Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Oct 13, 2021
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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(incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006 with registered number 09268016)
Published on 13 October 2021
This document should be read as a whole and in conjunction with the accompanying Proxy Form. Your attention is drawn to the letter from the Chairman of MJ Gleeson plc which is set out on pages 2 to 5 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.
Notice of the Annual General Meeting, to be held at Grocers' Hall, Princes Street, London EC2R 8AD at 11.30 am on Monday 15 November 2021, is set out on pages 6 to 10 of this document. Enclosed with this document is a Proxy Form for use in respect of the Annual General Meeting. Full details of how to participate and vote in the meeting are given in the Chairman's letter.
(Registered in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006 with registered number 09268016)
Registered Office: 6 Europa Court, Sheffield Business Park, Sheffield, S9 1XE.
Dermot Gleeson Chairman James Thomson Chief Executive Officer Stefan Allanson Chief Financial Officer Andrew Coppel Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director Christopher Mills Non-Executive Director Fiona Goldsmith Non-Executive Director Elaine Bailey Non-Executive Director Leanne Johnson Company Secretary
13 October 2021
The Annual General Meeting (the "AGM") of MJ Gleeson plc (the "Company") is to be held at Grocers' Hall, Princes Street, London EC2R 8AD at 11.30 am on Monday 15 November 2021. The formal notice of the AGM of the Company (the "Notice") and the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM (the "Resolutions") are set out on pages 6 to 7 of this document. In addition to the ordinary business of an AGM there are a number of items of special business to be transacted at the meeting.
A copy of the 2021 Annual Report and Accounts is enclosed with this document.
The Board is delighted to be reopening our AGM for shareholders to attend in person this year. We are, however, asking shareholders to confirm their attendance to us in advance, so that we can ensure that the meeting is held in a safe, and appropriately socially distanced, manner. Therefore, if you plan to attend the AGM in person, we ask that you email [email protected] by 5.00 pm on Thursday 11 November 2021.
The Board will, of course, monitor developments in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. If the UK Government and/or Public Health England's guidelines on social distancing and/or coronavirus measures change between now and the date of the AGM, any adjustments required in relation to the AGM will be announced as soon as practically possible through the Company's website at www.mjgleesonplc.com and, where appropriate, by RNS announcement. Therefore, please check the Company's website regularly in the run up to the meeting.
Your vote counts, and whether or not you intend to be present at the AGM you are encouraged to submit your vote. There are several ways that you can submit your vote:
Due to the evolving nature of the coronavirus pandemic and the possibility that there may be changes to how we hold the AGM, shareholders are strongly encouraged to appoint the Chairman as his/her proxy rather than a named person who may not be permitted to attend the meeting.
All votes must be received by the Company no later than 11.30 am on Thursday 11 November 2021.
In the year ended 30 June 2021, Carol Elaine Bailey ("Elaine") was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director. Elaine has extensive experience in housing, engineering, construction and government services and the Board believes that her appointment will bring a wide variety of skills and expertise to the Board.
Full Board biographies are contained below.
Resolutions 1 to 12 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and resolutions 13 to 17 will be proposed as special resolutions.
Resolution 1 deals with the receipt and adoption of the annual financial statements of the Company and the reports of the Directors and Independent Auditors for the year ended 30 June 2021.
Following the suspension of dividend payments in 2020, the Board resumed payments in April 2021. In recognition of the Company's strong financial performance and our confidence in the prospects for the current financial year and beyond, the Board recommends a final dividend payment to shareholders of 10.0 pence per ordinary share. Resolution 2 deals with the recommendation of the Board that a final dividend of 10.0 pence per ordinary share be paid on 22 November 2021 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 29 October 2021.
The UK Corporate Governance Code published in July 2018 recommends that all directors stand for re-election on an annual basis. Resolutions 3 to 8 deal with the re-appointment of Dermot Gleeson, Andrew Coppel, Fiona Goldsmith, Christopher Mills, James Thomson and Stefan Allanson, all of whom offer themselves for re-appointment. Resolution 9 deals with the re-appointment of Elaine Bailey who was appointed to the Board on 1 March 2021.
The Board believes that each Director continues to perform his/her role satisfactorily in order to discharge the Board's duties and responsibilities effectively, and to contribute to the long-term sustainable success of the Company. The Board therefore recommends the re-appointment of your Directors.
The following biographical details are given in support of the Board's recommendation to re-elect each of the Directors of the Group. The Directors' key strengths are set out on pages 84 to 85 of the 2021 Annual Report.
Appointed to the Board in 1975
Dermot was appointed Chief Executive in 1988 and Chairman in 1994. He relinquished the post of Chief Executive in 1998. Previously employed in the Conservative Party Research Department, the European Commission and Midland Bank International Limited. Formerly a Trustee of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Chairman of the Major Contractors Group, a Board Member of the Housing Corporation, a Director of the Construction Industry Training Board and a Trustee of the Institute of Cancer Research.
Appointed to the Board in October 2019
Andrew is currently Chairman of Shooting Star Children's Hospices. Following his executive career, including roles at Queens Moat Houses and De Vere Group, Andrew has undertaken a number of non-executive positions including as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Crest Nicholson, and as Chairman of Arcadia Group. Following seven years as Chairman of Tourism Ireland, Andrew was appointed CBE in 2008 for services to Irish Tourism. Andrew is Chair of the Company's Audit Committee.
Appointed to the Board in October 2019
Fiona is currently Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Safestyle UK plc and was formerly Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Walker Greenbank plc. Following qualification at KPMG, Fiona held senior finance roles at First Choice Holidays plc and Land Securities Group plc. Fiona is Chair of the Company's Audit Committee.
Appointed to the Board in January 2009
Christopher is the founder of Harwood Capital Management Group and was Chief Investment Officer of J O Hambro Capital Management Limited from 1993 to 2011. He is also Chief Executive and Investment Manager of North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC, a UK listed investment trust. Christopher is a director of several publicly quoted companies, including Augean plc.
Appointed to the Board in June 2019 as interim Chief Executive Officer and appointed to the role permanently in December 2019
James was previously Chief Executive of Keepmoat Homes. Prior to Keepmoat, James was Group Finance Director and Chief Operating Officer of DTZ (now part of Cushman & Wakefield). He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and spent ten years in investment banking with HSBC and Deutsche Bank. James is a local authority councillor for the City of London and the Chairman of the City of London Police Authority Board.
Appointed to the Board in July 2015
Stefan joined the Group in June 2015 as Chief Financial Officer designate from Keepmoat Homes where he held the Deputy Chief Financial Officer role. Stefan qualified as an accountant in 1994, following which he held senior finance roles at Honda Motor Co Limited, BTP plc, The Skills Market Limited, The Vita Group Limited and Tianhe Chemicals.
Appointed to the Board in March 2021
Elaine has extensive experience in housing, engineering, construction and government services. She was previously CEO of the Hyde Housing Association and held a number of senior roles at Serco. Elaine is a chartered member of the Institution of Structural Engineers. She also has a number of non-executive roles including at Residential Secure Income plc, McCarthy & Stone (Shared Ownership) Limited, and most recently at the Health and Safety executive. Elaine is Chair of the Company's Sustainability Committee.
Resolutions 10 and 11 deal with the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Independent Auditors of the Company and the authority for the Directors to determine the Independent Auditors' remuneration.
Resolution 12 seeks shareholders' approval of the Annual Report on Remuneration as set out on pages 114 to 125 of the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2021. The Annual Report on Remuneration provides details of the Directors' remuneration for the year ended 30 June 2021 and sets out the way in which the Company has implemented the Directors' Remuneration Policy, which was approved by shareholders at the 2019 AGM, for the year ending 30 June 2022. This is an advisory vote.
Resolution 13, which will be proposed as an ordinary resolution, seeks to confer on the Directors the authority to allot ordinary shares and other shares in the Company or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into shares in the Company ("relevant securities") up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £388,708 (representing approximately one-third of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 4 October 2021, being the latest practicable date before publication of this document). This authority will expire fifteen months from the date of the passing of the Resolution or at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting, if earlier, and will revoke the previous authorities to the extent that they have not already been utilised. Your Directors have no present intention of issuing any share capital of the Company, save in respect of employee share schemes, but the passing of the Resolution will enable your Directors to take advantage of any opportunities which may arise. As at 4 October 2021 the Company held none of its own shares as treasury shares.
Under section 561 of the Companies Act 2006 (as amended) (the "2006 Act") all equity securities which a company proposes to issue for cash have to be offered to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings. Your Directors believe that this would be too restrictive to enable the Company to take advantage of opportunities which may arise. Resolution 14 seeks to authorise the Directors to allot equity securities (or sell shares held in treasury) for cash without complying with the statutory pre-emption procedure provided the allotment (or sale) is either (a) in connection with a rights issue, open offer or other pre-emptive issue or sale or (b) is a non-pre-emptive issue or sale for cash which is limited to securities of an aggregate nominal amount of £58,306 which is equivalent to approximately 5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 4 October 2021, being the latest practicable date before publication of this document, in line with institutional investor guidelines.
We are also seeking additional approval, set out in Resolution 15, for disapplication of pre-emptive rights on shares issued for cash up to a further nominal amount of £58,306 which is equivalent to approximately 5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 4 October 2021, being the latest practicable date before publication of this document. This authority can only be exercised for acquisitions or capital investments that the Directors determine fall within the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles.
Resolution 16, if passed, will authorise the Company to make one or more market purchases of its own shares having a maximum aggregate nominal value of £116,612, being equivalent to approximately 10% of the issued share capital as at 4 October 2021, being the latest practicable date before publication of this document. The maximum and minimum prices which may be paid for each ordinary share pursuant to this authority are as specified in Resolution 14. Your Directors have no immediate plans to utilise this proposed authority but consider it desirable for it to be available to provide additional flexibility in the management of the Company's capital resources. The Directors would exercise this authority only if they believed that to do so would be in the interests of the shareholders generally and would be likely to result in an increase in earnings per share ("EPS"). Any EPS targets included in employee share incentive schemes would be adjusted to take account of any buyback. If any shares are purchased pursuant to this authority the Company would intend to cancel those shares rather than hold them in treasury.
The 2006 Act increased the notice period required for general meetings of the Company to at least 21 clear days unless shareholders approve a shorter notice period (which cannot, however, be less than 14 clear days) and provided that certain conditions are met.
Annual General Meetings will continue to be held on at least 21 clear days' notice. A condition for the shorter notice period is that the Company offers a facility for shareholders to vote by electronic means. This condition is met if the Company offers a facility allowing shareholders to appoint a proxy by means of a website. The Company provides this facility (please see "Action to be taken" below and the notes to the Notice of the meeting below for the Company's arrangements for electronic proxy appointments). The other condition is that there is an annual resolution of shareholders approving the reduction of the minimum notice period from 21 clear days to 14 clear days. Therefore, in order to continue to be able to call General Meetings on 14 clear days' notice, Resolution 17 seeks such approval. It is intended that the shorter notice would not be used as a matter of routine for such meetings but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting and is thought to be in the interests of shareholders as a whole. The approval will be effective until the Company's next Annual General Meeting, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed.
Accompanying this document is a Proxy Form for use in relation to the AGM. Proxy Forms should be completed and returned in accordance with the instructions printed on them, so that they arrive at the Company's registrars, Link Group as soon as possible and in any event not later than 11.30 am on Thursday 11 November 2021. Electronic proxy appointment is available for this year's AGM. Alternatively, shareholders may lodge their proxy appointment and any voting instructions for the meeting by electronic means via the website provided by the Company's registrars, Link Group, at www.signalshares.com. If you hold a CREST share account, and hold shares in CREST, you may appoint a proxy by completing and transmitting a CREST Proxy Instruction to Link Group (CREST Participant ID: RA10).
Please note that all proxy appointments (in hard copy or electronic form) and CREST Proxy Instructions must be received by the Company's registrars, Link Group, no later than 11.30 am on Thursday 11 November 2021.
Your Directors consider that each of the proposed Resolutions in the Notice are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, your Directors unanimously recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the Resolutions as they intend to do in relation to their own beneficial holdings, amounting in aggregate to 7,323,790 shares (representing approximately 12.6% of the issued share capital of the Company as at 4 October 2021, being the latest practicable date before publication of this document).
Yours faithfully
Dermot Gleeson Chairman
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of MJ Gleeson plc (registered in England and Wales 09268016) (the "Company") will be held at Grocers' Hall, Princes Street, London EC2R 8AD at 11.30 am on Monday 15 November 2021 for the purposes set out below.
and so that the Board may impose any limits, exclusions or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with any treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter whatsoever; and
b) the allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares (otherwise than under paragraph (a) above) up to a maximum nominal amount of £58,306,
such authority to expire at the end of the next AGM of the Company (or, if earlier, at the close of business on 14 February 2023) 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.
such authority to expire at the end of the next AGM of the Company (or, if earlier, at the close of business on 14 February 2023) 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.
By order of the Board
L Johnson Company Secretary
Such a request may be in hard copy form or in electronic form, must identify the resolution of which notice is to be given or the matter to be included in the business, must be authorised by the person or persons making it, must be received by the Company not later than 6 clear weeks before the meeting, and (in the case of a matter to be included in the business only) must be accompanied by a statement setting out the grounds for the request.
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