Kodal Minerals, the mineral exploration and development company focused on the Bougouni Lithium Project in Mali (“Bougouni Project”) and its gold assets in West Africa, announces the grant of Performance Share Rights and Share Options to certain directors and senior management (the “Management Incentive Awards”).
Background to the Management Incentive Awards
The Company’s Remuneration Committee has decided to implement a new incentive plan for management aligned with the Group’s objectives and to drive shareholder value. The Board is mindful of conserving cash while the Company is in an exploration and development phase and the Remuneration Committee considers that the Management Incentive Awards are an appropriate means of incentivising directors and senior management.
It is noted that in light of the highly uncertain economic climate and the risks to the business arising from the Covid pandemic, together with the Company’s limited working capital which is focused on asset/project development, in April 2020 certain directors and senior management agreed to receive shares in the Company in lieu of their accrued but unpaid salaries and fees for the previous six months. In addition, over the first seven months of the 2021 financial year certain directors agreed to forego part of their salaries and fees.
Award of Performance Share Rights
Performance Share Rights of up to 175,000,000 new ordinary shares of 0.03125p each in the Company (“New Ordinary Shares”), representing approximately 1.1 per cent. of the Company’s current issued share capital, have been awarded to Bernard Aylward (CEO) and Mohamed Niare (Country Manager, Mali).
The Performance Share Rights carry vesting conditions that are linked to achievement of milestones critical to the development of the Bougouni Project and which are expected to realise significant value for shareholders and are as follows:
1) Award of mining licence;
2) Securing the finance for construction of the Bougouni mine; and
3) First commercial production from the Bougouni Project.
Subject to the vesting conditions being satisfied, the holders of the Performance Share Rights may call for the applicable number of New Ordinary Shares, as set out in the table below, to be issued to them at any time within five years of the vesting condition being met and upon payment by them of the nominal value for the New Ordinary Shares.
The number of New Ordinary Shares that can be issued is capped at a monetary value of the shares around the time the milestone is achieved, as set out in the table below. Accordingly, the final number of New Ordinary shares that may be issued following each vesting criteria being met will be calculated using the 10 day VWAP (volume weighted average price) of the Company’s shares over the period of five business days prior to the vesting criteria being satisfied and the subsequent five business days.
In the event of a change of control of the Company, 50 per cent. of any unvested Performance Share Rights will vest immediately, provided that the Company’s share price at the time of the change of control exceeds 0.34 pence, being the share price when the awards were made.
Grant of Share Options
Options over New Ordinary Shares have been granted to Robert Wooldridge (Chairman) and Qingtao Zeng (Non-Executive Director) as set out in the table below. The Options are exercisable at 0.36 pence per share, with 50 per cent. of the Options vesting immediately and the remaining 50 per cent. vesting in two equal tranches on the first and second anniversaries of the grant. All unvested options will vest immediately on a change of control of the Company. The Options recognise these Directors’ commitment to the Company in respect of foregone fees as detailed above and considerable additional work undertaken over the past two years.
Related party transaction
The granting of the Options and the Performance Share Rights to the above persons is deemed a related party transaction pursuant to rule 13 of the AIM Rules for Companies. Accordingly, Charles Joseland, the director independent of this transaction, considers, having consulted with the Company’s nominated adviser, that the terms of the transaction are fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders are concerned.
The notification below, which has been made in accordance with the requirements of the UK Market Abuse Regulation, provides further details.
For further information, please visit www.kodalminerals.com or contact the following:
Kodal Minerals plc
Bernard Aylward, CEO
Tel: +61 418 943 345
