Helsinki, 2011-02-18 11:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QPR SOFTWARE PLC STOCK EXCHANGE BULLETIN 18 FEBRUARY, 2011 AT 12.00 A.M.
NOTICE FOR ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING; THE PROPOSALS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Notice is hereby given to the shareholders of QPR Software Plc that the Annual Shareholders' Meeting will be held on Friday 18 March, 2011 starting at 1:00 p.m. at company's headquarters Huopalahdentie 24, 00350 Helsinki, Finland.
The following matters will be addressed at the meeting:
1. Matters to be submitted to the Annual Shareholders' Meeting pursuant to Companies Act and Article 9 of the Articles of Association
2. The Authorization of the Board of Directors to decide on a share issue and on an issue of special rights
The Board of Directors proposes that the Shareholders' Meeting would authorize the Board of Directors to decide on an issue new shares and conveyance of the own shares held by the company. The share issue can be carried out as a share issue against payment or without consideration.
The authorization also includes the right to issue special rights, in the meaning of Chapter 10 Section 1 of the Companies Act, which entitle to the company's new shares or the company's own shares held by the company against consideration.
The Board of Directors proposes that the authorization includes the right to deviate from the shareholders' pre-emptive subscription right.
The authorization shall be in force until the next Annual Shareholders' Meeting.
3. Authorization of the Board of Directors to decide on acquisition of own shares
The Board of Directors proposes that the Shareholders' Meeting would authorize the Board of Directors to decide on acquisition of the company's own shares. The Board of Directors proposes that the Shareholders' Meeting would decide on an authorization not excluding the right to decide on a directed acquisition.
The authorization shall be in force until the next Annual Shareholders' Meeting.
4. Payment of Dividend
The Board of Directors proposes to the Shareholders' Meeting that the company would pay dividend for the financial year January 1 - December 31, 2010, EUR 0.03 per share.
The dividend shall be paid to a shareholder that has been entered into the company's shareholders' register on the record date of the dividend payment on 23 March, 2011. The Board of Directors proposes to the Shareholders' Meeting that the dividend shall be paid on 1 April, 2011.
5. Amendment of Articles of Association
The board proposes to the Shareholders’ Meeting the Articles of the Association to be amended as follows:
Amend the provision on the notice of a Shareholders’ Meeting to the effect that the provisions on the publication date of the notice corresponds to the amended provisions of the Finnish Companies Act. The proposed provision of the Articles of Association is as follows:
8 § Notice for Shareholders’ Meeting
The notice of a Shareholders’ Meeting must be published on the website of the company and in a national newspaper specified by the Board of Directors no earlier than three months prior to the record date of the Meeting under Chapter 4, section 2, Subsection 2 of the Companies Act and no later than three weeks prior to the Meeting, provided that the date of the publication must be at least nine days prior to the aforesaid record date. To be able to participate in a Shareholders’ Meeting, a shareholder must register with the company no later than on the day mentioned in the notice of Meeting, which may be no earlier than ten (10) days before the Meeting.
The number and election of Board members
It has been brought to the Company´s attention that shareholders who represent 41.9% of the Company´s shares and votes will propose to the Annual Shareholders' Meeting that the number of Board members to be confirmed at four (4) and that Aino-Maija Gerdt, Jyrki Kontio, Vesa-Pekka Leskinen and Asko Piekkola be re-elected as Board members.
Documents
The proposals of the Board of Directors are published as stock exchange bulletin (appendix to the notice for annual shareholders' meeting). The financial statements shall be available for review by the shareholders on the website of the company www.qpr.com on 25 February, 2011. Copies of the proposals of the Board of Directors and of the financial statements shall be sent to a shareholder by request.
INSTRUCTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS
Participation and Registration
A shareholder of the company that has been entered into the company'sshareholders' register maintained by the Euroclear Finland Oy on 8 March, 2011, has the right to participate in the Shareholders' Meeting.
The shareholder willing to participate in the Shareholders' Meeting shall report the company of the participation on 10 March, 2011, at 4.00 p.m. at the latest, in writing to the address QPR Software Plc, Huopalahdentie 24, 00350 Helsinki, by phone to the number
+358 50 436 1658, or by email to the address ilmoittautumiset@qpr.com.
The letter or message of participation shall be at the destination prior to the expiry of the registration period. The possible proxies are asked to be delivered in connection with the registration to the address set forth above.
Right to request information
Pursuant to chapter 5, section 25 of the Company's Act, a shareholder who is present at the Annual General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the Meeting.
Proxy representative and powers of attorney
A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise his/her rights at the Meeting 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 Annual General Meeting. Should a shareholder participate in the meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different book-entry accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the Annual General Meeting. Possible proxy documents should be delivered in originals to QPR Software Plc, Huopalahdentie 24, 00350 Helsinki before or on the last date for registration.
Holders of nominee registered shares
Shareholders, who hold their shares under a name of a nominee, can temporarily be registered to the Register of Shareholders in order to attend the Meeting, if they have a right based on their shareholding, to be entered into the Register of Shareholders of QPR Software on 8 March, 2011, the record date of the Meeting. Notice of temporary registration must be made by 10.00 a.m. on 15 March, 2011.
A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request necessary instructions regarding the registration in the shareholder's register of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the General Meeting from his/her custodian bank.
Annual Report
QPR Software Plc's annual report 2010 will be published on Friday, 25 February, 2011 and will be available on the company's internet pages at www.qpr.com. Copies of annual report 2010 will also be available at company's headquarters Huopalahdentie 24, 00350 Helsinki, Finland (Tel. +358 40 737 2145/Jyrki Karasvirta).
Other information
On the date of this notice for the Annual General Meeting, the total number of shares and votes in QPR Software is 12,444,863.
In Helsinki 18 February, 2011
QPR SOFTWARE PLC
The Board of Directors
Additional information
Vesa-Pekka Leskinen
Chairman of the Board
QPR Software Plc
Tel. +358 40 500 9830
DISTRIBUTION
NASDAQOMX Helsinki Ltd
Main Media
Neither this press release nor any copy of it may be taken, transmitted into or distributed in the United States of America or its territories or possessions.
APPENDIX
PROPOSALS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO DECIDE ON A SHARE ISSUE AND ISSUE OF SPECIAL RIGHTS
The Board of Directors proposes that the Shareholders' Meeting of the Company to be held on 18 March, 2011 shall authorize the Board of Directors to decide on an issue of new shares and conveyance of the own shares held by the company(share issue) either in one or in several occasions. The share issue can be carried out as a share issue against payment or without consideration on terms to be determined by the Board of Directors.
The authorization also includes the right to issue special rights, in the meaning of Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Companies Act, which entitle to the company's new shares or the company's own shares held by the company against consideration.
- In the share issue and/or based on the special rights a maximum of 4,000,000 new shares can be issued and a maximum of 650,000 own shares held by the company can be conveyed;
- The authorization includes the right to deviate from the shareholders' pre-emptive subscription right;
- The authorization can be used against payment e.g. in order to strengthen the company's capital structure, to broaden the company's ownership, to be used as payment in corporate acquisitions or when the company acquires assets relating to its business and as part of the company's incentive programs or for financial reasons especially substantial for the Company;
- The authorization also includes the right to decide on the price of the shares and the terms and conditions on which the price is determined, as well as on distribution of shares against consideration in kind or set-off;
- The authorization includes the right to decide on a share issue without consideration to the company itself so that the amount of own shares held by the company after the share issue is a maximum of one-tenth (1/10) of all shares in the company. Pursuant to Chapter 15, Section 11, Subsection 1 of the Companies Act, all own shares held by the company and its subsidiaries are included in this amount;
- The authorization shall be in force until the next Annual Shareholders' Meeting; and
- Board of Directors is otherwise authorized to decide on all the conditions regarding the share issue and the issue of special rights.
AUTHORIZATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO DECIDE ON ACQUISITION OF OWN SHARES
The Board of Directors proposes that the Shareholders' Meeting of the company to be held on 18 March, 2011 shall authorize the Board of Directors to decide on an acquisition of own shares on the following conditions:
- Based on the authorization own shares may be acquired, either in one or in several occasions, the aggregate maximum amount of 250,000 shares;
- The company's own shares can be acquired in order to strengthen the company's capital structure, to be used as payment in corporate acquisitions or when the company acquires assets related to its business and as part of the company's incentive programs in a manner and to the extent decided by the Board of Directors, and to be transferred for other purposes or to be cancelled;
- The authorization includes the right to decide on a directed acquisition of the company's own shares pursuant to Chapter 15, Section 6, Subsection 1 of the Companies Act;
- The shares shall be acquired in a manner decided by the Board of Directors for the value formed to the shares in the public trading on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.
- The company's own shares may be acquired only with non-restricted equity;
- The authorization shall be in force until the next Annual Shareholders' Meeting; and
- The Board of Directors is otherwise authorized to decide on all the conditions regarding the acquisition of own shares.
PAYMENT OF DIVIDEND
The Board of Directors proposes to the Shareholders' Meeting that the company would pay dividend for the financial year January 1 - December 31, 2010, EUR 0.03 per share.
The dividend shall be paid to a shareholder that has been entered into the company's shareholders' register on the record date of the dividend payment on 23 March 2011. The Board of Directors proposes to the Shareholders' Meeting that the dividend shall be paid on 1 April, 2011.
AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
The board proposes to the Shareholders’ Meeting the Articles of the Association to be amended as follows:
Amend the provision on the notice of a Shareholders’ Meeting to the effect that the provisions on the publication date of the notice corresponds to the amended provisions of the Finnish Companies Act. The proposed provision of the Articles of Association is as follows:
8 § Notice for Shareholders’ Meeting
The notice of a Shareholders’ Meeting must be published on the website of the company and in a national newspaper specified by the Board of Directors no earlier than three months prior to the record date of the Meeting under Chapter 4, section 2, Subsection 2 of the Companies Act and no later than three weeks prior to the Meeting, provided that the date of the publication must be at least nine days prior to the aforesaid record date. To be able to participate in a Shareholders’ Meeting, a shareholder must register with the company no later than on the day mentioned in the notice of Meeting, which may be no earlier than ten (10) days before the Meeting.