Issue of options

RNS Number : 5305G

Norman Broadbent PLC

13 May 2011

 



For immediate release                                                                                                    13 May 2011

Norman Broadbent plc

("Norman Broadbent" or "the Company")

Issue of options

Norman Broadbent plc, a leading provider of executive search and leadership consultancy services, announces that it has today issued 985,140 options over ordinary shares of 1p ("Ordinary Shares") to employees and certain members of the Board, being Sue O'Brien, Ben Felton and Janet Cameron.

Furthermore, owing to the exercise price of a modest number of options previously issued to employees and members of the Board (at 168.9p per share) being significantly above the current share price, the Company has agreed to cancel the relevant options issued to them and to replace the cancelled options, by issuing 52,692 replacement options, bringing the total number of options issued to 1,037,832.

The options have been issued with an exercise price of 65.50p per Ordinary Share, being the closing middle-market price on 12 May 2011. The options will vest in three equal tranches on 13 May 2012, 13 May 2013 and 13 May 2014 and will be exercisable from those respective dates until 13 May 2021.

At the date of this announcement, including the options granted in accordance with this announcement, Sue O'Brien (Group Managing Director), Ben Felton (Chief Financial Officer) and Janet Cameron (Executive Director) have the following interests in Ordinary Shares:

	Total number of Ordinary Shares held	Ordinary Shares held under option	Exercise price of options	Warrants over Ordinary Shares	Exercise price of warrants
Sue O'Brien	43,177	183,206	65.50	111,111	45.00p
Ben Felton	-	91,603	65.50	-	-
Janet Cameron	7,831	61,068	65.50	-	-

Following the issue of the new options detailed above, there are options outstanding over 1,321,642 ordinary shares, equivalent to 16.91% per cent. of the current issued voting share capital of the Company as at the date of this announcement, which are exercisable at exercise prices ranging from 52.50p to 65.50p per share. At the date of this announcement the Company has 7,817,223 ordinary voting shares in issue.

In addition, the Company announces that it has today issued 61,069 Ordinary Shares at 65.5p per Ordinary Share to a new senior employee of the Company, as part of his remuneration. Application will be made for the 61,069 Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM and dealings are expected to commence on 20 May 2011. Following the issue of these shares, the Company will have 7,878,292 Ordinary Shares in issue.

This does not include the 2,692,308 placing shares, as announced on 3 May 2011, as the allotment of those shares is the subject of a resolution at the Company's AGM, which is scheduled to take place on 31 May 2011.  Including the placing shares, the Company would have 10,570,600 Ordinary Shares in issue with total share options outstanding equivalent to 12.5% of the enlarged share capital.

Pierce Casey, Executive Chairman said:

"The issue of share options to our employees is in line with my recent chairman's statement accompanying the 2010 financial statements.  Furthermore, following consultation with existing shareholders the proposed scheme has been given wide support.  During the recent placement of new shares the new investors were also very keen to see a share option incentive scheme implemented at the earliest opportunity to bring the Company in line with similar human capital businesses."

Contacts:

Norman Broadbent plc Pierce Casey / Ben Felton / Sue O'Brien	020 7484 0000
Merchant Securities Limited John East / Simon Clements	020 7628 2200
Buchanan Communications Limited Tim Anderson / Isabel Podda	020 7466 5000

 

END

 

 

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