16
> APRIL 2014 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: EZINE UPDATE Top awards for Equiniti and its clients Budget – Brian Please on the Equiniti Annuity Survey Budget – What the new ISA will mean for employers A review of the changes to Narrative Reporting SIP and SAYE savings limits PERSPECTIVE Predicting how shareholders will vote with Quality Investor Analytics 10 MINUTE GUIDE The Internet of Things will transform our lives CLIENT FOCUS A helping hand for Land Securities Group

Equiniti Ezine April 2014

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

The latest news from Equiniti and the wider group.

Citation preview

Page 1: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

> april 2014

inside this issue:

EZINE

update●TopawardsforEquinitianditsclients●Budget–BrianPleaseontheEquiniti AnnuitySurvey●Budget–WhatthenewISAwillmean foremployers●AreviewofthechangestoNarrativeReporting●SIPandSAYEsavingslimits

perspective●Predictinghowshareholderswillvotewith QualityInvestorAnalytics

10 minute guide●TheInternetofThingswilltransformourlives

client focus●AhelpinghandforLandSecuritiesGroup

Page 2: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

and the winner is …Fantastic awards success for Equiniti and clients

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

all of thE latEst INdustry NEws from EquINItI UPdate

EquinitiwerenamedtheBenefitsTeamoftheYearattherecentPay&BenefitsAwardsceremony,whichhonoursindividualsandteamsfortheiroutstandingachievementsintheindustry.TheEquinitiFlexandOnlineBenefitsteamachievedtheextremelyhighstandardsrequiredbytheUK’slargestbank,andlaunchedoneofthebiggestUKwideFlexschemes.Upagainststiffcompetitionfromotherleadingproviders,thejudgeswereimpressedbytheteam’sabilitytomaintaingreatcustomerservicethroughouttheupheavalofanewsystemimplementation.

TheshortlisthasalsojustbeenannouncedfortheforthcomingEmployeeBenefitsAwards.EquinitihasbeenselectedintheMostMotivationalBenefitscategoryforthegroup-

wideOneEquinitiIconAwards.CongratulationsalsogotoMarks&SpencerandTescowhohavemadetheshortlistintheBestEmployeeShareSchemescategory,forplansthatEquinitiprovides.ThewinnerswillbedecidedinJune.

WearealsodelightedtoannouncethatEquinitiwontheBestShareRegistrarawardattheUKStockMarketAwards2014.“FollowingonfromourBestShareholderServicesawardandourNo.1rankinginCapitalAnalytics,bothlastyear,thiscompletesatremendous12monthsofrecognitionfortheexcellentservicewedelivertoourclientsandtheirshareholders,”commentedStuartEllen,ManagingDirector,RegistrationServices.“Theawardisalsoafantastictributetoallofourpeoplerightacrossthebusinesswhohelpedmakethishappen.”

Pictured: The Pay & Benefits Awards hosts with Nicola Pattimore (centre), (left to right) Sue Clarke, Stuart Bennett and Samantha John

Page 3: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

update

Budget 2014 - pensionsFurther to the overhaul of pensions in last month’s Budget announcement, Brian Please, Business Development Director, discusses the Equiniti Annuity Survey

TherecentBudgetannouncementbytheChancellortookthemarketbycompletesurpriseandisthemost

radicalchangewehaveeverseen.TheissuesaddressedmirroredthosethatEquinitihasbeenhighlighting,andfeatureheavilyinourannualAnnuitySurvey.

Thesechangesaffectonlydefinedcontribution(DC)schemesintheprivatesector.Wemustwaittoseewhatthegovernmentmayhaveinstorefordefinedbenefitorevenpublicsectorschemes.ItwouldseemtomeasteptoofarifmembersoftheseschemesareallowedtotransfertoaDCarrangementandtakeitallascash.

Whileit’scurrentlyimpossibletoaccuratelypredictwhattheBudget’seventualramificationsmaybe,marketspeculationsuggeststhattheannuitymarketcouldreducefrom£12billionto£4billionasearlyas2015.WehaveaskedourAnnuitySurveyrespondentstosharetheiropinionsandpredictionsinorderfor

ustoidentifyearlytrendsinthepensionandannuityindustry’sresponsestothesechanges.

We’vealsoaskedoursurveyrespondentsiftheybelievethatthisisasignthatannuitiesarenolongerfitforpurposeatretirement.Andifthisisthebeginningoftheendforannuities,howwilldrawdownproductsbepositioned?Willthoseinreceiptoftheirpensionssavingsrecklesslyspendtheirmoneyandexhausttheirpensionpotstooearly,

orwillindividualsbeencouragedtoengagemoreinmakingretirementchoicesduetotheincreasedbreadthofchoicesavailable?Whileit’snotyetknownwhattheGovernment’splansmightbeforenhancedannuities,weaskedourrespondentsifallannuitiesshouldbeunderwritteninthefuture.

TheChancellorannouncedtheGovernment’sintentiontoguaranteeeveryonewithaDCpensionfreeandimpartialguidanceontheirfinancialchoicesforretirement,atretirement.Weaskedourrespondentstogiveustheirthoughtsonthepotentialcostofthisguidanceandwhetheritwillbepracticalornecessarytoprovidethisguidanceface-to-face.

ThesurveywaslaunchedimmediatelyaftertheBudgetannouncement,andweexpectaparticularlystrongresponsethisyear.TheresultswillbepublishedinearlyJune.Ifyouwouldliketoseeacopyofthesurveyresults,[email protected]@equiniti.com.

Page 4: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE coNtINuEd oN PagE 5

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014update

Budget 2014 - the new isaNISA flexibility makes a more attractive proposition for employers too

Findingthebalancebetweenmakingsavingsandinvestmentsoptionsavailabletostaffandbeingseento

makearecommendationhasoftenbeenaconcernforemployers.Employerscannotandshouldnotbeexpectedtoprovidefinancialadvicehowever,aspartoftheirwidercommitmenttoprovidingadutyofcaretheymaywishtosupportemployees’financialplanning.

ISAshavealwayssatneatlyalongsidemoretraditionalbenefitssuchaspensionsandshareplansandthenewISA,the‘NISA’announcedinthe2014budget,withitsimprovedflexibilityhasjustbecomeamoreinterestingproposition.Inthebudget,announcedon19March2014,theGovernmentannouncedchangestoISAswhichgivesaversandinvestorsgreaterchoiceandflexibilityaboutwhenandwheretheyplacetheirfunds,inturnhelpingtoreduceemployerconcernsaboutappearingtobedirectingstaffdownacertainsavingsroute.

Some key features of the NISA from 1 July 2014

Allowances ■ From6Apriluntil30June2014,thenew

allowancewillbe£11,880.From1July2014until5April2015,itwillbe£15,000.■ ItwillalsobepossibletosplittheISA

allowanceinanywaybetweenaCashISAandaStocksandSharesISA.Previously,savershadtousealloftheirISAallowanceinaStocksandSharesISAoruseamaximumof50%inaCashISAwiththeremainderinaStocksandSharesISA.■ ThejuniorISAlimitwillbeincreasedto

£4,000.

Funds transfersItwillbepossibletotransferfundsfromaStocksandSharesISAtoaCashISAandviceversafromJulywhereaspreviouslyithasonlybeenpossibletotransferfundsoutofaCashISAintoaStocksandSharesISA.

Tax-free interest in Stocks & Shares ISAs ■ InterestearnedoncashheldinaStocksand

SharesISAwillnolongerbetaxed.■ ISAsinthecorporateworldhaveanumber

ofpotentialbenefitsforemployees:theycanprovideemployeeswithongoingprotectionfromtaxwhenashareplanmatures,enablethemtodiversifyfromasinglestockholdingtoarisk-managedportfolio,toworktowardsasourceoftax-freeincomeinfutureyears*and,

Page 5: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

sinceincomecanbetakenoutatanytime,theyarelessrestrictivethanapension.■ CashISAsarelowriskbutofferlower

returns;StocksandSharesISAarehigherriskbuthavethepotentialforhigherreturns.Withthisgreaterflexibility,theNISAallowsemployeestochoosethesavingsandinvestmentcombinationthatbestsuitstheirneeds,andprovidestheopportunitytomakechangesthroughoutthetaxyear.TheirflexibilityshouldgivegreatercomforttoemployerswhowishtoincludeISAsintheiremployeebenefitsoffering.*basedoncurrentlegislation

ISA allowances

Stocks and Shares ISA limit

6 April 2014 – 30 June 2014£11,880(lessanycontributionsmadetoaCashISA)1 July 2014 – 5 April 2015£15,000(lessanycontributionsmadetoaCashISA)

Cash ISA limit

6 April 2014 – 30 June 2014£5,940(lessanycontributionsabove£5,940madetoaStocksandSharesISA)1 July 2014 – 5 April 2015£15,000(lessanycontributionsmadetoaStocksandSharesISA)

if you would like more informationPlease contact your relationship manager.

Page 6: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

getting the most out of narrative reporting

Inrecentyears,financialreportinghasbecomeincreasinglycomplex.Additionally,recentregulatory

updateshavepromptedchangesinourNarrativeReporting.

Fromnowon,therewillbeaddedfocusoncommunicatingclear,keymessagesinNarrativeReports.TheFinancialReportingCouncil(FRC)feelsthatinrecentyearsNarrativeReportshavebecomecomplexandcompliancedriven,andasaresulttherehasbeenalackoffocusonquality.

Outlinedbelowarethechangestonarrativereporting;whetheritbenewcontentthatshouldbeaddedintoyourreportingstructureorelementsthatshouldberemoved.WealsotakealookattheFRC’sguidancefortheformatyourreportingshouldtake.

Strategic ReportInadditiontotheDirector’sReport,companieswillnowalsoberequiredtoprepareaStrategicReport.ThiswillbeseparatefromtheDirector’sReportandwilllargelymirrorthecurrentbusinessreview.Itwillincludethefollowingcontent:

■ Adescriptionofthecompany’sbusinessmodelandstrategy■ Abreakdownofthesexofcompany

directors,seniormanagersandemployees■ Anoutlineofsocialandcommunityissues,

aswellashumanrightsissuesinrelationtothedevelopmentoftheperformanceofthebusiness.

Directors’ ReportRatherthanaddingmorecontentintotheDirector’sReport,itemshavebeenremoved,whichare:

■ Informationonprincipalactivities■ Informationoncharitabledonations■ Disclosureofinformationonacquisitionof

ownshares(privatecompaniesonly)■ Informationoncontractualarrangements,

whichareessentialtothebusinessofthecompany■ Assetvalues■ Creditors’paymentpolicy.

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014update

For those who couldn’t make it to the recent discussion forum, here’s a reminder of 2014 Narrative Reporting requirements

coNtINuEd oN PagE 7clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

Page 7: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

Remuneration ReportForyour2014AGM,youwillneedtoproduceadirectors’remunerationreportinthenewformat.Theremunerationpolicyandimplementationpolicywillalsoneedtobeputtoyourshareholders.Allcompaniesmusthavesuccessfullysoughtapprovalforremunerationpolicynolaterthanthestartofthesecondfinancialyeartobeginafterthenewlegislationcomesintoforce.Thisreportwillbesubjecttoabindingvotethroughanordinaryresolutionandwhereitisnotpassed,thedirectorswillneedtoretainthepreviouspolicy.TheDirector’sRemunerationReportshouldcontain:

■ AstatementbytheChairmanoftheremunerationcommittee■ ARemunerationPolicy,whichtakesinto

accountcurrentandfutureremunerationpolicy,tobeproducedatleastonceeverythreeyears■ AnImplementationReport,whichwill

containdetailsofhowtheRemunerationPolicywasimplementedinthepreviousyear.Thisshouldbeupdatedannuallyandissubjecttoanadvisoryvote.

Reporting FormatInordertoimprovethequalityofNarrativeReporting,theFinancialReportingCouncil(FRC)publishedareportinOctober2012,outliningguidanceforimprovedreportingmeasures.Companiesareencouragedtopreparetheirreportandaccountswiththeseprinciplesandsentimentsinmind,withaparticularfocusontheannualreportasakeycommunicationtoolthatneedstobeclearandconsistent.TheguidancesetsoutthefollowingsuggestionstoimproveNarrativeReporting:

■ RelevantinformationthatmeetstheneedsofshareholdersispresentedintheStrategicReport■ Companiesshouldbeinnovativeinhowthey

drafttheirannualreports,presentingnarrativeinawaythatenablesthemtobesttelltheirstory,whilstremainingwithintheregulatoryframework■ Promotegreatercohesivenessintheannual

reportthroughimprovedlinkagebetweeninformationwithinthestrategicreportandintherestoftheannualreport.

if you would like more informationPlease contact Doug Armour, Equiniti David Venus on 01372

465330 or your relationship manager.

update

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

Page 8: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014update

and the limits are...

SAYE and SIP InFebruary,weheldadiscussionforumaboutthechangetoSIPand

SAYEsavingslimits.Theslidesusedattheeventarehere.Sincethen,thingshavemovedforward:

■ The6April2014SAYEprospectushasnowbeenissuedandanumberofSAYElaunchesareinplanning,givingemployeestheopportunitytosaveuptothenewmonthlysavingslimitof£500.

■ InstructionscannowbetakenforemployeeswishingtoincreasetheirSIPPartnershipdeductionsfromApril.Wehavealreadychangedsomeofourclients’SIPplanparameterswheretheyhavecommunicatedthelimitincreasetoemployees.ESPortalandtelephonyserviceshavebeenupdatedtoapplythelimitsasappropriate.

Individual Savings Account (ISA)

Tax year 2013 – 2014

6 April 2014 – 30 June 2014

1 July 2014 – 5 April 2015

Cash value of ISA limit

£11,520,upto£5,760ofwhichcan

besavedincash

£11,880,upto£5,940ofwhichcan

besavedincash£15,000

From1July2014,theoverallannualNISAlimitfortaxyear2014–2015is£15,00000

A round-up of the latest changes to SIP and SAYE savings limits, ISAs and employee schemes

coNtINuEd oN PagE 9

NISA and CGTThegovernmentannouncedinthe2014Budgetthatfrom1July2014,ISAswillbesimplifiedanda‘NewISA’(NISA)willbeintroduced.Theannuallimitwillberaisedto£15,000–thebiggesteverincreasetoISAlimits.HMTreasuryhave

producedahelpfulfactsheetabouttheNISA.AssharepricesriseandincreasingnumbersofSAYEschemesareabovewater,employeeswillbeabletotransfermoreexercisedsharesintoanNISAandprotectgainsfromCapitalGainsTax.Thetableshowsthenewlimits:

Page 9: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014update

ThenewtaxyearexemptionforCapitalGainsTaxis:

Registration of employee schemesHMRChasbeensendingletterstocompaniesaboutregisteringnewandexistingshareschemesonline.Ifyoulookafteryourcompany’semployeeshareplans,youshouldbespeakingwiththeteamwhomanagesyourPAYEOnline.HMRCERSbulletins13and14outlinethetimelinesandhowtoaccesstheonlineservice.Existingschemeswillneedtoberegisteredonlineby6July2015.The2014–2015annualshareschemereturnswillneedtobefiledonline.

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

Capital GainsTax

Tax year2013 – 2014

Tax year 2014 – 2015

Annual exemptamount forindividuals

£10,900 £11,000

if you would like more informationPlease contact your relationship manager.

Page 10: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

tracking voting Behaviour

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE coNtINuEd oN PagE 11

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

Quality Investor Analytics could be the key to finding out how your shareholders are going to vote

Recentchangestoremunerationreporting,wherebytheproposedDirectorspaypolicyhastobe

approvedbyshareholders,meansthatit’smoreimportantthanevertohaveanaccurateperceptionofshareholdersupport,inordertoavoidbeingblindsided.InvestorAnalyticsisaservicethatanumberofEquiniti’sclientstakeadvantageof,givingclientsinsightintohowtheirshareholdersaregoingtovoteaheadoftheAGM.

“Theproxysolicitationandvotematchingservicecanmakeahugedifferencetoourclients,”saysRobHemming,HeadofRelationshipandBusinessDevelopment,EquinitiInvestorAnalytics.“Itcanprovidetheclientwithkeyinformation,fromidentifyingpotentialshareholders,identifyingwhofollowswhichproxyadvisorandfindingouthowshareholdersintendtovoteaheadoftheAGM,whichisessential,especiallyifitlookslike

PErsPEctiVE

Page 11: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014perspective

thereistheriskofasubstantial‘no’vote.Thissignificantlyincreasesaclient’svisibilityofshareholders’votingintentions,”Robexplains.EquinitipartnerswithOrientCapitaltodeliverthisservice:“Thereareseveralaspectstotheservice:fromvotematchingtoafullproxysolicitationcampaign,”saysRob.

Votematchingisverymuchareal-timeanalysis,marryingtheinformationestablishedthroughshareholderanalysisagainstthevotescastatEquiniti.Forexample,ifacompany’svoteissplit80%Forto20%Against,itcanrevealwhichunderlyinginstitutionalinvestorsvotedineachdirection,whichcanbereallyuseful,especiallywhenyouhavelargeblocksofvotesAgainst.

Vote matching is very much a real-time analysis, marrying the information established through share-holder analysis against the votes cast at Equiniti.

Incomparison,ProxySolicitationentailscontactingshareholdersaheadoftheAGMtoascertainhowtheyaregoingtovote.“Thisprocessstartsuptothreeweeksbeforethemeeting,contactingshareholderstogleanvotingintentions,”Robsays.“Wecantheninformtheclientofanticipatedvotingbehaviourifitdoesappearthattherearegoingtobevotesagainstparticularresolutions.Thisenablestheclienttoenterintoadialoguewiththoseshareholdersinadvance.”

“Itisnowmoreimportantthaneverthatclientsaremadeawareofthisservice,”saysAlisonOwers,UKCEOofOrientCapital.“Combiningaregular,transparentandrigorousreviewofshareholders,inadditiontotheirvotingbehaviourovertime,isanincrediblybeneficialwaytoconsidertheengagementonmattersofgovernance,andcriticalforcompaniestounderstandthefeedbackfrominvestorsearlyon.Donewell,thiscanbecomeanimportantpartoftheongoingstrategyfortherestoftheyear,”Alisonsays.

“Itprovidesorganisationswithareallyrigorousshareanalyticssolution;aregularandtransparentreviewofshareholders

andtheirbehaviourovertimeisincrediblybeneficial.Anditiscriticalforcompaniestounderstandthefeedbackfrominvestorsearlyon,”Alisonsays.

“WehaverecentlyhadinstanceswhereourclientshaveaskedfortheserviceveryclosetotheAGM,astheyhaverealisedthevalueinit,”Robsays.“Thegrowththatwehaveseenoverthelastfewyearsistestamenttothestrengthoftheservice.ItalsoshowsthatmanyofourclientsnowseeitasareallyvitalpartoftheirAGMplanning,andprovidingtransparencytotheboardonpotentialAGMoutcomesisinvaluable.”

if you would like more informationPlease contact your relationship manager

or rob Hemming by email at [email protected] or by telephone on 020 7469 1884.

Page 12: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

the internet of things

coNtINuEd oN PagE 13

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

Last month, David Cameron announced an extra £45m in funding for the development of the Internet of Things. Here we tell you everything you need to know about the online technology that has the potential to transform our everyday lives.

MiNUtE gUiDE10

What is it? TheInternetofThings(IoT)referstoanetworkofobjects,linkedby

sensors,whichcantransmitinformationtoeachotherwithouttheneedforhumaninteraction.ObjectslikeaneverydayfridgecanbefittedwithanIPaddressandsensorandthenlinkeduptoyourInternetshoppingaccount.Therefore,whenyourunoutofmilk,yourfridgewilltellyourTescoaccountandheypresto,newmilkwillbedeliveredwithoutyouliftingafinger.

How does it work? Objectsarefittedwithasensor,whichcancostaslittleas£1tobuyandfit.Thissensor

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

Page 13: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 201410 Minute Guide

hasanIPaddressandconnectsinformationthatitgatherstoaremoteserver.Inthiswayinformationispassedfromdevicetodevice.Thesensorscanbeverysmallandhiddenoutoftheway;nobodyneedeverknowthatyourappliancesarewirelesslytalkingtoeachother.

When is this going to happen? Ithasalreadystarted.Aprimitiveversionofthefridgesensorisonsalefor£2,000andNikeissellingtrainerswhichcanmonitoryourperformanceandautomaticallyuploadtheresultsonline.However,mostoftheterminologyisfocusedonthefutureandtheIoTisstillinitsrelativelyearlystages.Althoughtherearecurrentlymorethan10billionwirelesslyconnecteddevices,anditisestimatedthatthiswillincreasetoover30billioninthenextsixyears,notallofthesedevicesknowhowtotalktoeachotheryet.Carsdon’thaveawaytotalktotollbooths,forexample.Thismeansthatwe’restillawhileawayfromeverythingbeingconnectedalthoughtheIoThasbeguntotakeshape.

How did it all start? TheideaoftheIoThasbeenaroundsincetheearly1980s.AcokemachineatanAmericanuniversitywaslinkeduptotheInternetandprogrammerscouldcheckiftheirdrinkwasin

stockbeforevisitingthemachine.Theadventofsmartphoneswithappsthattrackelementsofourdailyliveshasspeduptheprocessandthenumberofconnecteddeviceshasincreasedyearbyyear.Itisnowestimatedthatthereareatleasttwoconnecteddevicesforeveryhumanonearth.

the equiniti viewstuart Ellen, Managing Director, registration services

“Equiniti holds vast amounts of data in respect of clients, shareholders and employees. We are naturally reviewing opportunities this technology might provide for the future. the internet celebrated its 25th birthday recently, and it has come a very long way in such a short space of time. the internet of things is yet another exciting technological development for the web and it has real power to transform our working lives. the fact that the government is investing so much money in

the technology attests to how influential it could become. David cameron calls it a ‘new revolution’ and believes that it could boost productivity, reduce energy needs and tackle climate change. there are concerns over security and managing the wealth of data that the iot will bring, but if those problems are solved, who knows where it could take us? gartner, a Us research firm, predicts that there could be 26 billion devices connected to the iot by 2020. i’m looking forward to seeing how it will develop in the coming years.”

How will this affect everyday life? CompanieswhohaveinvestedalotoftimeandmoneyintotheIoTclaimthatourliveswillbetransformedforthebetterbyit.Intheory,manufacturerswillnolongerrunoutofstockorhaveexcessstockastheirproductlevelswillbemonitoredautomaticallybysensors.

coNtINuEd oN PagE 14clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

Page 14: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 201410 Minute Guide

Greencampaignerssayitwilldecreasecarbonemissionsthroughthecollationofinformationandcommunicationtechnology.Thoseinthehealthcaresectoralsosaythatpeople’shealthandwell-beingwillimproveasmedicalhealthcareandmedicationwillbecomeconnected.

How will it affect our business?Withmoreandmoreobjectsconnectedtotheweb,theIoTisexpectedtoproducehugevolumesofdata.Everypieceofequipment,andevenemployees,canbelinkedtoanetworkbyasensorwithinfocontinuallysenttoasmartphoneorbrowser.Thiswillpresenthugechallengesinmanagingthedatacollectedbut,ifanalysedcorrectly,thedatacouldprovideinformationonhowtoimproveprocessesandhighlightnewbusinessopportunities.TheIoTwillalsoallowbusinessestotargettheircustomersmoreeffectivelyasmoredatawillbeavailableabouttheirindividuallives.

if you would like more informationPlease contact your relationship manager.

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

What other challenges does the IoTpresent?Thegovernmenthascommitted£73mintotaltoUKtechnologyfirmswhoareworkingondevicesthatcancommunicateovertheInternet.TheIoTisalsoseenaslargelypositivebybusinessesandtechnologyfirms.However,therehavebeenconcernsoverprivacy,withmanypeoplequestioningwhereallthedatagatheredfromtheappliancesintheirliveswillendupandhowitwillbeused.Securityisanotherkeyissueastheconnecteddevicesandtheirdatacouldpotentiallybesusceptibletohacking.

Page 15: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

help when you need it most

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE coNtINuEd oN PagE 16

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014

Land Securities Group PLC turns to Equiniti David Venus when it needs an extra pair of hands

cliENt FocUs

AstheUK’slargestcommercialpropertycompany,LandSecuritiesGroupPLChasasubsidiarylistof

400companies,isamemberoftheFTSE100andhasapremiumlistingontheLondonStockExchange.Withacompanyofthissize,havingreliablesupportonhandisessential,andinthecaseofLandSecuritiesGroup,itturnstoEquinitiDavidVenuswhenitneedsalittleextrasupport.

“EquinitiDavidVenushasbeenexcellentinsupportingus,”saysLucyTurner,AssistantCompanySecretaryatLandSecuritiesGroupPLC.“Theyarereliable,alwaysavailabletohelpoutatshortnoticeanddeliverontimeandonbudget,”Lucysays.

OneofthekeytasksthatEquinitiDavidVenussupportsLandSecuritiesGroupwithisthefillingofAnnualReturns:“EquinitiDavidVenusfilesallofourAnnualReturns,makingsureall400arefiledbythedeadline,”Lucysays.

Page 16: Equiniti Ezine April 2014

clIck hErE to rEad thIs story oN thE EquINItI wEbsItE

EquINItI EZINE > aPrIl 2014client focus

EquinitiDavidVenusdoesn’tjustsupportLandSecuritiesGroupwithitsAnnualReturns.AsaleadingfirmofCharteredSecretaries,itisabletoprovideprofessionalanddedicatedCompanySecretarialsupporttoanyorganisation–largeorsmall.“SincesupportingLandSecuritieswithitsAnnualReturns,wehavebeenrequestedtoprovideourexpertisetoassistinotherareas,”saysMarlaBalicao,DirectoratEquinitiDavidVenus.“WehavemaintainedastrongrelationshipwithLandSecuritiessincewestartedworkingwiththemandbelievethattheincreaseinworkisdowntothequalityofourservicesandgettingad-hocworkcompletedatshortnotice.”

“Whenwehavereallybusyperiods,EquinitiDavidVenussupportuswithourmoreroutineworkload:accountsapprovals,capitalreductionsandsharetransfers.Theseareallthingswecantrustthemtodowell,”saysLucy.“Theyarealsohandlingaone-offprojectforus;sellingorsharegiftingnumerouslow-valueshareholdingsheldbyasubsidiarycompany.Thiswillenableustostrikeoffthecompany.Astherearealargeamountofsharesinvolved,havingEquinitiDavidVenus’helphasprovedveryusefulandithasfreedupmytimetodomorevalue-addworkforthebusiness.

“Overall,EquinitiDavidVenushasbeenagreathelp.Knowingthatwecanoutsourcetothemandtheywilldelivergivesusrealconfidence,”Lucysays.

if you would like more informationif you would like to find out more about the services that

Equiniti David Venus offers, please contact your relationship manager or Marla Balicao by email, [email protected], or by telephone on 01372 465330.