please do so by emailing your question to the following email address: [email protected]. This can be done anytime up until 10am on the morning of the AGM to allow the Board to consider these questions during the meeting.
The notice of the AGM, which follows this letter, sets out the business to be considered at the meeting.
The notice also contains items of business which are of a technical nature and these items are explained in more detail on pages 5 to 7.
Your Directors believe that all the proposed resolutions (the 'Resolutions') to be considered at the AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its members as a whole and are most likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole. The Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of all the Resolutions as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings.
Should circumstances change and it becomes necessary or appropriate to make changes to the proposed format of the AGM, we will inform shareholders as soon as we can. You are encouraged to monitor our website at www.macfarlanegroup.com and also annoucements issued via the Regulatory News service.
Yours faithfully
Stuart R. Paterson Chairman
Macfarlane Group PLC (Company No: SC4221)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the one hundred and twenty second ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ('AGM') of the members of MACFARLANE GROUP PLC (the 'Company') will be held at 3 Park Gardens, Glasgow, G3 7YE on Tuesday 11 May 2021 at 12 noon for the purpose of transacting the following business:
To consider and, if thought fit, pass the following Resolutions which will be proposed as ordinary resolutions:
To consider and, if thought fit, pass Resolution 12 which will be proposed as an ordinary resolution, and Resolutions 13 and 14, which will be proposed as special resolutions:
(B) in any other case, up to an aggregate nominal amount of £3,945,300 (representing 10% of the Company's issued share capital as at 30 March 2021) (such amount to be reduced by the nominal amount of any equity securities allotted pursuant to the authority in paragraph (A) above in excess of the nominal amount of £9,205,700),
provided that this authority shall, unless renewed, varied or revoked by the Company, expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company (or, if earlier, at 5pm on 11 August 2022) save that the Company may, before such expiry, make offers or agreements which would or might require Relevant Securities to be allotted and the Directors may allot Relevant Securities in pursuance of such offer or agreement notwithstanding that the authority conferred by this Resolution has expired.
In this Resolution, 'Relevant Securities' means shares in the Company, other than shares allotted pursuant to:
References to the allotment of Relevant Securities in this Resolution include the grant of such rights; and 'Relevant Security' shall be any of the Relevant Securities.
This Resolution revokes and replaces all unexercised authorities previously granted to the Directors to allot Relevant Securities but without prejudice to any allotment of shares or grant of rights already made, offered or agreed to be made pursuant to such authorities.
such authority to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company
(or, if earlier, at 5pm on 11 August 2022) but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
Macfarlane Group PLC (Company No: SC4221)
such authority to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company (or, if earlier, at 5pm on 11 August 2022) but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
To transact such other ordinary business as may be properly transacted at the AGM.
By Order of the Board
Company Secretary 3 Park Gardens Glasgow G3 7YE 31 March 2021
Resolution 1 is a standard resolution. The Annual Accounts are required to be laid before the Company in general meeting. The Annual Accounts are accompanied by the Directors' Report, the Directors' Remuneration Report and the report of the Independent Auditor.
Resolution 2 requests approval for the Directors' Remuneration Report, on pages 41 to 49 of the Annual Accounts (the 'Directors' Remuneration Report'). This is an advisory vote and votes cast against approval of the Directors' Remuneration Report will not invalidate the Annual Report and Accounts as a whole and the Directors' entitlement to remuneration is not conditional on it.
Resolution 3 will, if passed, approve the payment of a final dividend. The Directors have proposed a final dividend of 1.85p per share, to be paid on 3 June 2021 to shareholders on the register at 6pm on 14 May 2021.
Resolutions 4 to 9 inclusive seek approval for the re-appointment of Directors in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code (July 2018) (the 'Code') as it applies to companies outside the FTSE350. The Code provides that, for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019, all Directors are to be subject to annual re-election by shareholders. Accordingly, in keeping with the Board's aim of following best corporate governance practice, all of the Directors, except John Love, are standing for re-election by the shareholders at this year's AGM. John Love retired from Macfarlane Group on 31 March 2021 and resigned from the Board on the same date.
The biographies of the Directors seeking re-election which appear in the Annual Accounts are repeated here for ease of reference:
Stuart R. Paterson: Stuart joined the Board on 1 January 2013 as a non-executive Director, becoming Chairman on 29 September 2017. He is a Chartered Accountant and was Chief Financial Officer at Forth Ports Limited until he retired in January 2018. He joined Forth Ports in March 2011 when it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and the company was subsequently acquired by Arcus Infrastructure Partners in 2011. Prior to this role, Stuart was Chief Financial Officer of Johnston Press PLC from 2001 to 2010 and previously worked in senior financial management roles at Motorola Corporation, and as Group Finance Director and then Managing Director Europe for Aggreko PLC. Stuart joined Angel Trains Group Limited as a non-executive Director in September 2018, and chairs the Audit & Risk Committee. He is also a trustee of the Royal Yacht Britannia and a member of their Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committees. He also served as a non-executive Director with Devro PLC from 2006 to 2012, chairing the Audit Committee. He chairs the Nominations Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.
Peter D. Atkinson: Peter joined Macfarlane Group as Chief Executive in October 2003. He has a strong sales and marketing background through his career at Procter & Gamble and S.C. Johnson. Peter also has significant general management experience gained during his time at GKN PLC and its joint venture partners where he worked from 1988 to 2001 in a number of senior executive roles in their business-to-business operations. He has a successful track record of both business turnarounds and business development with extensive exposure to international business, having worked in the UK, Europe and the USA.
Ivor Gray: Ivor is a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and has been with the Group since 1996. He was appointed as a Director on 19 November 2020 and became Finance Director on 1 January 2021. Ivor has been on the Executive Committee since 2005 and was the Group's Company Secretary from 15 May 2020 to 31 December 2020. He was with KPMG LLP for six years before joining Macfarlane Group in 1996.
Bob McLellan: Bob joined the Board on 5 March 2013. He was Chief Executive of DS Smith Packaging UK until 2011, latterly as Deputy CEO Packaging (UK and Continental Europe). Bob has spent many years working in the packaging sector and has held leading roles in both the UK and Continental Europe for industry employer associations. He is currently Chairman of the Logson Group and a non-executive director of Swanline Print Limited. Bob chaired the Remuneration Committee until 31 August 2018 when he was appointed as the Group's Senior Independent Director. He is a member of the Nominations, Remuneration and Audit Committees.
James Baird: James joined the Board on 8 January 2018. James previously led the Scotland and Northern Ireland business of Deloitte, before becoming Managing Partner of its Audit & Risk Advisory division and Chief Operating Officer, both in Switzerland. An experienced auditor and advisor who has worked with companies in the UK and Europe across a range of industries, he is currently an Honorary Professor at Glasgow University's Adam Smith Business School, a trustee of RS Macdonald Charitable Trust and a member of the Advisory Council of Rainforest Trust UK. James was appointed as chair of the Audit Committee on his appointment on 8 January 2018 and is a member of both the Remuneration and Nominations Committees.
Andrea Dunstan: Andrea joined the Board on 1 September 2018 and has significant experience in the areas of performance management, organisational development, strategy and change management across several sectors notably distribution and third party logistics. She was most recently Chief People Officer at Premier Farnell PLC. Andrea is a non-executive Director of Sumo Group PLC, where she is chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit and Nominations Committees. She is also a non-executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at TI Fluid Systems PLC. Andrea was appointed as chair of the Remuneration Committee on her appointment on 1 September 2018 and is a member of both the Audit and Nominations Committees.
The Board recommends these re-elections as they bring significant and relevant expertise to the Board.
Resolution 10 proposes the reappointment of Deloitte LLP as auditors of the Company. The Act requires that auditors be appointed at each general meeting at which accounts are laid to hold office until the next such meeting. Resolution 10 therefore proposes the reappointment of Deloitte LLP as the Company's auditors to hold office from the conclusion of this meeting until the conclusion of the next general meeting at which accounts are laid before the Company.
Resolution 11 seeks separate authority for the Directors to determine the remuneration of the auditors of the Company.
Resolution 12 – under the Act the Directors may only allot unissued shares if authorised to do so by the Shareholders in general meeting. At the annual general meeting held in 2020, Shareholders granted the Directors authority to allot relevant securities under Section 551 of the Act for a period of up to 15 months and this authority expires at the 2021 AGM. Resolution 12 seeks to renew this authority to allow the Directors:
As at 30 March 2021 the Company holds no treasury shares. If given, these authorities will expire at the end of the annual general meeting held in 2022 or at 5pm on 11 August 2022, whichever is the earlier. This authority complies with the latest institutional guidelines issued by the Investment Association.
Resolutions 13 and 14 are proposed as special resolutions, each requiring a majority of 75% of those voting to be in favour. If the Directors wish to allot equity securities for cash they are required by the Act to offer those equity securities first to current shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings.
In certain circumstances, it may be in the best interests of the Company to allot equity securities for cash without first offering them proportionately to existing shareholders. In accordance with the Act and investor guidelines, therefore, approval is sought by the Directors to issue a limited number of ordinary shares for cash without first offering them to existing shareholders.
Resolution 13 contains a two-part disapplication of pre-emption rights which seeks to renew the Directors' authority to issue equity securities of the Company for cash without application of pre-emption rights pursuant to section 561 of the Act. This Resolution requests authority for disapplication of statutory pre-emption rights and such authority would be limited to allotments in connection with pre-emptive offers and offers to holders of other equity securities if required by the rights of those shares or as the Board otherwise considers necessary, or otherwise up to an aggregate nominal amount of £3,945,300, representing 10% of the issued share capital of the Company as at the Latest Practicable Date. The authority, if granted, would replace a similar resolution passed at last year's AGM.
Resolution 14 is a disapplication of pre-emption rights limited to an additional 5% of issued ordinary share capital to be used for transactions which the Directors determine to be an acquisition or specified capital investment. The authority contained in the Resolution would be limited to a maximum nominal amount of £1,972,650 (representing 5% of the Company's issued share capital as at the Latest Practicable Date).
If given, this power will expire at 5pm on 11 August 2022 or at the conclusion of the annual general meeting held in 2022, whichever is the earlier. The aggregate figure of 10% in resolutions 13 and 14 reflects the Pre-Emption Group 2015 Statement of Principles for the disapplication of pre-emption rights (the 'Statement of Principles').
The Directors will have due regard to the Statement of Principles in relation to any exercise of this power, in particular they do not intend to allot shares for cash on a non pre-emptive basis pursuant to this power:
in each case other than in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment (within the meaning of the Statement of Principles) which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the allotment.
A proxy need not be a member of the Company.
A member may appoint more than one proxy provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by him. If you wish to appoint more than one proxy please contact the Company's Registrars at the address given below. However, see the guidance below.
Completion and return of the form of proxy would not usually preclude a member from attending and voting in person at the AGM. Please, however, note that in light of the restricted physical attendance at the 2021 AGM, shareholders (or their proxies) will not be permitted entry. To change your proxy instructions simply submit a new proxy appointment using the methods set out above. A replacement proxy form may be obtained by contacting the Company.
To revoke your proxy instructions, please contact the Company's Registrars by no later than 12 noon on Friday 7 May 2021. Under normal circumstances, if you have appointed a proxy and attend and vote at the AGM in person, your proxy appointment will automatically be terminated when you exercise your vote. Please, however, note that in light of the restricted physical attendance at the 2021 AGM, shareholders will not be permitted entry. Please see the guidance Notes 1 and 3 above. If you are not a member of the Company but you have been nominated by a member of the Company to enjoy information rights, you do not have a right to appoint any proxies under the procedures set out in this notice. Please read Note 7 relating to nominated persons below.
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 & Ireland Limited's (EUI) specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message must be transmitted so as to be received by the issuer's agent (ID: RA19) not later than forty eight hours (disregarding any day that is not a working day) before the time appointed for holding the AGM, being no later than 12 noon on Friday 7 May 2021. 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 issuer'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 EUI 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 providers 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.
The Company may not require the shareholders requesting any such website publication to pay its expenses in complying with Sections 527 or 528 of the Act. Where the Company is required to place a statement on a website under Section 527 of the Act, it must forward the statement to the Company's auditors not later than the time when it makes the statement available on the website.
The business which may be dealt with at the AGM includes any statement that the Company has been required under Section 527 of the Act to publish on a website. The request:
If you would like to ask the Directors a question in connection with the business of the meeting, you can do so by sending a question by email to [email protected] no later than 10am on 11 May 2021. Responses will either be sent by email to the respective shareholder or communicated to all shareholders via the Company's website, www.macfarlanegroup.com, following the AGM.
The Chairman will ensure that any question relating to the business being dealt with at the AGM receives a response as above, but no response shall be given if: (i) to do so would interfere unduly with the preparation for the AGM or involve the disclosure of confidential information; (ii) the answer has already been given on the Company's website, www.macfarlanegroup.com, in the form of an answer to a question; or (iii) the Chairman determines that it is undesirable in the interests of the Company of the good order of the AGM that the question be answered.
If you are in any doubt as to what action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker or other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or transferred all of your shares in Macfarlane Group PLC, please forward this document, together with the accompanying documents, as soon as possible either 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.
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