Circular re: New Management Fees and Articles

12 October 2010 STRATEGIC EQUITY CAPITAL PLC NEW MANAGEMENT FEE ARRANGEMENTS AND ADOPTION OF NEW ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION Introduction As announced on 6 October 2010, As part of its recent strategic review, the Board concluded that the current arrangements with the Company's investment manager, SVG Investment Managers Limited, should be revised to provide a closer alignment of the respective interests of Shareholders and the Investment Manager, as well as a better incentive for the Investment Manager to continue to deliver outperformance over the longer term. The Board is also taking this opportunity to propose that the Company amend its memorandum of association and adopt new articles of association to reflect further changes to company law following the implementation of the Companies Act 2006. New Management Fee Arrangements The Board believes that, having regard to the discount at which the Shares have been trading relative to their underlying NAV (the average discount over the last 12 months prior to 8 October 2010 was approximately 24.4 per cent.), a basic fee calculated by reference to the Company's market capitalisation would provide a closer alignment of SVGIM's interest with that of Shareholders. Calculating the basic fee by reference to the Company's market capitalisation should also reduce the Company's total expense ratio. Furthermore, as the current Performance Hurdle is more than 69.1 per cent. ahead of the latest unaudited NAV per Share and is continuing to accrue at the rate of 7.0 per cent. per annum on a compounding basis, the Board does not believe that there is a realistic prospect of the Adjusted NAV per Share exceeding the Performance Hurdle in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, in the opinion of the Board, the current performance fee no longer provides a real incentive for the Investment Manager. The Board is recommending, therefore, that the current fee arrangements with the Investment Manager be revised to provide a closer alignment of the respective interests of Shareholders and the Investment Manager, as well as a better incentive for the Investment Manager to continue to deliver the recent strong investment performance over the longer term. Accordingly, it is proposed that: * the basic fee should be the lower of: (i) the basic fee as calculated under the current fee arrangements (that is, 1.0 per cent. per annum of the net NAV of the Company, being the net asset value less the aggregate of the value of the Company's limited partnership Interest in Strategic Recovery Fund II and the amount of the Company's undrawn loan commitment to that fund from time to time); and (ii) 1.0 per cent. per annum of the Company's market capitalisation; (for illustrative purpose only, if the net NAV of the Company as described above and the Company's market capitalisation as at 8 October 2010 remained unchanged, the basic fee would be calculated by reference to that market capitalisation, resulting in a saving of approximately £147,000 per annum); and * the existing performance fee should be replaced with a new performance fee on the following terms: * the Company's performance should be measured over rolling three year periods ending on 30 June in each year, with the first Proposed Performance Period commencing on 1 July 2008 and ending on 30 June 2011; * the Company's performance should be measured by comparing the NAV total return per Share over a Performance Period against the total return performance of the FTSE SmallCap (ex. Investment Companies) Index, being the index against which the Board has historically compared the Company's investment performance; * if the NAV total return per Share (calculated before any accrual for any performance fee to be paid in respect of the relevant Proposed Performance Period) at the end of the relevant Proposed Performance Period exceeds both: (i) the NAV per Share at the beginning of the relevant Proposed Performance Period as adjusted by the aggregate amount of (a) the total return on the FTSE SmallCap (ex. Investment Companies) Index (expressed as a percentage) and (b) 2.0 per cent. per annum over the relevant Proposed Performance Period; and (ii) the High Watermark (which, until exceeded at the end of a Proposed Performance Period in respect of which the Investment Manager earns a performance fee, will remain at 118.82p); the Investment Manager will be entitled to 15 per cent. of the excess over the higher of the Benchmark NAV per Share and the High Watermark; and * payment of a performance fee that has been earned will be deferred to the extent that the amount payable exceeds 1.75 per cent. per annum of the Company's NAV at the end of the relevant Proposed Performance Period (amounts deferred will be payable when, and to the extent that, following any later Proposed Performance Period(s) with respect to which a performance fee is payable, it is possible to pay the deferred amounts without causing that cap to be exceeded or the relevant NAV total return per Share to fall below the relevant Benchmark NAV per Share and the relevant High Watermark). The proposed new fee arrangements are conditional on approval by an ordinary resolution of the Company, which will be proposed at a general meeting of the Company which has been convened for Tuesday, 9 November 2010. Adoption of New Articles of Association The law in relation to UK companies has been undergoing a number of changes following the introduction of the Companies Act 2006 and the implementation of the Companies (Shareholders Rights) Regulations 2009 which were introduced in August of last year. The changes brought about by the Companies Act 2006 have been implemented in stages, and the remaining parts were implemented on 1 October 2009. The Company has been updating its articles of association in stages to accommodate the revisions required as a consequence of the latest parts of the Companies Act 2006 to be implemented. Whilst the majority of the changes introduced on 1 October 2009 apply automatically to the Company, it is best practice to update the Company's articles of association to reflect the law when the opportunity arises. Accordingly, the Board is taking the opportunity of the General Meeting to propose that the Company adopt new articles of association in order to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006. General Meeting A general meeting of the Company will be held at the offices of SVG Investment Managers Limited at 61 Aldwych, London WC2B 4AE, on Tuesday, 9 November 2010 commencing at 11.30 a.m. (or, if later, as soon as the AGM has concluded or been adjourned) at which the following resolutions will be proposed: * Resolution 1, which will be proposed as an ordinary resolution: to approve the amendments to the Investment Management Agreement to give effect to the proposed new fee arrangements described above. Under the Listing Rules, SVGIM is regarded as a related party of the Company as a consequence of being the Company's investment manager. Accordingly, entering into a deed for the purpose of effecting the proposed amendments to the Investment Management Agreement constitutes a related party transaction under the Listing Rules and, as such, requires to be approved by the requisite majority of Shareholders other than the Investment Manager and its associates (as defined in the Listing Rules). As at the date of this announcement, SVGIM and its associates (as defined in the Listing Rules), which includes its holding company SVG Capital plc, held 22.7 per cent. of the voting share capital of the Company. SVGIM has undertaken to take all reasonable steps to ensure that its associates abstain from voting on resolution 1 (SVGIM itself does not hold any Shares but, if it were to acquire any Shares prior to the General Meeting, it would also abstain from voting on resolution 1). * Resolution 2, which will be proposed as a special resolution: to delete all the provisions of the Company's memorandum of association which, by virtue of section 28 of the Companies Act 2006, are to be treated as provisions of the Company's articles of association and to adopt new articles of association. Circular The circular to Shareholders containing further information on the proposals referred to in this announcement and the notice convening the General Meeting will be posted today and will be available for inspection at the National Storage Mechanism which is located at www.hemscott.com/nsm.do. Enquiries John Hodson (Chairman) Strategic Equity Capital plc M: 07770 394 098 Sue Inglis/ Canaccord Genuity Limited T: 020 7050 6779/ Gordon Neilly 020 7050 6778 Notes Canaccord Genuity Limited is acting for Strategic Equity Capital plc and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Strategic Equity Capital plc for providing the protections afforded to clients of Canaccord Genuity Limited or for providing advice in relation to the matters referred to in this announcement. Definitions The following definitions apply throughout this announcement unless the context otherwise requires: "Adjusted NAV per as at a particular time, the sum of (i) the NAV of Share" the Company at that time, calculated on a basis that does not recognise any liability of the Company to the Investment Manager in respect of any performance fee that is, or may become, payable, divided by the number of Shares in issue at that time and (ii) the aggregate of the amount of any dividends paid or distributions made by the Company at any time since its launch divided by the time-weighted average of the number of Shares in issue since the Company's launch to the end of the relevant Existing Performance Period "AGM" the annual general meeting of the Company convened for Tuesday, 9 November 2010 at 11.30 a.m. and which will be held at the offices of SVG Investment Managers Limited, 61 Aldwych, London WC2B 4AE "Benchmark NAV per the NAV per Share at the beginning of the relevant Share" Proposed Performance Period as increased by the total return on the FTSE SmallCap (ex. Investment Companies) Index (expressed as a percentage) plus two percentage points "Board" the board of directors of the Company, including a duly constituted committee thereof "Company" Strategic Equity Capital plc "General Meeting" the general meeting of the Company convened for Tuesday, 9 November 2010 at 11.30 a.m. (or, if later, as soon as the AGM has concluded or been adjourned), or any adjournment of such general meeting "High Watermark" the highest previously recorded Adjusted NAV per Share at the end of an Existing Performance Period or, if higher, the highest previously recorded NAV total return per Share at the end of a Proposed Performance Period in relation to which a performance fee was earned "Investment Management the investment management agreement between the Agreement" Company and the Investment Manager dated 12 July 2005 (as amended by a deed between the Company and the Investment Manager dated 4 August 2009) "Investment Manager" or SVG Investment Managers Limited "SVGIM" "Listing Rules" the listing rules made by the Financial Services Authority under section 73A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 "Performance Hurdle" the NAV per Share on the date on which the Company was launched on 19 July 2005 increased at the rate of 7.0 per cent. per annum on a compounding basis to the end of the relevant Existing Performance Period "Proposed Performance a period of three years ending on 30 June in any year Period" "Shareholders" holders of Shares "Shares" ordinary shares of 10p each in the capital of the Company 3
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