AI assistant
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC — AGM Information 2016
Apr 4, 2016
4872_agm-r_2016-04-04_c56afacb-acfb-4f3b-82d6-7a1ecec50891.pdf
AGM Information
Open in viewerOpens in your device viewer
This document is important and requires your immediate attention
If you are in any doubt as to any aspect of the proposals referred to in this document or as to what 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 shares in Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, please forward this document, together with the accompanying documents, as soon as possible either 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.
Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to invite you to our 2016 Annual General Meeting (the "AGM"). The AGM will be held at No.11 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0AN on Thursday, 5 May 2016 commencing at 11.15 a.m. Full details of the meeting and the resolutions that will be put to Shareholders are set out in the enclosed Notice of Annual General Meeting.
Action to be taken
If you are unable to attend the AGM, but wish to register your vote on the business to be transacted, please complete the form of proxy in accordance with the instructions printed thereon and return it to Computershare Investor Services plc, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZY so as to arrive no later than 11.15 a.m. on 3 May 2016, the voting record date.
Completion and return of the proxy form will not preclude you from attending the AGM and voting in person. Please note that there is also a facility to register your proxy vote online if you so wish (details of how to use this facility are shown on the proxy form). Your vote is highly important to us and if you cannot vote at the AGM in person, we hope you will register your proxy vote. More information about proxy voting may be found in the "Important Information" section of this Notice on page 7.
Please note that voting on all resolutions will be by way of a poll whereby each member has one vote for each share owned, which the Company believes is the fairest and most democratic method of voting. Following completion of the poll procedures, the voting results will be announced as soon as practicable via a Regulatory Information Service and published on the Company's website.
Your Board
The last two years have been a period of refreshment of the Board which saw further enhancements to its composition in 2015 with the appointments of Mary Harris, Pamela Kirby and Chris Sinclair. All three individuals have brought with them international and industry expertise and we were delighted to welcome them. Having an experienced, well-balanced and diverse Board with a wide range of skills enhances our decision making capabilities.
With refreshment however also comes the responsibility to ensure we maintain the level of stability and continuity of experience that has made the Board of RB successful thus far.
We were very sorry to see Peter Harf step down from his position on the Board to allow him to concentrate on his role with JAB. Over the years Peter has been an outstanding director, offering his great experience and wisdom during our Board deliberations. He contributed meaningfully to the growth of shareholder wealth in RB, and his experience and capabilities will be missed.
On 16 March 2016 we announced that Jaspal Bindra, Sue Shim and Doug Tough would not offer themselves for re-election at the AGM and would therefore retire from the Board at the conclusion of the AGM. On behalf of the Board, I would very much like to thank Jaspal, Sue and Doug each for their contributions to the Board and wish them well for the pursuits they will be undertaking.
All of the other Directors on the Board will submit themselves to Shareholders for re-election in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code (the "Code") and we look for your continued support. Their proposed re-elections are set out in Resolutions 5 to 15 in the Notice of Meeting on page 3.
Although we have a number of long-serving members on the Board, who have served terms longer than those recommended by the Code, their wealth of knowledge and experience is considered invaluable. Judy Sprieser and Ken Hydon are two such members who have been asked to remain with the Company as we believe that it would be detrimental to lose them and to deprive our new members of their valuable guidance. Notwithstanding that they have served in excess of the recommended nine years, their behaviour and judgement remains challenging and unbiased and they are considered by the Board to be independent.
I am delighted that both Judy and Ken have agreed to continue serving as Chairs of the Remuneration and Audit Committee respectively while our newer Board members are developed into their new roles, thereby ensuring a successful transition in due course. The decision to retain Judy and Ken was not taken lightly but is one that the Board considers in the best interests of Shareholders.
Remuneration Policy
This year, in addition to our Annual Report on Remuneration, we are asking Shareholders to vote on an enhanced Directors' Remuneration Policy. Whilst the core principles of our Remuneration Policy have remained the same, following review by the Remuneration Committee during 2015 and consultation with Shareholders, we have taken the feedback into account and are proposing to implement changes to the Policy to further enhance the alignment between Executive Directors and Shareholders.
The primary change being implemented, subject to Shareholder approval of the new Policy, is the addition of a two year holding period in respect of unvested share options and performance share awards upon cessation of employment. RB already has significant shareholding requirements which apply to Executive Directors in service and this enhancement will help ensure that the strong alignment between Executive Directors and Shareholders continues for a meaningful period after Directors have left the business, to ensure that the focus is always on the creation of sustainable long term Shareholder value. The Policy is also being enhanced to include malus and clawback provision on LTIP awards and to reduce the maximum award which may be made under the LTIP.
The proposed new Remuneration Policy is set out on pages 79 to 84 of the Annual Report.
Recommendation
My fellow Directors and I believe that all the proposals to be considered at the AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole and are most likely to promote the success of the Company. We therefore recommend that you vote in favour of all the proposed resolutions set out on pages 3 to 4 as we intend to do in respect of our own holdings.
Yours sincerely
Adrian Bellamy
Chairman
4 April 2016
Registered Office: 103-105 Bath Road Slough Berkshire SL1 3UH
Registered in England and Wales, No. 6270876
Notice is hereby given that the ninth Annual General Meeting (the "AGM") of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (the "Company") will be held at No.11 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0AN on Thursday, 5 May 2016 at 11.15 a.m. in order to transact the following business:
To consider and, if thought fit, pass the resolutions set out below. Resolutions 20 to 22 will be proposed as special resolutions and all other resolutions will be proposed as ordinary resolutions.
ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS
COMPANY'S AND AUDITOR'S REPORTS
1 To receive and adopt the Company's accounts and the reports of the Directors and the Auditor for the year ended 31 December 2015.
DIRECTORS' REMUNERATION POLICY AND DIRECTORS' REMUNERATION REPORT
- 2 To receive and adopt the Directors' Remuneration Policy set out on pages 79 to 84 of the Directors' Remuneration Report contained within the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015, such Remuneration Policy to take effect from the date on which this resolution is passed.
- 3 To receive and adopt the Directors' Remuneration Report (excluding the Directors' Remuneration Policy referred to in Resolution 2 above) for the year ended 31 December 2015.
FINAL DIVIDEND
4 To declare the final dividend recommended by the Directors of 88.7 pence per ordinary share for the year ended 31 December 2015 payable on 26 May 2016 to all Shareholders on the register at the close of business on 15 April 2016.
RE-ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
- 5 To re-elect Adrian Bellamy as a Director.
- 6 To re-elect Nicandro Durante as a Director.
- 7 To re-elect Mary Harris as a Director.
- 8 To re-elect Adrian Hennah as a Director.
- 9 To re-elect Pam Kirby as a Director.
- 10 To re-elect Kenneth Hydon as a Director.
- 11 To re-elect Rakesh Kapoor as a Director.
- 12 To re-elect Andre Lacroix as a Director.
- 13 To re-elect Chris Sinclair as a Director.
- 14 To re-elect Judith Sprieser as a Director.
- 15 To re-elect Warren Tucker as a Director.
AUDITOR'S APPOINTMENT AND REMUNERATION
- 16 To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Auditor of the Company to hold office until the conclusion of the next general meeting at which accounts are laid before the Company.
- 17 To authorise the Directors to determine the remuneration of the Auditor of the Company.
POLITICAL DONATIONS
- 18 To authorise the Company and any UK registered company which is or becomes a subsidiary of the Company during the period to which this resolution relates in accordance with section 366 and section 367 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act") to:
- a) make political donations to political parties and/or independent election candidates up to a total aggregate amount of £50,000;
- b) make political donations to political organisations other than political parties up to a total aggregate amount of £50,000; and
- c) incur political expenditure up to a total aggregate amount of £50,000 during the period from the date of this resolution until the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company in 2016, provided that the total aggregate amount of all such donations and expenditure incurred by the Company and its UK subsidiaries in such period shall not exceed £50,000.
For the purpose of this resolution, the terms 'political donations', 'political parties', 'independent election candidates', 'political organisations' and 'political expenditure' have the meanings set out in section 363 to section 365 of the Act.
AUTHORITY TO ALLOT SHARES
- 19 To authorise the Directors generally and unconditionally in accordance with section 551 of the Act to exercise all the powers of the Company to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares of the Company:
- a) up to a nominal amount of £23,500,000 (such amount to be reduced by the nominal amount allotted or granted under paragraph (b) below in excess of such sum);
- b) comprising equity securities (as defined in section 560 of the Act) up to a nominal amount of £47,000,000 (such amount to be reduced by any allotments or grants made under paragraph (a) above) in connection with an offer by way of a rights issue:
- i) to Shareholders in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their existing holdings; and
- ii) to holders of other equity securities as required by the rights of those securities or as the Directors otherwise consider necessary,
and so that the Directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which it may 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, such authorities to apply until the end of next year's AGM (or, if earlier, until the close of business on 4 August 2017), but, in each case, so that the Company may make offers and enter into agreements during the relevant period 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;
- c) that, subject to paragraph (d), all existing authorities given to the Directors pursuant to section 551 of the Act be revoked by this resolution; and
- d) that paragraph (c) shall be without prejudice to the continuing authority of the Directors to allot shares and to grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares (or relevant securities), pursuant to an offer or agreement made by the Company before the expiry of the authority pursuant to which such offer or agreement was made.
SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS
DISAPPLICATION OF PRE-EMPTION RIGHTS
- 20 To renew, subject to the passing of Resolution 19, the power conferred on the Directors to allot equity securities (as defined in the Act) for cash under the authority given by that resolution and/or to sell ordinary shares held by the Company as treasury shares for cash as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale, such power to be limited:
- a) to the allotment of equity securities and sale of treasury shares for cash in connection with an offer of, or invitation to apply for, equity securities (but in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (b) of Resolution 19, by way of a rights issue only):
- i) to Shareholders in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their existing holdings; and
- ii) to holders of other equity securities, as required by the rights of those securities or, as the Directors otherwise consider necessary,
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 this resolution and/or in the case of any transfer of treasury shares which is treated as an allotment of equity securities under section 560(3) of the Act, to the allotment (otherwise than under paragraph (a) above) of equity securities up to a nominal amount of £7,000,000.
such power to apply until the end of next year's AGM (or, if earlier, until the close of business on 4 August 2017) but during this period 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 power ends and the Directors may allot equity securities under any such offer or agreement as if the power had not expired.
PURCHASE OF OWN SHARES
- 21 To generally and unconditionally authorise the Company for the purposes of section 701 of the Act to make market purchases (within the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) of ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the capital of the Company provided that:
-
a) the maximum number of ordinary shares which may be purchased is 69,000,000 ordinary shares, representing less than 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares) as at 22 March 2016;
-
b) the maximum price at which ordinary shares may be purchased is an amount equal to the higher of (i) 5% above the average of the middle market quotations for the ordinary shares as taken from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for the five business days preceding the date of purchase; and (ii) the price of the last independent trade and the highest current bid as stipulated by article 5(1) of the EU Buyback and Stabilisation Regulations 2003 (No. 2273/2003) or, from 3 July 2016, the Commission-adopted Regulatory Technical Standards pursuant to article 5(6) of the Market Abuse Regulation; and the minimum price is 10 pence per ordinary share, in both cases exclusive of expenses;
- c) the authority to purchase conferred by this resolution shall expire on the earlier of 4 November 2017 or on the date of the AGM of the Company in 2017 save that the Company may, before such expiry, enter into a contract to purchase ordinary shares under which such purchase will or may be completed or executed wholly or partly after the expiration of this authority and may make a purchase of ordinary shares in pursuance of any such contract; and
- d) all ordinary shares purchased pursuant to the said authority shall be either:
- i) cancelled immediately upon completion of the purchase; or
- ii) held, sold, transferred or otherwise dealt with as treasury shares in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS OTHER THAN AGMs
22 To authorise the Directors to call a general meeting of the Company, other than an AGM, on not less than 14 clear days' notice.
Voting on all resolutions will be by way of a poll.
By Order of the Board Christine Logan Company Secretary
4 April 2016
Registered Office: 103-105 Bath Road Slough Berkshire SL1 3UH
Registered in England and Wales, No. 6270876
Explanatory Notes
Resolution 1 – to receive the Annual Report and Accounts
This is a standard resolution, common to all annual general meetings, whereby Shareholders are asked to receive the report of the Directors, the report of the Auditor, and the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2015.
Resolutions 2 to 3 – to approve the Directors' Remuneration Policy and Directors' Remuneration Report
Resolution 2 is an ordinary resolution to approve a revised Directors' Remuneration Policy, which is set out in full on pages 79 to 84 of the Annual Report.
If Resolution 2 is approved, all payments by the Company to the Directors and former Directors must be made in accordance with the updated Directors' Remuneration Policy. The policy will remain valid until the earlier of (a) the expiration of three years from the date of approval or (b) a payment outside the terms of the policy is anticipated or proposed, at which point the Directors will seek Shareholders' approval for a new Directors' Remuneration Policy.
Resolution 3 is an advisory resolution to approve the Directors' Remuneration Report, as set out in the Annual Report. This resolution relates to the remuneration of Directors for the year ended 31 December 2015; it does not impact on remuneration to be paid to any Directors in the future.
Resolution 4 – to approve the Final Dividend
Resolution 4 seeks Shareholders' approval of the final dividend of 88.7 pence per ordinary share recommended by the Directors for the year ended 31 December 2015. An interim dividend of 50.3 pence per ordinary share was paid on 25 September 2015, bringing the total dividend for 2015 to 139 pence per ordinary share.
Resolutions 5 to 15 inclusive – to re-elect Directors
Resolutions 5 to 15 seek the re-election of Directors who were elected by Shareholders at the previous AGM.
With the exception of Sue Shim, Jaspal Bindra and Doug Tough, who will not offer themselves for re-election and will retire at the conclusion of the AGM, all other Directors of the Company will submit themselves for re-election at the AGM in accordance with the recommendations of the UK Corporate Governance Code.
Following the formal performance evaluation carried out during the year, the Chairman is satisfied that the performance of each of the Directors continues to be effective and that each Director standing for re-election demonstrates commitment to the role and has sufficient time to meet his or her commitment to the Company. Biographical details of each of the Directors are set out on pages 46 to 49 of the Annual Report and on the Company's website at www.rb.com.
Resolution 16 – to re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP ("PwC") as the Company's Auditor
Resolution 16 proposes the re-appointment of PwC as the Company's Auditor. The Company is required to appoint the Auditor at any general meeting where accounts are laid before Shareholders for the period until the next general meeting where accounts are laid once more.
Resolution 17 – to authorise the Board to agree the Auditor's remuneration
Resolution 17 is a standard resolution which proposes to authorise the Directors to negotiate and agree the remuneration of the Company's Auditor. In practice, the Audit Committee will consider and approve the audit fees on behalf of the Board, as per the authority given in the Audit Committee's Terms of Reference, available on the Company's website at www.rb.com.
Resolution 18 – to renew authority for political expenditure
Resolution 18 seeks to renew the authority from Shareholders to enable the Company or its UK subsidiaries to make political donations or incur political expenditure in accordance with the requirements of Part 14 of the Act.
The Company has no intention of changing its or its UK subsidiaries' current practice of not making political donations and will not do so without the specific endorsement of its Shareholders. However, the definitions in the Act are broad and it is possible that they may include, for example, bodies concerned with policy review and law reform, with the representation of the business community or sections of it or with the representation of other UK or EU communities or special interest groups which may be in the Company's or its UK subsidiaries' interest to support.
The Company considers that the authority sought under this resolution to allow it or its UK subsidiaries to incur this type of expenditure up to a total aggregate limit of £50,000 is advisable, principally to ensure that the Company does not unintentionally breach the Act because of uncertainty over which bodies are covered by the definition of an EU political organisation. No political donations or expenditure of the type requiring disclosure under the Act were made in the year ended 31 December 2015 nor are any contemplated but (on a precautionary basis) the Directors believe it is appropriate to request authority.
Resolution 19 – to authorise the Directors to allot shares
This resolution seeks to renew the Directors' authority to allot shares.
Under the Act, the Directors may not allot shares unless authorised to do so by the Shareholders in a general meeting. If passed, paragraph (a) of this resolution would give the 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 £23,500,000. This amount represents 235,000,000 ordinary shares of 10p each and approximately one third of the nominal amount of the issued share capital, excluding treasury shares, as at 22 March 2016, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice.
In accordance with the Investment Association Share Capital Management Guidelines (the "Guidelines"), paragraph (b) of this resolution would give the Directors authority to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into shares in connection with a rights issue in favour of Shareholders up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to £47,000,000 (representing 470,000,000 ordinary 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 issued ordinary share capital, excluding treasury shares, as at 22 March 2016, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice.
The authority sought under this resolution will expire at the earlier of 4 August 2017 or conclusion of the AGM of the Company to be held in 2017.
The Directors have no present intention to exercise the authority sought under this resolution other than to fulfil the Company's obligations under its executive and employee share plans. However, if they do exercise the authority, the Directors intend to follow the Guidelines concerning its use (including as regards the Directors standing for re-election in certain cases). As at 22 March 2016, being the latest practicable date before publication of this notice, the Company held 30,533,382 ordinary shares in treasury, which represents 4.32% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital (excluding treasury shares).
Explanatory Notes
Resolution 20 – to approve the disapplication of pre-emption rights Renewal of this authority is sought at the AGM each year. Under section 561 of the Act, Shareholders have a right of first refusal in relation to new shares. Resolution 20 will, if passed, give the Directors power, pursuant to the authority to allot granted by resolution 19 to allot equity securities (as defined by section 560 of the Act) or sell treasury shares for cash without first offering them to existing Shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings:
- a) in relation to pre-emptive offers and offers to holders of other equity securities if required by the rights of those securities or as the Directors otherwise consider necessary, up to a maximum nominal amount of £23,500,000, which represents approximately one third of the Company's issued ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) as at 22 March 2016 and, in relation to rights issues only, up to a maximum additional amount of £23,500,000, which represents approximately one third of the Company's issued ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) as at 22 March 2016; and
- b) in any other case, up to a maximum nominal amount of £7,000,000 which represents approximately 10% of the Company's issued ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) (and 9.5% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital, inclusive of treasury shares) as at 22 March 2016.
The proposed 10% authority reflects the Pre-Emption Group's revised Statement of Principles on pre-emption rights published in March 2015 (the "Principles"), which are supported by the Investment Association and the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association.
In compliance with the Principles, the Directors confirm their intention that other than in relation to a rights issue, (i) no more than 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company (exclusive of treasury shares) will be issued for cash on a non pre-emptive basis; and (ii) no more than 7.5% of the issued ordinary shares (excluding treasury shares) will be allotted for cash on a non pre-emptive basis over a rolling three year period unless Shareholders have been notified and consulted in advance, in each case other than in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the allotment.
The power granted by this resolution will expire on 4 August 2017 or, if earlier, the date of the next AGM of the Company.
Resolution 21 – to authorise the Company to purchase its own shares
Authority was given to the Directors at the 2015 AGM to make market purchases (within the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) of the Company's ordinary shares, subject to certain conditions, and such authority to expire on the date of the AGM to be held in 2016. During 2015, the Company purchased 13,615,832 of its own shares at a total cost of £801,025,963.70, exclusive of expenses. Resolution 21 seeks Shareholders' consent to the purchase by the Company of up to a maximum of 69,000,000 ordinary shares (representing less than 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital as at 22 March 2016 excluding treasury shares) for a period up to the date of the Company's AGM in 2017, or 4 November 2017 if earlier.
The total number of options to subscribe for ordinary shares outstanding as at 22 March 2016 was 22,751,828 (representing approximately 3.22% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company at that date). If the authority to repurchase shares under this resolution was exercised in full, the total number of options to subscribe for ordinary shares outstanding at 22 March 2016 would, assuming no further ordinary shares are issued after that date, represent 3.57% of the issued ordinary share capital, excluding shares held in treasury. The authority is only exercised in circumstances where the Directors expect that such purchases will result in an improvement in earnings per share and will be in the best interests of Shareholders generally.
Resolution 22 – Notice of General Meetings other than AGMs
Resolution 22 seeks to renew the approval of Shareholders to allow the Company to call a general meeting other than an AGM on 14 clear days' notice.
As in previous years, it is intended that the Company will only ever use this authority where it is merited by the purpose of the meeting and in the best interests of the Company and Shareholders as a whole. The approval of this resolution will be effective until the Company's AGM in 2017, when it is expected that a similar resolution will be proposed.
Important Information
VOTING
- 1 Voting on all resolutions will be conducted by way of a poll rather than on a show of hands. This is a more transparent method of voting as Shareholders' votes are counted according to the number of shares registered in their names.
- 2 As soon as practicable following the meeting, the results of the voting will be announced via a Regulatory Information Service and also placed on the Company's website.
Entitlement to appoint proxies
- 3 Shareholders are entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of their rights to attend and to speak and vote on their behalf at the meeting. A Shareholder may appoint more than one proxy in relation to the AGM provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by that Shareholder. A proxy need not be a Shareholder of the Company. A proxy form which may be used to make such appointment and give proxy instructions accompanies this Notice. If you do not have a proxy form and believe that you should have one, or if you require additional forms, please contact the Reckitt Benckiser Shareholder helpline on 0370 703 0118 or www.investorcentre.co.uk/contactus. In accordance with section 333A of the Act, the completed proxy form can be delivered to the following electronic address www.investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy.
- 4 To be valid any proxy form or other instrument appointing a proxy must be received by post or (during normal business hours only) by hand at the Company's Registrar in each case no later than 11.15 a.m. on 3 May 2016. CREST and internet voting are the only acceptable electronic forms of receiving proxy information.
- 5 No proxy may be authorised to exercise votes which any other proxy has been authorised to exercise.
- 6 The proxy form must be signed and dated by the Shareholder or his/her attorney duly authorised in writing. If the Shareholder is a company, it may execute by the signature(s) of a duly authorised officer or attorney. Any power of attorney or any other authority under which the proxy form is signed (or a duly certified copy of such power or authority) must be included with the proxy form.
- 7 In the case of joint holdings, any one holder may sign the proxy form. The vote of the senior joint holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, will be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders and for this purpose seniority will be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register of Members in respect of the joint holding (the first-named being the most senior).
- 8 The return of a completed proxy form, other such instrument or any CREST Proxy Instruction (as described in paragraphs 13 and 14 below) will not prevent a Shareholder attending the AGM and voting in person if he/she wishes to do so. If you have appointed a proxy and attend the meeting and vote in person, your proxy appointment will automatically be terminated.
Nominated Persons
- 9 Any person to whom this Notice is sent who is a person nominated under section 146 of the Act to enjoy information rights (a "Nominated Person") may, under an agreement between him/her and the Shareholder by whom he/she was nominated, have a right to be appointed (or to have someone else appointed) as a proxy for the AGM. If a Nominated Person has no such proxy appointment right or does not wish to exercise it, he/she may, under any such agreement, have a right to give instructions to the Shareholder as to the exercise of voting rights.
- 10 The statement of the rights of Shareholders in relation to the appointment of proxies in paragraphs 3 and 4 above does not apply to Nominated Persons. The rights described in these paragraphs can only be exercised by Shareholders of the Company.
Voting Record Date
11 To be entitled to attend and vote at the AGM (and for the purpose of the determination by the Company of the votes they may cast), Shareholders must be registered in the Register of Members of the Company by 6.00 p.m. on 3 May 2016 (or, in the event of any adjournment, on the date which is two business days before the time of the adjourned 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.
Total Voting Rights
12 As at 22 March 2016 (being the last practicable business day prior to the publication of this Notice) the Company's issued share capital consisted of 736,535,179 ordinary shares, 30,533,382 of which were held as treasury shares. Therefore, the total voting rights in the Company as at 22 March 2016 are 706,001,797.
Appointment of proxies through CREST
- 13 CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies through the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may do so by using the procedures described in the CREST Manual (available via www.euroclear.com/CREST). CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a service provider(s), should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf.
- 14 In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a "CREST Proxy Instruction") must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited's (EUI) specifications, and must contain the information required for such instruction, as described in the CREST Manual. 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, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by the issuer's agent (ID 3RA50) by the latest time for receipt of proxy appointments specified in this Notice. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the time stamp applied to the message by the CREST Application Host) from which the issuer's agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time any change of instructions to proxies appointed through CREST should be communicated to the appointee through other means.
- 15 CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors, or voting service providers should note that EUI does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular message. Normal system timings and limitations will, therefore, apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal member, or sponsored member, or has appointed a voting service provider, to procure that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting system providers are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.
- 16 The Company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.
Corporate Representatives
17 Any corporation which is a Shareholder can appoint one or more corporate representatives who may exercise on its behalf all of its powers as a member provided that, if more than one, they do not do so in relation to the same shares.
AUDIT CONCERNS
- 18 Shareholders should note that it is possible that, pursuant to requests made by Shareholders of the Company under section 527 of the Act, the Company may be required to publish on a website a statement setting out any matter relating to:
- a) the audit of the Company's accounts (including the Auditor's Report and the conduct of the audit) that are to be laid before the AGM; or
- b) any circumstance connected with an auditor of 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.
- 19 The Company may not require the Shareholders requesting any such website publication to pay its expenses in complying with section 527 or section 528 of the Act. Where the Company is required to place a statement on a website under section 527 of the Act it must forward the statement to the Company's Auditor not later than the time when it makes the statement available on the website. The business which may be dealt with at the AGM includes any statement that the Company has been required under section 527 of the Act to publish on a website.
- 20 In order to be able to exercise the Shareholders' right to require the Company to publish audit concerns (see note 18), the relevant request must be made by either a Shareholder or Shareholders having a right to vote at the meeting and holding at least 5% of total voting rights of the Company, or at least 100 Shareholders having a right to vote at the meeting and holding, on average, at least £100 of paid up share capital.
INSPECTION OF DOCUMENTS
- 21 The following documents will be available for inspection at the offices of Slaughter and May, the Company's solicitors, at One Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8YY and at the Company's registered office at 103-105 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 3UH during normal business hours on any weekday (excluding public holidays) from the date of this Notice until the date of the AGM and at No.11 Cavendish Square London W1G 0AN for a period of 15 minutes prior to the AGM and during the meeting:
- a) copies of the current service agreements of the Executive Directors;
- b) the current terms and conditions of appointment of the Non-Executive Directors;
- c) the Register of Directors' Interests; and
- d) Deed poll of indemnity dated 28 July 2009.
PUBLISHED INFORMATION
- 22 If you would like to receive this Notice and/or a copy of the Annual Report 2015 in an appropriate alternative format, such as large print, Braille or an audio version on CD, please contact the Company Secretariat, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, 103-105 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 3UH.
- 23 The Company's 2015 Annual Report and Accounts, and a copy of this Notice and other information required by section 311A of the Act are available from the Company's website at www.rb.com.
DATA PROTECTION STATEMENT
24 Your personal data includes all data provided by you, or on your behalf, which relates to you as a Shareholder, including your name and contact details, the votes you cast and your Shareholder Reference Number (attributed to you by the Company). The Company determines the purposes for which and the manner in which your personal data is to be processed. The Company and any third party to which it discloses the data (including the Company's registrar) may process your personal data for the purposes of compiling and updating the Company's records, fulfilling its legal obligations and processing the Shareholder rights you exercise.
GENERAL QUERIES
- 25 Except as provided above, Shareholders who have general queries about the AGM should use the following means of communication (no other methods of communication will be accepted):
- a) calling our Shareholder helpline on 0370 703 0118; or
b) writing to:
Computershare Investor Services plc The Pavilions Bridgwater Road Bristol
BS99 6ZY
- 26 You may not use any electronic address provided either in this Notice or any related documents (including the Chairman's Letter and proxy form) to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.
- 27 The AGM will start promptly at 11.15 a.m. Registration will be open from 9.45 a.m.
- 28 The entrance to the venue is located in Cavendish Square, accessed via the King's Fund entrance in Deans Mews (between Harley Street and Chandos Street).
- 29 The nearest underground station to the venue is Oxford Circus, on the Central Line, Bakerloo Line or Victoria Line (Exit number 4). The venue is approximately 5-10 minutes' walk from Oxford Circus underground station.
- 30 The nearest car park is Q-Park London Oxford Street (postcode: W1G 0PN), which has 444 spaces and is situated underneath Cavendish Square, just a few minutes' walk from the venue. Alternatively, there is another Q-Park located in Harley Street, via Chandos Street (postcode: W1G 9HF) which has 281 spaces and is approximately three minutes' walk from the venue. Please note that parking for both car parks is charged on an hourly basis at the Shareholder's expense.
Important Information
Attending the AGM
- 31 If you are attending the AGM, please bring your attendance card with you. It authenticates your right to attend, speak and vote at the AGM and will speed up your admission. You may also be asked to provide proof of identity.
- 32 If you have been appointed as proxy for a Shareholder, please let the admission staff know. You should bring proof of identity with you and you will be asked to confirm the details of the Shareholder you are representing.
- 33 At the discretion of the Company, a Shareholder may bring one guest, provided that the Shareholder and their guest register to enter the AGM at the same time. Admittance of a guest will be subject to there being sufficient seating capacity.
- 34 The venue has disabled access. Anyone accompanying a Shareholder in need of assistance will be admitted to the AGM. If any Shareholder with a disability has any questions regarding attendance at the AGM, please contact the Company Secretariat, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, 103-105 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 3UH by 28 April 2016.
Questions
35 Shareholders or their proxies will have an opportunity to ask questions at the AGM relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting. A question may not be answered if answering the question would interfere unduly with the preparation for the meeting or involve the disclosure of confidential information; the answer has already been given on a website in the form of an answer to a question; or it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good order of the meeting that the question be answered. When invited by the Chairman, if you wish to ask a question, please wait for a Company representative to bring you a microphone. It would be helpful if you could state your name before you ask your question.
Venue arrangements
- 36 There will be a limited amount of space for coats to be stored at the venue. No responsibility will be taken for personal items and all items are left at your own risk.
- 37 Tea and coffee will be provided before the meeting, and light refreshments available afterwards.