Alliance Trust PLC – Annual General Meeting (AGM) 23 April 2020 – Update on arrangements
Alliance Trust PLC – Annual General Meeting (AGM) 23 April 2020 – Update on arrangementsThe Trust regards the AGM as an important way to maintain engagement with shareholders. We therefore regret that in light of recent Government mandatory measures in relation to social distancing to reduce the transmission of COVID -19, shareholders are advised that they will not now be able to attend the Trust’s AGM. Shareholders who wish to register their votes on the resolutions to be put to the AGM are urged to submit a proxy prior to the meeting.The measures introduced by the Government prohibit travel unless absolutely essential and make it illegal, except for very limited purposes, to hold meetings attended by more than two people. For that reason, the Trust’s AGM cannot take place in its usual format. The Board has decided that the AGM will comprise only the formal business of the meeting.Questions for the Board should be pre-submitted and will be answered directly and before the meeting. If any shareholder wishes a copy of all of the questions and answers, please contact us (contact details below).The meeting will be convened with the minimum necessary attendees. Only one Director together with the Company Secretary, both shareholders, will attend the meeting. No other shareholders will be admitted.All votes will be on a poll and the results announced immediately after the meeting as normal.As the original venue for the meeting is now closed, the AGM will take place at our registered office at River Court, 5 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee, DD1 3JT.Despite these exceptional times the Board wishes to maintain engagement with shareholders. A presentation by Willis Towers Watson (WTW), our Investment Manager detailing the Trust’s performance for 2019 and an update to the end of March 2020 can now be found on our website at www.alliancetrust.co.uk/navigating-the-coronavirus-crisis. This presentation is equivalent to that which would have been presented by WTW at our AGM. A short presentation from the Chairman, including the results of the AGM, will be posted on our website after the meeting. Our intention is to hold an investor forum in Dundee later in the year giving shareholders an opportunity to meet with Directors, and representatives from our Investment Manager who will discuss investment performance and outlook – further details will be provided on our website.Although shareholders will not be able to attend the AGM, they are encouraged to vote and can do so online using the information on the Form of Proxy they received; votes can also be submitted by post by completing the Proxy Form and returning it to our registrars or via Crest (more detail on how to vote can be found on our website at www.alliancetrust.co.uk/voting). If shareholders have any queries on how they can vote, or they wish to submit questions this can be done in the following ways:By email: to investor@alliancetrust.co.ukBy phone: call the Executive team on 01382 938320By post: to the Trust at River Court, 5 West Victoria Dock Road, Dundee DD1 3JT.If it becomes necessary to make any further changes to these arrangements, we will keep shareholders updated of changes on our website www.alliancetrust.co.uk and will make an announcement through the Stock Exchange.