Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Mar 24, 2016
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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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 5 May 2016 at 10.00 a.m. 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 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday 3 May 2016.
(the Company)
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 00521970)
Kent House 14–17 Market Place London W1W 8AJ
17 March 2016
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 will be taking place at 10.00 a.m. on Thursday 5 May 2016 at the offices of Jefferies Hoare Govett, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BJ. The purpose of this letter is to explain certain elements of the business to be considered at the AGM. Resolutions 1 to 15 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 16 to 18 will be proposed as special resolutions. 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 believe that, in the interests of shareholder democracy, it is critical that the voting intentions of all members are taken into account, not just those who are able to attend the meeting. We therefore propose to put all resolutions at the AGM to shareholders by way of a poll rather than a show of hands. The Board considers that a poll is more democratic since it allows the votes of all shareholders to be counted, and electronic voting enables poll voting results to be obtained efficiently and effectively. Shareholders attending the meeting will still have the opportunity to ask questions, form a view on the points raised and vote on each resolution.
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 17 pence per ordinary share. Subject to approval by shareholders, the final dividend will be paid on 23 May 2016 to shareholders on the register on 29 April 2016.
The Company's Articles of Association require each director to submit himself/herself for election by shareholders at the first annual general meeting after his or her appointment and for re-election every three years. The Board has agreed, however, in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, to submit all of its continuing directors (other than Malcom Cooper) for re-election 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. Malcolm Cooper will stand for election by shareholders as this is the first annual general meeting following his appointment.
As described in the corporate governance report in the Company's 2015 annual report (the '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 58 to 59 of the Annual Report.
Resolution 10 is an ordinary resolution to approve the directors' remuneration report which is set out on pages 74 to 89 of the Annual Report, other than the part containing the directors' remuneration policy which is set out on pages 75 to 80. 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 has indicated its willingness to continue in office and the Board proposes by resolution 11 that Deloitte LLP be re-appointed 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 2016 AGM. Under section 366 of the Companies Act 2006 (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 Articles of Association of the Company currently allow the payment of directors' fees of up to £400,000 per annum. In order to provide the Board with further flexibility, it is proposed that this limit be increased to £600,000 per annum. The Articles of Association of the Company provide that this increase may be effected by an ordinary resolution.
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 2016 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 £738,333.80 (representing 14,766,676 shares). This amount represents approximately one third of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2016, 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 £1,476,667.60 (representing 29,533,352 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 17 March 2016, 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 2017 or on 5 August 2017, 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 17 March 2016, 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, if approved, will give the directors the authority to allot equity securities (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. Equity securities include ordinary shares in the Company.
This authority would be limited to allotments or sales in connection with pre-emptive offers or otherwise up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £221,500.15 (representing 4,430,003 shares). This maximum aggregate nominal amount represents approximately 10% of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2016, being the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice.
The Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles, issued in March 2015, states that, in addition to the standard annual disapplication of pre-emption rights up to a maximum equal to 5% of total issued ordinary share capital, the Pre-Emption Group is supportive of extending the general disapplication authority for certain purposes. In line with the Statement of Principles, the Company is therefore seeking approval for the disapplication of pre-emption rights up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £221,500.15, which represents approximately 10% of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2016, being the latest practicable date prior to the date of this notice.
The directors confirm their intention that the additional authority (which represents approximately 5% of the total issued share capital of the Company) will only be used to fund one or more acquisitions or specified capital investments which are announced contemporaneously with the relevant issue, as referred to in the Statement of Principles. While the directors have no present intention of exercising this disapplication authority, the Board considers that the additional authority sought at this year's Annual General Meeting will benefit the Company and its shareholders generally since there may be occasions in the future when the directors need the flexibility to finance acquisitions or capital investments by issuing shares for cash without a pre-emptive offer to existing shareholders. The directors also confirm their intention to follow the provisions of the Statement of Principles regarding cumulative usage of authorities within a rolling three-year period, where the Statement of Principles provides that (except in relation to an issue pursuant to the additional 5% referred to above) no more than 7.5% of the issued ordinary share capital should be issued for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis during any rolling three-year period without prior consultation with shareholders.
The authority sought under this resolution will expire at the conclusion of the Company's next AGM or on 5 August 2017, 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. There are a number of reasons why the directors may, in the future, consider a buy-back of shares to be in the best interests of the Company and of its shareholders generally. These may include where the directors (i) expect that such a buy-back would result in an increase in earnings per share, (ii) consider that the Company has excess cash, and/or (iii) determine that it is appropriate to increase the Company's gearing or its share liquidity. The directors therefore consider it prudent for the Company to have the flexibility to effect market purchases of its own shares in the future. Whilst the directors have no current intention of using the authority sought to make market purchases, this resolution provides the Company with that flexibility. However, the directors will exercise this authority only if, having due regard to the interests of long-term shareholders, the directors consider that to do so would be in the best interests of the Company, and of its shareholders, and (among other things) expect such purchase to result in an increase in earnings per share. In addition, the directors confirm that the decision to propose this authority for approval at the Annual General Meeting has been taken by the full Board of the Company, a majority of whom are nonexecutive directors who do not participate in the Company's share plans and whose interest in the Company's shares is therefore unaffected by the earnings per share metric.
Under the terms of the resolution, the Company will generally be authorised to make market purchases of up to 4,430,003 shares with an aggregate nominal value of £221,500.15, representing approximately 10% of the total issued share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2016, 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. The minimum price payable per share, exclusive of expenses, is its nominal value.
As at 17 March 2016, the number of outstanding options to subscribe for shares granted by the Company was 1,304,751 shares. This figure represents 2.95% of the total issued share capital of the Company at that date and would, assuming no further shares are issued, represent 3.27% 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 5 August 2017, whichever is the earlier.
As at 17 March 2016, 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 for 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 18 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 10.00 a.m. on 3 May 2016.
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 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 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 recommend that you vote in favour of the resolutions, as the directors themselves intend to do in respect of their own beneficial shareholdings.
Yours faithfully
Chairman
This year's Annual General Meeting of Morgan Sindall Group plc (the 'Company') will be held at 10.00 a.m. on Thursday 5 May 2016 at the offices of Jefferies Hoare Govett, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BJ to transact the business set out below. You will be asked to consider and, if thought fit, pass the resolutions below. Resolutions 1–15 (inclusive) will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and resolutions 16–18 (inclusive) will be proposed as special resolutions.
provided that:
and so that the directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which it considers necessary or appropriate to deal with treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, any legal, regulatory or practical problems, in, or under the laws of, any territory or the requirements of any regulatory body or exchange or any other matter, provided that (unless revoked, varied or renewed) such authority shall apply until the end of the Company's next AGM, or close of business on 5 August 2017, 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 15 and/or in the case of any sale of treasury shares for cash, to the allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares (otherwise than under paragraph (a) above) up to an aggregate nominal amount of £221,500.15,
such power to apply until the end of the Company's next AGM, or close of business on 5 August 2017, 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 power 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.
such authority to expire at the Company's next AGM, or close of business on 5 August 2017, whichever is earlier, but during this period the Company may enter into a contract to purchase Ordinary Shares, which would, or might, be completed or executed wholly or partly after the authority ends and the Company may purchase Ordinary Shares pursuant to such contract as if the authority had not ended.
By order of the Board
Company Secretary 17 March 2016
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
Bank (approximately 10 minute walk) Central, Waterloo & City lines and Docklands Light Railway
London Bridge Northern and Jubilee lines, British rail links
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.
Kent House 14–17 Market Place London W1W 8AJ 020 7307 9200 www.corporate.morgansindall.com
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