Rathbone Brothers Plc ('the Company')

LEI: 213800MBTHM6UE8ZQP29

2020 Report and Accounts

Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting

The Company today announces that its Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020 ("Annual Report"), Notice of the 2021 Annual General Meeting ("AGM") and Form of Proxy for the 2021 AGM have been sent to shareholders.  The Annual Report and AGM Notice are available to view on the Company's website at: www.rathbones.com 

In compliance with LR 9.6.1 of the UK Financial Conduct Authority, the Company has today submitted electronic copies of the following documents to the Financial Conduct Authority via the National Storage Mechanism and these will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

·    2020 Annual Report and Accounts

·    Notice of the 2021 AGM

·    Form of Proxy for the 2021 AGM

AGM:

The Company's AGM is currently scheduled to be held at 2:00pm on Thursday 6 May 2021 at 8 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7AZ.

AGM format in light of the coronavirus pandemic

The board has been closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and our priority continues to be the health, safety and wellbeing of all our employees, shareholders, clients and the wider community in which we operate. The board's preference had been to welcome shareholders in person to this year's AGM, particularly given the constraints we faced last year. In February, the Government published its "COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021" which sets out the roadmap to ease restrictions across England. While this provides a route back to a more normal way of life, it is clear that many restrictions currently in force (including those relating to non-essential travel and indoor mixing) are intended to remain in place on the day of our AGM. Accordingly, the board's current intention is to hold the AGM at the company's head office with a limited number of company representatives attending in person to ensure that a valid meeting is held. Other shareholders will not be permitted to attend the AGM in person while restrictions precluding physical attendance remain in force. Shareholders and guests who travel to the meeting will not be admitted. It is, therefore, important that you do not attend the AGM in person while such restrictions remain in place.

Engagement and voting at the AGM

The board recognises the importance of the AGM to shareholders and is keen to ensure that you are able to engage with the business of the meeting. Although shareholders will not be able to attend the AGM in person while restrictions remain in force, you can still be formally represented at the meeting by appointing the Chair of the AGM as your proxy and giving your instructions on how you wish the Chair to vote on the proposed resolutions.  We strongly encourage you to do this. To ensure that your vote counts, you should only appoint the Chair of the AGM to act as your proxy. No other person appointed as your proxy will be able to attend the meeting while restrictions are in place and your vote will not be counted.

In addition, we would strongly encourage shareholders to submit any questions on the business of the AGM in advance by sending them to CompanySecretariat@rathbones.com. The company will respond before the proxy appointment deadline to those questions received by the close of business on Wednesday 28 April 2021. Shareholders are also encouraged to check the company's website where answers to questions submitted in advanced of the meeting will be posted.

Shareholders will also be able to listen in to (but not to speak at) the proceedings on the day via a live webcast. Shareholders will be able to access the webcast on the day of the AGM by following the weblink: https://www.investis-live.com/rathbone-brothers/605332bd49aa2a0e00777e5c/vnec at the time of the meeting. Following the proceedings in this way will not, however, constitute attendance at the AGM. To be formally represented at the meeting, you will need to appoint the Chair as your proxy as noted above. A recording of the webcast will also be available on the company's website following the meeting.

Possible modifications to AGM arrangements

The board recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Government's response to it, continues to evolve. The board will continue to monitor developments and the latest Government restrictions and guidance and will assess whether any modifications to the arrangements for the meeting are necessary or desirable, including if it becomes possible to welcome shareholders to the AGM in person. We, therefore, ask shareholders to monitor the company's website and regulatory news for any further updates.

Enquires:

Ali Johnson

Company Secretary

Email: CompanySecretariat@rathbones.com 

Tel: 07901 118456

The Appendix below, together with the information included in the Company's announcement of its preliminary results on 3 March 2021, constitutes the information required to comply with DTR 6.3.5

Appendix

Statement of directors' responsibilities in respect of the report and accounts

The directors are responsible for preparing the report and accounts 2020, and the group and parent company financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare group and parent company financial statements for each financial year. Under that law they are required to prepare the group financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (IFRS as adopted by the EU) and applicable law and have elected to prepare the parent company financial statements on the same basis.

Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the group and parent company and of their profit or loss for that period. In preparing each of the group and parent company financial statements, the directors are required to:

-       select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

-       make judgements and estimates that are reasonable, relevant and reliable

-       state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU

-       assess the group and parent company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern

-       use the going concern basis of accounting unless they either intend to liquidate the group or the parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the parent company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the parent company and enable them to ensure that its financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006.

They are responsible for such internal controls as they determine are necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the group and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

Under applicable law and regulations, the directors are also responsible for preparing a strategic report, directors' report, directors' remuneration report and corporate governance statement that comply with that law and those regulations.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the company's website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Responsibility statement of the directors in respect of the report and accounts

We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

-       the financial statements, prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole

-       the strategic report and directors' report include a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the issuer and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

We consider the report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the group's position and performance, business model and strategy.

By order of the board

Paul Stockton

Chief Executive

3 March 2021