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NOTICE OF 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING |
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Background to Resolution 9 and Special Resolution 11
As a matter of U.K. company law, directors of a company incorporated in England must have authority from shareholders to allot or grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, the company’s shares. In addition, when an allotment of shares is for cash, the company must first offer those shares on the same terms to existing shareholders of the company on a pro-rata basis (commonly referred to as statutory pre-emption rights) unless these statutory pre-emption rights are dis-applied, by approval of the shareholders.
Resolutions 9 and 11, which we refer to as our “Share Issuance Proposals,” ask our shareholders for authority for the directors to allot shares or grant rights over shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of £4,000,000 and the power for the directors to allot shares or grant rights over shares for cash up to an aggregate nominal amount of £4,000,000 on a non-preemptive basis. This authority and power would expire at the conclusion of our 2024 AGM.
Many of our peer companies are listed and incorporated in the United States, and are thus not subject to similar share issuance restrictions. We are asking you to approve our Share Issuance Proposals to allow us to continue to execute on our business and growth strategy in a timely and competitive manner.
Should our shareholders not approve resolutions 9 and 11, whilst we appreciate that we would still have the ability to seek shareholder approval in connection with a specific issuance of shares on a case-by-case basis by convening general meetings from time to time, we do not believe that such an approach is a workable alternative to obtaining approval of resolutions 9 and 11 at the AGM as we propose. The uncertainty as to whether we could obtain shareholder approval for a specific issuance, as well as the delays we would experience in seeking and obtaining such approval, could be harmful to the terms of such a share issuance. In addition, the case-by-case approval approach ignores market windows and other deal timing and competitive realities.
Specifically, the requirement to first offer shares that we propose to issue for cash to all of our existing shareholders in time-consuming pro-rata rights offerings would considerably reduce the speed at which we could complete capital-raising activities undertaken in furtherance of our growth strategy, would increase our costs, might otherwise make it difficult or impossible for us to complete such transactions, and could put us at a distinct competitive disadvantage relative to our peer companies.
Access to capital and the ability to raise equity capital at short notice have been important factors that have contributed to our ability to execute our long-term growth strategy. In practice, offering shares to existing shareholders in accordance with U.K. statutory pre-emption rights can be time-consuming, so U.K. market practice for listed companies is to annually seek a shareholder resolution waiving or dis-applying pre-emption rights over new share issuances for cash, up to an agreed limit. We fully appreciate that our proposals are in excess of the investment advisory guidance in this regard and for this reason, our proposals may attract a negative voting recommendation from certain proxy advisory firms. However, we have an established track record since our IPO in October 2017 of securing annual shareholder support for a resolution dis-applying pre-emption rights over amounts of share capital in excess of the investment advisory guidance. Using these authorities, we have responsibly raised capital in order to execute our business plan.
We believe the request for authorisation and disapplication of pre-emption rights sought will provide us with the continued flexibility to raise equity capital that we believe we may require at this stage of development of the Company. This recognises the fact that as a development-stage business, we have needed access to equity capital to ensure that we can maintain the business appropriately capitalised to expedite our development programs. We have publicly stated that we believe our existing cash resources will be sufficient to fund the Company into 2025. We believe it is in the interests of all shareholders to ensure that we retain the ability to raise equity capital on reasonably short notice if advisable. We propose to seek an authority (to expire at the 2024 AGM) to allot shares or grant rights over shares and under this authority to seek the power to allot shares or grant rights over shares for cash on a non-preemptive basis over a maximum of 100 million ordinary shares.
The Share Issuance Proposals are consistent with U.S. capital markets practice and U.S. governance standards, and, if approved, will keep us on an equal footing with our peer companies who are incorporated and listed in the United States. We believe that the Share Issuance Proposals are appropriate to the needs of the Company and in the best interests of shareholders. We are therefore asking you to approve the Share Issuance Proposals to allow us to continue to execute our business and growth strategy in a timely and competitive manner.
Summary
The Share Issuance Proposals, if approved, will allow our Board of Directors continued flexibility to issue shares subject to other requirements of Nasdaq Stock Market and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Share Issuance Proposals, as proposed:
| • | | will not exempt us from any Nasdaq corporate governance or other requirements, including those limiting the issuance of shares; |
| • | | will keep us on an equal footing with our peer companies who are incorporated and listed in the United States; and |
| • | | is fully consistent with U.S. capital markets practice and governance standards. |
Resolution 9 – Authority to allot sharess
The directors may only allot shares or grant rights over shares if authorised to do so by shareholders.
Under this resolution the Board is seeking the authority to allot shares in the Company or grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company up to an aggregate nominal amount of £4,000,000, such authority, unless previously revoked or varied by the Company, to expire at the conclusion of the AGM of the Company to be held in 2024.
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS YOU VOTE FOR THE RESOLUTION SO AUTHORISING THE DIRECTORS.
Background to Resolution 10 and Special Resolution 12
Similar to Resolutions 9 and 11, as a company incorporated in England, directors must have authority from shareholders to allot or grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, the company’s shares. Resolutions 10 and 12 ask our shareholders for authority for the directors to allot shares or grant rights over shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of £200,000 and the power for the directors to
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