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Spirent Communications PLC — AGM Information 2019
Mar 27, 2019
4625_agm-r_2019-03-27_53732bd7-0da0-460b-8558-fbef6b724381.pdf
AGM Information
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SPIRENT COMMUNICATIONS PLC
(INCORPORATED AND REGISTERED IN ENGLAND AND WALES UNDER NUMBER 470893)
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1 MAY 2019
THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
This document is important and requires your immediate attention. If you are in any doubt about its contents or the action you should take, you should consult your stockbroker, solicitor, accountant or other professional adviser duly authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your Ordinary Shares in Spirent Communications plc (the "Company"), please pass this document together with the accompanying documents at once 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.
Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at 12.30pm on Wednesday 1 May 2019 at the offices of FTI Consulting, 200 Aldersgate, Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4HD is set out on pages 4 and 5 of this document.
27 March 2019
Dear Shareholder
I have pleasure in sending you the Notice of this year's Annual General Meeting ("2019 AGM") which we are holding at 12.30pm on Wednesday 1 May 2019 at the offices of FTI Consulting, 200 Aldersgate, Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4HD.
If you would like to vote on the resolutions but cannot come to the 2019 AGM, please fill in the Form of Proxy sent to you with this Notice and, in accordance with the instructions printed on the form, return it to our registrars, Equiniti, as soon as possible. Alternatively, you may appoint a proxy electronically. Our registrars must receive your votes by 12.30pm on 29 April 2019.
Further details relating to voting by proxy are set out in the accompanying notes to the Notice on pages 6 and 7 of this document.
Notice is hereby given that the Spirent Communications plc Annual Report for 2018 has been published on the Company's website, http://corporate.spirent.com.
If you have elected to receive shareholder correspondence in hard copy, then a copy of the Annual Report will accompany this Notice. Should you wish to change your election at any time, or if you wish to request a hard copy of the Annual Report, you can do so by contacting our registrars, Equiniti, on 0371 384 2126. In line with our policy of promoting the use of electronic communications, the Company's Half year Results are now only made available on the Company's website at http://corporate.spirent.com.
At the 2019 AGM shareholders will have the opportunity to ask questions of their Board. There are also a number of formal matters to be dealt with and further details about these matters are set out below. The formal Notice of AGM is set out on pages 4 and 5 of this document.
Explanatory notes on the proposed resolutions
Resolution 1 – Annual Report
The directors will present the Annual Report for 2018.
Resolutions 2 and 3 – Report on directors' remuneration
The Report on directors' remuneration is set out in full in the Annual Report 2018 on pages 74 to 95. It contains:
- a statement by Gary Bullard, Chairman of the Company's Remuneration Committee;
- the Annual report on remuneration, which sets out payments made to the directors in respect of the financial period ended 31 December 2018; and
- the directors' Remuneration Policy in relation to future payments to the directors and former directors.
Resolution 2 is the ordinary resolution to approve the Report on directors' remuneration, other than the section containing the directors' Remuneration Policy. Resolution 2 is an advisory resolution and does not affect the future remuneration paid to any director.
Resolution 3 is the ordinary resolution to approve the directors' Remuneration Policy which is set out in the Report on directors' remuneration in the Annual Report on pages 87 to 95.
Once a directors' remuneration policy has been approved, all payments by the Company to the directors and any former directors must be made in accordance with that policy (unless a payment has been separately approved by a shareholder resolution). If the Company wishes to change the directors' Remuneration Policy, it is required to put a revised policy to a shareholder vote before it can implement the new policy.
Resolution 4 – Final dividend
The Board proposes payment of a final dividend of 2.73 cents (2.08 pence) per Ordinary Share for the year to 31 December 2018.
If shareholders approve this resolution, payment will be made on 3 May 2019 to all Ordinary shareholders who were on the Register of Members at close of business on 15 March 2019.
If resolution 4 is approved, it will bring the total dividend for the year to 4.49 cents (3.42 pence) per Ordinary Share (2018 4.08 cents).
Resolutions 5 to 11 – Election and re-election of directors
In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association Jonathan Silver is required to offer himself for re-election and, being eligible to do so, this re-election is proposed in resolution 5.
In line with the UK Corporate Governance Code, and in keeping with Spirent's recent practice, each of the remaining Company directors will retire voluntarily at the 2019 AGM. However, being eligible, Paula Bell, Gary Bullard, Eric Hutchinson, Wendy Koh, Edgar Masri and I offer ourselves for re-election and these re-elections are proposed in resolutions 6 to 11.
Biographical details of all the directors and the Directors' statement on corporate governance which provides further information with respect to the corporate governance of the Board can be found in the Company's Annual Report 2018 and on the Company's website at http://corporate.spirent.com.
As more fully explained in the Annual Report, having considered the performance and contribution made by each of the directors, the Board remains satisfied that the performance of each director continues to be effective in relation to the fulfilment of his or her duty to act in the long-term interest of the Company, on behalf of its members, while also having due regard for other stakeholders and to demonstrate commitment to their role including devoting sufficient time and attention as is necessary in order to perform their duties and therefore recommends each director for election or re-election as applicable.
2 Spirent Communications plc NOTICE OF 2019 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Resolutions 12 and 13 – Appointment of auditor and paying its remuneration.
On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board proposes that Ernst & Young LLP be re-appointed as auditor of the Company. Ernst & Young LLP have expressed their willingness to continue to act as auditor for a further year.
Resolution 13 proposes that the directors be authorised to determine the level of the auditor's remuneration. Details of the remuneration paid to the auditors during the year ended 31 December 2018 can be found in the 2018 Annual Report on page 128.
Resolutions 14 and 15 – Renewal of the powers of the Board to allot shares and to disapply pre-emption rights
Resolution 14 seeks renewal of the resolution passed at the general meeting held on 2 May 2018 and gives the directors the authority to allot new Ordinary Shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert other securities into, Ordinary Shares up to a nominal value of £6,797,132 which is equal to approximately 33.3 per cent of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital as at 7 March 2019, being the latest practicable date before the publication of this Notice.
At 7 March 2019, the Company did not hold any shares in treasury. The directors have no specific intention at the moment to undertake a rights issue or allot new Ordinary Shares, except in connection with employee share schemes. The directors consider the authority in resolution 14 to be appropriate in order to allow the Company flexibility to respond to market developments and to enable allotments to take place to finance business opportunities as they arise. If the resolution is passed, the authority will expire at the earlier of the next annual general meeting or 30 June 2020.
If the directors wish to allot new Ordinary Shares and other equity securities, or sell treasury shares, for cash (other than in connection with an employee share scheme), company law requires that these Ordinary Shares are offered first to shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings. Subject to this authority being passed, resolution 15 allows the directors to allot up to 30,587,094 new shares pursuant to the authority in resolution 14, or sell treasury shares, for cash in connection with a pre-emptive offer or rights issue or otherwise up to a nominal value of £1,019,570, equivalent to 5 per cent of the total issued Ordinary Share capital of the Company as at 7 March 2019, being the latest practicable date before the publication of this Notice, in each case without the Ordinary Shares first being offered to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings. The Board considers the authority in resolution 15 to be appropriate in order to allow the Company flexibility to finance business opportunities or to conduct a pre-emptive offer or rights issue without the need to comply with the strict requirements of the statutory pre-emption provisions. The Company will not allot more than 7.5 per cent of its total issued Ordinary Share capital for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis (other than pursuant to a rights issue or pre-emptive offer) in a rolling three-year period without seeking further shareholder authority. If the resolution is passed, the authority will expire at the earlier of the next annual general meeting or 30 June 2020.
Resolution 16 – Authority for the Company to purchase its own shares
This resolution renews the authority for the Company to make market purchases of its own Ordinary Shares subject to the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (the "2006 Act") and shall expire at the earlier of the next annual general meeting or 30 June 2020.
This power will only be exercised if the directors believe that it is in shareholders' best interests and can be expected to result in an increase in earnings per share. The resolution specifies that no more than 9.99 per cent of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital as at 7 March 2019 (61,113,015 Ordinary Shares) may be acquired together with the parameters for the minimum and maximum prices at which they may be bought. It is currently the directors' intention, were shares to be bought back, for them either to be cancelled or retained in treasury pending a subsequent sale, cancellation or transfer. No Ordinary Shares were bought back and cancelled during the 2018 financial year and, at the date of this Notice, the Company does not hold any Ordinary Shares in treasury.
As at 7 March 2019, there were 9.1 million outstanding share incentives granted under share incentives plans operated by the Company which, if exercised utilising new issue shares, would represent 1.5 per cent of the issued Ordinary Share capital of the Company. If the proposed authority for the Company to purchase its own shares were utilised in full, that percentage would increase to 1.6 per cent. As at 7 March 2019, there were no outstanding warrants to subscribe for equity shares in the Company.
Resolution 17 – Notice of general meetings
Changes made to the 2006 Act by the implementation of the Companies (Shareholders' Rights) Regulations 2009 (the "Shareholders' Rights Regulations") increased the notice period required for general meetings of the Company to 21 clear days, unless shareholders approve a shorter notice period, which cannot however be less than 14 clear days (AGMs will continue to be held on at least 21 clear days' notice). Prior to the Shareholders' Rights Regulations coming into force, the Company was able to call general meetings other than an AGM on 14 clear days' notice without obtaining such shareholder approval. In order to preserve this ability, this resolution seeks to renew the necessary shareholder approval to enable the Company to call general meetings on 14 clear days' notice. The shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of routine for such meetings, but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the meeting and is thought to be to the advantage of the shareholders as a whole. The approval will be effective until the Company's next AGM, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed to renew this authority. The Company will also need to meet the requirements for electronic voting under the Shareholders' Rights Regulations before it can call a general meeting on less than 21 clear days' notice. The Company already provides the ability for shareholders to vote electronically at www.sharevote.co.uk.
The directors consider that all the resolutions to be put to the meeting are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. The directors will be voting their own beneficial shareholdings in favour of all the proposed resolutions and the Board unanimously recommends that you do so as well.
Yours sincerely
Bill Thomas Chairman
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Spirent Communications plc (the "Company") will be held at 12.30pm on Wednesday 1 May 2019 at the offices of FTI Consulting, 200 Aldersgate, Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4HD for the transaction of the following business:
Resolutions 1 to 14 will be proposed as ordinary Resolutions. Resolutions 15 to 17 will be proposed as Special Resolutions.
Resolutions
1. Annual Report
To receive the Company's accounts together with the Report of the directors and the Auditor's report on those accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2018.
2. Report on directors' remuneration
To approve the Report on directors' remuneration as set out on pages 74 to 95 of the Company's Annual Report for the financial year ended 31 December 2018.
3. Directors' Remuneration Policy
To approve the directors' Remuneration Policy as set out on pages 87 to 95 of the Company's Annual report for the financial year ended 31 December 2018.
4. Final dividend
To declare a final dividend of 2.73 cents per Ordinary Share for the financial year ended 31 December 2018.
Election and re-election of directors
- 5. To re-elect Jonathan Silver as a director of the Company
- 6. To re-elect Paula Bell as a director of the Company
- 7. To re-elect Gary Bullard as a director of the Company
- 8. To re-elect Eric Hutchinson as a director of the Company
- 9. To re-elect Wendy Koh as a director of the Company
- 10.To re-elect Edgar Masri as a director of the Company
- 11. To re-elect William Thomas as a director of the Company
12. Re-appointment of auditor
To re-appoint Ernst & Young LLP as the auditor of the Company until the conclusion of the next general meeting at which accounts are laid before the Company.
13. Remuneration of auditor
To authorise the directors to determine the remuneration of the auditor.
14. Authority to allot securities
To authorise the directors generally and unconditionally pursuant to and in accordance with Section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "2006 Act") to exercise all the powers of the Company to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares up to a nominal amount of £6,797,132 such authority to apply in substitution for all previous authorities pursuant to Section 551 of the 2006 Act and to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or on 30 June 2020, whichever is the earlier but so that the Company may, before such expiry, 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 to convert any security into shares to be granted after the authority ends.
15. Disapplication of pre-emption rights
Subject to the passing of resolution 14 above, to authorise the directors to allot equity securities (as defined in Section 560(1) of the 2006 Act) wholly for cash pursuant to the authority given by resolution 14 above or where the allotment constitutes an allotment of equity securities by virtue of Section 560(3) of the 2006 Act, in each case:
- a. in connection with a pre-emptive offer; and
- b. otherwise than in connection with a pre-emptive offer, up to an aggregate nominal amount of £1,019,570,
as if Section 561(1) of the 2006 Act did not apply to any such allotment; such authority to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or at the close of business on 30 June 2020, whichever is the earlier but so that the Company may make offers and enter into agreements during this period which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted and treasury shares to be sold after the authority given by this resolution has expired and the directors may allot equity securities and sell treasury shares under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
For the purposes of this resolution:
- i. "pre-emptive offer" means an offer of equity securities open for acceptance for a period fixed by the directors to holders (other than the Company) on the register on a record date fixed by the directors of Ordinary Shares in proportion to their respective holdings but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory;
- ii. references to an allotment of equity securities shall include a sale of treasury shares; and
- iii. the nominal amount of any securities shall be taken to be, in the case of rights to subscribe for or convert any securities into shares of the Company, the nominal amount of such shares which may be allotted pursuant to such rights.
16. Authority for Spirent Communications plc to purchase its own Ordinary Shares
To authorise the Company generally and unconditionally for the purposes of Section 701 of the 2006 Act to make market purchases (within the meaning of Section 693(4) of the 2006 Act) of its own Ordinary Shares of 3 & 1/3 pence each on such terms and in such manner as the directors may from time to time determine subject to the following conditions:
- a. the maximum number of Ordinary Shares authorised to be purchased may not be more than 61,113,015 Ordinary Shares;
- b. the minimum price (exclusive of expenses) which the Company may pay for each Ordinary Share is 3 & 1/3 pence, being the nominal value of each Ordinary Share;
- c. the maximum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for each Ordinary Share shall be the higher of:
- i. an amount equal to 105 per cent of the average of the closing price of the Company's Ordinary Shares as derived from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for the five business days immediately preceding the day on which the share is contracted to be purchased; or
- ii. an amount equal to the higher of the price of the last independent trade of a share and the highest current independent bid for a share as stipulated by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052, the regulatory technical standards adopted pursuant to article 5(6) of the Market Abuse Regulation;
- d. unless previously renewed, varied or revoked the authority shall expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or 30 June 2020, whichever is the earlier; and
- e. a contract to purchase shares under this authority may be made prior to the expiry of this authority, and executed in whole or in part after the expiry of this authority.
17. Notice period for general meetings
To resolve that a general meeting of the Company other than an annual general meeting may be called on not less than 14 clear days' notice.
By Order of the Board
Angus Iveson
Company Secretary 27 March 2019
Spirent Communications plc Registered Office: Northwood Park Gatwick Road Crawley West Sussex RH10 9XN United Kingdom
Registered in England and Wales Company No: 470893
1. Recommendation from the Board
The directors believe that all the proposals to be considered at the 2019 AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. They recommend that you vote in favour of the proposed resolutions. The directors will be voting their own beneficial shareholdings in favour of all of the proposed resolutions.
2. Entitlement to attend, speak and vote
Entitlement to attend, speak and vote at the 2019 AGM, and the number of votes which may be cast at the 2019 AGM, will be determined by reference to the Company's Register of Members at 6.30pm on 29 April 2019 or, if the meeting is adjourned, not more than 48 hours before the time fixed for the adjourned meeting (as the case may be). In each case, changes to the Register of Members after such time will be disregarded.
3. Appointment of proxy using hard copy form
If you cannot come to the 2019 AGM, you can appoint another person as your proxy to come to the meeting, speak and vote for you. Alternatively you can appoint the Chairman as your proxy. If there is a poll, your proxy can vote for you and can also join in the demand for a poll. A proxy does not have to be a shareholder. If you want to appoint a proxy, fill in the Form of Proxy which is enclosed and return it to the Company's registrars. You may appoint more than one proxy, provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by you. If you wish to appoint multiple proxies for your shareholding please read the guidance detailed on the Form of Proxy enclosed. The Form of Proxy must be received by Equiniti Ltd, our registrars, by 12.30pm on 29 April 2019.
4. Electronic appointment of proxy
You may, if you wish, register the appointment of a proxy or proxies, or voting instructions for the meeting electronically by logging on to www.sharevote.co.uk. You will need to use the series of numbers made up of your Voting ID, Task ID and Shareholder Reference Number printed on your Form of Proxy. Full details of the procedure are given on the website. The proxy appointment and/or voting instructions must be received by Equiniti Ltd by 12.30pm on 29 April 2019. Please note that any electronic communication sent to the Company or Equiniti that is found to contain a computer virus will not be accepted. The use of the internet service in connection with the 2019 AGM is governed by Equiniti Ltd's conditions of use set out on the website, www.sharevote.co.uk, and may be read by logging on to that site.
5. Electronic proxy appointment through CREST
CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies through the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may do so for the 2019 AGM to be held on 1 May 2019 and any adjournment(s) thereof by following the procedures described in the CREST Manual (available at www.euroclear.com). CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a voting 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.
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 ("Euroclear") specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or to 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 Equiniti (ID RA19) by the latest time(s) 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 timestamp applied to the message by the CREST Applications Host) from which Equiniti 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.
CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note that Euroclear does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. 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(s), 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 service providers are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.
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.
6. Changing a proxy instruction
The Company's registrars must receive your proxy instructions by 12.30pm on 29 April 2019. If you fill in and send back a form of proxy you can still come to the 2019 AGM and vote instead of your proxy. If you do this and there is a poll vote, the votes you have given previously to your proxy will not be counted.
7. Nominated Persons
A person who is not a shareholder of the Company, but has been nominated by a shareholder to enjoy information rights in accordance with section 146 of the 2006 Act (a "Nominated Person") does not have a right to appoint a proxy. Nominated Persons may have a right under an agreement with the shareholder by whom they were nominated to be appointed (or to have someone else appointed) as a proxy for the AGM. Alternatively, if Nominated Persons do not have such a right, or do not wish to exercise it, they may have a right under an agreement with the relevant shareholder to give instructions as to the exercise of voting rights.
8. Documents on display
Copies of the following documents may be inspected during normal business hours on any weekday (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays excepted) at the registered office of the Company up to and including the date of the 2019 AGM and at the 2019 AGM from 15 minutes before the 2019 AGM until it ends:
- i. copies of the executive directors' service contracts; and
- ii. copies of the non-executive directors' letters of appointment.
9. Communication
Shareholders are advised that unless otherwise stated, the telephone numbers, website and email addresses which may be set out in this Notice or the Form of Proxy are not to be used for the purpose of communication with or serving information or documents on the Company (including the service of documents or information relating to proceedings at the Company's 2019 AGM).
10. Issued shares and Total Voting Rights
As at 7 March 2019, being the latest practicable date before the publication of this Notice, the issued Ordinary Share capital of the Company consisted of 611,741,888 Ordinary Shares carrying one vote each on a poll. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company at that date was 611,741,888.
11. Corporate Representatives
Any corporation which is a member can appoint one or more corporate representatives who may exercise on its behalf all of its powers as a member provided that they do not do so in relation to the same shares.
12. Publication of Audit Concerns
Under Section 527 of the 2006 Act, members meeting the threshold requirements set out in that section have the right to require the Company to publish on a website a statement setting out any matter relating to:
- i. 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 2019 AGM; or
- ii. any circumstance connected with an auditor of the Company ceasing to hold office since the previous annual general meeting at which annual accounts and reports were laid in accordance with Section 437 of the 2006 Act.
The Company may not require the shareholders requesting any such website publication to pay its expenses in complying with Sections 527 or 528 of the 2006 Act. Where the Company is required to place a statement on a website under Section 527 of the 2006 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 2019 AGM includes any statement that the Company has been required under Section 527 of the 2006 Act to publish on a website.
13. Questions at the 2019 AGM
Any member attending the meeting has the right to ask questions. The Company must cause to be answered any such question relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting but no such answer need be given if:
- a. to do so would interfere unduly with the preparation for the meeting or involve the disclosure of confidential information; or
- b. the answer has already been given on a website in a form of an answer to a question; or
- c. it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good order of the meeting that the question be answered.
14. Website giving information regarding the 2019 AGM
A copy of this Notice and other information required by Section 311A of the 2006 Act can be found at http://corporate.spirent.com.