Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Aug 31, 2022
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 seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have recently sold or transferred all of your ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the issued share capital of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies Holdings plc ('Ordinary Shares') please send this notice and the accompanying documents as soon as possible 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 Ordinary Shares.
Incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006 with registered number 13179529
Notice of the Annual General Meeting ('Notice of AGM') to be held on Wednesday 28 September 2022 at 11.30am at the offices of Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, 125 Wood Street, EC2V 7AW is set out on pages 4 to 7 of this document.
Whether or not you propose to attend the Annual General Meeting ('AGM'), please complete and submit the enclosed form of proxy or electronic proxy appointment instruction in accordance with the notes to the Notice of AGM set out on page 8 of this document. To be valid, the form of proxy or must be electronic proxy appointment instruction must be received at the address for delivery specified in the notes by 11:30am on 26 September 2022.
We are closely monitoring the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are conscious of the potential for travel or other restrictions to be introduced which may impact the AGM. In the unlikely event that any changes are required to the format and/or the arrangements for the 2022 AGM after the date of this Notice of AGM, we will notify shareholders as soon as practicable.
We encourage shareholders to monitor the Company's website (https://www.oxcantech.com/investors) for any future updates.
Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies Holdings plc Prama House 267 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7HT
31 August 2022
Dear Shareholder,
The following document gives notice that the Annual General Meeting of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies Holdings plc (the 'Company') will be held on Wednesday 28 September 2022 at 11.30am at the offices of Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, 125 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7AW. The purpose of this letter is to explain the business to be considered at the AGM and to set out how the AGM will be conducted.
The board of directors of the Company ('Board' or 'Directors') continues to monitor the situation surrounding Covid-19 and the advice from the UK Government on public gatherings. In the unlikely event that the Government's guidance changes at any point prior to the AGM, such that shareholders are unable to attend in person, the Company will update shareholders through a regulatory information service announcement and on the Company's website.
We do strongly encourage shareholders to submit a proxy vote in advance of the AGM and to appoint the Chairman of the meeting as their proxy, rather than a named person who, if circumstances change, may not be able to attend the meeting. Further details on how to do this are set out on page 8 of this document.
We know that some attendees appreciate the opportunity to ask Board members questions. If you have any questions that you would like to ask, we would encourage you to email them to [email protected] with 'AGM 2022' in the heading. We will then collate the answers to the questions received and upload them to our website following the AGM or, if more appropriate, reply to the questioner directly.
The business to be considered at the AGM is set out on pages 4 to 7 of this Notice of AGM. Explanatory notes on each resolution to be considered at the AGM are set out on pages 8 to 14 of this Notice of AGM.
Resolutions 1 to 9 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and will be passed if more than 50 per cent. of the votes cast (not counting votes withheld) are in favour. Resolutions 10 to 12 will be proposed as special resolutions and will be passed if at least 75 per cent. of the vote cast (not counting votes withheld) are in favour.
Voting
Voting at the AGM will be conducted by way of a poll. The results of voting on the resolutions will be posted on the Company's corporate website as soon as practicable after the AGM, and through a Regulatory New Service announcement.
As mentioned above, we do strongly encourage shareholders to submit a proxy vote in advance of the AGM and to appoint the Chairman of the meeting as their proxy, rather than a named person who, if circumstances change, may not be able to attend the meeting. Further details on how to do this are set out on page 8 of this document.
Please note that, to be valid, all proxy forms and appointments must be received by 11.30am on Monday 26 September 2022, or, in the event of an adjournment of the meeting, 48 hours before the adjourned meeting.
The completion of proxy does not preclude you from attending and voting in person at the AGM should you decide to do so.
Our corporate websitehttps://www.oxcantech.com/investors provides more information about the company including:
The Directors consider that all the proposals to be considered at the AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. The Directors unanimously recommend that you vote in favour of all the proposed resolutions as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings.
The results of the voting on all resolutions will be announced via the Regulatory News Service and published on our website as soon as practicable following the conclusion of the AGM.
Yours faithfully
Julie Pomeroy Non-Executive Chair
31 August 2022
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting ('AGM') of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies Holdings plc ('Company') will be held at the offices of Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, 125 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7AW on Wednesday 28 September 2022 at 11.30am.
You will be asked to consider and vote on the resolutions below. Resolutions 1 to 9 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions. For an ordinary resolution to be passed, a simple majority of the vote cast must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 10 to 12 will be proposed as special resolutions. For a special resolution to be passed, at least 75 per cent. of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
That, in accordance with section 551 of the Companies Act 2006, the directors of the Company be generally and unconditionally authorised to allot equity securities or grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into Ordinary Shares in the Company as follows:
9.1. Up to an aggregate nominal value of £3,201,385.48 in the form of equity securities (as defined in section 560 of the Companies Act 2006) in connection with an offer or issue by way of rights, open for acceptance for a period fixed by the Directors, to holders of Ordinary Shares (other than the Company) on the register on any record date fixed by the Directors in proportion (as nearly may be) to the respective number of Ordinary Shares deemed to be held by them, subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to fractional entitlements, legal or practical problems arising in any overseas territory, the requirements of any regulatory body or stock exchange or any other matter whatsoever; and
such authority to expire (unless previously varied as to duration, revoked or renewed by the Company in general meeting) at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, at the close of business on 28 March 2024, except that the Company may during the relevant period make any offer or agreement which would or might require Ordinary Shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or convert securities into Ordinary Shares to be granted after the authority ends, and the Directors may allot Ordinary Shares or grant such rights in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the authority had not ended.
and shall expire when the authority conferred on the Directors by resolution 9 in the notice of this meeting expires or is revoked, save that, before the expiry of this power, the Company may make any offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry.
and shall expire when the authority conferred on the Directors by resolution 9 in the notice of this meeting expires or is revoked, save that, before the expiry of this power, the Company may make any offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry.
By order of the Board
Company Secretary
31 August 2022
Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies Holdings plc
Registered office: Prama House 267 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7HT Registered Number: 13179529
Only those shareholders registered in the Company's register of members at:
6.30 pm on 26 September 2022; or
shall be entitled to attend, speak and vote at the meeting. Changes to the register of members after the relevant deadline shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend and vote at the meeting.
All resolutions at the AGM will be decided by poll and not by a show of hands. The Board also believes a vote by way of poll to be more representative of shareholders' voting intentions so that the votes are counted according to the number of Ordinary Shares held.
instruction') must be properly authenticated in accordance with the specifications of CREST's operator, Euroclear UK & International Limited ('Euroclear'), and must contain all the relevant information required by the CREST Manual. To be valid, the message (regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or is an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed proxy) must be transmitted so as to be received by the issuer's agent (ID number 3RA50), as the Company's 'issuer's agent', by 11:30am on 26 September 2022. After this time any change of instruction to a proxy appointed through the CREST system should be communicated to the appointee through other means. The time of the message's receipt will be taken to be when (as determined by the timestamp applied by the CREST Applications Host) the issuer's agent is first able to retrieve it by enquiry through the CREST system in the prescribed manner. Euroclear does not make special procedures available in the CREST system for transmitting any particular message. Normal system timings and limitations apply in relation to the input of CREST proxy appointment instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member or a CREST sponsored member or has appointed any voting service provider(s), to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as is necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should take into account the provisions of the CREST Manual concerning timings as well as its section on 'Practical limitations of the system'. In certain circumstances the Company may, in accordance with the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 or the CREST Manual, treat a CREST proxy appointment instruction as invalid.
Where you have appointed a proxy using the hard-copy proxy form and would like to change the instructions using another hard-copy proxy form, please contact Computershare Investor Services plc at The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZY.
If you submit more than one valid proxy appointment, the appointment received last before the latest time for the receipt of proxies will take precedence.
In either case, the revocation notice must be received by Computershare Investor Services plc no later than 11.30am on the 26 September 2022.
If you attempt to revoke your proxy appointment but the revocation is received after the time specified, your original proxy appointment will remain valid unless you attend the meeting and vote in person.
Appointment of a proxy does not preclude you from attending the meeting and voting in person. If you have appointed a proxy and attend the meeting in person or electronically, your proxy appointment will automatically be terminated.
It is proposed that all votes on the Resolutions at the AGM will be taken by way of a poll. On a vote by poll, every ordinary shareholder has one vote for every Ordinary Share held.
The Company's website will include information on the number of Ordinary Shares and voting rights.
Any shareholder attending the meeting has the right to ask questions. If multiple questions on the same topic are received in advance, the Chair may choose to provide a single answer to address shareholder queries on the same topic.
The Company must answer any question you ask relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting unless:
If you attend the meeting in person, you may be included in the recording of the meeting. Please note that this recording is solely for the purposes of creating a transcript of the meeting and will not be publicly available.
The conditions are that:
must identify the resolution of which notice is to be given by either setting out the resolution in full or, if supporting a resolution sent by another shareholder, clearly identifying the resolution which is being supported;
must be authenticated by the person or persons making it (see note 16 below); and
The conditions are that:
Where the Company is required to publish such a statement on its website:
• Must be received by the Company by 21 September 2022, which is at least one week before the meeting.
Where a shareholder or shareholders wish to request the Company to:
circulate a resolution to be proposed at the meeting (see note 13);
such request must be made by sending:
As soon as practicable following the meeting, the results of the voting will be announced via a regulatory information service and posted on the Company's website.
You may not use any electronic address provided either:
to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.
An explanation of each of the proposed resolutions is set out below.
The Directors are required to present to shareholders at the AGM the reports of the Directors and auditors and the audited accounts of the Company for the 11 month period ended 30 April 2022.
Shareholders are requested to approve the Directors' remuneration report, in accordance with section 439 of the Companies Act 2006 (the CA 2006). The Directors' remuneration report is set out on pages 33 to 36 of the Company's annual accounts and reports for the 11 month period ended 30 April 2022, available on the Company's website at https://www.oxcantech.com/investor-financial-results-centre. The vote is advisory and the Directors' entitlement to remuneration is not conditional on it.
Shareholders are requested to approve the Directors' remuneration policy, as set out in full on pages 75-80 of the annual accounts and reports at Appendix 1.
At each annual general meeting of the Company, the Company's articles of association (the Articles) require one-third, or if their number is not three or a multiple of three, the number nearest to but not exceeding one-third of Directors to retire. The Articles also require that any Director shall retire at the first annual general meeting of the Company following his appointment. As such, each of Julie Patricia Pomeroy, Clarissa Ann Sowemimo-Coker and Richard Guy Hathaway is retiring and seeks re-appointment at the AGM. Biographical information for all the Directors standing for re-election is included on pages 28 to 31 of the Company's annual accounts and reports and on the Company's website at https://www.oxcantech.com/investor-board.
Having considered the performance of and contribution made by each of the Directors, the Board remains satisfied that, and the Chair confirms that, the performance of each Director continues to be effective and to demonstrate commitment to the role and as such the Board recommends their re-election.
The Companies Act 2006 requires that auditors be appointed at each general meeting at which accounts are laid to hold office until the next such meeting. The appointment of Moore Kingston Smith LLP as auditors of the Company terminates at the conclusion of the AGM. They have indicated their willingness to stand for reappointment as auditors of the Company until the conclusion of the annual general meeting in 2023. The Company's audit committee keeps under review the independence and objectivity of the external auditors and further information can be found in the annual report and accounts on page 32. After considering the relevant information, the Audit Committee has recommended to the board that Moore Kingston Smith LLP be re-appointed as auditors.
It is normal practice for shareholders to resolve at the annual general meeting that the Directors decide on the level of remuneration of the auditors for the audit work to be carried out by them in the next financial year. The amount of the remuneration paid to the auditors for the next financial year will be disclosed in the next audited accounts of the Company.
The Directors may only allot Ordinary Shares or grant rights over Ordinary Shares if authorised to do so by shareholders. Any authority granted at the last annual general meeting to allot Ordinary Shares or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, Ordinary Shares is due to expire at the conclusion of this year's AGM.
The Investment Association ('IA') guidelines on authority to allot shares state that IA members will permit, and treat as routine, resolutions seeking authority to allot shares representing up to one-third of a company's issued share capital. In addition, they will treat as routine a request for authority to allot shares representing an additional one third of the company's issued share capital provided that it is only used to allot shares for the purpose of a fully pre-emptive rights issue.
Accordingly, resolution 9, if passed, would authorise the Directors under section 551 of the CA 2006 to allot new Ordinary Shares or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, new Ordinary Shares (subject to shareholders' pre-emption rights) up to a maximum nominal amount of £6,402,770.96, representing the IA guideline limit of approximately 66 per cent. of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding Ordinary Shares held in treasury) as at 30 August 2022 (being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this document).
Resolution 9.1 would give the Directors authority to allot new Ordinary Shares or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, new Ordinary Shares, up to an aggregate nominal value of £3,201,385.48, representing approximately one third of the Company's existing issued share capital (excluding Ordinary Shares held in treasury) in connection with a rights issue in favour of ordinary shareholders.
Resolution 9.2, if passed, would give the Directors general authority to allot new Ordinary Shares or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, new Ordinary Shares, up to an aggregate nominal value of £3,201,385.48, representing approximately one third of the Company's existing issued share capital (excluding Ordinary Shares held in treasury). As resolution 9.2 imposes no restrictions on the way the authority may be exercised, it could be used in conjunction with resolution 9.1 so as to enable the whole two-thirds to be used in connection with a rights issue. Where the usage of this authority exceeds one-third of the issued share capital, the Directors intend to follow best practice as regards its use.
The authority will expire at the earlier of the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the Company and 28 March 2024.
Passing this resolution will ensure that the Directors continue to have the flexibility to act in the best interests of shareholders, when opportunities arise, by issuing new Ordinary Shares. There are no current plans to issue new Ordinary Shares except in connection with any employee share schemes.
The Company does not at present hold any Ordinary Shares in treasury.
The CA 2006 requires that if the Company issues new Ordinary Shares or grants rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into Ordinary Shares for cash, or sells any treasury shares, it must first offer them to existing shareholders in proportion to their current holdings. In certain circumstances, it may be in the best interests of the Company to allot Ordinary Shares (or to grant rights over Ordinary Shares) for cash without first offering them proportionately to existing shareholders. This cannot be done under the CA 2006 unless the shareholders have first waived their pre-emption rights. In accordance with 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 10 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 CA 2006.
Other than in connection with a rights or other pre-emptive issue, scrip dividend or other similar issue, the authority contained in resolution 10 would be limited to a maximum nominal amount of £480,207.82 (which would equate to 48,020,782 ordinary shares of £0.01 each), representing approximately 5 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital as at 30 August 2022, being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice of AGM.
Resolution 10 seeks a disapplication of the pre-emption rights on a rights issue or other preemptive offer so as to allow the Directors to make exclusions or such other arrangements as may be appropriate to resolve legal or practical problems which might arise, for example, with overseas shareholders.
If passed, the authority will expire at the same time as the authority to allot Ordinary Shares given pursuant to resolution 9 (Authority to allot Ordinary Shares).
Save for share issues in respect of employee share schemes and any share dividend alternatives, the Directors have no current plans to utilise either of the authorities sought by resolutions 9 (Authority to allot Ordinary Shares) or 10 (Disapplication of pre-emption rights), although they consider their renewal appropriate in order to retain maximum flexibility to take advantage of business opportunities as they arise.
Resolution 11 is to be proposed as a separate special resolution. If this resolution is passed by shareholders, it will afford the Board an additional power to allot Ordinary Shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis up to a further maximum nominal amount of £480,207.82 (which would equate to 48,020,782 ordinary shares of £0.01 each). This amount again represents approximately 5 per cent. of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 30 August 2022. The Board will use the power conferred by resolution 11 only in connection with the financing or refinancing of an acquisition or a specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the issue, or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the issue.
In addition, and in line with best practice, the Board confirms its intention to follow best practice set out in the Pre-emption Group's Statement of Principles to the effect that use of this authority in excess of 7.5 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital in a rolling three year period would not take place without prior consultation with shareholders.
Under the Companies Act 2006 all listed company general meetings must be held on at least 21 days' notice, but companies may reduce this period to 14 days (other than for annual general meetings) if shareholders agree to a shorter notice period and the Company has met certain requirements for electronic voting. Resolution 12 is therefore being proposed as a special resolution to grant the authority which permits the Company to call general meetings, other than AGMs, on 14 clear days' notice. If the resolution is passed, the authority conferred would be effective until the Company's next annual general meeting, when it is intended that the approval be renewed.
The Directors confirm that the shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of routine. The Directors will consider on a case-by-case basis whether the use of the flexibility offered by the shorter notice period is merited taking into account all the circumstances, including whether the business of the meeting is time sensitive. An electronic voting facility will be made available to all shareholders for any meeting held on 14 clear days.
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