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Business
the right way
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 June 2022
New image to be confirmed
Strategic Report
00 Investment case
00 Headlines
00 At a glance
00 Chair’s statement
00 Chief Executives review
00 Case study – Celebrating
ourpeople
00 Business model
00 Strategy
00 Stakeholder engagement
00 Key performance indicators/
operational measures
00 Review of operations
00 Sustainability report
00 Financial review
00 Risks and uncertainties
facingthe business
00 Going concern and
viabilitystatement
Our Governance
00 Board of Directors
00 Corporate governance report
00 Audit Committee report
00 Nomination Committee report
00 Directors’ remuneration report
00 Directors’ report and other
statutory information
00 Statement of Directors
responsibilities
Financial Statements
00 Independent auditors’ report
00 Consolidated income statement
00 Consolidated statement of
comprehensive income
00 Balance sheets
00 Statements of changes
inequity
00 Cash flow statements
00 Notes to the financial
statements
00 Pro forma five year financial
summary (unaudited)
00 Advisors and
corporatecalendar
OUR PURPOSE
Helping our customers
todo the right business
in the right way
Stay up to date with our website
www.wilmingtonplc.com
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Page references to be checked throughout report as
pagination is not finalised
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tbc
Purpose driven
We empower our customers to do the right business in the right way, by
providing them with a complementary range of information and data and training
& education solutions via single technology platforms. Our unique offering is
underpinned by a set of core competencies that, in combination, drive
sustainable value creation for our stakeholders.
Diverse and resilient
The resilience of our portfolio is enhanced by a diverse
customer base and low customer concentration.
Single technology platforms and
digital innovation
Attractive portfolio of digital-first data & information
assets and innovative digital learning solutions
delivered via single technology platforms.
Agile and customer led
Strong customer-led product management culture,
reinforced by agile approach to hybrid delivery formats.
Responsible business culture
Commitment to customers echoed by the responsible
business culture embedded across the Group.
Why invest?
Unique GRC platform
Powerful combination of well-recognised brands in
information and data and training & education
solutions, serving the resilient and growing
Governance, Risk and Compliance market.
27+
years’ experience
High proportion of
recurringrevenues
Consistent and sustainable revenue streams, with a
focus on recurring subscription and membership
revenues with high renewal rates.
37%
subscription and membership revenue
High conversion of operating profit
into cash
Strongly cash generative business reflectedby
114%
conversion of operatingprofit into cash
Commitment to dividends
[•]p
total dividend
Investment case
approach
aligned to
growing GRC
markets]
[Digital first
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Strapline TBC
Image TBC
Graphic
tbc
[Digitalisation
drives success]
[Headlines]
Financial performance
13% organic revenue growth driven by successful
digitalisation programme, new product investment
and return to FTF[
4]
events (organic revenue growth
5% excluding FTF)
Training and Education division delivered 18%
organic growth; Intelligence division 10%
Excluding face-to-face events organic revenue
growth 5%
Annually recurring revenues grew 5ppts, now 37%
of Group revenues
Adjusted profit before tax up 38% to £20.7m
(2021:£15.0m) reflecting continuing efficiencies
odigital-firstmodel
Strategic sale of AMT for £23.4m before
completion adjustments
Net cash[
5]
at 30 June 2022 £20.5m (2021: net
debt £17.2m) reflecting strong trading performance,
effective cash management strategies and sale
ofsubsidiaries and property
Strong cash conversion[
6]
of 114% (2021: 104%)
Investments driving strategic progress, future
growth plans enhanced by development of single
technology platforms in each division
Further embedded cultural ambitions, bolstered
bycommitments to Race at Work Charter,
Inclusiveemployers and Disability Confidence
Committed Net Zero carbon targets
“Our resilient organic[
9]
growth strategy is
delivering, with our new operating model
successfully embedded to enhance our position
in the large, expanding and rapidly evolving GRC
and Regulatory Compliance markets.
Our streamlined portfolio and the restructured
operating model have underpinned a year
ofsuccess. Wehave delivered our strategic
objectives to grow organically, invest in our
business and actively manage our portfolio
ofbrands.
The investments we have made in technology
and data are accelerating our growth ambitions
as we develop single technology platforms in
each division. These investments are enhancing
our position by creating a scalable portfolio of
assets that are strongly aligned to the dynamic
GRC market.”
Mark Milner
Chief Executive Officer
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
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Image TBC
Graphic
tbc
[Headlines continued]
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Revenues for the year £’m
£121.0m
+7%
Adjusted earnings per share
2
p
18.66p
+ 37%
Adjusted EBITA £’m
£21.6m
+30%
Total dividends p
[•]p
Adjusted profit before tax
1
£’m
£20.7m
+38%
Group net cash/(debt)
(excluding lease liabilities)
4
£’m
£20.5m
121.0
18.66
21.6
[•]
113.0
13.62
16.6
15.0
(17.2)
113.1
10.71
14.0
9.1
6.0
11.9
(27.7)
122.5
17.44
21.5
9.1
19.3
(33.9)
121.3
19.80
23.8
8.8
21.8
(39.6)
Organic
3
revenue growth %
13%
2021: up 3%
Basic earnings/(loss)
per share p
36.98
p
2021: (5.18)p
Adjusted profit before
taxmargin %
17%
2021: 13%
Final dividend p
[•]p
2021: 3.9p
Profit/(loss) before
taxation £’m
£36.1m
2021: £(2.0)m
Strong cash conversion
5
at %
114%
2021: 104%
1 Adjusted profit before tax – see note 2
2 Adjusted basic earnings per share – see note 9
4 FTF - face-to-face
5 Net cash/(debt) includes cash and cash equivalents, bank loans (excluding capitalised loan arrangement fees) and bank overdrafts but excludes lease liabilities
6 Cash conversion – see note 30
9 Organic – eliminating the effects of exchange rate fluctuations and the impact of acquisitions and disposals
20.5
20.7
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Chart to be updated/calculated
Footnotes to be reviewed throughout AR as word doc changed but not
tracked. Also numbering is not right in word doc.
At a glance
Wilmington is a scalable portfolio in the resilient and
expansive Governance, Risk and Compliance (‘GRC’)
market, providing solutions to enterprise customers and
professionals from a broad range of industries.
Our customers operate within a complex array of legal,
political and regulatory frameworks, all dictated by the
ever-evolving regulatory landscape. We help them to
navigate this complexity and respond to emerging areas
of risk by providing a complementary range of solutions
via single technology platforms. Our intelligence gives
customers the detailed insight they need to understand
the regulatory landscape, and our specialist training
equips them to navigate it successfully.
Our solutions are focused on real-world outcomes and
are based on significant and defendable intellectual
property built up over many years. Our teams of
experienced industry practitioners and talented subject
matter experts are central to our unique offering. We are
proud to be recognised by our customers as a trusted and
valued partner as we help them navigate their business
challenges.
Wilmington is a digital-first business with strong
capabilities in online and hybrid learning, and in the
management and provision of mission-critical information
and data. The strength of our portfolio is underpinned by
an operating model which allows our portfolio of brands to
leverage the value of the Groups technology platforms to
deliver unique solutions to their customers. We invest in
the core competencies that drive quality in our products
to enable our brands to exhibit a unique set of
characteristics that define our competitive advantage.
the regulatory
compliance landscape
Effectively navigating
Empowered Customers:
doing the right business, the right way across Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC)
Regulation
Compliance
Intelligence
Training &
Education
Single
technology
platforms
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
At a glance continued
The products Wilmington’s two division offer focus on three
main sub‑categories of Governance, Risk and Compliance:
I
n
t
e
l
l
i
g
e
n
c
e
T
r
a
i
n
i
n
g
&
E
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
Compliance
• Financial Crime Prevention • AML & CTF
• Sanctions • Anti-bribery & Corruption
• Fraud • Information & Data Security
• Market Abuse / Insider Trading • Cyber-crime
• Conduct of Business • Healthcare Regulations
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Governance
• Conduct • Ethics
• Corporate Governance
• Risk Management
Architecture • Operational
Resilience
Risk
• Prudential
• Information Sharing
• Risk Management
• Reputational Risk
GRC
The GRC market is underpinned by strong macro drivers,
which are closely aligned to the Groups core offering and
inform our strategy to increase brand presence in this market:
Increasing volume of regulation
Increasing fraud and cyber risk
Evolving role of Compliance
Escalating regulatory enforcement
Increasing importance of responsible business practice
Increasing adoption of technology solutions
Complex geopolitical landscape
[the GRC market with
strong growth drivers]
[Underpinning]
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Strapline TBC
At a glance continued
two divisions]
[One business
[We are operating as 1 business with 2divisions
thateach have a single technology platform, and
multiple brands]
Our brands
1. Intelligence
Wilmingtons Intelligence division consists of businesses which
provide must-have, authoritative risk and compliance data to a range
of industries globally, including insurance, pensions and healthcare.
The information and data solutions provided by our brands in this
division represent the gold standard in accuracy and timeliness, and
this capability is enhanced by the expertise of our research analysts
and industry practitioners, to ensure that we provide actionable insight
to customers. Much of our data is developed by our own teams, and
we own the associated intellectual property.
Read more on [•]
49+51+L
49%
Group
revenue
Intelligence revenue
£[•]m
2. Training & Education
This division provides compliance training and technical support for
customers across a range of industries including financial services,
accountancy and healthcare. We offer a wide product range, including
formal qualifications, continuing education and mandatory training,
through instructor-led and self-guided formats. Our excellence in this
area is underpinned by world-class and engaging course content,
developed in house by our team of experienced subject matter experts,
and enhanced by Wilmingtons strong digital subscription management
and dynamic delivery platform.
Read more on [•]
51+49+L
51%
Group
revenue
Training & Education revenue
£[•]m
Strapline/intro TBC
Revenue analysis
Revenue can be analysed by segment as follows:
Total Revenue
% of Group revenue 2022 2021
Intelligence 49% 50%
Training & Education 51% 50%
Revenue can be analysed by geography as follows:
Total Revenue
% of Group revenue 2021 2021
UK 53% 55%
Europe (excluding the UK) 21% 21%
North America 18% 13%
Rest of the World 8% 11%
Image TBC
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
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tbc
Strategy
Wilmingtons streamlined operating model is underpinned by single
technology platforms across each division, and its success is driven
by the synergistic potential of its unique portfolio of brands. We have
effectively delivered our strategic objective to achieve organic
growth, and we continue to cement our position in the large and
growing GRC market by investing in operational efficiencies and in
the core competencies that drive our competitive advantage.
[Focused
on growth]
Grow
Generate growth and cement our position in the GRC market
Manage
Manage our portfolio to ensure
that all businesses exhibit the
unique characteristics that drive
our competitive advantage
Invest
Invest in our businesses to
facilitate new product
development, provide innovative
solutions to our customers, and
fuel growth
By drawing on our core competencies we have embedded a set of defining characteristics into all of
our brands which, in combination, drive progress against our three integrated strategic objectives.
Wilmington characteristics: what makes us unique
5. Strong product and revenue model
Our product and revenue model drives value by
targeting the following actions:
Identifying attractive economics
Prioritising repeatable revenue streams
Leveraging success across the portfolio to
maximise the benefit of synergistic potential
6. Strong leadership
Our businesses are led by individuals who are best
placed to accelerate their growth, evidenced by their
core competencies:
Experts in their field, aligning sector specific
knowledge to product development and delivery
Innovators seeking to embrace change to deliver
bespoke customer solutions
3. Differentiated offering
Our businesses occupy strong positions in the markets
they serve, exhibited via the following credentials:
Market leaders – within the top three
Unique products with owned IP
Strong brands valued highly by customers
4. Attractive markets
The markets in which we operate present opportunities
for sustained growth:
Macro fit with Wilmingtons core markets
Micro fit with a growing end-user base in which our
solutions are integrated into customer systems
1. Digital capabilities
Our digital-first model demonstrates best in class digital
capabilities including:
Delivery platform agnostic
Multi-device enabled
Excellence in User Experience (‘UX’) and User
Interface (‘UI’) solutions
Digital front and back office
2. Data enabled
Our businesses are data enabled, allowing them to
provide unique insight and innovative solutions to their
customers, driven by:
Unique methods of data collection, measurement,
integration and analysis, supported by dynamic user
interfaces
Proprietary data and bespoke services
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Strapline TBC
Strategy continued
The delivery of our organic growth strategy reflects
our clear focus on embedding the unique combination
of characteristics that define our competitive
advantage across the Group, and in doing so have
further strengthened each of the brands within our
portfolio. The foundation for this growth has been the
effective investments we made in our business to
deliver operational excellence, by developing a
common approach in the key areas that progress our
strategy. Following the restructure of our operating
model in June 2021, we have focused on developing
single technology platforms to underpin the future
growth of each division and drive our expansion in the
GRC market.
Investment focus: Operational excellence
Over the past three years we have invested heavily in
operational excellence to accelerate our growth
ambitions by developing the best-in-class approach to
managing technology and data, sales and marketing,
talent, and product development. These investments
have been underpinned by our work to embed a
responsible business culture across the Group that
informs our strategic progress by supporting our
people to make decisions in a way that delivers long
term value. Full details of the progress we have made
against our sustainability strategy objectives during
the year are outlined in the Sustainability report on
pages [12] to [18]. This work includes the investments
we have made across all aspects of employee
experience and demonstrates how we are attracting
and developing the diverse, talented workforce that is
central to our ongoing success.
Investment focus: Developing single technology
platforms
In addition to our People strategy, the investments we
made in operational excellence focused heavily on
enhancing our product, technology and data
capabilities, as the key mechanisms to deliver high
quality solutions to our customers. The success of this
work has provided the stepping stone for our next
phase of investment, which began this year, to embed
single technology platforms in each division.
Training and Education division – single Digital
Learning Platform
The Platform integrates cloud-based technologies to a
single solution, creating a personalised ecosystem in
which a customer can sign up to programmes,
consume course materials through multi-media
formats, complete assignments and tasks, and repeat
visit to access additional content.
Intelligence division – single Data Platform
Our Data Connect Platform is a single, common data
platform, deploying Snowflake
®
technology to bring
together all our assets allowing us to offer a greater
data set to our clients delivered through intuitive data
dashboards. We are offering API’s as standard to our
clients to enable the use of our data as an integral part
of their business processes.
Investment focus – future progress
Our ongoing investment in operational excellence and
single technology platforms is at the heart of our plan
to ensure that Wilmington continues to demonstrate
the agility to adapt and grow, both organically and
through acquisition, as customer demands evolve and
new market opportunities arise. By embedding
common infrastructure and processes, the Group is
well placed to effectively enhance and expand its
unique offering.
[Delivering]
growth]
Strapline TBC
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Image TBC
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Chair’s statement
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
the value of our
diversified portfolio]
[Demonstrating
I am pleased to present the Annual Report for the year
ended 30 June 2022. We delivered in line with our
strategy during the year, and the business also showed
real organic growth resilience in both revenues and
profits. We continue to realise the benefits of our
digital-first model, with associated efficiencies
demonstrated by our improved profitability.
The Group has emerged from the Covid-19 affected period to grow
revenues by 13% organically across all product areas, led by a strong
rebound in events where we have been able to run face-to-face events in
both Europe and the US all year.
This revenue growth and continued focus on cost management has
resulted in profit increases at all levels. Our cash position also improved
because of the conversion to cash of these higher profits and the sale of
AMT during the year.
We have increased our dividend payments this year by [•]% with a final
dividend by[•]p, resulting in a dividend yield back above the average for
our marketsector.
In June 2021 we implemented a new group structure and operating model
to increasingly focus the business on the resilient and growing GRC and
Regulatory Compliance markets. We report here on the performance of
this structure and on the success of our investment in the business and
the technology supporting it. We sold the AMT training business and a
smaller training reseller in the year and will continue to refine our portfolio
where appropriate.
The effective execution of our strategy and the strong financial results we
are reporting reflect the hard work and dedication of our talented teams.
Our people continue to deliver the best quality in all areas, whilst
demonstrating their resilience in the face of ongoing uncertainty and
challenges at this time. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to
thank all of our people for their continued support as we remain focused on
serving our customers to the highest standards and driving long term value.
Current trading and outlook
The effective strategic execution over the past twelve months has
positioned the group well to expand its presence in the GRC and
Regulatory Compliance markets, and to drive future growth.
Trading has been encouraging in the first quarter, with good demand in all
areas generating revenues and profits in line with expectation. We
continue to manage the challenges caused by inflationary pressures, and
the proven resilience of the Group provides reassurance that it is well
placed to withstand the impact of ongoing macro-economic volatility.
Martin Morgan
Chair
[•] September 2022
[I would like to thank all our
employeesfor their continued
commitment and resilience in
theseunprecedented times.]
Strapline TBC
pull out quote to be confirmed/supplied
Chief Executives review
Strategy
Following a comprehensive review of our portfolio in 2021, our strategic
focus has been centred on building upon our already strong presence in
the large, growing and rapidly evolving GRC and Regulatory Compliance
markets. These markets are underpinned by strong macro drivers,
particularly the increasing volume and enforcement of regulation, complex
geopolitical landscape, increased importance of ESG and widespread
adoption of technological and data-driven compliance solutions, all of
which align strongly to Wilmingtons core offering.
At the heart of this focus on GRC and Regulatory Compliance markets is
our ambition to help our customers to do the right business in the right
way, by providing a complementary range of information & data and
training & education solutions. Our operating model mirrors this core
purpose - our Intelligence division provides specialist data and analytics
that give customers the detailed insight they need to understand the
regulatory landscape, and our Training and Education division delivers
specialist training that equips them to navigate it successfully.
As part of our strategy to focus on core areas we sold AMT during the year
and have now identified a buyer for our small Spanish insurance business.
We expect this divestment to be concluded in the first half of the 2023
financial year.
Investment programme
Our approach to investment in the business continues to leverage our
core competencies to embed the unique characteristics that define our
competitive advantage into each of our brands. Our investment focus is on
developing single technology platforms in each of our divisions, providing
the foundation to accelerate our growth ambitions.
Our investment during this calendar year in the development of single
technology platforms will further differentiate us by providing unique
solutions to our customers. They will also enhance our growth potential as
we retain the agility to respond to their ever changing needs in the rapidly
evolving GRC market. The implementation of single platforms in each
division will also allow us to efficiently expand our offering by creating a
scalable portfolio to enhance our growth potential.
[•] of our brands in the Training and Education division are already
benefiting from our Digital Learning Platform, and we are on track to have
all brands within the division deployed to this common platform by
December 2022.
Our Data Connect Platform, deploying Snowflake
®
technology has already
been rolled out to [•] of our Intelligence division brands, and will also be
used across the division by December 2022.
We continue to develop new products and identify clear organic growth
opportunities, with the future potential for effective roll out of these greatly
enhanced by our single platform approach. This strategy for maximising
the value of our technology and data assets, combined with our
streamlined operating model, provides the strong base from which we are
actively considering acquisition targets which complement and/or extend
our capabilities.
Responsible business
As we continue to help our customers to do the right business in the right
way, we are committed to investing in the initiatives that support our own
responsible business culture. We have achieved progress against our
targets in all four areas of our sustainability strategy, and this work
continues to underpin our broader strategic objectives and risk
management processes. Full details of this work can be found in our
Sustainability report on pages [12] to [18].
We have implemented the TCFD recommendations in full, concluding that
we must continue to monitor the impacts of climate change on the Groups
risk profile, but that the potential opportunities that may arise from the
transition to a low-carbon economy are well aligned to our core offering.
We have committed to Net Zero carbon targets, with an ambition of
absolute zero in respect of scope 1&2 emissions by 2028, and net zero in
respect of scope 3 emissions by 2045.
Mark Milner
Chief Executive Officer
[•] September 2022
Results
I’m pleased to present my report on the year ended 30 June 2022. We
have executed our strategy by growing our revenues and profits
organically in the markets we focus on; investing further in our business
and the technology it runs on; and by actively managing our portfolio of
brands. The business has demonstrated notable resilience, reflected by
the strong financial performance.
We have delivered organic revenue growth of 13% by growing all parts of our
business – a result enhanced by a return to face-to-face events this year.
Growth excluding events was 5% and reflects increased demand for our
core offering in all product areas. We have also achieved a five-percentage
point growth in recurring revenue[
6]
, which now represents 37% of total
revenue, driven by recent investments in sales and marketing capabilities.
The increased revenues and a continued focus on operational efficiency
and cost management resulted in adjusted PBT growth of 37.8% to
£20.7m (2021: £15.0m) and a corresponding improvement in adjusted PBT
margin to 17.1% (2021: 13.3%). This resulted in adjusted basic earnings per
share being up 37.0%. We also are proposing a final dividend of [•]p (total
of [•]p). The Group moved into a net cash position (excluding lease
liabilities) of £20.5m (2021 net debt: £17.2m) after the sale of AMT and a
strong year of converting profits to cash.
strong digital
capabilities]
[Embedding
6 Recurring revenues – those contracted at least one year ahead
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Strapline TBC
Overmatter 53 words/sign off
Intelligence
Review of operations
2022
£’m
2021
£’m
Absolute
variance
%
Organic
1
variance
%
Revenue
Healthcare
2
31.1 28.4 10% 11%
Financial Services &
Other
3
23.2 21.3 9% 10%
MiExact 5.0 5.0 1% 1%
Discontinued 0.3 2.1 (86%)
Total revenue 59.6 56.8 5% 10%
Operating profit 11.4 9.3 22% 22%
Margin % 19% 16%
Business model and market
Wilmington offers a wide range of products and services through its
Healthcare businesses predominantly around the provision of market and
customer intelligence. The core of the data supplied comes primarily from
publicly available sources. The value generated by our services is based
around its collation, verification, combination with other complementary
data sources and then its ease of presentation and usage. In some areas
we provide proprietary analysis of the data and editorial comment which
constitutes our own intellectual property.
Wilmingtons Healthcare businesses operate mainly in the UK and France
and provide deep insight information on practitioners, facilities and
treatments in the UK and French health sector markets that enable
suppliers into those markets, including pharmaceutical companies, to
understand and connect better with their customers. Revenue is mainly
earned through sales of discrete packages of data or through subscription
services for the ongoing provision of information. Additionally, in the UK we
publish the Health Service Journal (‘HSJ’), the leading online publication in
the UK for healthcare leaders, with revenue generated through providing
subscriptions to NHS foundation trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups
and suppliers to the NHS.
The Financial Services/Other businesses operate in the Insurance,
Pensions and Compliance markets. These businesses provide a broad
range of information products and services with revenues generated
primarily through subscription but also sponsorship, lead generation and
event attendance.
Identity & Charities rebranded as MiExact in the year as part of the
restructuring of its product set begun last year. The MiExact business
consists of a portfolio of data products including charity fund-raising
information, and marketing data suppression tools. They include services
that are used by organisations to help prevent identify fraud. Revenue is
predominantly subscription based.
Trading performance
Overall Intelligence revenues grew 5% in the year, 10% organically. All
businesses within the division grew organically in the period. Recurring
subscription revenues grew four percentage points with strong retention
rates.
Healthcare revenues grew 11% organically in the year helped by the return
to face-to-face events in the UK. Subscription revenues grew 7% with UK
revenues up 12% and French revenues up 4%. Competitive pressure
continued to challenge growth of Data revenue in some areas, but overall
demand for these products was good.
Financial Services revenues grew 10% organically with growth in Axco,
Pendragon, Compliance Week and the held-for-sale Inese. Compliance
Week and Inese benefitted from the return to face-to-face events while
subscriptions grew well in Axco and Pendragon where retention rates
were above 99%.
MiExact revenues grew 1% after a slow first half was followed by a strong
final quarter. Subscription revenues had a retention rate above 95%.
Intelligence divisional operating profit grew by 22% helped by its revenue
growth and continuing focus on its cost base. Operating margins improved
to 19% from 16%.
1 Organic – eliminating the effects of exchange rate fluctuations and
the impact of acquisitions and disposals
2 UK Healthcare & APM
3 Pendragon, Axco, Compliance Week & INESE
[Overall Information & Data revenues
grew 1% in the year, despite the
restrictions on face-to-face events.]
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pull out quote to be confirmed/supplied
Graphic tbc
Training & Education
2022
£’m
2021
£’m
Absolute
variance
%
Organic
variance
%
Revenue
Global
4
23.2 22.4 3% 3%
UK & Ireland
5
22.1 20.3 9% 9%
North America
6
11.0 4.9 125% 122%
Discontinued 5.1 8.6 (39%)
Total revenue 61.4 56.2 9% 18%
Operating profit 16.0 12.2 31% 32%
Margin % 26% 22%
Business model and market
The Global business comprises two units that operate in compliance
markets. The largest business, which was developed organically within
Wilmington, is the International Compliance Association (‘ICA’). It is an
industry body and training business that we created in 2002 which offers
professional development and support to compliance officers
predominantly in the financial services sector. It has offices in the UK,
Singapore, Malaysia and Dubai. ICA primarily serves the financial services
industry. The material for ICA courses is developed by our own internal
R&D team, and external specialists, and we own the associated intellectual
property.
Revenue earned by ICA is primarily training income complemented by
subscriptions paid by the professional members for their ICA
accreditations. The courses ICA run usually extend over several weeks or
even months. They traditionally mix distance learning with face-to-face
sessions. The distance learning element has transitioned to online and
digital variants, and virtual programmes have been offered in place of
face-to-face sessions. To support the move to virtual training in ICA a new
digital learning platform (‘hub’) is being built – it was launched at the start of
2021 and further developments are due for release in the coming months.
The other Global business, CLTi, earns revenue from running professional
development programmes for wealth managers. Wilmington has an
international presence, with centres in UK, Europe, and Asia Pacific and
consistent investment in technology maintains the Groups competitive
positioning. The AMT training business was sold in December 2021.
The North America business, FRA, is predominantly events based. They
serve the US healthcare/ health insurance markets and, to a lesser extent,
the US financial and legal service communities. The prime brand is the
RISE series of events that address the Medicare and Medicaid markets
and is attended by health plans, physician groups and solution partners.
The flagship event is RISE National which normally takes place in Nashville
in March each year. Revenue from the US events is generated from both
sponsorship and delegate sales.
The UK and Ireland business predominantly provides training for
accountants in practice and in business and individuals involved in the legal
system, including lawyers. It runs a mix of face to face, online and blended
learning for these communities. It provides training at various levels
including providing continuing professional development for existing
qualified accountants and, in the case of the legal profession, helping them
train their clients for interaction with the legal system. Additionally, it
provides technical support to accountancy firms which enables them to
keep abreast of technical developments and changes to regulation, as well
as supporting them to promote the services they then offer to their clients.
The small Irish reseller of training services (LaTouche) was sold in April
2022.
Mercia (accountancy) and Bond Solon (legal) are predominantly UK and
Ireland based, reflecting the country specific laws and accounting
standards that govern their profession. Revenue in the unit is earned
through clients subscribing for ongoing training support and other related
activities over a period of time (usually twelve months), with the rest
through one-off course attendance fees. Courses are typically single or half
day events, and content is a mix of owned and third-party intellectual
property. Courses are delivered either by in-house experts or by a network
of independent tutors who are paid per course that they deliver.
The Law for Non-Lawyers market is strong, with good ongoing demand for
existing products as well as successful launches of new training courses.
Growth in the accountancy market remains partially supressed due to the
impact of Covid-19, which compounded the challenges caused by
continued consolidation of smaller firms, some Brexit uncertainty and a
relatively stable backdrop in terms of tax legislation and accounting
standards. Whilst not yet reaching its pre-Covid size, the accountancy
market has returned to growth and demand is expected to benefit from
upcoming legislative change in the UK.
Trading performance
Training & Education revenues grew 9%, and 18% on an organic basis. All
five of the businesses within the division grew organically and recurring
subscription revenues grew 9%.
ICA revenues were up 3% as strong growth in the UK was offset by a drop
in Singapore revenues after the exceptional growth there in FY21, but
FY22 Singapore revenues were still nearly double their FY20 level. CLTi
grew 4% and is focussed on increasing business in new territories in FY23.
Bond Solon saw double-digit growth in FY22, driven by a strong increase
in demand across the year. Mercia revenues grew 8% in the year, and
despite still being short of its pre-Covid position the business is on track to
recover the remaining shortfall.
In the US, FRA more than doubled revenues as events returned to being
face-to-face. Organic growth of 122% brought the business back to larger
revenues than the pre-Covid period (FY19) as demand from sponsors
offset slightly lower delegate attendance than FY19.
Overall divisional operating profit increased strongly by 31%, mainly due to
increased revenues and tight cost management. As a result, the operating
profit margin rose to 26% from 22% in FY21.4
4 ICA & CLTi
5 Mercia & Bond Solon
6 FRA
Review of operations continued
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tbc
Image TBC
Key performance indicators/operational measures
At a Group level, we have fivekey
financial and operational measures
Throughout the Annual Report there is
reference to the metrics set out below, which
serve as alternative performance measures.
Where adjusted measures are used in the report
they are clearly presented and specifically used
to provide a balanced view of the Group and its
performance. The Directors believe that these
measures, which are not considered to be a
substitute for or superior to IFRS measures,
provide stakeholders with additional relevant
information and enable an alternative
comparison of performance over time.
Measuring
performance
Organic revenue growth
+13%
Definition and purpose
Calculated by adjusting the year-on-year revenue change to exclude the
impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation and the impact of
changes in the portfolio from acquisitions and disposals.
This measure is used as it gives a comparable assessment of the
underlying growth of the business and of its sustainability. Monitoring
organic revenue growth also allows the Board to assess whether action is
needed to control other aspects of the Group’s financial performance
such as managing the cost base.
Result
Increased 13% (2021: 3%) driven by successful digitalisation programme,
new product investment and the return to face-to-face events. Growth
excluding events was 5% and reflects increased demand for our core
offering in all product areas. We have also delivered 5% growth in recurring
revenue, which now represents 37% of total revenue, driven by recent
investments in sales and marketing capabilities.
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tbc
Key performance indicators/operational measures continued
Definition and purpose
This key measure indicates the underlying profit
attributable to individual shareholders. It measures not
only trading performance, but also the impact of
treasury management, capital structure and bank and
interest charges, as well as the efficient structuring of
the Group to appropriately manage tax. Our business
and financial strategies are aligned to delivering
consistent growth in adjusted earnings per share and
our incentive programmes are designed to support
this strategy.
Result
Increased by 37% to 18.66p per share (2021: 13.62p)
reflecting the increase in adjusted profit as discussed
above. The underlying tax rate and number of ordinary
shares were essentially unchanged.
Cash conversion %
114%
Definition and purpose
Cash conversion represents the operating cash flow
for the year as a percentage of adjusted operating
profit before interest and amortisation. This measure is
used as an indicator of successful stewardship of cash
resources and corroboration of the quality of operating
profits compared to the associated cash flow.
Result
114% (2021: 104%) owing to a strong year of converting
profits into cash through effective operational
efficiency.
2020 2021 2022
114
104
189
Subscription and membership revenue
asapercentage of total revenue %
37%
Definition and purpose
The Group continues to focus on a portfolio of assets
based in key professional markets, facilitated by
excellence in technology and data and dynamic sales
and marketing. The development of a dynamic
product portfolio has driven the Group’s ambition to
secure sustainable revenue streams, with multi-year
and subscription packages sold for many revenue
streams, including:
data, information, intelligence and solution sales;
professional education, training, events and
services;
professional accreditation and assessment; and
large, industry-leading annual events.
Result
Subscription and membership revenue: 37% (2021:
38%) of Group revenue with the balance a mixture of
revenue from annual events and revenue from
customers who have a history of repeat purchase
although not necessarily supported by formal
multi-year contracts. Renewal rate from subscription
and membership revenue was 92% (2021: 92%),
reflecting Wilmington’s robust product development
process and high customer satisfaction.
2020 2021 2022
37
3838
Adjusted basic earnings per share p
18.66p
+37%
2020 2021 2022
18.6
13.6
10.7
Definition and purpose
Calculated as profit before tax, amortisation of
intangible assets excluding computer software,
impairments, other income (when it is material or of a
significant nature), and other adjusting items. This
measure is considered to reflect underlying
profitability of the group before adjusting items and is a
key metric used to determine management incentives,
including within the Directors’ bonus targets as set out
in the Remuneration report. The Group policy on
adjusting items and the calculation of adjusted PBT
are set out respectively in notes 1 and 2 of the financial
statements. Amortisation of intangible assets
excluding computer software are excluded from
adjusted PBT as they relate to historic acquisition
activity rather than the organic trading performance of
the business. This approach provides management
with comparable information for day-to-day decision
making.
Result
Increased by 38% to £20.7m (2021: £15.0m) reflecting
increased revenues, a focus on operational efficiency
and cost management, and continuing efficiencies of
the digital-first model.
Adjusted profit before tax (“adjusted PBT”) £’m
£20.7m
+38%
2020 2021 2022
20.7
15.0
11.9
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Stakeholder engagement and non-financial information statement
[Stakeholder
Section 172 Companies Act 2006
The 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code highlights the importance of
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, requiring Directors to act in a way
that promotes the success of the Company for the benefit of shareholders
whilst simultaneously showing regard for the interest of its other stakeholders.
The Board follows a robust decision-making process, which is designed to
ensure that any decisions made reflect Wilmington’s responsible business
culture. The key reference points for decision making by the Board are: the
impact on the Groups overall strategic objectives; consideration of its
principal risks and uncertainties; and positive alignment with the core
values underpinning the Groups sustainability strategy. At the heart of all
of these factors is consideration of the Groups stakeholders, because it is
these groups who have the greatest potential to create positive outcomes
for the Group as it strives to create long term value.
value creation]
Further details on this decision-making process can be
foundin the Corporate governance report on
pages[36] to [40]
Our people
The delivery of the Groups strategic objectives is dependent on our ability to
attract, develop and retain a highly skilled and motivated workforce. We strive to
create an inclusive culture in which diversity of thought, skills and perspectives
helps us thrive. We are committed to strong recognition and reward strategies
that fairly reflect the contributions our people make to help us progress.
Engagement
Our employee engagement strategy focuses on providing our people with
platforms to actively participate in the Groups decision making processes,
and we are also committed to transparency around the issues that matter
most to them:
Employee engagement survey results directly inform the development
of the Group People Strategy.
Global and brand level town halls provide a forum for leaders across
the business to engage with all employees.
Our internal intranet acts as a central policy and guidance portal, and
also a communication platform for our employees to share
experiences and network across the Group.
We are developing ‘Wilmington Communities’: networks of people
which stretch across diversity dimensions that will actively inform our
work to create an inclusive workplace.
Our performance development review process encourages honest
and open conversations about personal development.
We are an accredited Living Wage employer and are committed to a
fair and transparent reward and recognition structure.
Read more: p[13‑14]
Shareholders
Support from our shareholders underpins the success of our strategy. We
aim to provide fair, balanced, and understandable information to
shareholders to clearly demonstrate strategic progress.
Engagement
We maintain a strong reporting process with regular digital content
updates for shareholders via our website throughout the year. Our interim
and year-end reporting periods conclude with analyst briefing sessions
and investor roadshows, and our Annual General Meeting.
The Executive Directors maintain close contact with shareholders and
maintain strong relationships to facilitate one-to-one engagements and
conference calls.
Read more: p[40]
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Image TBC
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tbc
Stakeholder engagement and non-financial information statement continued
Non‑Financial Information Statement
This index constitutes Wilmingtons Non-Financial Information Statement, produced to comply with sections 414CA and 414CB of the Companies Act 2006.
Reporting requirement Policies, processes and standards which govern our approach Page(s)
Environmental matters Carbon reduction plan, environmental management policy, risk management process and approach
to TCFD
[16-18, 29-31]
People Conduct and compliance policies, diversity and inclusion statement of intent, employee engagement
strategy, risk management process
[13-14, 25-26, 36]
Respect for human rights Modern slavery statement, risk management process [25-28, 16]
Social matters Stakeholder engagement strategy, sustainability strategy [10, 12-18, 36]
Anti-corruption and anti-bribery ABC policy, risk management process, supplier code of conduct [10, 16, 22-24]
Business model Business model, KPIs, stakeholder engagement strategy [2-4, 10]
Customers
Our customer-driven product management culture is key to our success
and ensuring that we truly understands the needs of our customers is
critical to the viability of our future plans.
Engagement
We strive to put our customers at the heart of our product management
process, and this means working hard to find solutions to meet their
needs. Our key communication channels come in the form of Customer
Advisory Groups (‘CAGs’), feedback surveys and maintaining strong
relationships with key accounts contacts. Central to our ambition to
delivering excellent customer experience is the progression of our
accessibility strategy, ensuring anyone who needs our products and
services can access them effectively.
Read more: p[15]
Suppliers
Strong relationships with our suppliers are crucial to ensure that the
services we receive support the delivery of our own products effectively.
We are also committed to ensuring mutually high standards of responsible
business from our suppliers.
Engagement
We maintain strong and accessible communication channels with
suppliers, to promote good relationships and to set clear expectations of
the products and services we require. Our Supplier code of conduct
clearly communicates to all our suppliers the high standards of
responsible business practice we expect from them.
Read more: p[16]
The environment and communities
weoperatewithin
We have a responsibility to have a positive impact on the environment and the
communities we operate within. This responsibility plays an important part in
protecting the wellbeing of our people, and in contributing to the future health of
our planet for the benefit of all our stakeholders.
Engagement
We are committed to carbon emission reductions, demonstrated by the
reduction in absolute emissions since our baseline year, and our Net Zero
targets for future progress. Our carbon neutral commitment allows us to
contribute further to carbon reduction initiatives, including a certified
biodiversity protection programme that facilitates long-term carbon storage.
Our community and charity policy encourages our employees to engage
positively with the communities we work within and gives all our people the
opportunity to take paid volunteering leave.
Read more: p[16‑18, 29‑31]
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tbc
Sustainability report continued
Wilmington exists to empower its customers to do the
right business in the right way. At the heart of this
commitment to customers is our own ambition to
embed a responsible business culture that informs
the way we work. Our sustainability strategy is
underpinned by four core values that, collectively,
reflect this ambition.
As we successfully drive progress against our broader strategic objectives, we
remain committed to making sustainable business decisions by taking an
iterative approach to materiality. By continuing to listen to our key stakeholders,
via the channels outlined on page [10], we continue to refine our sustainability
strategy to ensure that it drives long term value for all of them.
During 2022 we have made significant progress against the targets we set in
2021 for each pillar of our Sustainability Strategy, and we have also expanded the
scope of our priority initiatives. Our iterative approach has allowed us to further
refine the strategic objectives in each area, which is helping us to better measure
progress and continue to set challenging targets for the future.
Key to this progress is our governance framework, designed to combine
board-level oversight with operational expertise and strong workforce
engagement.
Board oversight Chair
Executive sponsorship Executive Committee
Strategic lead Group Finance and Sustainability
Director
Operational taskforce Subject matter experts, dedicated
working groups and internal
communities
The ongoing work to drive progress against the core objective of each
pillar is discussed on pages [13] to [18].
Responsible
business
culture
Core objective
Create an inclusive workplace that supports, empowers,
develops and fairly rewards all our people.
Delivering stakeholder value
Fostering a positive culture will attract and retain the best
talent, accelerating delivery of our strategy.
Investing in our people benefits the communities we operate in
by delivering exceptional employee experience.
Meeting our 2022 targets
Diversity data collected for 75% of employees globally.
Improved employee engagement scores against baseline year
in key areas of focus.
Core objective
Deliver products that are accessible, high value, up to date and
move with industry trends.
Delivering stakeholder value
Empowering our customers ensures our products are closely
aligned to their needs.
Our customer driven approach to innovation helps us stay agile
in the face of change.
Meeting our 2022 targets
8 week digital accessibility awareness and upskilling campaign
delivered
Revised digital accessibility statements published by all
brands.
Clear roadmap to WCAG 2.1 AA standard developed.
Core objective
Uphold high standards related to digital protection, regulatory
requirements, ethics & production.
Delivering stakeholder value
Responsible digitisation and ethical conduct echo our core
purpose and underpin our digital-first approach delivering the
best-in-class digital products.
Meeting our 2022 targets
>98% acceptance of cyber security policy.
0 phishing incidents resulting in the loss of data.
100% of products subject to continuous pentesting.
Core objective
Reduce environmental impact by minimising carbon footprint
and committing to responsible procurement.
Delivering stakeholder value
Committing to environmental responsibility protects the future
of our people and demonstrates to customers that we strive to
deliver products with minimal environmental impact.
Meeting our 2022 targets
Performed Scope 3 gap analysis and set Net zero targets in
line with 1.5°C ambition.
Transitioned to renewable energy supplies across all occupied
UK sites.
Committed to carbon neutrality through verified high-quality
offsets.
1
Cultural positivity
3
Proactive assurance
2
Customer empowerment
4
Environmental responsibility
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Image TBC
Cultural
positivity
During the year we continued to establish robust
initiatives that are creating an inclusive workplace to
support, empower, develop and fairly reward all our
people. This ambition is reflected by our clear
commitment to developing our Diversity and Inclusion
strategy and by our investments in resources to
create a positive environment for all our people to
reach their full potential at work.
Commitment to inclusivity
At the heart of our ambition to embed a culture of inclusivity at Wilmington
is the work led by our Head of Diversity and Inclusion that celebrates the
unique characteristics of our people. At the start of the year we set a target
to start collecting richer data to help us better understand what our
workforce looks like, and we achieved a 75% response rate from our
workforce globally. By harnessing this data to measure diversity at
Wilmington, we are better equipped to build a workforce that reflects the
diversity of the communities we serve and work within. Our data collection
approach was fully compliant with the relevant regulations in each
jurisdiction.
What makes our people unique?
Sustainability report continued
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
59++37++33++11++HH
Female 59
Male 37
Other 3
Prefer not to say 1
Gender identity
83++3++99++22++11++22++HH
White 84
Black 3
Asian 9
Mixed 2
Other ethnic group 1
Prefer not to say 2
Ethnicity
Disability or long term health condition
0%
88%
8%
4%
Prefer not
tosay
Yes
No
100%80%60%40%20%
Age profile
50
0
100
150
No. employees
200
250
300
25-34
246
35-44
276
45-54
195
55-64
102
<25
28
65+
21
Graphic
tbc
Sustainability report continued
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Investing in our people
Our ambition to create a positive culture is also aligned to our
commitment to our customers, who trust us because we are experts in
our field and help them overcome their complex business challenges in
GRC. To continue to support our people to deliver excellent customer
value we are therefore committed to attracting, developing and
investing in talented individuals who make up our teams. We take a
holistic approach to developing our people and celebrating their talent,
so we continue to invest in leaning, wellbeing, recognition and reward
to deliver the best employee experience for our people.
Investing in…
Learning and development
Launched people leaders programme to promote internal
progression and strong mentorship and support for our teams.
Delivered bespoke sales and product academies to support our
Group strategy.
Launched personal career development platform with substantial
upskilling resource portfolio.
Wellbeing
Expanded our network of mental health first aiders
Created wellbeing champions network to promote a culture of
balance, health and fulfilment.
Continued to offer extensive wellbeing orientated benefits
including global employee assistance programme, digital GP and
healthcare support.
Introduced a community and charity policy including volunteer
leave allowance for all employees.
Recognition and reward
Comprehensively reviewed our reward strategy.
Became an accredited Real Living Wage employer.
Introduced global gender pay gap reporting to inform our strategy
for closing the gap.
Monitoring progress
As we continue to hold ourselves accountable to driving positive cultural
change, we highly value strong engagement from our people to help us to
understand what more we can do to enhance their experience at work. In
FY22 93% of our workforce globally participation in our annual employee
engagement survey, providing valuable feedback on the issues that matter
most to them.
The work we have done to improve data collection in the year is providing
us with a foundation on which to develop dedicated KPIs to measure our
future progress. Whist we continue to develop these KPIs, we are pleased
to have met our target to maintain or improve our score against key areas
of focus since the FY20 baseline year.
Statement of cultural ambition Area of focus
FY20
score
FY21
score
FY22
score
People from all backgrounds are
treated fairly at Wilmington
Diversity &
Inclusion 8.1 8.4 8.3
My manager or a mentor
encourages and supports my
development
Training &
Development 7.4 7.7 7.8
Wilmington provides enough
support for my mental and
physical wellbeing
Health &
Wellbeing 6.3 7.8 7.4
Further details of our approach to employee engagement can be found in
the Section 172 statement on page [10].
Our work in this area contributes to: SDG 3 Good health and wellbeing,
SDG 5 Gender equality, SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth; with a
focus on the below sub-indicators:
3.4 By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-
communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote
mental health and wellbeing
5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal
opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political,
economic and public life
8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for
all women and men, including for young people and persons with
disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
How are we driving progress
Internal engagement
Every brand within our portfolio has a dedicated D&I champion who
has worked with their team to localise the global strategy to make sure
it is most effective for their business area.
We established internal networks for Race and Ethnicity and Gender,
to create forums for discussion and drive further insight into how we
can better support groups across these diversity dimensions.
We started work to align our talent acquisition strategy to our diversity
ambitions.
We introduced the hashtag #wearewilmingtonplc to encourage our
people to share what is important to them and what makes them
unique, so we can celebrate the diversity in our workforce.
We reviewed our policies to ensure they align with our ambition to
demonstrate an inclusive culture.
Community engagement
We know the value of expertise and insight, so we are partnering with
experienced communities to enhance the effectiveness of our Diversity
and Inclusion strategy and to hold ourselves to account:
We are committed members of Inclusive Employers.
We have signed the BITC Race at Work Charter.
We are Disability Confident committed, with level 1 achieved and an
ambition to meet levels 2 and 3.
We have integrated our diversity ambitions into our supplier code of
conduct to ensure we work with suppliers who also demonstrate a
commitment to inclusivity in the way that they work.
Sustainability report continued
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Customer
empowerment
We are committed to embedding a
customer-led approach to product
development and delivery. We want our
customers to directly inform our
agenda, and by creating accessible,
high value, and up to date products we
empower them to realise maximum
value from our offering.
We are committed to embedding a customer-led
approach to product development and delivery. We
want our customers to directly inform our agenda, and
by creating accessible, high value, and up to date
products we empower them to realise maximum value
from our offering.
We have continued to invest in initiatives that build a
culture in which any individual involved in the product
cycle is mindful of customer needs, such that they
reflect those needs throughout the cycle from
development to delivery. The underlying principles of
this product cycle are accessibility, innovation and
agility, and strong customer engagement.
Area of focus Principal objectives Investment in FY22
Innovation,
flexibility and
agility
Embed a dynamicproduct
management approach
that can respond rapidly
to change whilst
maintaining high quality
outputs.
Development of single technology
platforms in each division
Enhanced data analytic capabilities
across the portfolio to provide high
quality insight to customers
Hosted team events to promote
collaboration and innovation in digital
learning
Delivered bespoke training through the
Wilmington product academy
Embedded a philosophy of iterative
product roll-outs to produce relevant
updates and stay close to change
Customer
engagement
Ensure customers directly
inform the new product
development agenda, and
facilitate strong
communication channels
for customer feedback.
Customer Advisory Groups (CAGs) and
customer feedback questionnaires
operational for all key product groups
Enhanced communication channels to
allow customers to contact the business
NPD process directly informed by
customer referencing
In line with our ambition to create an inclusive culture at Wilmington, we are committed to
making sure our products are accessible to all. At the heart of this ambition, and key to the
ongoing success of our digital-first model, is a high standard of digital accessibility across our
internal and external product portfolio. Therefore we set ourselves a target to develop a
roadmap to achieve WCAG 2.1 AA standards across our digital product base. We launched
this ambition with a comprehensive 8-week digital accessibility campaign to raise awareness
and upskill our teams.
Looking forward to FY23, the next stage of our roadmap towards our longer term target of
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance includes further training initiatives to develop our specialist working
groups, performing testing across our digital portfolio to identify priority actions and equipping
our accessibility champion network to continue to raise awareness and keep accessibility at
the forefront of the product development process.
Our accessibility agenda extends far beyond our digital assets, and is an integral part of our
wider Diversity and Inclusion strategy as discussed on page [13].
2022 Digital Accessibility
CampaignHighlights
5
Training and awareness sessions with subject matter experts
6
Fireside chats with industry thought leaders
80
Bite sized items of created and curated content
Development of an accessibility champion network with
volunteers from each brand
Formation of 3 specialist working groups to take the lead on best
practice implementation
Creation of a dedicated accessibility email address and solution
delivery workflow process
Revised digital accessibility statements published by all brands
Our work in this area contributes to: SDG 10 Reduced inequalities;
with focus on sub-indicator 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the
social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex,
disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
Sustainability report continued
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Proactive
assurance
Ethical compliance
Responsible business practice is at the heart of our strategy, and therefore
we aim to instil a culture of strong ethical compliance across the portfolio.
Our ethics policies are designed to provide clear and consistent guidance
to our people to ensure they contribute to these high standards of ethical
conduct, and are outlined for all employees in our internal policies.
One of the key elements of our core value of cultural positivity is that
Wilmington reflects a safe and inclusive working environment that
encourages strong employee engagement and participation by all.
Management encourages this by advocating universal openness and
transparency in respect of reporting non-compliance of any form, with
clear guidelines provided in the Group’s ABC and Whistleblowing policies.
As we advocate high standards of integrity internally, we echo this
sentiment in respect of our external stakeholders by taking a zero-
tolerance approach to any forms of unethical behaviour within our wider
operations and supply chains.
During the year we:
Added 5 policies to mandatory policy acceptance process
Achieved >98% target for policy acceptance rate
Expanded the scope of content included in mandatory compliance
training
Integrated the requirement to demonstrate a commitment to
responsible behaviour more comprehensively into our supplier
onboarding process
Responsible digitisation
Our customers rely heavily on quality data and advanced analytics
provided by our Intelligence division, and on reliable and engaging delivery
formats in our Training and Education division. This reliance comes with
positive assurance from our teams that we take a proactive approach to
uphold the highest standards of cyber security and data privacy.
Our digital assurance process is governed by skilled individuals who
maintain high levels of control and compliance in this area and implement
best practice across three key integrated workstreams. We are also
dedicated to helping our technology experts continue to stay ahead of the
ever-evolving risk of cyber security, with continuous update training and
dedicated resources to enhance awareness.
We remain committed to the highest standards of compliance in this area
and in the year we achieved our goals to deliver:
>98% acceptance of cyber security, acceptable use and data
protection policies*
0 phishing incidents resulting in the loss of data
100% of internal products undergo continuous pentesting
* policy acceptance data includes absent employees, therefore 98% effectively equates to
100% of the present workforce
Investing in security: 2022 error
management and security Hackathon
Full-day live team event
Hosted by international technology industry expert
Promoted collaboration between colleagues
Innovated around new subjects
Problem solving workshop to bolster internal IT security control
processes
Our work in this area contributes to SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong
institutions, with focus on sub-indicator 16.6 Develop effective,
accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
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Environmental
responsibility
Our commitment to environmentally responsible
operations is an essential part of our contribution to
creating a healthy planet for our people, our partners
and our local communities to prosper. Our biggest
direct impacts on the planet come from resource use
and emissions from our offices, and we continue to
focus on transitioning to sustainable materials and
methodologies to reduce this impact.
Climate change, energy and carbon reporting
In response to the climate crisis, we also recognise the need to accelerate
action to ensure that our business plays an active role in the global effort to
address the impacts of climate change and the transition to a low carbon
economy.
In 2022 we committed to carbon neutrality by offsetting our Scope 1,2, and
controllable Scope 3 emissions, through high quality accredited carbon
offset schemes focused on biodiversity protection and innovation in
renewable energy technologies.
We have set net zero carbon targets with a 2019 baseline year, aligned to a
1.5° trajectory, and have developed a carbon reduction plan to progress
against these goals. We have set ambitious reduction targets in respect of
Scope 1 and 2 emissions - well in advance of 2050 - and have worked hard
to set challenging targets in respect of Scope 3 emissions despite the
challenge of managing emissions from sources we do not directly control.
Global carbon footprint assessment
30 June 2019
Baseline (Tonnes
of CO
2
e)
30 June 2021
(Tonnes of CO
2
e)
30 June 2022
(Tonnes of CO
2
e)
Change
since baseline
Change
in the year
Emissions from:
Scope 1 – Direct emissions 77.45 32.21 8.14 -89.5 -74.7
Scope 2 – Indirect emissions 422.14 168.74 28.80 -93.2 -82.9
Total scope 1 & 2 emissions 499.59 200.95 36.94 ‑92.3 ‑81.6%
CO
2
employee ratio scope 1&2 (tonnes of CO
2
per employee) 0.59 0.24 0.04 -93.2% -83.3%
CO
2
turnover ratio scope 1&2 (tonnes of CO
2
per £m revenue) 3.89 1.7 0.31 -92.0% -81.8%
Scope 3 – other indirect emissions 3,400.2 983.87 1,399.51 -58.8 42.2
Total (all scopes 1, 2 & 3) 3,899.79 1,184.82 1,436.45 ‑63.2 21.2%
Total global energy consumption (kWh) [•] [•] [•] [•] [•]
Sustainability report continued
Our targets
Scope 1&2 emissions:
Absolute zero by 2028
Scope 3 emissions:
Near term: reduce by 52% from baseline by 2030
Long term: Net zero by 2045
Our reporting on energy use and GHG emissions is in line with the Streamlined
Energy and Carbon Reporting (‘SECR’) legislation. To reflect our commitment
to monitor, report and reduce our environmental impact, we have also
increased the scope of our GHG reporting to include Scope 1,2 & 3 emissions
in line with Science Based Targets Initiative recommendations.
Energy use and GHG emissions have been assessed following the ISO
14064-1:2018 standard and using the 2022 emission conversion factors
published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (‘Defra’) and
the Department for Business, Energy Industrial Strategy (‘BEIS’). The
assessment follows the market-based approach for assessing Scope 2
emissions from electricity usage. The operational control approach has been
used. All Group entities have been included in the assessment.
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tbc
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Sustainability report continued
Reducing our environmental impact
Our Group strategy to drive investment in our
technological and data capabilities has had a significant
impact on our ability to work in innovative ways that
reduce our environmental impact. The capabilities we
now have to operate remotely whilst maintaining strong
personal connections and high product quality have
significantly reduced the environmental footprint from
travel by our workforce and our customers. Whilst this
progress is positive, we also recognise the need to
address the impact of our digital footprint on the
environment through energy consumption. Similarly,
despite the significant reduction since our base year, in
2022 our emissions from travel have increased compared
to 2021 during which Covid-19 related restrictions
significantly reduced our mobility. We are therefore
working on initiatives to adapt our approach to travel in a
way that allows us to reap the benefits of face-to-face
interaction whilst minimising the associated carbon
footprint.
We are also committed to reducing waste, and to
minimising the carbon footprint associated with the
disposal of waste we do produce. Along with the
measures set out in our waste management policy on the
Wilmington plc website, we are also working with our
landlords to set future targets to ensure 0% of waste from
our offices goes to landfill. Since 2021 we have reduced
the proportion of our waste that goes to landfill from 10%
to 6% of our total.
They key activities we have implemented, and continue to
develop, to reduce our environmental impact since our
2019 baseline are:
Performed a comprehensive review of office premises
to consolidate our operations and improve efficiency
Secured renewable tariffs for energy use at 100% of
our occupied UK sites
Refurbished office sites to upgrade to energy efficient
lighting solutions, consolidated resource use and
facilitate more effective waste management
Rapid digitalization of products to reduce the need for
travel and improve efficiency of delivery
Increased the scope of employee engagement
activities to raise awareness of sustainability and
encourage positive collective action
Updated our business travel policy to encourage the
use of low carbon modes of transport
Introduced environmental commitments into our
supplier code of conduct
Further details of our response to climate change are
outlined in our TCFD reporting index on page [31].
Our work in this area contributes to SDG 12 Responsible
consumption and production, and SDG 13 Climate action;
specifically 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable
management and efficient use of natural resources and
12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation
through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
New page for extra content added to Environment section
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
59++37++33++11++HH
Female 59
Male 37
Other 3
Prefer not to say 1
2022 waste disposal routes
60++30++1010++HH
Recycling 60
Incineration with energy recovery 30
Landfill 10
2021 waste disposal routes
Financial review
2022
£’m
2021
£’m
Absolute variance Organic
variance
%£’m %
Revenue 121.0 113.0 8.0 7.1% 13.4%
Adjusted profit
before tax 20.7 15.0 5.7 37.8% 42.5%
Margin % 17.1 13.3 [•] [•] [•]
Variances described as ‘organic’ are calculated by adjusting the revenue
change achieved year-on-year to exclude the impact of changes in foreign
currency exchange rates and also to exclude the impact of changes in the
portfolio from acquisitions and disposals.
Revenue
Group revenue increased 7.1% overall and 13.4% on an organic basis, the
overall increase reflecting £0.4m of foreign currency downside and the
impact of disposals. Full details can be found in the Review of operations
on pages [7] to [8].
Operating expenses before amortisation of
intangible assets (excluding computer software)
and impairments
Operating expenses before amortisation of intangible assets (excluding
computer software) and impairments were £99.4m (2021: £96.4m) up
£3.0m or 3.1%.
Within operating expenses, staff costs marginally increased £0.5m to
£55.2m (2021: £54.7m). This net increase reflects discretionary staff
bonuses, £1.4m higher than the prior year as a result of the stronger
trading performance in FY22. The increases were partly offset by salary
cost savings generated from a reduction in headcount post disposal of
businesses. Share based payment costs increased £0.6m due to an
increased number of schemes due to vest.
Non-staff costs increased by £2.5m to £44.2m from £41.7m in the prior
year, reflecting the increased revenue and the anticipated return of some
face-to-face delivery costs including venue hire.
Unallocated central overheads
Unallocated central overheads, representing board costs and head office
salaries as well as other centrally incurred costs not recharged to the
businesses, increased £0.2m year-on-year to £4.5m (2021: £4.3m).
Adjusted profit before tax (‘adjusted PBT’)
As a result of increased revenue and a continued focus on operational
efficiency and cost management, adjusted profit before tax, which
eliminates the impact of amortisation of intangible assets (excluding
computer software), impairments, other income and other adjusting items,
was up 37.8% to £20.7m (2021: £15.0m).
Adjusted profit margin (adjusted PBT expressed as a percentage of
revenue) also increased to 17.1% (2021: 13.3%).
Amortisation excluding computer software,
impairment charge and other income
Amortisation of intangible assets (excluding computer software) was
£2.4m (2021: £3.4m). The decrease reflects certain historic assets being
fully amortised part way through the prior year.
The non-cash impairment charge of £0.6m relates to the impairment of
assets associated with an exercise performed to consolidate the Group’s
office space.
Other income represents the net gain of £16.3m from the disposal of AMT
and La Touche Bond Solon Training Limited, £1.3m gain on disposal of two
buildings and their associated assets recognised as a result of the
consolidation of the Groups office space and £0.8m one-off financing
activities associated with capital management.
Adjusting items within operating expenses
Adjusting items within operating expenses of £0.1m (2021: £3.0m) are
those items that are one-off in nature and which do not represent the
ongoing trading performance of the business.
Operating profit (‘EBITA’)
Operating profit was £37.0m (2021: loss £0.4m). The large increase is
driven by the impact of the other income items detailed above and a
non-cash impairment in 2021, along with strong revenue growth and
effective cost management during the year.
Net finance costs
Net finance costs were £0.9m (2021: £1.6m), primarily related to the
decrease in interest payable on bank loans and overdrafts following the
repayment of the revolving credit facility.
Profit before taxation
Profit before taxation was £36.1m (2021: loss £2.0m). A reconciliation of
this to adjusted profit before tax can be found in note 2.
in revenue]
[3% organic growth
Overview
The Group performance was resilient and strong during the year, driving
organic growth in revenue and profit and reinforcing the strength of the
balance sheet, reflected by the closing net cash position.
Adjusting items, measures and adjusted results
In this financial review reference is made to adjusted results as well as the
equivalent statutory measures. The Directors make use of adjusted
results, which are not considered to be a substitute for or superior to IFRS
measures, to provide stakeholders with additional relevant information
and enable an alternative comparison of performance over time. Adjusted
results exclude amortisation of intangible assets (excluding computer
software), impairments, other income (when material or of a significant
nature), and other adjusting items.
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Strapline TBC
Financial review continued
Deferred consideration receivable
The deferred consideration receivable balance of £1.7m (2021: £1.8m) relates
to the disposal of ICP in July 2018 with £1.5m recognised within non-current
assets and the remaining £0.2m recognised within current assets.
Disposal group held for sale
As at 30 June 2022, the disposal group classified as held for sale relates to
Wilmington Inese SL. The assets of the disposal group held for sale are
£1.5m, including £0.8m of cash and cash equivalents, and liabilities of the
disposal group held for sale are £1.3m.
Trade and other receivables
Trade and other receivables were £27.1m (2021: £28.7m). This decrease
was mainly due to the disposal of AMT and La Touche Bond Solon
Training Limited, which collectively comprised £1.4m within trade
receivables in the prior year.
Current tax asset
At 30 June 2022 the Group recognised an asset relating to current tax of
£1.3m (2021: £0.3m). The net asset position reflects a net repayment position.
Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables decreased by £4.7m to £50.3m (2021: £55.0m).
Within this, subscriptions and deferred revenue increased by £1.3m or
4.3% to £31.4m (2021: £30.1m) and trade and other payables decreased
£6.0m to £18.9m (2021: £24.8m).
This increase in subscriptions and deferred revenue was driven in large
due to the growth of subscription services in the year and a year on year
increase in June sales. The decrease in trade and other payables was
primarily driven by the unwind of payroll tax payments and better payment
practices for amounts owed to suppliers.
Provisions
Provisions were £1.5m (2021: £1.8m), relating wholly to future committed
costs associated with the closed portion of the head office space.
Net cash, lease liabilities and cash flow
Net cash, which includes cash and cash equivalents, cash classified as
held for sale, bank loans (excluding capitalised loan arrangement fees)
and bank overdrafts, and lease liabilities was £13.0m (2021: net debt of
£28.0m). This significant net cash position is driven by a strong trading
performance delivering improved profits, effective cash management as
well as a significant cash inflow associated with the other income items
mentioned above.
Lease liabilities decreased to £7.5m (2021: £10.7m) which represents cash
payments in relation to contractual lease obligations, offset in part by
£0.3m of notional interest on lease liabilities reported within net finance
costs.
Cash conversion remained strong at 114% (2021: 104%).
Share capital
During the year 224,838 (2021: nil) new ordinary shares of £0.05 were
issued to satisfy the Company’s obligations under the SAYE Plan.
During the year the Wilmington Group plc Employee Share Ownership
Trust (‘ESOT’) purchased 170,097 ordinary shares for the purpose of
future settlement of employee share schemes. On 30 September 2021,
37,435 shares vested under its Performance Share Plan settled via the
ESOT. In April 2022 3,552 shares were used to satisfy the Company’s
obligations under the SAYE Plan. At 30 June 2022, the ESOT held
403,782 shares (2021: 274,672).
Guy Millward
Chief Financial Officer
[21] September 2022
Taxation
The tax charge for the year was £3.3m (2021: £2.5m) reflecting an
effective tax rate of 9.1% (2021: negative 125.0%). The substantial
decrease in the effective tax rate year-on-year reflects the nature of other
operating income and adjusting items, specifically the gain on disposal of
businesses in 2022 which was not subject to corporation tax, and the
impairment charge in 2021 which was not deductible for tax purposes.
The underlying tax rate which ignores the tax effects of adjusting items
remained essentially unchanged at 21.0% (2021: 20.5%).
Earnings per share
Adjusted basic earnings per share increased by 37.0% to 18.66p (2021:
13.62p), due to the increase in adjusted profit before tax, a broadly flat
underlying tax rate and an essentially unchanged number of issued
ordinary shares (see below). Basic earnings per share was 37.46p (2021:
basic loss per share of 5.18p) in the prior year, reflecting the increase in
profit after tax.
Dividend
A final dividend of [•]p per share (2021: 3.9p) will be proposed at the AGM.
This will give a full year dividend up [•]% to [•]p (2021: 6.0p) and dividend
cover of [•] times (2021: 2.3).
If approved it will be paid on 28 November 2022 to shareholders on the
register as at 28 October 2022 with an associated ex-dividend date of 21
October 2022.
Balance sheet
Non‑current assets
Goodwill at 30 June 2022 was £61.1m (2021: £65.8m) which was primarily
due to goodwill disposed of £6.2m for AMT. Additionally, a strengthening
US Dollar led to an increase in the Sterling value of the US Dollar portion of
the Groups goodwill.
Intangible assets decreased by £4.6m to £9.4m (2021: £14.0m) due to
amortisation of £6.1m, partly offset by additions of £1.3m within computer
software reflecting the Groups continued strategy to invest in the existing
businesses to fuel organic growth. Additions reflect the continued
investment in Wilmingtons digital transformation.
Property, plant and equipment decreased by £2.4m to £6.9m (2021: £9.3m).
The decrease in purchased property, plant and equipment was
attributable to depreciation £2.4m, £0.6m impairment mentioned above
and assets transferred to held for sale £0.3m relating assets held by Inese
(see disposal group held for sale below), partially offset by additions £0.9m.
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tbc
Risks and uncertainties facing the business
Identifying
and managing our risks
Responsibility for the Group’s system of risk management and internal
controls ultimately lies with the Board. Risk identification, assessment and
management is central to the Groups internal control environment, and
risk management is recognised as an integral element of the Groups
operating activities.
The Board is also responsible for determining the Groups appetite for
risk, and the acceptable level of risk that can be taken on by the Group
and its individual operating entities when assessing its strategic
objectives (‘Wilmington risk appetite’). The Board sets and clearly
communicates its local risk appetite to the business leaders responsible
for executing their activities in various locations across the global
portfolio. The guidelines set in response to the Groups risk appetite are
complemented by the Group’s comprehensive portfolio of policies
governing conduct, including its Anti-Bribery and Corruption (‘ABC’) and
Modern Slavery guidelines, and in accordance with delegated authority
limits. The Groups Risk Assessment covers a three year period, as is
consistent with the period of assessment used in its strategic planning
process and viability review.
The Wilmington Executive Committee coordinates and facilitates the risk
assessment process on behalf of the Board. The Executive Committee
reports directly to the Board using a combination of structured formal
interviews, monthly operational updates, site visits, ‘bottom up’ reporting
and registers (together, the ‘Risk Assessment’). The Risk Assessment
covers both external and internal factors and the potential impact and
likelihood of those risks occurring. Twice per annum the Audit Committee
discusses the report received from the external auditors regarding their
review and audit procedures; which include comments on their findings
on internal control and risks.
Once identified, risks are reviewed and then incorporated into formal risk
registers held at both a Group and entity level, which evolve to reflect any
changes to identified risks and the emergence of any new risks. Where it
is considered that a risk can be actively mitigated to the benefit of the
business, responsibilities are assigned, and action plans are agreed.
As well as assessing ongoing risks the Executive Committee considers
how the business could be affected by any emerging risks over the long
term. Emerging risks are those which may develop but have a greater
uncertainty attached to them. Twice per annum Managing Directors
(MDs) and Heads of Group Functions are asked to highlight any new or
emerging new risks, these are then reported to the Board and monitored
on an ongoing basis.
Our risk assessment process provides a clear framework for identifying
and managing risk, both at an operational and strategic level, and has
been designed to be appropriate to the ever-changing environments in
which we operate.
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Risks and uncertainties facing the business continued
Risk management structure, roles and responsibilities
The Board regularly reviews the Groups key risks and is supported in the discharge of this responsibility by various committees,
specifically the Audit Committee. The risk management roles and responsibilities of the Board, its Committees, and business
management are set out below, and all these responsibilities have been met during the year.
Executive Committee
Ongoing review & control
Responsibilities
Strategic leadership of the Groups operations
Ensure that the Groups risk management and other
policies are implemented andembedded
Consider emerging risks in the context of the Groups
strategic objectives
Monitor the application of risk appetite and the
effectiveness of risk managementprocesses.
Monitor the discharge of their responsibilities by
operating entities
Actions
Review of risk management and assurance activities
and processes
Respond to notifications of changing and emerging
risk within their area of business responsibility
Govern monthly/quarterly finance and performance
reviews
Review key risks and mitigation plans and consolidate
Group risks
Review the three year strategic plan
Review results of assurance activities
Escalate key risks to the Board
Senior Leadership
Team
Ongoing risk assessment
Responsibilities
Maintain an effective system of risk management and
internal control within their function/operating
company
Maintain strong and timely communication with the
Executive Committee in respect of emerging and
changing risks.
Actions
Regularly review operational, project, functional and
strategic risks
Review mitigation plans
Plan, execute and report on assurance activities as
required by entity, region or group.
Audit Committee
Support to the Board
Responsibilities
The Audit Committee supports the Board by
monitoring risk and reviewing the effectiveness of
Group internal controls, including systems to identify,
assess, manage and monitor risks.
Actions
Receive regular reports on the internal and external
audit and other assurance activities
Determine the nature and extent of the principal Group
risks and assess the effectiveness of mitigations
At least annually review the effectiveness of risk
management and internal control systems
Review the adequacy of the Groups key conduct
policies
Board
Ultimate responsibility for
riskmanagement
Responsibilities
Approve the Groups strategy and objectives
Determine Group appetite for risk in achieving its
strategic objectives
Establish the Groups systems of risk management
and internal control
Actions
Assess managements strategic decisions in the
context of its risk appetite.
Receive regular risk updates from the businesses
Wilmington risk appetite
The Groups approach is to minimise exposure to reputational, financial
and operational risk, whilst accepting and recognising a risk/reward
trade-off in the pursuit of its strategic and commercial objectives.
The provision of solutions primarily to the Governance, Risk and Compliance
market, means that the integrity of the business and its brands is crucial and
cannot be put at risk. Consequently, it has zero tolerance for risks relating to
non-adherence to laws and regulations (‘unacceptable risk’). The business,
however, operates in a challenging and highly competitive marketplace that is
constantly changing not just in regulation and legislation but also for new
technology and process innovation.
It is therefore part of day-to-day planning to make certain financial and
operational investments in pursuit of growth objectives, accepting the risk
that the anticipated benefits from these investments may not always be
fully realised. Its acceptance of risk is subject to ensuring that potential
benefits and risks are fully understood and sensible measures to mitigate
risk are established.
Emerging risks
The Group recognises that the global climate crisis is a significant driver of
future socio-economic and environmental change, and accordingly presents
potential risk to the Groups ability to deliver its strategic objectives.
During the 2022 risk assessment and strategic planning processes, the
Group conducted a detailed review of the potential risks that may arise as
a result of climate change. Following the review management concluded
that impacts of climate change should continue to be high on the agenda
of its strategic planning and risk assessment processes, but should not be
classified as a discrete principal risk, justified by two key outcomes.
1. The review demonstrated that the Groups business model and its
strategy has an inherent resilience to the impacts of climate change for
the following reasons:
Lack of direct reliance on the natural resources impacted most
heavily by climate change to deliver its products.
Proven agility and resources to facilitate relocation of operations &
events or transition to digital alternatives if an extreme climate
event occurs.
Presence across different markets in different locations and no
significant customer concentration in the sectors at most risk of
severe disruption from climate change.
Strong alignment of its core offering to potential transition impacts
specifically in relation to new policy, regulatory change, and data
and information insights and analysis.
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Risks and uncertainties facing the business continued
1. Market and innovation
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
CE
PA
Description
The specialist markets we serve are highly competitive, these markets
experience growth, decline, consolidation and disruption which change
customer needs and preferences.
These factors combined mean that if we do not continually innovate and invest
in our business we will not deliver the organic growth required to maintain
acceptable margins and best in class returns over the long term.
Mitigation
Product management is a key area of focus for the progression of the Groups
strategic objectives.
The Group has a dedicated New Product Development (NPD) framework,
managed by an Investment Committee. The objectives of the committee are to
actively encourage innovation whilst maintaining strong governance and rigour
around internal investment and provide detailed post-investment appraisal.
Depending on the size of the initiatives, Board or Investment Committee
approval is required to ensure that the Groups significant projects are aligned
to the overall strategy.
Within the product development framework, we have implemented a
methodology which involves stripping back requirements to the ‘minimum
viable product’ which serves the fundamental needs of our customers and then
adopting ‘customer advisory groups’ to learn what additional features would be
of value to our customers. This iterative roll-out process ensures more effective
and focused product development that continually responds to customer
needs.
This approach has proven highly effective in the ongoing development of our
hybrid delivery model, and in respect of product enhancements that
differentiate our offering and define our competitive advantage.
Change since 2021
Same risk
Supporting sustainability pillars
Cultural PositivityCP Customer EmpowermentCE
Proactive AssurancePA Environmental ResponsibilityER
Change to risk
Since 2019 the Group recognised a principal risk relating to IR35 Tax
Reform, and the associated impact of the new legislation on the operation
of the Group and it’s relationship with contractors providing key services.
In the prior year, this risk was downgraded to be classified as low
likelihood, low financial impact due to the successful implementation of
processes to manage the transition. Processes and controls in place to
effectively manage IR35 Tax Reform have subsequently been fully
integrated into the Groups broader contractor and employee
management structure, and therefore the Board considered it appropriate
to remove the risk from the Group’s principal risks at 30 June 2022.
Financial impact
Low
<£1m
Medium
£1–2m
High
>£2m
Likelihood
Low
<20%
Medium
20–80%
High
>80%
3
6 4
7
10
8
1
9
2
510
1. Market and innovation
2. Lack of changes to regulations
and legislation
3. People
4. Intellectual property rights
infringement
5. Failure or significant interruption
to IT systems causing disruption
to client service
6. Technology and speed of
change
7. Remoteness of operations and
globalisation
8. Dependency on key data
sources
9. Major incidents
10. Reputational risk
Emerging risks continued
2. The business risks associated with climate impacts identified in the
review strongly aligned to those that already sit on the Groups risk
register. The potential for climate change to significantly disrupt the
Groups operations would manifest itself either through physical
disruption to our people, customers, suppliers and their working
environments or through market disruption triggered by the transition
to a low carbon economy. The risks associated with these disruptions
are specifically addressed by our existing principal risks, and therefore
the Board gained comfort that the management of climate change
risks is well aligned to, and can be effectively integrated with, the
existing principal risk mitigation strategies.
Details of the specific impacts considered and how these align to our
existing principal risk mitigation strategies are disclosed on pages [29]
to[30].
Principal risks
During the year the Directors have carried out an assessment of the
principal risks facing the Group – including those that would threaten its
business model, future performance, solvency or reputation. The ten key
risks and uncertainties relating to the Groups operations, along with their
potential impact and the mitigations in place, are set out below. There may
be other risks and uncertainties besides those listed below which may
also adversely affect the Group and its performance. More detail can be
found in the Audit Committee report on pages [41] to [42].
As part of their assessment, the Directors reviewed the principal risks in
the context of their potential impact on the Groups ability to achieve its
strategic objectives as set out on pages [22] to [26].
The Groups sustainability strategy defines the responsible business
culture advocated by the Board that directly contributes to the effective
management of the Groups risks, helping to enhance the delivery of its
broader strategic objectives. Therefore the four pillars of the sustainability
strategy have been mapped to any principal risks for which the associated
activities contribute a valuable element of the mitigative action, being:
Cultural positivity (‘CP’), Customer empowerment (‘CE’), Environmental
responsibility (‘ER’), Proactive Assurance (‘PA’).
In summary, our principal risks in the context of the strategic goals and
viability review are mapped over a three year period as follows:
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Risks and uncertainties facing the business continued
4. Intellectual property rightsinfringement
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
PA
Description
Protection of our intellectual property builds competitive advantage by
strengthening barriers to entry. Our intangible resources include data,
processes, technological know-how, branding and our workforce.
Intellectual property rights are integral to the Groups success.
Mitigation
We take a zero tolerance approach to any intellectual property infringement
and will take all necessary action to enforce our rights and proactively identify
infringements.
Wilmingtons policy is to litigate against any infringement of our intellectual
property rights.
Operating businesses are actively encouraged to develop and protect the
know-how in local jurisdictions.
Change since 2021
Same risk
2. Lack of changes to regulations and legislation
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
CE
PA
Description
Wilmingtons businesses operate in the GRC and Regulatory Compliance
markets. The product portfolio is therefore heavily centered around helping
customers manage the operational complexity and increased risk caused by
wide-ranging laws, regulations and legislation.
Changes to the regulatory landscape offer opportunities for Wilmington to
leverage its knowledge and expertise to assist clients and customers with the
change.
A lack of regulatory change would reduce new opportunities for growth and
demand for existing products and services.
Mitigation
We actively monitor Government regulatory bodies and relevant committees to
ensure that we understand the future landscape. This enables us to position
both our existing and new products and services to help better deliver to our
clients and customers.
Local plans are updated as part of the internal strategic planning process to
enable us to respond quickly to market information and economic trends.
Continual monitoring of market conditions and market changes against our
Group strategy, supported by the reforecasting and reporting in all of our
businesses, is key to our ability to respond rapidly to changes in our operating
environment.
The ongoing volatility of the global economy, and associated societal impacts,
indicates that continued regulatory and legislative change is likely in the short
to medium term. However the Group continues to innovate and diversify its
product portfolio by offering more value-added products which are less
dependent on changes in regulation. A core focus of our model, and a key
characteristic of our business is our ability to leverage our strengths to quickly
adapt to changing customer requirements. This agility has underpinned the
agility of our business model to continue to deliver growth during periods of
significant uncertainty and change.
Change since 2021
Same risk
3. People
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
CP
ER
Description
The implementation and execution of our strategies and business plans depend
heavily on our ability to recruit, motivate and retain a diverse workforce of skilled
employees and management - particularly senior management, subject matter
experts and those with technology and data analytics capabilities.
An inability to recruit, motivate or retain such people could adversely affect our
business performance.
Failure to recruit and develop a diverse talent base for the Group that does not
reflect the diversity of the customers we serve could also adversely affect our
reputation and business performance.
Mitigation
We advocate positive employee experience as a core priority for all parts of our
business, and we have a comprehensive People strategy to support this ambition.
The work of our People team covers an extensive range of issues that
contribute to the development of a positive culture that is vital as we attract,
retain and develop talent.
The work of the People team, with the sponsorship of the Board and the
Executive committee, delivers a wide range of services to enhance employee
experience. These are underpinned by dedicated strategies that drive progress
across the following key areas of focus:
Diversity and Inclusion
Reward and recognition
Talent acquisition and development
Wellbeing
Engagement
The Group operates a competitive remuneration package that is enhanced by share
plans for certain senior management, and also operates a Save As You Earn scheme
for UK employees to further align the interests of employees and shareholders.
Change since 2021
Same risk
Supporting
sustainability pillars
Cultural PositivityCP Customer EmpowermentCE Proactive AssurancePA Environmental ResponsibilityER
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Risks and uncertainties facing the business continued
7. Remoteness of operations and globalisation
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
PA
Description
A key operational risk emanates from the remoteness of operations away from
key management personnel, and from the increasing global spread of our
businesses.
There is a currency risk from operating in a large number of countries.
Mitigation
Control is exercised locally in accordance with the Groups policy of
autonomous management. We seek to employ high quality local experts.
The Executive Committee ensures that overall Group strategy is fulfilled
through ongoing review of the businesses. The creation of centrally managed
and divisional level oversight of finance, technology and people strategies
provides a central insight into local operations and allows more central control
than would be possible with geographically distributed functions.
We manage currency risk in local operations by matching revenue and costs in
the same currency, closely monitoring our cash position and, where applicable,
taking a low risk approach when applying treasury policy.
Change since 2021
Same risk
5. Failure or significant interruption to IT systems
causing disruption to client service
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
PA
Description
Major failures in our IT systems may result in client service being interrupted or data
being lost/corrupted causing damage to our reputation and/or a decline in revenue.
There is a risk that a cyber attack on our infrastructure by a malicious individual or
group could be successful and impact critical systems used across the Group.
Mitigation
Our IT infrastructure is supported by a UK based third-party specialist, and is
consistently reviewed and improved to ensure the best quality experience for
both our employees and our customers. As part of the management strategy we
have a shared hosting facility for our internal systems, giving us Tier 3 and ISO
27001 data centres for extra security and a common disaster recovery position.
We continued to focus on recruitment, retention and training of highly skilled
internal IT and data specialists to ensure we demonstrate best practice service
management.
We continue to roll out mandatory cyber security training for all staff to increase
the awareness of this increasing threat. In addition, our outsourced IT
infrastructure partner proactively monitors our network periphery for potential
cyber-attacks. We also run education and simulations of cyber-attacks for staff
to further increase awareness and reduce this risk.
Specific back-up and resilience requirements are built into our systems and we
are increasingly becoming more cloud based.
Our critical infrastructure is set up so far as is reasonably practical to prevent
unauthorised access and reduce the likelihood and impact of a successful attack.
Business continuity and disaster recovery plans are in place and are assessed
continually to ensure that they cover the residual risks that cannot be mitigated.
The Group also outsources the hosting of all websites improving resilience,
efficiency and scalability.
Change since 2021
Same risk
6. Technology and speedofchange
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
PA
Description
Digital and technological transformation is now moving at a fast pace across
the globe, disrupting value chains and transcending the traditional ways of
conducting business.
Digitisation continues to drive significant change in our customers’ business
models, and in their appetite for products that align to these changes. Although
digital and technological transformation offers Wilmington opportunities for
growth and value creation, it comes with its own set of challenges and risks.
Mitigation
Our NPD process described in key risk 1 enables and encourages product
innovation throughout our business. This has improved our rate of innovation to
deliver ‘client centric’ products.
Our technology and data teams have a significant range of valuable
experience, including that gained in mature digital organisations. We actively
deliver projects in an “agile” fashion using strong product management
methodologies.
The rapid digitisation of our business in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
demonstrated our ability to rapidly adapt to change in this area. The lessons
learnt in that period of rapid transformation continue to guide our strategies for
future development and effective mitigation of the risk that we will be
challenged by rapid technological change.
Change since 2021
Same risk
Supporting
sustainability pillars
Cultural PositivityCP Customer EmpowermentCE Proactive AssurancePA Environmental ResponsibilityER
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Risks and uncertainties facing the business continued
10. Reputational risk
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
CP
PA
Description
Description
Much of the Groups revenue is generated by training clients in matters of
regulatory compliance, or by hosting events that debate such topics.
If the Group were to suffer a compliance breach itself then prospective clients
may call into question its fitness to provide such training or host such events.
The overseas entities in the Group are exposed to bribery and compliance
breaches. Non-compliance with the territories legislation could cause
reputational damage to the Group.
Mitigation
The Board maintains a zero-tolerance approach to non-adherence with laws
and regulations. This is clearly communicated to employees and is reinforced
through the Company’s internal communications.
The Board receives regular updates on changes to applicable legislation and
regulation and plans, both in the UK and overseas in order to adopt them across
the Group.
Individual businesses operate under specific independent brands, and this
helps mitigate the potential fall-out across the Group if there was an issue in any
specific business.
The Group also has a policy to retain emails for a limit of two years to prevent
loss of key data.
Change since 2021
Same risk
8. Dependency on keydatasources
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
PA
Description
Wilmington generates a significant amount of revenue from the sale of, or the
licensed access to, data. This data is often sourced from third parties who
provide to Wilmington either exclusive or non-exclusive licences to use the
data.
There could be a significant decrease in the Groups revenue if Wilmington were
to lose these licences completely or in the case of exclusive arrangements if we
were to lose the exclusive rights.
Mitigation
We monitor key data licence contracts across the business to ensure that all
key contracts that are close to expiring are identified as early as possible.
We have close working relationships with the third parties to these contracts
and aim to start negotiations to extend the contracts at an early stage to give
Wilmington the best possible chance of renegotiating and extending the
contracts.
Change since 2021
Same risk
9. Major incidents
Supporting sustainability pillar(s):
CP
PA
Description
We operate internationally and are exposed to major incidents and global
events. These can be caused by extreme weather, natural disasters, major
disease outbreak, military action, civil unrest or terrorism.
In most cases, there is relatively little businesses can do to control causes of
major incidents. Major incidents have the potential to cause harm and injury to
people, venues and facilities and severely interrupt business. Our face-to-face
events and training business is particularly vulnerable to this type of risk.
Mitigation
The Group continues to carefully manage the proportion of its income
generated from large face-to-face events to reduce exposure to this risk. It also
continues to focus on a hybrid delivery model for all of its products to allow
adaptation in the event of a major incident.
The Groups events function also have event-specific strategies to mitigate the
risk of disruption from major incidents, including selecting well connected
locations with reliable infrastructure systems and seeking flexible agreements
with venues to increase the potential to transfer or postpone events if
disruption does occur.
The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated that a major incident does have the
ability to impact multiple locations over a protracted time period. However,
continued innovation and investment across the Group has demonstrated that
the ability to operate on a 100% digital basis provides significant mitigation to
this risk.
The Group assesses the value of insurance cover for cancellations on a case
by case basis, to ensure the associated cost and reliability of cover is
considered economical.
Change since 2021
Same risk
Supporting
sustainability pillars
Cultural PositivityCP Customer EmpowermentCE Proactive AssurancePA Environmental ResponsibilityER
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Graphic
tbc
Climate change – impact and adaptation
As we continue to assess the impacts of climate change on our business,
we have further aligned our work with the recommendations of the Task
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Central to this
work has been the analysis performed during the year to assess
climate-related risks and opportunities, and to consider different
outcomes depending on potential future scenarios.
We anticipate that climate change will have a wide range of impacts on all
of our stakeholders because of the strong interconnection between
environmental conditions and societal change. Therefore whilst our
business model exhibits an inherent resilience to the worst physical
impacts of climate change, our assessment highlighted that the transition
to a lower carbon economy will have direct implications for our core
offering in the Governance Risk and Compliance market, and that the
broader impacts of both physical and transition risks will affect how our
people, customers and suppliers operate effectively.
Governance and responsibilities
Board oversight of the Group’s response to climate change sits with the
Audit Committee Chair, and ultimate responsibility for management sits
with the Chief Financial Officer. Responsibility for day-to-day
management sits with the Group Finance and Sustainability Director, in
collaboration with the Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team.
This approach to governance is integrated with the Groups broader
strategic planning process, its sustainability governance framework as
outlined on page [12], and the Groups risk assessment process as
described on pages [22] to [26].
Impact assessment
Our assessment identified ten potential climate change impacts that are
relevant to Wilmington, and these include both physical impacts and those
related to the transition to a low carbon economy. The strategic
implications of each impact identified have been considered in the context
of their potential to disrupt or enhance the Groups potential to deliver its
broader strategic objectives, as summarised on pages [29] to [30]. Where
a climate-related risk aligns strongly to one of the Groups existing risks
and associated mitigation strategies, it has been mapped to the relevant
principal risk. Each impact identified has also been classified in relation its
potential to increase exposure to a risk or generate viable new market
opportunities.
Classification Exposure:
Effectiveness of
risk mitigation
Potential: Result of
associated
opportunity
Low Prevent material
impact on strategic
progress
Unlikely to generate
financial returns
Moderate Reduce extent of
material impact on
strategic progress
Could generate
immaterial financial
returns
High Failure to prevent
material impact on
strategic progress
Could generate
material financial
returns
Quantifying the impacts
The focus of our assessment has been to perform a robust qualitative
analysis that can be used to effectively inform our response to climate
change as an integral part of the Groups strategic planning processes.
Whilst we have not quantified these impacts specifically, the nature of the
most relevant issues identified aligned strongly to those assessed as part
of the Groups viability assessment. As disclosed on page [32], as part of
this assessment we modelled the potential financial impacts of the
Groups principal risks over a three year period. Reference to this viability
testing therefore provided scope to validate the reasonableness of our
assumptions regarding which climate impacts could have a material
impact on the financial returns of the Group in the short term. Whilst the
medium and long term implications have not been quantified, the
assessment and scenario planning analysis has demonstrated that the
nature of the impacts would be strongly aligned over these time periods.
[Climate-related
risks and opportunities]
Image TBC
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Climate impacts Exposure / Potential Strategic implications and response summary
Physical
impacts
Extreme climate events disrupt office and
home-working infrastructure
Risk: Low
Opportunity: N/A
Inherent resilience through agile workforce and hybrid working practice. Continue to invest in technological capabilities and review resilience
of office infrastructure as part of ongoing strategic planning and capital investment processes. Maintain strong employee engagement and
support.
Principal risk alignment:
3
– People,
5
– IT system disruption,
9
– Major incidents
Extreme climate events disrupt face-to-face
events or training, and business development
opportunities
Risk: Low
Opportunity: N/A
Inherent resilience due to digital-first model and hybrid delivery capabilities. Continue to follow risk mitigation plan integrated into face-to-face
events planning process. Continue to factor potential costs of transition to virtual alternatives into budgetary planning process.
Principal risk alignment:
5
– IT system disruption,
6
– Technology,
9
– Major incidents
Sector specific physical impacts disrupt
customers in high exposure categories
Risk: Low
Opportunity: Moderate
Relatively low customer concentration in high exposure categories. Requirement for regulatory insight and training likely to increase due to
climate change triggering further reliance on our services. Continue to innovate and provide mission critical information and training to
customers to protect revenue streams.
Principal risk alignment:
Extreme climate events cause supply chain
disruption
Risk: Low
Opportunity: N/A
Inherent resilience through low supplier concentration and limited reliance on raw materials. Continue to assess viability risk of material
suppliers in line with risk policy.
Principal risk alignment:
5
– IT system disruption
Transition
impacts
Transition to low carbon economy triggers shift in
customer markets
Risk: Low
Opportunity: High
Strong alignment to GRC market focus. Maintain strong communication channels with customers and continue to innovate to meet changing
needs. Integrate climate-related content and solutions into core data and training products. Successful realisation of opportunities is
dependent on talent, innovation and operational effectiveness.
Principal risk alignment:
1
– Market and innovation,
3
– People,
6
– Technology,
8
– Data source reliance
Changing attitudes to business travel Risk: Low
Opportunity: N/A
Inherent resilience due to digital-first model. Maintain flexibility to offer hybrid delivery and focus on quality in digital alternatives to face-to-face
products. Maintain strong communication with customers via virtual formats.
Principal risk alignment:
5
– IT system disruption,
6
– Technology
Evolution of carbon taxes Risk: Low
Opportunity: Moderate
Limited exposure due to industry focus. Maintain strong visibility of potential future cost and compliance implications as part of budgetary
planning processes. Maintain focus on updating core product offering to align to associated regulatory change.
Principal risk alignment:
10
– Reputation
Policy change regarding domestic infrastructure Risk: Low
Opportunity: N/A
Exposure limited to workforce disruption caused by domestic infrastructure changes. Continue to provide office premises for effective
operations, and maintain commitment to real living wage.
Principal risk alignment:
3
– People
Increased corporate reporting requirements Risk: Low
Opportunity: High
Limited exposure due to strong internal reporting processes. Maintain strong internal processes to ensure timely integration of policy change
into training material and associated services.
Principal risk alignment:
1
– Market and innovation,
2
– Regulation
Stakeholder expectations of Wilmingtons
response to climate change
Risk: Low
Opportunity: High
Limited exposure due to strong commitment to participation in the climate agenda. Future talent attraction and retention, and good customer
engagement will be significantly enhanced by clear demonstration of our commitment to environmental responsibility.
Principal risk alignment:
3
– People,
10
– Reputation
Climate change – impact and adaptation continued
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Scenario analysis
As part of our climate impacts assessment we considered the potential for
therisks and opportunities identified to vary depending on different future
scenarios. The differentiating factors most relevant to our business are the
severity of physical impacts on our people and other stakeholders, and the
speed, nature and impact of regulatory change. Therefore our approach to
selecting illustrative scenarios was to ensure our analysis encompassed the
most extreme cases in respect of these two variables. Accordingly, we have
used three scenarios which reflect reference to three core SSPs
12
used within
the IPCC
13
Sixth Assessment Report in addition to qualitative analysis by the
IEA
14
to provide insight into the indicative socio-economic conditions that
would result from different levels of warming, and the related policy outcomes.
A summary of these scenarios and indicative socio-economic conditions
is provided below.
Indicative
assumptions
Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3
Related SSP 1 – 1.9 1 – 2.6 5 – 8.5
Temperature
rise trajectory
1.5°C <2°C 6°C
Policy change Significant and
timely
decarbonization
policy
implementation.
Transition
towards
decarbonization
focused policy
implementation.
Business as
usual, reactive
change only.
Customer
impact
Significant and
timely
adaptation.
Demand for
GRC solutions
increases.
Transition
towards
adaptive
measures.
Demand for
GRC solutions
increases.
Significant
disruption from
physical risks
diverts resource.
Innovation &
adaptation
Investment
facilitates
streamlined
transition to low
carbon
economy.
Heavy reliance
on good
adaptive
technologies to
facilitate
transition to low
carbon
economy.
Limited and
delayed
investment in
adaptive
technologies.
12 Shared Socio-Economic Pathway
13 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
14 International Energy Agency
The below chart provides an illustrative summary of the implications for
potential outcomes in respect of the climate change impacts most
relevant to Wilmington’s strategy for each of the three scenarios.
Future focus
Our assessment has demonstrated that the climate-related impacts most
relevant to Wilmington align strongly to the Groups principal risks that
consider disruption to operational effectiveness, and our ability to lead in
product innovation and the delivery of excellent customer experience. The
assessment also demonstrates that the needs of our customers during
the transition to a lower carbon economy will strongly align to our core
offering in governance risk and compliance. This assessment also
concluded that there is no indication of material financial exposure to the
climate-related risks identified.
The Board therefore consider the Group to be well positioned to meet its
strategic objectives by continuing to integrate its assessment of climate
change impacts into its existing risk management and strategic planning
processes, ensuring it retains the agility to respond in a way that achieves
the best outcomes for all its stakeholders.
Disclosures detailing the implementation of the 11 core recommendations
of TCFD are included throughout the Annual Report as follows:
TCFD recommendation Disclosure
1.1 Governance: Board oversight of
climate-related risks and
opportunities.
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
Responsible business p. [12]
Governance report p. [36-40]
1.2 Governance: Management of
climate-related risks and
opportunities.
Risk management - p. [22-23]]
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
2.1 Strategy: Short, medium and long
term climate-related risks and
opportunities
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
2.2 Strategy: Impact of climate
related risks and opportunities on
businesses, strategy, and financial
planning.
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
2.3 Strategy: Resilience of the
strategy, taking into consideration
different climate-related scenarios,
including a 2°C or lower scenario.
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
3.1 Risk: Processes for identifying
and assessing climate-related
risks.
Risk management p. [22-23]
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
3.2 Risk: Processes for identifying,
assessing, and managing
climate-related risks and their
integration into overall risk
management.
Risk management p. [22-23]
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
4.1 Metrics & Targets: Metrics used
to assess climate related risks and
opportunities in line with its
strategy and risk management
process.
Climate change impact and
adaptation p. [29-31]
Responsible business p.
[16-18]
4.2 Metrics & Targets: Scope 1, 2 & 3
greenhouse gas (‘GHG’)
emissions, and related risks.
Responsible business p.
[16-18]
4.3 Metrics & Targets: Targets used
to manage climate-related risks
and opportunities and
performance against targets.
Responsible business p.
[16-18]
Climate change – impact and adaptation continued
Potential to capitalise on opportunities
from regulatory change
Likelihood and magnitude of physical
impacts disrupting operations
Low
Low
Moderate
Moderate
High
High
SC1
SC2
SC3
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Viability statement
Assessing the future prospects of the Group is integral to the Board’s
business planning process, and is also closely aligned to the risk
management process as detailed on pages [22] to [23]. The planning
process includes detailed financial forecasting, regular performance
analysis, robust risk management assessment, and continued monitoring
of industry trends and wider economic conditions.
In the context of the challenging economic environment in which the
Group operates, the Board has performed a detailed assessment to
conclude on:
the appropriateness of adopting the going concern basis in preparing
the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2022, as disclosed
in note 1 to the financial statements; and
the long-term viability of the Group.
Full details of the Groups financing arrangements are set out in note 19 to
the financial statements.
Viability
In accordance with Provision 31 of the 2018 Corporate Governance Code,
the Directors have considered the prospects of the Group over a longer
period than the twelve months required under the going concern
provision. The Directors have determined that a three year period is an
appropriate term over which to provide its viability statement, being
consistent with that covered by the Groups strategic planning process
which includes broader consideration of the Group’s principal risks and
uncertainties over the same period. The Directors also consider the
business to be sufficiently agile to respond to volatility over a longer time
frame in a way that would mitigate potential unforeseen downside.
Assessment process
The Groups viability assessment has taken account of its current position
and the potential impact of the principal risks documented on pages [24]
to [28]. The review has focussed on the occurrence of severe but plausible
scenarios in respect of every principal risk and considered the potential of
these scenarios to threaten viability. The financial impact of each scenario
was quantified where appropriate, and subsequently mapped to a set of
mitigative actions that would be taken to manage the risk. Stress testing
analysis was also performed, illustrating the ability of the Group to manage
the impact of severe downside scenarios on its future financial position.
The outcome of this assessment indicated that the Groups risk
management process, control systems, and current risk appetite are
sufficiently robust that a comprehensive response strategy could be
actioned to protect the prospects of the Group in the event of such
scenarios occurring.
On this basis the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group
will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due
over the viability assessment period.
Internal control
The Board is responsible for the Groups system of internal control and risk
management, and for reviewing the effectiveness of these systems. These
systems are designed to manage, rather than eliminate, the risk of failure
to achieve business objectives, and to provide reasonable, but not
absolute, assurance against material misstatement or loss.
In line with the Turnbull Report recommendations, the Board regularly
reviews the effectiveness of the Groups systems of internal control. The
Board’s monitoring covers all controls, including financial, operational and
compliance controls and risk management. It is based principally on
reviewing reports from management to consider whether significant risks
are identified, evaluated, managed and controlled.
Further details of principal risks are given on pages [24] to [28] and details
of financial risks such as interest rate risk, liquidity risk and foreign
currency risk are given in the financial statements in note 21.
The key features of the internal financial control system that operated
throughout the period are as follows:
i) Financial reporting
The Board reviewed the Annual Report, together with the preliminary and
interim results announcements. The Board also reviews and approves
Trading Announcements (as appropriate).
The Board together with the Audit Committee considered the
appropriateness of the Groups accounting policies, critical accounting
estimates and key judgments. It reviewed detailed accounting papers
prepared by management on areas of financial reporting judgment, as
outlined in the Audit Committee report on pages [41] to [42].
The Board together with the Audit Committee considered and is satisfied
that, taken as a whole, the Annual Report is fair, balanced and
understandable, and that it provides the information necessary for
shareholders to assess the Group’s performance, business model and
strategy.
ii) Management information systems
Effective planning, annual budgeting and monthly forecasting systems are
in place, as well as a monthly review of actual results compared with
forecast, budget and the prior year. The annual budget and monthly
forecasts are reviewed by the Board. Risk assessment and evaluation
takes place as an integral part of this process. Monthly reports on
performance are provided to the Board and the Group reports results to
shareholders twice a year.
Insurance cover for the Group, as well as individual operating companies,
has been procured where it is considered appropriate.
iii) Acquisitions, disposals and treasury
The Board also discusses in detail the projected financial impact of
proposed acquisitions and disposals, including their financing. All such
proposed investments are considered by all Directors. The Board is also
responsible for reviewing and approving the Groups treasury strategy,
including mitigation against changes in interest rates and foreign
exchange rates.
Organisations
There are well-structured financial and administrative functions at both the
Group and operating company level, staffed by appropriately qualified
individuals. The key functions at Group level include: Group accounting,
corporate development, Group treasury, Group legal, human resources, IT
and data services, company secretarial and Group taxation.
Other matters
The Group has no known issues relating to human rights or modern
slavery matters. The welfare of all the Groups stakeholders, including the
community, is carefully considered to ensure that such parties are not
adversely affected by the Group’s actions in the course of its day-to-day
business. Further details of the Groups stakeholder engagement
processes can be found in the Section 172 Statement on pages [10] to [11].
The information forming the Strategic report on pages [1] to [33] was
approved and authorised for issue by the Board and signed on their behalf
on [21] September 2022.
Guy Millward
Chief Financial Officer
[21] September 2022
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Governance
Our
41 Board of Directors
42 Corporate governance report
47 Audit Committee report
49 Nomination Committee report
50 Directors’ remuneration report
72 Directors’ report and other statutory information
74 Statement of Directors’ responsibilities
Image TBC
Our Governance
36
Financial StatementsStrategic Report
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
For visual only, text to be supplied
Contents TBC until all text supplied
Martin Morgan
Chair
Appointment to the Board
May 2018
Skills and experience
Martin Morgan has over 30 years
of media and B2B experience,
having spent a large proportion of
his career at Daily Mail and
General Trust plc (‘DMGT’). Martin
was Chief Executive of DMG
Information and subsequently held
the position of Chief Executive of
DMGT from 2008 to 2016. He was
a Non-Executive Director of
Euromoney Institutional Investor
plc between 2008 and 2016 and
Chair of Signal Media Limited
between 2017 and 2019.
Other appointments
Martin is currently Senior
Non-Executive Director at City of
London Investment Trust plc and
Advisor to MMC Ventures.
Mark Milner
Chief Executive Officer
Appointment to the Board
July 2019
Skills and experience
Mark Milner joined Wilmington
from the Daily Mail and General
Trust plc (‘DMGT’) where since
2001 he held a number of senior
roles. These included Chief
Executive Officer of Landmark
Information Group, its property
information division, from 2013 to
2018. Prior to this, Mark was Chief
Executive Officer of the Digital
Property Group, responsible for
running its consumer-focussed
property portals, PrimeLocation,
Findaproperty and Globrix until
their merger with Zoopla in 2012.
Between 2001 and 2008 Mark
held a variety of positions at
Associated Northcliffe Digital Ltd,
becoming Managing Director of
the Specialist Division. Whilst there
he was involved in the launch of
Mail Online, which subsequently
became the world’s most visited
English language news site. Mark’s
early career was spent in
commercial and sales roles in the
newspaper industry.
Guy Millward
Chief Financial Officer and
Company Secretary
Appointment to the Board
November 2020
Skills and experience
Guy Millward has extensive
experience in senior finance
positions at several publicly listed
and privately held technology
companies. His previous roles
include that of CFO at Imagination
Technologies Group plc,
Advanced Computer Software
Group plc, Quixant plc, Metapack
Limited and Bighand Limited,
Group Finance Director at Alterian
plc, Morse plc and Kewill plc. Guy
is a Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants in England
and Wales.
Other appointments
Guy is currently a Non-Executive
Director and Chair of the Audit
Committee at Eckoh plc.
Paul Dollman
Independent
Non-ExecutiveDirector
Appointment to the Board
September 2015
Skills and experience
Paul Dollman is a Chartered
Accountant and enjoyed a
successful career in finance as the
Group Finance Director of John
Menzies plc. l was also a
Non-Executive Director of Air
Partner plc, an aviation services
business where he was the Audit
Committee Chair until April 2022.
Paul is the Senior Independent
Director (SID).
Other appointments
Paul is the Audit Committee Chair
of Verastar, a private equity owned
business which provides essential
business services (telecoms,
water and energy and insurance)
to the small business market. He is
also a member of the Competition
Appeals Tribunal.
William Macpherson
Independent
Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
February 2021
Skills and experience
William Macpherson brings a
wealth of experience to
Wilmington following a successful
executive career as CEO of a
number of professional education
and skills development
organisations. He was CEO of QA
between 2008 and 2019 during
which time the company achieved
very significant growth. Prior to
that he was CEO of Kaplan
International, The Financial
Training Company and Wolters
Kluwer Professional Training.
William is the Director responsible
for worker representation at
Wilmington.
Other appointments
William is a Non-Executive Director
and Chair of Learning Curve Group
Limited, Chair of Hatcham College
Academy and a Non-Executive
Director of the London Film School.
Helen Sachdev
Independent
Non-ExecutiveDirector
Appointment to the Board
April 2020
Skills and experience
Helen Sachdev is a founding
Director of the B2B coaching
practice WOMBA (Work, Me and
the Baby). Helen brings a wealth of
experience to Wilmington
following a successful blue-chip
executive career in retail at
Sainsbury’s and Tesco, in retail
banking with Barclays and in
residential property with Marsh &
Parsons. She was Non-Executive
director of Communisis plc from
June 2018 until its acquisition in
December 2018, and a Non-
Executive Director of McKay
Securities plc until May 2022. She
is an accredited Ashridge coach
and a Fellow of the Chartered
Institute of Management
Accountants.
Other appointments
Helen is a Non-Executive Director
and Chair of the Loughborough
Building Society and a Non-
Executive Director and Chair of
PPL PRS Limited.
Committee key
A
Audit Committee
N
Nomination Committee
R
Remuneration Committee Committee Chair
Board of Directors
A N RA N R A N RA N R
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Corporate governance report
Chair’s introduction
Responsibility for good governance lies with the Board. As a Board we are
committed to maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance
and believe that an effective, challenging and diverse Board is essential to
enabling the Group to deliver its strategy and achieve long term value for
its stakeholders. Further information on our strategy and business model
can be found in the Strategic report on pages [3] to [4].
The Board is dedicated to setting the right tone at the top by promoting an
inclusive culture that fosters innovation, ambition and curiosity whilst
demonstrating the highest standards of integrity. Our robust governance
structure combined with our commitment to responsible business
practice sits at the heart of our approach to management at all levels,
facilitating sustainable growth that delivers positive outcomes for all of the
Groups stakeholders.
By promoting a responsible business culture we continue to demand the
highest professional standards from all of our people all of the time. To
reinforce that we have a comprehensive portfolio of policies accessible to all
staff to support their day-to-day decision making. We have a zero tolerance
approach to breaches of the conduct standards set out in these policies.
Further details of the work that underpins our approach to responsible
business are set out in the Sustainability report on page [12].
Compliance with the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code
The Group abides by the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code published
by the Financial Reporting Council (‘FRC’). The Board has put in place
provisions to ensure compliance with the Code such that it believes it is in
compliance except for the following matter:
i) The 2018 Code removes the small company exemption that the
Company has previously taken to allow the Chair to be a member of
the Audit Committee. The Board, advised by the Nomination
Committee, currently believe it is appropriate that the Chair remains a
member of the Audit Committee given the size of Wilmington plc and
his experience. This decision will be assessed annually.
Stakeholder engagement (Section 172 Companies Act 2006)
The Board has always considered the potential impact of the Groups
activities on its various stakeholders. The key stakeholders of the Group
are set out in the Strategic report on page [10] which also includes
information about how the Company engages with them and how the
Directors, supported by the wider business, show regard for the matters
set out under Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006. The Board believes
that the Company can only be successful when the interests of these
stakeholders are considered, and reflected accordingly in the Company’s
decision-making processes and strategic objectives.
The Board regards it as important to maintain an active dialogue with our
shareholders. Further details regarding engagement with shareholders are
set out on pages [10] to [11]. The Board receives regular reports from the
Executives, the Chair and from advisors on feedback from shareholder
meetings.
good governance
Martin Morgan
Non-Executive Chair
Demonstrating
Image TBC
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Corporate governance report continued
Composition and independence
The composition of the Board remained consistent during the year. The
Board reviews Non-Executive Director independence on an annual basis
and takes into account the individual’s professional experience, their
behaviour at board meetings and their contribution to unbiased and
independent debate. All of the Non-Executive Directors are considered by
the Board to be independent. The Chair was considered independent on
appointment.
The Board consisted of a majority of Independent Non-Executive
Directors throughout the year. Biographical details of all the current
Directors are set out on pages [34] to [35].
Diversity
The board believes that an inclusive culture will enhance diversity within
our business, which in turn is a key factor driving the Group’s success. Our
vision is for Wilmington to be a company with rich diversity, experiences,
knowledge, and perspectives, which powers our innovation and creativity
to help our customers to do the right business in the right way. During the
year our Diversity and Inclusion working group has implemented a wide
range of initiatives that are driving progress towards this vision.
At the start of the year we made a commitment to ensuring that
Wilmington has a robust data collection and analysis process in place to
facilitate more comprehensive reporting on indicators of diversity within
our workforce. By asking our employees to share their diversity data, we
are building a rich picture of the characteristics that make our people
unique, and this in turn is helping us to measure progress against our
ambition to create a truly inclusive working environment. The data we have
collected to better understand what makes our people unique is set out
alongside details of the progress made against our Diversity and Inclusion
strategy in the Sustainability report on page [13].
Governance framework
Chair
Board: Chair, two Executive Directors and three Non-Executive Directors
Executive Committee: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer,
Chief Operating Officer, and Chief People Officer
Business/Divisional
operating boards
Audit Committee
Nomination
Committee
Chief Executive
Officer
Remuneration
Committee
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Corporate governance report continued
Leadership composition
The below table outlines the gender identify of the senior leadership team,
including the executive committee, compared to that of the wider workforce.
Senior leadership team Wider workforce
Female Male Other
Prefer not
to say Female Male Other
Prefer not
to say
2022 [•] [•] [•] [•] [•] [•] [•] [•]
Leadership
The Board
The Company is controlled through the Board of Directors which, at 30
June 2022, comprised a Chair, two Executives and three Non-Executive
Directors. Short biographies of each Director are set out on pages [34] to
[35]. The Board focusses on the formulation of strategy, governance and
the establishment of policies, stewardship of resources and review of
business performance.
The Board may exercise all the powers of the Company, subject to the
Company’s articles of association (the ‘Articles’), the Companies Act 2006 and
any directions given by the shareholders by special resolution. The Articles
may be amended by a special resolution of the Companys shareholders.
The Board meets as often as necessary to discharge its duties effectively.
In the financial year ended 30 June 2022, eight main Board meetings were
scheduled and the Directors’ attendance record is set out on page [39].
The Board has three formally constituted Committees, the Audit
Committee, the Remuneration Committee and the Nomination
Committee, each of which operates with defined terms of reference. The
terms of reference of the three Committees are available on the
Company’s website www.wilmingtonplc.com. The Audit Committee met
three times during the year, the Nomination Committee met once, and the
Remuneration Committee met three times.
There is an Executive Committee that is responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Company’s business within a framework of delegated
responsibilities. It is chaired by the Chief Executive Officer and includes the
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief People Officer.
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
The roles of the Chair and the Chief Executive Officer are held by separate
individuals and the Board has clearly defined their responsibilities.
The Chair is primarily responsible for the effective working of the Board,
ensuring that each Director, including the Non-Executive Directors, is able
to make an effective contribution and provide constructive comments on
the business. The Chief Executive Officer has responsibility for all
operational matters which includes the implementation of Group strategy
and policies approved by the Board.
Non-Executive Directors
All the Non-Executive Directors are independent of the Company’s
executive management and free from any business or other relationship
that could materially interfere with the exercise of their independent
judgment. The Chair was considered independent on appointment. The
Non-Executive Directors are responsible for bringing independent and
objective judgment and scrutiny of all matters before the Board and its
Committees, using their substantial and wide-ranging experience.
The terms and conditions of appointment of Non-Executive Directors are
available for inspection at the Company’s registered office during normal
business hours and at the Annual General Meeting.
Senior Independent Director
Paul Dollman is the Senior Independent Director (‘SID’). His role as SID
includes:
being available to shareholders if they have concerns which contact
through the Chair, Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer
has failed to resolve (there were no requests from shareholders to
meet the SID during the year); and
meeting with the other Non-Executive Directors on the Board once a
year to assess the Chair’s performance, taking into account the views
of the Executive Directors.
Company Secretary
Guy Millward is the Company Secretary in addition to his role as an
Executive Director. In his role as Company Secretary, he supports the
Board in its operation and ensures that Board processes are followed and
good corporate governance standards are maintained. All Directors have
access to the advice and services of the Company Secretary. The Board
recognise the potential conflict in combining the roles of Chief Financial
Officer and Company Secretary, but believe it is appropriate for a Group of
Wilmingtons size given the other support available to the Directors.
The Directors
As at the date of this report the Directors of the Company are:
Chair
Martin Morgan
Executive Directors
Mark Milner
Guy Millward
Independent Non-Executive Directors
Paul Dollman (Senior Independent Director)
Helen Sachdev
William Macpherson
Balance of Directors
Female
Male
Executive
Independent Non-Executive
Chair
Martin Morgan
Mark Milner
Guy Millward
Helen Sachdev
Paul Dollman
William Macpherson
1717++3333++5050++KK
17%
33%
50%
8383++1717++KK
83%
17%
Length of tenure of Directors (years)
Number of complete years of service as a Director at 1 July 2022:
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Corporate governance report continued
Effectiveness
Meetings
The Board has a formal schedule of matters specifically reserved to it for
decision which it reviews periodically. This schedule includes approval of
acquisitions, disposals and items of major capital expenditure. The Board
also reviews the Groups Risk Register, wider risk assessment and viability
review. At each Board meeting the Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer provide a review of the business and its performance,
together with strategic issues arising. The Non-Executive Directors may
meet separately from the Executive Directors usually either before or after
Board meetings, to discuss relevant matters. In the year the range of
subjects discussed by the Board included:
the Groups financial results and key business;
progress on the ongoing strategic reviews;
the Groups debt and capital structure including the arrangements for
sufficient debt facilities;
dividend policy;
regulatory and governance issues;
the development of the Groups people including a quarterly talent review;
the Group’s Risk Register and its response to TCFD recommendations; and
insurance policy and cover.
In addition to the eight main meetings described above, the Board has two
strategy meetings each year at which the Groups strategic direction,
viability plan and significant projects are discussed.
Where additional meetings are required between main Board meetings
and a full complement of Directors cannot be achieved, a Committee of
Directors considers the necessary formalities.
Attendance table
Main Board
meetings attended
Main Board
meetings eligible
to attend
Martin Morgan (Chair) 8 8
Mark Milner (Chief Executive Officer) 8 8
Guy Millward (Chief Financial Officer) 8 8
Paul Dollman (Non-Executive) 8 8
Helen Sachdev (Non-Executive) 8 8
William Macpherson (Non-Executive) 8 8
Information flow
The Chair, together with the Company Secretary, ensures that the
Directors receive clear information on all relevant matters in a timely
manner. Board papers are circulated sufficiently in advance of meetings
for them to be thoroughly digested to ensure clarity of informed debate.
The Board papers contain the Chief Executive Officer’s and the Chief
Financial Officer’s written reports, high level papers on each business
area, key metrics and specific papers relating to agenda items. The Board
papers are accompanied by a management information pack containing
detailed financial and other supporting information. The Board receives
updates throughout the year and occasional ad hoc papers on matters of
particular relevance or importance.
Time commitment
The Board is satisfied that the Chair and each of the Non-Executive
Directors committed sufficient time during the year to enable them to fulfil
their duties as Directors of the Company. None of the Non-Executive
Directors have any conflicts of interest.
Induction and professional development
The Chair is responsible for ensuring that induction and training are
provided to each Director and for organising the induction process and
regular updating and training of Board members.
Training and updating in relation to the business of the Group and the legal
and regulatory responsibilities of Directors was provided throughout the
year by a variety of means including presentations by executives, visits to
business operations, external presentations and circulation of briefing
material. Individual Directors are also expected to take responsibility for
identifying their training needs and to ensure they are adequately informed
about the Group and their responsibilities as a Director. The Board is
confident that all its members have the knowledge, ability and experience
to perform the functions required of a Director of a listed company.
Access to independent advice
Any Director who considers it necessary or appropriate may take
independent, professional advice at the Company’s expense. None of the
Directors sought such advice in the year.
Board evaluation and performance review
Towards the end of the financial year, the Board conducted an internal
annual evaluation of its own performance, of each of its sub-committees
and of each individual Director. The Board considered the need for
external facilitation of this process but decided it was unnecessary at this
stage in its development.
The Board evaluation was led by the Chair. He conducted one-to-one
interviews with each of the Directors, and then reported to the Nomination
Committee where his findings were considered. The review concluded
that the Board, its sub-committees, and each of the Directors continued to
be effective. The Board noted that its diversity did not fully reflect the
position across the Group and resolved to consider this when making new
appointments.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Corporate governance report continued
Effectiveness continued
Nomination Committee
The Nomination Committee and the Board seek to maintain an
appropriate balance between the Executive and Non-Executive Directors.
The Nomination Committee Chair is William Macpherson. The Committee
has full responsibility for reviewing the Board structure and for interviewing
and nominating candidates to serve on the Board as well as reviewing
senior executive development. Suitable candidates, once nominated,
meet with the Chair and the Chief Executive Officer. The candidates are
then put forward for consideration and appointment by the Board as a
whole. The Committee has access to external professional advice at the
Company’s expense as and when required.
The main roles and responsibilities of the Nomination Committee are set
out in written terms of reference which are available on the Company’s
website, www.wilmingtonplc.com/investors/corporate-governance/
roles-board. Details of the Nomination Committees activities can be found
in the Nomination Committee report on page [43].
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is composed of all the Non-Executive Directors
including the Chair. The Audit Committee Chair is Paul Dollman. The Board
considers that Paul has the necessary recent and relevant experience to
fulfil the role.
The main roles and responsibilities of the Audit Committee are set out in
written terms of reference which are available on the Company’s website,
www.wilmingtonplc.com/investors/corporate-governance/roles-board.
Details of the Audit Committees policies and activities can be found in the
Audit Committee report on pages [41] and [42].
Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee is chaired by Helen Sachdev and consists
of all the Non-Executive Directors including the Chair. It is responsible for
recommending to the Board the framework and policy for Executive
Directors’ remuneration and for setting the remuneration of the Chair,
Executive Directors and senior management. Given the small size of the
Board, the Committee recognises the potential for conflicts of interest, and
has taken appropriate measures to minimise the risk. The Committee
meets at least twice a year, and takes advice from the Chief Executive
Officer and external advisors as appropriate. In carrying out its work, the
Board itself determines the remuneration of the Non-Executive Directors.
The Committee has the power to seek external advice, and to appoint
consultants as and when required in respect of the remuneration of
Executive Directors.
The main roles and responsibilities of the Remuneration Committee are
set out in written terms of reference which are available on the Companys
website, www.wilmingtonplc.com/investors/corporate-governance/
roles-board. Further details of the Groups policies on remuneration and
service contracts can be found in the Directors’ remuneration report on
pages [44] to [57].
Risk management and internal controls
The Board maintains an ongoing process for identifying, evaluating and
managing significant risks faced by the Group. The Board regularly
reviews this process, which has been in operation from the start of the
year to the date of approval of this report. In line with the
recommendations of TCFD, Board level oversight of climate-related risks
and opportunities sits with the Senior Independent Director and the Chief
Financial Officer. Further details on the key features of the risk
management and internal controls can be found in the section on risks and
uncertainties facing the business on pages [22] to [28].
Relations with shareholders
Dialogue with institutional shareholders
The Directors seek to build on a mutual understanding of objectives
between the Company and its institutional shareholders by means of a
programme of meetings with major shareholders, fund managers and
analysts each year. The Company also makes presentations to analysts
and fund managers following publication of its half year and full year
results. Copies of the presentations are available on the Company’s
website, www.wilmingtonplc.com/investors/reports-and-presentations.
The Board regularly receives updates on investor relations matters.
The Chair is available on request to attend meetings with major shareholders.
Since his appointment on 1 May 2018, the Chair attended a number of
such meetings. As referred to earlier, the SID is available to shareholders if
they have concerns which other contacts have failed to resolve.
The Groups website includes a specific and comprehensive investor relations
section containing all RNS announcements, share price information, annual
documents available for download and similar materials.
Constructive use of the Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting will be held on 23 November 2022 and a
separate notice convening the meeting is being sent out with this report
and financial statements. Details of resolutions to be proposed and an
explanation of the items of special business can be found in the circular
that accompanies the notice convening the meeting. Separate votes are
held for each proposed resolution.
All Directors attend the Annual General Meeting at which they have the
opportunity to meet with shareholders. After the formal business has been
concluded, the Chair welcomes questions from shareholders.
Substantial shareholdings
As at 31 August 2022, the Company is aware of the following interests
amounting to 3.0% or more in the Companys issued ordinary share capital:
Number of
ordinary shares %
Aberforth Partners LLP 14,866,652 16.93%
Chelverton Asset Management 6,700,000 7.63%
Gresham House Asset Management
Limited 6,333,480 7.21%
The Wellcome Trust Limited 5,682,400 6.47%
Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. 4,542,132 5.17%
Artemis Investment Management LLP 4,496,240 5.12%
FIL Limited 4,391,533 5.00%
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. 4,135,755 4.71%
Odyssean Investment Trust plc 4,000,000 4.55%
NFU Mutual Insurance Society Limited 2,686,485 3.06%
By order of the Board and signed on its behalf by:
Martin Morgan
Chair
[21] September 2022
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Audit Committee report
The Committee held three meetings in the year ended 30 June 2022 and
members’ attendance at meetings is set out below:
Committee
meetings
attended
Committee
meetings
eligible to
attend
Paul Dollman (Chair) 3 3
Martin Morgan 3 3
Helen Sachdev 3 3
William Macpherson 3 3
Dear Shareholder
I am pleased to present this year’s Audit Committee report. The
Committee supports the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities in respect of
monitoring the integrity of the Groups reporting process and adherence to
the Groups accounting policies and procedures as well as ensuring that
risks are carefully identified and assessed; and that sound systems of risk
management and internal control are implemented.
Committee membership and meetings
The Audit Committee (‘the Committee’) was in place throughout the
financial year and is chaired by Paul Dollman. The Board considers that
Paul has the appropriate financial expertise, as required by Principle C3.1
of the UK Corporate Governance Code (‘UK Code’), as he is a Chartered
Accountant, has held executive roles in financial positions in other
companies, including being Group Finance Director of a FTSE 250
company, and chairs another company’s audit committee.
The UK Code states that the Company Chair should not be a member of
the Audit Committee. However the Committee, in conjunction with the
Board, believes that given the size of Wilmington plc and Martin Morgans
extensive, relevant experience that it is appropriate that he remain a
member. This decision will be assessed annually.
The Committee meets at least twice during the year and as and when
required. Representatives of the external auditors attend each meeting
along with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the Group
Financial Controller and the Director of Group Finance, unless there is a
conflict of interest. Other relevant people from the business are also
invited to attend certain meetings or parts of meetings to provide a deeper
level of insight into certain key issues and developments. Once a year, the
Committee meets separately with the external auditors and with
management without the other being present.
integrity and
compliance
Supporting
Key activities
The key activities of the Audit Committee are as follows:
Financial reporting
Monitoring the integrity of the annual and interim financial statements,
the accompanying reports to shareholders and corporate governance
statements including any significant financial reporting judgments
contained in them.
Reporting to the Board the Companys assessment of any new or
amended accounting standards.
Providing advice to the Board on whether the Annual Report and
financial statements, when taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and
understandable and provides all the necessary information for
shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model
and strategy.
Risk management and internal controls
In conjunction with the Board reviewing and monitoring the
effectiveness of the Groups internal control and risk-management
systems, including reviewing the process for identifying, assessing and
reporting all key risks. See the risks and uncertainties facing the
business on pages [22] to [28].
To oversee the Groups Whistleblowing provisions, Modern Slavery
and ABC policies to ensure that they are operating effectively.
External audit
To make recommendations to the Board in relation to the appointment
and removal of the external auditors and to approve their remuneration
and terms of engagement.
To review and monitor the external auditors’ independence, objectivity
and the effectiveness of the audit process, taking into consideration
relevant UK professional and regulatory requirements.
To develop and implement policy on the engagement of the external
auditors to supply non-audit services, taking into account relevant
ethical guidance regarding the provision of non-audit services by the
external audit firm, and to report to the Board, identifying any matters in
respect of which it considers that action or improvement is needed and
making recommendations as to the steps to be taken.
Internal audit
To annually assess the internal audit requirements of the Company.
To monitor and review the effectiveness of the Internal Audit function.
Paul Dollman
Chair of the
Audit Committee
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Audit Committee report continued
Activities of the Committee in relation to the year
ended 30 June 2022
Assessed and reported to the Board on whether the Annual Report
and Accounts were fair, balanced and understandable.
Reviewed and discussed with the external auditors the key accounting
considerations and judgments reflected in the Groups results for the
six month period ended 31 December 2021.
Reviewed and agreed the external auditors’ audit plan in advance of
their audit for the year ended 30 June 2022.
Discussed the report received from the external auditors regarding
their audit in respect of the year ended 30 June 2022 which included
comments on their findings on internal control and a statement on their
independence and objectivity.
Considered key accounting matters and new accounting standards
with particular focus on the significant areas below.
Reviewed the Group’s whistle blowing policy, ensuring that it met FCA
rules and good standards of corporate governance.
Reviewed internal audit reports.
Reviewed, together with the Board, the Risk Assessment and Going
concern and viability review.
Key discussions in the year
The significant areas considered by the Committee and discussed with
the external auditors during the year were:
Key financial and IT controls
The Committee reviewed the adequacy and appropriateness of the
Groups system of controls and its effectiveness with relevant input from
the Groups external auditors. The Committee has continued to monitor
the Groups emerging risks in relation to technology and the suitability of
its technology controls in response to this.
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment
The Committee received reports from management on the carrying value
of goodwill and intangible assets. The Committee reviewed management’s
recommendations, which were also considered by the external auditors,
including evaluation of the appropriateness of the assumptions applied in
determining asset carrying values and the appropriateness of the
identification of cash generating units. After review, the Committee was
satisfied with the assumptions and judgments applied by management
and concluded that the carrying values were appropriate and no
impairments were required. .
Revenue recognition
The Committee considered the inherent risk of fraud in revenue
recognition as defined by auditing standards and was satisfied that there
were no issues arising.
External audit
This year Grant Thornton UK LLP completed their fourth year as the
Groups external auditors. Sergio Cardoso, completed his third year as the
external audit partner. The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing
the independence and objectivity of the external auditors and ensuring
this is safeguarded notwithstanding any provision of any other services to
the Group.
The Committee recognises the importance of safeguarding auditor
objectivity and has taken the following steps to ensure that auditor
independence is not compromised.
External auditors effectiveness
The Audit Committee carries out each year a full evaluation of the external
auditors as to its complete independence from the Group and relevant
officers of the Group in all material respects and that it is adequately
resourced and technically capable to deliver an objective audit to
shareholders. Based on this review the Audit Committee recommends to
the Board each year the continuation, or removal and replacement, of the
external auditors.
The external auditors’ report to the Directors and the Audit Committee
confirming their independence in accordance with Auditing Standards. In
addition to the steps taken by the Board to safeguard auditor objectivity,
the Audit Practice Board Ethical Standard 3 requires audit partner rotation
every five years for listed companies.
Non-audit services
The Committee considers that certain non-audit services should be
provided by the external auditors, because its existing knowledge of the
business makes this the most efficient and effective way for non-audit
services to be carried out. The Audit Committee give careful consideration
before appointing the auditors to provide other services. The Group
regularly use other providers to ensure that independence and full value
for money are achieved. Other services are generally limited to work that is
closely related to the annual audit or where the work is of such a nature
that a detailed understanding of the business is necessary.
In the year the external auditors performed non-audit services totalling
£15k which represents 5% of the audit fee of £300k. These services were
in relation to the interim review. The Audit Committee approved the
appointment of Grant Thornton on the basis that it was best placed to
provide the services and there was no conflict of interest with its role as
external auditors.
Internal audit
The Group operates a limited internal audit process which performs
relevant reviews as part of a programme approved by the Audit
Committee. The Committee considers any issues or risks arising from
internal audit in order that appropriate actions can be undertaken for their
satisfactory resolution.
Approved on behalf of the Audit Committee by:
Paul Dollman
Chair of the Audit Committee
[21] September 2022
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Nomination Committee report
Main activities of the Committee during the year and
subsequent to the year end
The key matters considered at these meetings were:
i) Board composition
The Committee reviewed the composition of the Board including the
range of skills, level of experience and balance between Executive and
Non-Executive Directors. The Committee also reviewed the membership
of the various Board Committees. The Committee concluded that the
current membership of the Board and the Board Committees was
appropriate for the needs of the business.
ii) Board evaluation
Details of the Board and sub-committee evaluation process undertaken in
this year are included in the Governance review on page [39]. As part of
that process the Non-Executive Directors met without the Company Chair
present to evaluate his performance. The review of the Company Chair’s
effectiveness was led by the SID. The review concluded that the Company
Chair had been highly effective in his role.
iii) Succession planning
The Committee kept under review the succession plans for both the
Executive and Non-Executive Directors and the level of senior
management immediately below Board level.
iv) Other senior management representation
The Committee maintained oversight over various senior management
changes that occurred across the Group over the year. Regular updates
were received from the executives on the progress of the searches and
the plans for dealing with reporting line changes that resulted from certain
of the departures.
v) Worker representation
William Macpherson is the Director responsible for worker representation.
Approved on behalf of the Nomination Committee by:
William Macpherson
Chair of the Nomination Committee
[21] September 2022
The Committee met once during the year to 30 June 2022 and members’
attendance at meetings is set out below:
Committee
meetings
attended
Committee
meetings
eligible to attend
William Macpherson (Chair) 1 1
Paul Dollman 1 1
Helen Sachdev 1 1
Martin Morgan 1 1
Dear Shareholder
am pleased to present the Nomination Committee report for the year
ended 30 June 2022.
Committee membership and meetings
The Nomination Committee (the ‘Committee’) is comprised of the
Company Chair and three Independent Non-Executive Directors.
Key responsibilities
The key responsibilities of the Committee are to:
review the size, balance and constitution of the Board including the
diversity and balance of skills, knowledge and experience of the
Non-Executive Directors;
consider succession planning for Directors and other senior
executives;
identify and nominate for the approval of the Board candidates to fill
Board vacancies;
review annually the time commitment required of Non-Executive
Directors; and
make recommendations for the Board, in consultation with the
respective Committee Chair regarding membership of the Audit and
Remuneration Committees.
a strong Board
Maintaining
William Macpherson
Chair of the Nomination
Committee
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report
effective policy]
[Implementing
The resilience of the business in response to challenging times
demonstrates the Groups ability to adapt to change and continue to
deliver exceptional customer service under the guidance of the strong
executive team. The Groups success also reflects the ongoing motivation
of our employees who continue to deliver to the highest standards in all
areas of activity. During the year we have invested in an enhanced
employee experience to further embed an inclusive culture and ensure our
people can progress their careers at Wilmington, whilst being recognised
and rewarded for their valuable contributions.
Wider workforce
We continue to engage regularly with our workforce on the issues that
matter to them, particularly diversity, wellbeing and development as well
as reward and recognition. Our employee engagement survey and
performance review process offer the opportunity to understand how
employees feel about their own reward.
During the year we carried out a comprehensive independent review
against the market in respect of reward for roles in the UK, USA and France.
This review informed our overall pay review process, resulting in average
budgeted salary increases of 5%. We have created a Wilmington grading
structure and provided additional funding in the pay review budget to
address market misalignment and to ensure pay equity for like-for-like roles.
We have also reviewed the bonus arrangements for the wider workforce
and created a structure where bonuses of all those who have a bonus plan
reflect consistent principles including a Group performance underpin and
a mix of divisional, business, team and personal objectives relevant to the
role function.
We continue to go beyond our voluntary UK gender pay gap reporting by
taking a global view and are pleased to report that the global gap for
median hourly pay has narrowed from 29.11% in 2021 to 18.93% in 2022.
The UK gap for median hourly pay has narrowed from 32.7% to 22.6%
since our last report, and has narrowed by 14% since we started reporting
in 2017. For the same period, UK mean hourly pay gap has narrowed by
12.7%, demonstrating that we are closing the difference in average pay
between male and female colleagues over time. Since our 2021 report, the
percentage of females in the UK fourth (or top) pay quartile has increased
by 8.4%. We are very pleased that globally, we have achieved an important
50/50 representation of male/female colleagues in the fourth quartile.
Committee
meetings
attended
Committee
meetings
eligible to attend
Helen Sachdev (Committee Chair) 4 4
Martin Morgan 4 4
Paul Dollman 4 4
William Macpherson 2 2
Remuneration Committee
Chair’sAnnualStatement
Dear Shareholder
On behalf of the Committee I am pleased to share our Directors
Remuneration report for the year to 30 June 2022.
Our Directors’ Remuneration report, which is subject to an advisory
shareholder vote at the 2022 AGM, explains the work of the Committee,
how we have implemented our Remuneration Policy (the Policy) for the year
to 30 June 2022 and how we intend to apply it for the 2023 financial year.
For ease of reference, a summary of the key elements of the Policy is
included on pages [47] to [48]. The full Policy as approved at the 2021 AGM
with 98% of all votes cast in favour, is included in the Directors’ Remuneration
report for the year ended 30 June 2021, which is available on the Company’s
website at www.wilmingtonplc.com/reports-and-presentations.
2022 remuneration in the context of our business
performance and outcomes for our key stakeholders
Our aim is to always consider the wider workforce, our shareholders and
other stakeholders by taking a fair, prudent and balanced approach to
remuneration, in line with the Board’s wider stakeholder engagement
strategy as disclosed in the Section 172 statement on page [10] and [11].
As detailed in our Strategic report, we continue to deliver our strategy and
our strong progress is reflected by the exceptional results we have
reported. This successful delivery of our strategic objectives was
underpinned by the Board’s decision in June 2021 to restructure the
Groups operating model into two divisions - consolidating our position in
the dynamic GRC market – and to invest further in digital and data
capabilities by developing single technology platforms in each division.
Helen Sachdev
Chair of the
Remuneration Committee
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Table TBC
Strapline TBC
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Vesting will also be subject to an underpin such that average ROCE over
the performance period must be at least [10]%, and any awards that vest
will be subject to a two year post-vesting holding period in line with the
Policy.
Impact of changes on overall total compensation
The Committee is mindful of the impact of base salary increases on the
value of the total package. However, the value of the total package
continues to be modest against the market norm for a company of our size
and complexity, and the changes outlined above move the value of total
package for our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
towards the mid-point of the market range. The majority of the package
continues to be performance related, which is aligned with the interests of
our shareholders. We also recognise that increasing the level of
competitiveness in salaries and the PSP will require the continued delivery
of performance, coupled with appropriately stretching targets for annual
variable and long-term compensation.
Chair fees and Non-Executive Fees
We have also taken the opportunity to review our Chair fee level. Martin
Morgan joined the business in 2019 on a fee of £125,000. His fee reduced
to £121,000 as all Non-Executives took a voluntary pay reduction for 3
months in 2020. Taking into account the performance of the business and
Martin’s contribution his base fee was increased from £128,000 to
£140,000 with effect from 1 July 2022.
A committee appointed by the Executive Directors and the Chairman has
reviewed fees for the other Non-Executive Directors. The outcome was
that the base fee of £49,000 with no additional fees for chairing
committees will be increased by 5%, in line with the increase for the wider
workforce with effect from 1 July 2022, to £51,450.
Conclusion
We remain committed to a responsible approach to executive
remuneration, as I trust this Directors’ Remuneration report demonstrates.
We believe that the Policy operated as intended in respect of the year to
30 June 2022 and consider that the remuneration received by the
Executive Directors was appropriate, taking account of the Groups
performance during the year, their personal performance and the
experience of shareholders and employees.
I look forward to receiving your support at our 2022 Annual General
Meeting, where I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have on
this report or in relation to any of the Committee’s activities.
Helen Sachdev
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
[21] September 2022
The Committee’s intention is that base salary increases for the Executive
Directors will revert to being in line with the wider workforce for the rest of
the three-year Policy.
Pension
As disclosed in last year’s Directors’ Remuneration report, Mark Milner has
agreed to a reduction in his pension / cash in lieu of pension so that it will
be aligned with the wider workforce in the UK by the end of 2022 (5% of
salary). Accordingly, Mark will receive pension equal to 10% of salary
between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2022, reducing to 5% of salary with
effect from 1 January 2023. Guy Millward receives a pension / cash in lieu
of pension of 5% of salary in line with the level available to the majority of
the wider workforce in the UK.
Annual bonus
Each of the Executive Directors are eligible to earn a bonus of up to 125%
of salary. The performance metrics weighting has been rebalanced
compared to the last financial year following the introduction of an organic
growth measure. Vesting will be based on adjusted PBT (42.5% of the
opportunity), organic revenue growth (42.5% of the opportunity) and key
strategic and ESG measures (15% of the opportunity). Details of the
performance measures and achievements against them will be set out in
next year’s Directors’ Remuneration report. 20% of the bonus earned will
be deferred into shares for two years in line with the Policy.
PSP
The maximum PSP opportunity under our Policy is equal to 150% of salary.
Awards in respect of the year to 30 June 2023 will be granted at a level of
125% of salary for Mark Milner and 100% of salary for Guy Millward.
The business has performed very strongly over the last year, and to reflect
this Mark Milner’s award opportunity has increased to 125% of salary
(2022: 100%) in line with the Committees commitment set out in last year’s
Directors’ Remuneration report.
Vesting will be subject to performance measures based on adjusted EPS
and organic revenue growth as follows:
Adjusted EPS
for the year ended
30 June 2025
(65% of award)
Organic revenue
growth: compound
annual growth
rate over the
three years
ending
30 June 2025
(35% of award)
Vesting*
(% maximum)
Maximum [26.8]p [10.4]% 100%
Threshold [22.8]p [8.4]% 25%
* Straight-line vesting between threshold and maximum.
Annual bonus and PSP awards vesting in respect of
the performance period to 30 June 2022
The Committee has reviewed performance against each of the previously
approved measures to determine the bonus outturn and PSP vesting in
respect of the period ended 30 June 2022. Based on exceptional delivery
against performance measures in the year, the Committee approved a
bonus outturn equal to 125% of salary for the Executive Directors.
The Committee also reviewed the outturn of the performance metrics
applied to the PSP award granted to Mark Milner in September 2019. The
performance over the three-year period to 30 June 2022 was considered
and the Committee approved an outturn of 40.7% in respect of this award.
Guy Millward joined the Group in November 2020 so did not receive a
2019 PSP award.
The Committee reviewed the formulaic outturn of both the bonus and the
PSP award, and after careful consideration concluded that these outturns
were appropriate and reflected the performance of the Group in the
periods to which they relate. Details of the performance measures and
achievements against them in respect of the bonus and PSP awards are
set out on page [52] and [53] respectively.
Implementation of our Policy for the year ending 30
June 2023
Base salary and fees
Mark Milner’s base salary was increased by 5% with effect from 1 July 2021
to £367,500, reflecting Marks strong performance and contribution since
he joined the business in June 2019. As set out in the Remuneration report
last year, the Committee agreed that an increase of a similar amount
above the average increase for the wider workforce will be made with
effect from 1 July 2022.
Since Mark joined the business the Groups market capitalisation has
increased by over 20% from circa. £178m to 30 June 2019 to circa. £217m
to 30 June 2022. As set out above the Groups repositioning and
redirection, acceleration of our digitalisation programme and investment in
new products over the last two years is also being reflected in our strong
results and progress against our strategic goals. Taking into account
Mark’s performance in role and performance of the business, and the fact
that his pension contribution has reduced from 10% of salary to 5% in line
with the wider workforce, his base salary increased by 8% to £397,000
with effect from 1 July 2022. This increase is within the range of increases
given to high performing talent who have demonstrated strong
progression in role.
Guy Millward’s salary was increased by 5% to £280,000 with effect from 1
July 2022, in line with the average increase for the wider workforce in the UK.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Directors’ Remuneration Policy
The Remuneration Policy was approved by shareholders at the 2021 AGM on 3 November 2021, and became effective from this date. The full Remuneration Policy as approved by shareholders is available in the 2021 Annual Report,
found on our website at www.wilmingtonplc.com/reports-and-presentations.
We have set out a summary below of those parts of the Remuneration Policy which we consider shareholders will find most useful in the context of the Directors’ reward for the year ended 30 June 2023.
When determining the Policy, the Committee considered clarity, simplicity, risk, predictability, proportionality and alignment to culture as set out in the Corporate Governance Code. Further details are set out in the 2021 Directors’ Remuneration report.
Element Financial year 2022/23 operation and opportunity summary
Base salary The Committee has reviewed base salary taking into account:
performance of the Group and pay conditions elsewhere in the workforce;
performance of the individual;
changes in position or responsibility; and
market competitiveness.
The Committee considered all of these factors in concluding that Mark Milner’s base salary will increase by 8% and Guy Millward’s base salary will increase by 5%, effective 1 July 2022.
Pension The Committee has the discretion to pay cash supplements in lieu of some or all pension contributions in appropriate circumstances.
Mark Milner’s pension contribution will reduce from 10% to 5% of salary effective 1 January 2023 to align to the level available to the wider workforce. There will be no change to Guy Millward’s
pensions contribution which already aligns to that available to the wider workforce.
Benefits Executive Directors receive benefits in line with market practice.
The Directors will continue to receive a car allowance, private medical insurance and income protection benefit.
Bonus The maximum bonus is 125% of base salary.
The majority of the bonus opportunity will be determined by financial measures, with stretching targets set each year reflecting the business priorities which underpin Group strategy and align
to key performance indicators.
The measures set for 2022/23 and their relative weighting are:
Adjusted PBT - 42.5%
Organic revenue growth - 42.5%
ESG and strategic measures - 15%
Vesting of the maximum opportunity will apply on a sliding scale up to 100% of maximum potential for each element of the bonus based on the satisfaction of performance conditions, with no
more than 50% of the potential earned for achieving a target level of performance.
Performance share plan (‘PSP’) Awards in respect of the Company’s 2022/23 financial year will be at a level not exceeding 125% of base salary.
Awards under the PSP will be based on financial metrics with respect to at least 80% of the award, and metrics chosen will be those which the Committee considers to be the most
appropriate measures of longer-term performance. Metrics chosen in respect of the 2022/23 award are:
Earnings per share – 65%
Compound annual organic revenue growth – 35%
The threshold pay-out level under the PSP is 25% of the maximum award.
There will usually be straight line vesting between threshold and maximum performance.
The level of vesting in respect of any metric is subject to the Committee’s discretion to override formulaic outturns.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Directors’ Remuneration Policy
Shareholding guidelines
In-service
To further align the interests of Executive Directors with those of
shareholders, we have adopted formal shareholding guidelines, in
accordance with which Executive Directors must retain 50% of the after
tax shares they acquire on the vesting of PSP and DBP awards until such
time as a total personal shareholding equal to 200% of base salary has
been achieved. Shares which are subject to the two year holding period
under the PSP or which are subject to a DBP award will count towards the
requirement, on a net of assumed tax basis where relevant.
Post-employment
The Committee has adopted a post-employment shareholding
requirement. Shares are subject to this requirement only if they are
acquired from PSP and DBP awards granted after 1 July 2021. Following
employment, an Executive Director must retain:
for the first year after employment, such of their shares which are
subject to the post-employment requirement as have a value for these
purposes equal to 100% of salary; and
for the second year after employment, such of those shares as have a
value for these purposes equal to 50% of salary,
or in either case and if fewer, all of those shares.
Illustration of the application of the remunerationpolicy
The following charts set out for each of the Executive Directors an illustration of the application for the financial year 2022/23 of the Remuneration Policy
set out above. The charts show the split of remuneration between fixed pay and variable pay in the Policy for:
- minimum remuneration receivable — salary, fees, taxable benefits and pension;
- the remuneration receivable if the Director was, in respect of any performance measures or targets, performing in line with the Company’s
expectation;
- maximum remuneration receivable (not allowing for any share price appreciation); and
- maximum remuneration receivable assuming a 50% increase in the Company’s share price for the purposes of the PSP element.
455
324
Guy Millward (£,000)
Minimum
performance
Performance
in line with
expectations
Maximum
performance
Maximum
performance
plus share price
appreciation
Bonus
PSP
Fixed pay
100%
54%
30%
16%
592
34%
37%
29%
954
30%
38%
32%
1,094
Mark Milner (£,000)
Minimum
performance
Performance
in line with
expectations
Maximum
performance
Maximum
performance
plus share price
appreciation
Bonus
PSP
Fixed pay
100%
52%
19%
29%
868
27%
44%
29%
1,695
32%
34%
34%
1,447
The Committee believes an appropriate proportion of the Executive Directors’ remuneration links reward to corporate and individual performance and is
aligned to the Groups strategic priorities.
In illustrating the potential reward, the following assumptions have been made:
Basic performance In line with expectations Maximum performance Maximum performance plus share price appreciation
Fixed pay Based on salary effective as at 1 July 2022, £397,000 for Mark Milner and £280,000 for Guy Millward. A pension contribution of 10% of
salary between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2022, reducing to 5% of salary with effect from 1 January 2023 (in the case of Mark Milner)
and 5% (in the case of Guy Millward) and benefits earned for the year ended 30 June 2022.
Bonus No bonus 50% of the maximum bonus is
earned (i.e. 62.5% of salary)
125% of salary 125% of salary
PSP No PSP vesting 33% of the PSP awards vest
(i.e.33% of salary)
In the case of Mark Milner:
125% of salary
In the case of Guy Millward:
100% of salary
In the case of Mark Milner: 125% of salary plus an
assumed 50% increase in the share price.
In the case of Guy Millward: 100% of salary plus an
assumed 50% increase in the share price.
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ Remuneration Policy continued
Non-Executive Directors
Purpose and link to strategy Operation Opportunity Performance metrics
Non-Executive Director fees and
provision of relevant benefits
Fees are set at a level that reflects market
conditions and is sufficient to attract
individuals with appropriate knowledge
andexperience.
Fees are reviewed periodically and amended to reflect
any change in responsibilities and time commitments.
Where appropriate external advice is taken on setting
market competitive fees.
The Non-Executive Directors do not participate in any
of the Groups share incentive plans nor do they receive
any benefits or pension contributions.
Non-Executive Directors may be eligible to receive
benefits such as the use of secretarial support, travel
costs or other benefits that may be appropriate.
Fees are based on the time commitment and
responsibilities of the role.
Fees are subject to an overall cap as set out
in the Company’s articles of association.
Not applicable.
Service Contracts and letters of appointment
Details of the Executive Directors’ service contracts and Non-Executive Directors’ letters of appointment are set out on below.
Executive Directors Contract commencement date Notice period
Mark Milner July 2019 12 months
Guy Millward November 2020 12 months
Non-Executive Directors Date of initial appointment Notice period Expiry of current term
Martin Morgan May 2018 6 months 23 November 2022
Paul Dollman September 2015 3 months 23 November 2022
Helen Sachdev April 2020 3 months 23 November 2022
William Macpherson February 2021 3 months 23 November 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Annual Report on Remuneration
Certain details set out on pages [51] to [55] of this report have been audited by Grant Thornton UK LLP.
Introduction (unaudited information)
The following section provides details of the remuneration earned by the Directors in respect of the year in line with the Directors’ Remuneration Policy
approved by shareholders at the 2021 Annual General Meeting.
Single total figure of remuneration for each Director (audited information)
The tables below report the total remuneration receivable in respect of qualifying services by each Director during the year.
2022
Total salary
and fees
(a)
£’000
Taxable
benefits
(b)
£’000
Pensions
related
benefits
(c)
£’000
Total fixed
remuneration
£’000
Annual
bonus
(d)
£’000
PSP
(e)
£’000
Total
variable
remuneration
£’000
Tot al
£’000
Executive Directors
Mark Milner 368 32 32 432 [459] 175 634 1,066
Guy Millward 266 32 11 309 [333] 333 642
Non-Executive Directors
Martin Morgan 128 128 128
Paul Dollman 49 49 49
Helen Sachdev 49 49 49
William Macpherson 49 49 49
2021
Total salary
and fees
(a)
£’000
Taxable
benefits
(b)
£’000
Pensions
related
benefits
(c)
£’000
Total fixed
remuneration
£’000
Annual
bonus
(d)
£’000
PSP
(e)
£’000
Total variable
remuneration
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Executive Directors
Mark Milner 350 39 30 419 350 350 769
Guy Millward
1
170 20 7 197 170 170 367
Non-Executive Directors
Martin Morgan 128 128 128
Paul Dollman 49 49 49
Helen Sachdev 49 49 49
William Macpherson
2
19 19 19
a) Total salary and fees – the amount of salary/fees received in the year.
b) Taxable benefits – the taxable value of benefits received in the year (i.e.
car allowance, private medical insurance and income protection) plus,
in the case of Mark Milner, the value of the SAYE option granted in
November 2020.
c) Pensions related benefits – this is the amount of the cash payments in
lieu of pension contributions made in the year.
d) Annual bonus — the value of the bonus earned in respect of the year,
of which 20% will be deferred in shares. A description of performance
against the objectives, which applied for the year ended 30 June 2022,
is provided on page [52].
e) PSP – the value of performance related incentives vesting in respect of
the financial year. A description of performance against the targets
which applied for the awards vesting in respect of performance in the
financial year is provided on page [53]. The award will vest on 30
September 2022 and the estimated value of the award shown above is
based on the three month average share price to 30 June 2022 (£2.43)
and the value of dividends that would have accrued on vested shares
during the performance period, which will be paid to Mr Milner.
1. Guy Millward joined the Board on 5 November 2020. His remuneration reported in the single
figure table is from this date.
2. William Macpherson joined as Non-Executive Director the Board on 11 February 2021. His
remuneration reported in the single figure table is from this date.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Total salary and fees
Total salary and fees are based on the need to retain the skills and
knowledge that the Executive and Non-Executive Directors bring to
theCompany.
For the year ended 30 June 2022 (audited information)
For the year ended 30 June 2022 Mark Milner’s salary was increased by
5% to £367,500 and Guy Millward’s salary was increased by 2% to
£266,220. As disclosed in last year’s Directors’ Remuneration report, Mark
Milner’s salary increase was awarded taking into account that he had not
received a salary increase since his appointment as Chief Executive
Officer in June 2019 and his strong performance and contribution since
hisappointment.
Pensions related benefits
For the year ended 30 June 2022 (audited information)
Neither Mark Milner nor Guy Millward participated in a pension scheme.
They were paid an amount of £31,973 and £11,474 respectively in the year
in lieu of pension contributions, reflective of 9% of his annual salary net of
employers’ national insurance contributions in the case of Mark Milner and
5% of his annual salary net of employers’ national insurance contributions
in the case of Guy Millward.
Annual bonus
For the year ended 30 June 2022 (audited information)
Each Executive Director was eligible to earn a bonus of up to 125% of their
salary, with the performance measures weighted as follows in respect of
the maximum opportunity.
Measure
Weighting
(% of base salary)
Adjusted Profit measure* 81.25%
Strategic and operational measures 31.25%
ESG measure 12.50%
The following provides the Adjusted Profit and personal strategic objectives reference points together with the out-turns for 2021/2022.
Minimum
target set
Maximum
target set
Performance
out-turn
Bonus earned
as a % of
base salary
Adjusted Profit* £16.7m £26.5m £20.7m 81.25%
* Adjusted Profit is profit before adjusting items, impairment, and other income.
Strategic and operational measures
Objectives Weighting
(% of base
salary)
Assessment of performance Bonus earned
(% of base
salary)
Deliver next phase of digital transformation plans in
Training & Education division.
10.41% Next phase of digital transformation implemented in full
during the period. Progress enhanced by subsequent
delivery of additional initiatives relating 2022/23 roll-out
phase.
[10.41]%
Effectively implement internal strategic reviews to drive
organic growth strategy
10.41% Internal reviews of lower margin businesses performed in
H1. Detailed strategic improvement plans produced and
phased one recommendations implemented effectively
resulting in enhanced long-term growth plans approved
by the Board.
[10.41]%
Employee engagement survey participation rate exceeds
85% and actions are taken to address challenges raised.
10.41% Participation in the engagement survey was 91%,
exceeding target of 85% and prior year 87%,
demonstrating strong communication channels between
the executive directors and the wider workforce. Clear
action plan developed to address priority areas of
employee feedback, with investment in initiatives to
support learning and development, employee experience
and reward delivered in Q4.
[10.41]%
Deliver reduction in absolute scope 1&2 CO
2
emissions
and establish commitment to future carbon reduction.
12.5% Absolute market-based scope 1&2 carbon emissions
reduced by 82% driven by review of energy procurement
strategy. Net zero targets set in line with 1.5°C trajectory
and residual emissions offset via high quality verified
schemes.
[12.5]%
The Executive Directors therefore earned bonuses equal to 125% of salary (equivalent to 100% of maximum opportunity:
Mark Milner: £[459,375]
Guy Millward: £[332,775]
20% of the amount earned will be deferred into shares for two years.
The Committee carefully considered the bonus outturns in the context of overall performance, including the quality of earnings and ROCE performance,
and the shareholder and employee experience. The Committee considered that the bonus outturns were appropriate.
Directors’ remuneration report continued
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
PSP
Awards vesting in respect of the year ended 30 June 2022 (audited information)
PSP awards were granted to Mark Milner on 30 September 2019 that are due to vest on 30 September 2022. The awards were subject to EPS growth,
ROE and relative TSR performance against the FTSE SmallCap index over a three year period to 30 June 2022. The table below details the Company’s
performance against these performance measures for the three year performance period and the vesting out-turn.
Target range
Element
Weighting
(% of award)
Minimum (25%
of maximum)
Maximum (100%
of maximum) Performance Vesting
Annual EPS growth in excess of RPI 33.3% 3.0% 9.0% -1% 0%
ROE
1
33.3% 25.0% 29.0% 25.9% 14.0%
TSR versus FTSE SmallCap 33.3% Median Upper quartile
Between
median and
upper quartile 26.7%
Total vesting outcome 40.7%
1. For the purposes of the PSP, ROE is defined as three year adjusted EBITA less impairment and adjusting items included in operating expenses divided by the average equity attributable to the owners
of the parent.
Number of
shares
granted
2
Number of shares
vesting based on
performance
Dividend
Equivalents
3
Total value of
award on vesting
4
Amount of award
attributable to
share price
appreciation
since grant
Mark Milner 168,269 90,865 3,774 £175,225 14%
2. A share price of £2.08 (five day average share price prior to grant) was used to determine the number of shares granted. The value of the vested shares is estimated based on a share price of £2.43.
Therefore, the proportion of the total value of the award attributable to share price growth since the grant date is estimated to be 13%. The Committee did not consider that it was necessary to exercise
discretion in respect of share price appreciation since the grant date.
3. Calculated based on the value of dividends that would have accrued on vested shares during the performance period.
4. Calculated based on the three month average share price to 30 June 2022 (£2.43).
Mark Milner is required to hold no less than 50% of the vested shares (net of tax) for a minimum of two years post-vesting.
The Committee carefully considered the PSP outturn in the context of overall performance, including the quality of earnings and ROCE performance, and
the shareholder and employee experience. The Committee considered that the PSP outturn was appropriate.
PSP Awards granted during the year
In respect of the year ended 30 June 2022 the following PSP awards were granted as detailed in the table below.
Name Date of grant
Type of
award
Maximum
opportunity
Number of
shares
Face value at
grant
% of award
vesting at
minimum
threshold
Mark Milner 30 September 2021 PSP 100% of salary 164,946 £367,500
1
25%
Guy Millward 30 September 2021 PSP 100% of salary 119,488 £266,220
1
25%
1. The face value is based on a price of 223p being the average share price from the five business days immediately preceding the award being granted on 30 September 2021.
The performance measures are disclosed below:
65% of award — EPS in the 2023/2024
financial year Percentage of Award Vesting
Less than 18.0p 0.0%
18.0p 25.0%
More than 18.0p but less than 21.5p
21.5p or more than 21.5p
On a straight line basis between
25.0% and 100.0%
100%
35% of award — Organic revenue growth
over a performance period from the
2020/2021 financial year to the 2023/2024
financial year Percentage of Award Vesting
Less than 7% 0.0%
7% 25.0%
More than 7% but less than 9%
On a straight line basis between
25.0% and 100.0%
9% or more than 9% 100%
The Committee may reduce the extent of vesting if the Committee
considers that any value of the vested award represents a windfall gain
caused by the impact on the share price due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In
assessing this, the Committee will take into account a number of factors,
including share price performance over the vesting period on an absolute
and relative basis against peer companies, underlying financial
performance of the Group during the performance period, the impact of
any significant events during the vesting period on the Group’s share price
or the market as a whole.
The Executive Directors will be required to retain all of the vested shares
(net of taxes) for a minimum of two years post-vesting.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Shareholding guidelines and statement of Directors’ share awards (audited information)
Shareholding guidelines for Executives have been adopted, linked to the outturn from the PSP. At the time awards vest under the PSP (or any other Executive plan established in the future), Executive Directors will be expected to
retain no fewer than 50% of vested shares (net of taxes) until such time as a total personal shareholding equivalent to 200% of pre-tax base salary has been achieved. This retention requirement also applies to 50% of the net vested
shares under deferred bonus awards.
The holdings of those persons who served as Directors during the year, and of their families, are as follows:
Beneficial/
non-beneficial
At
30 June
2021
Movement
in year
At
30 June 2022
At
30 June 2022
Percentage
Mark Milner Beneficial 45,000 45,000 0.05%
Guy Millward Beneficial
Martin Morgan Beneficial 90,000 90,000 0.10%
Paul Dollman Beneficial 40,000 40,000 0.05%
Helen Sachdev Beneficial 10,000 10,000 0.01%
William Macpherson Beneficial 10,000 10,000 0.01%
As at 30 June 2022 the Company’s share price was 230.00p and its highest and lowest share prices during the year ended 30 June 2022 were 205.00p and 262.00p respectively. Interests are shown as a percentage of shares in
issue at 30 June 2022.
Executive Directors interests under share schemes (audited information)
Awards held under the PSP and SAYE scheme by each person who served as a Director during the year ended 30 June 2022 are as follows:
Award date Type of award
Number of
shares at
1 July 2020
Granted
during the
year
Lapsed during
the year
Exercised during
the year
Number of
shares
at 30 June[ 2021]
Date which
awards vest
Mark Milner 30 Sept 2019
1
PSP 168,269 168,269 30 Sept 2022
Mark Milner 30 Sept 2020
2
PSP 285,714 285,714 30 Sept 2023
Mark Milner 19 Oct 2020 SAYE 18,750 18,750 1 Dec 2023
Mark Milner 30 Sept 2021
3
PSP 164,946 164,946 30 Sept 2024
Guy Millward 26 Feb 2021
2
PSP 52,791 52,791 30 Sept 2023
Guy Millward 30 Sept 2021
3
PSP 119,488 119,488 30 Sept 2024
1. Performance conditions for awards granted on 30 September 2019 are disclosed on page [53]. The awards are expected to vest at 40.7%.
2. Performance conditions for awards granted on 30 September 2020 and 26 February 2021 are disclosed in the 2020/21 financial year Annual Report and Accounts.
3. Performance conditions for awards granted on 30 September 2021 are disclosed on page [53].
2021/22 figures to be confirmed/supplied
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Dilution (unaudited information)
Awards under the Company’s discretionary schemes which may be
satisfied by a new issue of shares must not exceed 5.0% of the Company’s
issued share capital in any rolling ten year period and the total of all awards
satisfied via new issue shares under all plans (both discretionary and
all-employee) must not exceed 10.0% of the Company’s issued share
capital in any rolling ten year period.
At 30 June 2022, the headroom under the Company’s 5.0% and 10.0%
limits was 605,158 and 4,211,647 shares respectively, out of an issued
share capital of 87,828,755 shares.
Payments for loss of office (audited information)
No payments for loss of office were made during the year.
Payments to former Directors (audited information)
As disclosed in last year’s Directors’ Remuneration report, when Richard
Amos, the former Chief Financial Officer, left the Company he retained his
2019 PSP award on a time pro-rated basis and subject to the achievement
of the applicable performance conditions assessed over the originally
anticipated performance period. The 2019 PSP award will vest on the
same basis as Mark Milner’s award (40.7% of maximum), meaning that
after the time pro-ration, Richard Amos’ award will vest in respect of 16,125
shares plus dividend equivalents (in respect of dividends that would have
accrued on vested shares during the performance period). He will be
required to retain at least 50% of the shares that he acquires (after sales to
cover tax liabilities) until at least the second anniversary of the vestingdate.
Performance graph and table (unaudited
information)
The following graph shows, for the year ended 30 June 2022 and for each
of the previous nine years, the total shareholder return on a holding of the
Company’s ordinary shares compared with a hypothetical holding of
shares of the same kind and number as those by reference to which the
FTSE All – Share Media Index and the FTSE Small Cap Index are
calculated. These indices have been chosen as the appropriate
comparators because the Committee believe they contain the most
comparable companies against which to appraise the Company’s share
performance.
Chief Executive Officer single figure (unaudited information)
Tota l
remuneration
£’000
Annual bonus
as a % of
maximum
opportunity
%
PSP as a % of
maximum
number of
shares
%
202[0]/2022 Mark Milner [1,066] [125]% 40.7%
2020/2021 Mark Milner 769 100%
2019/20 Mark Milner 389
2018/19 Pedro Ros 398 21.8% 33.3%
2017/18 Pedro Ros 565 60.9%
2016/17 Pedro Ros 814 61.7% 84.1%
2015/16 Pedro Ros 677 73.1%
2014/15 Pedro Ros 671 78.5%
2013/14 Charles J Brady 943 88.6% 91.8%
2012/13 Charles J Brady 935 80.0% 55.0%
Percentage change in remuneration of Directors andemployees (unaudited information)
The year-on-year percentage change in salary, taxable benefits and annual bonus on a rolling basis, for the Executive and Non-Executive Directors and
employees of the Company on a full-time equivalent basis. The average employee change has been calculated by reference to the mean of employee
pay over the same period.
Wilmington Group
FTSE SmallCap
FTSE All Share Media
Value (£) (rebased)
100
200
300
400
500
0
30 June 2012 30 June 2013 30 June 2014 30 June 2015 30 June 2016 30 June 2017 30 June 2018 30 June 2019 30 June 202230 June 202130 June 2020
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Salary /fees
Taxable
benefits
2
Annual bonus
Mark Milner 2021/2022 5% (20%) 31%
2020/2021 5% 34% 100%
2019/2020 0% 0% (100%)
Guy Millward
1
2021/2022 2% 4% 27%
2020/2021 [n/a] 0% 0%
2019/2020 0% 0% 0%
Martin Morgan 2021/2022 0% 0% 0%
2020/2021 6% 0% 0%
2019/2020 (3%) 0% 0%
Paul Dollman 2021/2022 0% 0% 0%
2020/2021 4% 0% 0%
2019/2020 (2%) 0% 0%
Helen Sachdev 2021/2022 0% 0% 0%
2020/2021 4% 0% 0%
2019/2020 0% 0% 0%
William Macpherson
1
2021/2022 0% 0% 0%
2020/2021 [n/a] 0% 0%
2019/2020 0% 0% 0%
Average employee 2021/2022 1% 0% 21%
2020/2021 0% 0% 60%
2019/2020 2% 0% (50%)
1. In order to provide meaningful comparison with remuneration for 2021/2022, Guy Millward and
William Macpherson’s remuneration for 2020/2021 has been annualised, to reflect the fact that
both joined the Board during the year ended 30 June 2021.
2. The decrease in taxable benefits in the year awarded to Mark Milner relates to the grant of
SAYE options in 2020/2021.
The increase in average employee salary and fees in the year reflect an
average salary increase for continuing employees of 2%, offset by the
impact of restructuring and vacancies. The increase in Directors’ salaries
in the year reflect a holistic view of performance and other factors as
outlined in the Remuneration Committee Chair’s statement on pages
44-46. See previous Directors’ Remuneration reports for explanations as
regards the percentage change in salary, taxable benefits and annual
bonus in respect of previous years.
Relative importance of spend on pay (unauditedinformation)
The difference in actual expenditure between 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 on remuneration for all employees in comparison to distributions to
shareholders by way of dividend is detailed in the table below. The significant increase in distributions to shareholders by way of a dividend is primarily
due to the final 2020 dividend being withheld in response to ongoing uncertainty around the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. There were no share
buybacks during the year.
2021/22
£’000
2020/21
£’000
Change
%
Expenditure on remuneration for all employees 47,374 47,884 -1%
Distributions to shareholders by way of a dividend 5,492 1,829 200%
CEO pay ratio
The following table discloses the ratios between the single total figure of remuneration (‘STFR’) of the Chief Executive Officer for 2020/21 and 2021/22
and the lower quartile, median and upper quartile pay of Wilmington’s UK employees for those years. The STFR of employees at each quartile has been
calculated on a full-time equivalent basis as at the final day of the relevant financial year. Wilmington is committed to ensuring competitive pay for all
colleagues.
Method
25th
percentile
pay ratio
Median
pay ratio
75th
percentile
pay ratio
2021/22 Option B 40:1 24:1 14:1
2020/21 Option B 28:1 21:1 13:1
2019/20 Option B 14:1 10:1 6:1
Single total figures of remuneration used to calculate the above ratio
CEO 25th percentile pay ratio Median pay ratio 75th percentile pay ratio
Method
Total pay
and benefits
£’000
Tota l
salary
£’000
Total pay
and benefits
£’000
Tota l
salary
£’000
Total pay
and benefits
£’000
Tota l
salary
£’000
Total pay
and benefits
£’000
Tota l
salary
£’000
2021/22 Option B 1,066 368 70 63 40 37 24 23
Reporting regulations offer three methodologies to calculate the CEO pay ratio – Options A, B and C. The above table has been calculated by adopting
Option B, which was determined as the most appropriate methodology for Wilmington. It was decided that Option B would be the most appropriate
approach as Wilmington had already completed a comprehensive analysis of UK employees for the purpose of gender pay gap reporting. As such, the
most recent gender pay gap data, due to be published in September 2022, was used to determine the employees at the 25th percentile, median and 75th
percentile. A single total figure of remuneration was then calculated for each of the relevant employees using a consistent approach to the calculation of
the single total figure of remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer on page [51] based on remuneration as at 30 June 2022. For example, variable
bonus payments and employer pension contributions were added to the gender pay data to ensure the STFR reflected all relevant remuneration received
in respect of the year ended 30 June 2022. The pay data for a sample of employees at each percentile was then reviewed for accuracy and consistency
and as such, Wilmington believes the selected employees are reasonably representative of the 25th, median, and 75th percentiles.
It is expected that the CEO pay ratio has the potential to vary considerably
year-on-year due to the significant variable remuneration element
included. 40.7% of the PSP award granted to the CEO on 30 September
2019 will vest on 30 September 2022 in respect of three year performance
to 30 June 2022. No PSP award was capable of vesting in respect of three
year performance ended 30 June 2021 for the CEO. This variance in PSP
vesting is the primary reason for an increase in the ratio relating to the year
ended 30 June 2022.
The Company believes that the median pay ratio is consistent with the pay,
reward, and progression policies for the Company’s UK employees as a
whole.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ remuneration report continued
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Implementation of the policy for the year ending
30June 2023 (unaudited information)
The Committee Chair’s Statement on pages [44] to [46] describes how the
policy will be implemented for the year ending 30 June 2023.
Details of the Remuneration Committee, advisors to
the Committee and their fees (unaudited information)
Details of the Directors who were members of the Committee during the
year are disclosed on pages [34] and [35]. The Committee has also
received assistance from the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the
remuneration of the other Executive Director and on the Company’s
remuneration policy more generally. He is not in attendance when his own
remuneration is discussed.
During the year, the Committee received independent advice from the
following external consultants:
Committees advisors
2021/22
£’000
Aon Hewitt Limited provided advice to the Committee on
performance analysis. 2
Deloitte LLP provided advice to the Committee on
executive remuneration, including annual bonus
performance measures and the preparation of the
Directors’ remuneration report. 23
Deloitte LLP was appointed by the Committee in 2013; the Group also
engages Deloitte LLP to provide advice in relation to the Company’s share
plans. Deloitte is a member of the Remuneration Consultants Group and,
as such, voluntarily operates under the Code of Conduct in relation to
executive remuneration consulting in the UK. Aon Hewitt Limited was
appointed by the Committee in previous years. The Committee took into
account the Remuneration Consultants Group’s Code of Conduct when
reviewing the appointment of Aon Hewitt Limited and Deloitte LLP.
The Committee is satisfied that all advice received was objective and
independent.
Details of the attendance of the Committee are set out in the table below:
Committee member Member since
Committee
meetings
attended
Committee
meetings
eligible to
attend
Helen Sachdev (Committee Chair) April 2020 3 3
Martin Morgan May 2018 3 3
Paul Dollman September 2015 3 3
William Macpherson February 2021 3 3
Statement of voting at general meeting (unaudited information)
At the Annual General Meeting held on 3 November 2021 the Annual Report on remuneration received the following votes from shareholders:
Annual Report on remuneration
Total number
of votes % of votes cast
For 72,070,678 97.89%
Against 1,553,300 2.11%
Total votes cast (for and against) 73,623,978
Votes withheld
Total votes (including withheld votes) 73,623,978
At the Annual General Meeting held on 3 November 2021 the Directors’ Remuneration Policy received the following votes from shareholders:
Directors’ Remuneration Policy
Total number
of votes % of votes cast
For 72,064,696 97.88%
Against 1,559,282 2.12%
Total votes cast (for and against) 73,623,978
Votes withheld
Total votes (including withheld votes) 73,623,978
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
57
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ report and other statutory information
The Directors present their report together with the audited consolidated
financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2022. The Directors
report comprises pages [58] and [59] and the sections of the Annual
Report incorporated by reference are set out below which, taken together,
contain the information to be included in the Annual Report, where
applicable, under Listing Rule 9.8.4.
Board membership pg [34]
Dividends pg [5]
Directors’ long term incentives pg [47]
Corporate governance report pg [36]
Future developments of the business of the Group pg [3]
Employee equality, diversity and involvement pg [13]
Events after the reporting period pg [98]
Subsidiaries of the Group pg [83]
Financial risk management pg [86]
Sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions pg [12]
S172 statement and stakeholder engagement pg [10]
Going concern pg [66]
Viability statement pg [32]
Notice concerning forward-looking statements
This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements. Although the
Group believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, these statements are not guarantees of future
performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and
actual results and events could differ materially from those currently being
anticipated as reflected in such forward-looking statements.
The terms ‘expect’, ‘estimate’, ‘forecast’, ‘target’, ‘believe’, ‘should be’, ‘will
be’ and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. Factors which may cause future outcomes to differ from
those foreseen in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited
to, those identified under ‘Principal risks and uncertainties’ on pages [22]
to [28] of this Annual Report.
The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report speak
only as of the date of publication of this Annual Report and the Group
therefore cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-
looking statements. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation,
the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release
publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements
contained in this document to reflect any change in the Groups
expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on
which any such statement is based.
General information
The Company is public limited and is incorporated and domiciled in the
UK. The Company is listed on the main market of the London Stock
Exchange. The Company’s registered address is 10 Whitechapel High
Street, London E1 8QS.
Branches outside the UK
The Group does not operate any branches outside the UK.
Research and development activities
The Group invests in research and development to support the
development of its businesses which can rely on technology to deliver
their data, information, education and training services. Examples of
investments undertaken in the year are included in the financial review on
pages [19] to [21].
Political donations
No political donations were made during the year (2021: nil).
Directors and Directors’ interests
All Directors are equally accountable for the proper stewardship of the
Company’s affairs. Executive and Non-Executive Directors offer
themselves for election or re-election at each Annual General Meeting as
a result of the Company deciding to adopt best practice guidelines and the
2018 UK Corporate Governance Code, located on the FRC’s website at
www.frc.org.uk/directors/corporate-governance-and-stewardship/
uk-corporate-governance-code.
Details of the remuneration, service contracts, letters of appointment and
interests in the share capital of the Company for the Directors who have
served during the year are set out in the report on Directors’ remuneration
on pages [44] to [57].
As disclosed in note 28 none of the Directors had any material interest in
any contract, other than an employment contract, that was significant in
relation to the Groups business at any time during the year.
Directors’ third-party indemnity provisions
To reduce the possibility of the Company incurring expenses which might
arise from the need to indemnify a Director or Officer from claims made
against them or the cost associated with their defence, the Group has in
place Directors’ and Officers’ qualifying third-party liability insurance as
permitted by the Companies Act 2006, which has been in force
throughout the financial year and up to the date of approval of these
financial statements.
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
58
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Directors’ report and other statutory information continued
Inclusivity and employee engagement
The Groups recruitment policy ensures that all job applications are
reviewed on a fair basis free from discrimination. This policy aligns strongly
to our work to embed an inclusive culture across the Group, and to our
accessibility agenda as set out in the Sustainability report on page [15].
The policy includes provision to ensure that any candidate or employee
who has or develops a disability, long term health condition or impairment
is considered fairly in our recruitment and career progression processes.
The Group also has a policy to ensure that it makes reasonable
adjustments for all candidates or employees to reflect their needs and
allow them to participate fully, develop and thrive in our business.
Please refer to Section 172 on page [10] for information regarding actions
taken during the year to maintain employee engagement.
Financial instruments
An explanation of the Groups treasury policies and existing financial
instruments are set out in note 21 of the financial statements.
Purchase of own shares and sale of treasury shares
The Group has, in previous years, purchased its own shares and holds
such shares in treasury. At 30 June 2022, 65,970 shares were held in
Treasury (2021: 34,533), which represents 0.1% (2021: 0.1%) of the share
capital of the Company.
During the year the Wilmington Group plc Employee Share Ownership
Trust (‘ESOT’) purchased 170,097 ordinary shares for the purpose of
future settlement of employee share schemes. These shares will ultimately
be used by the Trust for the settlement of awards granted under the
Company’s employee share schemes. The Company seeks authority from
its shareholders at each Annual General Meeting to purchase its own shares.
In May 2022 Wilmington issued a further 224,838 ordinary voting shares
to satisfy the Company’s obligations under the SAYE Plan.
Contracts of significance with shareholders
The Company and its subsidiary undertakings do not have any contractual
or other arrangements with any continuing shareholders which are
essential to the business of the Company.
Takeover directive disclosures
As at 30 June 2022, the Company had only one authorised class of share,
namely ordinary shares of 5p each, of which there were in issue 87,828,755
(2021: 87,603,917). There are no special arrangements or restrictions
relating to any of these shares, whether in terms of transfers, voting rights,
or relating to changes in control of the Company. The Company does not
have any special rules in place regarding the appointment and
replacement of Directors, or regarding amendments to the Companys
articles of association.
Under the terms of the Company’s banking arrangements, in the event
that a person or group of persons acting in concert gains control of the
Company, the lending banks may require, by giving not less than 30 days
notice, the repayment of any debt and the cancellation of facilities.
Subject to various conditions, if the Company is taken over, all share
awards and options will vest and may be exercised.
Except for share awards and options, and the banking arrangements
described above there are no special conditions or agreements in place
which would take effect, alter or terminate in the event of a takeover.
Apart from the interests of the Directors disclosed in the report on
Directors’ remuneration and the substantial interests listed on page [40]
there are no individuals or entities with significant holdings, either direct or
indirect, in the Company.
Annual General Meeting
A separate notice convening the Annual General Meeting of the Company
to be held at the head office, 10 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 8QS
on 23 November 2022 will be circulated to shareholders with this Annual
Report and financial statements.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
[The Group seeks to create an
environment in which every
memberof its workforce helps
tofoster a culture of equality,
diversity and inclusion.]
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic report and
Annual Report, the Directors’ remuneration report and the financial
statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for
each financial year. Under that law the Directors have prepared the
financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting
Standards (‘IFRSs’) adopted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002
as it applies in the European Union and international accounting standards
in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. 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 and profit or loss of the Company and Group for that period. In
preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and
prudent; and
state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the United Kingdom
have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and
explained in the financial statements.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records
that are sufficient to show and explain the Company’s transactions and
disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the
Company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements and the
Directors’ remuneration report comply with the Companies Act 2006 and
Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. They are also responsible for safeguarding
the assets of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Directors confirm that:
so far as each Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of
which the Company’s auditor are unaware; and
the Directors have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as
Directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit
information and to establish that the Company’s auditor are aware of
that information.
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report in
accordance with applicable law and regulations. Having taken advice from
the Audit Committee, the Directors consider the Annual Report and the
financial statements, taken as a whole, provides the information necessary
to assess the Company’s performance, business model and strategy and
is fair, balanced and understandable.
The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the
corporate and financial information included on the Company’s website.
Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and
dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other
jurisdictions.
To the best of our knowledge:
the Group financial statements, prepared in accordance with IFRSs as
adopted by the United Kingdom, 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; and
the Strategic report and Directors’ report include a fair review of the
development and performance of the business and the position of the
Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as
a whole, together with a description of the principal risks and
uncertainties that they face.
Approved on behalf of the Board by:
Guy Millward
Chief Financial Officer
[21] September 2022
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
76 Independent auditors’ report
82 Consolidated income statement
83 Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
84 Balance sheets
85 Statements of changes inequity
87 Cash flow statements
88 Notes to the financial statements
120 Pro forma five year financial summary (unaudited)
121 Advisors and corporate calendar
Statements
Financial
Financial Statements
68
Strategic Report Our Governance
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
For visual only, text to be supplied
Opinion
Our opinion on the financial statements is unmodified.
We have audited the financial statements of Wilmington plc (the ‘parent
company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘Group’) for the year ended 30 June 2021,
which comprise the consolidated income statement, the consolidated
statement of comprehensive income, the Group and Company balance
sheets, the Group and Company statements of changes in equity, the
Group and Company cash flow statements and notes to the financial
statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The
financial reporting framework that has been applied in the preparation of
the Group financial statements is applicable law and international financial
reporting standards adopted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 1606/2002
as it applies in the European Union and international accounting standards
in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. The
financial reporting framework that has been applied in the preparation of
the parent company financial statements is international accounting
standards in conformity with the requirements of, and as applied in
accordance with the provisions of, the Companies Act 2006.
In our opinion:
the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the
Groups and of the parent company’s affairs as at 30 June 2021 and of
the Groups loss for the year then ended;
the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in
accordance with international financial reporting standards adopted
pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 1606/2002 as it applies in the
European Union and international accounting standards in conformity
with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006;
the parent company financial statements have been properly prepared
in accordance with international accounting standards in conformity
with the requirements of, and as applied in accordance with the
provisions of, the Companies Act 2006; and
the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the
requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group
financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on
Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under
those standards are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities
forthe audit of the financial statements’ section of our report. We are
independent of the Group and the parent company in accordance with
theethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial
statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard as applied
tolisted public interest entities, and we have fulfilled our other ethical
responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that
the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to
provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
We are responsible for concluding on the appropriateness of the Directors’
use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit
evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events
or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Groups and the parent
company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a
material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our report
to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures
are inadequate, to modify the auditors’ opinion. Our conclusions are based
on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our report. However,
future events or conditions may cause the Group or the parent company
to cease to continue as a going concern.
As part of our risk assessment, we evaluated the Groups and the parent
company’s cash position, assessed the Group’s and the parent companys
performance and headroom against bank covenants throughout the year,
considered the Groups and the parent company’s lack of reliance on
government assistance and the parent company’s ability to pay dividends,
and concluded that the Groups and the parent company’s ability to
continue as a going concern was not a significant risk that required special
audit consideration.
Our evaluation of the Directors’ assessment of the Groups and the
parentcompany’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis
ofaccounting included reviewing management’s base case cash flow
forecasts covering the period to 30 September 2022 and challenging the
underlying assumptions, and reviewing forecast covenant compliance
throughout the going concern period. We obtained management’s reverse
stress test prepared to consider the scenario that would cause a breach
incovenant compliance and evaluated the impact and availability of
mitigating actions available to management to restrict the impact on
theGroups and the parent company’s performance and covenant
compliance. Our assessment also included a review of the accuracy
ofmanagements past forecasting and an assessment of the adequacy
ofrelated disclosures within the Annual Report.
In our evaluation of the Directors’ conclusions, we considered the inherent
risks associated with the Groups and the parent company’s business
model including effects arising from macro-economic uncertainties such
as Brexit and Covid-19, we assessed and challenged the reasonableness
of estimates made by the Directors and the related disclosures and
analysed how those risks might affect the Group’s and the parent
company’s financial resources or ability to continue operations over the
going concern period.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material
uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively,
may cast significant doubt on the Groups and the parent company’s ability
to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from
when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Directors
use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the
financial statements is appropriate.
In relation to the Groups and the parent company’s reporting on how they
have applied the UK Corporate Governance Code, we have nothing
material to add or draw attention to in relation to the Directors’ statement
inthe financial statements about whether the Directors considered it
appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting.
The responsibilities of the Directors with respect to going concern are
described in the ‘Responsibilities of Directors for the financial statements
section of this report.
Independent auditors’ report
to the members of Wilmington plc
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For visual only, text to be supplied
Our approach to the audit
Overview of our audit approach
Overall materiality:
Group: £719,000, which represents0.65%
oftheGroups forecast revenue.
Parent company: £540,000, which represents
0.3% of the parent company’s total assets,
capped at 75%of Group materiality.
Key audit matters were identified as:
Impairment of goodwill (same as
previousyear)
Recognition of revenue (same as
previousyear)
Our auditors’ report for the year ended
30June 2020 included two key audit
matters that have not been reported as
keyaudit matters in our current year’s report.
These relate to going concern and to the
application of International Financial
Reporting Standard (IFRS) 16 ‘Leases
andare not included as they have not
beenassessed as significant risks for the
current year.
We performed full scope audit procedures
on the financial statements of Wilmington plc
and on the financial information of Wilmington
Holdings No.1 Limited, Wilmington Shared
Services Limited, Wilmington Publishing &
Information Limited, Axco Information
Services Limited, Wilmington Healthcare
Limited, Mercia Group Limited, International
Compliance Training Limited and Bond
Solon Training Limited.
Full scope or specified audit procedures
were performed on the financial information
of components representing 78% of the
Groups revenue and 82% of the Groups loss
before tax.
Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement,
were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements of the
current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material
misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) that we identified. These
matters included those that had the greatest effect on: the overall audit
strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts
of the engagement team. These matters were addressed in the context of
our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion
thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.
Description Audit response
Key audit matters
Disclosures Key observations
In the graph below, we have presented the key audit matters, significant
risks and other risks relevant to the audit.
Key Audit Matter – Group How our scope addressed the matter – Group
Impairment of goodwill
We identified impairment of
goodwill as one of the most
significant assessed risks of
material misstatement due
toerror.
In accordance with International
Accounting Standard (IAS) 36
‘Impairment of Assets’, goodwill
is subject to an annual
impairment test.
The Group holds £65.8m of
goodwill on its balance sheet,
including £11.9m relating to the
UK Healthcare cash generating
unit (CGU), after recognising an
impairment in the year of £8.4m.
We consider that the carrying
value of the goodwill intangible
asset associated with the UK
Healthcare CGU is a significant
risk due to the low amount of
headroom for this CGU, the
sensitivity to key assumptions,
and the level of management
judgement included in the inputs
into the impairment calculation,
such as the rate used to discount
future cash flows, the cash flow
forecasts and the growth rates.
In responding to the key audit matter,we
performed the following audit procedures:
obtaining management’s impairment
review model and testing the
mathematical accuracy;
assessing the appropriateness of
management’s determination of CGUs
and changes in CGUs identified
compared to the prior year;
assessing the appropriateness of the
asset amounts included in the carrying
value of each of the CGUs by agreeing
to underlying accounting records;
assessing the discount rate applied,
including an assessment by our valuation
specialists, and benchmarking the rate
against that used by competitors;
assessing the appropriateness of
thegrowth rates applied, by reference
to industry and market data;
performing sensitivity analysis on
thevalue in use calculation performed
by management;
testing the accuracy of management’s
forecasting througha comparison of
budget toactual data and historical
variance trends;
obtaining and challenging the key
assumptions relating to the Groups
cash flow forecasts; and
assessing the accuracy and sufficiency
of financial statement disclosures relating
to the impairment of goodwill in the UK
Healthcare CGU, and the sensitivity of
this impairment to key variables.
Relevant disclosures in the
Annual Report and Financial
Statements 2021
Financial statements: note 12,
Goodwill
Audit Committee report:
Goodwill and intangible
assetimpairment
Key observations
Our audit work did not identify any
material errors in the impairment of
goodwill associated with UK Healthcare
CGU during the year.
Extent of management judgement
High
High
Low
Low
Potential
financial
statement
impact
3
6
4
7
10
8
1
Key audit matter Significant risk Other risk
9
2
5
11
12
1. Intangible assets
2. Intercompany receivables
(parent company only)
3. Trade receivables
4. Accruals
5. Share option expenses
6. Operating expenses
7. Borrowings
8. Investments
(parent company only)
9. Employee remuneration
10. Recognition of revenue
11. Going concern
12. Impairment of goodwill
Scoping
Key audit
matters
Materiality
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For visual only, text to be supplied
Key Audit Matter – Group How our scope addressed the matter – Group
Recognition of revenue
We identified recognition of
revenue as one of the most
significant assessed risks
ofmaterial misstatement due
tofraud.
Under International Standard on
Auditing (UK) 240 ‘The Auditor’s
Responsibilities Relating to
Fraud in an Audit of Financial
Statements’, there is a
presumption that there are risks
of fraud in revenue recognition.
The Group has a number of
revenue streams which include
performance obligations
recognised at both a point in time
and over time, spanning less than
one year and not involving
complex arrangements.
We assessed the risk of fraud
tobe greatest in the final quarter
of the year, where there is an
increased risk of manipulation
ofthe timing or quantum of
revenue. This could lead to
revenue being inappropriately
recognised in the year rather
than being deferred. There is
also an associated risk relating
tothe completeness of
deferredrevenue.
In responding to the key audit matter,we
performed the following audit procedures:
assessing the design effectiveness
ofrelevant controls in respect of
revenue recognition;
assessing the stated accounting
policies in respect of revenue
recognition and whether these are
consistent with IFRS 15 ‘Revenue
fromContracts with Customers
andwhether revenue has been
recorded in accordance with the
accounting policies;
performing substantive testing on
asample of revenue transactions
during the year with a particular focus
on the final quarter, across each of the
significant revenue streams to assess
whether revenue is recognised in
accordance with the contract terms
and agreeing to supporting evidence
to confirm occurrence; and
performing cut off procedures to
ensure that revenue was recognised in
the correct period via testing of
revenue through to deferred income
schedules, and vice versa, prior period
deferred income to revenue listing in
the current period.
Relevant disclosures in the
Annual Report and Financial
Statements 2021
Financial statements: note 3,
Revenue
Audit Committee report:
Revenue recognition
Key observations
Our audit work did not identify any
material errors in the recognition of
revenue during the year.
We did not identify any key audit matters relating to the audit of the
financial statements of the parent company.
Key audit matters continued Our application of materiality
We apply the concept of materiality both in planning and performing the audit, and in evaluating the effect of identified misstatements on the audit and of
uncorrected misstatements, if any, on the financial statements and in forming the opinion in the auditors’ report.
Materiality was determined as follows:
Materiality measure Group Parent company
Materiality for financial
statements as a whole
We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement in the financial statements that, individually or in the aggregate,
could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of the users of these financial statements. We use
materiality in determining the nature, timing and extent of our audit work.
Materiality threshold £719,000, which represents 0.65% of the Groups
forecastrevenue.
£540,000, which represents 0.3% of the parent companys
total assets, capped at 75% of Group materiality.
Significant judgements made
byauditor in determining
themateriality
This benchmark is considered the most appropriate
because consistent and sustainable revenue streams
isakey performance indicator for the Group.
Materiality for the current year is higher than the level
thatwe determined for the year ended 30 June 2020
asmateriality was based on 0.65% of forecast revenue
inbothyears and forecast revenue was higher this year.
This benchmark is considered the most appropriate
because the parent company’s purpose is to hold material
investments in subsidiary companies and receivable
amounts from subsidiary companies, and does not trade.
Materiality for the current year is higher than the level that
we determined for the year ended 30 June 2020 to reflect
the increase in the parent company’s total assets in the
current year and the capping at 75% of Group materiality
referred to above, which was higher this year.
Performance materiality
usedto drive the extent of
ourtesting
We set performance materiality at an amount less than materiality for the financial statements as a whole to reduce to
an appropriately low level the probability that the aggregate of uncorrected and undetected misstatements exceeds
materiality for the financial statements as a whole.
Performance materiality threshold £540,000, which is 75% of financial statement materiality. £404,000, which is 75% of financial statement materiality.
Significant judgements made by
auditor in determining the
performance materiality
In determining performance materiality, we made the
following significant judgements:
Our experience with auditing the financial statements of
the Group in previous years – based on the number and
quantum of identified misstatements in the prior year
audit and management’s attitude to correcting
misstatements identified;
Our assessment of the strength and effectiveness of the
control environment; and
The number of components within the Group and the
extent of audit procedures planned and performed at
these components.
In determining performance materiality, we made the
following significant judgements:
Our experience with auditing the financial statements of
the parent company in previous years – based on the
number and quantum of identified misstatements in the
prior year audit and managements attitude to correcting
misstatements identified; and
Our assessment of the strength and effectiveness of the
control environment.
Specific materiality We determine specific materiality for one or more particular classes of transactions, account balances or disclosures
for which misstatements of lesser amounts than materiality for the financial statements as a whole could reasonably be
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
Specific materiality We determined a lower level of specific materiality for the
following areas:
Related party transactions; and
Directors’ remuneration.
We determined a lower level of specific materiality for the
following areas:
Related party transactions; and
Directors’ remuneration.
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Performance
materiality
£539,250
Performance
materiality
£404,438
Tolerance for potential
uncorrected
misstatements
£179,750
Tolerance for potential
uncorrected
misstatements
£134,812
Materiality measure Group Parent company
Communication of
misstatements to the
AuditCommittee
We determine a threshold for reporting unadjusted differences to the Audit Committee.
Threshold for communication £35,950 and misstatements below that threshold that, in
our view, warrant reporting on qualitative grounds.
£26,960 and misstatements below that threshold that, in
our view, warrant reporting on qualitative grounds.
The graph below illustrates how performance materiality interacts with our overall materiality and the tolerance for potential uncorrected misstatements.
An overview of the scope of our audit
We performed a risk-based audit that requires an understanding of the Groups and the parent companys business and in particular matters related to:
Understanding the Group, its components, and their environments, including Group-wide controls
obtaining an understanding of the Group and its environment, including Group-wide controls, and assessing the risks of material misstatement at the
Group level;
evaluation by the Group audit team of identified components to assess the significance of each component and to determine the planned audit
response based on a measure of materiality.
Identifying significant components
in setting our audit scope we determined any individual component which contributed more than 10% to consolidated revenues or consolidated
underlying profit or loss before taxation to be financially significant to the Group;
financially significant components were identified as Wilmington Publishing & Information Limited and Wilmington Healthcare Limited. Wilmington plc
and Wilmington Shared Services Limited were also identified as significant components due to qualitative factors. These four components were
subject to full scope audit procedures and represent 23% of the Groups revenue and 22% of the Groups loss before tax. All work in relation to these
components was performed by the Group audit team;
five further components were identified as not being financially significant but still requiring full scope audit procedures, being Wilmington Holdings
No1 Limited, Axco Information Services Limited, Mercia Group Limited, International Compliance Training Limited and Bond Solon Training Limited.
All work in relation to these components was performed by the Group audit team;
five further components were identified for specified audit procedures on specific balances. The work on these components was targeted according
to the nature of the balances within these components. All work in relation to these components was performed by the Group audit team
the remaining 42 components were subject to analytical procedures commensurate with their significance to the Groups results and financial position.
Type of work to be performed on financial information of parent
and other components
for the parent company and other financially significant components
requiring a full-scope approach, we evaluated the design and
implementation of controls over the financial reporting systems
identified as part of our risk assessment and addressed critical
accounting matters. We then undertook substantive testing on
significant transactions and material account balances;
for components identified as not being financially significant but still
requiring a full-scope approach, the financial information of each
component was subjected to audit procedures to component materiality;
for components identified for specified audit procedures, audit
procedures were performed on revenue balances to provide us with
assurance for the significant risk and key audit matter of the
recognition of revenue.
Performance of our audit
work performed over full scope components and specified procedures
components covered 78% of the Groups revenue and 82% of the
Groups loss before tax; and
the remaining components of the Group were subject to analytical
procedures commensurate with their significance to the Groups
results and financial position.
Changes in approach from prior year
the subsidiary Bond Solon Training Limited has been identified as not
being financially significant but still requiring a full-scope audit this year,
whereas it was identified as requiring specified audit procedures in the
prior year.
Audit approach
No. of
components
% coverage
Revenue
% coverage
Loss before tax
Significant, requiring
full-scope audit 4 23% 22%
Not significant, requiring
full-scope audit 5 37% 56%
Specified audit
procedures 5 18% 4%
Analytical procedures 42 22% 18%
Our application of materiality continued
Overall materiality – Group Overall materiality – parent company
Financial statements materiality Financial statements materiality
Revenue Total assets
9999++11++00++KK
9898++22++KK
£719,000 £539,250
£113.0m £164.4m
25% 25%
75% 75%
Independent auditors’ report continued
to the members of Wilmington plc
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Independent auditors’ report continued
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Other information
The Directors are responsible for the other information. The other
information comprises the information included in the Annual Report and
financial statements, other than the financial statements and our Auditors
report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the
other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in
our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility
is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the
other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or
our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially
misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material
misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material
misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the
other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude
that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are
required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Our opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act
2006 are unmodified
In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ remuneration report to be audited
has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
the information given in the Strategic report and the Directors’ report
for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is
consistent with the financial statements; and
the Strategic report and the Directors’ report have been prepared in
accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matter on which we are required to report under the Companies
Act 2006
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Group and the
parent company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit,
we have not identified material misstatements in the Strategic report or the
Directors’ report.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to
which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent
company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received
from branches not visited by us; or
the parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors
remuneration report to be audited are not in agreement with the
accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are not
made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require
for our audit.
Corporate governance statement
The Listing Rules require us to review the Directors’ statement in relation
to going concern, longer term viability and that part of the Corporate
Governance Statement relating to the Groups and the parent company’s
compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance
Statement specified for our review.
Based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded
that each of the following elements of the Corporate Governance
Statement is materially consistent with the financial statements or our
knowledge obtained during the audit:
the Directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether the
Directors considered it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis
of accounting in preparing the financial statements and the Directors
identification of any material uncertainties to the Group’s and the
parent company’s ability to continue to do so over a period of at least
twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements;
the Directors’ explanation in the Annual Report as to how they have
assessed the prospects of the Group and the parent company, over
what period they have done so and why they consider that period to be
appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable
expectation that the Group and the parent company will be able to
continue in operation and meet their liabilities as they fall due over the
period of their assessment, including any related disclosures drawing
attention to any necessary qualifications or assumptions;
the Directors’ statement that they consider the Annual Report and
financial statements taken as a whole is fair, balanced and
understandable and provides the information necessary for
shareholders to assess the Group’s and the parent companys
performance, business model and strategy;
the Directors’ confirmation in the Annual Report that they have carried
out a robust assessment of the principal and emerging risks facing the
Group and the parent company including the impact of Brexit and
Covid-19 and the disclosures in the Annual Report that describe the
principal risks, procedures to identify emerging risks and an
explanation of how they are being managed or mitigated;
the section of the Annual Report that describes the review of the
effectiveness of the Groups and the parent company’s risk
management and internal control systems, covering all material
controls, including financial, operational and compliance controls; and
the section of the Annual Report describing the work of the Audit
Committee, including significant issues that the Audit Committee
considered relating to the financial statements and how these issues
were addressed.
Responsibilities of Directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ responsibilities set
out on page 74 the Directors are responsible for the preparation of the
financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair
view, and for such internal control as the Directors determine is necessary
to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the Directors are responsible for
assessing the Groups and the parent company’s ability to continue as a
going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern
and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Directors
either intend to liquidate the Group or the parent company or to cease
operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement,
whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors’ report that includes
our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a
guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will
always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can
arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the
aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic
decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial
statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at:
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our
Auditors’ report.
Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable
of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws
and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities,
outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of
irregularities, including fraud. Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit,
there is an unavoidable risk that material misstatements in the financial
statements may not be detected, even though the audit is properly
planned and performed in accordance with the ISAs (UK).
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For visual only, text to be supplied
Other information continued
Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable
of detecting irregularities, including fraud continued
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities,
including fraud, is detailed below:
We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks
applicable to the Group and the parent company and the sector in
which they operate. We determined that the following laws and
regulations were most significant: international financial reporting
standards adopted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 1606/2002 as it
applies in the European Union and international accounting standards
in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 for the
Group, and international accounting standards in conformity with the
requirements of, and as applied in accordance with the provisions of,
the Companies Act 2006 for the parent company, the Companies Act
2006, the Listing Rules, the UK Corporate Governance Code and UK
corporate taxation laws.
We obtained an understanding of how the Group and the parent
company are complying with those legal and regulatory frameworks by
making inquiries of management and of the Groups head of legal
department. We corroborated our inquiries through our review of board
minutes and papers provided to the Audit Committee.
We evaluated the design and implementation of controls over the
financial reporting systems and the effectiveness of the control
environment as part of our risk assessment.
We assessed the susceptibility of the Groups and the parent
company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including
how fraud might occur. Audit procedures performed by the Group
engagement team included:
identifying and assessing the design effectiveness of controls
management has in place to prevent and detect fraud;
obtaining an understanding of how those charged with
governanceconsidered and addressed the potential for override
ofcontrols or applied other inappropriate influence over the
financial reporting process;
challenging assumptions and judgments made by management
inits significant accounting estimates;
identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal
entries posted with unusual account combinations; and
assessing the extent of compliance with the relevant laws
andregulations.
The engagement partner assessed whether the engagement team
collectively had the appropriate competence and capabilities to
identify and recognise non-compliance with laws and regulations
through an assessment of the engagement teams:
understanding of, and practical experience with, audit
engagements of a similar nature and complexity, through
appropriate training and participation; and
knowledge of the industry in which the Group and parent
companyoperate.
Team communications in respect of potential non-compliance with
laws and regulations and fraud included the potential for fraud in
revenue recognition through manipulation of deferred income. This is
also reported as a key audit matter in the key audit matters section of
our report, where the matter and specific procedures performed in
response to this matter are described in more detail.
Other matters which we are required to address
Following the recommendation of the Audit Committee, we were appointed
by the Board on 28 January 2019 to audit the financial statements for the
year ending 30 June 2019 and subsequent financial periods.
The period of total uninterrupted engagement including previous renewals
and reappointments of the firm is 3 years, covering the periods ended
30June 2019 to 30 June 2021.
The non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not
provided to the Group or the parent company and we remain independent
of the Group and the parent company in conducting our audit.
Our audit opinion is consistent with the additional report to the
AuditCommittee.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in
accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our
audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company’s
members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditors’
report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we
do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company
and the Company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report,
or for the opinions we have formed.
Sergio Cardoso
Senior Statutory Auditor
for and on behalf of Grant Thornton UK LLP
Statutory Auditors, Chartered Accountants
London
17 September 2021
Independent auditors’ report continued
to the members of Wilmington plc
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
For visual only, text to be supplied
Consolidated income statement
for the year ended 30 June 2022
Notes
Year ended
30 June 2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June 2021
£’000
Continuing operations
Revenue 3 121,028 113,027
Operating expenses before amortisation of intangibles excluding computer software, impairment and
adjusting items (99,40 7) (96,37 8)
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 4b (597) (14,834)
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software 4b (2,368) (3, 400)
Adjusting items 4b (66) (2,970)
Operating expenses 5 (102,438) (117 ,582)
Other income – gain on disposal of subsidiaries 11 16,329 7 70
Other income – gain on disposal of business operations 3,394
Other income – gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment 4a 1,289
Other income – net gain on financing activities 840
Operating profit/(loss) 37,048 (391)
Net finance costs 6 (928) (1, 634)
Profit/(loss) before tax 36,120 (2,025)
Taxation 7 (3,295) (2,522)
Profit/(loss) for the year attributable to owners of the parent 32,825 (4,54 7)
Earnings/(loss) per share:
Basic (p) 9 3 7. 4 6 (5. 18)
Diluted (p) 9 36.98 (5. 18)
The notes on pages [67] to [99] are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
for the year ended 30 June 2022
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Profit/(loss) for the year 32,825 (4,547)
Other comprehensive income/(expense):
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to the income statement
Fair value movements on interest rate swaps, net of tax 93
Currency translation differences 2,353 (1,732)
Fair value movements of net investment hedges, net of tax (193) 762
Other comprehensive income/(expense) for the year, net of tax 2, 160 (87 7)
Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year attributable to owners of the parent 34, 985 (5,42 4)
Items in the statement above are disclosed net of tax. The income tax relating to each component of other comprehensive income is
disclosed in note 7. The notes on pages [67] to [99] are an integral part of these financial statements.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Balance sheets
as at 30 June 2022
Notes
Group Company
2022
£’000
2021
£’000
2022
£’000
2021
£’000
Non-current assets
Goodwill 12 61, 128 65,833
Intangible assets 13 9,42 7 14,000
Property, plant and equipment 14 6, 876 9,2 77 4,108 4,833
Investment in subsidiaries 15 49,420 49,420
Deferred consideration receivable 1,448 1,585
Derivative financial instruments 17 57 57
Deferred tax assets 22 1,041 1,364 504 439
79,920 9 2 ,1 1 6 54,032 54,749
Current assets
Trade and other receivables 16 27,097 28, 698 118,741 106,964
Deferred consideration receivable 250 250
Current tax assets 1,262 312
Cash and cash equivalents 19,785 7, 3 74 15,734 2,702
Assets of disposal group held for sale 20 1,450 1,588
49,844 38, 222 134,475 109,666
Total assets 129,764 130,338 188,507 164,415
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables 18 (50,258) (54,959) (53,314) (37,167)
Current tax liabilities (170) (170)
Borrowings 19 (3,644)
Lease liabilities 25 (64 8) (2,356) (118) (1,606)
Provisions 26 (307) (461)
Liabilities of disposal group held for sale 20 (1,332)
(52,545) (61,420) (53,602) (38,943)
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings 19 (20, 430)
Lease liabilities 25 (6,862) (8,386) (6,107) (7,357)
Deferred tax liabilities 22 (2,040) (2,054)
Provisions 26 (1,228) (1,381)
(10, 130) (32,251) (6,107) (7,357)
Total liabilities (62,6 75) (93,671) (59,709) (46,300)
Net assets 67 ,089 36, 667 128,798 118,115
Equity
Share capital 23 4,391 4,380 4,391 4,380
Share premium 23 45,553 45,225 45,553 45,225
Treasury and ESOT reserves 23 (1,093) (701) (183) (78)
Share based payments reserve 2, 141 1,390 2,141 1,390
Translation reserve 4,422 2 ,069
Retained earnings/(accumulated losses) 1 1,6 75 (15, 696) 76,896 67,198
Total equity 67 ,089 36, 667 128,798 118,115
Wilmington plc, the parent company, recorded a profit of £14,959,000
(2021: £37,865,000) during the year.
The notes on pages [67] to [99] are an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements. The financial statements on pages [62] to [99] were
approved and authorised for issue by the Board and signed on their behalf
on [21] September 2022.
Mark Milner Guy Millward
Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer
Registered number: 03015847
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Statements of changes in equity
for the year ended 30 June 2022
Share capital,
share premium,
ESOT shares
and treasury
shares (note 23)
£’000
Share based
payments
reserve
£’000
Translation
reserve
£’000
Retained earnings/
(accumulated
losses)
£’000
Total equity
£’000
Group
At 30 June 2020 49,0 15 1, 195 3,801 (10 ,605) 43, 406
Loss for the year (4,547) (4,547)
Other comprehensive (expense)/income for the year (1,7 32) 855 (87 7)
49,0 15 1, 195 2 ,0 69 (14,29 7) 3 7, 9 8 2
Transactions with owners:
Dividends paid (1,829) (1,829)
Performance share plan awards vesting settled via ESOT 137 (241) 104
ESOT share purchases (263) (263)
Sale of treasury shares 15 15
Share based payments 436 436
Tax on share based payments 326 326
At 30 June 2021 48,904 1,390 2 ,069 (15, 696) 36, 667
Profit for the year 32,825 32,825
Other comprehensive income/(expense) for the year 2,353 (193) 2, 160
48,904 1,390 4, 422 16,936 71, 652
Transactions with owners:
Dividends paid (5,492) (5,492)
Performance share plan awards vesting settled via ESOT 84 (105) 21
ESOT share purchases (371) (371)
Sale of treasury shares 49 49
Purchase of treasury shares (154) (154)
Issue of share capital 11 11
Issue of share premium 328 328
Save as you earn options settlement (1 80) 152 (28)
Share based payments 1,036 1,036
Tax on share based payments 58 58
At 30 June 2022 48,851 2, 141 4 ,422 1 1,6 75 67 ,089
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Statements of changes in equity continued
for the year ended 30 June 2022
Share capital,
share premium
and treasury
shares (note 23)
£’000
Share based
payments
reserve
£’000
Retained
earnings
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Company
At 30 June 2020 49,512 1,195 30,638 81,345
Profit for the year 37,865 37,865
Other comprehensive income for the year 94 94
49,512 1,195 68,597 119,304
Dividends paid (1,829) (1,829)
Performance share plan awards vesting settled via ESOT (241) 104 (137)
Sale of treasury shares 15 15
Share based payments 436 436
Tax on share based payments 326 326
At 30 June 2021 49,527 1,390 67,198 118,115
Profit for the year 14,959 14,959
49,527 1,390 82,157 133,074
Dividends paid (5,492) (5,492)
Performance share plan awards vesting settled via ESOT (105) 21 (84)
Sale of treasury shares 49 49
Purchase of treasury shares (154) (154)
Issue of share capital 11 11
Issue of share premium 328 328
Save as you earn options settlement (180) 152 (28)
Share based payments 1,036 1,036
Tax on share based payments 58 58
At 30 June 2022 49,761 2,141 76,896 128,798
The notes on pages [67] to [99] are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Cash flow statements
for the year ended 30 June 2022
Notes
Group Company
Year ended
30 June 2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June 2021
£’000
Year ended
30 June 2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June 2021
£’000
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from/(used in) operations before adjusting items 30 24,570 17 ,290 (6,715) 20,384
Cash flows for adjusting items – operating activities (342) (339) (342)
Cash flows from tax on share based payments (4) 9 (4) 9
Cash generated from/(used in) operations 24,2 24 16,960 (7,061) 20,393
Interest paid (479) (1, 196) (318) (246)
Tax paid (3,39 7) (2,6 97) (2,393) (2,097)
Net cash generated from/(used in) operating activities 20,348 13,067 (9,772) 18,050
Cash flows from investing activities
Disposal of subsidiaries net of cash 11 2 2,79 2 400 23,345
Disposal of business operations 4, 144
Deferred consideration received 250 250
Cash flows for adjusting items – investing activities (43) (151) (43) (151)
Purchase of property, plant and equipment (44 0) (1,047)
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment 3,493 103 3,439
Purchase of intangible assets (1,292) (1,96 9)
Net cash generated from/(used in) investing activities 24,760 1,730 26,741 (151)
Cash flows from financing activities
Dividends paid to owners of the parent (5,492) (1,829) (5,492) (1,829)
Issue of new shares 340 340
Share issuance costs (28) (28)
Purchase of shares by ESOT (371) (263)
Payment of lease liabilities (3, 752) (2,530)
Cash flows for adjusting items - financing activities 1,243 1,243
Fees relating to new and extended loan facility (191) (191)
Increase in bank loans 2,000 16,000
Decrease in bank loans (21, 198) (29, 181) (36,181)
Net cash used in financing activities (29,258) (31,994) (3,937) (22,201)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, net of bank overdrafts 15,850 (17 , 197) 13,032 (4,302)
Cash and cash equivalents, net of bank overdrafts at beginning of the year 3,730 21,426 2,702 7,004
Exchange gain/(loss) on cash and cash equivalents 205 (499)
Cash classified as held for sale 758
Cash and cash equivalents, net of bank overdrafts at end of the year 20,543 3, 730 15,734 2,702
Reconciliation of net cash/(debt)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year 7, 3 74 21, 426 2,702 7,004
Bank overdrafts at beginning of the year (3,644)
Bank loans at beginning of the year 19 (20, 960) (49,082) (20,181)
Lease liabilities at beginning of the year (1 0,742) (13, 121) (8,963) (10,079)
Net debt at beginning of the year (27 ,97 2) (4 0, 777) (6,261) (23,256)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, net of bank overdrafts 16,8 13 (17 ,696) 13,032 (4,302)
Net repayment in bank loans 21, 198 2 7,1 8 1 20,181
Exchange (loss)/gain on bank loans (238) 941
Movement in lease liabilities 3,232 2 ,379 2,738 1,116
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year 19,785 7, 3 74 15,734 2,702
Cash classified as held for sale at end of the year 20 758
Bank overdrafts at end of the year (3,644)
Bank loans at end of the year 19 (20,960)
Lease liabilities at end of the year (7 ,510) (10,7 42) (6,225) (8,963)
Net cash/(debt) at end of the year 13,033 (27 ,972) 9,509 (6,261)
The notes on pages [67] to [99] are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Table spacing reduced to fit all on 1 page
Notes to the financial statements
General information
The Company is a public company limited by shares, incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The address of its
registered office is 10 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 8QS.
The Company is listed on the Main Market on the London Stock Exchange. The Company is a provider of data,
information, education and training in the global Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) markets.
1. Statement of accounting policies
The significant accounting policies applied in preparing the financial statements are outlined below. These policies
have been consistently applied for all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.
a) Basis of preparation
The consolidated and Company financial statements have been prepared in accordance with UK adopted
international accounting standards (UK adopted IAS) and IFRS as issued by the IASB in conformity with the
requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, except in respect
of certain financial instruments that have been measured at fair value. The consolidated financial statements are
presented in Sterling, the functional currency of Wilmington plc, the parent company. All values are rounded to the
nearest thousand pounds (£’000) except where otherwise indicated.
Pursuant to Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 the Company’s own income statement and statement of
other comprehensive income are not presented separately in the Company financial statements, but they have
been approved by the Board.
Going concern
The Directors have performed a detailed viability assessment to consider the future prospects of the Group,
taking into account a range of severe but plausible scenarios that could cause disruption and impact viability. As
disclosed in the Strategic report, this assessment concludes that the Group has adequate resources to continue
in operational existence and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the viability assessment period.
The Group has also performed a detailed analysis to support the use of the going concern basis in preparing its
consolidated financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2022, covering an assessment period ended 30
September 2023.
Going concern assessment process
Management prepared forecasts for the assessment period to provide a ‘base case’ scenario, considered to
reflect the most likely outcome based on detailed analysis of current trading, expected future trends, and potential
impact of known risks. The results of this base case scenario modelling demonstrate adequate resources to
continue in operational existence and meet liabilities as they fall due at all relevant testing dates. The subsequent
analysis focussed on applying ‘reverse stress testing’ to the base case to demonstrate the conditions under which
a threat to business continuity could materialise.
All scenarios modelled in the stress testing exercise demonstrated that the Group remains in a net cash position
throughout the going concern forecast period, and it is therefore not considered plausible for the Group to be in a
scenario where it was unable to meet its liquidity needs. The review therefore focussed on other potential
scenarios that would create a going concern risk, being scenarios in which banking covenants were breached.
The reverse stress testing exercise demonstrated that there would need to be a significant and sustained drop in
the Groups profitability in combination with an associated demand for cash requiring the use of the revolving
credit facility, to trigger a covenant breach. To determine the likelihood of this scenario occurring, extreme
downside assumptions were applied to the base case as follows:
cancellation of flagship events;
significant customer disruption causing material revenue loss; and
significant inflationary pressures and supply disruption with associated material cost impact.
The application of these downside assumptions did not trigger a net debt scenario or the associated cash
requirement need to make use of the revolving credit facility at any relevant testing date. The Board therefore does
not consider it plausible for a covenant breach to occur within the assessment period. To gain further assurance
over this conclusion, it has however considered a range of mitigative actions that could be applied to protect the
Groups position as follows:
reduce controllable costs for example, discretionary reward, recruitment freezes and travel restrictions;
optimise working capital by negotiating longer payment terms whilst continuing to pay suppliers in full;
limit capital expenditure on new product development; and
implement strategic action in respect of the Groups asset base
Based on the assessment performed, together with the performance of the Group to date in the financial year ended
30 June 2022, the Directors consider that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence
and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the going concern assessment period. Accordingly the Directors have
concluded that it was appropriate to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
b) New standards and interpretations
There was no material impact from the adoption of any new standards or interpretations in the year ended 30
June 2021, including:
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS/IAS) Description
Effective for accounting
periods starting after
Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39, IFRS 7, IFRS 4
andIFRS 16
Interest Rate Benchmark Reform –
Phase 2 1 January 2021
Amendment to IFRS 16
COVID-19-Related Rent Concessions
beyond 30 June 2021 1 April 2021
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
1. Statement of accounting policies continued
b) New standards and interpretations continued
New standards and interpretations not yet effective
Amended standards and interpretations not yet effective are not expected to have a material impact on the
Groups consolidated financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2023.
c) Critical accounting judgments, estimates and assumptions
The preparation of financial statements requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions
that affect the amounts reported for income and expenses during the year and that affect the amounts reported
for assets and liabilities at the reporting date. At the 2022 annual reporting date there are no significant judgments,
however the estimates and assumptions are outlined below.
Goodwill and intangible assets
Management makes estimates and assumptions in measuring the carrying amount of goodwill and intangible
assets. In considering whether goodwill and intangible assets have been impaired, the recoverable amount of
cash generating units has been determined based on value in use calculations. These calculations require
management to estimate future cash flows, a long term growth rate and an appropriate discount rate. The
sensitivity of the carrying amount of goodwill to these variables is considered in note 12.
Provisions
Management makes estimates and assumptions in measuring the carrying value of provisions. The measurement
of provisions is subject to estimates given the extended time-period and variables which are not all within the
Groups control. For further details please refer to note 26.
d) Basis of consolidation
The Groups consolidated financial statements incorporate the results and net assets of Wilmington plc and all its
subsidiary undertakings made up to 30 June each year. Subsidiaries are all entities over which the Group has
control. The Group controls an entity when the Group is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its
involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity.
Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date on which control is transferred to the Group.
They are deconsolidated from the date that control ceases. Where necessary, adjustments are made to the
financial statements of subsidiaries to bring the accounting policies used into line with those used by the Group.
All inter-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation; however, for the
purposes of segmental reporting, internal arms length recharges are included within the appropriate segments.
e) Business combinations
The acquisition method of accounting is applied in accounting for the acquisition of subsidiaries. The acquirees
identifiable assets and liabilities are recognised at their fair value at the acquisition date. Goodwill arising on acquisition
is recognised as an asset and measured at cost, representing the excess of the aggregate of the consideration, the
amount of any non-controlling interests in the acquiree, and the fair value of the acquirer’s previously held equity
interest in the acquiree (if any) over the net of the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities at the date of
acquisition. The consideration is measured at fair value, which is the aggregate of the fair values of the assets
transferred, liabilities incurred or assumed and the equity instruments issued in exchange for control of the acquiree.
Acquisition related costs are expensed as incurred within adjusted items – investing activities.
Where a business combination agreement provides for an adjustment to the cost of a business acquired
contingent on future events, the Group accrues the fair value of the additional consideration payable as a liability
at acquisition date. This amount is reassessed at each subsequent reporting date with any adjustments
recognised in the income statement.
f) Impairment of non-financial assets
Intangible assets with finite useful lives and property, plant and equipment are tested for impairment if events or
changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. When an impairment test is
performed, the recoverable amount of the asset is assessed and its carrying amount is reduced to that amount if
lower, and any impairment losses are recognised in the income statement. The recoverable amount is the higher
of the value in use and of the fair value less costs to sell, where the value in use is the present value of the future
cash flows expected to be derived from the asset.
If, in a subsequent period, the amount of the impairment loss decreases due to a change in the estimates used to
determine the asset’s recoverable amount since the last impairment loss was recognised, the previously recognised
impairment loss is reversed to the extent that the carrying amount of the asset does not exceed the carrying amount
that would have been determined (net of amortisation or depreciation) had no impairment loss been recognised for
the asset in prior years. The reversal of an impairment loss is recognised in the income statement.
Goodwill is not amortised, but it is reviewed for impairment at least annually. Goodwill is allocated to cash
generating units (‘CGUs’) for the purpose of impairment testing, so that the value in use is determined by reference
to the discounted cash flows of the CGU. The cash flows considered are the expected pre-tax cash flows of the
CGU, for projections over a three year period extrapolated using estimated long term growth rates. The
recoverable amount of the CGU, as for any asset, is the higher of the value in use and the fair value less costs to
sell. If a CGU is impaired, the impairment losses are allocated firstly against goodwill, and then on a pro-rata basis
against intangible and other assets. An impairment of goodwill cannot be reversed.
g) Foreign currencies
Items included in the financial statements of each of the Groups entities are measured using the currency of the
primary economic environment in which the entity operates (the ‘functional currency’). The consolidated financial
statements are presented in Sterling, which is the Company’s functional and the Groups presentation currency.
Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency using the exchange rates prevailing at
the date of the transaction. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of transactions and
the translation of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at period end exchange rates
are recognised in the income statement.
On consolidation, assets and liabilities of foreign undertakings are translated into Sterling at year end exchange rates.
The results of foreign undertakings are translated into Sterling at average rates of exchange for the year (unless this
average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effects of the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in
which case income and expenses are translated at the dates of the transactions). Foreign exchange differences
arising on retranslation are recognised directly in a separate component of equity, the translation reserve.
In the event of the disposal of an undertaking with assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency, the
cumulative translation difference in the translation reserve that is associated with the undertaking is charged or
credited to the gain or loss on disposal recognised in the income statement.
Further information is provided in the financial instruments accounting policy in relation to loans and borrowings in
foreign currencies that are designated as a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation.
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Notes to the financial statements continued
1. Statement of accounting policies continued
h) Revenue
Revenue is measured at the fair value of consideration received or receivable and represents amounts
receivablefor goods and services provided in the normal course of business, net of discounts, VAT and
othersales related taxes.
The Groups revenue comprises different types of product and services across the two divisions as follows:
Subscription income for online services, information and journals is normally received in advance and is
therefore recorded as deferred revenue on the balance sheet. Revenue is then recognised evenly over time as
the performance obligations are satisfied over the term of the subscription. These revenue streams relate to
one performance obligation that is settled over time using the outputs method on a straight line basis as the
customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit from the service.
Revenue is recognised on the sale of training material, research projects and similar publications once the
product has been delivered to the customer. These revenue streams relate to one performance obligation
thatis settled at a point in time as Wilmington has a right to payment once control of the asset is transferred
tothe customer.
Advertising in hard copy publications is recognised on the issue of the related publication. This revenue stream
relates to one performance obligation that is settled at a point in time as Wilmington has a right to payment
once the advertising is published in the hard copy publication.
Marketing and advertising services revenues are recognised over the period of the advertising subscription or
over the period when the marketing service is provided. When payment is received in advance it is recorded on
the balance sheet as deferred revenue and revenue is then recognised over time as the performance
obligations are satisfied over the term of the contract. These revenue streams relate to one performance
obligation that is settled over time using the outputs method on a straight line basis as the customer
simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit from the service.
Revenue from the licence of static data reports is recognised once the data has been delivered to the
customer. This revenue stream relates to one performance obligation that is settled at a point in time as
Wilmington has a right to payment once control of the asset is transferred to the customer.
Revenue from the licence of static data reports where the customer has access to the data for a finite period of
time and the reports have significant updates during that period is recognised over the period of the contract.
When payment is received in advance it is recorded on the balance sheet as deferred revenue and revenue is
then recognised over time as the performance obligations are satisfied over the term of the contract. This
revenue stream relates to one performance obligation that is settled over time using the outputs method on a
straight line basis as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit from the service.
Revenue from licences to dynamic data that is updated on an ongoing basis is recognised over the period of
the contract. When payment is received in advance it is recorded on the balance sheet as deferred revenue
and revenue is then recognised over time as the performance obligations are satisfied over the term of the
contract. This revenue stream relates to one performance obligation that is settled over time using the outputs
method on a straight line basis as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit from
theservice.
Revenue from training courses where the training is delivered as an ongoing process, is recognised on a
straight line basis over the period that the training is provided to the customer. When payment is received in
advance it is recorded on the balance sheet as deferred revenue and revenue is then recognised over time as
the performance obligations are satisfied over the term of the contract. This revenue stream relates to one
performance obligation that is settled over time using the outputs method on a straight line basis as the
customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit from the service.
Revenue from training courses where the Group provides in-house training to corporate customers is
recognised on completion of the training course. This revenue stream relates to one performance obligation
that is settled at a point in time as Wilmington has a right to payment once the service has been delivered to
thecustomer.
Revenue from the memberships of professional organisations is recognised on a straight line basis over the
period of membership. When payment is received in advance it is recorded on the balance sheet as deferred
revenue and revenue is then recognised over time as the performance obligations are satisfied over the term
of the contract. This revenue stream relates to one performance obligation that is settled over time using the
outputs method on a straight line basis as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit
from the service.
Event revenue (including revenue from conferences), typically includes attendee fees, event sponsorship and
advertising which is recognised when the event is held. Customers and sponsors are often required to pay in
advance before commencement of the event, and these advance receipts are recognised as deferred revenue
on the balance sheet from the point at which they become due. This revenue stream relates to one
performance obligation that is settled at a point in time as Wilmington has a right to payment once the service
has been delivered to the customer.
i) Operating expenses
In accordance with IAS 1 paragraph 102, expenses are presented in the accounts based on their nature. Operating
expenses comprise of cost of sales and administrative costs. Distribution costs are not separately identified due
to the digital nature of our products as they are considered immaterial. Costs of sales are all direct costs, including
third-party costs and staff costs, associated directly with the production of a product, event or service and are
charged to the income statement as incurred. At each reporting date a prepayment is recognised for any
third-party costs which are paid for, in advance of the relevant event being run except in relation to marketing
costs. Administrative costs are additional operational costs that are not directly associated with the production of
a product, event or service. This includes expenses relating central administrative and management functions and
are expensed to the income statement as incurred.
j) Segmental reporting
Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the Company’s
Board of Directors (the ‘Board’) which is considered as the Groups chief operating decision maker and is
responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the operating segments. The Board considers
the business from both a geographic and product perspective. Geographically, management considers the
performance of the Group between the UK, Europe (excluding the UK), North America and the Rest of the World.
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Notes to the financial statements continued
1. Statement of accounting policies continued
k) Adjusting items
The Groups income statement separately identifies adjusting items. Such items are those that in the Directors
judgment are one-off in nature and need to be disclosed separately by virtue of their size and incidence. In
determining whether an item or transaction should be classified as an adjusting item, the Directors consider
quantitative as well as qualitative factors such as the frequency, predictability of occurrence and significance.
This focus on quantitative and qualitative factors may result in the classification of an item as adjusting, where one
of apparently similar nature is not. The Group distinguishes between restructuring costs that are recurring and
those that relate to one-off or transformational Group programmes that impact many operations. Recurring
restructuring costs that are incurred in the normal course of business are recorded as part of the Group’s
underlying trading results within profit before tax. Restructuring costs that are one-off and individually material or
relate to programmes linked to the Groups wider transformation and require approval at executive level are
disclosed separately in the Consolidated income statement. When these adjusting items relate to a
transformational programme to the business, the cost may apply to multiple years.
This is consistent with the way that financial performance is measured by management and reported to the
Board. Adjusting items may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Disclosing
adjusted items separately provides additional understanding of the performance of the Group.
l) Current and deferred tax
Current and deferred tax is recognised as income or an expense and included in the income statement for the
period, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised directly in other comprehensive income or directly
in equity, in which case it is recognised in other comprehensive income or equity, respectively.
The tax effect of adjusting items is calculated by applying the relevant prevailing rate of taxation to the adjusting
expense or income to the extent it is taxable or tax deductible.
The current tax charge is calculated on the basis of the tax laws enacted or substantively enacted at the balance
sheet date in the countries where the Company’s subsidiaries operate and generate taxable income.
Management periodically evaluate positions taken in tax returns with respect to situations in which applicable tax
regulation is subject to interpretation. It establishes provisions where appropriate on the basis of amounts
expected to be paid to the tax authorities.
Deferred tax is recognised, using the liability method, on temporary differences arising between the tax bases of
assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the consolidated financial statements. However, the deferred
tax is not accounted for if it arises from initial recognition of an asset or liability in a transaction other than a
business combination that at the time of the transaction affects neither accounting nor taxable profit nor loss.
Deferred tax is determined using tax rates (and law) that have been enacted or substantially enacted by the
balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the related deferred tax asset is realised or the deferred tax
liability is settled.
Deferred tax assets are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profit will be available
against which the temporary differences can be utilised.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax assets
against current tax liabilities and when the deferred taxes assets and liabilities relate to income taxes levied by the
same taxation authority on either the same taxable entity or different taxable entities where there is an intention to
settle the balances on a net basis.
m) Dividends
Dividend distributions are recognised in the consolidated financial statements when the shareholders’ right to
receive payment is established. Final dividend distributions are recognised in the period in which they are
approved by the shareholders, whilst interim dividend distributions are recognised in the period in which they are
declared and paid.
n) Intangible assets
Intangible assets are stated at historical cost less accumulated amortisation.
Intangible assets are recorded at cost and are amortised through the income statement on a straight line basis
over their estimated useful lives. Their estimated useful lives depend on the classification of the assets as follows:
Computer software 20–33% per annum
Databases 8–20% per annum
Customer relationships 8–33% per annum
Brands 5–20% per annum
Publishing rights and titles 5–10% per annum
Computer software that is integral to a related item of hardware is classified as computer equipment within
property, plant and equipment. Other computer software and internally developed software and databases are
classified as intangible assets if they meet the definition and recognition criteria set out in IAS 38. Costs
associated with the production of internally developed software are capitalised once it is probable that they will
generate future economic benefits and satisfy the other criteria set out in IAS 38. Computer software intangible
assets (including the cost of internally developed software and databases) are initially recognised at cost. They
are subsequently amortised through the income statement on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives
up to five years. Assets that are not in use at the reporting date (assets under construction) are recognised at cost
and amortisation commences when those assets begin to generate economic benefit.
o) Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment is stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Cost includes the original
purchase price of the asset plus any costs of bringing the asset to its working condition for its intended use.
Depreciation is not provided on freehold land. On other assets it is provided at the following annual rates, on a
straight line basis, in order to write down each asset to its residual value over its estimated useful life. The assets’
residual values and useful lives are reviewed, and adjusted if appropriate, at the end of each reporting period.
Land, freehold and leasehold buildings (excluding freehold land) 2–10% per annum
Fixtures and fittings 10–33% per annum
Computer equipment 25–33% per annum
Motor vehicles 25% per annum
Leasehold improvements are included in land, freehold and leasehold buildings.
Gains and losses arising on disposal are determined by comparing the proceeds with the carrying amount and
are recognised within the income statement. When the gain or loss arising on disposal is significant or material, it
is disclosed separately on the income statement within other income or expenses.
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Notes to the financial statements continued
1. Statement of accounting policies continued
p) Investments in subsidiaries
Investments in subsidiaries are stated at cost less provision for any impairment in value.
q) Financial instruments
Financial assets
The Group classifies its non-derivative financial assets as ‘amortised cost’ for the purposes of IFRS 9.
Management determines the classification at initial recognition and re-evaluates this designation at each
reporting date.
Loans and other receivables
Loans and other receivables are measured based on the Groups business model for managing the financial asset
and its contractual cash flow characteristics. Loans and other receivables are initially recognised at fair value plus
transaction costs. They are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method less any
expected credit losses, with changes in carrying value recognised in the income statement.
Loans and other receivables are classified as current assets if they mature within twelve months of the reporting
date, but are otherwise classified as non-current assets.
Trade receivables
Trade receivables are initially recognised at the transaction price, which is usually the invoiced amount. They are
subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method (if the time value of money is
significant), less provisions made for doubtful receivables. Provisions are made specifically, where there is
evidence of a risk of non-payment taking into account ageing, previous losses experienced and general economic
conditions.
The Group assesses for impairment using the expected credit losses model as required by IFRS 9. For trade
receivables, the Group applies the simplified approach which requires expected lifetime losses to be recognised
from the initial recognition of the receivables.
The Group measures its trade receivables at amortised cost for the purposes of IFRS 9.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash in hand, current balances with banks and similar institutions, and other
short term highly liquid investments which are subject to insignificant risk of changes in value and have original
maturities of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents are offset against bank overdrafts and the net
amount is reported in the balance sheet when there is a legally enforceable right to offset the recognised
amounts. Bank overdrafts are otherwise shown as borrowings within current liabilities on the balance sheet.
The Group measures cash and cash equivalents at amortised cost for the purposes of IFRS 9.
Impairment of financial assets
The Group assesses on a forward-looking basis the expected credit losses associated with its financial assets
carried at amortised cost and debt instruments at fair value through other comprehensive income. Expected
credit losses are updated at each reporting date to reflect changes in credit risk.
The expected credit loss is based on the Groups historical credit loss experience, adjusted for factors that are
specific to the financial assets, general economic conditions and an assessment of the current and forecast
conditions at the reporting date.
Financial liabilities
Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables are initially recognised at fair value, which is usually the invoiced amount. They are
subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method (if the time value of money is significant).
If due within twelve months or less, the trade or other payable is classified as a current liability. It is otherwise
classified as a non-current liability.
The Group measures trade and other payables at amortised cost for the purposes of IFRS 9.
Loans and other borrowings
Loans and other borrowings are initially recognised at the fair value of the amounts received net of transaction
costs. They are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method, with changes in
carrying value recognised in the income statement.
Further information is provided below in relation to loans and borrowings in foreign currencies that are designated
as a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation.
Loans and other borrowings are classified as current liabilities if they mature within twelve months of the balance
sheet date, but are otherwise classified as non-current liabilities.
The Group measures loans and other borrowings at amortised cost for the purposes of IFRS 9.
Financial instruments and hedge accounting
The Group manages its capital and makes adjustments to it in light of changes in economic conditions and the
risk characteristics of the underlying assets. The Group makes use of derivative financial instruments if doing so
reduces exposure to interest rate risk and foreign currency risk.
To qualify for hedge accounting under IFRS 9, a financial instrument must be designated as a hedging instrument
at inception, hedge documentation must be prepared and the hedge must be expected to be effective using the
hedge ratio. The effectiveness of the hedge is then tested at each reporting date prospectively, and hedge
accounting is continued if the hedge remains effective. Hedge accounting is discontinued when the hedging
instrument expires, or is sold, terminated or no longer qualifies for hedge accounting, or if the Group chooses to
end the hedge relationship.
To the extent that the hedge is effective, changes in the fair value of derivatives designated as hedging
instruments in cash flow hedges and net investment hedges are recognised in other comprehensive income and
included within the hedge reserve in equity. Any ineffectiveness in the hedge relationship is recognised
immediately in the income statement.
At the time the hedged item affects profit or loss, any gain or loss previously recognised in equity is reclassified to
the income statement. If a forecast transaction is no longer expected to occur, any related gain or loss recognised
in other comprehensive income and equity is transferred immediately to the income statement. If the hedging
relationship ceases to meet the effectiveness conditions, hedge accounting is discontinued.
r) Provisions
Provisions are recognised in the balance sheet when the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation as a
result of a past event, and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required to settle it. If the effect is
material, provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at an appropriate discount rate.
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Wilmington plc
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Notes to the financial statements continued
1. Statement of accounting policies continued
s) Retirement benefits
The Group does not operate a defined benefit pension scheme.
The Group contributes to defined contribution pension schemes for a number of employees. Contributions to
these arrangements are charged in the income statement in the period in which they are incurred. The Group has
no further payment obligation once the contributions have been paid.
t) Share based payments
The Group operates an equity-settled, share based compensation plan, under which the entity receives services
from employees as consideration for equity instruments (share awards and options) of the Group. The fair value of
the employee services received in exchange for the grant of share awards and options is recognised as an
expense. The total amount to be expensed is determined by reference to the fair value of the share awards and
options granted, excluding the impact of any non-market service and performance vesting conditions (for
example, profitability and remaining as an employee of the entity over a specified time period). Non-market
vesting conditions are included in assumptions about the number of share awards and options that are expected
to vest. The total amount expensed is recognised over the vesting period, which is the period over which all of the
specified existing conditions are to be satisfied. At each balance sheet date, the entity revises its estimates of the
number of share awards and options that are expected to vest based on the non-market vesting conditions. It
recognises the impact of the revision to original estimates, if any, in the income statement, with a corresponding
adjustment to the share based payments reserve within equity.
The payment in lieu of dividend payable in connection with the grant of the share awards is considered an integral
part of the grant itself, and the charge will be treated as an equity-settled transaction. The cumulative share based
payment charge held in reserves is recycled into retained earnings when the share awards or options lapse or are
exercised. The social security contributions payable in connection with the grant of the share awards will be
treated as a cash-settled transaction.
u) Leases
The Group recognises a right-of-use asset and corresponding liability at the date the leased asset is made
available for use by the Group.
The liability is measured at the present value of future lease payments over the lease term including fixed
payments, in-substance fixed payments, and variable lease payments that are based on an index or a rate, less
any lease incentives receivable. The liability includes any payments to be made under extension options which are
reasonably certain to be exercised. The lease payments are discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease,
where this rate cannot be determined an incremental borrowing rate is used. The incremental borrowing rate is
determined with reference to the rate that the lessee would pay to borrow the funds necessary to obtain an asset
of similar value, in a similar economic environment, with similar terms and conditions, adjusted for the country-
specific risk of the lessee. The Group records an interest charge in respect of the lease liability over the lease term.
The right-of-use asset is measured at cost, based on the value of the initial measurement of the associated lease
liability, adjusted for any lease payments already made less any lease incentives received, initial direct costs
incurred, and any dilapidation or restoration costs required by the terms and conditions of the lease. The
right-of-use asset is depreciated over the term of the lease on a straight line basis, or if shorter, over the leased
asset’s useful economic life.
When an adjustment to lease payments based on an index or rate takes effect, the liability is re-measured with a
corresponding adjustment to the associated right-of-use asset.
The Group recognises an expense in the consolidated income statement in respect of short term leases (being
those with an initial term of twelve months or less) and leases of low-value items on a straight line basis over the
life of the lease.
v) Share capital
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue of new shares or
options are shown in equity as a deduction, net of tax, from the proceeds. The share premium reserve represents
the amount paid to the Company by shareholders above the nominal value of shares issued.
Where any Group company purchases the Company’s equity share capital (‘Treasury shares’), the consideration
paid, including any directly attributable incremental costs (net of income taxes), is deducted from equity
attributable to the Company’s equity holders until the shares are cancelled or reissued.
2. Measures of profit
Reconciliation to profit on continuing activities before tax
To provide shareholders with additional understanding of the trading performance of the Group, adjusted EBITA
has been calculated as profit before tax after adding back:
impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment;
amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software;
adjusting items (included in operating expenses);
other income – gain on disposal of subsidiaries;
other income – gain on disposal of business operations;
other income – gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment;
other income – net gain on financing activities; and
net finance costs.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
2. Measures of profit continued
Reconciliation to profit on continuing activities before tax continued
Adjusted profit before tax, adjusted EBITA and adjusted EBITDA reconcile to profit on continuing activities before
tax as follows:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Profit/(loss) before tax 36,120 (2,025)
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 597 14,834
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software 2,368 3,400
Adjusting items (included in operating expenses) 66 2,970
Other income – gain on disposal of subsidiaries (16,329) (770)
Other income – gain on disposal of business operations (3,394)
Other income – gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment (1,289)
Other income – net gain on financing activities (840)
Adjusted profit before tax 20,693 15,015
Net finance costs 928 1,634
Adjusted operating profit (‘adjusted EBITA’) 21,621 16,649
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment included in operating expenses 2,412 3,399
Amortisation of intangible assets – computer software 3,721 2,416
Adjusted EBITA before depreciation (‘adjusted EBITDA’) 27,754 22,464
3. Segmental information
In accordance with IFRS 8 the Groups operating segments are based on the operating results reviewed by the
Board, which represents the chief operating decision maker.
The Groups dynamic portfolio provides customers with a range of information, data, training and education
solutions. During the year the Information & Data division was renamed to Intelligence. The two divisions (Training &
Education and Intelligence) are the Groups segments and generate all of the Groups revenue. The Board considers
the business from both a geographic and product perspective. Geographically, management considers the
performance of the Group between the UK, Europe (excluding the UK), North America and the Rest of the World.
a) Business segments
Revenue
Year ended
30 June 2022
£’000
Profit
Year ended
30 June 2022
£’000
Revenue
Year ended
30 June 2021
£’000
Profit
Year ended
30 June 2021
£’000
Training & Education 61,464 15,998 56,211 12,197
Intelligence 59,564 11,359 56,816 9,320
Group total 121,028 27,357 113,027 21,517
Unallocated central overheads (4,506) (4,302)
Share based payments (1,230) (566)
121,028 21,621 113,027 16,649
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and
property, plant and equipment (597) (14,834)
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding
computer software (2,368) (3,400)
Adjusting items (included in operating expenses) (66) (2,970)
Other income – gain on disposal of subsidiaries
16,329
770
Other income – gain on disposal of business
operations
3,394
Other income – gain on disposal of property, plant
and equipment 1,289
Other income – net gain on financing activities 840
Net finance costs (928) (1,634)
Profit/(loss) before tax 36,120 (2,025)
Taxation (3,295) (2,522)
Profit/(loss) for the financial year 32,825 (4,547)
There are no intra-segmental revenues which are material for disclosure. Unallocated central overheads
represent central costs that are not specifically allocated to segments. Total assets and liabilities for each
reportable segment are not presented; as such, information is not provided to the Board.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
3. Segmental information continued
b) Segmental information by geography
The UK is the Groups country of domicile and the Group generates the majority of its revenue from external
customers in the UK. The geographical analysis of revenue is on the basis of the country of origin in which the
customer is invoiced:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
UK 64,320 61,999
Europe (excluding the UK) 25,809 23,304
North America 21,727 15,042
Rest of the World 9,172 12,682
Total revenue 121,028 113,027
c) Timing of revenue recognition
The timing of the Groups revenue recognition is as follows:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Revenue from products and services transferred at a point in time 39,725 41,583
Revenue from products and services transferred over time 81,303 71,444
Total revenue 121,028 113,027
During the year the Group recognised £30,124,000 of revenue that was held in deferred income at 30 June 2021
(2021: £31,465,000 related to amounts held at 30 June 2020).
4. Profit/(loss) from continuing operations
a) Profit/(loss) for the year from continuing operations is stated after charging/(crediting):
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment – included in operating expenses 2,412 3,399
Short term and low-value leases 114 486
Amortisation of intangible assets – computer software 3,721 2,416
Non-adjusting (profit)/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment (71) 2
Share based payments (including social security costs) 1,230 566
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software 2,368 3,400
Adjusting items (included in operating expenses) 66 2,970
Adjusting item - gain on disposal of subsidiaries (16,329) (770)
Adjusting item - gain on disposal of business operations (3,394)
Adjusting item - gain on sale of property, plant and equipment (1,289)
Adjusting item - net gain on financing activities (840)
Research and development expenditure credit (183) (290)
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 597 14,834
Foreign exchange loss/(gain) 446 (24)
Fees payable to the auditors for the audit of the Company and consolidated
financial statements 107 95
Fees payable to the auditors and their associates for other services:
– The audit of the Companys subsidiaries pursuant to legislation 193 182
– Audit related other services 15 15
The gain on sale of property, plant and equipment included in adjusting items relate to the gain on disposal of two
buildings and their associated assets on 31 August 2021.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
4. Profit/(loss) from continuing operations continued
b) Adjusting items
The following items have been charged to the income statement during the year but are considered to be
adjusting so are shown separately:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Costs relating to strategic activities 66 1,128
Costs relating to the consolidation of office space 1,842
Other adjusting items (included in operating expenses) 66 2,970
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 597 14,834
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software 2,368 3,400
Total adjusting items (classified in profit before tax) 3,031 21,204
The impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment relates to:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Goodwill 9,873
Intangible assets 1,516
Property, plant and equipment 597 3,445
Total adjusting items (classified in profit before tax) 597 14,834
The impairment during the year relates to the impairment of assets associated with an office property, recognised
as a result of an exercise performed to consolidate the Group’s office space.
5. Operating expenses
Year ended 30 June 2022 Year ended 30 June 2021
Cost of sales
£’000
Administration
£’000
Tot al
£’000
Cost of sales
£’000
Administration
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Operating expenses before
depreciation and amortisation 88,746 4,528 93,274 86,167 4,396 90,563
Depreciation of property, plant
and equipment 2,412 2,412 3,399 3,399
Amortisation of intangible
assets – computer software 3,721 3,721 2,416 2,416
Operating expenses before
amortisation of intangibles
excluding computer
software, impairment and
adjusting items 94,879 4,528 99,407 91,982 4,396 96,378
Amortisation of intangible
assets – databases 187 187 826 826
Amortisation of intangible
assets – customer relationships 1,016 1,016 1,052 1,052
Amortisation of intangible
assets – brands 660 660 1,016 1,016
Amortisation of intangible
assets – publishing rights and
titles 505 505 506 506
Impairment of goodwill,
intangible assets and property,
plant and equipment (note 4b) 597 597 14,834 14,834
Other adjusting items (note 4b) 66 66 2,970 2,970
Operating expenses 97,247 5,191 102,438 95,382 22,200 117,582
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
6. Net finance costs
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Net finance costs comprise:
Interest payable on bank loans and overdrafts 748 1,437
Unwinding of the discount on royalty payments receivable (113) (139)
Notional interest on lease liabilities 293 336
928 1,634
7. Taxation
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Current tax
UK corporation tax at current rates on UK profits for the year 2,817 2,327
Adjustments in respect of previous years (870) 30
1,947 2,357
Foreign tax 969 993
Adjustments in respect of previous years (21)
Total current tax 2,916 3,329
Total deferred tax 379 (807)
Taxation 3,295 2,522
Factors affecting the tax charge for the year:
The effective tax rate is lower (2021: higher) than the average rate of corporation tax in the UK of 19.0% (2021:
19.0%). The differences are explained below:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Profit/(loss) before tax 36,120 (2,025)
Profit/(loss) before tax multiplied by the average rate of corporation tax in the
year of 19.0% (2021: 19.0%) 6,863 (385)
Tax effects of:
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 113 2,818
Foreign tax rate differences 201 177
Adjustment in respect of previous years (870) 9
Other items not subject to tax (3,012) (230)
Effect on deferred tax of change of corporation tax rate 133
Taxation 3,295 2,522
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the rates that are expected to apply in the periods of the reversal.
The Company’s profits for this accounting year are taxed at an effective rate of 9.1% (2021: -125.0%).
Included in other comprehensive income are a tax charge of £nil (2021: £22,000) and a tax credit of £45,000 (2021:
charge of £179,000) relating to the interest rate swaps and net investment hedges respectively.
The tax effect of adjusting items as disclosed in note 9 is a credit of £1,050,000 (2021: £558,000).
8. Dividends
Amounts recognised as distributions to owners of the parent in the year:
Year ended
30 June
2022
Pence
per share
Year ended
30 June
2021
Pence
per share
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Final dividends recognised as distributions in the year 3.9 3,399
Interim dividends recognised as distributions in the year 2.4 2.1 2,093 1,829
Total dividends paid 5,492 1,829
Final dividend proposed [•]p 3.9 [•] 3,415
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Notes to the financial statements continued
9. Earnings/(loss) per share
Adjusted earnings per share has been calculated using adjusted earnings calculated as profit after taxation
attributable to owners of the parent but before:
impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment;
amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software;
adjusting items (included in operating expenses);
other income – gain on disposal of subsidiaries;
other income – gain on disposal of business operations;
other income – gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment; and
other income – net gain on financing activities.
The calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per share is based on the following data:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Earnings/(loss) from continuing operations for the purpose of basic earnings per share 32,825 (4,547)
Add/(remove):
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 597 14,834
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software 2,368 3,400
Adjusting items (included in operating expenses) 66 2,970
Other income – gain on disposal of subsidiaries (16,329) (770)
Other income – gain on disposal of business operations (3,394)
Other income – gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment (1,289)
Other income – net gain on financing activities (840)
Tax effect of adjustments above (1,050) (558)
Adjusted earnings for the purposes of adjusted earnings per share 16,348 11,935
Number Number
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purposes of basic and
adjusted earnings per share 87,632,022 87,603,917
Effect of dilutive potential ordinary shares:
Future exercise of share awards and options 1,126,918 410,301
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purposes of diluted and
adjusted diluted earnings per share 88,758,940 88,014,218
Basic earnings/(loss) per share 37.46p (5.18p)
Diluted earnings/(loss) per share 36.98p (5.18p)
Adjusted basic earnings per share (‘adjusted earnings per share’) 18.66p 13.62p
Adjusted diluted earnings per share 18.42p 13.56p
For the year ended 30 June 2021, potentially dilutive share options were only considered in relation to adjusted
earnings per share as the Group made a basic loss per share.
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Notes to the financial statements continued
10. Results of Wilmington plc
Wilmington plc, the parent company, recorded a profit of £14,959,000 (2021: £37,865,000) during the year.
11. Disposals
In the year ended 30 June 2022 the Group disposed of the following subsidiary companies:
Country Date of disposal Share/asset deal
Adkins & Matchett (UK) Limited UK December 2021 Share deal
Adkins, Matchett & Toy Limited USA December 2021 Share deal
Adkins, Matchett & Toy (Hong Kong) Limited Hong Kong December 2021 Share deal
La Touche Bond Solon Training Limited Ireland April 2022 Share deal
The disposals were executed in line with the Groups strategy to simplify its structure and to focus attention on
businesses that operate in the GRC and Regulatory Compliance markets. The subsidiary businesses were
classified as continuing operations until their respective disposal dates. In total the Group recognised a gain on
disposal of £16,329,000 presented within adjusting items.
a) Disposal of subsidiary companies - Adkins & Matchett (UK) Limited, Adkins, Matchett & Toy
Limited and Adkins, Matchett & Toy (Hong Kong) Limited. Together referred to as ‘AMT
On 24 December 2021 Wilmington plc disposed of AMT for a net cash consideration of £22,631,000 and
recognised a gain on disposal of £16,224,000. The disposal was executed by way of the sale of 100% of the equity
shares and as at the disposal date, the net assets of AMT were as follows:
£’000
Goodwill 6,203
Property, plant and equipment 41
Trade and other receivables 898
Cash and cash equivalents 475
Trade and other payables (1,112)
Net assets disposed 6,505
Directly attributable costs of disposal 342
Recycling of deferred foreign exchange losses 35
Gain on disposal 16,224
Fair value of consideration 23,106
Satisfied by:
Cash and cash equivalents 23,106
23,106
b) Disposal of subsidiary company - La Touche Bond Solon Training Limited
On 22 April 2022 Wilmington plc disposed of La Touche Bond Solon Training Limited for a net cash consideration
of £161,000 and recognised a gain on disposal of £105,000. The disposal was executed by way of the sale of
100% of the equity shares. As at the disposal date, the net assets of La Touche Bond Solon Training Limited were
as follows:
£’000
Goodwill 34
Property, plant and equipment 9
Trade and other receivables 106
Cash and cash equivalents 78
Trade and other payables (138)
Net assets disposed 89
Directly attributable costs of disposal 22
Recycling of deferred foreign exchange losses 23
Gain on disposal 105
Fair value of consideration 239
Satisfied by:
Cash and cash equivalents (net of working capital adjustment) 239
239
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Notes to the financial statements continued
12. Goodwill
£’000
Cost
At 1 July 2020 110,597
Disposals (1,192)
Exchange translation differences (1,309)
At 30 June 2021 108,096
Disposals (8,935)
Exchange translation differences 1,532
At 30 June 2022 100,693
Accumulated impairment
At 1 July 2020 32,721
Disposals (331)
Impairment 9,873
At 30 June 2021 42,263
Disposals (2,698)
At 30 June 2022 39,565
Net book amount
At 30 June 2022 61,128
At 30 June 2021 65,833
At 30 June 2020 77,876
Goodwill arising on business combinations is not amortised but reviewed for impairment on an annual basis, or
more frequently if there are indications that goodwill may be impaired. Determining whether the carrying value of
acquired goodwill is recoverable is a significant judgment given the material nature of the goodwill balance and
the significant assumptions underpinning management’s impairment assessment of the Group’s cash generating
units (‘CGUs’). The Group identifies its CGUs on a business operation and geographic level. This is consistent with
the way the chief operating decision maker reviews performance.
Disposal
During the year AMT and La Touche Bond Solon Training Limited was disposed of, which resulted in the disposal
of the carrying value of goodwill associated with both entities. At the date of disposal the carrying value of this
goodwill was £6,237,000.
Annual impairment review
The recoverable amount for each CGU has been determined using value in use calculations. These calculations
use the pre-tax future cash flow forecasts covering a three year period based on Board approved budgets.
Pre-tax cash flows beyond the three year period are then extrapolated using an estimated long term growth rate
of 2.0% (2021: 2.0%), providing a ‘base case’ scenario for the purpose of the impairment review. Key assumptions
for the value in use calculations are those regarding discount rates, three year cash flow forecasts and long term
growth rates.
Discount rates
Management has applied pre-tax discount rates as follows:
Territory
Year ended
30 June 2022
(%)
Year ended
30 June 2021
(%)
United Kingdom 15.2 11.8
United States 15.7 12.9
Spain 15.4 12.4
France 15.8 12.6
Pre-tax discounts rates are calculated on a company specific participant basis, movements in the pre-tax discount
rates for CGUs since the prior year are driven by changes in Company specific market-based inputs. Management
considers the pre-tax discount rates to be calculated using appropriate methodology. The rates are in in line with its
peers, and the Board views the rates as accurately reflecting the return expected by a market participant.
Sensitivity to changes in assumptions
The Group has performed sensitivity testing to assess the impact of changes in assumptions on the value in use of
each CGUs. The sensitivity analysis performed assessed the impact of pessimistic but reasonably possible changes
to future cash flows, long term growth rates and pre-tax discount rates. All CGUs retained significant headroom in
these sensitised calculations, leading to the conclusion that there is no realistic change of assumption that would
result in carrying value to exceed its recoverable amount.
Cash generating units
The following table details the net book value of each CGU:
CGU
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
UK Healthcare 11,885 11,877
Axco and Pendragon 11,150 11,150
Accountancy 8,307 8,307
Legal 6,796 6,830
AMT 6,203
Compliance 7,972 7,972
Compliance Week 4,941 4,342
FRA 7,686 6,773
Business Intelligence 2,391 2,379
61,128 65,833
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Notes to the financial statements continued
13. Intangible assets
Group
Computer
software
£’000
Databases
£’000
Customer
relationships
£’000
Brands
£’000
Publishing
rights and titles
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Cost
At 1 July 2020 15,438 16,795 25,104 13,857 30,493 101,687
Additions 1,969 1,969
Disposals (2,130) (2,130)
Write-off of fully amortised intangible assets (2,940) (15,549) (3,672) (20,808) (42,969)
Exchange translation differences (139) (90) (399) (237) (865)
At 30 June 2021 15,138 13,765 9,156 9,948 9,685 57,692
Additions 1,292 1,292
Assets transferred to held for sale (note 20) (245) (245)
Write-off of fully amortised intangible assets (9,986) (9,986)
Disposals (51) (51)
Exchange translation differences 103 105 466 275 949
At 30 June 2022 6,251 13,870 9,622 10,223 9,685 49,651
Accumulated amortisation
At 1 July 2020 10,003 15,496 20,102 8,111 28,263 81,975
Charge for the year 2,416 826 1,052 1,016 506 5,816
Impairment 1,516 1,516
Disposals (2,010) (2,010)
Write-off of fully amortised intangible assets (2,940) (15,549) (3,672) (20,808) (42,969)
Exchange translation differences (80) (70) (276) (210) (636)
At 30 June 2021 10,329 13,312 5,329 6,761 7,961 43,692
Charge for the year 3,721 187 1,016 660 505 6,089
Assets transferred to held for sale (note 20) (210) (210)
Write-off of fully amortised intangible assets (9,986) (9,986)
Disposals (26) (26)
Exchange translation differences 48 82 334 201 665
At 30 June 2022 3,876 13,581 6,679 7,622 8,466 40,224
Net book amount
At 30 June 2022 2,375 289 2,943 2,601 1,219 9,427
At 30 June 2021 4,809 453 3,827 3,187 1,724 14,000
At 30 June 2020 5,435 1,299 5,002 5,746 2,230 19,712
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Notes to the financial statements continued
14. Property, plant and equipment
Group
Land, freehold
and leasehold
buildings
£’000
Fixtures and
fittings
£’000
Computer
equipment
£’000
Motor
vehicles
£’000
Right-of-use assets
Land and buildings
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Cost
At 1 July 2020 5,260 3,705 4,017 377 13,854 27,213
Additions 468 253 326 449 1,496
Disposals (774) (258) (60) (109) (1,201)
Lease modifications (725) (725)
Assets transferred to held for sale (2,243) (17) (2,260)
Exchange translation differences (3) (45) (35) (191) (274)
At 30 June 2021 3,482 3,122 4,050 317 13,278 24,249
Additions 169 271 464 904
Disposals (280) (127) (206) (64) (677)
Assets transferred to held for sale (note 20) (67) (101) (88) (205) (461)
Assets transferred from held for sale 162 162
Exchange translation differences 22 47 50 119
At 30 June 2022 3,577 2,932 4,153 111 13,523 24,296
Accumulated depreciation
At 30 June 2020 1,566 3,054 3,414 191 2,094 10,319
Charge for the year 436 254 421 63 2,225 3,399
Disposals (774) (159) (51) (41) (1,025)
Lease modifications (337) (337)
Impairment 523 103 33 2,786 3,445
Assets transferred to held for sale (660) (12) (672)
Exchange translation differences (9) (84) (64) (157)
At 30 June 2021 1,856 2,541 3,645 203 6,727 14,972
Charge for the year 353 236 342 38 1,443 2,412
Disposals (279) (123) (156) (60) (618)
Impairment 597 597
Assets transferred to held for sale (note 20) (34) (64) (54) (38) (190)
Assets transferred from held for sale 142 142
Exchange translation differences 16 37 52 105
At 30 June 2022 2,914 2,450 3,847 85 8,124 17,420
Net book amount
At 30 June 2022 663 482 306 26 5,399 6,876
At 30 June 2021 1,626 581 405 114 6,551 9,277
At 30 June 2020 3,694 651 603 186 11,760 16,894
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Notes to the financial statements continued
14. Property, plant and equipment continued
Included in land, freehold and leasehold buildings is £nil (2021: £570,000) of non-depreciated land.
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is charged to operating expenses within the income statement.
The impairment during the year relates to the impairment of assets associated with an office property, recognised
as a result of an exercise performed to consolidate the Group’s office space.
As at 30 June 2022, assets classified as transferred from held for sale relate to property, plant and equipment with
a carrying value £19,000 which were classified as held for sale in the prior year but were subsequently not sold.
Company
Right-of-use assets
Land and buildings
£’000
Cost
30 June 2020, 30 June 2021 and 30 June 2022 9,889
Accumulated depreciation
At 30 June 2020 1,055
Charge for the year 1,215
Impairment 2,786
At 30 June 2021 5,056
Charge for the year 725
At 30 June 2022 5,781
Net book amount
At 30 June 2022 4,108
At 30 June 2021 4,833
At 30 June 2020 8,834
15. Investments in subsidiaries
Company
Shares in
subsidiary
undertakings
£’000
Cost less provision at 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022 49,420
The following table gives brief details of the entities controlled and included in the consolidated financial
statements of the Group at 30 June 2022. Except where indicated, all of the entities are incorporated in and
principally operated in the UK. Subsidiaries marked * are directly owned by Wilmington plc; all other subsidiaries
are indirectly owned. Subsidiaries marked ** are companies limited by guarantee, have no ordinary shares and are
controlled indirectly by Wilmington plc. Subsidiaries marked + have claimed audit exemptions for the year to 30
June 2022 under Section 479A of the Companies Act 2006. The subsidiary marked as ++ have claimed audit
exemptions for the year to 30 June 2022 under Section 360 of the Companies Act 2014. Subsidiaries marked
with # were liquidated on [•] September 2022.
Name of company
UK company
number
Registered
address Business
Percentage
owned
APM International SAS (incorporated
and operates in France)
n/a AVE News information services to the
healthcare industry
100
APM Media SARL (incorporated and
operates in France)
n/a AVE News information services to the
healthcare industry
100
Axco Insurance Information Services
Limited+
3073807 WCH Provision of international
compliance and regulatory
information for the global
insurance industry
100
Bond Solon Training Limited+ 2271977 WCH Witness training and conferences 100
CLT International Hong Kong Limited
(formerly International Compliance
Training Hong Kong Limited)
n/a PRU Certified professional training 100
CLT International Limited+ 6309789 WCH Certified professional training 100
ICA Commercial Services Limited+ 4363296 WCH Training courses in international
compliance and money
laundering
100
ICA Risk Management Limited (formerly
ICA Audit Limited)+
4519229 WCH Facilitation of ISO certification for
businesses
100
Interactive Medica AB (incorporated and
operates in Sweden)
n/a ALF Pan-European provider of cloud
based insight, CRM and KAM
offerings to the pharmaceutical
industry
100
Interactive Medica Limited+ 5947851 WCH Pan-European provider of cloud
based insight, CRM and KAM
offerings to the pharmaceutical
industry
100
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Notes to the financial statements continued
Name of company
UK company
number
Registered
address Business
Percentage
owned
Interactive Medica SL (incorporated and
operates in Spain)
n/a CRE Pan-European provider of cloud
based insight, CRM and KAM
offerings to the pharmaceutical
industry
100
International Compliance Association
Limited**+
4429302 WCH Professional association; a not for
profit organisation
100
International Compliance Training
Academy PTE Limited (incorporated and
operates in Singapore)
n/a SHE Training courses in international
compliance and money
laundering
100
International Compliance Training
(Middle East) Ltd (incorporated and
operates in the UAE)
n/a GAT Training courses in international
compliance and money
laundering
100
International Compliance Training SDN.
BHD (incorporated and operates in
Malaysia)
n/a VER Training courses in international
compliance and money
laundering
100
Mercia Group Limited+ 1464141 WCH Training and support services to
the accountancy profession
100
Mercia Ireland Limited (incorporated and
operates in Ireland) [++]
n/a BAG Training and support services to
the accountancy profession
100
Mercia NI Limited+ NI038498 CLO Training and support services to
the accountancy profession
100
MiExact Limited (formerly Smee and
Ford Limited)+
1964639 WCH Provision of legacy information 100
SWAT UK Limited+ 3041771 WCH Training and support services to
the accountancy profession
100
Wilmington Compliance Week Inc.
(incorporated and operates in the US)
n/a ORA Provision of international
compliance and regulatory
information in the US
100
Wilmington FRA Inc. (incorporated and
operates in the US)
n/a ORA Conference and networking
provider of specialist events in
healthcare and finance
100
Wilmington Healthcare Limited+ 2530185 WCH Provision of reference information
to the healthcare industry
100
Wilmington Holdings No.1 Limited* 8313253 WCH Holding company 100
Wilmington Holdings US Inc.
(incorporated and operates in the US)
n/a ORA Holding company 100
Wilmington IBT Limited (formerly The
Matchett Group Limited)+
1221570 WCH Dormant 100
Name of company
UK company
number
Registered
address Business
Percentage
owned
Wilmington Inese SL (incorporated and
operates in Spain)
n/a CMA Provision of Spanish language
subscription based publications
100
Wilmington Insight Limited+ 2691102 WCH Holding company 100
Wilmington Legal Limited+ 2522603 WCH Holding company 100
Wilmington plc Employee Share
Ownership Trust+
n/a WCH Trust n/a
Wilmington Publishing & Information
Limited
3368442 WCH Provision of information and
events for professional markets
100
Wilmington Shared Services Limited 8314442 WCH Provision of shared services 100
The registered company addresses for each subsidiary undertaking are abbreviated as shown below.
Registered address Abbreviation
Att.Lena Frazen, Nytorget 7, Box 577, 611 10, Nyköping, Sweden ALF
33 Avenue de la Republique, 75011 Paris AVE
13 Baggot Street Upper, Dublin 4, Ireland BAG
Cloughoge Business Park, Newry, Countydown, Northern Ireland CLO
C/Recoletos, 3 – 1º, 28001 Madrid CRE
C/Maudes, 51 - 2ª Planta - 28003 Madrid CMA
Level 3, Gate Village, Building 2, Dubai International Financial Centre, PO Box 506745, Dubai GAT
1209 Orange Street, Delaware 19801 ORA
Suite 2111, 21/F., Prudential Tower, The Gateway, Harbour City, 21 Canton Road, Tsimshatsui,
Kowloon, Hong Kong PRU
6 Shenton Way, #17-08 OUE Downtown 2, Singapore 068809 SHE
Unit 30-01, Vertical Business Suite, Bangsar South, No.8, Jalan Kerinchi, 59200, Kuala Lumpur VER
10 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 8QS WCH
15. Investments in subsidiaries continued
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
16. Trade and other receivables
Group Company
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Current
Trade receivables 22,290 23,202
Prepayments and other receivables 4,807 5,496 71 570
Amounts due from subsidiaries 118,670 106,394
27,097 28,698 118,741 106,964
Amounts due from all subsidiaries are interest free, unsecured and repayable on demand. Expected credit losses
on amounts due from subsidiaries are not material.
17. Derivative financial investments
Group and Company
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Non-current assets
Interest rate swaps 57
18. Trade and other payables
Group Company
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Trade and other payables 18,853 24,835 3,321 3,142
Subscriptions and deferred revenue 31,405 30,124
Amounts due to subsidiaries 49,993 34,025
50,258 54,959 53,314 37,167
Wilmington plc has loans to the value of £3,098,640 (2021: £2,231,760) due to APM International SAS which incur
interest at 2% per annum; these loans are unsecured and repayable on demand. All other amounts due to
subsidiaries are interest free, unsecured and repayable on demand.
19. Borrowings
Group
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Current liability
Bank overdrafts 3,644
3,644
Non-current liability
Bank loans 20,960
Capitalised loan arrangement fees (530)
Bank loans net of loan arrangement fees 20,430
At 30 June 2022 the Group was in an overall net cash (2021: net debt) position. The Group has not used its
revolving credit facility since January 2022 when the debt was fully repaid. As a result of its net cash position, and
considering the Groups ongoing liquidity requirements, the Board approved the reduction of the facility from
£65m to £20m as disclosed in note 21.
20. Disposal group held for sale
As at 30 June 2022, the disposal group classified as held for sale relates to Wilmington Inese SL, a business held
within the Intelligence division.
The major classes of assets and liabilities comprising the disposal group held for sale are as follows:
30 June
2022
£’000
Intangible assets – computer software 35
Property, plant and equipment 271
Trade and other receivables 386
Cash and cash equivalents 758
Assets of disposal group held for sale 1,450
Trade and other payables (1,163)
Lease liabilities (169)
Liabilities of disposal group held for sale (1,332)
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Notes to the financial statements continued
21. Financial instruments and risk management
The Groups financial instruments arise from its operations (for example, trade receivables and trade payables),
from the financing of its operations (for example, loans and borrowings and equity) and from its risk management
activities (for example, interest rate swaps and forward currency contracts). The risks to which the Group is
exposed include liquidity and capital risk, foreign currency risk, and credit risk.
Interest rate risk
Risk
The Group has access to a £20m revolving credit facility, however it is not currently in use due to the Groups net
cash position. The Group would only be exposed to cash flow volatility arising from fluctuations in market interest
rates if the facility was in use and in this case interest would be charged on the amount drawn down at a rate of
SONIA plus a margin of between 1.50 and 2.25% depending upon leverage. The Group incurs a commitment fee
for access to the facility at a rate of 40% of the applicable margin.
Group policy for interest rate risk management
The Group policy for interest rate risk management is to enter into interest rate swap contracts if beneficial to do
so. This decision is based on whether the contract would maintain the ratio of fixed to variable rate debt at a level
that achieves a reasonable cost of debt whilst reducing the exposure to cash flow volatility arising from
fluctuations in market interest rates.
In line with the Group policy for interest rate risk management, the Board made the decision during the year to
dispose of the interest rate swaps that were held. This is a result of the overall net cash position arising from the
disposal of AMT during the year. The gain on the revaluation of interest rate swaps is recognised in the income
statement within net gain on financing activities within adjusting items, the gain was recycled to the income
statement when hedge accounting was discontinued because the hedging instrument was liquidated.
The cancelled swaps were as follows:
a $7.5m interest rate swap commencing on 1 July 2020 and ending on 1 October 2024, whereby the Group
received interest on $7.5m based on the USD SONIA rate and paid interest on $7.5m at a fixed rate of 0.495%; and
a £20.0m interest rate swap commencing on 1 July 2020 and ending on 1 October 2024, whereby the Group
received interest on £20m based on the SONIA rate and paid interest on £20m at a fixed rate of 0.395%.
The interest rate profile of the Groups interest-bearing financial instruments as reported to the management of
the Group is as follows:
Nominal amount
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Financial liabilities 20,960
Effects of interest rate swaps (25,427)
(4,467)
There were no financial instruments in place at 30 June 2022.
Amounts related to items designated as hedging instruments during the year were as follows:
During the year ended
30 June 2022
Change in value
of hedging
instrument
recognised in OCI
£’000
Line item in
profit or loss that
includes hedge
ineffectiveness
Line item
affected in
profit or loss
because of the
reclassification
n/a 1,186
During the year ended
30 June 2021
Change in value
of hedging
instrument
recognised in OCI
£’000
Line item in
profit or loss that
includes hedge
ineffectiveness
Line item
affected in
profit or loss
because of the
reclassification
(93) n/a n/a
Carrying amount
At 30 June 2021
Nominal amount
£’000
Asset
£’000
Liability
£’000
Line item in the financial statements
where the hedging instrument is included
Interest rate swaps 5,427 22 Derivative financial instruments
Interest rate swaps 20,000 35 Derivative financial instruments
25,427 57
Liquidity and capital risk
Risk
The Groups activities give rise to working capital obligations and other operational cash outflows, as well as
financing cash outflows if the Group is using the revolving credit facility. The Group is consequently exposed to
the risk that it cannot meet its obligations as they fall due or can only meet them at an uneconomic price.
Group policy
The Group policy is to preserve a strong capital base in order to maintain investor, creditor and market confidence
and to safeguard the future development of the business and to balance these objectives with the efficient use of
capital.
Risk management arrangements
The Group determines its liquidity requirements by the use of short and long term cash forecasts. The Group
enters into short, medium and long term financial instruments when deemed necessary to support operational
and other funding requirements.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
21. Financial instruments and risk management continued
Liquidity and capital risk continued
The terms of the facility are included below:
Revolving credit facility secured until 3 July 2024
The Group has a £20m revolving credit facility with Barclays Bank plc, The Governor and Company of the Bank of
Ireland and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc. The facility comprises of a revolving credit facility of £20m and an
overdraft facility across the Group of £5m.
During the year as a result of its net cash position, and considering the Groups ongoing liquidity requirements, the
Board approved the reduction of the facility from £65m to £20m. Interest is charged on the amount drawn down at
between 1.50% and 2.25% above SONIA depending upon leverage, and drawdowns are made for periods of up to
six months in duration. The Group pays a fee of 40% of the applicable Margin on the undrawn element of the credit
facility and the undrawn overdraft.
The Group has available an undrawn revolving credit facility as follows:
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Expiring after more than one year 20,000 44,040
The following tables provide a maturity analysis of the remaining contractually agreed cash flows for the Groups
non-derivative financial liabilities on an undiscounted basis, which therefore differ from the carrying value and
fairvalue:
Group
At 30 June 2022
Within
1 year
£’000
1–2 years
£’000
2–5 years
£’000
More than
5 years
£’000
Tot al
£’000
Bank overdrafts
Bank loans including interest 120 120 240
Lease liabilities 507 1,972 4,777 662 7,918
Trade payables and accruals 18,853 18,853
19,480 2,092 4,777 662 27,011
At 30 June 2021
Within
1 year
£’000
1–2 years
£’000
2–5 years
£’000
More than
5 years
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Bank overdrafts 32 32 64 128
Bank loans including interest 384 384 22,278 23,046
Lease liabilities 2,333 2,064 5,240 1,841 11,478
Trade payables and accruals 24,835 24,835
27,584 2,480 27,582 1,841 59,487
Company
At 30 June 2022
Within
1 year
£’000
1–2 years
£’000
2–5 years
£’000
More than
5 years
£’000
Tot al
£’000
Bank overdrafts
Bank loans including interest 120 120 240
Lease liabilities 1,606 4,242 554 6,402
Trade payables, accruals and
amounts due to subsidiary
undertakings 53,314 53,314
53,434 1,726 4,242 554 59,956
At 30 June 2021
Within
1 year
£’000
1–2 years
£’000
2–5 years
£’000
More than
5 years
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Bank overdrafts 32 32 64 128
Bank loans including interest 384 384 768 1,536
Lease liabilities 1,606 1,606 4,769 1,634 9,615
Trade payables, accruals and
amounts due to subsidiary
undertakings 37,167 37,167
39,189 2,022 5,601 1,634 48,446
The Company has entered into an unlimited cross guarantee with the Groups credit facility providers.
Foreign currency risk
Risk
The currency of the primary economic environment in which the Group operates is Sterling, and this is also the
currency in which the Group presents its financial statements. However, the Group has significant US Dollar linked
cash flows arising from international trading and overseas operations. The Group is consequently exposed to
cash flow volatility arising from fluctuations in the applicable exchange rates for converting US Dollars to Sterling.
Group policy
The Group policy is to manage foreign currency risk, and to fix the exchange rate as appropriate in relation to a
periodically reassessed set percentage of expected US Dollar net cash inflows arising from international trading,
by entering into foreign currency contracts as appropriate to sell a specified amount of US Dollars on a specified
future date at a specified exchange rate. This set percentage is approved by the Board as part of the budgeting
process and upon the acquisition of foreign operations.
Where borrowings are required, the Group policy is to finance investment in overseas operations from borrowings
in the local currency of the relevant operation, so as to achieve a natural hedge of the foreign currency translation
risk. This natural hedge is designated as a net investment hedge for accounting purposes. Debt of $11m (2021:
$11.0m) designated as a net investment hedge relating to the Groups interest in Compliance Week and FRA was
repaid during the year, and the net investment hedge de-recognised in line with the Groups policy to hedge the
net investment only to the extent of the debt principal.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
21. Financial instruments and risk management continued
Foreign currency risk continued
Risk management arrangements
The following forward contracts were entered into in order to provide certainty in Sterling terms of 80% of the
Groups expected net US Dollar income:
Currency Amount (£m) Maturity date
Foreign
exchange rate
US Dollar 1.0 29 October 2021 1.3792
US Dollar 1.0 30 November 2021 1.3793
US Dollar 1.0 31 December 2021 1.3795
US Dollar 1.0 31 January 2022 1.3801
US Dollar 1.0 28 February 2022 1.3802
US Dollar 2.0 31 March 2022 1.3803
US Dollar 1.5 29 April 2022 1.3805
The above derivatives are re-measured at fair value at each reporting date. This gives rise to a gain or loss, the
entire amount of which is recognised in the income statement.
The Group has performed a sensitivity analysis that measures the estimated credit/(charge) to the income
statement and other comprehensive income arising from a 10% difference in the US Dollar to Sterling and Euro to
Sterling exchange rates applicable at 30 June 2022, with all other variables remaining constant. The sensitivity
analysis makes the assumption that changes in foreign currency rates only affect income, expense, assets and
liabilities that are denominated in the relevant currencies.
Income statement OCI
+10% *
£’000
-10% *
£’000
+10% *
£’000
-10% *
£’000
Cash and cash equivalents (63) 77
Trade receivables (including the effect of
forward currency contracts) (27) 33
Currency translation differences 362 (442)
Net investment hedges 212 (173)
Profit before tax arising overseas (455) 556
* +10% represents Sterling value appreciating compared with other currencies. -10% represents Sterling value depreciating compared with
othercurrencies.
Market risk
A foreign currency exposure can arise from the Groups net investment in two of its US subsidiaries (Wilmington
Compliance Week Inc. and Wilmington FRA Inc.) that have a US Dollar functional currency. The risk arises from
the fluctuation in spot exchange rates between Sterling and the US Dollar, which causes the value of the net
investment to vary. The hedged risk in the net investment hedge is the risk of a weakening of the US Dollar against
Sterling that will result in a reduction in the carrying amount of the Group’s net investment in the US subsidiaries.
To assess hedge effectiveness, the Group determines the economic relationship between the hedging instrument
and the hedged item by comparing changes in the carrying amount of the debt that is attributable to a change in
the spot rate with changes in the investment in the foreign operation due to movements in the spot rate (the offset
method). The Groups policy is to hedge the net investment only to the extent of the debt principal. In line with the
Groups market risk policy, a decision was made during the year to dispose of the net investment UD dollar hedge
of $11m. This is a result of the overall net cash position arising from the disposal of AMT during the year.
The amounts related to items designated as hedging instruments during the year were as follows:
During the year ended 30 June 2022
Change in value
of hedging
instrument
recognised in OCI
£’000
Line item in
profit or loss that
includes hedge
ineffectiveness
Line item
affected in
profit or loss
because of the
reclassification
193 n/a n/a
During the year ended 30 June 2021
Change in value
of hedging
instrument
recognised in OCI
£’000
Line item in
profit or loss that
includes hedge
ineffectiveness
Line item
affected in
profit or loss
because of the
reclassification
(762) n/a n/a
There were no US Dollar loans at 30 June 2022.
Carrying amount
At 30 June 2021
Nominal amount
£’000
Liability
£’000
Line item in
the financial
statements where
the hedging
instrument
is included
US Dollar loans 7,960 7,960 Borrowings
7,960 7,960
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
21. Financial instruments and risk management continued
Market risk continued
During the year ended 30 June 2022
Foreign currency
translation
reserve
£’000
Balances
remaining in the
foreign currency
translation
reserve from
hedging
relationships
for which hedge
accounting is no
longer applied
£’000
(1,552)
During the year ended 30 June 2021
Foreign currency
translation
reserve
£’000
Balances
remaining in the
foreign currency
translation
reserve from
hedging
relationships
for which hedge
accounting is no
longer applied
£’000
(1,359) (742)
Credit risk
Risk
The Groups principal financial assets are receivables and bank balances. The Group is consequently exposed to
the risk that its customers or the banks cannot meet their obligations as they fall due.
Group policy
The Group policy is to assess the creditworthiness and financial strength of customers at inception and on an
ongoing basis. The Group also reviews the credit rating of its banks. Cash is held in banks with a credit rating
between AA and BBB+ per Fitch at 19 September 2022, with the exception of £0.1m which is held in Allied Irish
and Ulster Bank both with a rating of BBB+.
Risk management arrangements
The Groups credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade receivables. However, the Group has no significant
exposure to credit risk because its trading is spread over a large number of customers. The payment terms
offered to customers take into account the assessment of their creditworthiness and financial strength, and they
are set in accordance with industry standards. The creditworthiness of customers is considered before trading
commences. Most of the Groups customers are large and well-established institutions that pay on time and in
accordance with the Groups standard terms of business.
The amounts presented in the balance sheet are net of the expected credit loss allowance. The Group applies a
simplified approach to measure the expected credit loss allowance for trade receivables classified at amortised
cost, using the lifetime expected loss provision.
The Group assesses on a forward-looking basis the expected credit losses associated with its financial assets
carried at amortised cost and debt instruments at fair value through other comprehensive income. Expected
credit losses are updated at each reporting date to reflect changes in credit risk.
The expected credit loss on trade receivables is estimated using a provision matrix by reference to past default
experience and credit rating, taking into account forward looking factors including general economic conditions
and an assessment of the current and forecast conditions at the reporting date.
The following table details the risk profile of trade receivables based on the Groups provision matrix.
At 30 June 2022
Not due
£’000
0–30 days
£’000
30–60 days
£’000
61–90 days
£’000
91–120 days
£’000
120+ days
£’000
Tot al
£’000
Gross carrying amount 14,733 3,280 1,940 1,197 936 1,079 23,165
Expected credit loss rate 0.29% 0.03% 0.12 % 0.10% 4.27% 72.98% 3.78%
Expected credit loss 43 1 2 1 40 788 875
Net carrying amount 14,690 3,279 1,938 1,196 896 291 22,290
Set out below is the movement for the year in the expected credit loss relating to trade receivables.
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Allowances at 1 July 811 1,132
Additions charged to income statement [•] 176
Allowances used [•] (429)
Allowances reversed [•] (68)
Allowances at 30 June 875 811
Fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities
The table below sets out the accounting classification and the carrying and fair values of all of the Groups financial
assets and financial liabilities. The carrying value and fair value are equal in all cases. None of the financial
instruments have been reclassified during the year. All items classified as fair value through profit and loss are held
for trading.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
21. Financial instruments and risk management continued
Credit risk continued
Fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities continued
Group
At 30 June 2022
Amortised
cost
£’000
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents 19,785
Trade and other receivables 22,729
Financial assets included within disposal group held for sale 1,106
43,620
Financial liabilities
Trade and other payables 18,853
Lease liabilities 7,510
Financial liabilities included within disposal group held for sale 518
26,881
At 30 June 2021
Fair value –
hedging
instrument
£’000
Amortised
cost
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents 7,374 7,374
Interest rate swaps 57 57
Trade and other receivables 24,077 24,077
57 31,451 31,508
Financial liabilities
Trade and other payables (24,835) (24,835)
Lease liabilities (10,742) (10,742)
Bank overdrafts (3,644) (3,644)
Bank loans (20,960) (20,960)
(60,181) (60,181)
Company
At 30 June 2022
Amortised
cost
£’000
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents 15,734
Trade and other receivables 118,670
134,404
Financial liabilities
Trade and other payables (49,993)
Lease liabilities (6,225)
(56,218)
At 30 June 2021
Fair value –
hedging
instrument
£’000
Amortised
cost
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents 2,702 2,702
Interest rate swaps 57 57
Trade and other receivables 106,394 106,394
57 109,096 109,153
Financial liabilities
Trade and other payables (34,548) (34,548)
Lease liabilities (8,963) (8,963)
(43,511) (43,511)
Fair value measurement
The methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair values of financial assets and liabilities are as follows:
the carrying amount of trade receivables and payables approximates to fair value due to the short maturity of
the amounts receivable and payable;
the fair value of the Group’s borrowings are estimated on the basis of the discounted value of future cash flows
using approximate discount rates in effect at the balance sheet date; and
the fair value of the Group’s outstanding interest rate swaps, foreign exchange contracts and put options for
non-controlling interest are estimated using discounted cash flow models and market rates of interest and
foreign exchange at the balance sheet date.
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Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
22. Deferred tax
Movements on deferred tax assets are as follows:
Group
Share based
payments
£’000
Fair value
interest
rate swap
£’000
US deferred
consideration
£’000
Ta x
losses
£’000
Other
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Asset at 1 July 2020 106 11 243 795 34 1,189
Tax relating to initial application
of IFRS 16 (34) (34)
Deferred tax (charge)/credit
inthe income statement for
theyear (14) (22) 432 396
Deferred tax charge in other
comprehensive income for
theyear (22) (22)
Deferred tax credit included
directly in equity for the year 358 358
Utilisation of deferred tax asset (498) (498)
Exchange translation difference (25) (25)
Asset at 30 June 2021 450 (11) 196 729 1,364
Deferred tax (charge)/credit
inthe income statement for
theyear (16) 11 (23) 191 163
Deferred tax credit included
directly in equity for the year 70 70
Utilisation of deferred tax asset (631) (631)
Exchange translation difference 75 75
Asset at 30 June 2022 504 248 289 1,041
Company
Share based
payments
£’000
Fair value interest
rate swap
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Asset at 30 June 2020 106 11 117
Deferred tax charge in the income statement for the year (14) (14)
Deferred tax charge in other comprehensive income for the year (22) (22)
Deferred tax credit included directly in equity for the year 358 358
Asset at 30 June 2021 450 (11) 439
Deferred tax charge in the income statement for the year (16) 11 (5)
Deferred tax credit included directly in equity for the year 70 70
Asset at 30 June 2022 504 504
Movements on deferred tax liabilities are as follows:
Group
£’000
Non-current liabilities
Liability at 30 June 2020 2,524
Deferred tax credit in the income statement for the year (530)
Effect on deferred tax of a change in the corporation tax rate 132
Exchange translation difference (72)
Liability at 30 June 2021 2,054
Deferred tax credit in the income statement for the year (51)
Effect on deferred tax of a change in the corporation tax rate 2
Exchange translation difference 35
Liability at 30 June 2022 2,040
The deferred tax liability arises as a result of accelerated tax on amortisation of intangible assets excluding
computer software and on the depreciation of property, plant and equipment.
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104
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
23. Share capital
Group
Number of
ordinary
shares of
5p each
Ordinary shares
£’000
Share premium
account
£’000
Treasury
shares and
ESOT reserves
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Issued and fully paid
ordinary shares
At 30 June 2020 87,603,917 4,380 45,225 (590) 49,015
Performance share plan
awards vesting settled
viaESOT 137 137
ESOT share purchases (263) (263)
Sale of treasury shares 15 15
At 30 June 2021 87,603,917 4,380 45,225 (701) 48,904
Performance share plan
awards vesting settled
viaESOT 84 84
ESOT share purchases (371) (371)
Issue of shares 224,838 11 328 339
Purchase of treasury shares (154) (154)
Sale of treasury shares 49 49
At 30 June 2022 87,828,755 4,391 45,553 (1,093) 48,851
Company
Number of
ordinary
shares of
5p each
Ordinary shares
£’000
Share premium
account
£’000
Treasury
shares
£’000
Tota l
£’000
Issued and fully paid
ordinary shares
At 30 June 2020 87,603,917 4,380 45,225 (93) 49,512
Shares issued
Sale of treasury shares 15 15
At 30 June 2021 87,603,917 4,380 45,225 (78) 49,527
Issue of shares 224,838 11 328 339
Purchase of treasury shares (154) (154)
Sale of treasury shares 49 49
At 30 June 2022 87,828,755 4,391 45,553 (183) 49,761
In May 2022 Wilmington issued 224,838 ordinary voting shares of £0.05 to satisfy the Company’s obligations
under the SAYE Plan.
During the year the Wilmington Group plc Employee Share Ownership Trust (‘ESOT’) purchased 170,097 ordinary
shares for the purpose of future settlement of employee share schemes. On 30 September 2021, 37,435 shares
vested under its Performance Share Plan settled via the ESOT. In April 2022 3,552 shares were used to satisfy the
Company’s obligations under the SAYE Plan. At 30 June 2022, the ESOT held 403,782 shares (2021: 274,672) in
the Company, which represents 0.5% (2021: 0.4%) of the called up share capital.
At 30 June 2022, 65,970 shares (2021: 34,533) were held in treasury, which represents 0.1% (2021: 0.1%) of the
share capital of the Company.
24. Share based payments
The Groups share based payment arrangements are as follows:
a) Performance Share Plan (‘PSP’) Awards, applying to Executives.
b) Performance Share Plan (‘PSP’) Awards, applying to the Senior Leadership Team.
c) Share Option Plan (‘Options’), applying to the Senior Leadership Team.
d) An employee Save As You Earn (‘SAYE’) scheme, for UK based employees.
An expense of £1,230,000 (2021: £566,000) was recognised in the income statement of the Group for share
based payments. Of this expense £1,230,000 (2021: £566,000) was recognised in the parent company income
statement.
During the year ended 30 June 2022, the following events have occurred in respect of each scheme.
a) PSP awards, applying to Executives
Details of Directors’ share awards are set out in the Directors’ remuneration report.
Under the Wilmington plc 2017 Performance Share Plan:
Date of grant
Exercise
price per
award
Date of
vesting
Number of
shares for
which awards
outstanding at
1 July 2020
Awards
granted
during year
Awards
vested
during year
Awards
lapsed
during year
Number of
shares for
which awards
outstanding at
30 June 2022
September 2018 Nil
September
2021 79,486 (37,435) (42,051)
September 2019 Nil
September
2022 285,673 [(170,923)] 114,750
September 2020 Nil
September
2023 546,939 (91,837) 455,102
February 2021 Nil
September
2023 52,971 52,971
September 2021 Nil
September
2024 383,177 383,177
February 2022 Nil
September
2024 27,307 27,307
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
105
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
24. Share based payments continued
a) PSP awards, applying to Executives continued
37,435 awards vested on 28 September 2021 at a share price of £2.26. 383,177 awards were granted to
Executives in September 2021 with a fair value of £1.90 per award. 27,307 awards were granted to the Chief
People Officer on 22 February 2022 with a fair value of £2.08 per award.
The performance conditions of the awards granted between 2018 and 2019 are based on the
proportions shown below:
33.3% total shareholder return (‘TSR’);
33.3% earnings per share (‘EPS’); and
33.3% return on equity (‘ROE’).
The performance conditions of the awards granted in September 2020 and February 2021 are based
on the proportions below:
40.0% total shareholder return (‘TSR’);
40.0% earnings per share (‘EPS’); and
20.0% organic growth (‘ORG’).
The performance conditions of the awards granted in September 2021 and February 2022 are based
on the proportions below:
65.0% earnings per share (‘EPS’); and
35.0% organic growth (‘ORG’).
The awards granted to Executives in September 2021 were valued using the Black Scholes and
Stochastic methods with the following assumptions:
expected volatility (%): 46.86
expected life (years): 3.0; and
expected dividends (%): Nil.
The awards granted to the Chief People Officer in February 2022 were valued using the Black
Scholes and Stochastic methods with the following assumptions:
expected volatility (%): 45.58
expected life (years): 3.0; and
expected dividends (%): Nil.
Expected volatility was determined by reference to the historical volatility of the Groups share price. The
expected life used in the model is the mid-point of the exercise period.
b) PSP awards, applying to the Senior Leadership Team
Under the Wilmington plc 2017 Performance Share Plan:
Date of grant
Exercise
price per
award
Date of
vesting
Number of
shares for
which awards
outstanding at
1 July 2020
Awards
granted
during year
Awards
vested
during year
Awards
lapsed
during year
Number of
shares for
which awards
outstanding at
30 June 2022
September 2018 Nil September 2021 178,917 (178,917)
September 2019 Nil September 2022 145,776 (1,599) 144,177
September 2020 Nil September 2023 223,295 (7,584) 215,711
September 2021 Nil September 2024 151,870 151,870
February 2022 Nil September 2024 7,270 7,270
The fair value of the awards granted on 28 September 2021 was £2.06 and the fair value of the awards granted on
22 February 2022 was £2.24 per award.
The performance conditions of the awards granted in September 2021 and February 2022 are based on the
proportions shown below.
65.0% earnings per share (‘EPS’); and
35.0% organic growth (‘ORG’).
The awards granted in September 2021 were valued using the Black Scholes method with the following
assumptions:
expected life (years): 3.0; and
expected dividends (%): 2.69.
The awards granted in February 2022 were valued using the Black Scholes method with the following
assumptions:
expected life (years): 3.0; and
expected dividends (%): 2.60.
c) Options
On 30 September 2021 and 22 February 2022, the Company awarded share options to selected key
management. This is a discretionary scheme which enables a company to grant share options to selected
employees. The exercise price of the granted options is equal to the market price of the shares on the date of the
grant. Options are conditional on the employee completing three years’ service (the vesting period) so act as a
lock-in incentive; the options have a contractual option term of ten years. The options are exercisable starting
three years from the grant date, subject to the Group achieving growth in earnings per share in line with the targets
set out in the deed of grant. The Group has no legal or constructive obligation to repurchase or settle the options
in cash.
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
106
Wilmington plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Notes to the financial statements continued
24. Share based payments continued
c) Options continued
Movements in the number of share options outstanding and their related weighted average exercise price are
asfollows:
Date of grant
Average
exercise price
per option
£ Date of vesting
Number of
shares for
which options
outstanding at
1 July 2020
Options
granted
during year
Options
exercised
during year
Options
lapsed
during year
Number
of shares
for which
options
outstanding
at June 2022
September 2015 2.625 September 2018 160,726 160,726
September 2016 2.455 September 2019
September 2017 2.150 September 2020
September 2018 1.848 September 2021 281,313 (281,313)
September 2019 2.080 September 2022 220,007 (3,859) 216,148
September 2020 1.225 September 2023 328,772 (18,201) 310,571
September 2021 2.228 September 2024 216,323 216,323
February 2022 2.420 September 2024 10,905 10,905
The fair value of the options granted on 28 September 2021 was £0.52 and the fair value of the options granted on
22 February 2022 was £0.61 per option.
The options granted in September 2021 were valued using the Black Scholes method with the following
assumptions:
expected volatility (%): 32.74;
expected life (years): 6.50;
expected dividends (%): 2.60; and
expected volatility was determined by reference to the historical volatility of the Groups share price. The
expected life used in the model is the mid-point of the exercise period.
The options granted in February 2022 were valued using the Black Scholes method with the following
assumptions:
expected volatility (%): 32.34;
expected life (years): 6.50;
expected dividends (%): 2.69; and
expected volatility was determined by reference to the historical volatility of the Groups share price. The
expected life used in the model is the mid-point of the exercise period.
d) Save As You Earn Options
On 29 March 2019, Save As You Earn Options with a per share exercise price of £1.52 over 688,612 ordinary
shares in Wilmington plc (the ‘Company’) were granted under the Wilmington SAYE Plan 2018 to employees of the
Company and its subsidiaries. In May 2022 the SAYE Options vested, and can be exercised within six months
following vesting, 279,815 shares vested during the year. At 30 June 2022 there were 47,127 (2021: 326,942)
shares for which options were outstanding.
On 19 October 2020, Save As You Earn Options with a per share exercise price of £0.96 over 984,973 ordinary
shares in the Company were granted under the Wilmington SAYE Plan 2018 to employees of the Company and its
subsidiaries. At 30 June 2022 there were 784,949 (2021: 930,261) shares for which options were outstanding.
The exercise prices of £1.52 and £0.96 relating to the 2019 SAYE Options and the 2020 SAYE Options
respectively were calculated in accordance with the rules as set out in the SAYE Scheme. The SAYE Options will
normally vest and become exercisable over a three year vesting period from the date of grant and can be
exercised within six months following vesting.
25. Lease liabilities
The Group enters into leases of buildings in relation to offices & business premises in the geographical locations in
which they operate.
The following table shows the discounted lease liabilities included in the Group and Company balance sheets:
Group Company
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Current 648 2,356 118 1,606
Non-current 6,862 8,386 6,107 7,357
7,510 10,742 6,225 8,963
A reconciliation of the movement in the right-of-use assets is included in note 14. The maturity analysis of lease
liabilities on a contractual undiscounted cash flow basis is included in note 21. The interest expense in relation to
lease liabilities is included in note 6. Amounts recognised through the consolidated income statement in respect
of short-term leases and low-value leases are included in note 4. The total cash outflow for leases was £4,166,000
(2021: £3,352,000) with the year-on-year increase relating to a difference in the timing of payments.
Contracts entered into by the Group have a wide range of terms and conditions but generally do not impose any
additional covenants. Extension and terminations options provide the Group with additional operational flexibility.
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Notes to the financial statements continued
25. Lease liabilities continued
These options are included in the lease term if the Group considers it reasonably certain that the lease will be
extended or terminated.
Included in liabilities of disposal group classified as held for sale is £169,000 relating to lease liabilities for
Wilmington Inese SL.
The Group is committed to one lease agreement not yet commenced as at 30 June 2022. The future cash outflow
to which the Group is potentially exposed for this agreement is approximately £550,000.
26. Provisions
Property and other £’000
At 1 July 2020
Additional provision in the year 1,842
At 30 June 2021 1,842
Utilised in the year (307)
At 30 June 2022 1,535
30 June
2022
£’000
30 June
2021
£’000
Included in current liabilities 307 461
Included in non-current liabilities 1,228 1,381
1,535 1,842
The provision is based on assumptions and estimates where the ultimate outcome may be different from the amount
provided. The provision reflects the Groups best estimate of the probable exposure as at 30 June 2022. This
assessment has been made having considered the sensitivity of the provision for possible changes in key assumptions.
27. Commitments
The Group had no (2021: none) capital commitments contracted but not provided for in relation to property, plant
and equipment at 30 June 2022.
28. Related party transactions
The Company and its wholly owned subsidiary undertakings offer certain Group-wide purchasing facilities to the
Company’s other subsidiary undertakings whereby the actual costs are recharged.
The Company has made recharges totalling £503,896 (2021: £2,386,709) to its fellow Group undertakings in
respect of management services.
Amounts due from and to subsidiary undertakings by the Company are set out in notes 16 and 18 respectively.
During the year, the Company received dividends of £15,416,584 from subsidiaries (2021: £42,998,819).
There were no (2021: £nil) transactions with related parties of key management personnel in the year.
29. Staff and their pay and benefits
a) Employee costs (including Directors) were as follows::
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Wages and salaries* 47,374 47,884
Social security costs 5,164 4,814
Other pension costs 1,384 1,409
Share based payments (including social security costs) 1,230 566
55,152 54,673
* Excluded from wages and salaries are redundancy costs in the year of £1,072,371 (2021: £1,969,131).
b) Remuneration of key management personnel that held office for part or all of the year (2022: 9 people; 2021: 14
people), which includes the Directors and other key management personnel, is shown in the table below:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Short term employee benefits 2,226 3,385
Compensation for loss of office 164
Post-employment benefits 72 89
Share based payments 302 394
2,600 4,032
More detailed information concerning Directors’ remuneration, shareholdings, pension entitlement, share options
and other Long Term Incentive Plans (‘LTIPs’) is shown in the audited part of the Directors’ remuneration report on
pages [64] to [72], which forms part of the consolidated financial statements.
c) The average monthly number of employees (including Directors) employed by the Group was as follows:
Year ended
30 June
2022
Number
Year ended
30 June
2021
Number
Cost of sales 520 549
Administration 381 403
901 952
Total full time equivalents at 30 June 2022 were 779 (2021: 835).
d) Retirement benefits
The Group contributes to defined contribution pension schemes. Total contributions to the schemes during the
year were £1,384,000 (2021: £1,409,000).
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Notes to the financial statements continued
30. Cash generated from operations
Group Company
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Profit/(loss) from continuing operations
before tax 36,120 (2,025) 14,964 37,879
Adjusting item- gain on disposal of
subsidiaries (16,329) (770)
Adjusting item- gain on disposal of business
operations (3,394)
Adjusting item - gain on sale of property,
plant and equipment (1,289)
Adjusting item- net gain on financing
activities (840) (840)
Adjusting items 66 2,970 (6,061) 151
Depreciation of property, plant and
equipment included in operating expenses 2,412 3,399
Amortisation of intangible assets 6,089 5,816
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets
and property, plant and equipment 597 14,834 2,786
Non-adjusting (profit)/loss on disposal of
property, plant and equipment (71) 2
Share based payments (including social
security costs) 1,230 566 1,230 566
Net finance costs 928 1,634 663 855
Operating cash flows before
movements in working capital 28,913 23,032 9,956 42,237
Decrease/(increase) in trade and other
receivables 1,621 (3,619) (9,396) (24,923)
(Decrease)/increase in trade and other
payables (5,657) (2,123) (7,275) 3,070
Decrease in provisions (307)
Cash generated from/(used in)
operations before adjusting items 24,570 17,290 (6,715) 20,384
Cash conversion is calculated as a percentage of cash generated by operations to adjusted EBITA as follows:
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Funds from operations before adjusting items:
Adjusted EBITA (note 2) 21,621 16,649
Share based payments (including social security costs) 1,230 566
Amortisation of intangible assets – computer software 3,721 2,416
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment included in operating expenses 2,412 3,399
Non-adjusting (profit)/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment (71) 2
Operating cash flows before movement in working capital 28,913 23,032
Net working capital movement (4,343) (5,742)
Funds from operations before adjusting items 24,570 17,290
Cash conversion 114% 104%
Year ended
30 June
2022
£’000
Year ended
30 June
2021
£’000
Free cash flow:
Operating cash flows before movement in working capital 28,913 23,032
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment 3,493 103
Net working capital movement (4,343) (5,742)
Interest paid (479) (1,196)
Payment of lease liabilities (3,752) (2,530)
Tax paid (3,397) (2,697)
Purchase of property, plant and equipment (440) (1,047)
Purchase of intangible assets (1,292) (1,969)
Free cash flow 18,703 7,954
31. Events after the reporting period
There were no events after the Balance Sheet date that require disclosure.
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022
Pro forma five year financial summary (unaudited)
Pro forma five year financial summary (unaudited)
2018
£’m
2019
£’m
2020
£’m
2021
£’m
2022
£’m
Revenue 121.3 122.5 113.1 113.0 121.0
Operating expenses (before adjusting items) (97.5) (101.0) (99.1) (96.4) (99.4)
Adjusted EBITA 23.8 21.5 14.0 16.6 21.6
Other adjusting items (4.6) (1.4) (0.6) (3.0) 0.1
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment 1.3
Gain on disposal of business operations 3.4
Gain on disposal of subsidiaries 1.9 0.8 16.3
Net gain on financing activities 0.8
Amortisation of intangible assets excluding computer software (6.4) (5.1) (4.8) (3.4) (2.5)
Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant
andequipment (8.6) (14.8) (0.6)
Operating profit/(loss) 4.2 16.9 8.6 (0.4) 37.0
Net finance costs (1.9) (2.1) (2.2) (1.6) (0.9)
Share of loss of equity accounted investment (0.1)
Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before tax 2.3 14.7 6.4 (2.0) 36.1
Taxation (2.6) (3.5) (1.8) (2.5) (3.3)
Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities after tax (0.3) 11.2 4.6 (4.5) 32.8
Adjusted profit before tax 21.8 19.3 11.9 15.0 20.7
Cash generated from operations before adjusting items 25.7 26.4 26.5 17.3 24.6
Basic earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations (pence) (0.45) 12.74 5.33 (5.18) 37.46
Diluted earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations (pence) (0.45) 12.64 5.26 (5.18) 36.98
Adjusted earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations (pence) 19.80 17.44 10.71 13.62 18.66
Interim and proposed final dividend per share (pence) 8.8 9.1 6.0 [•]
Dividend cover (times)
1
2.3 1.9 2.3 [•]
Return on sales (%)
2
19.6 17.5 12.4 14.7 17.9
The results for the financial years to 2018 and 2019 have not been adjusted for IFRS 16.
1 Dividend cover – adjusted earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations divided by the interim and proposed final dividend per share.
2 Return on sales – adjusted EBITA divided by revenue.
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Advisors and corporate calendar
Financial advisors
Evercore Partners
15 Stanhope Gate
London
W1K 1LN
Stockbrokers
Numis Securities Limited
10 Paternoster Square
London
EC4M 7LT
Independent auditors
Grant Thornton UK LLP
30 Finsbury Square
London
EC2A 1AG
Solicitors
Osborne Clarke
One London Wall
London
EC2Y 5EB
Principal bankers
Barclays Bank plc
1 Churchill Place
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5HP
Registrars
Equiniti Limited
Aspect House
Spencer Road
Lancing
BN99 6DA
Shareholder helpline
+44 (0) 371 384 2855 (UK)
+44 121 415 7047 (overseas)
Corporate calendar
Announcement of final results
20 September 2022
Annual General Meeting
23 November 2022
Announcement of interim results
February 2023
Registered and business address
Wilmington plc
10 Whitechapel High Street
London
E1 8QS
Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 0049
www.wilmingtonplc.com
Strategic Report Financial StatementsOur Governance
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Wilmington plc
[10 Whitechapel High Street
London
E1 8QS]
[Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 0049
www.wilmingtonplc.com]