Notice of the Annual General Meeting of WithSecure Corporation
WithSecure Corporation, Stock Exchange Release,
12 February 2025, 10:00 EET
Notice of the Annual General Meeting of
WithSecure
Corporation
The shareholders of WithSecure Corporation are
invited to the Annual General Meeting, which will be held on
Tuesday, 18 March 2025 starting at 3:00 p.m. EET.
The meeting will be held as a hybrid meeting in
accordance with chapter 5, section 16(2) of the Finnish
Limited Liability Companies Act (624/2006, as amended, the
‘Companies Act’), so that shareholders may exercise their
shareholder rights fully during the meeting either via remote
connection or at the meeting venue at event venue Bysa in Clarion
Hotel Helsinki at the address Tyynenmerenkatu 2, 00220 Helsinki.
Shareholders may also exercise their voting rights by voting in
advance.
The reception of persons who have registered for
the meeting and the pre-meeting coffee service will commence at the
meeting venue at 2:15 p.m. EET. The participants of the
General Meeting are welcome to enjoy meeting refreshments before
the meeting. Instructions concerning participation via remote
connection are provided in section C. 2. of this notice and
instructions concerning advance voting in section C. 3.
After the meeting, the participants of the
General Meeting have the opportunity to participate in guided tours
at the Museum of Malware Art and the new office premises, both of
which are located at the Company headquarters at the address
Välimerenkatu 1, 00180 Helsinki.
A. Matters on the agenda of the General
Meeting
1. Opening of the meeting
2. Calling the meeting to order
3. Election of the person to scrutinise the
minutes and to supervise the counting of votes
4. Recording the legality of the
meeting
5. Recording the attendance at the meeting
and adoption of the list of votes
6. Presentation of the annual accounts, the
consolidated annual accounts, the report of the Board of Directors
as well as the auditor’s report and the assurance report on
sustainability reporting for the year 2024
The CEO will give a review of the year 2024
and tell about the Company’s prospects for the year 2025.
WithSecure Corporation’s annual review,
including WithSecure Corporation’s annual accounts, consolidated
annual accounts, report of the Board of Directors as well as the
auditor’s report and the assurance report on sustainability
reporting, shall be available on the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance as of
12 February 2025.
7. Adoption of the annual accounts and the
consolidated annual accounts
The Board of Directors proposes that the General
Meeting adopts the annual accounts and the consolidated annual
accounts for the financial year
1 January 2024–31 December 2024.
8. Resolution on the use of the loss shown on
the balance sheet and the distribution of dividend
The Company’s dividend policy is to pay
approximately half of its profits as dividends. Subject to
circumstances, the Company may deviate from this policy. On 31
December 2024, WithSecure Corporation’s distributable funds
totalled EUR 77.5 million of which the net result for the financial
year was EUR -44.0 million. No material changes have taken place in
the Company’s financial position after the end of the financial
period.
The Board of Directors proposes that no dividend
will be paid for 2024 due to the loss-making result of the year.
The Company will focus on funding its growth and developing the
business. The net loss for the year is retained in the
shareholders’ equity.
9. Resolution on the discharge of the members
of the Board of Directors and the CEO from liability
10. Consideration of the remuneration policy
for governing bodies
The previous specified version of the remuneration policy has
been considered and approved as an advisory resolution by the
Annual General Meeting on 24 March 2021.
The remuneration policy for governing bodies
shall be available on the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance as of
12 February 2025 at the latest.
11. Consideration of the remuneration report
for governing bodies
The remuneration report for governing bodies
shall be available on the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance on 12
February 2025 at the latest.
12. Resolution on the remuneration of the
members of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Personnel Committee that the annual
remuneration of the Board of Directors shall remain unchanged and
be paid as follows: EUR 80,000 for the Chairman of the Board
of Directors, EUR 48,000 for the Committee Chairmen,
EUR 38,000 for the members of the Board of Directors and
EUR 12,667 for a member of the Board of Directors employed by
the Company. Approximately 40% of the annual remuneration be paid
as the Company’s shares acquired on the Board members’ behalf. The
commission for acquiring the Company shares will be given
immediately after the publication of the interim report for the
period 1 January–31 March 2025. The Company will be responsible for
the possible transaction costs and possible transfer tax levied in
connection with purchase of the shares.
According to the proposal, the travel expenses
and other costs of the members of the Board of Directors directly
related to board work are paid in accordance with the Company’s
compensation policy in force from time to time. Each member of the
Board of Directors is paid a predetermined travel fee in addition
to travel expenses for meetings held outside their country of
residence in accordance with the Company’s travel policy in force
from time to time. According to the travel policy, a separate
travel fee of EUR 1,000 is paid to the members of the Board of
Directors who travel from another European country to attend an
on-site meeting. The travel fee is EUR 2,000 for intercontinental
travel. No separate travel fee is paid to a member of the Board of
Directors employed by the Company. In addition, the Chairman of the
Board of Directors is offered assistant and administrative
services.
13. Resolution on the number of members of
the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Personnel Committee that the number of
members of the Board of Directors be seven (7).
14. Election of members of the Board of
Directors
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Personnel Committee that Risto Siilasmaa,
Amanda Bedborough, Niilo Fredrikson, Ciaran Martin, and Tuomas
Syrjänen are to be re-elected as ordinary members of the Board of
Directors and that Mervi Kerkelä-Hiltunen and Artturi Lehtiö, who
is employed by WithSecure Corporation, are to be elected as new
members of the Board of Directors. Of the current Board members,
Harri Ruusinen and Kirsi Sormunen have stated that they will no
longer be available as Board members.
The Board member candidates’ CVs and assessments
of independence are available on the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance.
15. Resolution on the remuneration of the
auditor
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Audit Committee that the remuneration to the
auditor be paid in accordance with the approved invoice.
16. Election of the auditor
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Audit Committee that audit firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy be re-elected as auditor of the
Company. PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy has stated that Mr Jukka
Karinen, APA, will act as the responsible auditor.
17. Resolution on the remuneration of the
authorised sustainability auditor
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Audit Committee that the remuneration of the
authorised sustainability auditor be paid in accordance with the
approved invoice.
18. Election of the authorised sustainability
auditor
The Board of Directors proposes upon
recommendation of the Audit Committee that PricewaterhouseCoopers
Oy be elected as the Company’s authorised sustainability auditor.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy has stated that Mr Jukka Karinen, ASA,
will act as the responsible authorised sustainability auditor.
19. Authorising the Board of Directors
to resolve on the repurchase of the Company’s own shares
The Board of Directors proposes that the General
Meeting authorise the Board of Directors to resolve upon the
repurchase of a maximum of 17,609,870 of the Company’s own shares
in total. The proposed maximum amount equals to approximately 10%
of all the shares in the Company, in one or several tranches with
the Company’s unrestricted equity.
The authorisation entitles the Board of
Directors to resolve on the repurchase also in deviation from the
proportional holdings of the shareholders (directed repurchase).
The authorisation comprises the repurchase of shares either in the
public trading or otherwise in the market at the trading price
determined for the shares in public trading on the date of
purchase, or with a purchase offer to the shareholders, in which
case the repurchase price must be the same for all shareholders.
The Company’s own shares shall be repurchased to be used for
carrying out acquisitions or implementing other arrangements
related to the Company’s business or for optimising the Company’s
capital structure, to be used as part of the implementation of the
Company’s incentive scheme or otherwise to be transferred further
or cancelled. The authorisation includes the right of the Board of
Directors to resolve on all other terms related to the repurchase
of the Company’s own shares.
The Board of Directors proposes that the
authorisation be valid until the conclusion of the next Annual
General Meeting, in any case no later than until
30 June 2026. The Board of Directors proposes that this
authorisation terminate the authorisation given to the Board of
Directors by the Annual General Meeting of 20 March 2024
concerning the repurchase of the Company’s own shares.
20. Authorising the Board of Directors to
resolve on the issuance of shares as well as the issuance of
options and other special rights entitling to shares
The Board of Directors proposes that the General
Meeting authorise the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance
of a maximum of 17,609,870 shares in total through a share issue as
well as by issuing options and other special rights entitling to
shares pursuant to chapter 10, section 1 of the Companies
Act in one or several tranches. The proposed maximum number of the
shares corresponds to approximately 10% of all shares in the
Company. The authorisation concerns both the issuance of new
shares and the transfer of treasury shares held by the Company.
The authorisation entitles the Board of
Directors to resolve on all terms related to the share issue as
well as the issuance of options and other special rights entitling
to shares. The issuance of shares may be carried out in deviation
from the shareholders’ pre-emptive subscription right (directed
issue). The authorisation may be used for potential acquisitions or
other arrangements, for share-based incentive schemes or otherwise
for purposes resolved by the Board of Directors. Of the
authorisation, a maximum of 2,000,000 shares may be used as part of
the above-mentioned share-based incentive schemes, which
corresponds to approximately 1% of all shares in the Company.
The Board of Directors proposes that the
authorisation be valid until the conclusion of the next Annual
General Meeting, in any case no later than until
30 June 2026. The Board of Directors proposes that this
authorisation terminate the authorisation given to the Board of
Directors by the Annual General Meeting of 20 March 2024
concerning the issuance of shares as well as the issuance of
options and other special rights entitling to shares.
21. Closing of the meeting
B. Documents of the General
Meeting
The resolution proposals for the matters on the
agenda of the General Meeting mentioned above and this notice are
available on WithSecure Corporation’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance.
WithSecure Corporation’s annual review including the Company’s
annual accounts, consolidated annual accounts, the report of the
Board of Directors as well as the auditor’s report and the
assurance report on sustainability reporting, as well as the
remuneration policy and remuneration report for WithSecure
Corporation’s governing bodies are available on said website 12
February 2025 at the latest. The resolution proposals and
other documents mentioned above will also be made available at the
General Meeting.
The minutes of the General Meeting will be
available on the above-mentioned website at the latest on
1 April 2025.
C. Instructions for the participants in
the General Meeting
1. Shareholders registered in the
shareholders’ register
Each shareholder who is registered on
6 March 2025, the record date of the General Meeting, in
the shareholders’ register of the Company held by Euroclear
Finland Oy, has the right to participate in the General
Meeting. A shareholder whose shares are registered on the
shareholder’s Finnish book-entry account is registered in the
shareholders’ register of the Company.
Changes in shareholding after the record date of
the General Meeting do not affect the right to participate in the
General Meeting or the number of voting rights.
Registration for the General Meeting begins on
13 February 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EET. A
shareholder whose shares are registered on the shareholder’s
Finnish book-entry account and who wishes to participate in the
meeting must register for the meeting at the latest on 11 March
2025 at 4:00 p.m. EET, by which time the notice of
participation must be received by the Company. Shareholders can
register for the meeting by one of the following means:
-
Online through the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance.
Online registration requires strong electronic identification from
the shareholder or the shareholder’s statutory representative or
proxy representative using Finnish, Swedish or Danish online
banking credentials or a mobile certificate.
-
By email to the address agm@innovatics.fi or by mail to the address
Innovatics Ltd, General Meeting/WithSecure Corporation,
Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, 00520 Helsinki. The
registering shareholder must include in the registration the
registration form and advance voting form available on the
Company’s website
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance or
equivalent information.
The requested information, such as the
shareholder’s name, date of birth or business ID, contact
information as well as the name of the shareholder’s possible
assistant and/or proxy representative and date of birth of proxy
representative as well as telephone number and/or email address of
proxy representative must be provided in connection with the
registration. The personal data disclosed by the shareholders to
WithSecure Corporation or Innovatics Ltd will only be used in
connection with the General Meeting and the processing of related
necessary registrations.
It must also be stated in connection with the
registration whether the shareholder or the shareholder’s proxy
representative will participate in the General Meeting at the
meeting venue or via remote connection. Instructions concerning
remote participation are provided in section C. 2. of these
instructions.
Upon request, shareholders, their
representatives, or proxy representatives must be able to prove
their identity and/or right of representation at the meeting
venue.
Additional information on registration, remote
participation and advance voting is available by telephone at
+358 10 2818 909 during the registration period of
the General Meeting between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. EET
and between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EET on
weekdays.
2. Remote participation in the meeting
Shareholders who have the right to participate
in the General Meeting may participate in the meeting and exercise
their shareholder rights fully during the meeting either at the
meeting venue or via remote connection.
A notice given by shareholders or proxy
representatives that they will participate in the General Meeting
via remote connection is binding, and after the end of the
registration period the shareholders or proxy representatives do
not have the right to change their means of participation or
participate in the meeting at the meeting venue. However, a notice
of participation via remote connection given by a shareholder’s
proxy representative does not limit the right of the shareholder’s
other proxy representatives to participate in the meeting at the
meeting venue.
The remote connection to the General Meeting
will be implemented through Inderes Oyj’s virtual AGM service
using the Videosync platform, which includes video and audio access
to the General Meeting. Using the remote connection does not
require software or downloads subject to a charge. In addition to
an internet connection, participation requires a computer,
smartphone or tablet with speakers or headphones for audio playback
as well as a microphone for oral questions and comments. The
following browsers are recommended for remote participation:
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, or Opera. Shareholders are
responsible for their internet connections and devices during the
meeting. In order to prepare for technical failures, it is
recommended that shareholders who participate in the meeting
remotely vote in advance.
The participation link and password for remote
participation will be sent by email and/or SMS to the email address
and/or mobile phone number provided in connection with the
registration by the day before the meeting, 17 March 2025
at the latest. It is recommended to log in to the meeting system in
good time before the meeting starts.
For more information on the AGM service,
additional instructions for proxy holders representing more than
one shareholder, contact details and instructions of the service
provider in case of possible disruptions, please visit
https://vagm.fi/support and a link to test the compatibility of
your computer, smartphone or tablet with the internet connection
can be found at
https://b2b.inderes.com/fi/knowledge-base/yhteensopivuuden-testaaminen.
It is recommended to consult the detailed attendance instructions
before the start of the General Meeting.
3. Advance voting
A shareholder whose shares are registered on the shareholder’s
Finnish book-entry account can vote in advance on certain matters
on the agenda between 13 February 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EET and
11 March 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EET in the following ways:
-
Online through the service available on the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance.
Shareholders can sign into the advance voting service the same way
as to the online registration service referred to above in section
C. 1. a) of these instructions.
-
By email or mail by sending the advance voting form available on
the Company’s website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance or
corresponding information to Innovatics Ltd, by email to the
address agm@innovatics.fi or by mail to the address
Innovatics Ltd, General Meeting/WithSecure Corporation,
Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, 00520 Helsinki. Advance votes
must be received before the advance voting period ends.
A proposed resolution that is subject to advance
voting is considered to be presented unchanged in the General
Meeting, and the advance votes are taken into account in a vote at
the real-time General Meeting also in circumstances where an
alternative resolution has been proposed concerning the matter.
Taking the votes into account requires that the shareholders who
voted in advance are registered in the Company’s shareholders’
register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date
of the General Meeting. Sending the votes in advance by mail or
email so that they are received before the end of the time limit of
the registration and advance voting period constitutes registration
for the General Meeting, provided that the shareholder’s notice of
participation includes the above information required for
registration. Unless shareholders voting in advance participate at
the General Meeting at the meeting venue in person or by way of
proxy representation or participate in the General Meeting via
remote connection, they will not be able to use their rights under
the Companies Act to request information or a vote.
Holders of nominee registered shares can vote in
advance through their account operators. Account operators can vote
in advance on behalf of the holders of nominee registered shares
they represent in accordance with the shareholders’ voting
instructions during the registration period applicable to holders
of nominee registered shares.
4. Holder of nominee registered
shares
A holder of nominee registered shares has the
right to participate in the Annual General Meeting by virtue of
such shares, based on which the holder of nominee registered shares
on the record date of the General Meeting, 6 March 2025,
would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders’ register of
the Company held by Euroclear Finland Oy. In addition, the
right to participate requires that the holder of nominee registered
shares be temporarily entered into the shareholders’ register held
by Euroclear Finland Oy based on these shares at the latest by
13 March 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EET. As regards nominee
registered shares, this constitutes due registration for the
General Meeting. Changes in shareholding after the record date of
the General Meeting do not affect the right to participate in the
General Meeting or the number of voting rights.
A holder of nominee registered shares is advised
to request in good time the necessary instructions regarding the
temporary registration in the shareholders’ register of the
Company, the issuing of proxy documents and voting instructions,
registration for the General Meeting, and advance voting from such
shareholder’s custodian bank. The account management organisation
of the custodian bank shall temporarily register a holder of
nominee registered shares who wishes to participate in the General
Meeting into the shareholders’ register of the Company at the
latest by the time stated above. When necessary, the account
management organisation of the custodian bank shall also arrange
advance voting on behalf of the holder of nominee registered shares
before the end of the registration period applicable to holders of
nominee registered shares.
A holder of nominee registered shares who has
registered for the General Meeting may participate in the General
Meeting at the meeting venue or via remote connection. Remote
participation requires temporary entry into the shareholders’
register held by Euroclear Finland Oy and submission of an
email address and telephone number of the holder of nominee
registered shares by email to the address agm@innovatics.fi by mail
to the address Innovatics Ltd, General Meeting/WithSecure
Corporation, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, 00520 Helsinki before the
registration period applicable to holders of nominee registered
shares ends so that an attendance link and password can be sent to
the holder of nominee registered shares for participating in the
General Meeting remotely.
5. Proxy representative and powers of
attorney
A shareholder may participate in the General
Meeting and exercise the shareholder rights at the meeting by way
of proxy representation. The proxy representative may also vote in
advance in the manner instructed in section C. 3. of
these instructions.
The proxy representative shall produce a dated
proxy document or power of attorney or otherwise in a reliable
manner demonstrate such representative’s right to represent the
shareholder at the General Meeting. If a shareholder participates
in the General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives
representing the shareholder with shares in different book-entry
accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents
the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the
registration for the General Meeting.
A proxy template is available on the Company’s
website at
www.withsecure.com/en/about-us/investor-relations/governance.
Possible proxy documents are to be delivered
primarily as an attachment in connection with the electronic
registration, or alternatively by email to Innovatics Ltd to the
address agm@innovatics.fi or by mail to the address
Innovatics Ltd, General Meeting/WithSecure Corporation,
Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, 00520 Helsinki before the end
of the registration period, by which time the proxy documents must
be received. WithSecure Corporation may, if it so wishes, demand
original proxy documents if regarded necessary by the Company.
In addition to submitting a proxy document,
shareholders or their proxy representatives shall ensure that they
register for the General Meeting in the manner described above in
section C. 1. of these instructions.
If a proxy representative represents more than
one shareholder at the General Meeting, it is recommended to vote
in advance. Even if the proxy representative represents more than
one shareholder at the General Meeting either at the meeting venue
or via remote connection, only one attendance link and password
will be provided to the proxy representative for all shareholders
the proxy representative represents. The proxy representative will
therefore not need to log into the service separately on behalf of
each shareholder but shall ensure the exercise of shareholders’
rights by voting on behalf of each shareholder separately.
A shareholder may authorise a proxy
representative by using the Suomi.fi e-authorisation service as an
alternative to a traditional proxy document. The proxy
representative is authorised via the Suomi.fi service at
www.suomi.fi/e-authorizations (authorisation for ‘Representation at
the General Meeting’). When registering for the General Meeting
service, the proxy representative must identify themselves by using
strong electronic identification, after which the proxy
representative can register and vote in advance on behalf of the
shareholder the proxy representative represents. Strong electronic
identification requires a Finnish bank ID or mobile
certificate. For more information on e-authorisation, please see
www.suomi.fi/e-authorizations.
6. Other instructions and information
The language of the General Meeting is
Finnish.
A shareholder present at the meeting has the
right to ask questions referred to in chapter 5,
section 25 of the Companies Act with respect to the matters to
be considered at the General Meeting.
On the date of this notice, Wednesday, 12
February 2025, the total number of shares in WithSecure Corporation
is 176,098,739 shares, which represent an equal number of votes. On
the date of this notice, the Company holds 81,890 treasury shares.
Treasury shares do not produce any rights in the Company and do
therefore not entitle to participation in the General Meeting.
Helsinki, 12 February 2025
WITHSECURE CORPORATION
Board of Directors
Contact information:
Tiina Sarhimaa, Chief Legal Officer
WithSecure Corporation
Laura Viita
VP, Controlling, Investor relations and Sustainability
WithSecure Corporation
+358 50 487 1044
investor-relations@withsecure.com
Grafico Azioni F-secure Oyj (LSE:0EIE)
Storico
Da Gen 2025 a Feb 2025
Grafico Azioni F-secure Oyj (LSE:0EIE)
Storico
Da Feb 2024 a Feb 2025