Attached files
| file | filename |
|---|---|
| 8-K - 8-K - Trane Technologies plc | form8-k2013agm.htm |
| EX-10.2 - EXHIBIT - Trane Technologies plc | exhibit1022013isprsuagreem.htm |
| EX-10.1 - EXHIBIT - Trane Technologies plc | exhibit1012013ispoptionagr.htm |
| EX-10.3 - EXHIBIT - Trane Technologies plc | exhibit1032013isppsuagreem.htm |
Exhibit 3.1
COMPANIES ACTS 1963 TO 2006
A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
-of‑
INGERSOLL-RAND PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
(as amended by special resolution dated June 6, 2013)
PRELIMINARY
1. | The regulations contained in Table A in the First Schedule to the Companies Act, 1963 shall not apply to the Company. |
2. | (a) In these articles: |
"Act"…………………………… | means the Companies Act, 1963 (No. 3.3 of 1963) as amended by the Companies Acts 1977 to 2005 and Parts 2 and 3 of the Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2006, and all statutory instruments which are to be read as one with, or construed, or to be read together with the Companies Acts. |
"1983 Act"……………………. the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1983.
"1990 Act" ……………………. means the Companies Act 1990 (No. 33 of 1990).
"Acts"…………………………. | means the Companies Acts 1963 to 2005 and Parts 2 and 3 of the Investment Funds, Companies and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2006, and all statutory instruments which are to be read as one with, or construed, or to be read together with the Companies Acts. |
"address"……… | includes any number or address used for the purposes of communication by way of electronic mail or other electronic communication. |
"Assistant Secretary"……….. | means any person appointed by the Secretary from time to time to assist the Secretary. |
"Clear Days"…………………. | in relation to the period of notice, that period excluding the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect. |
"electronic communication"…… | has the meaning given to those words in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000. |
"electronic signature" ...…………. | has the meaning given to those words in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000. |
"Ordinary Resolution" ………….. | means an ordinary resolution of the Company's members within the meaning of Section 141 of the Act. |
"Redeemable Shares"………….means redeemable shares in accordance with Section 206 of the 1990 Act.
"Register" …………………….. | means the register of members to be kept as required in accordance with Section 116 of the Act. |
"Special Resolution" ………….. | means a special resolution of the Company's members within the meaning of Section 141 of the Act. |
"the Company"………………… | means the company whose name appears in the heading to these articles. |
"the Directors" or "the Board" ... | means the directors from time to time and for the time being of the Company or the directors present at a meeting of the board of directors and includes any person occupying the position of director by whatever name called |
"the Group"…………………… | means the Company and its subsidiaries from time to time and for the time being. |
"the Holder"…………………… | in relation to any share, the member whose name is entered in the Register as the holder of the share or, where the context permits, the members whose names are entered in the Register as the joint holders of shares. |
“the Office”…………………… | means the registered office from time to time and for the time being of the Company. |
"the seal"……………………..… | means the common seal of the Company. |
"The Secretary"………………… | means any person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary of the Company. |
"these articles" …………………. | means the articles of association of which this article 2 forms part, as the same may be amended and may be from time to time and for the time being in force. |
(b) | Expressions in these articles referring to writing shall be construed, unless the contrary intention appears, as including references to printing, lithography, photography and any other modes of representing or reproducing words in a visible form except as provided in these articles and/or where it constitutes writing in electronic form sent to the Company, and the Company has agreed to its receipt in such form. Expressions in these articles referring to execution of any document shall include any mode of execution whether under seal or under hand or any mode of electronic signature as shall be approved by the Directors. Expressions in these articles referring to receipt of any electronic communications shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be limited to receipt in such manner as the Company has approved. |
(c) | Unless the contrary intention appears, words or expressions contained in these articles shall bear the same meaning as in the Acts or in any statutory modification thereof in force at the date at which these articles become binding on the Company. |
(d) | References herein to any enactment shall mean such enactment as the same may be amended and may be from time to time and for the time being in force. |
(e) | The masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter, and vice versa, and the singular number shall include the plural, and vice versa, and words importing persons shall include firms or companies |
(f) | Reference to US$, USD, or dollars shall mean the currency of the United States of America and to €, euro, EUR or cent shall mean the currency of Ireland. |
SHARE CAPITAL AND VARIATION OF RIGHTS
3. | (a) The share capital of the Company is €40,000 and US$1,175,010,000 divided into 40,000 ordinary shares of €1 each, 1,175,000,000 ordinary shares of US$1.00 each and 10,000,000 preferred shares of US$0 001 each. |
(b) The rights and restrictions attaching to the ordinary shares shall be as follows:
(i) | subject to the right of the Company to set record dates for the purposes of determining the identity of members entitled to notice of and/or to vote at a general meeting and the authority of the Board and chairman of the meeting to maintain order and security, the right to attend any general meeting of the Company and to exercise one vote per ordinary share held at any general meeting of the Company: |
(ii) | the right to participate pro rata in all dividends declared by the Company: and |
(iii) | the right, in the event of the Company's winding up, to participate pro rata in the total assets of the Company. |
The rights attaching to the ordinary shares may be subject to the terms of issue of any series or class of preferred shares allotted by the Directors from time to time in accordance with article 3(c).
(c) | The Board is empowered to cause the preferred shares to be issued from time to time as shares of one or more series of preferred shares, and in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of shares of each particular series, before issuance, the Board is expressly authorised to fix: |
(i) | the distinctive designation of such series and the number of shares which shall constitute such series, which number may be increased (except as otherwise provided by the Board in creating such series) or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then in issue) from time to time by resolution of the Board; |
(ii) | the rate of dividends payable on shares of such series, whether or not and upon what conditions dividends on shares of such series shall be cumulative and, if cumulative, the date or dates from which dividends shall accumulate; |
(iii) | the terms, if any, on which shares of such series may be redeemed, including without limitation, the redemption price or prices for such series, which may consist of a redemption price or scale of redemption prices applicable only to redemption in connection with a sinking fund (which term as used herein shall include any fund or requirement for the periodic purchase or redemption of shares), and the same or a different redemption price or scale of redemption prices applicable to any other redemption; |
(iv) | the terms and amount of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of such series; |
(v) | the amount or amounts which shall be paid to the holders of shares of such series in case of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary; |
(vi) | the terms, if any, upon which the holders of shares of such series may convert shares thereof into shares of any other class or classes or of any one or more series of the same class or of another class or classes; |
(vii) | the voting rights, full or limited, if any, of the shares of such series; and whether or not and under what conditions the shares of such series (alone or together with the shares of one or more other series having similar provisions) shall be entitled to vote separately as a single class, for the election of one or more additional Directors of the Company in case of dividend arrears or other specified events, or upon other matters; |
(viii) | whether or not the holders of shares of such series, as such, shall have any preemptive or preferential rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of any class or series of shares of the Company, now or hereafter authorised, or any securities convertible into, or warrants or other evidences of optional rights to purchase or subscribe for, shares of any class or series of the Company, now or hereafter authorised; |
(ix) | whether or not the issuance of additional shares of such series, or of any shares of any other series, shall be subject to restrictions as to issuance, or as to the preferences, rights and qualifications of any such other series; and |
(x) | such other rights, preferences and limitations as may be permitted to be fixed by the Board of the Company under the laws of Ireland as in effect at the time of the creation of such series. |
The Board is authorised to change the designations, rights, preferences and limitations of any series of preferred shares theretofore established, no shares of which have been issued.
The rights conferred upon the Holder of any pre-existing shares in the share capital of the Company shall be deemed not to be varied by the creation, issue and allotment of preferred shares in accordance with this article 3.
(d) | An ordinary share shall be deemed to be a Redeemable Share on, and from the time of, the existence or creation of an agreement, transaction or trade between the Company and any third party pursuant to which the Company acquires or will acquire ordinary shares, or an interest in ordinary shares, from the relevant third party. In these circumstances, the acquisition of such shares, or an interest in such shares, by the Company shall constitute the redemption of a Redeemable Share in accordance with Part XI of the 1990 Act. |
4. | Subject to the provisions of Part XI of the 1990 Act and the other provisions of this article, the Company may: |
(a) | pursuant to Section 207 of the 1990 Act, issue any shares of the Company which are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the member on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by the Company in general meeting (by Special Resolution) on the recommendation of the Directors; or |
(b) | Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Acts and without prejudice to any relevant special rights attached to any class of shares pursuant to Section 211 of the 1990 Act, purchase any of its own shares (including any Redeemable Shares and without any obligation to purchase on any pro rata basis as between members or members of the same class) and may cancel any shares so purchased or hold them as treasury shares (as defined in Section 209 of the 1990 Act) and may reissue any such shares as shares of any class or classes. |
5. | Without prejudice to any special rights previously conferred on the Holders of any existing shares or class of shares or to the authority conferred on the Directors pursuant to article 3 to issue the preferred shares, any share in the Company may be issued with such preferred or deferred or other special rights or such restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise, as the Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution determine. |
6. | (a) Without prejudice to the authority conferred on the Directors pursuant to article 3 to issue shares in the capital of the Company, if at any lime the share capital is divided into different classes of shares the rights attached to any class or series may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the Holders of 75% of the shares then in issue of that class, or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the Holders of the shares of that class or series. To every such meeting the provisions of article 31 shall apply. |
(b) | The redemption or purchase of preferred shares or any class or series of preferred shares shall not constitute a variation of rights of the preferred Holders. |
(c) | The issue, redemption or purchase of any of the 10,000,000 preferred shares of US$0.001 shall not constitute a variation of the rights of the Holders of ordinary shares. |
(d) | The issue of preferred shares or any class or series of preferred shares which rank pari passu with, or junior to, any existing preferred shares or class of preferred shares shall not constitute a variation of the existing preferred shares or class of preferred shares. |
7. | The rights conferred upon the Holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith. |
8. | (a) Subject to the provisions of these articles relating to new shares, the shares shall be at the disposal of the Directors, and they may (subject to the provisions of the Acts) allot, grant options over or otherwise dispose of them to such persons, on such terms and conditions and at such times as they may consider to be in the best interests of the Company and its members. |
(b) | Subject to any requirement to obtain the approval of members under any laws, regulations or the rules of any stock exchange to which the Company is subject, the Board is authorised, from time to time, in its discretion, to grant such persons, for such periods and upon such terms as the Board deems advisable, options to purchase or subscribe for such number of shares of any class or classes or of any series of any class as the Board may deem advisable, and to cause warrants or other appropriate instruments evidencing such options to be issued. |
(c) | The Directors are, for the purposes of Section 20 of the 1983 Act, generally and unconditionally authorised to exercise all powers of the Company to allot and issue relevant securities (as defined by the said Section 20) up to the amount of Company's authorised share capital and to allot and issue any shares purchased by the Company pursuant to the provisions of Part XI of the 1990 Act and held as treasury shares and this authority shall expire five years from the date of adoption of these articles of association. |
(d) | The Directors are hereby empowered pursuant to sections 23 and 24(1) of the 1983 Act to allot equity securities within the meaning of the said section 23 for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by paragraph (c) of this article as if section 23(1) of the said 1983 Act did not apply to any such allotment. The Company may before the expiry of such authority make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if the power conferred by this paragraph (d) had not expired. |
(e) | Nothing in these articles shall preclude the Directors from recognising a renunciation of the allotment of any shares by any allottee in favour of some other person. |
9. | The Company may pay commission to any person in consideration of a person subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, for any shares in the Company or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional, for any shares in the Company on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may determine, including, without limitation, by paying cash or allotting and issuing fully or partly paid shares or any combination of the two. The Company may also, on any issue of shares, pay such brokerage as may be lawful. |
10. | Except as required by law, no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any share upon any trust, and the Company shall not be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any share or any interest in any fractional part of a share or (except only as by |
these articles or by law otherwise provided) any other rights in respect of any share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the Holder.
11. | No person shall be entitled to a share certificate in respect of any ordinary share held by them in the share capital of the Company, whether such ordinary share was allotted or transferred to them, and the Company shall not be bound to issue a share certificate to any such person entered in the Register. |
12. | The Company shall not give, whether directly or indirectly and whether by means of a loan, guarantee, the provision of security or otherwise, any financial assistance for the purpose of or in connection with a purchase or subscription made or to be made by any person of or for any shares in the Company or in its holding company, except as permitted by section 60 of the Act. |
TRANSFER OF SHARES
13. | (a) The instrument of transfer of any share may be executed for and on behalf of the transferor by the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary or more person(s) (whether an individual, body corporate, officeholder or firm) that the Secretary or Assistant Secretary nominates for that purpose from time to time (whether in respect of specific transfers or pursuant to a general standing authorisation), and the Secretary, Assistant Secretary or a relevant nominee shall be deemed to have been irrevocably appointed agent for the transferor of such share or shares with full power to execute, complete and deliver in the name of and on behalf of the transferor of such share or shares all such transfers of shares held by the members in the share capital of the Company. Any document which records the name of the transferor, the name of the transferee, the class and number of shares agreed to be transferred and the date of the agreement to transfer shares, shall, once executed by the transferor or the Secretary, Assistant Secretary or a relevant nominee as agent for the transferor, be deemed to be a proper instrument of transfer for the purposes of Section 81 of the Act.. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the Holder of the share until the name of the transferee is entered on the Register in respect thereof, and neither the title of the transferee nor the title of the transferor shall be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale should the Directors so determine. |
(b) | The Company, at its absolute discretion, may, or may procure that a subsidiary of the Company shall, pay Irish stamp duty arising on a transfer of shares on behalf of the transferee of such shares of the Company. If stamp duty resulting, from the transfer of shares in the Company which would otherwise be payable by the transferee is paid by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company on behalf of the transferee, then in those circumstances, the Company shall, on its behalf or on behalf of its subsidiary (as the case may be), be entitled to (i) seek reimbursement of the stamp duty from the transferor or transferee (at its discretion), (ii) set-off the stamp duty against any dividends payable to the transferor or transferee (at its discretion) and (iii) to claim a first and permanent lien on the shares on which stamp duty has been paid by the Company or its subsidiary for the amount of stamp duty paid. The Company's lien shall extend to all dividends paid on those shares |
(c) | Notwithstanding the provisions of these articles and subject to any regulations made under Section 239 of the 1990 Act, title to any shares in the Company may also be evidenced and transferred without a written instrument in accordance with Section 239 of the 1990 Act or any regulations made thereunder. The Directors shall have power to permit any class of shares to be held in uncertificated form and to implement any arrangements they think fit for such evidencing and transfer which accord with such regulations and in particular shall, where appropriate, be entitled to disapply or modify all or part of the provisions in these articles with respect to the requirement for written instruments of transfer and share certificates (if any), in order to give effect to such regulations. |
14. | Subject to such of the restrictions of these articles and to such of the conditions of issue of any share warrants as may be applicable, the shares of any member and any share warrant may be transferred by instrument in writing in any usual or common form or any other form which the Directors may approve. |
15. | The Directors may decline to recognise any instrument of transfer unless the instrument of transfer is in respect of one class of share only. |
16. | If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within two months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company, send to the transferee notice of the refusal. |
17. | (a) The Directors may from time to time fix any date as the record date for the purposes of determining the rights of members to notice of and/or to vote at any general meeting of the Company: provided that such record shall not be more than sixty days before the date of such general meeting. If no record date is fixed by the Directors, the record date for determining members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the members shall be the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given. Unless the Directors determine otherwise, a determination of members of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of members shall apply to any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. |
(b) | In order that the Directors may determine the members entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the members entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of shares, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix any date as the record date: provided that such record date shall not be more than sixty days before the date of such action.. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining members for such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Directors adopt the resolution relating thereto. |
18. | Registration of transfers may be suspended at such times and for such period, not exceeding in the whole 30 days in each year, as the Directors may from time to time determine subject to the requirements of Section 121 of the Act. |
19. | All instruments of transfer shall upon their being lodged with the Company remain the property of the Company and the Company shall be entitled to retain them. |
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
20. | In the case of the death of a member, the survivor or survivors where the deceased was a joint Holder, and the personal representatives of the deceased where he was a sole Holder, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his interest in the shares: but nothing herein contained shall release the estate of a deceased joint Holder from any liability in respect of any share which had been jointly held by him with other persons. |
21. | Any person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member may, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time properly be required by the Directors and subject as herein provided, elect either to be registered himself as Holder of the share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the transferee thereof, but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the shares by that member before his death or bankruptcy, as the case may be. |
22. | If the person so becoming entitled elects to be registered himself, he shall deliver or send to the Company a notice in writing signed by him stating that he so elects. If he elects to have another person registered, he shall testify his election by executing to that person a transfer of the share. All the limitations, restrictions and provisions of these regulations relating to the right to transfer and the registration of transfers of shares shall be applicable to any such notice or transfer as aforesaid as if the death or bankruptcy of the member had not occurred and the notice of transfer were a transfer signed by that member. |
23 | A person becoming entitled to a share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the Holder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Holder of the share, except that he shall not, before being registered as a member in respect of the share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to the meetings of the Company, so, however, that the Directors may at any time give notice requiring such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the share, and if the notice is not complied with within 90 days, the Directors may thereupon withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other moneys payable in respect of the share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with. |
ALTERATION OF CAPITAL
24. | The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the authorised share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such amount, as the resolution shall prescribe. |
25. | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
(a) | consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into shares of larger amount than its existing shares: |
(b) | subdivide its existing shares, or any of them, into shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the memorandum of association subject, nevertheless, to section 68(1)(d) of the Act: or |
(c) | cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and reduce the amount of its authorised share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled. |
26. | The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital, any capital redemption reserve fund or any share premium account in any manner and with and subject to any incident authorised, and consent required, by law. |
27. | Whenever as a result of an alternation or reorganisation of the share capital of the Company any members would become entitled to fractions of a share, the Directors may, on behalf of those members, sell the shares representing the fractions for the best price reasonably obtainable to any person and distribute the proceeds of sale in due proportion among those members, and the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The transferee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings in reference to the sale |
GENERAL MEETINGS
28. | The Company shall in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting in addition to any other meeting in that year, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Not more than fifteen months shall elapse between the date of one annual general meeting of the Company and that of the next. Subject to Section 140 of the Act, all general meetings of the Company may be held outside of Ireland. |
29. | All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. |
30. | (a) The Chairman or the Board by vote of a majority of the Board may convene an extraordinary general meeting |
(b) | Extraordinary general meetings shall also be convened on such requisition, or in default by such requisitionists, as provided in section 132 of the Act. |
31. | All provisions of these articles relating to general meetings of the Company shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to every separate general meeting of the Holders of any class or series of shares in the capital of the Company, except that: |
(a) | the necessary quorum shall be two or more persons holding or representing by proxy (whether or not such Holder actually exercises his voting rights in whole, in part or at all at the relevant general meeting) at least one-third in nominal value of the issued shares of the class or series or, at any adjourned meeting of such Holders, one Holder present in person or by proxy, whatever the amount of his holding, shall be deemed to constitute a meeting; |
(b) | any Holder of shares of the class or series present in person or by proxy may demand a poll; and |
(c) | on a poll, each Holder of shares of the class or series shall have one vote in respect of every share of the class held by him. |
32. | A Director shall be entitled, notwithstanding that he is not a member, to attend and speak at any general meeting and at any separate meeting of the Holders of any class of shares in the Company. |
33. | (a) The Board may, in its absolute discretion, authorise the Secretary to postpone any general meeting called in accordance with the provisions of these articles (other than a meeting requisitioned under article 30(b) of these articles or the postponement of which would be contrary to the Acts or a court order pursuant to the Acts) if the Board considers that, for any reason, it is impractical or unreasonable to hold the general meeting, provided that notice of postponement is given to each member before the time for such meeting. Fresh notice of the date, time and place for the postponed meeting shall be given to each member in accordance with the provisions of these articles, |
(b) | The Board may, in its absolute discretion, authorise the Secretary to cancel any general meeting called in accordance with the provisions of these articles (other than a meeting requisitioned under article 30(b) of these articles or the cancellation of which would be contrary to the Acts or a court order pursuant to the Acts) if the Board considers that, for any reason, it is impractical or unreasonable to hold the general meeting, provided that notice of cancellation is given to each member before the time for such meeting. |
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
33. | (a) Subject to the provisions of the Acts allowing a general meeting to be called by shorter notice, an annual general meeting, and an extraordinary general meeting called for the passing of a special resolution, shall be called by not more than sixty Clear Days' notice and not less than twenty-one Clear Days' notice and all other extraordinary general meetings shall be called by not more than sixty Clear Days' notice and not less than fourteen Clear Days' notice. |
(b) | Any notice convening a general meeting shall specify the time and place of the meeting and, in the case of special business, the general nature of that business and, in reasonable prominence, that a member entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend, speak and vote in his place and that a proxy need not be a member of the Company. It shall also give particulars of any Directors who are to retire at the meeting and of any persons who are recommended by the Directors for appointment or re-appointment as Directors at the meeting or in respect of whom notice has been duly given to the Company of the intention to propose them for appointment or re-appointment as Directors at the meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the latter requirement shall only apply where the intention to propose the person has been received by the Company in accordance with the provisions of these articles, Subject to any restrictions imposed on any shares, the notice of the meeting shall be given to all the members of the Company as of the record date set by the Directors and to the Directors and the Auditors. |
(c) | The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at the meeting. |
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
35. | All business shall be deemed special that is transacted at an extraordinary general meeting, and also all that is transacted at an annual general meeting, with the exception of declaring a dividend, the consideration of the accounts, balance sheets and the reports of the Directors and auditors, the election of Directors, the re-appointment of the retiring auditors and the fixing of the remuneration of the auditors. |
36. | (a) At any annual general meeting only such business shall be conducted as shall have been brought before the meeting (i) by or at the direction of the Board or (ii) by any member entitled to vote at such meeting who complies with the procedures set forth in this article. |
(b) | Any member entitled to vote at any annual general meeting may propose business to be included in the agenda of such meeting only if written notice of such member's intent is given to the Secretary of the Company, either by personal delivery or mail or by facsimile, not later than 90 days in advance of the anniversary of the immediately preceding annual general meeting or if the date of the annual general meeting of members occurs more than 30 days before or 60 days after the anniversary of such immediately preceding annual general meeting, not later than the close of business on the seventh day following the date on which notice of such meeting is given to members. A member's notice to the Secretary shall set forth in writing as to each matter such member proposes to bring before the annual general meeting (1) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual general meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual general meeting, (ii) the name and address, as they appear on the Company's books, of the members proposing such business, (iii) the class and number of shares of the Company which are beneficially owned by the member and (iv) any material interest of the member in such business. Notwithstanding anything in these articles to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at an annual general meeting except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this article. The Chairman or other person presiding at the annual general meeting shall, if the facts so warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with the provisions of this subparagraph, and, if such Chairman or other person should so determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted. |
(c) | Any member entitled to vote for the election of Directors at a meeting or to express a consent in writing without a meeting may nominate a person or persons for election as a Director only if written notice of such member's intent to make such nomination is given to the Secretary of the Company, either by personal delivery, mail or facsimile not later than (i) with respect to an election to be held at an annual general meeting of members, 90 days in advance of the anniversary of the immediately preceding annual general meeting or if the date of the annual general meeting of members occurs more than 30 days before or 60 days after the anniversary of such immediately preceding annual general meeting, not later than the close of business on the seventh day following the date on which notice of such meeting is given to members and (ii) in the case of any member who wishes to nominate a person or persons for election as a Director pursuant to consents in writing by members without |
a meeting (to the extent election by such consents is permitted under applicable law and these articles), 60 days in advance of the date on which materials soliciting such consents are first mailed to members or, if no such materials are required to be mailed under applicable law, 60 days in advance of the date on which the first such consent in writing is executed. Each such notice shall set forth the name and address of the member who intends to make the nomination and of the person or persons to be nominated for election as a Director, a representation that the member is a holder of record of shares of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting or to express such consent in writing and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person or persons specified in the notice or to execute such a consent in writing to elect such person or persons as a Director, a description of all arrangements or understandings between the member and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations for election as a Director are to be made by the member, such other information regarding each nominee proposed by such member as would have been required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission if such nominee had been nominated, or was intended to be nominated, for election as a Director by the Board, and the consent of each nominee to serve as a Director if so elected. The Board may refuse to acknowledge the nomination of any person not made in compliance with the foregoing procedures.
37. | Except as otherwise provided by law, at any extraordinary general meeting only such business shall be conducted as is set forth in the notice thereof or otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board. |
38. | Except as otherwise provided by law, the memorandum of association or these articles, the chairman of the meeting shall have the power to determine whether a nomination or any other business proposed to be brought before a general meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with these articles and, if any proposed nomination or other business is not in compliance with these articles, to declare that no action shall be taken on such nomination or other proposal and such nomination or other proposal shall be disregarded. |
39. | No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. The Holders of shares, present in person or by proxy (whether or not such Holder actually exercises his voting rights in whole, in part or at all at the relevant general meeting), entitling them to exercise a majority of the voting power of the Company on the relevant record date shall constitute a quorum. |
40. | If the holders of the number of shares necessary to constitute a quorum shall fail to attend in person or by proxy at the time and place fixed by these articles for a general meeting, a majority in interest of the members present, in person or by proxy, may adjourn from time to time without notice other than announcement at the meeting until the holders of the amount of shares requisite to constitute a quorum shall attend. At any such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified. |
41 | The Chairman, if any, of the Board, shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company, or if there is no such Chairman, or if he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
42. | If at any meeting no Director is willing to act as Chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
43. | The Chairman of the meeting may, with the consent of a majority of the members, in any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed), adjourn the meeting. Unless the meeting is adjourned to a specific date and time, fresh notice of the date, time and place for the resumption of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each member in accordance with the provisions of these articles. |
44 | At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by: |
(a) | the Chairman; or |
(b) | by at least three members present in person or by proxy; or |
(c) | by any member or members present in person or by proxy and representing not less than one-tenth of the total voting rights of all the members having the right to vote at the meeting: or |
(d) | by a member or members holding shares in the Company conferring the right to vote at the meeting being shares on which an aggregate sum has been paid up equal to not less than one-tenth of the total sum paid up on all the shares conferring that right. |
Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the Chairman that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book containing the minutes of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution.
The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.
45. | Except as provided in article 46, if a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the Chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded. |
46. | A poll demanded on the election of the Chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the meeting directs, and any business other than that on which a poll has been demanded may be proceeded with pending the taking of the poll. |
47. | Subject to section 141 of the Act, a resolution in writing signed by all of the members for the time being entitled to attend and vote on such resolution at a general meeting (or being bodies corporate by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective for all purposes as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more persons, and if described as a special resolution shall be deemed to be a special resolution within the meaning of the Act. Any such resolution shall be served on the Company. |
48. | The Board may, and at any general meeting, the chairman of such meeting may make any arrangement and impose any requirement or restriction it or he considers, appropriate to ensure the security of a general meeting including, without limitation, requirements for evidence of identity to be produced by those attending the meeting, the searching of their personal property and the restriction of items that may be taken into the meeting place. The Board and, at any general meeting, the chairman of such meeting are entitled to refuse entry to a person who refuses to comply with any such arrangements, requirements or restrictions. |
49. | (a) The Board may make such arrangements as it considers appropriate to enable the members to participate in any general meeting by means of electronic or other communication facilities, so as to permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously, and participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such meeting, |
(b) | The Board may, and at any general meeting, the chairman of such meeting may make any arrangement and impose any requirement as may be reasonable for the purpose of verifying the identity of members participating by way of electronic or other communication facilities, as described in sub-paragraph (a) of this article. |
VOTES OF MEMBERS
50. | Subject to any special rights or restrictions as to voting for the time being attached by or in accordance with these articles to any class of shares, on a show of hands every member present in person and every proxy shall have one vote, but so that no one member shall on a show of hands have more than one vote in respect of the aggregate number of shares of which he is the Holder, and on a poll every member who is present in person or by proxy shall have one vote for each share of which he is the Holder. |
51. | When there are joint Holders, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint Holders: and for this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register. |
52. | A member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction (whether in Ireland or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder, may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, receiver, guardian or other person appointed by that court and any such committee, receiver, guardian or other person may vote by proxy on a show of hands or on a poll. Evidence to the satisfaction of the Directors of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote shall be received at the Office or at such other address as is specified in accordance with these articles for the receipt of appointments of proxy, not less than forty-eight hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the right to vote is to be exercised and in default the right to vote shall not be exercisable. |
53. | No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered, and every vote not disallowed at such meeting shall be valid for all purposes. Any such objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman of the meeting, whose decision shall be final and conclusive. |
54. | Votes may be given either personally or by proxy. |
55. | (a) Every member entitled to attend and vote at a general meeting may appoint a proxy to attend, speak and vote on his behalf and may appoint more than one proxy to attend, speak and vote at the same meeting. The appointment of a proxy shall be in any form which the Directors may approve and, if required by the Company, shall be signed by or on behalf of the appointor. In relation to written proxies, a body corporate may sign a form of proxy under its common seal or under the hand of a duly authorised officer thereof or in such other manner as the Directors may approve A proxy need not be a member of the Company. The appointment of a proxy in electronic or other form shall only be effective in such manner as the Directors may approve. |
(b) | Without limiting the foregoing, the Directors may from time to time permit appointments of a proxy to be made by means of a telephonic, electronic or internet communication or facility and may in a similar manner permit supplements to, or amendments or revocations of, any such telephonic, electronic or internet communication or facility to be made.. The Directors may in addition prescribe the method of determining the time at which any such telephonic, electronic or Internet communication or facility is to be treated as received by the Company. The Directors may treat any such telephonic, electronic or Internet communication or facility which purports to be or is expressed to be sent on behalf of a Holder of a share as sufficient evidence of the authority of the person sending that instruction to send it on behalf of that Holder. |
56. | Any body corporate which is a member of the Company may authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of members of the Company and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the body corporate which he represents as that body corporate could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company. The Company may require evidence from the body corporate of the due authorisation of such person to act as the representative of the relevant body corporate. |
57. | An appointment of proxy relating to more than one meeting (including any adjournment thereof) having once been received by the Company for the purposes of any meeting shall not require to be delivered, deposited or received again by the Company for the purposes of any subsequent meeting to which it relates. |
58. | Receipt by the Company of an appointment of proxy in respect of a meeting shall not preclude a member from attending and voting at the meeting or at any adjournment thereof. An appointment proxy shall be valid, unless the contrary is stated therein, as well for any adjournment of the meeting as for the meeting to which it relates. |
59. | (a) A vote given or poll demanded in accordance with the terms of an appointment of proxy or a resolution authorising a representative to act on behalf of a body corporate shall be valid notwithstanding the death or insanity of the principal, or the revocation of the appointment of proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was appointed or of the resolution authorising the representative to act or transfer of the share in respect of which the proxy was appointed or the authorisation of the representative to act was given, provided that no intimation in writing (whether in electronic form or otherwise) of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer shall have been received by the Company at the Office, at least one hour before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the appointment of proxy is used or at which the representative acts PROVIDED HOWEVER, that where such intimation is given in electronic form it shall have been received by the Company at least 24 hours (or such lesser time as the Directors may specify) before the commencement of the meeting. |
(b) | The Directors may send, at the expense of the Company, by post, electronic mail or otherwise, to the members forms for the appointment of a proxy (with or without stamped envelopes for their return) for use at any general meeting or at any class meeting, either in blank or nominating any one or more of the Directors or any other persons in the alternative. |
60. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll. |
DIRECTORS
61. | The number of Directors shall not be less than two nor more than twenty. The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, provided that if the number of the Directors is reduced below the prescribed minimum the remaining Director or Directors shall appoint forthwith an additional Director or additional Directors to make up such minimum or shall convene a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment, If, at any annual general meeting of the Company, the number of Directors is reduced below the prescribed minimum due to the failure of any Directors to be re-elected, then in those circumstances, the two Directors which receive the highest number of votes in favour of re-election shall be re-elected and shall remain Directors until such time as additional Directors have been appointed to replace |
them as Directors. If, at any annual general meeting of the Company, the number of Directors is reduced below the prescribed minimum in any circumstances where one Director is re-elected, then that Director shall hold office until the next annual general meeting and the Director which (excluding the re-elected Director) receives the highest number of votes in favour of re-election shall be re-elected and shall remain a Director until such lime as one or more additional Directors have been appointed to replace him or her. If there be no Director or Directors able or willing to act then any two members may summon a general meeting for the purpose of appointing Directors Any additional Director so appointed shall hold office (subject to the provisions of the Acts and these articles) only until the conclusion of the annual general meeting of the Company next following such appointment unless he is re-elected during such meeting.
62. Each Director shall be paid a fee for the services at such rate as may from time to time be determined by the Board. The Directors may also be paid all traveling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in attending and returning from meetings of the Directors or any committee of the Directors or general meetings of the Company or in connection with the business of the Company.
63. | If any Director shall be called upon to perform extra services which in the opinion of the Directors are outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a Director, the Company may remunerate such Director either by a fixed sum or by a percentage of profits or otherwise as may be determined by a resolution passed at a meeting of the Directors and such remuneration may be either in addition to or in substitution for any other remuneration to which he may be entitled as a Director. |
64. | No shareholding qualification for Directors shall be required. A Director who is not a member of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to attend and speak at general meetings. |
65. | Unless the Company otherwise directs, a Director of the Company may be or become a Director or other officer of, or otherwise interested in, any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as Holder or otherwise, and no such Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a Director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company. |
BORROWING POWERS
66. | Subject to Part III of the 1983 Act, the Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company' to borrow or raise money, and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property, assets and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock and other securities whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party, without any limitation as to amount. |
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE DIRECTORS
67. The business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in promoting and registering the Company and may exercise all such powers of the Company as are not, by the Acts or by these articles, required to be exercised by the Company in general meeting, subject, nevertheless, to any of these articles and to the provisions of the Acts.
68. The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney appoint any company, firm or person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney may contain such provisions for the protection of persons dealing with any such attorney as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such attorney to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.
69. | The Company may exercise the powers conferred by Section 41 of the Act with regard to having an official seal for use abroad and such powers shall be vested in the Directors.. |
70. | (a) A Director shall be entitled (in the absence of some other material interest than is indicated below) to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of any resolutions concerning any of the following matters, namely: |
(i) | the giving of any security, guarantee or indemnity to him in respect of money lent by him to the Company or any of its subsidiary or associated companies or obligations incurred by him or by any other person at the request of or for the benefit of the Company or any of its subsidiary or associated companies: |
(ii) | the giving of any security, guarantee or indemnity to a third party in respect of a debt or obligation of the Company or any of its subsidiary or associated companies for which he himself has assumed responsibility in whole or in part and whether alone or jointly with others under a guarantee or indemnity or by the giving of security: |
(iii) | any proposal concerning any offer of shares or debentures or other securities of or by the Company or any of its subsidiary or associated companies for subscription, purchase or exchange in which offer he is or is to be interested as a participant in the underwriting or sub-underwriting thereof; |
(iv) | any proposal concerning any other company in which he is interested, directly or indirectly and whether as an officer or member or otherwise howsoever, provided that he is not the Holder of or beneficially interested in 1% or more of the issued shares of any class of such company or of the voting rights available to members of such company (or of a third company through which his interest is derived) (any such interest being deemed for the purposes of this article to be a material interest in all circumstances): |
(v) | any proposal concerning the adoption, modification or operation of a superannuation fund or retirement benefits scheme under which he may benefit and which has been approved by or is subject to and conditional upon approval for taxation purposes by the appropriate Revenue authorities: |
(vi) | any proposal concerning the adoption, modification or operation of any scheme for enabling employees (including full time executive Directors) of the Company and/or any subsidiary thereof to acquire shares in the Company or any arrangement for the benefit of employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under which the Director benefits or may benefit: or |
(vii) | any proposal concerning the giving of any indemnity pursuant to article 117 or the discharge of the cost of any insurance coverage purchased or maintained pursuant to article 76 and article 117(c). |
(b) | Where proposals are under consideration concerning the appointment (including fixing or varying the terms of appointment) of two or more Directors to offices or employments with the Company or any company in which the Company is interested, such proposals may be divided and considered in relation to each Director separately and in such case each of the Directors concerned (if not debarred from voting under sub-paragraph (a) (iv) of this article) shall be entitled to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of each resolution except that concerning his own appointment. |
(c) | If a question arises at a meeting of Directors or of a committee of Directors as to the materiality of a Director's interest or as to the right of any Director to vote and such question is not resolved by his voluntarily agreeing to abstain from voting, such question may be referred, before the conclusion of the meeting, to the chairman of the meeting and his ruling in relation to any Director other than himself shall be final and conclusive. In relation to the Chairman, such question may be resolved by a resolution of a majority of the Directors (other than the Chairman) present at the meeting at which the question first arises. |
(d) | For the purposes of this article, an interest of a person who is the spouse or a minor child of a Director shall be treated as an interest of the Director. |
(e) | The Company by Ordinary Resolution may suspend or relax the provisions of this article to any extent or ratify any transaction not duly authorised by reason of a contravention of this article. |
71. | A Director may hold and be remunerated in respect of any other office or place of profit under the Company or any other company in which the Company may be interested (other than the office of auditor of the Company or any subsidiary thereof) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine, and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting or being interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract or arrangement with the Company or any such other company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profits and advantages accruing to him from any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established. |
72. | The Directors may exercise the voting powers conferred by shares of any other company held or owned by the Company in such manner in all respects as they think fit and in particular they may exercise their voting powers in favour of any resolution appointing the Directors or any of them as Directors or officers of such other company or providing for the payment of remuneration or pensions to the Directors or officers of such other company. |
73. | Any Director may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director, but nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor to the Company. |
74. | All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and all receipts for money paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed, as the case may be, by such person or persons and in such manner as the Directors shall from time to time by resolution determine. |
75. | The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books provided for the purpose: |
(a) | of all appointments of officers made by the Directors: |
(b) | of the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and |
(c) | of all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company and of the Directors and of committees of Directors. |
76. | The Directors may procure the establishment and maintenance of or participate in, or contribute to any non-contributory or contributory pension or superannuation fund, scheme or arrangement or life assurance scheme or arrangement for the benefit of, and pay, provide for or procure the grant of donations, gratuities, pensions, allowances, benefits or emoluments to any persons (including Directors or other officers) who are or shall have been at any time in the employment or service of the Company or of any company which is or was a subsidiary of the Company or of the predecessor in business of the Company or any such subsidiary or holding Company and the wives, widows, families, relatives or dependants of any such persons.. The Directors may also procure the establishment and subsidy of or subscription to and support of any institutions, associations, clubs, funds or trusts calculated to be for the benefit of any such persons as aforesaid or otherwise to advance the interests and well being of the Company or of any such other Company as aforesaid. or its members, and payments for or towards the insurance of any such persons as aforesaid and subscriptions or guarantees of money for charitable or benevolent objects or for any exhibition or for any public, general or useful object. Provided that any Director shall be entitled to retain any benefit received by him under this article, subject only, where the Acts require, to disclosure to the members and the approval of the Company in general meeting. |
DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS
77. | The office of a Director shall be vacated ipso facto if the Director: |
(a) | is restricted or disqualified to act as a Director under the provisions of Part VII of the 1990 Act: or |
(b) | resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company or in writing offers to resign and the Directors resolve to accept such offer; or |
(c) | is or becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his or her creditors generally; or |
(d) | is or becomes of unsound mind or dies; or |
(e) | is removed from office under article 82. |
APPOINTMENT, ROTATION AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS
78. | At every annual general meeting of the Company, all of the Directors shall retire from office unless re-elected by Ordinary Resolution at the annual general meeting. A Director retiring at a meeting shall retain office until the close or adjournment of the meeting. |
79. | Every Director nominated for re-election by the Board shall be eligible to stand for re-election at an annual general meeting. |
80 | If a Director nominated for re-election by the Board offers himself for re-election, he shall be deemed to have been re-elected. unless at such meeting the Ordinary Resolution for the re-election of such Director has been defeated. |
81. | The Company may from time to time by Special Resolution increase or reduce the maximum number of Directors. |
82. | The Company may, by Ordinary Resolution, of which extended notice has been given in accordance with section 142 of the Act, remove any Director before the expiration of his period of office notwithstanding anything in these regulations or in any agreement between the Company and such Director. Such removal shall be without prejudice to any claim such Director may have for damages for breach of any contract of service between him and the Company. |
83. | The Company may, by Ordinary Resolution, appoint another person in place of a Director removed from office under article 82 and without prejudice to the powers of the Directors under article 61 the Company in general meeting by Ordinary Resolution may appoint any person to be a Director either to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional Director, subject to the maximum number of Directors set out in article 61. |
84. | The Directors may appoint a person who is willing to act to be a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director, provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with these articles as the maximum number of Directors. A Director so appointed shall hold office only until the next following annual general meeting. If not re-appointed at such annual general meeting, such Director shall vacate office at the conclusion thereof. |
PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
85. | (a) The quorum necessary for the transaction of business at all meetings of the Board shall be a majority of the Directors then in office. If at any meeting of the Board there be less than a quorum present, a majority of those present or any Director solely present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice. |
(b) | Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at such times and intervals as the Board may from lime to time determine. |
(c) | Special meetings of the Board shall be held on the requisition of the Chairman, if there is one, or if not, by 331/3% of the Directors then in office. |
(d) | Directors may participate in any meeting of the Board by means of such telephone, electronic or other communication facilities as permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other simultaneously and instantaneously, and participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at such meeting. |
(e) | Unless a greater number is expressly required by law or these articles, the affirmative votes of a majority of the votes cast by the Directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is in attendance shall be the act of the Board or a committee thereof, as appropriate. At any time that these articles provide that Directors elected by the holders of a class or series of shares shall have more or less than one vote per Director on any matter, every reference in these articles to a majority or other proportion of Directors shall refer to a majority or other proportion of the votes of such Directors. |
86. | The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their number but, if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to that number or of summoning a general meeting of the Company but for no other purpose. |
87. | Unless other wise agreed by a majority of those attending and entitled to attend and vote thereat, the Chairman, if there be one, shall act as chairman at all meetings of the Board, or in the absence of the Chairman, a chairman shall be appointed or elected by those present at the meeting and entitled to vote. |
88. | The Board may from time to time designate committees of the Board, with such powers and duties as the Board may decide to confer on such committees, and shall, for those committees and any others provided for herein, elect a Director or Directors to serve as the member or members, designating, if it desires, other Directors as alternate members who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. Adequate provision shall be made for notice to members of all meetings: a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum unless the committee shall consist of one or two members, in which event one member shall constitute a quorum; and all matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present. Action may be taken by any committee without a meeting if all members thereof consent thereto in writing, and the writing or writings are filed with the minutes of the proceedings of such committees. |
89. | A committee may elect a chairman of its meeting. If no such Chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the Chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
90. | All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors or by any person acting as a Director shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director. |
91. | (a) Notice of a regular meeting of the Board shall be deemed to be duly given to a Director if it is given to such Director verbally in person or by telephone or otherwise communicated or sent to such Director by mail, courier service, telecopier, facsimile, printing, computer generated email or other mode of representing words in a legible and non-transitory form at such Director's last known address or any other address given by such Director to the Company for this purpose before the proposed date of the meeting, but a failure of the Secretary to send such notice shall not invalidate any proceedings of the Board at such meeting. |
(b) | Notice of a special meeting of the Board shall be deemed to be duly given to a Director if it is sent to such Director by mail before the proposed date of the meeting, or given to such Director verbally in person or by telephone or otherwise communicated or sent to such Director by mail, courier service, telecopier facsimile, printing, computer generated email or other mode of representing words in a legible and non-transitory form, at such Director's last known address or any other address given by such Director to the Company for this purpose at least one day before the proposed date of the meeting, but such notice may be waived by any Director. At any special meeting at which every Director shall be present, even without notice, any business may be transacted. |
92 | A resolution or other document in writing (in electronic form or otherwise) signed (whether by electronic signature, advanced electronic signature or otherwise as approved by the Directors) by all the Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or of a committee of Directors shall be as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of Directors or (as the case may be) a committee of Directors duly convened and held and may consist of several documents in the like form each signed by one or more Directors, and such resolution or other document or documents when duly signed may be delivered or transmitted (unless the Directors shall otherwise determine either generally or in any specific case) by facsimile transmission, electronic mail or some other similar means of transmitting the contents of documents. |
EXECUTIVES
93. | (a) The executives of the Company shall consist of a Chief Executive Officer and a Secretary (who may or may not be Directors) and the Board and, if so authorized by the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, may appoint such other executives (who may or may not be Directors) as the Board may from time to time determine, including, without limitation, presidents, chief operating officers, chief financial officers, senior vice-presidents, vice-presidents, treasurers, controllers, assistant treasurers and assistant secretaries. A Person may hold any number of positions simultaneously. |
(b) | The executives shall have the powers typically exercised by persons holding such positions or such powers as may be delegated to them by the Board from time to time and will perform the usual duties pertaining to such positions as well as perform such duties in the management, business and affairs of the Company as may be delegated to them by the Board from time to time. |
THE SEAL
94. | (a) The Directors shall ensure that the Seal (including any official securities seal kept pursuant to the Acts) shall be used only by the authority of the Directors or of a committee authorised by the Directors. |
(b) | The Company may exercise the powers conferred by the Acts with regard to having an official seal for use abroad and such powers shall be vested in the Directors. |
DIVIDENDS AND RESERVES
95. | The Company in general meeting may declare dividends, but no dividends shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. |
96. | The Directors may from time to time pay to the members such interim dividends as appear to the Directors to be justified by the profits of the Company. |
97. | No dividend or interim dividend shall be paid otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of Part IV of the 1983 Act. |
98. | The Directors may, before recommending any dividend, set aside out of the profits of the Company such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose to which the profits of the Company may be properly applied and pending such application may at the like discretion either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments as the Directors may lawfully determine. The Directors may also, without placing the same to reserve, carry forward any profits which they may think it prudent not to divide. |
99. | Subject to the rights of persons, if any, entitled to shares with special rights as to dividend, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the shares in respect whereof the dividend is paid.. All dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the shares during any portion or portions of the period in respect of which the dividend is paid; but if any share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, such share shall rank for dividend accordingly. |
100. | The Directors may deduct from any dividend payable to any member all sums of money (if any) immediately payable by him to the Company in relation to the shares of the Company. |
101. | Any general meeting declaring a dividend or bonus and any resolution of the Directors declaring an interim dividend may direct payment of such dividend or bonus or interim dividend wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of paid up shares, debentures or debenture stocks of any other company or in any one or more of such ways, and the Directors shall give effect to such resolution, and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient, and in particular may issue fractional certificates and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any members upon the footing of the value so fixed, in order to adjust the rights of all the parties, and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors. |
102. | Any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of any share may be paid by cheque or warrant sent by post, at the risk of the person or persons entitled thereto, to the registered address of the Holder or, where there are joint Holders, to the registered address of that one of the joint Holders who is first named on the members Register or to such person and to such address as the Holder or joint Holders may in writing direct Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent and payment of the cheque or warrant shall be a good discharge to the Company. Any joint Holder or other person jointly entitled to a share as aforesaid may give receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of the share. Any such dividend or other distribution may also be paid by any other method (including payment in a currency other than US$, electronic funds transfer, direct debit, bank transfer or by means of a relevant system) which the Directors consider appropriate and any member who elects for such method of payment shall be deemed to have accepted all of the risks inherent therein. The debiting of the Company's account in respect of the relevant amount shall be evidence of good discharge of the Company's obligations in respect of any payment made by any such methods. |
103. | No dividend shall bear interest against the Company. |
104. | If the Directors so resolve, any dividend which has remained unclaimed for twelve years from the date of its declaration shall be forfeited and cease to remain owing by the Company. The payment by the Directors of any unclaimed dividend or other moneys payable in respect of a share into a separate account shall not constitute the Company a trustee in respect thereof. |
ACCOUNTS
105. | (a) The Directors shall cause to be kept proper books of account, whether in the form of documents, electronic form or otherwise, that: |
(i) | correctly record and explain the transactions of the Company; |
(ii) | will at any time enable the financial position of the Company to be determined with reasonable accuracy; |
(iii) | will enable the Directors to ensure that any balance sheet, profit and loss account or income and expenditure account of the Company complies with the requirements of the Acts; and |
(iv) | will enable the accounts of the Company to be readily and properly audited. |
Books of account shall be kept on a continuous and consistent basis and entries therein shall be made in a timely manner and be consistent from year to year. Proper books of account shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such
books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company's affairs and to explain its transactions.
The Company may send by post, electronic mail or any other means of electronic communication a summary financial statement to its members or persons nominated by any member. The Company may meet, but shall be under no obligation to meet, any request from any of its members to be sent additional copies of its full report and accounts or summary financial statement or other communications with its members.
(b) | The books of account shall be kept at the Office or, subject to the provisions of the Acts, at such other place as the Directors think fit and shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of the Directors. |
(c) | In accordance with the provisions of the Acts, the Directors shall cause to be prepared and to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company from time to time such profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts and reports as are required by the Acts to be prepared and laid before such meeting. |
(d) | A copy of every balance sheet (including every document required by law to be annexed thereto) which is to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company together with a copy of the Directors' report and Auditors' report shall be sent by post, electronic mail or any other means of communication (electronic or otherwise), not less than twenty-one Clear Days before the date of the annual general meeting, to every person entitled under the provisions of the Acts to receive them; provided that in the case of those documents sent by electronic mail or any other means of electronic communication, such documents shall be sent with the consent of the recipient, to the address of the recipient notified to the Company by the recipient for such purposes. |
CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS
106. | Without prejudice to any powers conferred on the Directors as aforesaid, and subject to the Directors' authority to issue and allot shares under articles 8(c) and 8(d), the Directors may resolve to capitalise any part of the amount for the time being standing to the credit of any of the Company's reserve accounts or to the credit of the profit and loss account which is not available for distribution by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued shares to be allotted as fully paid bonus shares to those members of the Company who would have been entitled to that sum if it were distributable and had been distributed by way of dividend (and in the same proportions) and the Directors shall give effect to such resolution. Whenever such a resolution is passed in pursuance of this article, the Directors shall make all appropriations and applications of the undivided profits resolved to be capitalised thereby and all allotments and issues of fully paid shares or debentures, if any, and generally shall do all acts and things required to give effect thereto with full power to the Directors to make such provisions as they shall think fit for the case of shares or debentures becoming distributable in fractions (and, in particular, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, either to disregard such fractions or to sell the shares or debentures represented by such fractions and distribute the net proceeds of such sale to and for the benefit of the Company or to and for the benefit of the members otherwise entitled to such fractions in due proportions) and to authorise any person to enter on behalf of all the members concerned into an agreement with the Company providing for the allotment to them respectively, credited as fully paid up, of any further shares or debentures to which they may become entitled on such capitalisation or, as the case may require, for the payment up by the application thereto of their respective proportions of the profits resolved to be capitalised of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing shares and any agreement made under such authority shall be binding on all such members. |
AUDIT
107. | Auditors shall be appointed and their duties regulated in accordance with sections 160 to 163 of the Act or any statutory amendment thereof. |
NOTICES
108. | Any notice to be given, served, sent or delivered pursuant to these articles shall be in writing (whether in electronic form or otherwise). |
109. | (a) A notice or document to be given, served, sent or delivered in pursuance of these articles may be given to, served on or delivered to any member by the Company: |
(i) | by handing same to him or his authorised agent; |
(ii) | by leaving the same at his registered address; |
(iii) | by sending the same by the post in a pre-paid cover addressed to him at his registered address; or |
(iv) | by sending, with the consent of the member to the extent required by law, the same by means of electronic mail or other means of electronic communication approved by the Directors, with the consent of the member, to the address of the member notified to the Company by the member for such purpose (or if not so notified, then to the address of the member last known to the Company). |
(b) | For the purposes of these articles and the Act, a document shall be deemed to have been sent to a member if a notice is given, served, sent or delivered to the member and the notice specifies the website or hotlink or other electronic link at or through which the member may obtain a copy of the relevant document. |
(c) | Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to sub-paragraph (a)(i) or (ii) of this article, the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the time the same was handed to the member or his authorised agent, or left at his registered address (as the case may be). |
(d) | Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to sub-paragraph (a)(iii) of this article, the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the expiration of twenty-four hours after the cover containing it was posted. In proving service or delivery it shall be sufficient to prove that such cover was properly addressed, stamped and posted. |
(e) | Where a notice or document is given, served or delivered pursuant to sub-paragraph (a)(iv) of this article, the giving, service or delivery thereof shall be deemed to have been effected at the expiration of 48 hours after despatch. |
(f) | Every legal personal representative, committee, receiver, curator bonis or other legal curator, assignee in bankruptcy, examiner or liquidator of a member shall be bound by a notice given as aforesaid if sent to the last registered address of such member, or, in the event of notice given or delivered pursuant to sub-paragraph (a)(iv), if sent to the address notified by the Company by the member for such purpose notwithstanding that the Company may have notice of the death. lunacy, bankruptcy, liquidation or disability of such member. |
(g) | Notwithstanding anything contained in this article the Company shall not be obliged to take account of or make any investigations as to the existence of any suspension or curtailment of postal services within or in relation to all or any part of any jurisdiction or other area other than Ireland. |
(h) | Any requirement in these articles for the consent of a member in regard to the receipt by such member of electronic mail or other means of electronic communications approved by the Directors, including the receipt of the Company's audited accounts and the Directors' and auditor's reports thereon, shall be deemed to have been satisfied where the Company has written to the member informing him/her of its intention to use electronic communications for such purposes and the member has not, within four weeks of the issue of such notice, served an objection in writing on the Company to such proposal. Where a member has given, or is deemed to have given, his/her consent to the receipt by such member of electronic mail or other means of electronic communications approved by the Directors, he/she may revoke such consent at any time by requesting the Company to communicate with him/her in documented form PROVIDED HOWEVER that such revocation shall not take effect until five days after written notice of the revocation is received by the Company. |
(i) | Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-paragraphs (a)(i) and (ii) of this article, if at any time by reason of the suspension or curtailment of postal services in any territory, the Company is unable effectively to convene a general meeting by notices sent through the post, a general meeting may be convened by a public announcement and such notice shall be deemed to have been duly served on all members entitled thereto at noon on the day on which the said public announcement is made. In any such case the Company shall put a full copy of the notice of the general meeting on its website. For purposes of this sub-paragraph (i), "public announcement" shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by a national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. |
110 | A notice may be given by the Company to the joint Holders of a share by giving the notice to the joint Holder whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the share and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint Holders. |
111 | (a) Every person who becomes entitled to a share shall before his name is entered in the Register in respect of the share, be bound by any notice in respect of that share which has been duly given to a person from whom he derives his title.. |
(b) | A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a member by sending or delivering it, in any manner authorised by these articles for the giving of notice to a member, addressed to them at the address, if any, supplied by them for that purpose. Until such an address has been supplied, a notice may be given in any manner in which it might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred. |
112. | The signature (whether electronic signature, an advanced electronic signature or otherwise) to any notice to be given by the Company may be written (in electronic form or otherwise) or printed. |
113. | A member present, either in person or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company or the Holders of any class of shares in the Company shall be deemed to have received notice of the meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which it was called. |
WINDING UP
114. | If the Company shall be wound up and the assets available for distribution among the members as such shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the paid up or credited as paid up share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the members in proportion to the capital paid up or credited as paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them respectively. And if in a winding up the assets available for distribution among the members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital paid up or credited as paid up at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributed among the members in proportion to the capital at the commencement of the winding up paid up or credited as paid up on the said shares held by them respectively. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this article shall not affect the rights of the Holders of shares issued upon special terms and conditions. |
115. | (a) In case of a sale by the liquidator under Section 260 of the Act, the liquidator may by the contract of sale agree so as to bind all the members for the allotment to the members directly of the proceeds of sale in proportion to their respective interests in the Company and may further by the contract limit a time at the expiration of which obligations or shares not accepted or required to be sold shall be deemed to have been irrevocably refused and be at the disposal of the Company, but so that nothing herein contained shall be taken to diminish, prejudice or affect the rights of dissenting members conferred by the said Section. |
(b) | The power of sale of the liquidator shall include a power to sell wholly or partially for debentures, debenture stock, or other obligations of another company, either then already constituted or about to be constituted for the purpose of carrying out the sale. |
116. | If the Company is wound up, the liquidator, with the sanction of a Special Resolution and any other sanction required by the Acts, may divide among the members in specie or kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not), and, for such purpose, may value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the members or different classes of members. The liquidator, with the like sanction, may vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the contributories as, with the like sanction, he determines, but so that no member shall be compelled to accept any assets upon which there is a liability. |
INDEMNITY
117. | (a) Subject to the provisions of and so far as may be admitted by the Acts, every Director and the Secretary of the Company shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company against all costs, charges, losses, expenses and liabilities incurred by him in the execution and discharge of his duties or in relation thereto including any liability incurred by him in defending any proceedings, civil or criminal, which relate to anything done or omitted or alleged to have been done or omitted by him as an officer or employee of the Company and in which judgement is given in his favour (or the proceedings are otherwise disposed of without any finding or admission of any material breach of duty on his part) or in which he is acquitted or in connection with any application under any statute for relief from liability in respect of any such act or omission in which relief is granted to him by the Court. |
(b) | The Company shall indemnify any person who was, is or is threatened to be made a party to a Proceeding (as hereinafter defined) by reason of the fact that he or she (a) is or was an "officer" of the Company as such term is defined in the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (excluding any Director or Secretary) or (b) is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, partner, venturer, proprietor, trustee, employee, agent or similar functionary |
of another foreign or domestic corporation, general or limited partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, company (including a limited liability company) or any other entity or organisation or employee benefit plan or other enterprise (any such person in clause (a) or clause (b) above, a "covered person"), to the fullest extent permitted under Irish law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, Such right shall be a contract right and as such shall run to the benefit of any officer who is elected and accepts the position of officer or elects to continue to serve as an officer and of any other covered person who is or continues to serve in any of the aforementioned capacities while this article is in effect. Any repeal or amendment of this article shall be prospective only and shall not limit the rights of any such officer or other covered person or the obligations of the Company with respect to any claim arising from or related to the services of such officer or other covered person in any of the aforementioned capacities prior to any such repeal or amendment to this article. Such right shall include the right to be paid by the Company expenses incurred in defending any such Proceeding in advance of its final disposition to the maximum extent permitted under Irish law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended; provided that to the extent required by law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking by the person to repay all amounts advanced if it should be ultimately determined that the officer or other covered person is not entitled to be indemnified under this article or otherwise. If a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder is not paid in full by the Company within 60 days after a written claim has been received by the Company, the claimant may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Company to recover the unpaid amount of the claim, and if successful in whole or in part, the claimant shall also be entitled to be paid the expenses of prosecuting such claim. It shall be a defense to any such action that such indemnification or advancement of costs of defense are not permitted under Irish law, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the Company. Neither the failure of the Company (including the Board or any committee thereof, independent legal counsel or members) to have made its determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification of, or advancement of costs of defense to, the claimant is permissible in the circumstances nor an actual determination by the Company (including the Board or any committee thereof, independent legal counsel or members) that such indemnification or advancement is not permissible shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that such indemnification or advancement is not permissible. In the event of the death of any person having a right of indemnification under the foregoing provisions, such right shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors, administrators and personal representatives. Except as otherwise provided in this subparagraph (b), the Company shall be required to indemnify an officer or other covered person of the Company in connection with a Proceeding (or part thereof) commenced by such person only if the commencement of such Proceeding (or part thereof) by the person was authorised by the Board.
(c) | The Directors shall have power to purchase and maintain for any Director, the Secretary or other employees of the Company or any director, officer, employee or agent of any of its subsidiaries insurance against any such liability as referred to in Section 200 of the Act or otherwise. |
(d) | The Company may additionally indemnify any employee or agent of the Company or any director, officer, employee or agent of any of its subsidiaries to the fullest extent permitted by law. |
(e) | The rights conferred on any person indemnified by this article shall not be exclusive of any other rights which such person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of the Memorandum of Association of the Company, these articles, agreement, vote of the members or disinterested Directors or otherwise. |
(f) | The Company's obligation, if any, to indemnify or to advance expenses to any person indemnified who was or is serving at its request as a Director or Officer or otherwise of another person described in subparagraph (a) or subparagraph (b) shall be reduced by any amount such person may collect as indemnification or advancement of expenses from such other person. |
(g) | This article shall not limit the right of the Company, to the extent and in the manner permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than persons authorised for indemnification under this article when and as authorised by appropriate corporate action. |
(h) | The indemnity provided by this article shall not extend to any matter in respect of any fraud or dishonesty which may attach to any of said persons. |
(i) | "Proceeding," for purposes of this article, means any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative or investigative, any appeal in such an action, suit, claim or proceeding, and any inquiry or investigation that could lead to such an action, suit, claim or proceeding. |
UNTRACED HOLDERS
118. | (a) The Company shall be entitled to sell at the best price reasonably obtainable any share or stock of a member or any share or stock to which a person is entitled by transmission if and provided that: |
(i) | for a period of twelve years (not less than three dividends having been declared and paid) no cheque or warrant sent by the Company through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to the member or to the person entitled by transmission to the share or stock at his address on the Register or other the last known address given by the member or the person entitled by transmission to which cheques and warrants are to be sent has been cashed and no communication has been received by the Company from the member or the person entitled by transmission; and |
(ii) | at the expiration of the said period of twelve years the Company has given notice by advertisement in a leading Dublin newspaper and a newspaper circulating in the area in which the address referred to in paragraph (a) of this article is located of its intention to sell such share or stock; and |
(iii) | the Company has not during the further period of three months after the date of the advertisement and prior to the exercise of the power of sale received any communication from the member or person entitled by transmission. |
(b) | To give effect to any such sale the Company may appoint any person to execute as transferor an instrument of transfer of such share or stock and such instrument of transfer shall be as effective as if it had been executed by the registered Holder of or person entitled by transmission to such share or stock. The Company shall account to the member or other person entitled to such share or stock for the net proceeds of such sale by carrying all monies in respect thereof to a separate account which shall be a permanent debt of the Company and the Company shall be deemed to be a debtor and not a trustee in respect thereof for such member or other person. Monies carried to such separate account may either be employed in the business of the Company or invested in such investments (other than shares of the Company or its holding company if any) as the Directors may from time to time think fit. |
(c) | To the extent necessary in order to comply with any laws or regulations to which the Company is subject in relation to escheatment, abandonment of property or other similar or analogous laws or regulations (“Applicable Escheatment Laws”), the Company may deal with any share of any member and any unclaimed cash payments relating to such share in any manner which it sees fit, including (but not limited to) transferring or selling such share and transferring to third parties any unclaimed cash payments relating to such share. |
(d) | The Company may only exercise the powers granted to it in sub-paragraph (a) above in circumstances where it has complied with, or procured compliance with, the required procedures (as set out in the Applicable Escheatment Laws) with respect to attempting to identify and locate the relevant member of the Company. |
(e) | Any stock transfer form to be executed by the Company in order to sell or transfer a share pursuant to sub-paragraph (a) may be executed in accordance with Article 13(a). |
DESTRUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
119. The Company may destroy:
(a) | any dividend mandate or any variation or cancellation thereof or any notification of change of name or address, at any time after the expiry of two years from the date such mandate variation, cancellation or notification was recorded by the Company; |
(b) | any instrument of transfer of shares which has been registered, at any time after the expiry of six years from the date of registration; and |
(c) | any other document on the basis of which any entry in the Register was made, at any time after the expiry of six years from the date an entry in the Register was first made in respect of it, |
and it shall be presumed conclusively in favour of the Company that every share certificate (if any) so destroyed was a valid certificate duly and properly sealed and that every instrument of transfer so destroyed was a valid and effective instrument duly and properly registered and that every other document destroyed hereunder was a valid and effective document in accordance with the recorded particulars thereof in the books or records of the Company provided always that:
(i) | the foregoing provisions of this article shall apply only to the destruction of a document in good faith and without express notice to the Company that the preservation of such document was relevant to a claim: |
(ii) | nothing contained in this article shall be construed as imposing upon the Company any liability in respect of the destruction of any such document earlier than as aforesaid or in any case where the conditions of proviso (a) above are not fulfilled: and |
(iii) | references in this article to the destruction of any document include references to its disposal in any manner. |
SALE, LEASE OR EXCHANGE OF ASSETS
120 | Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company shall, except as otherwise expressly provided in these articles, require the approval of members by way of an affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the members in person or by proxy appointed by instrument in writing subscribed by such member or by his or her duly authorised attorney and delivered to the chairman of the meeting. Prior to any votes being cast in connection with such resolutions, the chairman of the meeting may demand a poll which shall be by way of ballot. |
TRANSACTIONS WITH INTERESTED MEMBERS
121. | (a) The Company may not engage, at any time, in any Business Combination with any Interested Member unless the Business Combination receives the affirmative vote of the holders of 80% of the shares then in issue of all classes of shares of the Company entitled to vote, considered for the purposes of this provision as one class.. |
(b) | Interested Member status of a member is determined as of the date of any action taken by the Board with respect to such transaction or as of any record date for the determination of members entitled to notice and to vote with respect thereto or immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction. Any determination made in good faith by the Board, on the basis of information at the time available to it, as to whether any person is an Interested Member, shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes of these articles. |
(c) | The provisions of subparagraph (a) of this article shall not apply to (i) any Business Combination with an Interested Member that has been approved by the Board or (ii) any agreement for the amalgamation, merger or consolidation of any subsidiary of the Company with the Company or with another subsidiary of the Company if (A) the provisions of this subparagraph shall not be changed or otherwise affected by or by virtue of the amalgamation, merger or consolidation and (B) the holders of greater than 50% of the voting power of the Company or the subsidiary, as appropriate, immediately prior to the amalgamation, merger or consolidation continue to hold greater than 50% of the voting power of the amalgamated company immediately following the amalgamation, merger or consolidation. |
(d) | For the purposes of this article, "Business Combination" means: |
(i) | any amalgamation, merger or consolidation of the Company or one of its subsidiaries with an Interested Member or with any person that is, or would be after such amalgamation, merger or consolidation, an affiliate or associate of an Interested Member: |
(ii) | any transfer or other disposition to or with an Interested Member or any affiliate or associate of an Interested Member of all or any material part of the assets of the Company or one of its subsidiaries: and |
(iii) | any issuance or transfer of shares of the Company upon conversion of or in exchange for the securities or assets of any Interested Member; or with any person that is, or would be after such amalgamation, merger or consolidation, an affiliate or associate of an Interested Member. |
(e) | For the purposes of this article, "Interested Member" means any member that: |
(i) | is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the voting shares of the Company then in issue; or |
(ii) | is an affiliate or associate of the Company and at any time within the five-year period immediately prior to the date in question was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the shares then in issue of the Company. For the purpose of determining whether a member is an Interested Member, the number of voting shares of the Company then in issue shall include shares deemed to be beneficially owned by such member, but shall not include any other unissued voting shares of the Company which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise. |
Names, addresses and descriptions of subscribers
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited Clarendon House
2 Church Street
Hamilton, HM 11
Bermuda
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll-Rand (Gibraltar) International Holding Limited
57/63 Line Wall Road
Gibraltar
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll-Rand (Gibraltar) International United Limited
57/63 Line Wall Road
Gibraltar
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll Rand International Holding Limited
Clarendon House
2 Church Street
Hamilton, HM 11
Bermuda
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll-Rand Holdings & Finance International S.a.r.l
16, Avenue Pasteur
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, L2311
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll-Rand Treasury Limited
Clarendon House
2 Church Street
Hamilton, HM 11
Bermuda
For and on behalf of
Ingersoll-Rand Global Holding Company Limited Clarendon House
2 Church Street
Hamilton, HM 11
Bermuda
Dated