Notice to the Annual General Meeting of Qt Group Plc
Qt Group Plc Stock exchange release 15th February 2019 At 8:01 (EET)
Notice is given to the shareholders of Qt Group Plc (“company”) to the Annual General Meeting to be held on Thursday, March 14, 2019, starting at 10.00 a.m. at Jugend Hall, address Lönnrotinkatu 29, 00180 Helsinki (2nd floor), Finland. The reception of persons who have registered for the meeting and distribution of voting tickets will commence at 9:00 a.m.
A. MATTERS ON THE AGENDA OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
At the Annual General Meeting the following matters will be considered:
1. Opening of the meeting
2. Calling the meeting to order
3. Election of persons to confirm the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes
4. Recording the legality of the meeting
5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes
6. Presentation of the annual accounts, group annual accounts, the report of the Board of Directors and the auditor's report for 2018
- Review by the CEO
7. Adoption of the annual accounts and group annual accounts
8. Resolution on the use of the result shown on the balance sheet and the payment of dividend
The Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that based on the balance sheet to be adopted for the accounting period ended December 31, 2018 no dividend will be paid.
9. Resolution on the discharge of the Members of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director from liability
10. Resolution on the remuneration of the Members of the Board of Directors
The Board’s Compensation and Nomination Committee proposes to the Annual General Meeting that that the monthly remuneration payable to the Board Members to be elected for the term until the close of Annual General Meeting 2020 shall be EUR 2,500, to the Vice Chairman of the Board EUR 3,500 and EUR 5,500 to the Chairman of the Board.
In addition, Chairman of each Board Committee will receive a meeting fee of EUR 1,000 for every Committee meeting and in all other respects all Board Members will receive a meeting fee of EUR 500 for every meeting of the Board and Board Committee. In addition to the above mentioned fees the ordinary and reasonable expenses of Board member will be remunerated according to the invoice.
11. Resolution on the number of Members of the Board of Directors
The Board’s Compensation and Nomination Committee proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of Board members will be five.
The major shareholders, representing 33.5 % of the voting rights of the shares in the company, have notified the company that they will support the above mentioned proposal.
12. Election of Members of the Board of Directors
The Board’s Compensation and Nomination Committee proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the current Members of the Board, namely Robert Ingman, Jaakko Koppinen, Mikko Marsio, Leena Saarinen, and Tommi Uhari, who each have agreed to accept the positions in question, will be appointed to the company’s Board of Directors until the end of the next AGM in spring 2020.
Profiles of the proposed members are available at company’s website at https://investors.qt.io/governance/board-of-directors/ .
The major shareholders, representing 33.5 % of the company’s shares and votes, have notified the company that they will support the above mentioned proposal.
13. Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor
The Board’s Audit Committee proposes to the Annual General Meeting that company’s auditor will be reimbursed according to the auditor’s reasonable invoice.
14. Authorizing of the Board of Directors to decide on the repurchase and/or distress of the company’s own shares
The Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to decide on the repurchase and/or distress of a maximum of 2,000,000 of company's own shares by using funds in the unrestricted equity.
The Board shall decide on how the shares will be repurchased. The shares may be repurchased in another proportion than that of the shares held by the current shareholders. The authorization also includes the acquisition of shares through public trading organized by NASDAQ Helsinki Ltd in accordance with its and Euroclear Finland Ltd’s rules and instructions, or through offers made to shareholders.
The shares may be repurchased in order to improve the capital structure of the company, finance or carry out acquisitions or other arrangements, to carry out company’s share-based incentive schemes, or to be transferred for other purposes, or to be cancelled.
The shares shall be repurchased for a price based on the fair value quoted in public trading. The authorization shall be valid for 18 months from the issue date of the authorization, i.e. until September 14, 2020 and it replaces any earlier authorizations on repurchase and/or distress of company's own shares.
15. Authorizing the Board of Directors to decide on a share issue and granting of special rights entitling to shares
The Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to decide on share issue and granting of special rights prescribed in Chapter 10 Section 1 of the Companies Act, subject to or free of charge, in one or several installments on the following terms:
The maximum total number of shares to be issued by the virtue of authorization is 2,000,000. The authorization concerns both the issuance of new shares as well as the transfer of treasury shares. By virtue of the authorization, the Board of Directors is entitled to decide on share issues and granting of special rights waiving the pre-emptive subscription rights of the shareholders (directed issue).
The authorization may be used in order to finance or carry out acquisitions or other arrangements, to carry out company’s share-based incentive schemes and to improve the capital structure of the company, or to be used for other purposes decided by the Board of Directors.
The authorization includes the Board of Directors' right to decide on all terms relating to the share issue and granting of special rights, including subscription price, its payment and its entry into the company's balance sheet.
The authorization shall be valid for 18 months from the issue date of the authorization, i.e. until September 14, 2020 it shall not replace any earlier authorizations on share issue and granting of special rights.
16. Closing of the meeting
B. DOCUMENTS OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The proposals of the Board of Directors and its committees relating to the agenda of the General Meeting as well as this summons are available on Qt Group Plc’s website at www.qt.io/investors. Qt Group Plc’s annual accounts, report of the Board of Directors and the auditor’s report are available on the above-mentioned website, no later than February 15, 2019. The proposals and the above-mentioned documents are also available at the meeting. Copies of these documents and of this summons will be sent to shareholders upon request.
The minutes of the meeting will be available on the above-mentioned website as from March 28, 2019.
C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE GENERAL MEETING
1. The right to participate and registration
Each shareholder, who is registered on Monday, March 4, 2019 in the shareholders’ register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd, has the right to participate in the General Meeting. A shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her personal Finnish book-entry account, is automatically registered in the shareholders’ register of the company.
A shareholder, who is registered in the shareholders’ register of the company and wants to participate in the General Meeting, shall register to the company for the meeting no later than March 11, 2019 by 10:00 a.m. by giving a prior notice of participation. Notice shall arrive before the end of the said registration period. Notice can be given:
a) at Qt Group Plc’s website, address https://investors.qt.io
b) by telephone to +358 9 8861 8040,
c) by e-mail pr@qt.io, or
d) by regular mail to Qt Group Plc/Legal, Bertel Jungin aukio D3A, FI-02600 Espoo, Finland.
In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall notify his/her name, social security number, address and telephone number and the name and social security number of a possible assistant or proxy representative.
The personal data given to Qt Group Plc is used only in connection with the General Meeting and with the processing of related registrations. The shareholder, his/her authorized representative or proxy representative shall, where necessary, be able to prove his/her identity and/or right of representation at the meeting.
2. Holders of nominee registered shares
A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which he/she on the record date of the General Meeting, i.e. on March 4, 2019, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders’ register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd. The right to participate in the General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been registered into the temporary shareholders’ register held by Euroclear Finland Ltd at the latest by March 11, 2019 by 10:00 a.m. As regards nominee registered shares this constitutes due registration for the General Meeting.
A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request without delay necessary instructions regarding the registration in the temporary shareholder’s register of the company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the General Meeting from his/her custodian bank. The account management organization of the custodian bank has to register a holder of nominee registered shares, who wants to participate in the General Meeting, into the temporary shareholders’ register of the company at the latest by the time stated above.
Further information on these matters can also be found on the company’s website www.qt.io.
3. Proxy representative and powers of attorney
A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and exercise his/her rights at the meeting also by way of proxy representation.
A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at the General Meeting. When a shareholder participates in the General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares at different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the General Meeting.
Possible proxy documents should be delivered in originals to the address above before the last date for registration.
4. Other instructions and information
Pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the meeting.
On the date of this Notice to the General Meeting February 15, 2019, the total number of shares and votes in Qt Group Plc is 23,792,312.
Espoo, February 15, 2019
QT GROUP PLC
Board of Directors
For more information, please contact:
Mika Pälsi, General Counsel, tel. +358 9 8861 8040
DISTRIBUTION
NASDAQ Helsinki
Key media
www.qt.io