HSBC 2008 Annual Report Download - page 453

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Shareholder profile
At 31 December 2008 the register of members recorded the following details:
Ordinary shares held
Number of
shareholders
Total
shares held
1-100 .................................................................................................................................................. 34,307 1,096,309
101-400 .............................................................................................................................................. 36,669 9,352,754
401-500 .............................................................................................................................................. 10,430 4,718,343
501-1,000 ........................................................................................................................................... 33,322 25,102,571
1,001-5,000 ........................................................................................................................................ 68,515 158,400,107
5,001-10,000 ...................................................................................................................................... 16,039 113,367,551
10,001-20,000 .................................................................................................................................... 8,723 121,509,773
20,001-50,000 .................................................................................................................................... 5,319 163,350,441
50,001-200,000 .................................................................................................................................. 2,659 250,022,876
200,001-500,000 ................................................................................................................................ 679 214,879,617
500,001 and above ............................................................................................................................. 971 11,043,464,740
Total ................................................................................................................................................... 217,633 12,105,265,082
Memorandum and Articles of Association
The disclosure under the caption ‘Memorandum and Articles of Association’ contained in HSBC Holdings’ Annual
Reports on Form 20-F for the years ended 31 December 2000 and 2001 is incorporated by reference herein, together
with the disclosure below.
Interested directors
Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 and provided that the Articles are complied with, a Director,
notwithstanding his office:
• may enter into or otherwise be interested in any contract, arrangement, transaction or proposal with HSBC
Holdings or in which HSBC Holdings is otherwise interested;
• may hold any other office or place of profit under HSBC Holdings (except that of auditor or auditor of a
subsidiary of HSBC Holdings) in conjunction with the office of Director and may act by himself or through his
firm in a professional capacity for HSBC Holdings, and in any such case on such terms as to remuneration and
otherwise as the Board may arrange;
• may be a director or other officer, or employed by, or a party to any transaction or arrangement with or otherwise
interested in, any company promoted by HSBC Holdings or in which HSBC Holdings is otherwise interested or
as regards which HSBC Holdings has any powers of appointment; and
• shall not be liable to account to HSBC Holdings for any profit, remuneration or other benefit realised by any
such office, employment, contract, arrangement, transaction or proposal or from any interest in any body
corporate and no such contract, arrangement, transaction, proposal or interest shall be avoided on the grounds of
any such interest or benefit nor shall the receipt of any such profit, remuneration or any other benefit constitute a
breach of his duty under the Companies Act 2006 not to accept benefits from third parties.
Since 1 October 2008, the Board may authorise any matter proposed to it which would, if not so authorised,
involve a breach by a Director of his duty to avoid conflicts of interest under the Companies Act 2006, including,
without limitation, any matter which relates to a situation in which a Director has, or can have, an interest which
conflicts, or possibly may conflict, with the interest of HSBC Holdings (including the exploitation of any property,
information or opportunity, whether or not HSBC Holdings could take advantage of it, but excluding any situation
which cannot reasonably be regarded as likely to give rise to a conflict of interest). Any such authorisation will be
effective only if:
• any requirement as to quorum at the meeting at which the matter is considered is met without counting the
Director in question or any other interested Director; and
• the matter was agreed to without their voting or would have been agreed to if their votes had not been counted.