Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Mar 19, 2015
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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Kent House 14–17 Market Place London W1W 8AJ 020 7307 9200 www.corporate.morgansindall.com
If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you are recommended to obtain your own personal financial advice immediately from an independent professional adviser or such other person authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares in Morgan Sindall Group plc, 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 00521970)
Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Morgan Sindall Group plc to be held at the offices of Jefferies Hoare Govett, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BJ on Thursday 7 May 2015 at 12.00 noon is set out on pages 5 to 7 of this circular.
Whether or not you propose to attend the Annual General Meeting, please complete and submit a proxy form in accordance with the instructions printed on the form and the notes to the notice of annual general meeting set out on pages 8 to 10. To be valid, the proxy form must be received at the address specified in the notes by 12.00 noon on Tuesday 5 May 2015.
(the Company) (incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 00521970)
Registered Office:
Kent House 14–17 Market Place London W1W 8AJ
19 March 2015
To the holders of ordinary shares in the Company
Dear Shareholder,
I am pleased to be writing to you with details of our Annual General Meeting (the 'AGM') which we are holding at the offices of Jefferies Hoare Govett, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BJ at 12 noon on 7 May 2015.
The purpose of this letter is to explain certain elements of the business to be considered at the AGM. Resolutions 1 to 14 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. This means that for each of these resolutions to be passed, more than half of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 15 to 17 will be proposed as special resolutions. This means that for each of these resolutions to be passed, at least three-quarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
The notice convening the AGM (the 'Notice') is set out on pages 5 to 7 of this document and contains the resolutions dealing with the business of the meeting.
The directors of the Company are required to lay the report and accounts of the Company before the shareholders each year at the AGM. The annual report comprises the audited financial statements, the auditor's report, the directors' report, and the directors' strategic report.
The Board recommends the payment of a final dividend of 15 pence per ordinary share. Subject to approval by shareholders, the final dividend will be paid on 29 May 2015 to shareholders on the register on 1 May 2015.
The Company's Articles of Association require each director to submit himself/herself for re-election by shareholders every three years. The Board has agreed however, in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, to submit all of its continuing directors for reelection at the AGM irrespective of their date of appointment and length of service on the Board. Separate resolutions will be proposed for each of these re-elections. As described in the corporate governance report in the Company's 2014 annual report, the Board believes that the performance of the non-executive directors continues to be effective and that they demonstrate commitment to their roles and recommends their re-election. The directors' biographies are set out on pages 48 to 49 of the Company's 2014 Annual Report.
The Company proposes an ordinary resolution (resolution 9) to approve the directors' remuneration policy contained in the directors' remuneration report as set out on pages 59 to 63 of the annual report.
Following a strategic review, the Remuneration Committee is proposing to change the current directors' remuneration policy (which was approved at the 2014 AGM) to ensure that the executive directors are appropriately incentivised to deliver the Group's long-term strategy and that the policy is aligned to best practice in certain areas. There are three proposed changes: (1) to increase the normal annual LTIP grant policy from 100% to 150% of base salary (with no exceptional award limit) to be consistent with the Morgan Sindall 2014 Long Term Incentive Plan; (2) increase the shareholding guideline from 100% to 200% of salary, in line with best practice; and (3) to expand the clawback triggers applying to LTIP awards and annual bonus and extend the period over which amounts may be clawed back.
Once approved by shareholders, this policy will be binding upon the Company from the date of the 2015 AGM, and the directors will only be able to make remuneration payments in accordance with the approved policy.
If the remuneration policy is approved at the 2015 AGM and remains unchanged, it will be valid for up to three years without new shareholder approval being required. However, if the Company wished to change the remuneration policy, it would need to put the revised policy to a shareholder vote again, before it could implement that new policy.
Resolution 10 is an ordinary resolution to approve the directors' remuneration report which is set out on pages 58 to 71 of the annual report, other than the part containing the directors' remuneration policy which is set out on pages 59 to 63. The vote on this resolution is advisory only and the directors' entitlement to remuneration is not conditional on it being passed.
The Company is required to appoint an auditor at each general meeting at which accounts are laid, to serve until the next such meeting. Deloitte LLP have indicated their willingness to continue in office and the Board proposes by resolution 11 that Deloitte LLP be reappointed as auditor of the Company. Resolution 12 authorises the directors to negotiate and agree the remuneration of the auditor.
This resolution will renew the authority given at last year's AGM, which is due to expire at the 2015 AGM. Under section 366 of the Act, the Company is required to seek shareholders' authority for any political donations and/or political expenditure made by the Company in the European Union.
Although the Company does not make and does not intend to make, donations to political parties within the normal meaning of that expression or to independent election candidates, the legislation is very broadly drafted and may catch activities such as funding seminars and other functions to which politicians are invited, supporting certain bodies involved in policy review and law reform and matching employees' donations to certain charities.
Therefore, in accordance with current best practice, the directors have decided to propose an ordinary resolution to authorise the Company and its subsidiaries to make certain types of political donations and/or expenditure as more particularly described in the resolution up to an aggregate amount of £25,000.
The directors currently have an authority to allot shares in the Company and to grant rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into shares in the Company. This authority is due to lapse at our 2015 AGM. The Board is seeking by this ordinary resolution to renew the directors' authority to allot shares in the Capital of the Company in accordance with section 551 of the Act. Paragraph (a) of this resolution would give directors the authority to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into shares up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to £736,079.85 (representing 14,721,597 shares). This amount represents approximately one third of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 18 March 2015, the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice.
In line with guidance issued by The Investment Association (formerly the Association of British Insurers), paragraph (b) of this resolution would give the directors the authority to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into shares in connection with a rights issue, up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to £1,472,159.70 (representing 29,443,194 shares), as reduced by the nominal amount of any shares issued under paragraph (a) of this resolution. This amount (before any reduction) represents approximately two thirds of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 19 March 2015, being the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice.
The authorities sought under this resolution if passed will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next AGM to be held in 2016 or on 7 August 2016, whichever is the earlier. The directors currently have no intention of issuing further shares or granting rights over shares other than in connection with the Company's employee share option and share incentive schemes. However, if the directors do exercise the authority granted by the resolution, the directors intend to follow the Investment Association's recommendations concerning its use.
As at 19 March 2015, being the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice, the Company held no shares in treasury.
This is a special resolution which renews the directors authority given at last year's AGM and if approved will give the directors the authority to allot shares (or sell any shares which the Company elects to hold in treasury) for cash without first offering them to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings.
As in previous years, this authority would be limited to allotments or sales in connection with pre-emptive offers or otherwise up to an aggregate nominal amount of £110,411.95 (representing 2,208,239 shares). This aggregate nominal amount represents approximately 5% of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 19 March 2015, being the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice. In respect of this aggregate nominal amount, the directors confirm their intention to follow the provisions of the Pre-emption Group's Statement of Principles regarding cumulative usage of authorities within a rolling three year period where the Principles provide that usage
in excess of 7.5% should not take place without prior consultation with shareholders. The directors have no present intention of exercising this authority.
The authority sought under this resolution will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next AGM or on 7 August 2016, whichever is the earlier.
A special resolution will be proposed to authorise the Company to buy back its shares in the market, either for cancellation or to be held in treasury. Whilst the directors have no current intention of using this authority to make market purchases, this resolution provides the flexibility to allow them to do so in the future. However, the directors will exercise this authority only if they consider that to do so would be in the best interests of the Company, and of its shareholders, and expect such purchases to result in an increase in earnings per share.
Under the terms of the resolution, the Company will generally be authorised to make market purchases of up to 4,416,479 shares with an aggregate nominal value of £220,823.95, representing approximately 10% of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 19 March 2015, the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice. The maximum price payable per share will be based on the market price of a share as set out in more detail in the resolution itself.
As at 19 March 2015, the number of outstanding options to subscribe for shares granted by the Company was 621,341 shares. This figure represents 1.41 % of the total issued share capital of the Company at that date and would, assuming no further shares are issued, represent 1.56% of the total issued share capital if full authority to purchase shares (under the existing authority and that sought at the AGM) was used.
The Company has not undertaken any purchases of its own shares since the date of the last AGM, but the renewal of the authority is sought to preserve flexibility. The directors have no present intention of exercising this authority which will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next AGM or on 7 August 2016, whichever is the earlier.
As at 19 March 2015, being the last practicable date prior to the date of this notice, no shares had been purchased and held as treasury shares or cancelled under the existing authority.
The minimum notice period permitted by the Act for general meetings is 21 days. However, the Act enables companies to reduce this period to 14 clear days (other than AGMs) provided that two conditions are met. The first condition is that the Company offers a facility for shareholders to vote by electronic means. This condition is met if the Company offers a facility, accessible to all holders of shares that carry voting rights at general meetings, to appoint a proxy by means of a website. The second condition is that there is an annual resolution of shareholders approving the reduction of the minimum notice period from 21 days to 14 clear days.
Voting by electronic means is available to all the Company's registered shareholders. The Board therefore proposes resolution 17 as a special resolution to approve 14 clear days as the minimum period of notice for all general meetings of the Company other than AGMs. The resolution will be effective until the Company's next AGM, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed. The 14 clear days' notice period will not be used as a matter of routine, but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting and is thought to be in the best interests of the Company and of its shareholders as a whole.
I very much hope that you will be able to join us at the AGM. Whether or not you are proposing to attend and vote, I would encourage you to fill in the proxy form sent to you with this notice and return it to the Company's registrars as soon as possible or to vote online at www. investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy. The registrars must receive your proxy by 12.00 noon on 5 May 2015.
If you would like to vote on the resolutions but cannot come to the AGM, you can appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of your rights to attend, vote and speak at the AGM. Please see the notes to the notice of meeting for information on pages 8 to 10. Please note that completion and return of the proxy form will not preclude a shareholder from attending and voting at the meeting.
The directors of the Company consider that all the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM are likely to promote the success of the Company and are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole, and accordingly, unanimously recommends you to vote in favour of them as they intend to do so in respect of their own beneficial shareholdings.
Yours faithfully,
Adrian Martin Chairman
Notice of Annual General Meeting
This year's annual general meeting will be held at the offices of Jefferies Hoare Govett, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BJ on Thursday 7 May 2015 at 12.00 noon to transact the business set out below. You will be asked to consider and, if thought fit, pass the resolutions below. Resolutions 1-14 (inclusive) will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and resolutions 15-17 will be proposed as special resolutions.
Provided that:
and so that the directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, or any legal or practical problems, in, or under the laws of, any territory or the requirements of any regulatory body or exchange, provided that (unless revoked, varied or renewed) such authorities to apply until the end of the Company's next AGM, or close of business on 7 August 2016, whichever is earlier, but, in each case, during this period the Company may make offers and enter into agreements which would, or might, require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or convert securities into shares to be granted after the authority ends and the directors may allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert securities into shares under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not ended.
and so that the directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter; and
(b) in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (a) of resolution 14 and/or in the case of any sale of treasury shares for cash, to the allotment (otherwise than under paragraph (a) above) of equity securities or sale of treasury shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of £110,411.95,
such power to apply until the end of the Company's next AGM, or by close of business on 7 August 2016, whichever is earlier but, in each case, during this period the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and/or treasury shares to be sold) after the authority ends and the directors may allot equity securities (and/ or sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not ended.
By order of the Board
Clare Sheridan
Company Secretary
19 March 2015
A resolution may properly be moved or a matter may properly be included in the business unless:
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 no later than the date six 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.
Jefferies Hoare Govett, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BJ
• Mansion House and Cannon Street stations (approximately 5 minute walk) – District and Circle lines
Vintners' Place overlooks the river Thames and is adjacent to Southwark Bridge. Once you reach Vintners' Place please use the South Wing lifts at the opposite end of the main lobby to access Jefferies. The reception is located on the 5th floor.
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