Capricorn to review business after shareholders back new directors
Craig van der Laan named as chair
Chris Cox appointed interim CEO
New board to conduct strategic review of company
Adds board to consider shareholder payout size
By Shadia Nasralla
LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) -Capricorn Energy CNE.L shareholders on Wednesday voted in favour of six new directors proposed by activist shareholder Palliser, and the British oil and gas company said the new board would conduct a strategic review of its businesses.
The shareholder vote comes days after five directors, including Capricorn's chair and chief executive, quit the board. Two more directors, including Finance Chief James Smith, stepped down from the board on Wednesday.
Palliser and some of Capricorn's biggest shareholders had publicly opposed a planned merger with Israeli gas producer NewMed NWMDp.TA, with major proxy advisers recommending a rejection of the takeover plan.
"The Board will be conducting a comprehensive strategic review of Capricorn's business and the several potential directions for the future of the Company," Capricorn said.
Chris Cox, one of Palliser's board nominees, will act as interim chief executive, replacing Simon Thomson, who stepped down from the board on Jan. 24 after months of wrangling with a large number of Capricorn's shareholders over the company's direction.
Cox was CEO of Spirit Energy and held positions at Centrica CNA.L and BG Group.
Craig van der Laan will replace Nicoletta Giadrossi, who also stepped down on Jan. 24, as group chairperson.
A shareholder vote on the NewMed deal was initially set for Wednesday, but Capricorn postponed it to Feb. 22 to give the new board time to assess the NewMed plan, the best way forward for Capricorn's Egyptian assets, and the company's cash pile.
The previous management had proposed a $620 million special dividend ahead of the NewMed merger. The new board will look at "plans to consider a significant distribution of cash to shareholders in excess of operating requirements," Capricorn said on Wednesday.
The replacement directors suggested by Palliser also include Hesham Mekawi, BP's BP.L former North Africa regional president; Maria Gordon, Richard Herbert and Tom Pitts. Each of the six got more than 99% of votes cast at the meeting.
Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman and Leslie Adler
免責聲明: XM Group提供線上交易平台的登入和執行服務，允許個人查看和/或使用網站所提供的內容，但不進行任何更改或擴展其服務和訪問權限，並受以下條款與條例約束：（i）條款與條例；（ii）風險提示；（iii）完全免責聲明。網站內部所提供的所有資訊，僅限於一般資訊用途。請注意，我們所有的線上交易平台內容並不構成，也不被視為進入金融市場交易的邀約或邀請 。金融市場交易會對您的投資帶來重大風險。
所有缐上交易平台所發佈的資料，僅適用於教育/資訊類用途，不包含也不應被視爲適用於金融、投資稅或交易相關諮詢和建議，或是交易價格紀錄，或是任何金融商品或非應邀途徑的金融相關優惠的交易邀約或邀請。
本網站的所有XM和第三方所提供的内容，包括意見、新聞、研究、分析、價格其他資訊和第三方網站鏈接，皆爲‘按原狀’，並作爲一般市場評論所提供，而非投資建議。請理解和接受，所有被歸類為投資研究範圍的相關内容，並非爲了促進投資研究獨立性，而根據法律要求所編寫，而是被視爲符合營銷傳播相關法律與法規所編寫的内容。請確保您已詳讀並完全理解我們的非獨立投資研究提示和風險提示資訊，相關詳情請點擊 這裡查看。
