UCB SA/NV - Convening notice annual shareholders meeting
*** Unofficial English translation – For
convenience purposes only ***
UCB SA/NV - Public Limited Liability
CompanyAllée de la Recherche 60, 1070 BrusselsEnterprise nr.
0403.053.608 (RLE Brussels)www.ucb.com("UCB SA/NV"
or the “Company”)
CONVENING NOTICE TO THE GENERAL MEETING OF
SHAREHOLDERS |
The Board of Directors (the
“Board”) invites the shareholders for the Annual
General Meeting of Shareholders (the “General
Meeting”) which will be held on Thursday, 29 April
2021, at 11:00 am CEST, at the registered office
of UCB SA/NV, Allée de la Recherche
60 - 1070 Brussels, for the purpose of considering
and voting on the items shown on the agenda set out below.
Due to the crisis of the Corona virus (Covid-19) and the
measures taken by our governments and public authorities
restricting gatherings, UCB SA/NV will not be able to allow
physical access to its General Meeting of 29 April 2021, subject to
any update which we could communicate in due course. Therefore, our
shareholders should cast their votes (i) by proxy, by mandating the
person mentioned in our proxy form and specifying their precise
voting instructions, or (ii) by virtually participating in the
General Meeting and voting electronically during such
meeting. |
Applicable formalities are detailed at the end of this convening
notice. Shareholders may, to the extent indicated, use Lumi's AGM+
platform (http://lumiagm.com/) to complete all participation
formalities, vote by proxy or virtually participate in and vote
during the General Meeting. Shareholders should ensure that the
device and the internet connection they are using to connect are
adequate and stable in order to virtually participate in the
meeting in a proper manner and enjoy all proposed
functionalities. |
ORDINARY PART
1. Report of the Board of Directors on the annual
accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2020
2. Report of the statutory auditor on the annual
accounts for the financial year ended 31 December 2020
3. Communication of the consolidated annual
accounts of the UCB Group relating to the financial year ended 31
December 2020
4. Approval of the annual accounts
of UCB SA/NV for the financial year ended 31 December 2020
and appropriation of the results
Proposed resolution:
The General Meeting approves the annual accounts
of UCB SA/NV for the financial year ended 31 December 2020 and
the appropriation of the results reflected therein, including the
approval of a gross dividend of € 1.27 per share (*).
(*) The UCB shares held by UCB SA/NV
(own shares) are not entitled to a dividend. Therefore, the
aggregate amount to be distributed to the shareholders may
fluctuate depending on the number of UCB shares held by
UCB SA/NV (own shares) on the dividend approval date.
5. Approval of the remuneration
report for the financial year ended 31 December 2020
The Belgian Code of Companies and
Associations (BCCA) requires the annual General Meeting (AGM) to
approve the remuneration report each year by separate vote. This
report includes a description of the remuneration policy that was
applicable in 2020 and information on remuneration of the members
of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee.
Compared to last year, the format and content of the
remuneration report has been adapted to comply with the new
requirements of the Law of 28 April 2020 implementing the
Shareholders Right Directive II (SRD II) in Belgian Law and
amending the BCCA.
Proposed resolution:
The General Meeting approves the remuneration
report for the financial year ended 31 December 2020.
6. Approval of
the remuneration policy 2021
The new Belgian Corporate Governance
Code 2020 (the “2020 Code”) and the new provisions of the BCCA
implementing SRD II require UCB SA/NV to establish a remuneration
policy and to submit such policy or any important change thereto to
the approval of the General Meeting. UCB SA/NV’s remuneration
policy was approved for the first time by the annual General
Meeting of 30 April 2020. Compared to the policy approved last
year, the following changes are now proposed for approval by this
AGM:
1/ with respect to the remuneration of
the Executive Committee members, it is proposed to introduce
clawback and malus mechanisms, shareholding guidelines, as well as
additional disclosure including, for instance, financial and
non-financial KPI’s or compensation peer group;
2/ with respect to the remuneration of
the Board, the only proposed change is an increase of the
remuneration of the Chair, to be effective upon appointment of our
new Chair, Stefan Oschmann, also submitted for approval by this
General Meeting (see below under section 9). This proposal results
from a benchmark review that was carried out in view to ensure that
UCB SA/NV could attract the best independent candidate for chairing
its Board by proposing an appropriate level of compensation. The
proposed increased remuneration (from € 240,000 to € 330,000 annual
gross fee, which includes the role on any Board committees)
corresponds to a level closer to the (regressed) median of our
European Pharma reference UCB peer group (as disclosed in the
Remuneration Report 2020). Our peer group is also disclosed in the
report. For more details on these proposed changes, please refer to
the Remuneration Report available on UCB website.
Proposed resolution:
The General Meeting approves the remuneration
policy 2021.
7. Discharge in
favour of the directors
Pursuant to the BCCA, the General
Meeting must, after approval of the annual accounts, vote on the
discharge of liability of the directors.
Proposed resolution:
The General Meeting grants discharge to the
directors for the performance of their duties during the financial
year ended 31 December 2020.
8. Discharge in favour of the
statutory auditor
Pursuant to the BCCA, the General
Meeting must, after approval of the annual accounts, vote on the
discharge of liability of the statutory auditor.
Proposed resolution:
The General Meeting grants discharge to the
statutory auditor for the performance of his duties during the
financial year ended 31 December 2020.
9. Appointments and renewal of
mandates of directors
The mandates of Mr. Albrecht De Graeve,
Mrs. Viviane Monges and Mr. Roch Doliveux will expire on the date
of this General Meeting (29 April 2021). Mr.
Roch Doliveux informed the Board that,
for personal reasons, he will not be candidate for a further
renewal of his mandate and will therefore leave the Board of UCB
SA/NV at the end of the term of his current mandate. Since Mrs.
Evelyn du Monceau, current Chair of the Board, has reached the
statutory age limit, she will resign from the Board with effect
immediately after the closing of this General Meeting. Mrs. Alice
Dautry has been replaced by Mrs. Susan Gasser by cooptation (by
decision of the Board) with effect as of 1 January 2021 as
independent director and member of the Scientific Committee of the
Board. When a directorship becomes vacant in
the course of the mandate, the Board has the right to fill the
vacancy by cooptation in accordance with the rules of the BCCA and
the Articles of Association of the Company and the cooptation must
be ratified by this General Meeting for the period from 1 January
2021 until this meeting. A full director mandate of 4 years,
starting on the date of this AGM (29 April 2021) requires a
separate decision of this General Meeting (see
below).
Considering the above and
upon recommendation of the Governance, Nomination
and Compensation Committee (“GNCC”), the Board of
Directors proposes to this annual General Meeting:
- the appointment of Mr. Stefan Oschmann, as independent
director, for a term of 4 years; if so elected, Stefan Oschmann
will become Chair of the Board and member of the GNCC; by the time
of his appointment as Board member of UCB SA/NV, he will have
terminated all of his functions at Merck KGaA;
- the appointment of Mrs. Fiona du Monceau, as
non-independent director, for a term of 4 years; since she is a
representative of the reference shareholder, she does not qualify
as independent director as per article 7:87 of the BCCA and
provision 3.5 of the 2020 Code; if so elected by the General
Meeting, Mrs. Fiona du Monceau will become Vice-Chair of the Board
in replacement of Pierre Gurdjian (who stays in the Board as
independent director) and Chair of the GNCC;
- the ratification of the cooptation of Mrs. Susan Gasser
as independent director for the period between 1 January 2021 to
the date of this General Meeting (29 April 2021) and her
appointment for a mandate of 4 years as independent director; if so
elected, she will continue to be a member of the Scientific
Committee of the Board;
- the appointment of Mr. Jonathan Peacock, for a mandate
of 4 years as independent director; if so elected by the General
Meeting, he will become the Chair of the Audit Committee in
replacement of Albrecht De Graeve, effective immediately upon his
appointment by this General Meeting (i.e. 29 April
2021);
- the renewal of the mandate of Mr.
Albrecht De Graeve for a new mandate of 4 years, but for only 1
year as independent director. Albrecht De Graeve will qualify as
independent director only for the first year of his renewed mandate
of 4 years (until the General Meeting to be held in 2022). In
accordance with the rules of the 2020 Code, non-executive board
members can indeed qualify as independent if their total tenure
does not exceed 12 years. Albrecht De Graeve was appointed for the
first time as independent director at the General Meeting of 29
April 2010 and therefore qualifies as independent director for 1
additional year, until the General Meeting of 2022. If re-elected,
Mr. Albrecht De Graeve would therefore stay as independent member
of the Audit Committee (but not as Chair of this committee) for one
additional year ; until the annual General Meeting of April 2022.
From the General Meeting of 2022 until the end of his mandate
(2025) he will remain non-independent member of the Board and will
no longer be member of the Audit Committee. In the context of the
overall succession plan, the Board is of the opinion that, given
his key role as Chair of the Audit Committee since 2015, it is
important to keep him as an independent member of the Board and of
the Audit Committee for an additional year in order to ensure a
smooth transition and succession in a year of critical changes in
the governance of the Company: Change of the Chair and
Vice-Chair of the Board (respectively Mr. Stefan Oschmann and Mrs.
Fiona du Monceau), of the Chair of the Audit Committee (Mr.
Jonathan Peacock) and of the GNCC (Mrs. Fiona
du Monceau) as well as a change of the external statutory
Auditor (process conducted under the supervision of the Audit
Committee – see below). Beyond 2022, Mr. Albrecht De Graeve will
continue to bring his experience and key contribution to the Board
as non-independent/non-executive director;
- the renewal of the mandate of Mrs. Viviane Monges, for
a new term of 4 years, as independent director; if so re-elected by
the General Meeting, she will continue to be an independent member
of the Audit Committee.
Mr. Stefan Oschmann, Mrs. Susan Gasser,
Mr. Jonathan Peacock, Mrs. Viviane Monges and Mr. Albrecht De
Graeve (until 2022 for the latter) each meet the independence
criteria stipulated by article 7:87 of the BCCA, by provision 3.5
of the 2020 Code and by the Board.
Subject to the abovementioned
appointments and renewals by the General Meeting, the Board and its
special committees will continue to be composed of a majority of
independent directors. The members of the Audit Committee will be
Mr. Jonathan Peacock (Chair and independent), Mr. Albrecht De
Graeve (independent until the AGM 2022), Mrs. Viviane Monges
(independent) and Mr. Charles-Antoine Janssen (non-independent).
Although staying as an independent member of the Board, Mr. Ulf
Wiinberg will no longer be a member of the Audit Committee. The
members of the GNCC will be Mrs. Fiona du Monceau (Chair and
non-independent), Mr. Stefan Oschmann (independent), Mr. Pierre
Gurdjian (independent) and Mrs. Kay Davies (independent). The
members of the Scientific Committee will be Mrs. Kay Davies (Chair
and independent) and Mrs. Susan Gasser (independent).
If all the above mandates are approved
by the General Meeting 2021, the total number of Board members will
increase from 13 to 14 members, which is below the maximum limit
currently set forth in the UCB Corporate Governance
Charter. This increase is to ensure a smooth transition, continuity
and succession planning in years of important changes in the Board
composition. Out of the 14 members, 9 members will be independent
(and 8, as of April
2022). The Board will also
be composed of 5 women out of 14 members (35%), which is in
compliance with the gender diversity requirement of Article 7:86 of
the BCCA.
The curriculum vitae, information on
other Board mandates and skills of these directors are available on
the internet site of UCB.
Proposed resolutions:
9.1. A) The General Meeting
appoints Mr. Stefan Oschmann (*)
as director for a term of four years until the close of the annual
General Meeting of 2025.
B)
The General Meeting acknowledges that, from the information made
available to the Company, Mr. Stefan Oschmann
qualifies as an independent director according to the independence
criteria provided for by article 7:87 of the Belgian Code of
Companies and Associations, by provision 3.5 of the 2020 Belgian
Corporate Governance Code and by the Board, and appoints him as
independent director.
9.2. The General Meeting appoints
Mrs. Fiona du Monceau (*) as director for a term
of four years until the close of the annual General Meeting of
2025.
9.3. A) The General Meeting
ratifies the co-optation of Mrs. Susan Gasser (*)
as independent director for the period from 1 January 2021 until
the date of this meeting (29 April 2021).
B)
The General Meeting appoints Mrs. Susan Gasser (*)
as director for a term of four years until the close of the annual
General Meeting of 2025.
C)
The General Meeting acknowledges that, from the information made
available to the Company, Mrs. Susan Gasser
qualifies as an independent director according to the independence
criteria provided for by article 7:87 of the Belgian Code of
Companies and Associations, by provision 3.5 of the 2020 Belgian
Corporate Governance Code and by the Board, and appoints her as
independent director.
9.4. A) The General Meeting
appoints Mr. Jonathan Peacock (*) as director for
a term of four years until the close of the annual General Meeting
of 2025.
B)
The General Meeting acknowledges that, from the information made
available to the Company, Mr. Jonathan
Peacock qualifies as an independent director according to
the independence criteria provided for by article 7:87 of the
Belgian Code of Companies and Associations, by provision 3.5 of the
2020 Belgian Corporate Governance Code and by the Board and
appoints him as independent director.
9.5. A) The General
Meeting renews the appointment of Mr. Albrecht De
Graeve (*) as director for a term of four years until the
close of the annual General Meeting of 2025.
B)
The General Meeting acknowledges that, from the information made
available to the Company, Mr. Albrecht De Graeve
qualifies as an independent director until the Annual General
Meeting of 2022 according to the independence criteria provided for
by article 7:87 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations,
by provision 3.5 of the 2020 Belgian Corporate Governance Code and
by the Board, and appoints him as independent director, until the
annual General Meeting of 2022.
9.6. A) The General
Meeting renews the appointment of Mrs. Viviane
Monges (*) as director for a term of four years until the
close of the annual General Meeting of 2025.
B)
The General Meeting acknowledges that, from the information made
available to the Company, Mrs. Viviane Monges
qualifies as an independent director according to the independence
criteria provided for by article 7:87 of the Belgian Code of
Companies and Associations, by provision 3.5 of the 2020 Belgian
Corporate Governance Code and by the Board, and appoints her as
independent director.
(*) Curriculum vitae and details are
available at
https://www.ucb.com/investors/UCB-shareholders/Shareholders-meeting-2021.
10. Appointment of
Statutory Auditor
The mandate of the Statutory Auditor,
PwC Bedrijfsrevisoren BCVBA / Réviseurs d'Entreprises SCCRL (PwC),
will expire at the end of this General Meeting. By
application of the European and Belgian mandatory rotation rules
applicable to external auditors, PwC is no longer eligible for
re-election as external Statutory Auditor. As a result, in
order to be compliant with the independence rules applicable
to the appointment of a new external auditor and in accordance
with Regulation (EU) No 537/2014 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on specific
requirements regarding statutory audit of public-interest
entities and the BCCA, UCB SA/NV conducted,
starting in 2018, a process to select a new Statutory Auditor
for the audit mandate starting immediately after the
General Meeting of 29 April 2021. The Audit Committee was overall
responsible for the selection procedure and ensured it
was conducted in a fair manner. For this purpose, and as per the
applicable regulation, a request for proposal tender process was
followed under the supervision of the Audit Committee. As a result
of this comprehensive process, the audit firm Mazars
Bedrijfsrevisoren – Réviseurs d’Entreprises CVBA – Avenue du
Boulevard 21, box 8, 1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
(Brussels) – Belgium (“Mazars”) was selected as the most suitable
candidate. Procedures were put in place to safeguard the
independence of Mazars during the 2 years preceding its formal
appointment by this General Meeting, in accordance with the
applicable independence rules.
Following
the above described process, upon recommendation of the Audit
Committee and presentation by the Company’s Works Councils (of 21
and 26 January 2021), the Board of Directors proposes to appoint
Mazars as its Statutory Auditor for a mandate of 3 years (legal
term). In accordance with the rules of the BCCA, the General
Meeting is competent for setting the annual fixed remuneration of
the Statutory Auditor and its remuneration is therefore also
proposed for approval by this General Meeting.
Proposed resolutions:
Upon recommendation of the Audit Committee and
presentation by the Works Councils, the General Meeting appoints
Mazars Bedrijfsrevisoren - Réviseurs d'Entreprises CVBA – having
its registered office at Avenue du Boulevard 21, box 8,
1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode (Brussels) – Belgium and with
company number 0428.837.889, as Statutory Auditor of the Company
for a term of three (3) years ending at the end of the General
Meeting that will resolve on the approval of the annual accounts
for the financial year ended 31 December 2023. The representative
currently designated by Mazars Bedrijfsrevisoren – Réviseurs
d’Entreprises is Mr. Anton Nuttens, registered auditor. The
Statutory Auditor’s annual fee for the audit of the annual accounts
of UCB SA/NV and the consolidated accounts, is fixed at EUR 415,000
(excl. VAT, out-of-pocket expenses and the IRE/IBR fee).
SPECIAL PART
11.
Long-Term Incentive Plans - Program of free allocation of
shares
This approval requested from the General
Meeting is not as such required by Belgian law but is sought in
order to ensure transparency and, as the case may be, compliance
with foreign law for certain jurisdictions where our Long-Term
Incentive Plans (LTI plans) are offered to our employees. For more
information on UCB’s LTI plans, please refer to the 2020
remuneration report. For the avoidance of doubt, UCB SA/NV confirms
that it covers all its obligations under the LTI Plans with
existing shares, i.e. through share buybacks, so there is no
dilution for existing shareholders of UCB SA/NV.
Proposed resolution:
The General Meeting approves the decision of the
Board of Directors to allocate an estimated number of 940,000 free
shares:
- of which an estimated number of 750,000 shares to eligible
employees under the Long-Term Inventive policy (LTI policy), namely
to 2,323 individuals, according to the applicable allocation
criteria. These free shares will only vest if and when the eligible
employees are still employed within the UCB Group three years after
the grant of the awards;
- of which an estimated number of 190,000 shares to eligible
employees under the Performance Share Plan, namely
to 143 individuals, according to the applicable allocation
criteria. These free shares will be delivered after a three-year
vesting period and the number of shares actually allocated will
vary from 0% to 150% of the number of shares initially granted
depending on the level of achievement of the performance conditions
set by the Board of UCB SA/NV at the moment of grant.
The estimated figures under a) and b) do not
take into account employees hired or promoted to eligible levels
between 1 January 2021 and 1 April 2021.
12. Change
of control provisions - art. 7:151 of the Belgian
Code of Companies and Associations
Pursuant to article 7:151 of the BCCA,
the General Meeting is solely competent to approve change of
control clauses whereby third parties are granted rights having a
substantial influence on the assets of the Company or causing a
substantial debt or undertaking for the Company, if the exercise of
such rights depends on the launch of a public takeover bid on the
shares of the Company or a change of control thereof.
12.1 EMTN
Program – renewal
UCB SA/NV has entered into a Euro
Medium Term Note Program dated 6 March 2013 for an amount of
€ 3 000 000 000, with last update of the Base Prospectus on 8
March 2021, whereby the amount was increased to € 5 000 000 000, as
this program may be further amended, extended or updated from time
to time (the “EMTN Program”). The terms of the
EMTN Program provide for a change of control clause - condition 5
(e) (i) - under which, for any of the Notes issued under the EMTN
Program where a change of control put is included in the relevant
final terms, any and all of the holders of such notes can, in
certain circumstances, require UCB SA/NV to redeem that Note,
following a change of control at the level of UCB SA/NV, upon
exercise of the change of control put, for a value equal to the put
redemption amount increased with, if appropriate, interest accrued
until the date of exercise of the change of control put (all as
more particularly described in the Base Prospectus of the EMTN
Program). In accordance with said article 7:151 of the Belgian Code
of Companies and Associations, this clause must be approved by the
General Meeting and it is hereby proposed to renew this approval
for any series of notes issued under the EMTN Program including
such clause during the next 12 months.
Proposed resolution:Pursuant to article 7:151 of the Belgian
Code of Companies and Associations, the General Meeting renews its
approval: (i) of condition 5 (e) (i) of the Terms and
Conditions of the EMTN Program (Redemption at the Option of
Noteholders – Upon a Change of Control (Change of Control Put)), in
respect of any series of notes to which such condition is made
applicable being issued under the Program from 30 April 2021 until
28 April 2022, under which any and all of the holders of the
relevant notes can, in certain circumstances when a change of
control at the level of UCB SA/NV occurs, require UCB SA/NV to
redeem that note on the change of control put date at the put
redemption amount together, if appropriate, with interest accrued
to such change of control put date, following a change of control
of UCB SA/NV; and (ii) of any other provision of the EMTN Program
or notes issued under the EMTN Program granting rights to third
parties which could affect an obligation on UCB SA/NV where in each
case the exercise of these rights is dependent on the occurrence of
a change of control.
***
USE OF LUMI’S AGM+ PLATFORM
Shareholders who wish to do so can complete, as further detailed
below, all participation formalities via Lumi's AGM+ platform:
https://lumiagm.com/. This platform also enables shareholders to
either vote by proxy prior to the General Meeting or to virtually
participate in and vote during the General Meeting. |
PARTICIPATION FORMALITIES
In order to participate in the General Meeting, shareholders
must comply with the following formalities:
1. Kindly note that all due dates and times mentioned herein are
the final deadlines and that these will not be extended due to a
weekend, holiday or for any other reason.
2. Registration Date: the
registration date is 15 April 2021, at 24:00
CEST.
- Owners of registered shares must be registered
as a shareholder in UCB SA/NV’s share register, held by Euroclear,
on 15 April 2021, at 24:00 CEST.
- Owners of dematerialized shares must be
registered as a shareholder on an account with a recognized account
holder or settlement institution on 15 April 2021, at 24:00
CEST.
3. Voting by proxy: shareholders are allowed to
be represented by a proxy holder at the General Meeting. Due to the
measures taken by our governments and public authorities
restricting gatherings, the proxies can only be given to a person
designated by the Company, as mentioned in the proxy form. The
proxy form approved by UCB SA/NV, which must be used to be
represented at the General Meeting, can be downloaded from
https://www.ucb.com/investors/UCB-shareholders/Shareholders-meeting-2021.
Shareholders must deposit or send these proxies, duly filled out
and signed, to UCB SA/NV’s registered office (c/o Mrs. Muriel Le
Grelle) or send them via e-mail to shareholders.meeting@ucb.com, in
such a way that they arrive at UCB at the very latest by 23
April 2021, 15:00 CEST. Scans by e-mail are allowed and
recommended, provided that the proxy holder produces the original
proxy at the latest prior to the General Meeting. Failure to comply
with these requirements may result in UCB SA/NV not acknowledging
the powers of the proxy holder.
For shareholders who choose to use the AGM+ platform, this platform
enables them to electronically complete and submit proxies. In that
case, no original must be provided prior to the General
Meeting. |
ONLY PERSONS HAVING NOTIFIED THEIR
INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE BY PROXY IN THE GENERAL MEETING AT THE
LATEST BY 23 APRIL 2021, 15:00 CEST AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
BELOW MENTIONED FORMALITIES WILL BE ALLOWED TO VOTE BY PROXY AT THE
GENERAL MEETING.
a. Owners of
registered shares must declare their intention to
participate in the General Meeting at the latest by 23
April 2021, 15:00 CEST. In the case of voting by proxy,
the proxy form will serve as declaration of the intention to
participate in the General Meeting.
For shareholders who choose to use the AGM+ platform, this platform
enables them to directly declare their intention to participate in
the General Meeting and to vote by proxy. |
b. Owners of
dematerialized shares must declare their intention
to participate in the General Meeting at the latest by 23
April 2021, 15:00 CEST. In the case of voting by proxy,
the proxy form will serve as declaration of the intention to
participate in the General Meeting, but owners of dematerialized
shares must always provide a certificate issued by a recognized
account holder or settlement institution evidencing their holding
of dematerialized shares on the registration date to UCB SA/NV (c/o
Mrs. Muriel Le Grelle) or via e-mail to
shareholders.meeting@ucb.com.
For shareholders who choose to use the AGM+ platform, this platform
allows the above-mentioned certificate of dematerialized shares to
be issued directly. |
4. Voting by virtually participating in the General
Meeting: as an alternative to voting by proxy,
shareholders who wish to do so can virtually participate in and
vote during the General Meeting, which will be broadcasted through
the AGM+ platform.
- Owners of registered shares must declare their
intention to participate in the General Meeting at the
latest by 23 April 2021, 15:00 CEST. The AGM+ platform
enables them to directly declare their intention to participate in
the General Meeting.
- Owners of dematerialized shares must declare
their intention to participate in the General Meeting at
the latest by 23 April 2021, 15:00 CEST. The AGM+ platform
enables them to directly declare their intention to participate in
the General Meeting. The AGM+ platform also allows the certificates
of dematerialized shares to be issued directly.
Importantly, shareholders who wish to use this participation
modality must first complete all above-mentioned participation
formalities directly through the AGM+ platform. These shareholders
will then receive the procedure and login details in order to
connect to the General Meeting. More information on the procedure
can be found on the website of Lumi: https://www.lumiglobal.com/,
as well on the website of UCB. |
The AGM+ platform allows shareholders to (i) be directly,
simultaneously and continuously informed of the discussions in the
General Meeting, (ii) exercise their right to vote on all matters
on which the General Meeting is called upon to decide and (iii)
participate in the deliberations and exercise their right to ask
questions during the General Meeting.
In accordance with article 7:137 of the BCCA, shareholders who
virtually participate in and vote during the General Meeting
through the AGM+ platform will be deemed to be present at the
meeting. The AGM+ platform allows the Company to verify the
capacity and identity of the shareholders.
As stated above, shareholders should make sure that the device and
the internet connection they are using to connect are adequate and
stable in order to virtually participate in the meeting on a proper
manner and enjoy all proposed functionalities. UCB SA/NV cannot be
held responsible should the shareholder encounter any connectivity
issues, technical failures or malfunction of equipment attributable
to his/her own internet connection and/or device. |
5. New agenda items and new
resolutions: in accordance with article 7:130 of the BCCA
and under certain conditions, one or more shareholder(s) holding
(together) at least 3% of the share capital of the Company may
request to add items to the agenda and may file resolution
proposals relating to the items on the agenda or to be added to the
agenda.
Such
request will only be valid if it is duly notified to UCB SA/NV’s
registered office in writing (c/o Mrs. Muriel Le Grelle) or via
shareholders.meeting@ucb.com at the latest by 7 April 2021,
15:00 CEST. An updated agenda will, if applicable, be
published on 14 April 2021. In such case, the Company will make an
updated proxy form available in order to allow shareholders to give
specific voting instructions thereon. The additional items on the
agenda and the proposed resolutions will only be discussed at the
General Meeting if this/these shareholder(s) holding (together) at
least 3% of the share capital of the Company has/have fulfilled the
admission formalities as detailed under points 3 and 4 above.
6. Written
questions in advance of the General Meeting: in accordance
with article 7:139 of the Belgian Code of Companies and
Associations and under certain conditions, shareholders are
entitled to submit questions in writing prior to the General
Meeting to the Board of Directors or the statutory auditor
regarding their reports or items on the agenda. The questions will
be answered during the General Meeting provided (i) the
shareholders concerned have complied with all required admission
formalities and (ii) any communication of information or fact in
response to such question does not prejudice the Company’s business
interests or the confidentiality undertaking of UCB SA/NV, its
directors and statutory auditor.
Questions can be sent in writing to UCB SA/NV’s registered
office or by e-mail to shareholders.meeting@ucb.com in a way that
they arrive at UCB by 23 April 2021, 15:00 CEST at
the latest.
For shareholders who choose to use the AGM+ platform, this platform
enables them to submit questions in writing in advance, subject to
the above-mentioned deadline. |
7. Available
documentation: as of the date of publication of this
notice, the documents to be presented at the General Meeting, the
(amended) agenda, and the (amended) proxy forms are available on
https://www.ucb.com/investors/UCB-shareholders/Shareholders-meeting-2021.
Due to the crisis of the Corona virus (Covid-19) and the measures
taken by our governments and public authorities imposing mandatory
homeworking, the shareholders will not be able to consult the
documents at UCB NV/SA’s registered office but may request to
receive a free hard copy of these documents.
The documents can also be accessed via the AGM+ platform. |
8. Privacy
notice: the Company is responsible for the processing of
the personal data it receives from shareholders, holders of other
securities issued by the Company (if any) and proxy holders in the
context of the General Meeting of the shareholders in accordance
with the applicable data protection legislation. The processing of
such personal data will in particular take place for the analysis
and management of the participation and voting procedure in
relation to the General Meeting of the shareholders, in accordance
with the applicable legislation and the Company’s Privacy Policy.
These personal data will be transferred to third parties for the
purpose of providing assistance in the management of participation
and voting procedures, and for analyzing the composition of the
shareholder base of the Company. The personal data will not be
stored any longer than necessary in light of the aforementioned
objectives. Shareholders, holders of other securities issued by the
Company and proxy holders can find the Company’s Privacy Policy on
the Company’s website. This Privacy Policy contains detailed
information regarding the processing of the personal data of, among
others, shareholders, holders of other securities issued by the
Company and proxy holders, including the rights that they can
assert towards the Company in accordance with the applicable data
protection legislation. The aforementioned can exercise their
rights with regard to their personal data provided to the Company
by contacting the Company’s Data Protection Officer via
‘dataprivacy@ucb.com’.
- 1. Convening notice AGM 29 April 2021 - ENG - (final) -
23.03.2021
UCB (EU:UCB)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
De Nov 2024 à Déc 2024
UCB (EU:UCB)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
De Déc 2023 à Déc 2024