Plant Impact PLC Option Grant to Recently Appointed CFO (6574Y)

TIDMPIM

RNS Number : 6574Y

Plant Impact PLC

19 May 2016

For Immediate Release 19 May 2016

Plant Impact plc

Option Grant to Recently Appointed Chief Financial Officer

Plant Impact plc (AIM: PIM) ("Company" or the "Group"), an agricultural bioscience company that develops and markets crop enhancement and speciality nutrition products, announces that on 18 May 2016, the Company granted an Option ("VCP-Option") over 2,400,000 ordinary shares in the Company to Richard Amos, following his appointment as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director on 10 May 2016. The extent to which the VCP-Option will actually vest and may be exercised by Mr Amos will be determined by the level of achievement of certain performance conditions, which are set out below ("Performance Conditions") and within the scope and terms of the "Value Creation Plan" which was approved by the Company's shareholders under Resolution 7 at the 20 November 2014 Annual General Meeting ("2014 AGM").

Consistent with the approval from shareholders via Resolution 7 at the 2014 AGM, the actual vesting of the VCP-Option will be subject to the achievement of the Performance Conditions designed to ensure that the VCP-Option does not vest unless there has been significant growth in the Company's share price ("Share Price") as well as significant growth in the Company's gross profit ("Gross Profit").

The VCP-Option issued to Mr Amos is over a maximum of 2,400,000 Shares and will vest on a date which is the later of: (1) a pre-determined contractual vesting date ("Vesting Date"), being three or more years from 18 May 2016; (2) the date on which the Share Price achieves a certain level ("Share Price Hurdle"); and (3) the date on which the Gross Profit, per the Group's most recently published audited annual accounts, exceeds certain thresholds.

The Share Price at close yesterday was 55.0 pence and the average closing price over the previous 12 months was 56.5 pence. The Company's most recently published Gross Profit was GBP3.5 million for the year to 31 July 2015.

The earliest Vesting Dates, Share Price Hurdles and Gross Profit levels which determine the potential vesting of Mr Amos's VCP-Option are set out in the following table:

 
 Number of             Earliest        Share Price    Gross Profit 
  Shares subject        Vesting Date    Hurdle         Threshold 
  to the VCP-Option 
  (each a "Tranche") 
--------------------  --------------  -------------  -------------- 
 480,000               18 May 2019     at least 70    GBP4 million 
                                        pence 
--------------------  --------------  -------------  -------------- 
 480,000               18 May 2019     at least 90    GBP8 million 
                                        pence 
--------------------  --------------  -------------  -------------- 
 480,000               18 May 2019     at least 110   GBP8 million 
                                        pence 
--------------------  --------------  -------------  -------------- 
 480,000               18 May 2019     at least 130   GBP12 million 
                                        pence 
--------------------  --------------  -------------  -------------- 
 480,000               18 May 2019     at least 150   GBP12 million 
                                        pence 
--------------------  --------------  -------------  -------------- 
 

However, notwithstanding the vesting of the VCP-Option, it may not generally be exercised until the expiry of the period of two years following the date of vesting, and if at the expiry of that two year period, the Share Price has declined more than 30% below the Share Price Hurdle which triggered the vesting of a particular Tranche of the VCP-Option, vesting of that Tranche shall be delayed until such time as the Share Price again achieves that Share Price Hurdle for at least 20 consecutive dealing days.

In no circumstances will a VCP-Option vest later than ten years from the date of grant.

It has been agreed with Mr Amos that in the event that he leaves the Company as a good leaver (broadly, any circumstances other than voluntary resignation or dismissal for cause), any Tranche of his VCP-Option will be permitted to vest and/or to be exercised to the extent that the relevant Share Price Hurdle and Gross Profit performance condition applicable to that Tranche as referred to in the table above have actually been achieved at the date of leaving.

For further information, contact:

Plant Impact

David Jones, Chairman Tel: [phone]

John Brubaker, Chief Executive www.plantimpact.com

Peel Hunt - Nominated Advisor and Broker

Dan Webster Tel: [phone]

Adrian Trimmings

George Sellar

Buchanan

Charles Ryland Tel: [phone]

Sophie Cowles

Jane Glover

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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May 19, 2016 02:01 ET (06:01 GMT)