EX-1.1 2 ea021022901ex1-1_heramba.htm MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF HERAMBA ELECTRIC PLC

Exhibit 1.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMPANY NUMBER 744994

 

COMPANIES ACT 2014

 

A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

CONSTITUTION

 

OF

 

HERAMBA ELECTRIC PLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMPANY NUMBER 744994

 

COMPANIES ACT 2014

 

A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

HERAMBA ELECTRIC PLC

 

(As adopted by special resolution passed on 3 July 2024)

 

1The name of the company is Heramba Electric plc (the “Company”).

 

2The Company is a public limited company, registered under Part 17 of the Companies Act 2014.

 

3The objects for which the Company is established are as follows:

 

3.1To carry on the business of a holding company, to determine Company strategy, and to co-ordinate the administration, finances and activities of any subsidiary companies or associated companies, to do all lawful acts and things whatever that are necessary or convenient in carrying on the business of such a holding company and, in particular, to carry on in all its branches the business of a management services company, to act as managers and to direct or co-ordinate the management of other companies or of the business, property and estates of any company or person and to undertake and carry out all such services in connection therewith as may be deemed expedient by the Company’s board of directors and to exercise its powers as a shareholder of other companies.

 

3.2To carry on all, or any, business as a producer, designer, developer, manufacturer, researcher, project manager, distributor, wholesaler, retailer, service provider, dealer and/or investor, of and in, all kinds of power, technology, electrical, electronic and engineering products and services, in any industry, sector, market or territory, including, but not limited, to the transportation, technology and engineering industries, and to carry on any other business of whatever nature (except the issuing of policies of insurance) in any industry, sector, market or territory, which may seem to the Company’s board of directors capable of being conveniently carried on in connection with these objects or calculated directly or indirectly to enhance the value of or render more profitable any of the Company’s property, and to hold all patents and intellectual property rights and to do all other things usually dealt with by persons carrying on any of the said businesses or likely to be required in connection with any of the said businesses.

 

3.3To carry on all or any of the businesses as mentioned herein either as a separate business or as the principal business of the Company.

 

3.4To carry on the business of investing in shares, bonds and other securities including investments in foreign currencies.

 

3.5To invest any moneys of the Company in such investments and in such manner as may from time to time be determined, and to hold, sell or deal with such investments and generally to purchase, take on lease or in exchange or otherwise acquire any real and personal property and rights or privileges.

 

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3.6To acquire shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, warrants, obligations and other securities of any description, by original subscription, tender, purchase, exchange or otherwise and to subscribe for the same either conditionally or otherwise, and to guarantee the subscription thereof and to exercise and enforce all rights and powers conferred by or incidental to the ownership thereof.

 

3.7To facilitate, effect, and encourage the creation, issue or conversion of, and to offer for public or private subscription, tender, purchase or exchange, shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description of the Company, of any member of the group to which the Company belongs or of any other person and to act as trustees in connection with any such securities and to take part in the conversion of business concerns and undertakings into companies.

 

3.8To purchase or by any other means acquire any freehold, leasehold or other property and real estate and in particular lands, tenements and hereditaments of any tenure, whether subject or not to any charges or encumbrances, for any estate or interest whatever, and any rights, privileges or easements over or in respect of any property and real estate, and any buildings, factories, mills, works, wharves, roads, rigs, machinery, engines, plant, live and dead stock, barges, vessels or things, and any real or personal property or rights whatsoever which may be necessary for, or may conveniently be used with, or may enhance the value or property of the Company, and to hold or to sell, let, alienate, mortgage, charge or otherwise deal with all or any such freehold, leasehold, or other property and real estate, lands, tenements or hereditaments, rights, privileges or easements.

 

3.9To establish and contribute to any scheme (including any share option scheme or similar scheme) for the purchase of shares in the Company to be held for the benefit of current, or former, directors, officers, employees and consultants of, or to, the Company or any of its subsidiaries or associated undertakings, and to lend or otherwise provide money to such schemes or any such directors, officers, employees and consultants to enable them to purchase shares of the Company, in each case subject to applicable law.

 

3.10To sell, lease, exchange, grant, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of the property and real estate, investments or assets of the Company of whatever nature or tenure for such price, consideration, sum or other return, whether equal to or less than the market value thereof and whether by way of gift or otherwise, as the board of directors of the Company shall deem appropriate and to grant any fee farm grant or lease or to enter into any agreement for letting or hire of any such property or asset for a rent or return equal to or less than the market or rack rent therefor or at no rent and subject to or free from covenants and restrictions as the board of directors of the Company shall deem appropriate.

 

3.11To acquire and undertake the whole or any part of the business, good-will and assets of any person, firm or company carrying on or proposing to carry on any of the businesses which this Company is authorised to carry on, and as part of the consideration for such acquisition to undertake all or any of the liabilities of such person, firm or company, or to acquire an interest in, amalgamate with, or enter into any arrangement for sharing profits, or for co-operation, or for limiting competition or for mutual assistance with any such person, firm or company and to give or accept by way of consideration for any of the acts or things aforesaid or property acquired, any shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description that may be agreed upon, and to hold and retain or sell, mortgage or deal with any shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description so received.

 

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3.12To apply for, register, purchase, acquire, sell, lease, hold, use, administer, control, license or otherwise deal with any patents, brevets d’invention, copyrights, trademarks, licences, technical and industrial know-how, concessions and the like conferring any exclusive or non-exclusive or limited rights to use or any secret or other inventing information as to any invention which may seem capable of being used for any of the purposes of the Company or the acquisition of which may seem calculated directly or indirectly to benefit the Company, and to use, exercise, develop or grant licences in respect of or otherwise turn to account the property, rights or information so acquired.

 

3.13To enter into partnership or into any arrangement for sharing profits, union of interests, co-operation, joint venture, reciprocal concession or otherwise with any person or company carrying on or engaged in or about to carry on or engage in any business or transaction which the Company is authorised to carry on or engage in or any business or transaction capable of being conducted so as to, directly or indirectly, benefit the Company.

 

3.14To incorporate or cause to be incorporated any one or more subsidiaries for the purpose of carrying on any business.

 

3.15To invest and deal with the moneys of the Company not immediately required upon such securities and in such manner as may from time to time be determined.

 

3.16To lend money to and guarantee the performance of the contracts or obligations of any company, firm or person, and the repayment of the capital and principal of, and dividends, interest or premiums payable on, any stock, shares and securities of any company, whether having objects similar to those of this Company or not, and to give all kinds of indemnities.

 

3.17To enter into, invest or engage in, acquire, hold or dispose of any financial instruments or risk management instruments, whether or not of a type currently in existence, and currency exchange, interest rate or commodity or index linked transactions (whether in connection with or incidental to any other contract, undertaking or business entered into or carried on by the Company or whether as an independent object or activity), including securities in respect of which the return or redemption amount is calculated by reference to any index, price or rate, monetary and financial instruments of all kinds, futures contracts, swaps and hedges (including credit default, interest rate and currency swaps and hedges of any kind whatsoever), options contracts, contracts for differences, commodities (including bullion and other precious metals), forward rate agreements, debentures, debenture stock, warrants, commercial paper, promissory notes, mortgage backed securities, asset backed securities, dealings in foreign currency, spot and forward rate exchange contracts, caps, floors, collars, and any other foreign exchange, interest rate or commodity or index linked arrangements, and such other instruments whether for the purpose of making a profit or avoiding a loss or managing a currency or interest rate exposure or any other purpose and to enter into any contract for and to exercise and enforce all rights and powers conferred by or incidental, directly or indirectly, to such transactions or the termination of any such transactions.

 

3.18To guarantee, support or secure, whether by personal covenant or by mortgaging or charging all or any part of the undertaking, property and assets (both present and future) and uncalled capital of the Company, or by both such methods, the performance of the obligations of, and the repayment or payment of the principal amounts of and premiums, interest and dividends on any securities of, any person, firm or company including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any company which is, for the time being, the Company’s subsidiary, holding company, subsidiary of any such holding company or otherwise associated with the Company in business.

 

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3.19To borrow or raise finance or secure the payment of money in such manner as the Company shall think fit, and in particular by the provision of a guarantee or by the issue of shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of all kinds, either perpetual or terminable and either redeemable or otherwise and to secure the repayment of any money borrowed, raised or owing by trust deed, mortgage, charge, or lien upon the whole or any part of the Company’s property or assets (whether present or future) including its uncalled capital, and also by a similar trust deed, mortgage, charge or lien to secure and guarantee the performance by the Company of any obligation or liability it may undertake.

 

3.20To carry on the business of financing and re-financing whether asset based or not (including financing and re-financing of financial assets), including managing financial assets with or without security in whatever currency including financing or re-financing by way of loan, acceptance credits, commercial paper, euro medium term bonds, euro bonds, asset-backed securities, securitisation, synthetic securitisation, collateralised debt obligations, bank placements, leasing, hire purchase, credit sale, conditional sale, factoring, forfeiting, invoice discounting, note issue facilities, project financing, bond issuances, participation and syndications, assignment, novation, factoring, discounting, participation, sub-participation, derivative contracts, securities/stock lending contracts, repurchase agreements or other appropriate methods of finance and to discount mortgage receivables, loan receivables and lease rentals for persons wherever situated in any currency whatsoever, and to do all of the foregoing as principal, agent or broker.

 

3.21To draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, execute, negotiate and issue promissory notes, bills of exchange, bills of lading, warrants, indentures, debentures and other negotiable or transferable instruments.

 

3.22To subscribe for, take, purchase or otherwise acquire, hold, sell and transfer shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description of, or other interests in, any other company or person.

 

3.23To hold in trust as trustees or as nominees and to deal with, manage and turn to account, any real or personal property of any kind, and in particular shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description, policies, book debts, claims and choses in actions, lands, buildings, hereditaments, business concerns and undertakings, mortgages, charges, annuities, patents, licences, and any interest in real or personal property, and any claims against such property or against any person or company.

 

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3.24To constitute any trusts with a view to the issue of preferred and, deferred or other special stocks or securities based on or representing any shares, stocks and other assets specifically appropriated for the purpose of any such trust and to settle and regulate and if thought fit to undertake and execute any such trusts and to issue dispose of or hold any such preferred, deferred or other special stocks or securities.

 

3.25To give any guarantee in relation to the payment of any debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations or other securities of any description and to guarantee the payment of interest thereon or of dividends on any stocks or shares of any company.

 

3.26To construct, erect and maintain buildings, houses, flats, shops and all other works, erections, and things of any description whatsoever either upon the lands acquired by the Company or upon other lands and to hold, retain as investments or to sell, let, alienate, mortgage, charge or deal with all or any of the same and generally to alter, develop and improve the lands and other property of the Company.

 

3.27To provide for the welfare of persons in the employment of or holding office with, or formerly in the employment of or holding office with, the Company or any of its subsidiaries and associated undertakings, including directors and ex-directors and the spouses, widows, widowers and families, dependants or connections of such persons by grants of money, pensions or other payments and by forming and contributing to pension, provident or benefit funds or profit sharing or co-partnership schemes for the benefit of such persons, and to form, subscribe to or otherwise aid charitable, benevolent, religious, scientific, national or other institutions, exhibitions or objects which shall have any moral or other claims to support or aid by the Company by reason of the locality of its operation or otherwise.

 

3.28To remunerate by cash payments or allotment of shares or securities of the Company credited as fully paid-up or otherwise any person or company for services rendered or to be rendered to the Company or any member of the group to which the Company belongs, whether in the course of employment with the Company or any group company or the conduct or the management of the business of the Company or any group company or in placing or assisting to place or guaranteeing the placing of any of the shares or other securities of the Company’s, or any group company’s capital, or any debentures or other securities of the Company or any group company or in or about the formation or promotion of the Company or any group company.

 

3.29To enter into and carry into effect any arrangement for joint working in business or for sharing of profits or for amalgamation with any other company or association or any partnership or person carrying on any business within the objects of the Company.

 

3.30To distribute in specie or as otherwise may be resolved all or any portion of the assets of the Company among its shareholders and, in particular, the shares, debentures or other securities of any other company owned by the Company or which this Company may have the power to dispose of.

 

3.31To vest any real or personal property, rights or interest acquired or belonging to the Company in any person or company on behalf of or for the benefit of the Company, and with or without any declared trust in favour of the Company.

 

3.32To transact or carry on any business which may seem to be capable of being conveniently carried on in connection with any of these objects or calculated directly or indirectly to enhance the value of or facilitate the realisation of or render profitable any of the Company’s property or rights.

 

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3.33To accept stock or shares in or indentures, debentures, mortgages or securities of any other company in payment or part payment for any services rendered or for any sale made to or debt owing from any such company, whether such shares shall be wholly or partly paid-up.

 

3.34To pay all costs, charges and expenses incurred or sustained in or about the promotion and establishment of the Company or which the Company shall consider to be preliminary thereto and to issue shares as fully or in part paid-up, and to pay out of the funds of the Company all brokerage and charges incidental thereto.

 

3.35To procure the Company to be registered or recognised in Ireland or in any foreign country or in any colony or dependency of any such foreign country and to establish branches, places of business or subsidiaries in Ireland or any such foreign country or in any colony or dependency of any such foreign country.

 

3.36To do all or any of the matters hereby authorised in any part of the world or in conjunction with or as trustee or agent for any other company or person or by or through any factors, trustees or agents.

 

3.37To make gifts or grant bonuses to the directors or any other persons who are, or have been, in the employment of the Company including substitute and alternate directors.

 

3.38To carry on any business which the Company may lawfully engage in and to do all such things incidental or conducive to the business of the Company.

 

3.39To make or receive gifts by way of capital contribution or otherwise.

 

3.40To reduce its share capital in any manner permitted by law.

 

3.41To the extent permitted by law, to give whether directly or indirectly, any kind of financial assistance for the purpose of, or in connection with, the purchase of, or subscription for, shares, stocks, debentures, debenture stock, indentures, notes, loan notes, loan stock, bonds, obligations and other securities of any description of the Company or of any company which is at any given time the Company’s holding company.

 

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3.42To do and take all such things, measures, acts and actions (including, but not limited to, entering into agreements, contracts, deeds and other documents or instruments and giving undertakings, covenants, representations, warranties, indemnities and other commitments and promises) as the Company considers may be necessary or required in connection with, or incidental or conducive to, attainment of the above objects, or any of them, or as are capable of being conveniently carried on in connection therewith.

 

The objects specified in each paragraph of this clause 3 shall, except where otherwise expressed in such paragraph, be in no way limited or restricted by reference to, or inference from, the terms of any other paragraph. None of such paragraphs, the objects therein specified nor the powers thereby conferred shall be deemed subsidiary or auxiliary merely to the objects set out in the first paragraph of this clause 3, but the Company shall have full power to exercise all, or any, of the powers conferred by any part of this clause 3 in any part of the world, notwithstanding that the business, property or acts proposed to be transacted, acquired or performed do not fall within the objects set out in the first paragraph of this clause 3.

 

4The liability of the shareholders is limited.

 

5The authorised share capital of the Company is: €49,990 divided into 200,000,000 ordinary shares of €0.0001 each (nominal value) and 49,900,000 preference shares of €0.0001 each (nominal value) and 25,000 deferred ordinary shares of €1.00 each (nominal value).

 

The shares forming the capital, increased or reduced, may be increased or reduced and be divided into such classes and issued with any preferred, deferred, qualified or other special rights and privileges and with such conditions, restrictions or qualifications, whether in regard to preference, dividends, capital (including return of capital), voting or otherwise, and may be held upon such terms as may be attached thereto or as may from time to time be provided by the original or any substituted or amended articles of association of the Company for the time being, but so that where shares are issued with any preferential or special rights attached thereto, such rights shall not be alterable otherwise than pursuant to the provisions of the Company’s articles of association for the time being in force.

 

For the purposes of this memorandum of association: (a) a reference to the “Act” means the Companies Act 2014 (including any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force), (b) the terms “holding company”, “subsidiary”, “associated undertaking” and “member” have the meanings ascribed to such terms in section 7, section 8, paragraph 20 of Schedule 4 and section 168 of the Act, respectively; (c) the term “group” means the group of companies comprising the Company and its subsidiaries from time to time, (d) the term “shareholder”, insofar as it refers to the Company means a member of the Company; (e) the term “company” (except where used in reference to the Company) means and includes any body corporate, corporation, company, partnership, limited liability company or any body of persons, whether incorporated or not incorporated in Ireland or elsewhere in any other part of the world, (f) the words “including” and “includes” shall not be given a restrictive interpretation and shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation” and (g) unless a clear contrary intention appears, the word “or” shall be deemed to be used in the inclusive sense of “and/or”.

 

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COMPANY NUMBER 744994

 

COMPANIES ACT 2014

 

A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

HERAMBA ELECTRIC PLC

 

(As adopted by special resolution passed on 3 July 2024)

 

CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
PRELIMINARY 14
1    DEFINITIONS 14
2    OPTIONAL PROVISIONS OF THE ACT 18
CAPITAL 18
3    SHARE CAPITAL 18
4    ORDINARY SHARES 19
5    PREFERRED SHARES 19
6    DEFERRED SHARES 21
7    SECTION 1021: ALLOTMENT AUTHORITY 22
8    SECTION 1023: PRE-EMPTION DISAPPLICATION 22
9    RESIDUAL ALLOTMENT PROVISIONS 22
10    RIGHTS’ PLAN 23
11    COMMISSIONS AND BROKERAGE 24
12    TRUSTS NOT RECOGNISED 24
13    FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 24
14    REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE OF OWN SHARES 24
15    VARIATION OF CLASS RIGHTS 25
16    VARIATION OF COMPANY CAPITAL 25
17    FRACTIONS 25
18    REDUCTION OF SHARE CAPITAL 26
CERTIFICATED SHARES 26
19    RIGHT TO CERTIFICATES 26
20    REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES 27
LIEN ON SHARES 27
21    COMPANY’S LIEN ON SHARES NOT FULLY PAID 27
22    ENFORCEMENT OF LIEN BY SALE 28

 

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CALLS 29
23    CALLS 29
24   LIABILITY OF JOINT HOLDERS 30
25  INTEREST 30
26   DIFFERENTIATION 30
27   PAYMENT IN ADVANCE OF CALLS 30
28    RESTRICTIONS IF CALLS UNPAID 30
29    SUMS DUE ON ALLOTMENT TREATED AS CALLS 31
FORFEITURE 31
30    FORFEITURE AFTER NOTICE OF UNPAID CALL 31
31    NOTICE AFTER FORFEITURE 31
32    CONSEQUENCES OF FORFEITURE 32
33    DISPOSAL OF FORFEITED SHARE 32
34    PROOF OF FORFEITURE 33
UNTRACED MEMBERS 33
35    SALE OF SHARES 33
36    APPLICATION OF SALE PROCEEDS 34
37    APPLICABLE ESCHEATMENT LAWS 34
TRANSFER OF SHARES 35
38    FORM OF TRANSFER 35
39    REGISTRATION OF A CERTIFICATED SHARE TRANSFER 36
40    CLOSING OF REGISTER OF MEMBERS 37
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES 37
41    ON DEATH 37
42    ELECTION OF PERSON ENTITLED BY TRANSMISSION 37
43    RIGHTS ON TRANSMISSION 37
GENERAL MEETINGS 38
44    ANNUAL AND OTHER GENERAL MEETINGS 38
45    ELECTRONIC GENERAL MEETINGS 38
46    NOTICE OF A GENERAL MEETING 39
47    QUORUM FOR A GENERAL MEETING 40
48    PROCEDURE IF QUORUM NOT PRESENT 41
49    CHAIRPERSON OF GENERAL MEETING 41
50    RIGHTS OF DIRECTORS AND OTHERS TO ATTEND MEETINGS 41
51    ACCOMMODATION OF MEMBERS AT MEETING 41
52    SECURITY 42
53    POWER TO ADJOURN 42
54    NOTICE OF ADJOURNED MEETING 42
55    BUSINESS OF ADJOURNED MEETING 43

 

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56    THE BUSINESS OF A GENERAL MEETING 43
57    PROPOSED SHAREHOLDER RESOLUTIONS 43
58    TIME FOR RECEIVING REQUESTS 46
VOTING 47
59    VOTING AT A GENERAL MEETING 47
60    POLL PROCEDURE 47
61    VOTES OF MEMBERS 48
62    CHAIRPERSON’S CASTING VOTE 49
63    VOTING RESTRICTIONS ON AN OUTSTANDING CALL 49
64    PROXY INSTRUMENT 49
65    CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVES 51
66    AMENDMENT TO RESOLUTIONS 51
67    OBJECTION TO ERROR IN VOTING 51
FAILURE TO DISCLOSE INTERESTS IN SHARES 52
68    FAILURE TO DISCLOSE INTERESTS IN SHARES 52
APPOINTMENT, RETIREMENT AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS 54
69    NUMBER OF DIRECTORS 54
70    STRUCTURE OF THE BOARD 54
71    ANNUAL RE-ELECTION OF DIRECTORS 55
72    BOARD POWER TO APPOINT DIRECTORS 56
73    APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 56
74    APPOINTMENT OF OTHER OFFICERS 56
75    ELIGIBILITY OF NEW DIRECTORS 56
76    VACATION OF DIRECTOR’S OFFICE 57
BOARD POWERS 57
77    BOARD POWERS 57
78    DIRECTORS BELOW THE MINIMUM NUMBER 58
79    DELEGATION TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 58
80    DELEGATION TO COMMITTEES 58
81    LOCAL MANAGEMENT 59
82    DELEGATION TO AGENTS 59
83    EXERCISE OF VOTING POWER 59
84    PROVISION FOR EMPLOYEES 59
85    OVERSEAS REGISTERS 60
86    ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS 60
87    BORROWING POWERS 60
88    CHANGE OF COMPANY NAME 60
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION, EXPENSES AND BENEFITS 60
89    FEES 60
90   EXPENSES 60

 

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91   REMUNERATION OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 61
92    SPECIAL REMUNERATION 61
93    COMPANY PROPERTY 61
94    PENSIONS AND OTHER BENEFITS 61
DIRECTORS’ PROCEEDINGS 62
95  BOARD MEETINGS 62
96    NOTICE OF BOARD MEETINGS 62
97    QUORUM 62
98    BOARD CHAIRPERSON 62
99    VOTING 62
100    TELEPHONE PARTICIPATION 63
101    WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS 63
102    COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS 64
103    MINUTES 64
104    VALIDITY OF PROCEEDINGS 64
INTERESTS OF DIRECTORS 64
105    CONTRACTING WITH THE COMPANY 64
106    DECLARATION OF INTERESTS 65
107    AUTHORISATION OF BOARD OF CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS 66
108    PROHIBITION ON VOTING BY INTERESTED DIRECTORS 67
109    ABILITY OF INTERESTED DIRECTORS TO VOTE 67
110    DIVISION OF PROPOSALS 68
111    RULINGS ON QUESTIONS OF ENTITLEMENT TO VOTE 68
112    INTERESTS OF CONNECTED PERSONS 68
113    ABILITY OF DIRECTOR TO HOLD OTHER OFFICES 68
114    REMUNERATION FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 69
115    DIRECTORSHIPS OF OTHER COMPANIES 69
SECRETARY 69
116    SECRETARY 69
SEALS AND DOCUMENT AUTHENTICATION 69
117    SEAL 69
118    DIRECTORS OR SECRETARY TO AUTHENTICATE OR CERTIFY 70
DIVIDENDS AND OTHER PAYMENTS 70
119    DECLARATION 70
120    INTERIM DIVIDENDS 70
121    ENTITLEMENT TO DIVIDENDS 70
122   PAYMENT METHODS 71
123    DEDUCTIONS 72
124    INTEREST 72
125  UNCLAIMED DIVIDENDS 72

 

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126   UNCASHED DIVIDENDS 72
127  DIVIDENDS IN KIND 72
128    SCRIP DIVIDENDS 73
129    RESERVES 74
130    CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS AND RESERVES 75
RECORD DATES 76
131    BOARD TO FIX DATE 76
ACCOUNTS 76
132    ACCOUNTING RECORDS 76
133    ACCESS TO ACCOUNTING RECORDS 77
134    DISTRIBUTION OF ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 77
AUDIT 78
135    APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS 78
COMMUNICATIONS 79
136    COMMUNICATIONS 79
137    COMMUNICATIONS TO THE COMPANY 79
138    COMMUNICATIONS BY THE COMPANY OR THE BOARD IN HARD COPY FORM 79
139    COMMUNICATIONS BY THE COMPANY IN ELECTRONIC FORM 80
140    COMMUNICATIONS BY THE COMPANY BY MEANS OF A WEBSITE 80
141    COMMUNICATIONS BY OTHER MEANS 81
142    FAILURE TO DELIVER BY ELECTRONIC MEANS 82
143    WHEN SERVICE IS EFFECTED ON A MEMBER 82
144    NOTICE BY ADVERTISEMENT 82
145    DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION TO JOINT HOLDERS 83
146    SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION ON PERSONS ENTITLED TO SHARES BY TRANSMISSION 83
147    MEMBERS NOT ENTITLED TO NOTICES, DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION 83
148    DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION 83
MISCELLANEOUS 84
149    WINDING-UP 84
150    INDEMNITY AND INSURANCE 85
151    DISPUTE RESOLUTION 86

 

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COMPANY NUMBER 744994

 

COMPANIES ACT 2014

 

A PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

HERAMBA ELECTRIC PLC

 

(As adopted by special resolution passed on 3 July 2024)

 

PRELIMINARY

 

1DEFINITIONS

 

1.1In these Articles (unless the context requires otherwise) the following words have the following meanings:

 

Act” means the Companies Act 2014 (including any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force);

 

acting in concert” has the meaning given to it in the Irish Takeover Rules;

 

Articles” means the articles of association, as amended from time to time by Special Resolution;

 

Auditors” means the statutory auditors for the time being of the Company;

 

beneficial ownership” of any person or group of affiliated or associated persons shall have the meaning given to such term under the United States federal securities laws, including the Exchange Act;

 

Board” means the Directors or any of them duly acting as the board of directors of the Company;

 

certificated” means in relation to a share in the Company, a share which is recorded in the Share Register as being held in certificated form;

 

chairperson” means the Director who is elected by the Directors from time to time to preside as chairperson at all meetings of the Board and at general meetings of the Company;

 

clear days” means in relation to the period of a 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;

 

Company” means Heramba Electric plc a public limited company organised under the laws of Ireland with company number 744994;

 

Deferred Shares” means the deferred ordinary shares of €1.00 each (par value) in the capital of the Company;

 

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Depositary” means any depositary, clearing agency, custodian, nominee or similar entity appointed under arrangements entered into by the Company or otherwise approved by the Board that holds, or is interested directly or indirectly, including through a nominee, in, shares, or rights or interests in respect thereof, and which issues certificates, instruments, securities or other documents of title, or maintains accounts, evidencing or recording the entitlement of the holders thereof, or account holders, to or to receive such shares, rights or interests (and shall include, where so approved by the Board, the trustees (acting in their capacity as such) of any employees’ share scheme established by the Company);

 

Depositary Interest” means any certificate, instrument, security or other document of title issued, or account maintained, by a Depositary to evidence or record the entitlement of the holder, or account holder, to or to receive shares, or rights or interests in respect thereof;

 

Directors” means the directors of the Company from time to time;

 

document” includes, unless otherwise specified, any document sent or supplied in electronic form;

 

electronic communication” has the meaning given in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (including any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force);

 

electronic general meeting” a general meeting hosted on an electronic platform, whether that general meeting is physically hosted at a specific location simultaneously or not;

 

electronic means” has the meaning given to it in section 2 of the Act, and includes it being done by means of all forms of electronic communication as the Board may, from time to time, prescribe, either generally or for a particular purpose;

 

electronic platform”, means any form of electronic platform and includes, without limitation, website addresses, application technology and conference call systems;

 

electronic signature” has the meaning given in the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (including any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force);

 

Exchange” means any securities exchange or other system on which the shares of the Company may be listed or otherwise authorised for trading from time to time in circumstances where the Company has approved such listing or trading;

 

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of the United States of America, as amended from time to time;

 

execution” means any mode of execution, including such forms of electronic signature or other means of verifying the authenticity of a communication by electronic means as the Board may, from time to time, prescribe, either generally or for a particular purpose(and “executed” shall be construed accordingly);

 

Group” means the group comprising the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of section 7 of the Act for the time being;

 

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Group Member” means any member of the Group, including the Company;

 

holder” or “shareholder”, means in relation to a share, the member whose name is entered in the Share Register as the holder of that share or, where the context permits, the members whose names are entered in the Share Register as the joint holders of shares in the Company;

 

interest in shares” includes, where the context permits, “interests in securities” as defined in the Irish Takeover Rules and, for the avoidance of doubt, includes, without duplication, beneficial ownership and Depository Interests, and “interested in shares” will be construed accordingly;

 

Irish Takeover Rules” means the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules, 2022, (including any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force);

 

member” means a member within the meaning of section 168 of the Act;

 

Ordinary Resolution” means an ordinary resolution of the Company’s shareholders within the meaning of the Act;

 

Ordinary Shares” means ordinary shares of €0.0001 each (par value) in the capital of the Company, which shall rank pari passu in all respects;

 

paid” or “paid-up” means paid-up or credited as paid-up;

 

Preferred Shares” means the preferred shares of €0.0001 each (par value) in the capital of the Company;

 

Redeemable Shares” means redeemable shares within the meaning of sections 64 and 66(4) of the Act;

 

Registered Office” means the registered office for the time being of the Company or, as appropriate, in the case of sending or supplying documents or information by electronic means, the address specified by the Board for the purpose of receiving documents or information by electronic means;

 

Rights” has the meaning given to that term in Article 10;

 

Rights’ Plan” has the meaning given to that term in Article 10;

 

Seal” means the common seal of the Company or any official or securities seal that the Company has or may have as permitted by the Statutes;

 

Secretary” means the secretary of the Company or any other person appointed to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company including a joint, temporary, assistant or deputy secretary;

 

share” means a share in the capital of the Company;

 

Share Register” means the Company’s register of shareholders kept pursuant to the Statutes or, as the case may be, any overseas branch register kept pursuant to these Articles;

 

Special Resolution” means a special resolution of the Company’s shareholders within the meaning of the Act;

 

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Statutes” means the Act and every other legislation, statute, order regulation, instrument or other subordinate legislation for the time being in force concerning companies and affecting the Company, including any statutory re-enactment or modification of the Act or any other act, order, regulation, instrument, subordinate legislation or statutory instrument;

 

treasury shares” means treasury shares within the meaning of section 109 of the Act;

 

uncertificated” means in relation to a share, a share to which title is recorded in the Share Register as being held in uncertificated form;

 

working day” means a day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in Ireland or the United States;

 

writing” includes printing, typewriting, lithography, photography, electronic mail and any other mode or modes of presenting or reproducing words in a visible form including communications by electronic means; and

 

” means euro, the lawful currency of Ireland.

 

1.2In these Articles:

 

(A)words or expressions which are not defined in Article 1.1 or elsewhere in these Articles have the same meanings (where applicable) as in the Statutes as in force on the date of the adoption of these Articles;

 

(B)a reference to any Statute or any provision of a Statute includes a reference to any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force, as (where applicable) amended or modified or extended by any other Statute or any order, regulation, instrument or other subordinate legislation made under such Statute or statutory provision or under the Statute under which such statutory instrument was made;

 

(C)words in the singular include the plural and vice versa, words importing any gender include all genders and a reference to a “person” includes any individual, firm, partnership, unincorporated association, company, corporation or other body corporate;

 

(D)mental disorder” means mental disorder as defined in section 3 of the Mental Health Act 2001 (including any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force);

 

(E)where an Ordinary Resolution is expressed to be required for any purpose, a Special Resolution is also effective for such purpose;

 

(F)headings do not affect the interpretation of any Article;

 

(G)any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include”, “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding the terms;

 

(H)any reference to a dividend includes any dividend or other distribution, in cash or by the distribution of assets, paid or distributed to shareholders out of the profits of the Company available for distribution, and includes final dividends, interim dividends and bonus dividends;

 

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(I)reference to “officer” or “officers” in these Articles means any executive that has been designated by the Company as an “officer” and, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not have the meaning given to such term in the Act, and any such officers shall not constitute officers of the Company within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Act; and

 

(J)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.

 

1.3These Articles shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Irish law.

 

2OPTIONAL PROVISIONS OF THE ACT

 

2.1Without prejudice to section 1007(4) of the Act and save as otherwise expressly provided in these Articles, where a provision of these Articles covers substantially the same subject matter as any optional provisions (as defined in section 1007(2) of the Act) of the Act, any such optional provisions shall be deemed not to apply to the Company and, for the avoidance of doubt, these Articles shall be deemed to have effect and prevail over the terms of such optional provisions.

 

2.2Sections 43(2), 43(3), 77 to 81, 95(1)(a), 96(2) to (11), 124, 125, 126, 144(3), 144(4), 148(2), 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 165, 181(6), 182(2) and (5), 183(3) and (6), 187, 188, 338(5), 338(6), 618(1)(b), 620(8), 1090, 1092 and 1113 of the Act shall not apply to the Company.

 

CAPITAL

 

3SHARE CAPITAL

 

3.1The authorised share capital of the Company is: €49,990 divided into 200,000,000 ordinary shares of €0.0001 each (nominal value) and 49,900,000 preference shares of €0.0001 each (nominal value) and 25,000 deferred ordinary shares of €1.00 each (nominal value).

 

3.2Subject to the provisions of the Statutes and of these Articles and without prejudice to any special rights previously conferred on the holders of any existing shares or class of shares, any shares in the capital of the Company may be issued with such preferred, deferred, qualified or other special rights and privileges and with such conditions restrictions or qualifications, whether in regard to preference, dividend, capital (including return of capital), voting or otherwise (including, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, and subject to the provisions of the Statutes, shares which are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the holders) as the Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution determine or, if the Company does not so determine, as the Directors may determine.

 

3.3If two or more persons are registered as joint holders of any share any one of such persons may give effective receipts for any dividends or other monies payable in respect of such share, but such power shall not apply to the legal personal representatives of a deceased shareholder.

 

3.4The Company shall not be bound to register more than four persons as joint holders of any share.

 

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4ORDINARY SHARES

 

4.1The Ordinary Shares shall, among other rights, entitle the holders thereof to the rights set out below:

 

(A)subject to the right of the Board 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 of the Company and to the provisions of Article 61 and any rules or regulations applicable to the conduct of any general meeting of the Company, each holder of an Ordinary Share shall have the right to attend and speak at any general meeting of the Company and to exercise one vote for every Ordinary Share of which he, she or it is the holder;

 

(B)subject to the right of the Board to set record dates for the purpose of determining the identity of members entitled to participate, to participate pro rata in all dividends declared on the Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of Article 119 to Article 130 (inclusive); and

 

(C)upon a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, to participate pro rata in the assets of the Company available for distribution to the holders of Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of Article 149.

 

4.2Unless the Directors specifically elect to treat such acquisition as a purchase for the purposes of the Act, an Ordinary Share shall be automatically 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 (including any agent or broker acting on behalf of the Company) and any person pursuant to which the Company acquires, agrees to acquire or will acquire Ordinary Shares, or an interest in Ordinary Shares, from such person. In these circumstances, the acquisition of such shares or interest in shares by the Company, save where acquired otherwise than for valuable consideration in accordance with the Act, shall constitute the redemption of a Redeemable Share in accordance with the Act. No resolution, whether special or otherwise, shall be required to be passed to deem any Ordinary Share a Redeemable Share.

 

4.3The rights conferred upon any holder of any pre-existing shares in the share capital of the Company shall be deemed not to be varied by the operation of Article 4.2.

 

4.4The rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares may be made subject to the preferential terms of any class or series of Preferred Shares which may be allotted and issued from time to time by the Directors. In accordance with Article 5.

 

5PREFERRED SHARES

 

5.1The Preferred Shares may, from time to time, be allotted and issued, in one or more classes or series designated by the Board, and the Board is authorised to fix for each such class or series such voting power, full or limited, or no voting power, and such designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board providing for the issuance of such class or series, including, without limitation:

 

(A)the distinctive designation of such class or series of Preferred Shares and the number of shares which shall constitute such class or 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;

 

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(B)the rate of dividends payable on such class or series of Preferred Shares, if any, whether or not and upon what conditions dividends on shares of such class or series shall be cumulative and, if cumulative, the date or dates from which dividends shall accumulate, and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any other class or series of shares in the capital of the Company;

 

(C)the terms, if any, on which shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares may be redeemed, including without limitation, the redemption price or prices for such class or 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, and the preference or relation which such redemption price or prices shall bear to the redemption price or prices payable on any other class or series of shares in the capital of the Company;

 

(D)the terms and amount of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares;

 

(E)the amount or amounts which shall be paid to the holders of shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares on a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, or upon a return of capital by the Company, and the preference or relation which such amount or amounts shall bear to the amount or amounts payable to the holders of any other class or series of shares in the capital of the Company in such circumstances;

 

(F)the terms, if any, upon which the holders of shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares may convert such shares into shares of any other class or series in the capital of the Company;

 

(G)the voting rights, full or limited, if any, of the shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares, and whether or not and under what conditions the shares of such class or series (alone or together with the shares of one or more other classes or series of shares in the capital of the Company) shall be entitled to vote separately as a single class, either generally, in respect of specific matters and/or upon the occurrence of specified events (including in respect of the nomination or election of one or more additional Directors);

 

(H)whether or not the holders of shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares, in their capacity as such, shall have any pre-emptive or preferential rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of any class or series of shares in the capital of the Company, whether 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 shares in the capital of the Company, whether now or hereafter authorised;

 

(I)the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares are outstanding, in respect of (i) the payment of dividends on, (ii) the making of other distributions on, (iii) the participation in any assets of the Company available for distribution upon a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company by, (iv) a return of capital on and/or (v) the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company of, any other class or series ranking junior to the shares of such class or series, whether as to dividends, distribution and/or returns of capital on a winding-up or otherwise;

 

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(J)the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issuance of any additional shares (including additional shares of such class or series of Preference Shares or of any other class or series of shares in the capital of the Company) ranking on a parity with or in priority to the shares of such class or series of Preferred Shares as to entitlements to dividends, distributions, redemptions, participation in the assets of the Company available for distribution upon a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company and/or upon a return of capital; and

 

(K)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 class or series.

 

5.2The Board may at any time before the allotment of any Preferred Share (or class or series thereof) by further resolution in any way amend the designations, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions, or vary or revoke the designations of such Preferred Shares (or class or series thereof).

 

5.3The rights conferred upon any 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 (or class or series thereof) in accordance with Article 5.1.

 

6DEFERRED SHARES

 

6.1The holders of the Deferred Shares shall not be entitled to receive notice of, attend, speak or vote at, any general meeting.

 

6.2The holders of the Deferred Shares shall not be entitled to receive any dividend or distribution declared, made or paid or any return of capital (save as provided for in this Article) and shall not be entitled to any further or other right of participation in the assets of the Company.

 

6.3On a winding-up of the Company, or other return of capital by the Company (other than on a redemption of any class of shares in the capital of the Company), the holders of the Deferred Shares shall be entitled to participate in such winding-up or return of capital, provided that such entitlement shall be limited to the repayment of the amount paid-up or credited as paid-up on the Deferred Shares and shall be paid only after the holders of Ordinary Shares shall have received payment in respect of such amount as is paid-up or credited as paid-up on the Ordinary Shares held by them at that time, plus the payment in cash of €5,000,000 on each such Ordinary Share.

 

6.4The Company as agent for the holders of Deferred Shares shall have the irrevocable authority to authorise and instruct the Secretary (or any other person as the Directors determine) to acquire, or to accept the surrender of, the Deferred Shares for no consideration or for valuable consideration and to execute on behalf of such holders such documents as are necessary in connection with such acquisition or surrender, and pending such acquisition or surrender to retain the certificates, to the extent issued, for such Deferred Shares. Any request by the Company to acquire, or for the surrender of, any Deferred Shares may be made by the Directors depositing at the Registered Office a notice addressed to such person as the Directors shall have nominated on behalf of the holders of Deferred Shares. A person whose shares have been acquired or surrendered in accordance with this Article shall cease to be a shareholder in respect of such Deferred Shares but shall notwithstanding remain liable to pay the Company all monies which, at the date of acquisition or surrender, were payable by him or her to the Company in respect of such shares, but his or her liability shall cease if and when the Company has received payment in full of all such monies in respect of such shares. A notice issued pursuant to this Article shall be deemed to be validly issued notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 137 to 143 inclusive. The provisions of Article 4.2 shall apply to any acquisition of Deferred Shares for valuable consideration as if reference therein to an Ordinary Share was to a Deferred Share.

 

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7SECTION 1021: ALLOTMENT AUTHORITY

 

The Directors are, for the purposes of section 1021 of the Act, generally and unconditionally authorised to exercise all powers of the Company to allot relevant securities (as defined by the said section 1021) up to the amount of Company’s authorised share capital as of the date of adoption of these Articles (including any shares acquired or redeemed by the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Act and held as treasury shares), and, unless it is renewed or a longer period of time is allowed under applicable law, this authority shall expire five years from the date of adoption of these Articles. The Company may, before the expiry of such authority, make an offer or agreement which would, or might, require relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot relevant securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if the authority conferred by this Article 7 had not expired.

 

8SECTION 1023: PRE-EMPTION DISAPPLICATION

 

The Directors are hereby empowered pursuant to sections 1022 and 1023(3) of the Act to allot equity securities (within the meaning of the said section 1023) for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by Article 7 as if section 1022(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment, and, unless it is renewed or a longer period of time is allowed under applicable law, this power shall expire five years from the date of adoption of these Articles. The Company may, before the expiry of such power, 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 Article 8 had not expired.

 

9RESIDUAL ALLOTMENT PROVISIONS

 

9.1Subject 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 Act) allot, re-classify, 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 interests of the Company, but so that no share shall be issued at a discount save in accordance with the Act, and so that the amount payable on application on each share shall not be less than one-quarter of the nominal amount of the share and the whole of any premium thereon. To the extent permitted by the Act, shares may also be allotted by a committee of the Directors or by any other person where such committee or person is so authorized by the Directors.

 

9.2Subject to any requirement to obtain the approval of shareholders under any laws, regulations or the rules of any stock exchange to which the Company is subject, the Board is authorized, 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.

 

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9.3The Company may issue permissible letters of allotment (as defined by section 1019 of the Act).

 

9.4Nothing 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.

 

9.5If by the conditions of allotment of any share the whole or part of the amount or issue price thereof shall be payable by instalments, every such instalment when due shall be paid to the Company by the person who for the time being shall be the holder of the share.

 

10RIGHTS’ PLAN

 

10.1Subject to applicable law, the Directors are hereby expressly authorised to adopt any shareholder rights’ plan (a “Rights’ Plan”) upon such terms and conditions as the Directors deem expedient in the interests of the Company, including, without limitation, where the Directors are of the opinion that a Rights’ Plan could grant them additional time to gather relevant information or pursue strategies in response to or anticipation of, or could prevent, a potential change of control of the Company or accumulation of shares in the Company or interests therein.

 

10.2The Directors may exercise any power of the Company to grant rights (including approving the execution of any documents relating to the grant of such rights) to subscribe for Ordinary Shares or Preferred Shares in the share capital of the Company (“Rights”) in accordance with the terms of a Rights’ Plan.

 

10.3For the purposes of effecting an exchange of Rights for Ordinary Shares or Preferred Shares (an “Exchange of Rights”), the Directors may:

 

(A)resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of the reserves of the Company (including, but not limited to, the share premium account, capital redemption reserve, any merger reserve, any undenominated capital and profit and loss account), whether or not available for distribution, being an amount equal to the nominal value of the Ordinary Shares or Preferred Shares which are to be exchanged for the Rights; and

 

(B)apply that sum in paying up in full Ordinary Shares or Preferred Shares and allot such shares, credited as fully paid, to those holders of Rights who are entitled to them under an Exchange of Rights effected pursuant to the terms of a Rights’ Plan.

 

10.4The duties of the Directors to the Company under applicable law, including, but not limited to, the Act and common law, are hereby deemed amended and modified such that the adoption of a Rights’ Plan and any actions taken thereunder by the Directors (if so approved by the Directors) shall be deemed to constitute an action in the interests of the Company in all circumstances, and any such action shall be deemed to be immediately confirmed, approved and ratified.

 

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11COMMISSIONS AND BROKERAGE

 

The Company may pay commission to any person in consideration of any person subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, for any shares in the capital of 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 the provisions of the Act and 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.

 

12TRUSTS NOT RECOGNISED

 

Except as otherwise expressly provided by these Articles or as required by law or as ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any share on any trust, and the Company shall not be bound by or required to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any share or any right whatsoever in respect of any share or any interest in any fractional part of a share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the registered holder. This shall not preclude the Company from requiring the shareholders or a transferee of shares to furnish the Company with information as to the beneficial ownership of any share when such information is reasonably required by the Company.

 

13FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

 

Save as permitted by the Statutes, the Company shall not give, whether directly or indirectly and whether by means of a loan, guarantee, the provisions of security or otherwise, any financial assistance for the purpose of an acquisition made or to be made by any person of any shares in the Company or, where the Company is a subsidiary, in its holding company.

 

14REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE OF OWN SHARES

 

14.1Subject to the provisions of the Act and the other provisions of these Articles, and without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 4.3 and 5.3, the Company may:

 

(A)pursuant to section 66(4) of the Act, issue any shares which are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the shareholders on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by the Directors;

 

(B)redeem shares of the Company on such terms as may be contained in, or be determined pursuant to the provisions of, these Articles;

 

(C)cancel any shares so redeemed or may hold them as treasury shares and re-issue such treasury shares as shares of any class or classes or cancel them;

 

(D)subject to or in accordance with the provisions of the Act and without prejudice to any relevant special rights attached to any class of shares, acquire any of its own shares (including any Redeemable Shares and without any obligation to purchase on any pro rata basis as between shareholders, including shareholders of the same class) and may cancel any shares so purchased or hold them as treasury shares and may reissue any such shares as shares of any class or classes or cancel them; or

 

(E)convert any of its shares into Redeemable Shares.

 

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14.2The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own shares in any manner permitted by the Act.

 

14.3Unless the Board determines otherwise, the holder of any shares being purchased or redeemed shall be bound to deliver up to the Company at its Registered Office or such other place as the Board shall specify, the certificate(s) (if any) thereof for cancellation and thereupon the Company shall pay to him or her the purchase or redemption monies or consideration in respect thereof.

 

15VARIATION OF CLASS RIGHTS

 

15.1Subject to the provisions of the Act and the other provisions of these Articles and without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 4.3 and 5.3, if at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class of shares may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied or abrogated:

 

(A)with the consent in writing from the holders of at least 75% in nominal value of the issued shares of that class (excluding any shares held as treasury shares); or

 

(B)with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class sanctioning the variation, provided that, if the relevant class of holders has only one holder, that person present in person or by proxy shall constitute the necessary quorum for such a meeting, and to every such meeting the provisions of Article 44.5 shall apply.

 

15.2Subject to the terms of issue of or rights attached to any shares, the rights or privileges attached to any class of shares shall be deemed not to be varied or abrogated by:

 

(A)the creation or issue of any new shares ranking pari passu in all respects (save as to the date from which such new shares shall rank for dividend) therewith;

 

(B)the operation of Article 4.2;

 

(C)the issue and allotment of Preferred Shares (or class or series thereof) in accordance with Article 5.1; or

 

(D)the reduction of the capital paid-up on such shares or by the purchase or redemption by the Company of any of its own shares in accordance with the Statutes and these Articles.

 

16VARIATION OF COMPANY CAPITAL

 

16.1The Company may by Ordinary Resolution vary its company capital as permitted by section 83 of the Act.

 

17FRACTIONS

 

17.1If, as the result of a consolidation and division or a sub-division of shares, fractions of shares become attributable to shareholders, the Board may on behalf of the shareholders deal with the fractions as it thinks fit, including (without limitation) in either of the ways prescribed in this Article below.

 

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17.2The Board may sell shares representing the fractions to any person (including, subject to the Statutes, the Company) for the best price reasonably obtainable and distribute the net proceeds of sale (subject to any applicable tax, abandoned property laws and the reasonable expenses of sale) in due proportion amongst the persons to whom such fractions are attributable (except that if the amount due to a person is less than €5.00, or such other sum as the Board may decide, the Company may retain such sum for its own benefit). To give effect to such sale the Board may authorise a person to execute an instrument of transfer of shares to the purchaser or as the purchaser may direct.

 

17.3The purchaser will not be bound to see to the application of the purchase monies in respect of any such sale. The title of the transferee to the shares will not be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings connected with the sale or transfer. Any instrument or exercise referred to in Article 17.2 shall be effective as if it had been executed or exercised by the holder of the shares to which it relates.

 

17.4In relation to such fractions, the Board may issue, subject to the Statutes, to a shareholder credited as fully paid by way of capitalisation the minimum number of shares required to round up his or her holding of shares to a number which, following a consolidation and division or a sub-division, leaves a whole number of shares (such issue being deemed to have been effected immediately before the consolidation or the sub-division, as the case may be). The amount required to pay up those shares may be capitalised as the Board thinks fit out of amounts standing to the credit of any reserve or fund of the Company (including any share premium account, un-denominated capital account, revaluation reserve, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account), whether or not available for distribution, and applied in paying up in full the appropriate number of shares. A resolution of the Board capitalising part of any such reserve or fund will have the same effect as if the capitalisation had been made with the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution of the Company pursuant to Article 130. In relation to the capitalisation, the Board may exercise all the powers conferred on it by Article 130 without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution of the Company.

 

18REDUCTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

 

18.1The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its company capital in any way it thinks expedient as permitted by section 84 of the Act and in accordance with sections 84 to 87 of the Act.

 

18.2Unless the Special Resolution provides otherwise, a reserve arising from the reduction of company capital is to be treated for all purposes as a realised profit in accordance with section 117(9) of the Act. Nothing in this Article shall, however, prejudice or limit the Company’s ability to perform or engage in any of the actions described in section 83(1) of the Act by way of Ordinary Resolution only.

 

CERTIFICATED SHARES

 

19RIGHT TO CERTIFICATES

 

19.1The shares of the Company may be either represented by certificates or, if permissible by applicable Statutes and the conditions of issue of the relevant shares so provide, by uncertificated shares. Except as required by law, the rights and obligations of the holders of uncertificated shares and the rights and obligations of the holders of shares represented by certificates of the same class shall be identical.

 

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19.2Subject to the Statutes, the requirements of (to the extent applicable) the rules of any stock exchange to which the shares are admitted to trading, and these Articles, every person (except any person in respect of whom the Company is not required by the Statutes to complete and have ready for delivery a share certificate), upon becoming the holder of a certificated share is entitled, without charge, to receive within one month after allotment or within one month of lodgement of a transfer (unless the conditions of issue provide for a longer interval), one certificate for all the certificated shares of a class registered in his or her name or, in the case of certificated shares of more than one class being registered in his or her name, to a separate certificate for each class of shares, unless the terms of issue of the shares provide otherwise.

 

19.3Where a shareholder transfers part of his or her shares comprised in a certificate, the old certificate shall be cancelled and he or she shall be entitled, without charge, to one certificate for the balance of the certificated shares retained by him or her.

 

19.4If and so long as all the issued shares in the capital of the Company or all the issued shares of a particular class are fully paid-up and rank pari passu for all purposes, then none of those shares shall bear a distinguishing number. In all other cases each share shall bear a distinguishing number.

 

19.5In the case of joint holders of shares held in certificated form the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate to all the joint holders, and delivery of such certificate to any one of them shall be sufficient delivery to all.

 

19.6A certificate shall specify the number and class and the distinguishing numbers (if any) of the shares in respect of which it is issued and the amount paid-up on the shares. It shall be issued under the Seal, which may be affixed to or printed on it, or in such other manner as the Board may approve, having regard to the terms of issue and the requirements of (to the extent applicable) the rules of any stock exchange to which the shares are admitted to trading (including by way of signature or facsimile of the signature of any person to be applied to such share certificate by any mechanical or electronic means in place of that person’s actual signature).

 

20REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES

 

If any certificate is worn-out, defaced, lost or destroyed, the Company may cancel it and issue a replacement certificate subject to such terms as the Board may decide as to evidence and indemnity (with or without security) and to payment of any exceptional out-of-pocket expenses of the Company in investigating such evidence and preparing such indemnity or such security but otherwise free of charge, and (if the certificate is worn-out or defaced) on delivery up of the old certificate.

 

LIEN ON SHARES

 

21COMPANY’S LIEN ON SHARES NOT FULLY PAID

 

21.1The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on each issued share (not being a fully paid share) for all amounts payable to the Company (whether actually or contingently and whether presently payable or not) in respect of such share.

 

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21.2The lien applies to all dividends on any such share and to all amounts payable by the Company in respect of such share. It also applies notwithstanding that:

 

(A)the Company may have notice of any equitable or other interest of any person in any such share; or

 

(B)any such amounts payable may be the joint debts and liabilities of both the holder of the share and one or more other persons.

 

21.3The Board may resolve that any share be exempt wholly or in part from this Article.

 

22ENFORCEMENT OF LIEN BY SALE

 

22.1For the purpose of enforcing the Company’s lien on any shares, the Board may sell them in such manner as it decides if an amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable and is not paid within fourteen (14) clear days following the giving of a notice to the holder (or any person entitled by transmission to the share) demanding payment of the amount due within such fourteen clear day period and stating that if the notice is not complied with the shares may be sold.

 

22.2To give effect to such sale the Board may authorise a person to execute an instrument of transfer of shares in the name and on behalf of the holder of, or the person entitled by transmission to, them to the purchaser or as the purchaser may direct.

 

22.3The purchaser will not be bound to see to the application of the purchase monies in respect of any such sale. The title of the transferee to the shares will not be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings connected with the sale or transfer, and after the name of the purchaser has been entered in the Share Register, the remedy of any person aggrieved by the sale shall be in damages only and against the Company exclusively. Any instrument or exercise referred to in Article 22.2 shall be effective as if it had been executed or exercised by the holder of, or the person entitled by transmission to, the shares to which it relates.

 

22.4The net proceeds of any sale of shares subject to the Company’s lien under these Articles (after payment of the costs and expenses of sale) shall be applied in or towards satisfaction of the amount then due to the Company in respect of the shares. Any balance shall be paid to the original holder of, or the person entitled (but for such sale) by transmission to, the shares on (in the case of certificated shares) surrender to the Company for cancellation of the certificate for such shares and (in all cases) subject to the Company having a lien on such balance on the same basis as applied to such shares for any amount not presently payable as existed on such shares before the sale.

 

22.5Whenever any law for the time being of any country, state or place imposes or purports to impose any immediate or future or possible liability upon the Company to make any payment or empowers any government or taxing authority or government official to require the Company to make any payment in respect of any shares registered in the Share Register as held either jointly or solely by any shareholder or in respect of any dividends, bonuses or other monies due or payable or accruing due or which may become due or payable to such shareholder by the Company on or in respect of any shares registered as mentioned above or for or on account or in respect of any shareholder and whether in consequence of:

 

(A)the death of such shareholder;

 

(B)the non-payment of any income tax or other tax by such shareholder;

 

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(C)the non-payment of any estate, probate, succession, death, stamp or other duty by the executor or administrator of such shareholder or by or out of her estate; or

 

(D)any other act or thing,

 

in every such case (except to the extent that the rights conferred upon holders of any class of shares render the Company liable to make additional payments in respect of sums withheld on account of the foregoing):

 

(1)the Company shall be fully indemnified by such shareholder or her executor or administrator from all liability;

 

(2)the Company shall have a lien upon all dividends and other monies payable in respect of the shares registered in the Share Register as held either jointly or solely by such shareholder for all monies paid or payable by the Company as referred to above in respect of such shares or in respect of any dividends or other monies thereon or for or on account or in respect of such shareholder under or in consequence of any such law, together with interest at the rate of 15% per annum (or such other rate as the Board may determine) thereon from the date of payment to date of repayment, and the Company may deduct or set off against such dividends or other monies so payable any monies paid or payable by the Company as referred to above together with interest at the same rate;

 

(3)the Company may recover as a debt due from such shareholder or her executor or administrator (wherever constituted) any monies paid by the Company under or in consequence of any such law and interest thereon at the rate and for the period referred to above in excess of any dividends or other monies then due or payable by the Company; and

 

(4)the Company may if any such money is paid or payable by it under any such law as referred to above refuse to register a transfer of any shares by any such shareholder or her executor or administrator until such money and interest is set off or deducted as referred to above or in the case that it exceeds the amount of any such dividends or other monies then due or payable by the Company, until such excess is paid to the Company.

 

22.6Subject to the rights conferred upon the holders of any class of shares, nothing in Article 22.5 will prejudice or affect any right or remedy which any law may confer or purport to confer on the Company. As between the Company and every such shareholder as referred to above (and, her executor, administrator and estate, wherever constituted), any right or remedy which such law shall confer or purport to confer on the Company shall be enforceable by the Company.

 

CALLS

 

23CALLS

 

23.1Subject to the terms on which shares are allotted, the Board may make calls on the shareholders (and any persons entitled by transmission) in respect of any amounts unpaid on their shares (whether in respect of nominal value or premium) and not payable on a date fixed by or in accordance with the allotment terms. Each such shareholder or other person shall pay to the Company the amount called, subject to receiving at least fourteen (14) clear days’ notice specifying when and where the payment is to be made, as required by such notice.

 

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23.2A call may be made payable by instalments. A call may be revoked before receipt by the Company of a sum due thereunder, in whole or in part and payment of a call may be postponed in whole or in part as the Board may decide. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him or her notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the shares in respect of which the call was made.

 

23.3A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Board authorising the call was passed.

 

24LIABILITY OF JOINT HOLDERS

 

The joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of it.

 

25INTEREST

 

If the whole of the sum payable in respect of any call is not paid by the day it becomes due and payable, the person from whom it is due shall pay all costs, charges and expenses that the Company may have incurred by reason of such non-payment, together with interest on the unpaid amount from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at the rate fixed by the terms of the allotment of the share or in the notice of the call or, if no rate is fixed, at such rate, not exceeding the appropriate rate (as defined by the Act), as the Board shall determine. The Board may waive payment of such costs, charges, expenses or interest in whole or in part.

 

26DIFFERENTIATION

 

Subject to the allotment terms, the Board may make arrangements on or before the issue of shares to differentiate between the holders of shares in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their shares.

 

27PAYMENT IN ADVANCE OF CALLS

 

27.1The Board may, if it thinks fit, receive from any shareholder (or any person entitled by transmission) willing to advance the same or all or any part of the amount uncalled and unpaid on the shares held by him or her (or to which he or she is entitled). The liability of each such shareholder or other person on the shares to which such payment relates shall be reduced by such amount. The Company may pay interest on such amount from the time of receipt until the time when such amount would, but for such advance, have become due and payable at such rate not exceeding the appropriate rate (as defined by the Act) as the Board may decide.

 

27.2No sum paid-up on a share in advance of a call shall entitle the holder to any portion of a dividend subsequently declared or paid in respect of any period prior to the date on which such sum would, but for such payment, become due and payable.

 

28RESTRICTIONS IF CALLS UNPAID

 

Unless the Board decides otherwise, no shareholder shall be entitled to receive any dividend or to be present or vote at any meeting or to exercise any right or privilege as a shareholder until he or she has paid all calls due and payable on every share held by him or her, whether alone or jointly with any other person, together with interest and expenses (if any) to the Company.

 

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29SUMS DUE ON ALLOTMENT TREATED AS CALLS

 

Any sum payable in respect of a share on allotment or at any fixed date, whether in respect of the nominal value of the share or by way of premium or as an instalment of a call, shall be deemed to be a call. If such sum is not paid, these Articles shall apply as if it had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

FORFEITURE

 

30FORFEITURE AFTER NOTICE OF UNPAID CALL

 

30.1If a call or an instalment of a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the Board may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen (14) clear days’ notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued and any costs, charges and expenses that the Company may have incurred by reason of such non-payment. The notice shall state the place where payment is to be made and that if the notice is not complied with the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited. If the notice is not complied with, any shares in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Board. The forfeiture will include all dividends and other amounts payable in respect of the forfeited shares which have not been paid before the forfeiture.

 

30.2The Board may accept the surrender of a share which is liable to be forfeited in accordance with these Articles. All provisions in these Articles which apply to the forfeiture of a share also apply to the surrender of a share.

 

30.3The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the nominal value of the share or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

30.4On the trial or hearing of any action for the recovery of any money due for any call it shall be sufficient to prove that the name of the shareholder sued is entered in the Share Register as the holder, or one of the holders, of the shares in respect of which such debt accrued, that the resolution making the call is duly recorded in the minute book and that notice of such call was duly given to the shareholder sued, in pursuance of these Articles, and it shall not be necessary to prove the appointment of the Directors who made such call nor any other matters whatsoever, but the proof of the matters aforesaid shall be conclusive evidence of the debt.

 

31NOTICE AFTER FORFEITURE

 

31.1When a share has been forfeited, the Company shall give notice of the forfeiture to the person who was before forfeiture the holder of the share or the person entitled by transmission to the share. An entry that such notice has been given and of the fact and date of forfeiture shall be made in the Share Register. No forfeiture will be invalidated by any omission to give such notice or make such entry.

 

31.2The Board may accept a surrender of any share liable to be forfeited hereunder.

 

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32CONSEQUENCES OF FORFEITURE

 

32.1Subject to the provisions of the Act, a share shall, on its forfeiture, become the property of the Company and all interest in and all claims and demands against the Company in respect of a share and all other rights and liabilities incidental to the share as between its holder and the Company shall, on its forfeiture, be extinguished and terminate except as otherwise stated in these Articles.

 

32.2The holder of a share (or the person entitled to it by transmission) which is forfeited or surrendered shall:

 

(A)on its forfeiture or surrender cease to be a shareholder (or a person entitled) in respect of it;

 

(B)if a certificated share, surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the share;

 

(C)remain liable to pay to the Company all monies payable in respect of the share at the time of forfeiture, with interest from such time of forfeiture until the time of payment, in the same manner in all respects as if the share had not been forfeited; and

 

(D)remain liable to satisfy all (if any) claims and demands which the Company might have enforced in respect of the share at the time of forfeiture without any deduction or allowance for the value of the share at the time of forfeiture or for any consideration received on its disposal, but his or her liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all such moneys in respect of the shares.

 

32.3The forfeiture or surrender of a share shall involve the extinction at the time of forfeiture or surrender of all interest in and all claims and demands against the Company in respect of the share as between the shareholder whose share is forfeited or surrendered and the Company, except only such of those rights and liabilities as are by these Articles expressly saved, or as are by the Act given or imposed in the case of past shareholders.

 

32.4Notwithstanding any such forfeiture as aforesaid, the Board may, at any time before the forfeited shares have been otherwise disposed of, annul the forfeiture, on the terms of payment of all calls and interest due thereon and all expenses incurred in respect of the share, or on the terms of compliance with the terms of any notice served under section 1062 of the Act, as appropriate, and on such further terms (if any) as it shall see fit.

 

33DISPOSAL OF FORFEITED SHARE

 

33.1Subject to the Act, a forfeited share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Board may decide either to the person who was before the forfeiture the holder or to any other person. At any time before the disposal, the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Board may decide. Where for the purpose of its disposal a forfeited share is to be transferred to any transferee, the Board may authorise a person to execute an instrument of transfer of shares in the name and on behalf of their holder to the purchaser or as the purchaser may direct.

 

33.2The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for the share on any sale or disposition thereof and may execute a transfer of the share in favour of the person to whom the share is sold or disposed of and thereupon he or she shall be registered as the holder of the share.

 

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33.3The purchaser will not be bound to see to the application of the purchase monies in respect of any such sale. The title of the transferee to the shares will not be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings connected with the sale or transfer, and after the name of the purchaser has been entered in the Share Register, the remedy of any person aggrieved by the sale shall be in damages only and against the Company exclusively. Any instrument or exercise referred to in Article 33.1 shall be effective as if it had been executed or exercised by the holder of, or the person entitled by transmission to, the shares to which it relates.

 

34PROOF OF FORFEITURE

 

A statutory declaration by a Director or the Secretary that a share has been duly forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share. The declaration shall (subject to the execution of any necessary instrument of transfer) constitute good title to the share. The person to whom the share is disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the consideration (if any) given for it on such disposal. His or her title to the share will not be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of, the proceedings connected with the forfeiture or disposal.

 

UNTRACED MEMBERS

 

35SALE OF SHARES

 

35.1The Company may sell at the best price reasonably obtainable any share of a shareholder, or any share to which a person is entitled by transmission, if:

 

(A)during the period of twelve (12) years prior to the date of the publication of the advertisements referred to in this Article 35.1 (or, if published on different dates, the earlier or earliest of them):

 

(1)no cheque, warrant or money order in respect of such share sent by or on behalf of the Company to the shareholder or to the person entitled by transmission to the share, at his or her address in the Share Register or other address last known to the Company has been cashed;

 

(2)no cash dividend payable on the shares has been satisfied by the transfer of funds to a bank account of the shareholder (or person entitled by transmission to the share); and

 

(3)the Company has received no communication (whether in writing or otherwise) in respect of such share from such shareholder or person,

 

provided that during such twelve (12) year period the Company has paid at least three cash dividends (whether interim or final) in respect of shares of the class in question and no such dividend has been claimed by the person entitled to such share;

 

(B)on or after the expiry of such twelve (12) year period the Company has given notice of its intention to sell such share by advertisements in a national newspaper published in the country in which the Registered Office is located and in a newspaper circulating in the area in which the address in the Share Register or other last known address of the shareholder or the person entitled by transmission to the share or the address for the service of notices on such shareholder or person notified to the Company in accordance with these Articles is located;

 

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(C)such advertisements, if not published on the same day, are published within thirty (30) days of each other; and

 

(D)during a further period of three months following the date of publication of such advertisements (or, if published on different dates, the date on which the requirements of this Article 35.1 concerning the publication of newspaper advertisements are met) and prior to the sale the Company has not received any communication (whether in writing or otherwise) in respect of such share from the shareholder or person entitled by transmission.

 

35.2To give effect to a sale pursuant to Article 35.1, the Board may authorise a person to execute an instrument of transfer of shares in the name and on behalf of the holder of, or the person entitled by transmission to, them to the purchaser or as the purchaser may direct.

 

35.3The transferee will not be bound to see to the application of the purchase monies in respect of any such sale. The title of the transferee to the shares will not be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings connected with the sale or transfer, and after the name of the purchaser has been entered in the Share Register, the remedy of any person aggrieved by the sale shall be in damages only and against the Company exclusively. Any instrument or exercise referred to in Article 35.2 shall be effective as if it had been executed or exercised by the holder of, or the person entitled by transmission to, the shares to which it relates.

 

36APPLICATION OF SALE PROCEEDS

 

The Company shall account to the shareholder or other person entitled to such share for the net proceeds of such sale by carrying all monies in respect of the sale to a separate account. The Company shall be deemed to be a debtor to, and not a trustee for, such shareholder or other person in respect of such monies. Monies carried to such separate account may either be employed in the business of the Company or invested as the Board may think fit. No interest shall be payable to such shareholder or other person in respect of such monies and the Company shall not be required to account for any money earned on them.

 

37APPLICABLE ESCHEATMENT LAWS

 

37.1To 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 shareholder 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.

 

37.2The Company may only exercise the powers granted to it in Article 37.1 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 shareholder.

 

37.3Any stock transfer form to be executed by the Company in order to sell or transfer a share pursuant to Article 35.1 may be executed in accordance with Article 38.2.

 

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TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

38FORM OF TRANSFER

 

38.1Subject to these Articles, a shareholder may transfer all or any of his or her shares by an instrument of transfer in writing in any usual form or in another form approved by the Board, which must be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and (in the case of a transfer of a share which is not fully paid) by or on behalf of the transferee.

 

38.2The instrument of transfer of any share may be executed for and on behalf of the transferor by the Secretary or any person that the Secretary nominates for that purpose (whether in respect of specific transfers or pursuant to a general standing authorisation), and the Secretary or the relevant nominee of the Secretary 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 shareholders 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, the date of the agreement to transfer shares and the price per share, shall, once executed by the transferor or the Secretary or the relevant nominee of the Secretary as agent for the transferor, and by the transferee where required by the Act, be deemed to be a proper instrument of transfer for the purposes 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 Share 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.

 

38.3The 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 (a) seek reimbursement of the stamp duty from the transferee, (b) set-off the stamp duty against any dividends payable to the transferee of those shares and (c) 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.

 

38.4The transferor shall remain the holder of the share transferred until the name of the transferee is entered in the Share Register in respect of it.

 

38.5The Board may at any time after the allotment of any share but before any person has been entered in the Share Register as the holder thereof recognise a renunciation thereof by the allottee in favour of some other person and may accord to any allottee of a share a right to effect such renunciation upon and subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may think fit to impose.

 

38.6Notwithstanding the provisions of these Articles and subject to any provision of the Act, title to any shares in the Company may also be evidenced and transferred without a written instrument in accordance with the Act or any regulations made thereunder.

 

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38.7Subject to the Statutes and other applicable law, 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.

 

38.8Subject to such of the restrictions of these Articles and to such of the conditions of issue of share warrants as may be applicable, any share warrant may be transferred by instrument in writing in any usual or common for or any other form which the Directors may approve.

 

39REGISTRATION OF A CERTIFICATED SHARE TRANSFER

 

39.1The Directors in their absolute discretion and without assigning any reason therefor may decline to register:

 

(A)any transfer of a share which is not fully paid; or

 

(B)any transfer to or by a minor or person of unsound mind.

 

39.2Subject to these Articles, the Board may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to register the transfer of a share or the renunciation of a permissible letter of allotment unless:

 

(A)it is in respect of a share on which the Company has no lien;

 

(B)it is in respect of only one class of shares;

 

(C)it is in favour of a single transferee or renouncee or not more than four joint transferees or renouncees;

 

(D)it is duly stamped, if required; and

 

(E)it is delivered for registration to the Registered Office or such other place as the Board may decide, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates (except in the case of a transfer of a share, for which a certificate has not been issued, by a person in respect of whom the Company is not required by the Act to complete and have ready for delivery a share certificate, and except in the case of a renunciation) and any other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to prove the title to such share of the transferor or person renouncing and the due execution by him or her of the transfer or renunciation or, if the transfer or renunciation is executed by some other person on his or her behalf, the authority of such person to do so.

 

39.3If the Board refuses to register a transfer or renunciation pursuant to this Article, it shall, within two months after the date on which the transfer or renunciation was delivered to the Company, send notice of the refusal to the transferee or renounce together with their reasons for the refusal. An instrument of transfer or renunciation which the Board refuses to register shall (except in the case of suspected fraud) be returned to the person delivering it. All instruments of transfer which are registered may, subject to these Articles, be retained by the Company.

 

39.4The instrument of transfer of a share shall be signed by or on behalf of the transferor.

 

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39.5In the case of a partly paid-up share, the instrument of transfer must also be signed by or on behalf of the transferee.

 

39.6All instruments of transfer which shall be registered shall (except in case of fraud) remain the property of the Company and be retained by the Company, but any instrument of transfer which the Board may refuse to register shall (except in case of fraud) be returned to the party presenting the same.

 

40CLOSING OF REGISTER OF MEMBERS

 

Subject to the provisions of the Act, the registration of transfers of shares or of any class of shares may be suspended at such times and for such periods, not exceeding thirty (30) days in any year, as the Board may decide.

 

TRANSMISSION OF SHARES

 

41ON DEATH

 

If a shareholder dies, the survivors or survivor where he or she was a joint holder, or his or her personal representatives where he or she was the sole or only surviving holder, shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his or her shares. Nothing in these Articles shall release the estate of a deceased holder from any liability in respect of a share which has been held by him or her solely or jointly.

 

42ELECTION OF PERSON ENTITLED BY TRANSMISSION

 

42.1A person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a shareholder, or of any other event giving rise to a transmission of such entitlement by operation of law, may, on such evidence as to his or her title being produced as the Board may require, elect either to become registered as the holder of such share or to have some person nominated by him or her so registered. If he or she elects to be registered himself or herself, he or she shall give notice to the Company to that effect. If he or she elects to have some other person registered, he or she shall execute an instrument of transfer of such share to such person.

 

42.2All the provisions of these Articles relating to the transfer of shares shall apply to the notice or instrument of transfer or instructions (as the case may be) referred to in Article 42.1 as if the notice were an instrument of transfer and as if the instrument of transfer was executed, or the instructions were given, by the shareholder and the event giving rise to the transmission had not occurred.

 

42.3The Board may give notice requiring a person to make the election referred to in Article 42.1. If such notice is not complied with within sixty (60) days, the Board may withhold payment of all dividends and other amounts payable in respect of the share until notice of election has been made.

 

43RIGHTS ON TRANSMISSION

 

A person becoming entitled by transmission to a share shall have the rights to which he or she would be entitled if he or she were the holder of the share, except that he or she shall not, before being registered as its holder, be entitled in respect of it to receive notice of, or to attend or vote at, any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares.

 

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GENERAL MEETINGS

 

44ANNUAL AND OTHER GENERAL MEETINGS

 

44.1The Company shall in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting in addition to any other meetings in that year, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Not more than fifteen (15) months shall elapse between the date of one annual general meeting of the Company and that of the next. This Article shall not apply in the case of the first general meeting, in respect of which the Company shall convene the meeting within the time periods required by the Act.

 

44.2Subject to the Act, all general meetings of the Company shall be held at such time and places, including electronic platforms as the Board shall determine and may be held outside Ireland.

 

44.3All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. The Board shall determine whether a general meeting is to be held as a physical meeting and/or an electronic meeting, provided that all general meetings must be held in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A general meeting may be held in two or more venues (whether inside or outside of Ireland) at the same time using any technology that provides members, as a whole, with a reasonable opportunity to participate, and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. The Board shall specify in the notice calling the general meeting whether the meeting will be physical and/or electronic. Such notice shall also specify the time, date and place and/or electronic platform(s) of the general meeting.

 

44.4The Board may, whenever it thinks fit, and shall, on the requisition in writing of shareholders holding such number of shares as is prescribed by, and made in accordance with section 178 of the Act, convene a general meeting in the manner required by the Act.

 

44.5All 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 of shares in the capital of the Company, except that:

 

(A)the necessary quorum at any such meeting (or adjournment thereof) shall be shareholders of that class who together represent at least the majority of the voting rights of all the shareholders of that class entitled to vote, present in person or by proxy, at the relevant meeting; and

 

(B)each holder of shares of the class shall, on a poll, have one vote in respect of every share of the class held by him or her.

 

45ELECTRONIC GENERAL MEETINGS

 

45.1Subject always to all general meetings being called and convened in accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Directors may resolve to enable persons entitled to attend a general meeting to do so by simultaneous attendance by electronic means with no member necessarily in physical attendance at the electronic general meeting. The members or their proxies present shall be counted in the quorum for, and entitled to vote at, the general meeting in question, and that meeting shall be duly constituted and its proceedings valid if the chairman of the general meeting is satisfied that adequate facilities are available throughout the electronic general meeting to ensure that members attending the electronic general meeting who are not present together at the same place may attend and participate in the business of the general meeting.

 

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45.2If it appears to the chairman of the general meeting that the electronic platform(s), facilities or security at the electronic general meeting have become inadequate for the purposes referred to in Article 45.1 then the chairman may, without the consent of the meeting, interrupt or adjourn the general meeting. All business conducted at that general meeting up to the time of that adjournment shall be valid and the provisions of Article 53, 54 and 55 shall apply to that adjournment.

 

45.3In relation to an electronic general meeting, the right of a member to participate in the business of any general meeting shall include, without limitation, the right to speak, vote on a poll, be represented by a proxy and have access (including electronic access) to all documents which are required by the Act or these Articles to be made available at the meeting.

 

45.4Nothing in these Articles prevents a general meeting being held both physically and electronically.

 

46NOTICE OF A GENERAL MEETING

 

46.1A general meeting that is an annual general meeting shall be convened by not less than twenty-one (21) clear days’ and no more than sixty (60) clear days’ notice (whether in electronic form or otherwise).

 

46.2Subject to the provisions of the Act and these Articles, all extraordinary general meetings shall be convened by not less than fourteen (14) clear days’ notice and no more than sixty (60) clear days’ notice (whether in electronic form or otherwise).

 

46.3Subject to the provisions of the Act and notwithstanding that it is convened by shorter notice than that specified in Articles 46.1 and 46.2, a general meeting shall be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed by:

 

(A)all the shareholders entitled to attend and vote at the meeting; and

 

(B)the Auditors.

 

46.4Subject to the provisions of the Act, a notice convening a general meeting shall specify:

 

(A)whether the meeting is an annual general meeting or an extraordinary general meeting;

 

(B)the place, the day and the time of the meeting;

 

(C)the general nature of that business to be transacted at the meeting;

 

(D)if the meeting is convened to consider a proposed Special Resolution, the text or substance of that proposed Special Resolution; and

 

(E)with reasonable prominence, that (i) a shareholder entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend, speak and vote instead of him or her (ii) a proxy need not also be a shareholder; and (iii) the time by which the proxy must be received at the Registered Office (or some other place in Ireland as is specified for that purpose).

 

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46.5Subject to the provisions of the Act, notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner permitted by these Articles to:

 

(A)every shareholder;

 

(B)the personal representative of a deceased shareholder;

 

(C)the assignee in bankruptcy of a bankrupt shareholder (being a bankrupt shareholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting);

 

(D)the Directors and Secretary of the Company; and

 

(E)the Auditors.

 

46.6The notice of every general meeting may specify a time by which a person must be entered on the Share Register in order for such person to have the right to attend or vote at the meeting.

 

46.7The Board may determine that the shareholders entitled to receive notice of a meeting are those persons entered on the Share Register at the close of business on a day determined by the Board.

 

46.8The accidental omission to send or give notice of a meeting to or, in cases where it is intended that it be sent out or given with the notice, an instrument of proxy or any other document to, or the non-receipt of any such item by, any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting.

 

46.9Subject to the Act, the Directors may postpone a general meeting of the shareholders (other than a meeting requisitioned by a shareholder in accordance with section 178(3) of the Act or where the postponement of which would be contrary to the Act or a court order pursuant to the Act) after it has been convened, and notice of such postponement shall be served in accordance with Article 46 upon all members entitled to notice of the meeting so postponed setting out, where the meeting is postponed to a specific date, notice of the new meeting in accordance with Article 46.

 

46.10Subject to the Act, the Directors may cancel a general meeting of the members (other than a meeting requisitioned by a member in accordance with section 178(3) of the Act or where the cancellation of which would be contrary to the Act or a court order pursuant to the Act) after it has been convened, and notice of such cancellation shall be served in accordance with Article 44 upon all members entitled to notice of the meeting so cancelled.

 

47QUORUM FOR A GENERAL MEETING

 

47.1No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum is present when the meeting proceeds to business. Save as otherwise provided by these Articles, a quorum will comprise qualifying persons who together are entitled to cast at least the majority of the voting rights of all the shareholders entitled to vote at the relevant meeting, on a poll. For the purposes of this Article a proxy, attorney or other representative of a shareholder will be considered to be entitled to cast only the voting rights to which his or her appointment relates and not any other voting rights held by the shareholder he or she represents.

 

47.2For the purposes of this Article, a “qualifying person” means (i) an individual who is a shareholder (other than a shareholder who, under these Articles or any restrictions imposed on any shares, is not entitled to attend, speak or vote, whether in person or by proxy, at any general meeting of the Company) or his or her validly appointed attorney, (ii) a person authorised under section 185 of the Act to act as the representative of a corporation in relation to the meeting, or (iii) a person appointed as a proxy of a shareholder in relation to the meeting. The Board is entitled, acting in good faith and without further enquiry, to assume the validity of any votes cast in person or by proxy.

 

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47.3The absence of a quorum will not prevent the appointment of a chairperson of the meeting. Such appointment shall not be treated as being part of the business of the meeting.

 

48PROCEDURE IF QUORUM NOT PRESENT

 

48.1If within fifteen (15) minutes (or such longer time not exceeding one hour as the chairperson of the meeting may decide to wait) after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting:

 

(A)if convened on the requisition of shareholders, shall be dissolved; and

 

(B)in any other case, shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week or to such other day and at such other time and place as the chairperson (or, in default, the Board) may, subject to the provisions of the Act, determine.

 

48.2If at such adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within fifteen (15) minutes after the time appointed for holding it the adjourned meeting shall be dissolved.

 

49CHAIRPERSON OF GENERAL MEETING

 

The chairperson (if any) of the Board or, in his or her absence, the vice or deputy chairperson (if any) shall preside as chairperson at a general meeting. If there is no chairperson or vice or deputy chairperson, or if at a meeting neither is present within five minutes after the time fixed for the start of the meeting, or neither is willing to act, the Directors present shall select one of their number to be chairperson of the meeting. If only one Director is present and willing to act, he or she shall be chairperson of the meeting. In default, the shareholders present in person and entitled to vote shall choose one of their number to be chairperson of the meeting.

 

50RIGHTS OF DIRECTORS AND OTHERS TO ATTEND MEETINGS

 

A Director (and any other person invited by the chairperson of the meeting to do so) shall be entitled to attend and speak at a general meeting and at a separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares, whether or not he or she is a shareholder.

 

51ACCOMMODATION OF MEMBERS AT MEETING

 

If it appears to the chairperson of the meeting that the meeting place specified in the notice convening the meeting is inadequate to accommodate all shareholders entitled and wishing to attend, the meeting will be duly constituted and its proceedings valid if the chairperson is satisfied that adequate facilities are available to ensure that a shareholder who is unable to be accommodated is able (whether at the meeting place or elsewhere):

 

(A)to participate in the business for which the meeting has been convened;

 

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(B)to hear and see all persons present who speak (whether by the use of microphones, loud-speakers, audio-visual communications equipment or otherwise); and

 

(C)to be heard and seen by all other persons present in the same way.

 

52SECURITY

 

In addition to any measures which the Board may be required to take due to the location or venue of the meeting, the Board may make any arrangement and impose any restriction it considers appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances to ensure the security of a meeting including, without limitation, the searching of any person attending the meeting and the imposing of restrictions on the items of personal property that may be taken into the meeting place. The Board may refuse entry to, or eject from, a meeting a person who refuses to comply with any such arrangements or restrictions.

 

53POWER TO ADJOURN

 

53.1The chairperson of the meeting may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present, and shall, if so directed by the meeting, adjourn the meeting, from time to time (or indefinitely) and from place to place as the chairperson shall determine.

 

53.2Without prejudice to any other power of adjournment which the chairperson of the meeting may have under these Articles, at common law or otherwise, the chairperson may, without the consent of the meeting, adjourn the meeting from time to time (or indefinitely) and from place to place if he or she decides that it is necessary or appropriate to do so in order to:

 

(A)secure the proper and orderly conduct of the meeting; or

 

(B)give all persons entitled to do so an opportunity of attending the meeting; or

 

(C)give all persons entitled to do so a reasonable opportunity of speaking and voting at the meeting; or

 

(D)ensure that the business of the meeting is properly concluded or disposed of, including (without limitation) for the purpose of determining the result of a poll.

 

53.3Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the chairperson of the meeting may in such circumstances direct that the meeting be held simultaneously in two or more venues connected for the duration of the meeting by audio or audio visual links or in two or more consecutive sessions with the votes taken being aggregated or that it be adjourned to a later time on the same day or a later date at the same or any other venue.

 

54NOTICE OF ADJOURNED MEETING

 

Whenever a meeting is adjourned for fourteen (14) days or more or indefinitely, at least seven clear days’ notice, specifying the place, the day and time of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted, shall be given in the same manner as in the case of an original meeting. Except in these circumstances, no shareholder shall be entitled to any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at any adjourned meeting.

 

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55BUSINESS OF ADJOURNED MEETING

 

No business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business which might properly have been transacted at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.

 

56THE BUSINESS OF A GENERAL MEETING

 

56.1Subject to the provisions of the Act and these Articles, the business of the annual general meeting shall include those matters provided for in section 186 of the Act.

 

56.2No business may be transacted at a general meeting, other than business that:

 

(A)is proposed by, or at the direction of, the Directors;

 

(B)is proposed, in the case of an extraordinary general meeting called on requisition in writing of shareholders in accordance with section 178 of the Act, in accordance with the provisions of the Act;

 

(C)is proposed, in the case of an annual general meeting, by shareholders holding not less than 10% of the paid-up share capital of the Company carrying voting rights in accordance with the provisions of Articles 57 and 58;

 

(D)is proposed, at the direction of the High Court of Ireland; or

 

(E)the chairperson of the general meeting determines, in his sole and absolute discretion, is business that may properly be regarded as within the scope of the meeting.

 

57PROPOSED SHAREHOLDER RESOLUTIONS

 

57.1Any request by a shareholder or shareholders to propose a resolution at an annual general meeting of the Company must, in order for the resolution to be properly moved at such meeting (i) comply with the requirements of the Act and the requirements of this Article 57 and Article 58 and (ii) contain:

 

(A)to the extent that the request relates to the nomination of a Director, as to each person whom the shareholder(s) propose(s) to nominate for election or re-election as a Director:

 

(1)all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of Directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if elected; and

 

(2)a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among such shareholder(s) and any Shareholder Associated Person (as defined below) of such shareholder(s), on the one hand, and each proposed nominee, and his or her respective affiliates and associates, or others acting in concert therewith, on the other hand, including, without limitation, all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act if the shareholder(s) making the nomination and any Shareholder Associated Person of such shareholder(s) were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the nominee were a Director or executive officer of such registrant;

 

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(B)to the extent that that request relates to any business other than the nomination of a Director that the shareholder(s) propose(s) to bring before the meeting, a comprehensive description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting, the text of the proposal (including the complete text of any resolution(s) proposed for consideration) and any material interest in such business of such shareholder(s) and any Shareholder Associated Person of such shareholder(s), individually or in the aggregate, including any anticipated benefit to the shareholder(s) or any Shareholder Associated Person of such shareholder(s) therefrom;

 

(C)as to the shareholder(s) giving the notice and each Shareholder Associated Person of such shareholder(s), if any:

 

(1)the name and address of such shareholder(s), as they appear on the Company’s books, and of such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any;

 

(2)the class and number of shares of the Company which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and of record by such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any;

 

(3)any “Derivative Instrument” owned beneficially, directly or indirectly, by such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, being any option, warrant, convertible security, share appreciation right, or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class or series of shares of the Company or with a value derived in whole or in part from the value of any class or series of shares of the Company, or any derivative or synthetic arrangement having the characteristics of a long position in any class or series of shares of the Company, or any contract, derivative, swap or other transaction or series of transactions designed to produce economic benefits and risks that correspond substantially to the ownership of any class or series of shares of the Company, including due to the fact that the value of such contract, derivative, swap or other transaction or series of transactions is determined by reference to the price, value or volatility of any class or series of shares of the Company, whether or not such instrument, contract or right shall be subject to settlement in the underlying class or series of shares of the Company, through the delivery of cash or other property, or otherwise, and without regard to whether such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, may have entered into transactions that hedge or mitigate the economic effect of such instrument, contract or right, or any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Company;

 

(4)any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding, or relationship pursuant to which such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, have the right to vote any class or series of shares of the Company;

 

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(5)any agreement, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, including any repurchase or similar so-called “stock borrowing” agreement or arrangement, involving such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, directly or indirectly, the purpose or effect of which is to mitigate loss to, reduce the economic risk (of ownership or otherwise) of any class or series of the shares of the Company by, manage the risk of share price changes for, or increase or decrease the voting power of, such shareholder(s), and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, with respect to any class or series of the shares of the Company, or which provides, directly or indirectly, the opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any decrease in the price or value of any class or series of the shares of the Company (any of the foregoing, a “Short Interest”);

 

(6)any rights to dividends on the shares of the Company owned beneficially by such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Company;

 

(7)any significant equity interests or any Derivative Instruments or Short Interests in any competitor of the Company held by such shareholder(s) and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any;

 

(8)any other information relating to such shareholder(s) or such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, or any other beneficial owner that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of Directors pursuant to section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and

 

(9)to the extent known by the shareholder(s) giving the notice, and such Shareholder Associated Person(s), if any, the name and address of any other shareholder or, as the case may be, the Shareholder Associated Person of such other shareholder, supporting the nominee for election or re-election as a Director or the proposal of other business on the date of such request, and

 

(D)the information required in Article 57.1(C) above shall be updated by such shareholder(s) as of the record date for the meeting not later than three days after the record date for the meeting.

 

57.2To be eligible to be a nominee of any shareholder(s) for election or re-election as a Director of the Company, save where such election or re-election is at the recommendation of the Board, a person must deliver (in accordance, in the case of a resolution proposed to be moved at an annual general meeting of the Company, within the time periods prescribed in Article 58.1 for delivery of a request pursuant to Article 57.1) to the Secretary at the Registered Office, a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualifications of such individual and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf, directly or indirectly, the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Secretary upon written request), and a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request) that such individual (a) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a Director of the Company, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed therein, including without limitation any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such individual’s ability to comply, if elected as a Director of the Company, with such individual’s fiduciary and other Director’s duties under applicable law, (b) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Company with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a Director that has not been disclosed therein, (c) in such individual’s personal capacity and on behalf of any person or entity on whose behalf, directly or indirectly, the nomination is being made, would be in compliance, if elected as a Director of the Company, and will comply, with all applicable corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Company publicly disclosed from time to time and (d) irrevocably submits his or her resignation as a Director effective upon a finding by a court of competent jurisdiction that such person has breached such written representation and agreement.

 

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57.3Except as otherwise provided by law or the Articles, the chairperson of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination or any other business proposed to be brought before the meeting was proposed in accordance with the procedures set out in this Article 57 and, in the case of an annual general meeting, in Article 58 and, if any proposed nomination or other business is not in compliance with this Article 57 and, in the case of an annual general meeting, Article 58, to declare that such defective proposal or nomination shall be disregarded.

 

57.4For the purposes of this Article 57, where nominations of persons for appointment to the Board and/or proposals of other business to be considered by the shareholders (as the case may be) are made by or on behalf of more than one shareholder, references to a shareholder or Shareholder Associated Person in relation to notice and other information requirements shall apply to each shareholder or Shareholder Associated Person, respectively, as the context requires.

 

57.5If the requesting shareholder(s) does/do not appear at the meeting to present the nominations of persons for appointment to the Board and/or proposals of other business to be considered by the shareholders (as the case may be) such business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Company.

 

57.6For the purpose of this Article 57, a “Shareholder Associated Person” of any shareholder shall mean (i) any person controlling, directly or indirectly, or acting in concert with, such shareholder, (ii) any beneficial owner of shares of the Company owned of record or beneficially by such shareholder or in which such shareholder is interested or in respect of which such shareholder has the ability to direct votes, and (iii) any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with a person of the kind referred to in sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii), and for these purposes “control”, when used with respect to any person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to manage or direct the management, policies or activities of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract, or otherwise and “controlling”, “controlled by” and “under common control with” shall be construed accordingly.

 

58TIME FOR RECEIVING REQUESTS

 

58.1In the case of a resolution proposed to be moved at an annual general meeting of the Company, a shareholder or shareholders who make(s) a request to which Article 57.1 relates, must deliver any such request in writing to the Secretary at the Registered Office not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred and twentieth (120th) calendar day nor later than the close of business on the ninetieth (90th) calendar day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual general meeting, provided, however, that if the date of an annual meeting is more than thirty (30) calendar days before or more than sixty (60) calendar days after the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual general meeting, notice by the shareholder must be so delivered in writing not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred and twentieth (120th) calendar day prior to such annual general meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (i) the ninetieth (90th) calendar day prior to such annual general meeting and (ii) the fifth (5th) calendar day after the day on which public announcement of the date of such annual general meeting is first made by the Company provided that in no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual general meeting or the public announcement thereof commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described in this Article.

 

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58.2Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Article to the contrary, if the number of Directors to be elected to the Board is increased and there is no public announcement by the Company naming all of the nominees for Director or specifying the size of the increased board of Directors made by the Company at least one hundred (100) calendar days prior to the date of the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual general meeting, a shareholder’s notice required by this Article 58 shall also be considered as validly delivered in accordance with this Article 59, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the Registered Office not later than 5.00 p.m., Irish time, on the tenth (10th) calendar day after the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Company.

 

58.3For purposes of this Article, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by Reuters, the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or a comparable news service or in a document publicly filed by the Company with the US Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

 

58.4Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 57 or the foregoing provisions of this Article 58, a shareholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Act and of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in Article 59 and this Article 58. Nothing in Article 57 or this Article 58 shall be deemed to affect any rights of shareholders to request inclusion of proposals in, nor the right of the Company to omit proposals from, the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act or the Act.

 

VOTING

 

59VOTING AT A GENERAL MEETING

 

A resolution put to the vote of a general meeting shall be decided on a poll. This requirement for poll voting on resolutions at a general meeting of the Company may only be removed, amended or varied by Ordinary Resolution of the shareholders passed unanimously by those present at a general meeting of the Company.

 

60POLL PROCEDURE

 

60.1Each poll shall be conducted in such a manner as the chairperson directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution in relation to the matter concerned, of the meeting at which the poll was taken.

 

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60.2In advance of any meeting, the chairperson shall appoint scrutineers or inspectors who need not be shareholders, to act at the meeting. The chairperson may appoint one or more persons as alternate scrutineers or inspectors to replace any scrutineer or inspector who fails to act. If no scrutineer or inspector or alternate scrutineer is willing or able to act at a meeting, the chairperson shall appoint one or more other persons to act as scrutineers or inspectors at the meeting. The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was conducted.

 

60.3Each scrutineer or inspector appointed in accordance with this Article 60 shall, prior to acting, be required to provide an undertaking to the Company, in a form determined by the Board, that he or she will execute the duties of a scrutineer or inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability.

 

60.4Any poll conducted on the election of the chairperson or on any question of adjournment shall be taken at the meeting and without adjournment. A poll conducted on another question shall be taken at such time and place at the chairperson decides, either at once or after an interval or adjournment.

 

60.5The date and time of the opening and the closing of a poll for each matter upon which the shareholders will vote at a meeting shall be announced at the meeting. No ballot, proxies or votes, nor any revocations thereof or changes thereto, shall be accepted by the scrutineers or inspectors after the closing of the poll unless a court with relevant jurisdiction upon application by a shareholder shall determine otherwise.

 

60.6A shareholder entitled to more than one vote need not, if he or she votes, use all his or her votes or cast all the votes he or she uses in the same way.

 

61VOTES OF MEMBERS

 

61.1Every shareholder (other than a shareholder who, under these Articles or any restrictions imposed on any shares, is not entitled to vote, whether in person or by proxy, at any general meeting of the Company or any meeting of a class of shareholders of the Company) who (being an individual) is present in person or by duly appointed proxy or (being a corporation) is present by duly authorised representative or by duly appointed proxy shall have one vote for every share of which he or she is the holder.

 

61.2In the case of joint holders, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders. Seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Share Register in respect of the joint holding.

 

61.3A shareholder in respect of whom an order has been made by any court or official having jurisdiction (whether in Ireland, the United States or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder or incapacity may vote by his or her guardian or other person duly authorised to act on his or her behalf, who may vote by proxy.

 

61.4Evidence to the satisfaction of the Board of the authority of the person claiming the right to vote shall be deposited at the Registered Office, or at such other place as is specified in accordance with these Articles for the deposit of instruments of proxy, at a time not greater than forty-eight (48) hours (or such shorter period as the Board may, at its absolute discretion, determine) 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.

 

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61.5No 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 chairperson of the meeting, whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

62CHAIRPERSON’S CASTING VOTE

 

In the case of an equality of votes, the chairperson of the meeting shall be entitled to a further or casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may have or be entitled to exercise.

 

63VOTING RESTRICTIONS ON AN OUTSTANDING CALL

 

Unless the Board decides otherwise, no shareholder shall be entitled to be present or vote at any meeting either personally or by proxy until he or she has paid all calls due and payable on every share held by him or her whether alone or jointly with any other person together with interest and expenses (if any) to the Company.

 

64PROXY INSTRUMENT

 

64.1Every shareholder entitled to attend and vote at a general meeting may appoint a proxy to attend, speak and vote on his or her 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 usual form or in any other form or manner of communication (including communication by electronic means) which the Board may approve, subject to compliance with any requirements as to form under the Act, and in the case of an instrument in writing, shall be executed by or on behalf of the appointor but need not be witnessed. In the case of an instrument in writing, a corporation may execute a form of proxy either under its common seal (or in any other manner permitted by law and having the same effect as if executed under seal) or under the hand of a duly authorised officer, attorney or other person. A shareholder may appoint more than one proxy to attend on the same occasion, but only one proxy may be appointed in respect of any one share. A proxy need not be a shareholder. The appointment of a proxy shall not preclude a shareholder from attending and voting at the meeting or at any adjournment of it. A form of proxy shall, unless it provides to the contrary, be valid for any adjournment of the meeting to which it relates.

 

64.2Subject to the Act, the appointment of a proxy relating to shares in the capital of the Company registered in the name of a Depository or its nominee may be in any form and communicated in any manner which the Board may approve (including by electronic means), including, but not limited to, a voter instruction form, provided by the Company to third parties on behalf of the Depository.

 

64.3The appointment of a proxy and any authority under which it is executed or a copy of the authority certified notarially or in some other way approved by the Board shall:

 

(A)in the case of an instrument in writing be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting, at a time not greater than forty-eight (48) hours (or such shorter period as the Board may, at its absolute discretion, determine) before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote;

 

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(B)in the case of an appointment contained in a communication by electronic means, where an address has been specified for the purpose of receiving communications by electronic means:

 

(1)in the notice convening the meeting; or

 

(2)in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting; or

 

(3)in any invitation contained in an communication by electronic means to appoint a proxy issued by the Company in relation to the meeting,

 

be received at such address at a time not greater than forty-eight (48) hours (or such shorter period as the Board may, at its absolute discretion, determine) before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the appointment proposes to vote;

 

(C)be deemed to include the right to speak at the meeting and to vote on any amendment of a resolution put to the meeting for which it is given as the proxy thinks fit; and

 

(D)unless the contrary is stated therein, be valid as well for any adjournment of the meeting as for the meeting to which it relates,

 

and an appointment of proxy which is not deposited, delivered or received in a manner so permitted shall be invalid (unless, subject to the requirements of the Act, the Board, in its absolute discretion in relation to any such appointment, waives any such requirement and decides to treat such appointment as valid).

 

64.4When two or more valid but differing appointments of proxy are delivered or received in respect of the same share for use at the same meeting and in respect of the same matter, the one which is last validly delivered or received (regardless of its date or of the date of its execution) shall be treated as replacing and revoking the other or others as regards that share. If the Company is unable to determine which appointment was last validly delivered or received, none of them shall be treated as valid in respect of that share.

 

64.5The Board may at the expense of the Company send forms of appointment of proxy to the shareholders by post, by communication by electronic means or otherwise (with or without provision for their return by pre-paid post) for use at any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares, either blank or nominating as proxy in the alternative any one or more of the Directors or any other person and worded so as to enable the proxy to vote either for or against or to withhold their vote in respect of the resolutions to be proposed at the meeting at which the proxy is to be used. If for the purpose of any meeting invitations to appoint as proxy a person or one of a number of persons specified in the invitations are issued at the Company’s expense, they shall be issued to all (and not to some only) of the shareholders entitled to be sent notice of the meeting and to vote at it. The accidental omission to send such a form of appointment or to give such an invitation to, or the non-receipt of such form of appointment by, any shareholder entitled to attend and vote at a meeting shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting.

 

64.6A vote given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the death or mental disorder of the principal or the revocation of the instrument of proxy, or of the authority under which the instrument of proxy was executed, or the transfer of the share in respect of which the instrument of proxy is given, provided that no intimation in writing of such death, mental disorder, revocation or transfer shall have been received by the Company at the Registered Office, or at such other place as is referred to in Article 64.3, at a time not greater than forty-eight (48) hours (or such shorter period as the Board may, at its absolute discretion, determine) before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the instrument of proxy is used.

 

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65CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVES

 

In accordance with the Act, any corporation which is a shareholder entitled to attend a meeting of the Company or a meeting of the holders of any class of its shares may, by resolution of its Directors or other governing body, authorise such person or persons as it thinks fit to act as its representative or representatives at any such meeting of the Company or at any such meeting of the holders of any class of its shares. Any person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation (in respect of that part of the corporation’s holdings to which the authority relates) as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual shareholder. The corporation shall for the purposes of these Articles be deemed to be present in person at any such meeting if a person so authorised is present at it. All references in these Articles to attendance and voting in person shall be construed accordingly. A Director, the Secretary or some other person authorised for the purpose by the Secretary may (but is not bound to) require the representative to produce a certified copy of the resolution so authorising him or her or such other evidence of his or her authority reasonably satisfactory to such person before permitting him or her to exercise his or her powers.

 

66AMENDMENT TO RESOLUTIONS

 

66.1If an amendment shall be proposed to any resolution but shall in good faith be ruled out of order by the chairperson of the meeting, any error in such ruling shall not invalidate the proceedings on the substantive resolution.

 

66.2In the case of a resolution duly proposed as a Special Resolution, no amendment to it (other than an amendment to correct a patent error) may be considered or voted on and in the case of a resolution duly proposed as an Ordinary Resolution no amendment to it (other than an amendment to correct a patent error) may be considered or voted on unless either at least forty eight (48) hours prior to the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which such Ordinary Resolution is to be proposed notice in writing of the terms of the amendment and intention to move it has been lodged at the Registered Office or the chairperson of the meeting in his or her absolute discretion decides that it may be considered or voted on.

 

67OBJECTION TO ERROR IN VOTING

 

No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter or to the counting of, or failure to count, any vote, except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered or at which the error occurs. Any such objection or error shall be referred to the chairperson of the meeting, who shall not be obliged to take it into account unless he or she considers it to be of sufficient magnitude to affect the decision of the meeting. The chairperson’s decision on such matters shall be final and binding on all concerned.

 

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FAILURE TO DISCLOSE INTERESTS IN SHARES

 

68FAILURE TO DISCLOSE INTERESTS IN SHARES

 

68.1For the purpose of this Article:

 

(A)Exempt Transfer” means, in relation to shares held by a shareholder:

 

(1)a transfer pursuant to acceptance of a takeover (as defined in the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997) for the Company or in relation to any of its shares;

 

(2)a transfer in consequence of a sale made through a market recognised for the purpose of section 1072 of the Act or any stock exchange selected by the Company outside Ireland on which the Company’s shares (or rights in respect of those shares) are normally traded; or

 

(3)a transfer made in consequence of a sale in good faith of the whole of the beneficial interest in the shares to a bona fide unconnected third party, that is to say one who, in the reasonable opinion of the Board, is unconnected with the shareholder or with any other person appearing to be interested in such shares prior to such transfer (being a party which itself is not the holder of any shares in the Company in respect of which a Direction Notice is then in force or a person appearing to be interested in any such shares) and/or the Board does not have reasonable grounds to believe that the transferor or any other person appearing to be interested in such first mentioned shares will following such transfer have any interest in such shares;

 

(B)a person shall be treated as appearing to be “interested” in any shares if the shareholder holding such shares has given to the Company information in response to a notice from the Company pursuant to section 1062 of the Act (a “Section 1062 Notice”) which names such person as being so interested or if the Company (after taking into account information provided in response to the relevant Section 1062 Notice and any other notification under the Act or any relevant information otherwise available to the Company) knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the person in question is, or may be, interested in the shares, and references in this Article to persons interested in shares and to “interests in shares” shall be construed in accordance with section 1059 of the Act;

 

(C)a person, other than the shareholder holding a share, shall be treated as appearing to be interested in such share if the shareholder has informed the Company that the person is or may be so interested, or if the Company (after taking account of information obtained from the shareholder or, pursuant to a duly served Section 1062 Notice from anyone else) knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the person is or may be so interested;

 

(D)reference to a person having failed to give to the Company information required by a Section 1062 Notice, or being in default of supplying such information, includes references to his or her having:

 

(1)failed or refused to give all or any part of such information; and

 

(2)given information which he or she knows to be false in a material particular or recklessly given information which is false in a material particular; and

 

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(E)transfer” means a transfer of a share or (where applicable) a renunciation of a renounceable letter of allotment or other renounceable document of title relating to a share.

 

68.2Where a Section 1062 Notice is given by the Company to a shareholder, or another person appearing to be interested in shares held by such shareholder, and the shareholder or other person has failed in relation to any shares (“Default Shares”) (which expression applies also to any shares issued after the date of the Section 1062 Notice in respect of those shares and to any other shares registered in the name of such shareholder at any time whilst the default subsists) to give the Company the information required within the time period specified in such notice, then provided that ten (10) clear days have elapsed since service of the Section 1062 Notice, the Board may at any time thereafter at its absolute discretion by notice to such shareholder (a “Direction Notice”) direct that:

 

(A)the shareholder which is the subject of a Direction Notice is not, in respect of the Default Shares entitled to be present or to vote (either in person or by proxy) at a general meeting or at a separate meeting of the holders of a class of shares or on a poll, or to exercise other rights conferred by membership in relation to the meeting or poll.

 

(B)in respect of the Default Shares that represent, at the date of the Direction Notice, 0.25% or more in nominal value of the issued shares of their class:

 

(1)any dividend (or any part of a dividend) or any monies which would otherwise be payable in respect of the Default Shares (except on a winding-up of the Company) may be withheld by the Company, which shall have no obligation to pay interest on such dividend;

 

(2)the shareholder shall not be entitled to elect, pursuant to Article 128 (scrip dividends) or otherwise, to receive shares instead of a dividend; and

 

(3)the Board may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to register the transfer of any Default Shares unless:

 

(i)the transfer is an Exempt Transfer; or

 

(ii)the shareholder is not himself or herself in default in supplying the information required and proves to the satisfaction of the Board that no person in default of supplying the information required is interested in any of the shares which are the subject of the transfer, and

 

(iii)the shareholder which is the subject of a Direction Notice is in breach of these Articles.

 

68.3The Company shall send a copy of the Direction Notice to each other person appearing to be interested in the relevant Default Shares the address of whom has been notified to the Company, but failure or omission by the Company to do so shall not invalidate such notice.

 

68.4Where any person appearing to be interested in any shares has been served with a Section 1062 Notice and such shares are held by a Depositary, the provisions of this Article shall be deemed to apply only to those shares held by the Depositary in which such person appears to be interested and not (so far as that person’s apparent interest is concerned) to any other shares held by the Depositary and references to Default Shares shall be construed accordingly.

 

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68.5Where a person who has an interest in Depositary Interests receives a Section 1062 Notice, that person is considered for the purposes of this Article to have an interest in the number of shares represented by those Depositary Interests which is specified in the Section 1062 Notice and not in the remainder of the shares held by the Depositary or in which the Depositary is otherwise interested.

 

68.6Where the shareholder on whom a Section 1062 Notice has been served is a Depositary, the obligations of the Depositary acting in its capacity as such shall be limited to disclosing to the Company such information relating to any person appearing to be interested in the shares held by it as has been recorded by the Depositary in accordance with the arrangements entered into by the Company or approved by the Board pursuant to which it was appointed as a Depositary.

 

68.7The sanctions under Article 68.2 shall cease to apply seven days after the earlier of:

 

(A)receipt by the Company of notice of an Exempt Transfer, but only in relation to the shares transferred; and

 

(B)receipt by the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Board, of all the information required by the Section 1062 Notice.

 

68.8None of the provisions contained in this Article shall in any way limit or restrict the rights of the Company under sections 1062 and 1066 of the Act or any order made by the court under section 1066 or elsewhere under Part 17 Chapter 4 of the Act nor shall any sanction imposed by the Board pursuant to this Article cease to have effect, otherwise than as provided in this Article, unless it is so ordered by the court.

 

APPOINTMENT, RETIREMENT AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS

 

69NUMBER OF DIRECTORS

 

The number of Directors shall be not more than thirteen (13) and not less than two (2), with the exact number of directors, from time to time, to be determined solely by resolution of the Board.

 

70STRUCTURE OF THE BOARD

 

70.1The Directors shall be divided into three classes, designated Class I, Class II and Class III.

 

(A)The term of the initial Class I directors shall terminate at the conclusion of the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting; the term of the initial Class II directors shall terminate on the conclusion of the Company’s 2025 annual general meeting; and the term of the initial Class III directors shall terminate on the conclusion of the Company’s 2026 annual general meeting.

 

(B)At each annual general meeting of the Company beginning with the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting, all of the Directors of the class of directors whose term expires on the conclusion of that annual general meeting shall retire from office, unless reelected, and successors to that class of directors shall be elected for a three-year term.

 

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(C)The resolution appointing any Director must designate the Director as a Class I, Class II or Class III Director.

 

(D)Every Director of the class retiring shall be eligible to stand for re-election at an annual general meeting.

 

(E)If the number of Directors is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned among the classes so as to maintain the number of Directors in each class as nearly equal as possible or as the Chairman may otherwise direct. In no case will a decrease in the number of Directors shorten the term of any incumbent Director.

 

(F)A Director shall hold office until the conclusion of the annual general meeting for the year in which his term expires and until his successor is elected or appointed by the Board pursuant to Article 72, or until his, or her, earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office in accordance with these Articles and the Act.

 

(G)Any vacancy on the Board, including a vacancy that results from an increase in the number of Directors or from the death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal of a Director, shall be deemed a casual vacancy. Subject to the terms of any one or more classes or series of preferred shares, any casual vacancy shall only be filled by the decision of a majority of the Board then in office, provided that a quorum is present and 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.

 

70.2Any Director of such class elected to fill a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of Directors of such class shall hold office for a term that shall coincide with the remaining term of that class. Any Director elected to fill a vacancy not resulting from an increase in the number of Directors shall have the same remaining term as that of his predecessor. A Director retiring at a meeting shall retain office until the close or adjournment of the meeting.

 

71ANNUAL RE-ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

71.1The Board, upon recommendations of the nomination and governance committee (or equivalent committee established by the Board) shall propose nominees for election to the office of Director at each annual general meeting, commencing with the annual general meeting of the Company in 2024.

 

71.2The Directors may be appointed by the members in general meeting, provided that no person other than a Director retiring at the meeting shall, save where recommended by the Board, be eligible for election to the office of Director at any general meeting unless the requirements of Article 57 and 58 as to his or her eligibility for that purpose have been complied with.

 

71.3Each Director shall be elected by an Ordinary Resolution at such meeting, provided that if, as of, or at any time prior to, fourteen days before the filing of the Company’s definitive proxy statement with the SEC relating to such general meeting, the number of Director nominees exceeds the number of Directors to be elected (a “contested election”), each of those nominees shall be voted upon as a separate resolution and the Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at any such meeting and entitled to vote on the election of Directors. For the purposes of this Article, “elected by a plurality” means the election of those Director nominees, equalling in number to the number of positions to be filled at the relevant general meeting, that received the highest number of votes.

 

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71.4A resolution for the appointment of two or more persons as Directors by a single resolution at a general meeting shall be void unless an Ordinary Resolution that the resolution for appointment be proposed in such way has first been agreed to by the meeting without any vote being given against it.

 

71.5Notwithstanding that a Director might not be re-elected at an annual general meeting, such Director shall nevertheless hold office until his or her successor is elected or is appointed by the Board pursuant to Article 76, or until his, or her, earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office in accordance with these Articles or the Act.

 

71.6A Director whose term expires at an annual general meeting may, if willing to act, be re-appointed.

 

72BOARD POWER TO APPOINT DIRECTORS

 

Without prejudice to the Company’s power to appoint a person to be a Director pursuant to these Articles, the Board shall have power at any time to appoint any person who is willing to act as a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an addition to the existing Board or as a successor to a Director who is not re-elected at an annual general meeting and whose successor is not elected at such annual general meeting, subject to the total number of Directors not exceeding any maximum number fixed by or in accordance with these Articles.

 

73APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

 

Subject to the Act, the Board may appoint one or more of its members to an executive office or other position of employment with the Company for such term (subject to the Act) and on any other conditions the Board thinks fit. The Board may revoke, terminate or vary the terms of any such appointment, without prejudice to a claim for damages for breach of contract between the Director and the Company.

 

74APPOINTMENT OF OTHER OFFICERS

 

The Board may appoint such other officers as the Directors may, from time to time, determine, including but not limited to, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, president, vice president, vice chairperson, Secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, controller and assistant treasurer. The powers and duties of all other officers are at all times subject to the control of the Directors, and any other officer may be removed from that office at any time at the pleasure of the Board.

 

75ELIGIBILITY OF NEW DIRECTORS

 

Subject to the Act, no person shall be eligible for nomination for election or re-election as Director at any annual general meeting unless:

 

(A)he or she is recommended by the Board for appointment or, in the case of a Director retiring, re-appointment; or

 

(B)in any other case, the requirements of Article 57 and Article 58 in respect of nominations of Directors are satisfied.

 

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76VACATION OF DIRECTOR’S OFFICE

 

76.1Without prejudice to the provisions in these Articles for retirement, the office of a Director shall be vacated if:

 

(A)he or she resigns by notice in writing delivered to the Secretary at the Registered Office or tendered at a Board meeting;

 

(B)he or she only held office as a Director for a fixed term and such term expires;

 

(C)he or she ceases to be a Director by virtue of any provision of the Statutes, is removed from office pursuant to these Articles or the Statutes or becomes prohibited by law from being a Director;

 

(D)he or she becomes bankrupt, has an interim receiving order made against him or her, makes any arrangement or compounds with his or her creditors generally or applies to the court for an interim order in connection with a voluntary arrangement under any legislation relating to insolvency;

 

(E)an order is made by any court of competent jurisdiction on the ground (however formulated) of mental disorder for his or her detention or for the appointment of a guardian or receiver or other person to exercise powers with respect to his or her property or affairs or he or she is admitted to hospital in pursuance of an application for admission for treatment under any legislation relating to mental health and the Board resolves that his or her office be vacated;

 

(F)he or she is absent, without permission of the Board, from Board meetings for six consecutive months and the Board resolves that his or her office be vacated;

 

(G)he or she, being a Class I or a Class II Director, is removed from office by notice in writing addressed to him or her at his or her address as shown in the Company’s register of directors and signed by not less than three-quarters of all the Directors in number (rounded down to the nearest whole number and excluding the Director in question) (without prejudice to any claim for damages which he or she may have for breach of contract against the Company); or

 

(H)in the case of a Director who holds executive office, his or her appointment to such office is terminated or expires and the Board resolves that his or her office be vacated.

 

76.2A resolution of the Board declaring a Director to have vacated office pursuant to this Article shall be conclusive as to the fact and grounds of vacation stated in the resolution.

 

BOARD POWERS

 

77BOARD POWERS

 

77.1Subject to the Statutes, the Company’s memorandum of association and these Articles and to any directions given by Special Resolution of the Company, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Board, which may exercise all the powers of the Company whether relating to the management of the business or not. No alteration of the memorandum of association or of these Articles nor any such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Board which would have been valid if such alteration had not been made or such direction had not been given. The provisions in these Articles giving specific powers to the Board shall not limit the general powers given by this Article.

 

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77.2The 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 or her.

 

78DIRECTORS BELOW THE MINIMUM NUMBER

 

If the number of Directors is less than the minimum prescribed in accordance with these Articles, the remaining Director or Directors shall act only for the purposes of appointing an additional Director or Directors to make up such minimum or of convening a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment. If there are no Director or Directors able or willing to act, any two shareholders may summon a general meeting for the purpose of appointing Directors. Any additional Director so appointed shall hold office (subject to these Articles) only until the dissolution of the annual general meeting next following such appointment unless he or she is re-elected during such meeting.

 

79DELEGATION TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

 

The Board may delegate to a Director holding executive office any of its powers, authorities and discretions for such time and on such terms and conditions as it shall think fit. The Board may grant to a Director the power to sub-delegate, and may retain or exclude the right of the Board to exercise the delegated powers, authorities or discretions collaterally with the Director. The Board may at any time revoke the delegation or alter its terms and conditions.

 

80DELEGATION TO COMMITTEES

 

80.1The Board may delegate any of its powers, authorities and discretions (including, without limitation, those relating to the payment of monies or other remuneration to, and the conferring of benefits on, a Director) for such time and on such terms and conditions as it shall think fit to a committee consisting of one or more Directors and/or (if thought fit) one or more other persons. The Board may grant to the committee the power to sub-delegate, and may retain or exclude the right of the Board to exercise the delegated powers, authorities or discretions collaterally with the committee. The Board may at any time revoke the delegation or alter its terms and conditions or discharge the committee in whole or in part. Where a provision of the Articles refers to the exercise of a power, authority or discretion by the Board and that power, authority or discretion has been delegated by the Board to a committee, the provision shall be construed as permitting the exercise of the power, authority or discretion by the committee.

 

80.2The Board’s power under these Articles to delegate to a committee:

 

(A)includes (without limitation) the power to delegate the determination of any fee, remuneration or other benefit to be paid or provided to any Director; and

 

(B)is not limited by the fact that in some Articles but not others express reference is made to particular powers being exercised by the Board or by a committee.

 

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80.3In addition to the Board’s power to delegate to committees pursuant to this Article 80, the Board may delegate any of its powers to any individual Director or member of the management of the Company or any of associated companies as it sees fit; any such individual shall, in the exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any regulations that may be imposed on them by the Board.

 

81LOCAL MANAGEMENT

 

The Board may establish local or divisional boards, agencies or branch offices for managing the affairs of the Company in a specified locality, either in Ireland or elsewhere, and may appoint persons to be members of a local or divisional board, agency or branch office and may fix their remuneration. The Board may delegate to a local or divisional board, agency or branch office any of its powers, authorities and discretions for such time and on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit. The Board may grant to such local or divisional board, agency or branch office the power to sub-delegate, may retain or exclude the right of the Board to exercise the delegated powers, authorities or discretions collaterally with the local or divisional board, agency or branch office and may authorise the members of a local or divisional board, agency or branch (or any of them) to fill a vacancy or to act despite a vacancy. The Board may at any time revoke or alter the terms and conditions of the appointment or delegation. Subject to the terms and conditions imposed by the Board, the proceedings of a local or divisional board, agency or branch office with two or more members are governed by those Articles that regulate the proceedings of the Board, so far as applicable.

 

82DELEGATION TO AGENTS

 

The Board may, by power of attorney or otherwise, appoint a person (including officers and employees) to be the agent of the Company and may delegate to such person any of its powers, authorities and discretions for such purposes, for such time and on such terms and conditions (including as to remuneration) as it thinks fit. The Board may grant the power to sub-delegate and may retain or exclude the right of the Board to exercise the delegated powers, authorities or discretions collaterally with the agent. The Board may at any time revoke or alter the terms and conditions of the appointment or delegation.

 

83EXERCISE OF VOTING POWER

 

The Board may exercise or cause to be exercised the voting power conferred by shares in any other body corporate held or owned by the Company, or any power of appointment to be exercised by the Company, in any manner it thinks fit (including the exercise of the voting power or power of appointment in favour of the appointment of any Director as a director or other officer or employee of such company or in favour of the payment of remuneration to the directors, officers or employees of such company).

 

84PROVISION FOR EMPLOYEES

 

The Board may exercise any power conferred on the Company by the Statutes to make provision for the benefit of persons employed or formerly employed by any Group Member in connection with the cessation or the transfer to any person of the whole or part of the undertaking of such Group Member.

 

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85OVERSEAS REGISTERS

 

Subject to the Statutes, the Board may exercise the powers conferred on the Company with regard to the keeping of an overseas branch, local or other register in relation to shareholders and may make and vary such regulations as it thinks fit concerning the keeping of any such register.

 

86ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS

 

The Board may appoint any person (not being a Director) to any office or employment having a designation or title including the word “director” or attach to any existing office or employment with the Company such designation or title and may terminate any such appointment or the use of such designation or title. The inclusion of the word “director” in the designation or title of any such office or employment shall not imply that such person is, or is deemed to be, or is empowered in any respect to act as, a Director for any of the purposes of the Statutes or these Articles.

 

87BORROWING POWERS

 

Subject to the Statutes, the Board may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge all or part of the undertaking, property and assets (present or future) and uncalled capital of the Company and, subject to section 1021 of the Act, to create and issue debentures and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for a debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

88CHANGE OF COMPANY NAME

 

The name of the Company may be changed, subject to the approval of the Registrar of Companies, by a Special Resolution of the Company.

 

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION, EXPENSES AND BENEFITS

 

89FEES

 

The Company shall pay to the Directors for their services as Directors such aggregate amount of fees, salary or remuneration as the Board decides. The aggregate fees shall be divided among the Directors in such proportions as the Board decides or, if no decision is made, equally. A fee payable to a Director pursuant to this Article shall be distinct from any salary or remuneration payable to him or her under a service agreement or other amount payable to him or her pursuant to other provisions of these Articles and accrues from day to day. The Board may from time to time determine that, subject to the requirements of the Act, all or part of any fees or other remuneration payable to any Director shall be provided in the form of shares or other securities of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, or options to rights to acquire such shares or other securities, on such terms as the Board may decide.

 

90EXPENSES

 

A Director may also be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by him or her in connection with his or her attendance at meetings of the Board or of committees of the Board or general meetings or separate meetings of the holders of any class of shares or otherwise in connection with the discharge of his or her duties as a Director, including (without limitation) any professional fees incurred by him or her (with the approval of the Board or in accordance with any procedures stipulated by the Board) in taking independent professional advice in connection with the discharge of such duties.

 

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91REMUNERATION OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

 

The salary or remuneration of a Director appointed to hold employment or executive office in accordance with the Articles may be a fixed sum of money, in the form of shares or other securities of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, or options to rights to acquire such shares or other securities, on such terms as the Board may decide, and may be wholly or in part governed by business done or profits made, or as otherwise decided by the Board (including, for the avoidance of doubt, by the Board acting through a duly authorised Board committee), and may be in addition to or instead of a fee payable to him or her for his or her services as a Director pursuant to these Articles.

 

92SPECIAL REMUNERATION

 

A Director who, at the request of the Board, goes or resides abroad, makes a special journey or performs a special service on behalf of or for the Company (including, without limitation, services as a chairperson or vice-chairperson of the Board, services as a member of any Board committee and services which the Board considers to be outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a Director) may be paid such reasonable additional remuneration (whether by way of salary, bonus, commission, percentage of profits or otherwise) and expenses as the Board (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Board acting through a duly authorised Board committee) may decide.

 

93COMPANY PROPERTY

 

Each Director is expressly permitted (for the purposes of section 228(1)(d) of the Act) to use the property of the Company pursuant to or in connection with the exercise or performance of his or her duties, functions and powers as Director or employee, the terms of any contract of service or employment or letter of appointment; and/or in the alternative, any other usage authorised by the Directors (or a person authorised by the Directors) from time to time; and including in each case for a Director’s own benefit or for the benefit of another person.

 

94PENSIONS AND OTHER BENEFITS

 

The Board may exercise all the powers of the Company to provide pensions or other retirement or superannuation benefits and to provide death or disability benefits or other allowances or gratuities (by insurance or otherwise) for a person who is or has at any time been a Director, an officer or a director or an employee of a company which is or was a Group Member, a company which is or was allied to or associated with the Company or with a Group Member or a predecessor in business of the Company or of a Group Member (and for any member of his or her family, including a spouse or former spouse, or a person who is or was dependent on him or her). For this purpose the Board may establish, maintain, subscribe and contribute to any scheme, trust or fund and pay premiums. The Board may arrange for this to be done by the Company alone or in conjunction with another person. A Director or former Director is entitled to receive and retain for his or her own benefit any pension or other benefit provided in accordance with this Article and is not obliged to account for it to the Company.

 

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DIRECTORS’ PROCEEDINGS

 

95BOARD MEETINGS

 

Subject to these Articles, the Board may regulate its proceedings as it thinks fit. A Director may, and the Secretary at the request of a Director shall, call a meeting of the Board.

 

96NOTICE OF BOARD MEETINGS

 

Notice of a Board meeting shall be deemed to be duly given to a Director if it is given to him or her personally or by word of mouth or sent in writing to his or her last known address or any other address given to the Company by him or her for such purpose or given by electronic communications to an address for the time being notified to the Company by the Director. It shall not be necessary to give notice of a Board meeting to a Director who is absent with leave unless the Director has notified the Company in writing of an address or an address for electronic communications at which notice of such meetings is to be given to him or her when he or she is absent with leave. A Director may be treated as having waived his or her entitlement to notice of a meeting of the Board if he or she has not supplied the Company with the information necessary to ensure that he or she receives notice of a meeting before it takes place. A Director may waive the requirement that notice of any Board meeting be given to him or her, either prospectively or retrospectively. In this Article “address”, in relation to documents in electronic form, includes any number or address used for the supply of documents in electronic form.

 

97QUORUM

 

No business shall be transacted at any meeting of the Board unless a quorum is present. The quorum may be fixed by the Board and unless so fixed at any other number shall be a majority in number of the Directors in office at the time when the meeting is convened. A duly convened Board meeting at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise any and all of the authorities, discretions and powers vested in or exercisable by the Board.

 

98BOARD CHAIRPERSON

 

The Board may appoint any Director to be, and may remove, a chairperson and a vice- or deputy chairperson of the Board. The chairperson or, in his or her absence, the vice- or deputy chairperson, shall preside at all Board meetings. If there is no chairperson or vice- or deputy chairperson, or if at a Board meeting neither the chairperson nor the vice- or deputy chairperson is present within ten minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, or if neither of them is willing to act as chairperson, the Directors present may choose any Director present to be chairperson of the meeting.

 

99VOTING

 

Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of votes of the Directors present at the meeting. Each Director present and voting shall have one vote. For the avoidance of doubt, in the case of an equality of votes, the chairperson shall have a second or casting vote.

 

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100TELEPHONE PARTICIPATION

 

A Director may participate in a meeting of the Board or a committee of the Board through the medium of conference telephone, video conferencing or any other form of communication equipment if all persons participating in the meeting are able to hear and speak to each other throughout the meeting. A person participating in this way shall be deemed to be present in person at the meeting and shall be counted in a quorum and entitled to vote. Subject to the Statutes, all business transacted in this way by the Board or a committee of the Board shall be deemed for the purposes of the Articles to be validly and effectively transacted at a meeting of the Board or a committee of the Board even if one Director only is physically present at any one place. The meeting shall be deemed to take place where the largest group of those participating is assembled or, if there is no such group, where the chairperson of the meeting then is.

 

101WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS

 

101.1A resolution in writing executed by all the Directors for the time being entitled to receive notice of a Board meeting and unanimously in number, or by all the members of a committee of the Board for the time being entitled to receive notice of the meetings of such committee and unanimously in number, shall be as valid and effective for all purposes as a resolution duly passed at a meeting of the Board (or committee, as the case may be).

 

101.2A resolution:

 

(A)may consist of several documents in the same form each executed, or consented to in accordance with Article 101.3, by one or more of the Directors or members of the relevant committee, including executions or consents evidenced by electronic transmission (including but not limited to email); and

 

(B)to be effective, need not be signed or consented to by a Director who is prohibited by these Articles from voting on it.

 

101.3For the purposes of this Article, a resolution will be deemed to have been executed by a Director if that Director gives his or her confirmation by electronic mail to the Chairperson, Secretary, assistant Secretary or other person designated by the Board or the Secretary that he or she approves the text of the resolution.

 

101.4The Company shall cause a copy of every email referred to in Article 101.3 to be entered in the book kept pursuant to section 166 of the Act.

 

101.5Subject to Article 101.6, where one or more of the Directors (other than a majority of them) would not, by reason of:

 

(A)the Act or any other enactment;

 

(B)these Articles; or

 

(C)an applicable rule of law or an Exchange,

 

be permitted to vote on a resolution such as is referred to in Article 101, if it were sought to pass the resolution at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held, then such a resolution, notwithstanding anything in Article 101, shall be valid for the purposes of that section if the resolution is signed by those of the Directors who would have been permitted to vote on it had it been sought to pass it at such a meeting.

 

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101.6In a case falling within Article 101.5, the resolution shall state the name of each Director who did not sign it and the basis on which he or she did not sign it.

 

101.7For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in Articles 101.5 to 101.6 dealing with a resolution that is signed by other than all of the Directors shall be read as making available, in the case of an equality of votes, a second or casting vote to the one of their number who would, or might have been, if a meeting had been held to transact the business concerned, chairperson of that meeting.

 

102COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS

 

Proceedings of committees of the Board shall be conducted in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Board (if any). Subject to those regulations, such proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with applicable provisions of these Articles regulating the proceedings of the Board. Where the Board resolves to delegate any of its powers, authorities and discretions to a committee and such resolution states that the committee shall consist of any one or more unnamed Directors, it shall not be necessary to give notice of a meeting of such committee to any Directors other than the Director or Directors who form the committee.

 

103MINUTES

 

103.1The Board shall cause minutes to be made of:

 

(A)all appointments of officers and committees made by the Board and of any such officer’s remuneration; and

 

(B)the names of Directors present at every meeting of the Board, a committee of the Board, the Company or the holders of any class of shares or debentures, and all orders, resolutions and proceedings of such meetings.

 

103.2Any such minutes, if purporting to be signed by the chairperson of the meeting at which the proceedings were held or by the chairperson of the next succeeding meeting or the Secretary, shall be prima facie evidence of the matters stated in them.

 

104VALIDITY OF PROCEEDINGS

 

All acts done in good faith by a meeting of the Board, or of a committee of the Board, or by a person acting as a Director or a committee member shall, notwithstanding that it may be discovered afterwards that there was a defect in the appointment of any person so acting or that any of them were disqualified from holding office, or had vacated office, or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified and had continued to be a Director or committee member and entitled to vote.

 

INTERESTS OF DIRECTORS

 

105CONTRACTING WITH THE COMPANY

 

Subject to the provisions of the Statutes, no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his or her office from contracting with the Company either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any transaction or arrangement entered into on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way directly or indirectly interested be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office, or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established, provided that the nature of this interest has been declared by him or her in accordance with Article 106.

 

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106DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

 

106.1A Director who is in any way (whether directly or indirectly) interested in a contract, transaction or arrangement or proposed contract, transaction or arrangement with the Company shall, in accordance with section 231 of the Act, declare the nature of his or her interest at the first opportunity either (a) at a meeting of the Board at which the question of entering into the contract, transaction or arrangement is first taken into consideration, if the Director or officer of the Company knows this interest then exists, or in any other case, at the first meeting of the Board after learning that he or she is or has become so interested or (b) by providing a general notice to the Directors declaring that he or she is a director or an officer of, or has an interest in, a person and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction or arrangement made with that person, and after giving such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction. If a declaration of interest under this Article proves to be, or becomes, inaccurate or incomplete, a further declaration must be made.

 

Provided that a Director has declared the nature and extent of his or her interest to the other Directors, a Director notwithstanding his or her office:

 

(A)may be a party to, or otherwise interested in, any transaction or arrangement with the Company or in which the Company is otherwise interested;

 

(B)may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Board which authorises or approves the contract, transaction or arrangement in which he or she is interested and he or she shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract, transaction or arrangement in which he or she is interested, provided that the nature of the interest of any Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him or her in accordance with Article 106.1, at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon; and

 

(C)may be a director or other officer of, or employed by, or a party to any transaction or arrangement with, or otherwise interested in, any body corporate in which the Company is interested,

 

and (i) he or she shall not, by reason of his or her office, be accountable to the Company for any benefit which he or she derives from any such office or employment or from any such transaction or arrangement or from any interest in any such body corporate; (ii) he or she shall not infringe his duty to avoid a situation in which he or she has, or can have, a direct or indirect interest that conflicts, or possibly may conflict, with the interests of the Company as a result of any such office or employment or any such transaction or arrangement or any interest in such body corporate; (iii) he or she shall not be required to disclose to the Company, or use in performing his duties as a Director of the Company, any confidential information relating to such office or employment if to make such disclosure or use would result in a breach of a duty or obligation of confidence owed by the Director in relation to or in connection with such office or employment; (iv) he or she may absent himself or herself from discussions, whether in meetings of the Directors or otherwise, and exclude himself or herself from information which will or may relate to such office, employment, transaction, arrangement or interest; and (v) no such transaction or arrangement shall be liable to be avoided on the ground of any such interest or benefit.

 

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106.2For the purposes of Article 106.1:

 

(A)a general notice given to the Directors that a Director is to be regarded as having an interest of the nature and extent specified in the notice in any transaction or arrangement in which a specified person or class of persons is interested shall be deemed to be a disclosure that the Director has an interest in any such transaction of the nature and extent so specified;

 

(B)an interest of which a Director has no knowledge and of which it is unreasonable to expect him or her to have knowledge shall not be treated as an interest of him or her; and

 

(C)a copy of every declaration made and notice given under Article 106.1 shall be entered within three days after the making or giving thereof in a book kept for this purpose. Such book shall be open for inspection without charge by any Director, Secretary, the Auditors or any shareholder at the Registered Office and shall be produced at every general meeting of the Company and at any meeting of the Directors if any Director so requests in sufficient time to enable the book to be available at the meeting.

 

107AUTHORISATION OF BOARD OF CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS

 

107.1A Director may have regard to the interests of any other companies in a group of which the Company is a member to the full extent permitted by the Act.

 

107.2Subject to any applicable law or the relevant code, rules and regulations applicable to the listing of the shares on any Exchange, nothing in section 228(1)(f) of the Act shall restrict a Director from entering into a commitment which has been authorised by the Board or has been authorised pursuant to such authority as may be delegated by the Board in accordance with these Articles which, if not so authorised, would infringe the duty to avoid conflicts of interest as set out in section 228(1)(f) of the Act. As recognised by section 228(1)(e) of the Act, the Directors may agree to restrict their power to exercise an independent judgement but only where this has been expressly authorised by a resolution of the Board. The Directors may give such authorisations upon such terms as they think fit in accordance with the Act. The Directors may vary or terminate any such authorisations at any time.

 

107.3If a matter, or office, employment or position has been authorised by the Directors in accordance with this Article 107 then (subject to such terms and conditions, if any, as the Directors may think fit to impose from time to time, and always subject to their right to vary or terminate such authorisations or the permissions set out below):

 

(A)the Director shall not be required to disclose any confidential information relating to such matter, or office, employment or position to the Company if to make such a disclosure would result in a breach of a duty or obligation of confidence owed by him or her in relation to or in connection with that matter, or that office, employment or position;

 

(B)the Director may absent himself or herself from meetings of the Directors at which anything relating to that matter will or may be discussed; and

 

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(C)the Director may make such arrangements as such Director thinks fit for relevant papers to be received and read by a professional adviser on behalf of that Director.

 

107.4A Director shall not, by reason of his or her office, be accountable to the Company for any benefit which he or she derives from any matter which has been approved by the Directors pursuant to this Article 107 (subject in any such case to any limits or conditions to which such approval was subject).

 

108PROHIBITION ON VOTING BY INTERESTED DIRECTORS

 

Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, a Director shall not vote in respect of any contract or arrangement or any other proposal whatsoever in which he or she has any material interest otherwise than by virtue of his or her interests in shares or debentures or other securities of or otherwise in or through the Company or any resolution of the Directors granting him or her authorisation under Article 107. A Director shall not be counted in the quorum of a meeting in relation to any resolution on which he or she is debarred from voting.

 

109ABILITY OF INTERESTED DIRECTORS TO VOTE

 

A Director shall (in the absence of a material interest other than those indicated below) be entitled to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of any resolution concerning any of the following matters, namely:

 

(A)the giving of any security or indemnity to him or her in respect of money lent or obligations incurred by him or her at the request of or for the benefit of the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings;

 

(B)the giving of any security or indemnity to a third party in respect of a debt or obligation of the Company or any of its subsidiaries for which he, himself or she, herself has assumed responsibility in whole or in part under a guarantee or indemnity or by the giving of security;

 

(C)any proposal concerning an offer of shares or debentures or other securities of or by the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings for subscription or purchase in which offer he or she is or is to be interested as a participant in the underwriting or sub underwriting thereof;

 

(D)any proposal concerning any other company in which he or she is interested, directly or indirectly and whether as an officer or shareholder or otherwise howsoever, provided that he or she is not interested (as that term is used in section 804 of the Act) in 1% or more of any class of the equity share capital of such company (or of any third company through which his or her interest is derived) or of the voting rights available to shareholders of the relevant company (any such interest being deemed for the purpose of this Article to be a material interest in all the circumstances);

 

(E)any proposal concerning the adoption, modification or operation of a superannuation fund or retirement, death or disability benefits scheme under which he or she may benefit and which has been approved by or is subject to and conditional upon approval by the Board of the Revenue Commissioners for taxation purposes;

 

(F)any proposal relating to any arrangement for the benefit of employees under which he or she benefits or may benefit in a similar manner as the employees and which does not accord to him or her as a Director any privilege or advantage not generally accorded to the employees to whom the arrangement relates; or

 

(G)subject to the Statutes, any proposal concerning the purchase and/or maintenance of any insurance policy under which a Director may benefit.

 

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110DIVISION OF PROPOSALS

 

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. In such case each of the Directors concerned (if not debarred from voting under the proviso to Article 109(D)) shall be entitled to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of each resolution except that concerning his or her own appointment.

 

111RULINGS ON QUESTIONS OF ENTITLEMENT TO VOTE

 

If any question shall arise at any meeting as to the materiality of a Director’s interest or as to the entitlement of any Director to vote and such question is not resolved by his or her voluntarily agreeing to abstain from voting, such question shall (unless the Director in question is the chairperson in which case he or she shall withdraw from the meeting and the Board shall elect a deputy chairperson to consider the question in place of the chairperson) be referred to the chairperson of the meeting and his or her ruling in relation to any other Director shall be final and conclusive, except in a case where the nature or extent of the interest of the Director concerned has not been fairly disclosed.

 

112INTERESTS OF CONNECTED PERSONS

 

For the purposes of these Articles, an interest of any person who is for any purpose of the Act (excluding any statutory modification thereof not in force when these Articles became binding on the Company) connected with a Director within the meaning of section 220 of the Act shall be taken to be the interest of that Director.

 

113ABILITY OF DIRECTOR TO HOLD OTHER OFFICES

 

A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of its Auditors) in conjunction with his or her office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Board may determine. A Director may be or become a director, managing director, joint managing director, deputy managing director, executive director, manager or other officer or member of any other company or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as shareholder or otherwise, and no such Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him or her as director, managing director, joint managing director, deputy managing director, executive director, manager or other officer or member of such company; provided that he or she has declared the nature of his or her position with, or interest in, such company to the Board in accordance with Article 106.1.

 

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114REMUNERATION FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

 

Any Director may act by himself or herself or his or her firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm or she and her firm shall be entitled to a remuneration for professional services as if he or she was not a Director, provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his or her firm to act as the Auditors.

 

115DIRECTORSHIPS OF OTHER COMPANIES

 

Any Director may continue to be or become a Director of, or hold any other office or place of profit under, any other company in which the Company may be interested, and no such Director shall be accountable for any remuneration, salary, commission, participation in profits, pension, superannuation or other benefits received by him or her as a director of, or holder of any other office or place of profit under, or shareholder of, any such other company. The Board may exercise the voting power conferred by the shares in any company held or owned by the Company in such manner in all respects as it may think fit (including the exercise thereof in favour of any resolution appointing the directors or any of the directors of such company, or voting or providing for the payment of remuneration to the directors of such company).

 

SECRETARY

 

116SECRETARY

 

116.1Subject to the Statutes, the Board shall appoint a Secretary on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit. The Board may remove a person appointed pursuant to this Article from office and appoint another or others in his or her place.

 

116.2It shall be the duty of the Secretary to make and keep records of the votes, doings and proceedings of all meetings of the shareholders and Board of the Company, and of its Committees and to authenticate records of the Company.

 

116.3Any provision of the Statutes or of these Articles requiring or authorising a thing to be done by or to a Director and the Secretary shall not be satisfied by its being done by or to the same person acting both as a Director and as, or in the place of, the Secretary.

 

SEALS AND DOCUMENT AUTHENTICATION

 

117SEAL

 

117.1The Company shall have a common seal which shall only be used by the authority of the Board or of a committee of the Board authorised by the Board in that regard and every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by any person who shall be either a Director or the Secretary or some other person authorised by the Board, either generally or specifically, for the purpose, and the countersignature of a second such person shall not be required.

 

117.2The Company may have for use in any place or places outside Ireland, a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a duplicate of the Seal of the Company except, in the case of a Seal for use in sealing documents creating or evidencing securities issued by the Company, for the addition on its face of the word “Securities” and if the Board so determines, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used.

 

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118DIRECTORS OR SECRETARY TO AUTHENTICATE OR CERTIFY

 

118.1A Director or the Secretary or any person appointed by the Board for the purpose may authenticate any documents affecting the constitution of the Company (including the memorandum of association and these Articles) and any resolutions passed by the Company or holders of a class of shares or the Board or any committee of the Board and any books, records, documents and accounts relating to the business of the Company, and may certify copies of or extracts from any such items as true copies or extracts.

 

118.2A document purporting to be a copy of a resolution of the Board or an extract from the minutes of a meeting of the Board or any committee which is certified as aforesaid shall be conclusive evidence in favour of all persons dealing with the Company upon the faith thereof that such resolution has been duly passed or, as the case may be, that such extract is a true and accurate record of the proceedings at a duly constituted meeting.

 

DIVIDENDS AND OTHER PAYMENTS

 

119DECLARATION

 

Subject to the Statutes and these Articles, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution declare a dividend to be paid to shareholders according to their respective rights and interests in the profits of the Company. No such dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Board.

 

120INTERIM DIVIDENDS

 

Subject to the Statutes, the Board may pay such interim dividends (including any dividend payable at a fixed rate) as appears to the Board to be justified by the profits of the Company available for distribution. If at any time the share capital is divided into different classes, the Board may pay such interim dividends on shares which rank after shares conferring preferential rights with regard to dividend as well as on shares conferring preferential rights, unless at the time of payment any preferential dividend is in arrears. If the Board acts in good faith, it shall not incur any liability to the holders of shares conferring preferential rights for any loss that they may suffer by the lawful payment of an interim dividend on any shares ranking after those with preferential rights.

 

121ENTITLEMENT TO DIVIDENDS

 

121.1Except as otherwise provided by these Articles or the rights attached to shares:

 

(A)a dividend shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid-up (otherwise than in advance of calls) on the nominal value of the shares on which the dividend is paid; and

 

(B)dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amounts paid-up on the nominal value of 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 that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, it shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

121.2Except as otherwise provided by these Articles or the rights attached to shares:

 

(A)a dividend may be paid in any currency or currencies decided by the Board;

 

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(B)the Company may agree with a shareholder that any dividend declared or which may become due in one currency will be paid to the shareholder in another currency; and

 

(C)the Directors can decide that a Depositary should receive dividends in a currency other than the currency in which they were declared and can make arrangements accordingly In particular, if a Depositary has chosen or agreed to receive dividends in another currency, the Directors can make arrangements with the Depositary for payment to be made to the Depositary for value on the date on which the relevant dividend is paid, or a later date decided by the Directors,

 

for which purpose the Board may use any relevant exchange rate current at any time as the Board may select for the purpose of calculating the amount of any shareholder’s entitlement to the dividend.

 

122PAYMENT METHODS

 

122.1The Company may pay a dividend, interest or other amount payable in respect of a share in cash or by cheque, warrant or money order or by a bank or other funds transfer system by or on behalf of the shareholder in a form or in a manner satisfactory to the Board. Any joint holder or other person jointly entitled to a share may give an effective receipt for a dividend, interest or other amount paid in respect of such share.

 

122.2The Company may send a cheque, warrant or money order by post:

 

(A)in the case of a sole holder, to his or her registered address;

 

(B)in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the person whose name stands first in the Share Register;

 

(C)in the case of a person or persons entitled by transmission to a share, as if it were a notice given in accordance with Article 42 (notice to persons entitled by transmission);

 

(D)in the case of a Depositary, and subject to the approval of the Directors, to such persons and postal addresses as the Depositary may direct; or

 

(E)in any case, to a person and address that the person or persons entitled to the payment may in writing direct.

 

122.3Every cheque, warrant or money order shall be sent at the risk of the person or persons entitled to the payment and shall be made payable to the order of the person or persons entitled or to such other person or persons as the person or persons entitled may in writing direct. The payment of the cheque, warrant or money order shall be a good discharge to the Company. If payment is made by a bank or other funds transfer, the Company shall not be responsible for amounts lost or delayed in the course of transfer.

 

122.4The Board may withhold payment of a dividend (or part of a dividend) payable to a person entitled by transmission to a share until he or she has provided any evidence of his or her entitlement that the Board may reasonably require.

 

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123DEDUCTIONS

 

The Board may deduct from any dividend or other amounts payable to any person in respect of a share all such sums as may be due from him or her to the Company on account of calls or otherwise in relation to that share.

 

124INTEREST

 

No dividend or other money payable in respect of a share shall bear interest against the Company, unless otherwise provided by the rights attached to the share.

 

125UNCLAIMED DIVIDENDS

 

All unclaimed dividends or other monies payable by the Company in respect of a share may be invested or otherwise made use of by the Board for the benefit of the Company until claimed. The payment of any unclaimed dividend or other amount payable by the Company in respect of a share into a separate account shall not constitute the Company a trustee in respect of it. Any dividend unclaimed after a period of twelve (12) years from the date the dividend became due for payment shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company.

 

126UNCASHED DIVIDENDS

 

If, in respect of a dividend or other amount payable in respect of a share:

 

(A)a cheque, warrant or money order is returned undelivered or left uncashed; or

 

(B)a transfer made by or through a bank transfer system and/or other funds transfer system(s) fails or is not accepted,

 

on two consecutive occasions, or one occasion and reasonable enquiries have failed to establish another address or account of the person entitled to the payment, the Company shall not be obliged to send or transfer a dividend or other amount payable in respect of such share to such person until he or she notifies the Company of an address or account to be used for such purpose.

 

127DIVIDENDS IN KIND

 

A general meeting declaring a dividend may, upon the recommendation of the Board, direct that it shall be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets (including, without limitation, paid-up shares or securities of any other body corporate). Where any difficulty arises concerning such distribution, the Board may settle it as it thinks fit. In particular (without limitation), the Board may:

 

(A)issue fractional certificates or ignore fractions;

 

(B)fix the value for distribution of any assets, and may determine that cash shall be paid to any shareholder on the footing of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of shareholders; and

 

(C)vest any assets in trustees on trust for the persons entitled to the dividend.

 

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128SCRIP DIVIDENDS

 

128.1The Board may, with the prior authority of an Ordinary Resolution and subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may determine, offer any holders of Ordinary Shares the right to elect to receive Ordinary Shares, credited as fully paid, instead of cash in respect of the whole (or some part, to be determined by the Board) of any dividend specified by the Ordinary Resolution, subject to the Statutes and to the provisions of this Article.

 

128.2An Ordinary Resolution under Article 128.1 may specify a particular dividend (whether or not declared), or may specify all or any dividends declared within a specified period, but such period may not end later than the beginning of the fifth annual general meeting next following the date of the meeting at which the Ordinary Resolution is passed.

 

128.3The entitlement of each holder of Ordinary Shares to new Ordinary Shares shall be such that the relevant value of the entitlement shall be the cash amount, disregarding any tax credit, (or as near to such cash amount as the Board considers appropriate) that such holder would have received by way of dividend. For this purpose, “relevant value” shall be calculated by reference to the average of the middle market quotations for the Ordinary Shares for the day on which the Ordinary Shares are first quoted “ex” the relevant dividend and the four subsequent dealing days, or in such other manner as may be determined by or in accordance with the Ordinary Resolution. A written confirmation or report by the Auditors as to the amount of the relevant value in respect of any dividend shall be conclusive evidence of that amount.

 

128.4The Board may make any provision it considers appropriate in relation to an allotment made or to be made pursuant to this Article (whether before or after the passing or the Ordinary Resolution referred to in Article 128.1), including (without limitation):

 

(A)the giving of notice to holders of the right of election offered to them;

 

(B)the provision of forms of election and/or a facility and a procedure for making elections (whether in respect of a particular dividend or dividends generally);

 

(C)determination of the procedure for making and revoking elections;

 

(D)the place at which, and the latest time by which, forms of election and other relevant documents must be lodged in order to be effective;

 

(E)the disregarding or rounding up or down or carrying forward of fractional entitlements, in whole or in part, or the accrual of the benefit of fractional entitlements to the Company (rather than to the holders concerned);

 

(F)the exclusion from any offer of any holders of Ordinary Shares where the Board considers that the making of the offer to them would or might involve the contravention of the laws of any territory or that for any other reason the offer should not be made to them; and

 

(G)the exclusion from any offer of, or the making of any special formalities in connection with any offer to, any holders of Ordinary Shares represented by Depositary Interests.

 

128.5The Directors can exclude or restrict the right to elect to receive new Ordinary Shares under this Article 128 in the case of any shareholder or other person who is a Depositary if the election by the people on whose behalf the Depositary holds the beneficial interest in the shares would involve the contravention of the laws of any territory or if for any other reason the Board determines that the offer should not be made to such persons.

 

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128.6The dividend (or that part of the dividend in respect of which a right of election has been offered) shall not be payable on Ordinary Shares in respect of which a valid election has been made (the “elected Ordinary Shares”). Instead additional Ordinary Shares shall be allotted to the holders of the elected Ordinary Shares on the basis of allotment determined under this Article. For such purpose, the Board may capitalise out of any amount for the time being standing to the credit of any reserve or fund of the Company (including any share premium account, undenominated capital account, revaluation reserve, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account), whether or not available for distribution, a sum equal to the aggregate nominal amount of the additional Ordinary Shares to be allotted on that basis and apply it in paying up in full the appropriate number of unissued Ordinary Shares for allotment and distribution to the holders of the elected Ordinary Shares on that basis.

 

128.7The additional Ordinary Shares when allotted shall rank pari passu in all respects with the fully paid Ordinary Shares in issue on the record date for the dividend in respect of which the right of election has been offered, except that they will not rank for any dividend or other entitlement which has been declared, paid or made by reference to such record date.

 

128.8The Board may:

 

(A)do all acts and things which it considers necessary or expedient to give effect to any such capitalisation, and may authorise any person to enter on behalf of all the shareholders interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalisation and incidental matters and any agreement so made shall be binding on all concerned;

 

(B)establish and vary a procedure for election mandates in respect of future rights of election and determine that every duly effected election in respect of any Ordinary Shares shall be binding on every successor in title to the holder of such shares; and

 

(C)terminate, suspend or amend any offer of the right to elect to receive Ordinary Shares in lieu of any cash dividend at any time and generally implement any scheme in relation to any such offer on such terms and conditions as the Board may from time to time determine and take such other action as the Board may deem necessary or desirable from time to time in respect of any such scheme.

 

129RESERVES

 

The Board may set aside out of the profits of the Company and carry to reserve such sums as it thinks fit. Such sums standing to reserve may be applied, at the Board’s discretion, for any purpose to which the profits of the Company may properly be applied and, pending such application, may either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments as the Board thinks fit. The Board may divide the reserve into such special funds as it thinks fit and may consolidate into one fund any special funds or any parts of any special funds into which the reserve may have been divided as it thinks fit. The Board may also carry forward any profits without placing them to reserve.

 

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130CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS AND RESERVES

 

130.1Subject to the Act and without prejudice to any powers conferred on the Directors as aforesaid, and subject to the Directors’ authority to allot shares under Article 7, the Board may with the authority of an Ordinary Resolution of the Company:

 

(A)subject to the provisions of this Article, resolve to capitalise any of the Company’s profits available for distribution and/or any sum, for the time being, standing to the credit of any of the Company’s other reserves, reserve accounts or funds, by whatever name called and whether distributable or non-distributable (including, without limitation, the share premium account, the undenominated capital account, any unrealised revaluation reserves, any capital redemption reserves and any merger reserves), if any;

 

(B)appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the members or any class of members on the record date specified in the relevant board resolution who, unless provided otherwise in the Ordinary Resolution, would have been entitled to it if it were distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions;

 

(C)apply that sum on behalf of the members or the members of any class either in or towards paying up the amounts, if any, for the time being unpaid on any shares held by them respectively, or in paying up in full shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company of a nominal value or nominal value plus share premium, as the case may be, equal to the sum capitalised, but the share premium account, the undenominated capital account, any revaluation reserves, any capital redemption reserves, any merger reserves and any profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up in full unissued shares to be allotted to the members or the members of any class of a nominal value or nominal value plus share premium equal to the sum capitalised;

 

(D)allot the shares, debentures or other obligations credited as fully paid to those members or members of any class, or as they may direct, in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other;

 

(E)where shares or debentures become, or would otherwise become, distributable under this Article in fractions, make such provision as they think fit for any fractional entitlements including without limitation authorising their sale and transfer to any person, resolving that the distribution be made as nearly as practicable in the correct proportion but not exactly so, ignoring fractions altogether or resolving that cash payments be made to any members in order to adjust the rights of all parties;

 

(F)authorise any person to enter into an agreement with the Company on behalf of all the members or members of any class concerned providing for either:

 

(1)the allotment to the members or members of any class respectively, credited as fully paid, of any shares, debentures or other obligations to which they are entitled on the capitalisation; or

 

(2)the payment up by the Company on behalf of the members of members of any class of the amounts, or any part of the amounts, remaining unpaid on their existing shares by the application of their respective proportions of the sum resolved to be capitalised,

 

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(G)and any agreement made under that authority shall be binding on all such members or members of any class, as the case may be; and

 

(H)generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the Ordinary Resolution.

 

130.2Without otherwise limiting their application, the provisions of Article 130.1 shall apply, mutatis mutandis to give effect to any resolution of the Board to implement a Rights’ Plan.

 

RECORD DATES

 

131BOARD TO FIX DATE

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles but without prejudice to the rights attached to any shares and subject to the Statutes the Company or the Board may:

 

(A)fix any date (the “record date”) as the date at the close of business (or such other time as the Board may decide) on which persons registered as the holders of shares or other securities shall be entitled to receipt of any dividend, distribution, interest, allotment, issue, notice, information, document or circular; a record date may be on or at any time before any date on which such item is paid, made, given or served or (in the case of any dividend, distribution, interest, allotment or issue) after any date on which such item is recommended, resolved, declared or announced; and

 

(B)for the purposes of determining which persons are entitled to attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company, or a separate general meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the capital of the Company, specify in the notice of meeting a time by which a person must be entered on the register in order to have the right to attend or vote at the meeting. Changes to the register after the time specified by virtue of this Article 131 shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend or vote at the meeting.

 

ACCOUNTS

 

132ACCOUNTING RECORDS

 

132.1The Company shall cause to be kept adequate accounting records, whether in the form of documents, electronic form or otherwise, that:

 

(A)correctly record and explain the transactions of the Company;

 

(B)will at any time enable the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company to be determined with reasonable accuracy;

 

(C)will enable the Directors to ensure that any financial statements of the Company complies with the requirements of the Act; and

 

(D)will enable those financial statements of the Company to be readily and properly audited.

 

132.2The accounting records 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. Adequate accounting records shall be deemed to have been maintained if they comply with the provisions of the Act and explain the Company’s transactions and facilitate the preparation of financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit and loss of the Company and, if relevant, the Group and include any information and returns referred to in section 283(2) of the Act.

 

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132.3The accounting records shall be kept at the Registered Office or, subject to the provisions of the Act, at such other place as the Directors think fit and shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of the Directors.

 

132.4In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Directors shall cause to be prepared and to be laid before the annual general meeting of the Company from time to time such statutory financial statements of the Company and reports as are required by the Act to be prepared and laid before such meeting.

 

133ACCESS TO ACCOUNTING RECORDS

 

No shareholder (other than an officer of the Company) shall have any right of inspecting any accounting record or other document of the Company unless he or she is authorised to do so by statute, by order of the court, by the Board or by an Ordinary Resolution. No shareholder shall be entitled to require discovery of or any information respecting any detail of the Company’s trading, or any matter which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret, mystery of trade, or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Directors it would be inexpedient in the interests of the shareholders of the Company to communicate to the public.

 

134DISTRIBUTION OF ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

 

134.1A copy of the statutory financial statements of the Company (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 or summary financial statements prepared in accordance with section 1119 of the Act shall be sent by post, electronic mail or any other means of communication (electronic or otherwise), not less than twenty-one (21) days before the date of the annual general meeting, to every person entitled under the provisions of the Act to receive them; provided that in the case of those documents sent by electronic mail or any other electronic means, 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, and provided further that where the Directors elect to send summary financial statements to the shareholders, any shareholder may request that he or she be sent a hard copy of the statutory financial statements of the Company.

 

134.2For the purposes of this Article, copies of those documents are also to be treated as sent to a person where:

 

(A)the Company and that person have agreed to that person having access to the documents on a website (instead of their being sent to such person);

 

(B)the documents are documents to which that agreement applies; and

 

(C)that person is notified, in a manner for the time being agreed for the purpose between such person and the Company, of:

 

(1)the publication of the documents on a website;

 

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(2)the address of that website; and

 

(3)the place on that website where the documents may be accessed, and how they may be accessed.

 

In this Article, “address” includes any number or address used for the purpose of communication by electronic means.

 

(D)For the purposes of this Article, documents treated in accordance with Article 134.2 as sent to any person are to be treated as sent to such person not less than twenty one (21) days before the date of a meeting if, and only if:

 

(1)the documents are published on the website throughout a period beginning at least twenty one (21) days before the date of the meeting and ending with the conclusion of the meeting; and

 

(2)the notification given for the purposes of Article 134.2(C) is given not less than twenty one (21) days before the date of the meeting.

 

134.3Nothing in Article 134.2 shall invalidate the proceedings of a meeting where:

 

(A)any documents that are required to be published as mentioned in Article 134.2(C)(1) are published for a part, but not all, of the period mentioned in that Article; and

 

(B)the failure to publish those documents throughout that period is wholly attributable to circumstances which it would not be reasonable to have expected the Company to prevent or avoid.

 

134.4This Article shall not require a copy of the documents referred to in Article 134.1 to be sent to any person who is not entitled to receive notices of general meetings, any person of whose address the Company is not aware or to more than one of the joint holders of any shares or debentures.

 

134.5Where copies of documents are sent out pursuant to this Article over a period of days, references elsewhere in the Act to the day on which those copies are sent out shall be read as references to the last day of that period.

 

134.6Any obligation by virtue of section 339(1) or (2) of the Act to furnish a person with a document may, unless these Articles provide otherwise, be complied with by using electronic communications for sending that document to such address as may for the time being be notified to the Company by that person for that purpose.

 

AUDIT

 

135APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS

 

Auditors shall be appointed and their duties regulated in accordance with the Act, any other applicable law and such requirements not inconsistent with the Act as the Board may from time to time determine.

 

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COMMUNICATIONS

 

136COMMUNICATIONS

 

Any documents or information to be sent or supplied by or to the Company may be sent or supplied in hard copy form, in electronic form or by means of a website to the extent permitted by the statutes and these Articles.

 

137COMMUNICATIONS TO THE COMPANY

 

137.1A document or information is validly sent or supplied by a shareholder to the Company in hard copy form if it is sent or supplied by hand or by post (in a prepaid envelope) to:

 

(A)an address specified by the Company for the purpose;

 

(B)the Registered Office; or

 

(C)an address to which any provision of the Statutes authorises the document or information to be sent or supplied.

 

137.2A document or information may only be sent or supplied by a shareholder to the Company in electronic form if the Company has agreed by notice to the shareholders that the document or information may be sent or supplied in that form (and not revoked that agreement) or the Company is deemed to have so agreed by a provision of the Statutes.

 

137.3Subject to Article 137.2 above, where a document or information is sent or supplied by electronic means, it may only be sent or supplied to an address:

 

(A)specified for the purpose by the Company (generally or specifically); or

 

(B)deemed by a provision of the Statutes to have been so specified.

 

137.4Without prejudice or limitation to the foregoing provisions of this Article 137, 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.

 

138COMMUNICATIONS BY THE COMPANY OR THE BOARD IN HARD COPY FORM

 

138.1A document or information sent or supplied by the Company or the Board in hard copy form must be:

 

(A)handed to the intended recipient; or

 

(B)sent or supplied by hand or by post (in a pre-paid envelope):

 

(1)to an address specified for the purpose by the intended recipient;

 

(2)to a company at its registered office;

 

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(3)to a person in his or her capacity as a shareholder, at his or her address as shown in the register;

 

(4)to a person in his or her capacity as a Director, at his or her address as shown in the register of Directors; or

 

(5)to an address to which any provision of the Statutes authorises the document or information to be sent or supplied.

 

138.2Where the Company is unable to obtain any address falling within Article 137.1 above, the document or information may be sent or supplied to the intended recipient’s last address known to the company.

 

139COMMUNICATIONS BY THE COMPANY IN ELECTRONIC FORM

 

139.1A document or information (including the Company’s audited accounts and the directors’ and auditor’s reports thereon) may only be sent or supplied by the Company or the Board by electronic means to a person or company who has agreed (generally or specifically) that the document or information may be sent or supplied in that form (and not revoked that agreement). Any such consent requirement shall be deemed to have been satisfied where the Company has written to the shareholder informing him or her of its intention to use electronic communications for such purposes and the shareholder has not, within four (4) weeks of the issue of such notice, served an objection in writing on the Company to such proposal. Where a shareholder has given, or is deemed to have given his or her consent to the receipt by such shareholder of electronic mail or other electronic means approved by the Directors, he or she may revoke such consent at any time by requesting the Company to communicate with him or her in documented form; provided however that such revocation shall not take effect until five (5) days after written notice of the revocation is received by the Company.

 

139.2Where the document or information is sent or supplied by electronic means, it may only be sent or supplied to an address:

 

(A)specified for the purpose by the intended recipient (generally or specifically); or

 

(B)where the intended recipient is a company, deemed by a provision of the Statutes to have been so specified.

 

140COMMUNICATIONS BY THE COMPANY BY MEANS OF A WEBSITE

 

140.1A document or information may only be sent or supplied by the Company to a person by being made available on a website if the person:

 

(A)has agreed (generally or specifically) that the document or information may be sent or supplied to him or her in that manner; or

 

(B)is taken to have so agreed in accordance with the Statutes, and has not revoked that agreement.

 

140.2A document or information authorised or required to be sent or supplied by means of a website must be made available in a form, and by a means, that the Company reasonably considers will enable the recipient to read it (and see any images contained in it) with the naked eye and to retain a copy of it.

 

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140.3The Company must notify the intended recipient of:

 

(A)the presence of the document or information on the website;

 

(B)the address of the website;

 

(C)the place on the website where it may be accessed; and

 

(D)how to access the document or information.

 

140.4The document or information is taken to be sent:

 

(A)on the date on which the notification required by Article 140.3 above is sent; or

 

(B)if later, the date on which the document or information first appears on the website after that notification is sent.

 

140.5The Company must make the document or information available on the website throughout:

 

(A)the period specified by any applicable provision of the Statutes; or

 

(B)if no such period is specified, the period of twenty eight (28) days beginning with the date on which the notification required by Article 140.3 is sent to the person in question.

 

A failure to make a document or information available on a website throughout the period mentioned in this Article 140.5 shall be disregarded if (1) it is made available on the website for part of that period and (2) the failure to make it available throughout that period is wholly attributable to circumstances that it would not be reasonable to have expected the Company to prevent or avoid.

 

140.6A notice of a general meeting of the Company given by means of a website must:

 

(A)state that it concerns a notice of a meeting of the Company;

 

(B)specify the place, date and time of the meeting; and

 

(C)state whether the meeting is to be an annual general meeting.

 

141COMMUNICATIONS BY OTHER MEANS

 

141.1A document or information that is sent or supplied to the Company otherwise than in hard copy form, by electronic means or by means of a website is validly sent or supplied if it is sent or supplied in a form or manner that has been agreed by the Company.

 

141.2A document or information that is sent or supplied by the Company or the Board otherwise than in hard copy form, by electronic means or by means of a website is validly sent or supplied if it is sent or supplied in a form or manner that has been agreed by the intended recipient.

 

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142FAILURE TO DELIVER BY ELECTRONIC MEANS

 

If any document or information has been sent or supplied by electronic means in accordance with Article 139 to any shareholder at his or her address specified for the purpose or deemed to be so specified and the Company becomes aware of a failure in delivery (and subsequent attempts to send or supply such document or information by electronic means also result in a failure in delivery), the Company shall either:

 

(A)send or supply a hard copy of such document or information to such shareholder; or

 

(B)notify such shareholder of the information set out in Article 140.3,

 

in each case in the manner described in Article 138.1.

 

143WHEN SERVICE IS EFFECTED ON A MEMBER

 

143.1Where a document or information is, under Article 138.1, sent or supplied by post, service or delivery to a shareholder it shall be deemed to be effected:

 

(A)if sent by first class post or special delivery post from an address in Ireland to another address in Ireland or from an address in the United States to another address in the United States, or by a postal service similar to first class post or special delivery post from an address in another country to another address in that other country, at the expiration of twenty four (24) hours after the time when the cover containing the same is posted; or

 

(B)in any other case, on the third day following that on which the document or information was posted, and in proving such service or delivery it shall be sufficient to prove that such cover was properly addressed and posted.

 

143.2Where a document or information is, under Article 139, sent or supplied by electronic means to an address specified for the purpose by the intended recipient, service or delivery shall be deemed to be effected on the same day on which it is sent or supplied and in proving such service it will be sufficient to prove that it was properly addressed.

 

143.3Where a document or information is, under Article 140, sent or supplied by means of a website, service or delivery shall be deemed to be effected when (a) the material is first made available on the website or (b) if later, when the recipient received (or, in accordance with this Article 143.3, is deemed to have received) notification of the fact that the material was available on the website.

 

144NOTICE BY ADVERTISEMENT

 

144.1If at any time by reason of the suspension or curtailment of postal services within Ireland, the United States or such other jurisdiction as the Board may consider appropriate for the service of notice, the Company is unable effectively to convene a general meeting by notices sent through the post, a general meeting may be convened by notice advertised on the same date in at least one national newspaper in Ireland and/or the United States and/or such other jurisdiction as the Board may consider appropriate for the service of notices (as applicable) and such notice shall be deemed to have been duly served on all shareholders entitled thereto on the day when the advertisement appears. In any such case the Company shall send confirmatory copies of the notice by post if at least six clear days prior to the meeting the posting of notices to addresses throughout Ireland, the United States or such other jurisdiction as the Board may consider appropriate for the service of notices (as applicable) again becomes practicable.

 

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144.2Notwithstanding anything in the Statutes or these Articles, if by reason of suspension or curtailment of postal services within Ireland, the United States or such other jurisdiction as the Board may consider appropriate for the service of notices, the Company is unable in the opinion of the Board to deliver the documents referred to in Article 134.1, as the case may be, to persons entitled thereto by the time therein prescribed, the Company may nevertheless proceed validly to convene and hold the general meeting before which such documents are to be laid by giving notice of such meeting in accordance with Article 143.1, but so that the reference in the final sentence of that Article to “confirmatory copies of the notice” shall be read to include the relevant documents referred to in Article 134 and the reference therein to “six clear days” shall be read as “three clear days” and provided always that such documents shall be made available for inspection during normal business hours at the Registered Office throughout the period from the date of publication of the notice convening such meeting until the date of the meeting and also at the meeting itself.

 

145DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION TO JOINT HOLDERS

 

All notices directed to be given to the shareholders shall, with respect to any share to which persons are jointly entitled, be given to whichever of such persons is named first in the register, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the holders of such share.

 

146SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION ON PERSONS ENTITLED TO SHARES BY TRANSMISSION

 

A person entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a shareholder upon supplying to the Company such evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show his or her title to the share, and upon supplying also an address in Ireland or the United States or such other jurisdiction as the Board may consider appropriate for the service of notices, shall be entitled to have served upon or delivered to him or her at such address any notice or document to which the shareholder, but for his or her death or bankruptcy, would be entitled, and such service or delivery shall for all purposes be deemed to be sufficient service for delivery of such notice or document on all persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him or her) in the share. Save as aforesaid any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the address of any shareholder in pursuance of these presents shall, notwithstanding that such shareholder be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company shall have notice of his or her death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served or delivered in respect of any share registered in the name of such shareholder as sole or first named joint holder.

 

147MEMBERS NOT ENTITLED TO NOTICES, DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION

 

A shareholder who has not supplied to the Company an address for the service of notices shall not be entitled to receive notices from the Company.

 

148DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION

 

148.1The Company may destroy:

 

(A)any share certificate or other evidence of title to shares which has been cancelled at any time after one year from the date of such cancellation;

 

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(B)any mandate for the payment of dividends or other amounts or any variation or cancellation of such mandate or any other instruction concerning the payment of monies or any notification of change of name or address at any time after two years from the date such mandate, variation, cancellation or notification was recorded by the Company;

 

(C)any instrument or other evidence of transfer of shares or renunciation of an allotment of shares which has been registered at any time after six years from the date of registration; and

 

(D)any other document on the basis of which an entry in the Register is made at any time after six years from the date an entry in the Register was first made in respect of it,

 

and the Company may destroy any such document earlier than the relevant date, provided that a permanent record of the document is made (on microfilm, computer disc or otherwise) which is not destroyed before that date.

 

148.2It shall be conclusively presumed in favour of the Company that every entry in the Share Register purporting to have been made on the basis of a document destroyed in accordance with this Article was duly and properly made, that every instrument of transfer so destroyed was duly registered, that every share certificate so destroyed was valid and was duly cancelled and that every other document so destroyed was valid and effective in accordance with the recorded particulars in the records of the Company, provided that:

 

(A)this Article shall apply only to the destruction of a document in good faith and without express notice of any claim (regardless of the parties to it) to which the document might be relevant;

 

(B)nothing in this Article imposes on the Company any liability in respect of the destruction of any such document otherwise than as provided for in this Article which would not attach to the Company in the absence of this Article; and

 

(C)references in this Article to the destruction of any document include references to the disposal of it in any manner.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

149WINDING-UP

 

149.1If the Company shall be wound up and the assets available for distribution among the shareholders 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 shareholders in proportion to the nominal value of the share 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 shareholders 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 shareholders in proportion to the nominal value of the share capital at the commencement of the winding-up paid-up or credited as paid-up on the said shares held by them respectively. Provided that this Article shall not affect the rights of the holders of shares issued upon special terms and conditions.

 

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149.2

 

(A)In case of a sale by the liquidator under the Act, the liquidator may by the contract of sale agree so as to bind all the shareholders for the allotment to the shareholders 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 shareholders 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.

 

149.3If the Company is wound up, the liquidator, with the sanction of a Special Resolution and any other sanction required by the Act, may divide among the shareholders 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 shareholders or different classes of shareholders. 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 or she determines, but so that no shareholder shall be compelled to accept any assets upon which there is a liability.

 

150INDEMNITY AND INSURANCE

 

150.1Subject to the provisions of and insofar as permissible under the Act, each Covered Person (as defined in Article 150.6, below) shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Company against all expenses (including legal fees actually and reasonably incurred by him or her), damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, and settlement amounts relating to any Proceeding (as defined in Article 150.6, below) to which he or she is made a party, or threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a Covered Person, provided however, that no such person shall be entitled to be indemnified for any such expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines or settlement amounts relating to any Proceeding in respect of, arising from, or relating to, his or her fraud or dishonesty.

 

150.2As far as permissible under the Act, expenses, including legal fees actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in respect of any Proceeding for which indemnification is permitted pursuant to this Article shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such Proceeding, subject to receipt by the Board from the Covered Person seeking indemnification of (i) a representation that he or she has a good faith belief that the criteria for indemnification have been satisfied and (ii) an undertaking to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company pursuant to this Article.

 

150.3Any indemnification under this Article (unless ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction) shall be made by the Company only as authorised in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Covered Person is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Article. Such determination shall be made by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the Company. To the extent, however, that any Covered Person has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defence of any proceeding, or in defence of any claim, issue or matter therein, such Covered Person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without necessity of authorisation in the specific case.

 

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150.4The indemnification provided by this Article shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which a Covered Person seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses in respect of any Proceeding may be entitled under, or pursuant to, any other agreement, any insurance purchased by the Company, any vote of shareholders or disinterested Directors, or pursuant to the direction (however embodied) of any court of competent jurisdiction, or otherwise.

 

150.5The Company shall have power to purchase and maintain, for any Covered Person, insurance against any such liability as referred to section 235 of the Act.

 

150.6The Company may additionally, by agreement, indemnify any Covered Person or any current or former executive, employee or agent of the Company or any current or former director, executive, officer, employee or agent of any subsidiary of the Company to the fullest extent permitted by law, and purchase and maintain insurance for any such person, as appropriate.

 

For the purposes of this Article 150:

 

(A)a “Covered Person” means each current and former Director, Secretary and other officer of the Company, and each person who is or was serving, at the request of the Company, as a director, secretary or other officer of another company, or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans maintained or sponsored by the Company; and

 

(B)a “Proceeding” means any claim, suit or proceedings, civil or criminal.

 

151DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 

151.1Subject to Article 151.4, the courts of Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any dispute related to or connected with (a) any derivative claim in respect of a cause of action vested in the Company or seeking relief on behalf of the Company, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary or other duty owed by any Director or officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s shareholders, or (c) any action asserting a claim against the Company or any Director or officer or other employee of the Company arising under the laws of Ireland or pursuant to any provision of the Articles (as either may be amended from time to time).

 

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151.2Damages alone may not be an adequate remedy for any breach of Article 151.1, so that, in the event of a breach or anticipated breach, the remedies of injunction and/or an order for specific performance would in appropriate circumstances be available.

 

151.3The governing law of the Articles is the substantive law of Ireland.

 

151.4Unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any security of the Company shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to this provision.

 

151.5For the purposes of this Article 151:

 

(A)a “dispute” shall mean any dispute, controversy or claim;

 

(B)references to “Company” shall be read so as to include each and any of the Company’s subsidiary undertakings from time to time; and

 

(C)Director” shall be read so as to include each and any Director of the Company from time to time in his or her capacity as such or as an employee of the Company and shall include any former Director of the Company.

 

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We, the several persons whose names and addresses are subscribed, wish to be formed into a company in pursuance of this constitution, and we agree to take the number of shares in the capital of the company set opposite our respective names.

 

Names, Addresses and Descriptions of Subscribers Number of Shares Taken by each Subscriber
1.  /s/ Fergus Bolster   One
Fergus Bolster  
For and on behalf of  
Matsack Nominees Limited  
70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, D02R296  
Body Corporate  
Total shares taken One

Signatures of the above subscriber(s), attested by the following witness:

 

Dated the 11th day of July 2023

 

Name: Stephanie Hughes

 

Address: 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, D02R296

 

Signature of witness: /s/ Stephanie Hughes

 

 

 

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