Today, at the Annual General Meeting, shareholders approved the proposed dividend of SEK 5.50. This will be paid to owners of shares/SDRs, on the register on the VPC record date of 30 April 2007. The dividend is expected to be distributed by VPC on 4 May 2007.
Messrs Peter Boggs, Daniel Johannesson, Peter Lindell, Henrik Tjärnström and Anders Ström were re-elected as Directors of the Company, and Staffan Persson was newly elected as Director.
In addition, Mr. Anders Ström was re-elected as Chairman and Daniel Johansson was newly elected as Deputy Chairman.
In addition, at the Annual General Meeting, the resolution to pay a total fee of GBP 321,000 to Directors elected at the AGM, who are not employed by the Company, was also approved by Shareholders. It was also agreed that the Board of Directors will distribute the fee within the Board so that the Chairman will receive a fee of GBP 130,000 and a fee of GBP 26,250 be paid to each other Director, and an additional GBP 13,500 to Deputy Chairman and GBP 7,000 be paid for Audit Committee work, 3,500 for Remuneration Committee work and GBP 10,000 for Legal and Lobby Committee work and an additional GBP 1,750 be paid to the Chairman of each committee.
As Nomination Committee, Chairman of the Board was authorised to invite not less than two shareholders to each appoint a member who, together with the Chairman of the Board, shall constitute a Nomination Committee. The composition of the Nomination Committee shall be published in connection with the interim financial statements for the third quarter 2007.
Also at today’s Annual General Meeting, shareholders approved that the Directors be duly authorised and empowered in accordance with Articles 85(2) and 88(7) of the Companies Act, with immediate effect, for a period of 5 years from the date of this resolution, to issue and allot up to a maximum of 800,000 shares in the Company of a nominal value of GBP 0.005 each solely for the purpose of issuing shares to holders and future holders of options under the Unibet Group plc Executive share option schemes, without first offering the said shares to existing Shareholders. This resolution was being taken in terms and for the purposes of the approvals necessary in terms of the Companies Act and the Articles of Association of the Company.
The meeting also approved that the directors obtain authority to buy back £0.005 Ordinary Shares/SDR’s in the Company (the purpose of buyback being to achieve added value for the Company’s shareholders);
(a) the maximum number of shares/SDR’s that may be so acquired is 2,824,109;
(b) the minimum price that may be paid for the shares/SDR is 1 SEK per share/SDR exclusive of tax;
(c) the maximum price that may be so paid be 1,000 SEK per share/SDR and
(d) the authority conferred by this resolution shall expire on the date of the 2008 Annual General Meeting but not so as to prejudice the completion of a purchase contracted before that date.
The Board of Directors proposes that the acquisition of shares/SDR’s shall take place on the Stockholm Stock Exchange or via an offer to acquire the shares/SDR’s to all shareholders. Repurchases may take place on multiple occasions and will be based on market terms, prevailing regulations and the capital situation at any given time. Notification of any purchase will be made to the Stockholm Stock Exchange and details will appear in the Company’s annual report and accounts.
The objective of the buyback is to achieve added value for the Company’s shareholders and to give the Board increased flexibility with the Company’s capital structure.
Following repurchase the intention of the Board would be to either cancel, use as consideration for an acquisition or issue to employees under a Share Option programme.
Once repurchased under the Maltese Companies Act further shareholder approval will be required before those shares could be cancelled only.
If used as consideration for an acquisition the intention would be that they would be issued as shares/SDR’s and not sold first.
Board of Directors
Unibet Group plc