AGM Information • Apr 17, 2019
AGM Information
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This document is important and requires your immediate attention.
If you are in any doubt as to the action to be taken, please consult an appropriately authorised financial adviser immediately. If you have sold or transferred all of your holding of ordinary shares in Oxford Biomedica plc ("Oxford Biomedica" or the "Company"), you should hand this document to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through or to whom the sale or transfer was effected for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice of the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at the offices of Covington & Burling LLP, 265 Strand, London WC2R 1BH on 29 May 2019 at 11:00 a.m. is set out on pages 1 to 4 of this document. You will no longer automatically receive a proxy form which will help reduce the Company's print and the distribution costs along with the impact on the environment, however you are encouraged to submit your vote electronically via Signal Shares (www.signalshares.com) or via CREST (if your shares are held electronically). Further details on how to submit your vote can be found in note 4.
This document comprises the Notice of the 2019 Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Oxford Biomedica plc ("Oxford Biomedica" or the "Company").
The resolutions to be put to the meeting cover approval of the Annual report and accounts (the "Annual report") (Resolution 1), the Directors' Remuneration Report (Resolution 2), the reappointment of all Directors (Resolutions 3 to 9), the appointment of the auditors (Resolution 10), the renewal of authorities to issue shares and the disapplication of pre-emption rights (Resolutions 11, 12 and 13), and approval to hold general meetings other than AGMs on 14 days' notice (Resolution 14).
Resolutions 1 to 11 (inclusive) are proposed as ordinary resolutions. This means that, for each of those resolutions to be passed, more than half of the votes cast (more than 50%) must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 12 to 14 (inclusive) are proposed as special resolutions. This means that, for each of those resolutions to be passed, at least three-quarters of the votes cast (75%) must be in favour of the resolution.
The Directors are required to present to the AGM the audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2018. This provides an opportunity to discuss the performance of the Company during the period, its management and its prospects for the future. A copy of the Annual report for the financial year ended 31 December 2018 is enclosed with this Notice of Meeting, or made available to you electronically on our website at www.oxb.com.
Resolution 2 relates to the Company's Directors' Remuneration Report. The Directors' Remuneration Report sets out remuneration arrangements for, and payments made to Directors in respect of 2018.
The Directors' Remuneration Policy was last approved by the shareholders at the 2018 AGM. In accordance with applicable legislation, the Company is required to seek approval for its Directors' Remuneration Policy at least every three years and, therefore, it is not required to be put to shareholders for approval at this year's AGM. It will be put to shareholders for approval again by no later than the AGM in 2021. A summary of the Directors' remuneration policy can be found on pages 84 to 89 in the Annual report and the full remuneration policy can be found on the Company's website at www.oxb.com.
This resolution is an advisory vote and the Directors' entitlements to remuneration are not conditional upon it.
The Company's Articles of Association ("Articles") require that any Director who was appointed after the last AGM or has served for three years, and one third of the other Directors retire from office by rotation at each AGM. However, to ensure that the Company comply with the revised UK Corporate Governance Code ("Revised Code"), produced by the Financial Reporting Council in July 2018, all Directors will now be subject to annual re-election. Accordingly, at the AGM, and in line with the Revised Code, Dr. Lorenzo Tallarigo, John Dawson, Stuart Paynter, Dr. Andrew Heath, Martin Diggle, Stuart Henderson and Dr. Heather Preston will all retire and be subject to re-election.
In addition, the UK Corporate Governance Code provides that any director who has served for more than nine years should stand for annual re-appointment. If re-elected to the Board at the AGM, Andrew Heath will reach the 10th anniversary in January 2020 of his original appointment as a Non-Executive Director. Following an internal review, the Board is satisfied that Andrew Heath remains independent in thought and action in terms of his participation in Board and Committee meetings, and has the full support of the other Board members in the activities he undertakes.
The performance of all Directors proposed for reappointment has been evaluated by the Chairman and the Board and it has been determined that they each perform effectively and show full commitment to their roles on the Board. The Board therefore recommends that you support the reappointment of each of the retiring Directors standing for reappointment.
Biographical details of each Director can be found below.
Dr. Lorenzo Tallarigo was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of Oxford Biomedica in February 2016. He was previously Chairman of Intercept Pharmaceuticals where he led the company's successful IPO. He was also Chief Executive Officer and remains a Board member of Genextra, a holding company focused on identifying life science research to create successful businesses that develop novel treatments and technologies. Previously, he worked at Eli Lilly, where he held various positions of increasing seniority in a number of areas including clinical research, product management, marketing and general management, and ultimately as President of International Operations. He has a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Pisa (Italy) and a PMD from Harvard Business School.
John Dawson joined Oxford Biomedica's Board as a Non-Executive Director in August 2008, and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in October 2008. Previously he held senior management positions in the European operations of Cephalon Inc., including Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development Europe. While at Cephalon he led many deals building the European business to over 1,000 people, and to a turnover of several hundred million US dollars and in 2005 led the \$360 million acquisition of Zeneus by Cephalon. Prior to his time at Cephalon he was director of Finance and Administration of Serono Laboratories (UK) Limited. He is currently a nonexecutive director of Paion AG
Stuart Paynter joined Oxford Biomedica's Board as Chief Financial Officer in August 2017. He has 16 years' experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Haines Watts before moving to EDS. He subsequently joined Steris, and worked in a variety of roles within the healthcare and life sciences divisions prior to becoming the European Finance Director. He then moved to Shire Pharmaceuticals where he became the senior director of finance business partnering for all business outside of the US. He then moved to a corporate finance role before becoming the global head of internal audit. Prior to joining Oxford Biomedica he was head of finance business partnering at De La Rue plc. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Dr. Andrew Heath was appointed to Oxford Biomedica's Board in January 2010 and became Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director in May 2011. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Protherics plc where he managed the company's significant growth and eventual acquisition by BTG for £220 million and held senior positions at Astra AB and Astra USA, including Vice President Marketing & Sales, and at Glaxo Sweden as Associate Medical Director. He is a non-executive director of Novacyt SA. He was previously a director of the UK BioIndustry Association.
Martin Diggle was appointed to Oxford Biomedica's Board as a Non-Executive Director in October 2012. He is a founder of Vulpes Investment Management which manages a number of funds, including the Vulpes Life Sciences Fund, Oxford Biomedica's largest shareholder. He has over 30 years' experience in investment banking and fund management, and has been an investor in life sciences and biotech for nearly 20 years. He is also an expert in emerging markets and Russia, in particular, where he was previously a partner and director of UBS Brunswick. He holds a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from University of Oxford.
Stuart Henderson was appointed to Oxford Biomedica's Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee in June 2016. Previously, he was a partner at Deloitte, where he was Head of European Healthcare and Life Sciences. Prior to this he was a partner at Arthur Andersen, where he was Head of Emerging Biotechnology. He has extensive audit and transaction experience and has worked with life sciences businesses ranging from start-ups to multinationals, as well as acting as reporting accountant on numerous IPO and Class 1 transactions. As Audit Partner, he has reported to the audit committees of publicly quoted companies for over 20 years. He is a former director of the Babraham Institute and currently sits as a non-executive director on the Boards of OneNucleus (the Life Sciences trade body for Cambridge and London), the Cell Therapy Catapult Limited and BioCity Group Limited.
Dr. Heather Preston was appointed to Oxford Biomedica's Board as a Non-Executive Director in March 2018. Dr. Preston is a Partner and Managing Director of TPG Biotech. She has over 25 years of experience in healthcare, as a scientist, physician and management consultant and she has been an investor in life sciences and Biotech for the last 16 years. She holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Oxford.
Dr. Lorenzo Tallarigo Chairman
John Dawson Chief Executive Officer
Stuart Paynter Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Andrew Heath Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director
Martin Diggle Non-executive director
Stuart Henderson Non-executive director
Dr. Heather Preston Non-executive director
It is a requirement of the Companies Act 2006 ("Act") that the Company's auditor be appointed at each general meeting at which accounts are laid. After considering relevant information, the Audit Committee has recommended to the Board the reappointment of KPMG LLP as auditor to hold office from the conclusion of this meeting until the conclusion of the next meeting at which the accounts of the Company are laid and that the Audit Committee be authorised, for and on behalf of the Board, to determine the auditor's remuneration.
Resolution 11 seeks shareholder approval to renew the Directors' authority to allot shares.
Under section 551 of the Act, the Directors cannot allot shares in the Company (other than shares allotted pursuant to an employee share scheme) unless they are authorised to do so by the Company in general meeting. Resolution 11 is proposed as an ordinary resolution to seek a new authority, which will replace any existing authorities granted prior to the AGM. It is proposed that the Directors be authorised to allot new shares or to grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company, subject to the normal pre-emption rights reserved to shareholders contained in the Act, up to an aggregate maximum nominal amount of £11,026,977, representing approximately one-third of the issued share capital of the Company as at 10 April 2018, being the last practicable date before the publication of this Notice.
In line with The Investment Association ("IA") guidelines, the authority will also permit the Directors to allot an additional onethird of the Company's issued share capital provided such shares are reserved for a fully pre-emptive rights issue. Resolution 11 reflects the IA's recommendations.
If the Directors wish to use the authority conferred in Resolution 11 to allot shares for cash, section 561(1) of the Act requires that the new shares must be offered first to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings. The shareholders' entitlement to be offered the new shares is known as a "preemption right".
However, for legal, regulatory and practical reasons, it might not be possible for new shares allotted by means of a rights issue to be issued to certain shareholders, particularly those resident overseas. Further, it might, in some circumstances, be in the Company's interests for the Directors to be able to allot some shares for cash without having to offer them first to existing shareholders. To enable this to be done, shareholders must first waive these pre-emption rights.
Resolution 12 seeks the disapplication of pre-emption rights and reflects the recommendations set out in the Pre-Emption Group's ("PEG") Statement of Principles. It seeks to modify the preemption rights of existing shareholders as follows:
Resolution 13 seeks the further disapplication of pre-emption rights and reflects the recommendations set out in the PEG Statement of Principles. It seeks to modify the pre-emption rights of existing shareholders as follows:
Resolutions 12 and 13 are proposed as special resolutions to seek new authorities, which will replace existing authorities granted prior to the AGM. If granted, the authorities set out in Resolutions 12 and 13 will enable the Directors to allot new shares without first offering them to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings and without further reference to shareholders.
However, the interests of existing shareholders are protected in that their proportionate interests in the Company cannot be reduced by more than 5 per cent through the issue of new shares for cash and cannot be reduced by more than a further 5 per cent through the issue of new shares for cash in connection with an acquisition or a specified capital investment. The Directors confirm that the authority granted by Resolution 13 will only be used in accordance with the PEG guidance.
The proposed authorities, if granted, will expire at the conclusion of the 2020 AGM or, if earlier, fifteen months from the date of the passing of the resolutions. It is the Directors' intention to renew these authorities annually.
Resolution 14 is proposed to approve the holding of general meetings, other than AGMs, on 14 clear days' notice in accordance with the EU Shareholder Rights Directive. The authority will be effective until the 2020 AGM, when it is intended that the approval be renewed again. The Company will also need to meet the requirements for electronic voting under the Directive before it can call a general meeting on 14 days' notice. If passed, this Resolution will enable the Company to retain maximum flexibility to seek shareholder approval for any future change or transaction more quickly, where it is thought by the Directors to be an advantage to the shareholders as a whole to do so.
You will no longer automatically receive a proxy form which will help reduce the Company's print and the distribution costs along with the impact on the environment, however you are encouraged to submit your vote electronically via Signal Shares (www.signalshares.com) or via CREST (if your shares are held electronically). Proxy forms are available upon request from our registrar, Link Asset Services (further details on how to submit your vote can be found in note 4). Shareholders are advised to submit a Proxy instruction in accordance with the instructions so as it arrives at the Company's registrars, Link Asset Services, PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU or to submit a proxy vote electronically via www. signalshares.com. com (see note 4), as soon as possible, but in any event no later than 11.00 a.m. on 24 May 2019.. The return of a Form of Proxy or the electronic appointment of a proxy does not preclude you from attending and voting at the AGM if you so wish.
The Directors consider that the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, and they recommend shareholders to vote in favour of the Resolutions.
Yours faithfully
Lorenzo Tallarigo Chairman 17 April 2019
Notice is hereby given that the 2019 Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of the Company will be held at the offices of Covington & Burling LLP, 265 Strand, London WC2R 1BH on 29 May 2019 at 11:00 a.m. to consider, and if thought fit, pass the following resolutions, of which the resolutions numbered 1 to 11 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and the resolutions numbered 12, 13 and 14 will be proposed as special resolutions.
(i) ordinary shareholders in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their existing holdings; and
For the purpose of this Resolution 12, "rights issue" has the same meaning as in Resolution 11 above.
By order of the Board
Lorenzo Tallarigo Chairman 17 April 2019
If you need help with voting online, or require a paper proxy form, please contact our Registrar, Link Asset Services, on 0871 664 0391 if calling from the UK, or +44 (0) 371 664 0391 if calling from outside of the UK, or email Link at enquiries@linkgroup. co.uk. Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company's access charge. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. We are open between 09:00 - 17:30, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in England and Wales
In order for a proxy appointment to be valid a proxy instruction must be completed. In each case the proxy instruction must be received by Link Asset Services, PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU by 11:00 a.m. on 24 May 2019. Shareholders who intend to appoint more than one proxy can obtain additional forms of proxy from Link Asset Services.
To register your vote electronically via Signal Shares (www.signalshares.com), select "Register an Account" then enter your surname, Investor Code, Postcode and an email address. Create a password and click "Register" to proceed. You will be able to vote immediately by selecting "Proxy Voting" from the menu. You can find your Investor Code on you share certificate or by calling Link Asset Services (please see note 4 for Link's contact details).
An abstention (or "vote withheld") option has been included on the Form of Proxy and in the available options for electronic proxy voting. The legal effect of choosing the abstention option on any resolution is that the Shareholder concerned will be treated as not having voted on the relevant resolution. The number of votes in respect of which there are abstentions will however be counted and recorded, but disregarded in calculating the number of votes for or against each resolution.
Under section 527 of the Act, the Company may be required by Shareholders representing at least 5 per cent of the total voting rights of all Shareholders who have the right to vote at the meeting (excluding votes which attach to treasury shares) or by at least 100 Shareholders who have the right to vote at the meeting and hold shares in the Company on which there has been paid up an average sum, per Shareholder, of at least £100, to publish on a website a statement setting out any matter relating to:
(i) the audit of the Company's accounts that are to be laid before this AGM (including the auditors' report and the conduct of the audit) or (ii) any circumstance connected with the auditors to the Company ceasing to hold office since the previous meeting at which annual accounts and reports were laid in accordance with section 437 of the Act which, in either case, the requesting members propose to raise at the meeting. Such a request may be in hard copy or in electronic form, must identify the statement to which it relates, must be authenticated by the person or persons making it and must be received by the Company at least one week before the meeting. Such requests should be sent to the Company at Windrush Court, Transport Way, Oxford, OX4 6LT or may be faxed to 01865 783001 or e–mailed to [[email protected]]. The Company may not require the shareholders requesting such website publication to pay its expenses in complying with the section. Where the Company is required to place a statement on a website, 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 this AGM includes any statement that the Company has been required to publish on a website.
Registered in England No. 3252665
Registered Office Windrush Court Transport Way Oxford, OX4 6LT
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