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Aggreko plc

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Industry Rental & Leasing Services
Employees 5001-10,000
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FY2019 Annual Report · Aggreko plc
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Positioned for  
growth in a changing 
energy market

Aggreko plc Annual Report  
and Accounts 2019

Decarbonisation, decentralisation, digitalisation and 
demographic change are increasing complexity and 
the demand for power. At Aggreko, we are embracing 
these changes and delivering innovative solutions to 
meet the evolving needs of our customers. 

Investing in new technology to reduce the cost of 
energy and its environmental impact, while delivering 
operational and capital efficiency by optimising our 
resources, means that we are well placed to benefit 
through the energy transition. 

CONTENTS

Strategic report

Governance

Financial statements

Shareholder information

01  Performance highlights

46  Chairman’s introduction

84   Independent auditor’s 

139  Notice of Annual General 

02  Aggreko at a glance

48  Our Board

03   The challenge of the  
energy transition

04  Chairman’s statement

05  CEO Chris Weston’s view

50  2019 Board highlights

52  Our Culture and Values

53   Ethics & Corporate 

Responsibility report

06  Our business model

56   Nomination Committee 

10  Our strategic priorities

20  Group performance review

26  Financial review

30   Principal risks and 
uncertainties

38  Sustainability

40   Our role in the energy 

transition

42  Section 172 statement

report

58  Audit Committee report

62   Remuneration Committee 

report

78  Statutory disclosures

83   Statement of Directors’ 

responsibilities

report

Meeting and notes

88  Group income statement

145  Shareholder information

88   Group statement of 

comprehensive income

89    Group balance sheet

90   Group cash flow statement

91 

 Reconciliation of net  
cash flow to movement  
in net debt

92   Group statement  

of changes in equity

94   Notes to the Group 

accounts

130  Company balance sheet

131   Company statement of 
comprehensive income

132  Company statement  

of changes in equity

133  Notes to the Company 

accounts

137  Definition and calculation  
of non-GAAP measures

Learn more about us at 
www.plc.aggreko.com

The actions we are taking to 
reposition the business for the 
changes our industry is facing are 
beginning to deliver, and we have 
reported strong profit growth  
and cash generation during 2019.
Chris Weston  
Chief Executive Officer 

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PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

OUR PURPOSE

Revenue

£1,613m

2018: £1,760m

Profit before tax

£199m

2018: £182m

Diluted EPS

50.7p

2018: 49.2p

Operating profit 

£241m

2018: £219m

We believe in the positive impact of power  
and the ability to control temperature.

We believe it opens up opportunity and 
creates potential for individuals, communities, 
industries and societies all over the world.

Together and over time, we believe our  
services make a massive difference.

Return on capital employed1

Dividend per share

OUR INVESTMENT CASE

27.65p

2018: 27.12p

11.2%

2018: 10.3%1

1  ROCE calculation is detailed  

on page 137.

Read more on page 20

Attractive markets with opportunity  
for growth

 Read more about our markets on page 03

Focus on key sectors where our  
specialism differentiates us

 Read more about our business model on page 06

Renewable and storage integration capability

 Read more about our technology strategy on page 14

Actions in place to improve free cash flow  
and capital returns

 Read more about our capital efficiency on page 16

Attractive dividend and capital  
return policy

 Read more about our capital allocation on page 08

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

01

 
 
 
 
AGGREKO AT A GLANCE

The world-leading provider of mobile 
modular power, temperature control 
and energy services

We are working at the forefront of a rapidly changing energy market and  
are focused on solving our customers’ challenges to provide cost-effective, 
flexible and greener solutions across the globe.

Our global reach

79

countries

190

sales and service centres

6,000+ 

permanent  
employees

6,381 MW

average power  
on hire

>50 MW

of hybrid projects
on hire

Rental Solutions
We provide power, heating and cooling 
in developed markets, focused on seven 
key sectors. Our customer requirements 
tend to revolve around smaller, short-
term but often complex projects and 
key events.

Power Solutions
We provide power, heating and cooling focused on seven key sectors across 
emerging markets for customers with generally longer-term power needs. 

Industrial (PSI) 
Comprises medium-term projects  
for industrial customers, as well  
as shorter-term rental contracts.

Utility (PSU) 
Longer-term projects providing  
power to national utility customers.

 Revenue*

£319m 

20% of Group revenue

 Operating profit 

£44m

18% of Group operating profit
* PSU revenue excludes pass-through fuel.

100% of revenue is derived  
from national utility customers. 

 Revenue

£833m 

53% of Group revenue

 Operating profit 

£133m

 Revenue

£434m 

27% of Group revenue

 Operating profit 

£64m

55% of Group operating profit

27% of Group operating profit

Key sectors % of revenue
1.   Petrochemical & refining  

2. Building services & construction  

3. Oil & gas  

4. Utilities  

5. Events  

6. Manufacturing  

7.  Mining  

8. Other 

Key sectors % of revenue
1.  Oil & gas  

2. Mining  

3. Events 

4.  Building services & construction  

5. Manufacturing  

6. Utilities  

7.  Petrochemical & refining  

19% 

18% 

18% 

10% 

9% 

7% 

6% 

13% 

8. Other  

41% 

15% 

13% 

10% 

7% 

4% 

2%

8% 

See page 20 for financial performance

02 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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THE CHALLENGE OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION

Four megatrends are changing 
energy markets

Demand for power continues to grow, with a projected 465 TWh global increase in 2019. At the same  
time we are seeing a transformational shift in regulatory, environmental and societal expectations.  
The challenge is to find the best way to secure more energy, affordably and sustainably. 

 → Demand for lower-cost generation 

technologies, renewables, flexibility and 
security of supply has led to rapid growth  
in the demand for decentralised power 
generation, including distributed or off- 
grid solutions, with over $55 billion invested 
. These 
in distributed energy hardware. These 
projects affect all segments of the energy 
the energy 
nd 
market – business, residential and 
merging 
communities, particularly in emerging 
ower 
markets where decentralised power 
portant 
systems are an increasingly important 
self-supply solution. 

Decentralisation
leads to demand for smaller, flexible 
power solutions on a localised basis.

8.4 GW

of installed microgrids globally

Source: BNEF

Demographic change
means that investment in grid 
infrastructure is failing to keep up with 
population growth and urbanisation.

Digitalisation
will help optimise operations,  
driving down cost and ensuring  
reliable integration of intermittent 
renewable power. 

Decarbonisation
drives investment towards  
renewables and lower emission fuels.

 → Global population is expected to increase 
by one billion over the next 10 years,  
with 94% of this in urban populations  
of less developed regions where power 
supply is often unreliable. The World  
Bank reports that electricity supply in 46 
countries has deteriorated since 2017 and 
there are currently 850 million people, 
mainly in Africa, without access to power. 
There are also vast geographic areas  
where the population density does  
not, and may never, support national  
grid investment. 

 → The impact of digitalisation in renewable 

 → Decarbonisation represents both risks 

energy is expected to be profound.  
The integration of diverse energy systems, 
including distributed generation, 
intermittent renewable power and 
energy storage, requires smart energy 
management to help balance the system  
in the most efficient way. Implementing 
digitalisation at each stage of the value 
chain of the energy system can enable 
increased efficiency, stability and reliability 
through monitoring and optimisation 
of a grid and associated power assets. 

and opportunities for Aggreko. Pressure 
to improve the efficiency of existing 
installations and to limit emissions comes 
at a time when population and economic 
growth are pushing up both energy 
demand and CO2 emissions. The falling  
cost of renewable technologies relative 
to traditional thermal capacity will drive 
investment in wind, solar and storage. 
Hybrid systems, which include a level  
of thermal generation, provide a pathway  
to integrate more renewable energy while 
reducing CO2 emissions, but will require 
demand management to effectively 
balance the system. 

850m

people, mainly in Africa, without  
access to power

Source: IEA

17 GWh

new energy storage project  
announcements in 2019 

Source: BNEF

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

03

 
 
 
 
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

Adaptability has always been 
one of our strengths

Transparent reporting
In line with the new reporting 
requirements of the 2018 UK Corporate 
Governance Code, we have evolved 
last year’s stakeholder engagement 
section to describe how our 
stakeholders, and the matters set  
out in section 172 of the Companies 
Act 2006, have been considered  
in Board discussions and decision-
making. The Board actively engages 
with our shareholders, employees  
and wider stakeholder groups when 
making decisions, and considers  
the impact of the Group’s activities 
 on the community, environment  
and its reputation. 

  Read our section 172 statement  
on page 42

Aggreko has been a pioneer 
in modular, mobile power 
for over 50 years and I am 
proud that we continue  
to lead the way as energy 
markets transform. 

Ken Hanna 
Chairman

The last year has proved decisive for  
the Group and I am delighted that the 
significant work done over the last five 
years is now beginning to show through 
in an improved financial performance.  
Profit before tax has increased 13% on  
an underlying basis and our return on 
capital employed (ROCE) has improved 
year on year to 11.2%* and provides good 
momentum as we go into 2020. For the 
first time in nine years, we have seen  
a working capital inflow driven by a  
£78 million inflow from receivables,  
as we have worked to reduce the overdue 
balances. As a result, as we enter 2020  
we have a solid foundation from which  
to deliver on our mid-teens ROCE target. 

Dividend
We remain committed to a sustainable 
dividend. Accordingly, to reflect the 
progress achieved in 2019, the Board is 
proposing to increase the final dividend 
by 3% to 18.27 pence per share. Subject  
to shareholder approval, this will result  
in a full year dividend of 27.65 pence  
(2018: 27.12 pence) per Ordinary Share.  
The increase represents the first increase  
in the ordinary dividend since 2014.  

Energy in transition
Our continued focus on the strategic 
priorities has repositioned the Group 
financially, and also, importantly, in the 
context of the energy transition. Around 
the world, 2019 has seen a significant shift 
in public opinion towards the issue of 
climate change and in particular the 
impact of fossil fuels. As a result, energy 
markets are changing ever more  
quickly, with customers and many other 
stakeholders asking for cleaner methods 
of producing power. During the year, we 
launched the Y.Cube, our battery storage 
product, and we have been positively 
surprised by the market interest with  
a substantial pipeline of opportunities.  
Our technology team is also looking  
at alternative fuels and new technologies 
and how they could be adapted for  
our modular, mobile business model.  
As we enter 2020, we are working on  
what we can do as a Group to reduce our 
environmental footprint and continue to 
play a pivotal role in the energy transition. 

Safety
Over the last few years our injury rate has 
been falling, and it has continued to trend 
downwards this year. However, tragically, 
one of our employees was involved in a 
fatal road traffic accident in December. 
Safety is always, and has always been, 
our first priority and we continue to work 
closely with management and the wider 
business to implement changes to 
ensure that all our employees return 
home safely at the end of each day. 

Looking ahead
As we enter the new year, there is  
much to be optimistic about. Although 
geopolitical events remain unpredictable, 
we are excited to be delivering our  
largest ever event this year, the  
Tokyo 2020 Olympics, for which our 
preparations are well under way. We are 
focused on delivering our 2020 ROCE 
expectations, while also reviewing our 
purpose and strategic priorities for the 
next chapter in the company’s future.  
We look forward to updating you on this 
later in the year. 

Coronavirus
Our primary concern is for the welfare  
of our people, their families and the  
local communities in which we work.  
We are following the development  
of the coronavirus outbreak and have 
implemented several measures to protect 
our people and to prepare for possible 
consequences of the virus. It is unclear 
how the outbreak will develop and, 
therefore, the potential impact on our 
business. We will continue to follow 
developments closely and will take 
further action as appropriate.

Thank you
Finally, I would like to thank everyone  
in Aggreko for continuing to embrace  
our values, adapt to the changing  
market conditions and evolving our 
business. Each person’s hard work and 
determination has delivered substantial 
change and is central to how the  
Group makes a massive difference  
for all its stakeholders. 

*  Refer to page 137 for calculations

Ken Hanna
Chairman

04 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

CEO CHRIS WESTON’S VIEW

Focused on delivering 
improved returns

Our strong performance  
in 2019 provides good 
momentum, and we  
believe that a continued 
focus on our four strategic 
priorities will underpin  
the objective of mid-teens 
ROCE in 2020.

Chris Weston
Chief Executive Officer

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Q  
What are your key reflections on 2019?

A

2019 was a busy and successful year for 
Aggreko, with much going on all over  
the world.  From providing power to the 
Rugby World Cup in Japan, to dealing 
with the aftermath of a hurricane in the 
Caribbean, I would like to thank all our 
people for their hard work in delivering  
for our customers this year. It gives me 
immense pride to think that across the 
world, Aggreko has been centre stage, 
quietly getting on with what we do  
best to deliver for all our customers. 

That is not to say the year did not  
include disappointments, and we were  
all reminded of the critical importance  
of safety this year following a motor 
vehicle accident on a remote ice road in 
Russia, in which one of our employees, 
Vladimir Antonov lost his life. This tragic 
accident serves to highlight some of  
the challenging environments in which 
we operate. 

We take safety very seriously at Aggreko – 
working safely is our licence to operate 
– and it remains our number one priority.  
We are committed to doing everything  
we can to share the learnings from 
incidents across the Group, so we can 
achieve zero harm. 

Q  
You have reiterated confidence in 
achieving the mid-teens ROCE target 
in 2020, what underpins that?

A

Delivery of the mid-teens ROCE target in 
2020 will require both growth in operating 
profit and a reduction in the Group’s 
capital employed. Our confidence in 
achieving this is underpinned by the 
progress we have made in 2019 on 
delivering on our four strategic priorities.  
Specifically, the 13% growth in operating 
profit on an underlying basis and the 
significant improvement in working 
capital that we have achieved this year 
provide strong momentum as we move 
into 2020. 

This performance reflects the various 
self-help measures we have taken to 
manage down our capital employed, 
including a continued focus on fleet 
utilisation, a disciplined approach to 
capital investment and tighter inventory 
management. Significant progress has 
also been achieved in reducing the levels 
of outstanding debt through proactive 
engagement with customers, which  
we expect to continue this year. 

And finally, we are very busy preparing  
to deliver our Tokyo 2020 Olympics 
contract, which will contribute 
significantly to the Group’s financial 
performance this year. We are monitoring 
closely the development and potential 
impact of the coronavirus outbreak,  
both in terms of the Tokyo Olympics  
and the Group more widely. 

Q  
Do you think that the shape of  
the business today enables you  
to effectively pursue the right 
opportunities in your markets?  

A

We are primarily focused on the growth 
opportunities that we see in both the 
Rental Solutions and Power Solutions 
Industrial markets through our shift 
towards a sector-focused sales approach, 
which leverages the benefits of the 
sector-specialisation of our salesforce  
and the investment we have made  
in our systems and processes.  

In Power Solutions Utility, we have 
absorbed a substantial decline in contract 
profitability as our legacy contracts have 
either re-priced or off-hired over the last 
few years, reflecting the considerable 

changes in this market as competition  
has increased. However, the actions  
we have taken, including our increased 
sales discipline and cost reduction 
programme, are delivering improving 
returns in this business.

Q  
How well are you positioned for the 
longer term to meet your customers’ 
needs through the energy transition?

A

The energy sector is in transition, 
undergoing greater change and 
uncertainty than ever, which brings  
fresh challenge and new opportunities.  
I am excited by our actions to innovate 
and meet the evolving needs of our 
customers. In 2019, this included the 
continued programme to upgrade our 
existing diesel and gas fleets, and the  
first deployments of our new Y.Cube 
mobile and modular storage system. 

With the launch of battery storage, we 
now have a product that enables us  
to offer an optimised solution that is 
designed to fit seamlessly within the 
Aggreko thermal fleet and can be  
easily combined with solar and thermal 
products to reliably meet critical power 
applications. Our innovation and 
investment in this important technology 
has the overall aim of lowering the total 
cost of energy for customers through 
increased fuel efficiency, while at the 
same time reducing the environmental 
impact of our products. 

The considerable interest in battery 
storage across our key sectors validates 
the work undertaken by our Global 
Products and Technology team to  
identify, evaluate and develop the future 
technologies that our customers value.

Aggreko delivered uninterrupted 
power for the Rugby World Cup 
2019 in Japan

Our new Y.Cube 1 MW battery storage 
unit is housed entirely within a 
standard 20ft container

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

05

 
 
 
OUR BUSINESS MODEL

We have the right business model to 
succeed as energy markets transform

We solve our customers’ 
energy problems whatever, 
and wherever, they are

Working at the forefront of a rapidly 
changing energy market, we are focused 
on solving our customers’ energy 
problems by providing cost-effective, 
flexible and greener power and 
temperature control solutions. 

Our customers are generally other 
businesses, but also include governments 
and individuals, who have a specific and 
often critical need for a short period of 
time. Over 90% of our revenue comes 
from seven key sectors where we have 
developed a deep understanding of 
customer needs. 

How we do it

Along with our mobile and modular equipment, we bring 
sector-specific expertise in any location, from the world’s 
busiest cities to its most remote places, for a wide range 
of commercial and industrial projects, events, emergencies 
and utilities. 

We offer maximum fuel flexibility, using diesel, gas, heavy 
fuel oil (HFO) and renewable fuel sources, as well as 
microgrid and storage solutions. We also have the tools to 
help our customers adapt to the global energy transition, 
including our energy management system which enables 
the seamless integration of multiple energy sources. 

Through our two geographic business units, Rental 
Solutions and Power Solutions, our sales teams are focused 
on key sectors and, with their deep understanding of the 
sector dynamics, are able to work with our customers and 
understand their problems. Together with our technicians 
and engineers, we then design a solution and deploy our 
equipment to the customer site. 

The solutions we deliver may be very simple, where the 
customer rents and operates the equipment themselves; 
or may be complex, in which case we are on hand to 
support; in other cases, we act as a power producer for 
our customers, installing and operating power plants. 
In all cases, we retain asset ownership and responsibility 
for servicing and maintenance. 

06 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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An Aggreko project  
from start to finish

Build relationships  
and understand  
the requirement
Customers will find us through our 
website, word of mouth, advertising  
or existing relationships. For simple 
enquiries, we direct customers through 
our inside sales channel, where they 
can speak to one of our sales team.  
For more complex customer needs,  
we operate a sector approach with 
sales specialists who take the time to 
really understand the characteristics  
of the sector and our customers’ 
problems, often meeting with our 
customers on site to assess their needs. 

Proposal / tender
Having understood the challenge our 
customer is facing, we demonstrate  
the bespoke solutions we can offer  
and put together a proposal and quote. 
For larger government-funded projects 
there is often a formal tender process. 

Design and plan
Once the contract has been agreed, 
detailed design work is undertaken  
for the more complex projects. This  
will involve our engineering experts 
who develop bespoke applications  
and solutions. For large projects,  
there may be a number of design 
iterations. The design informs the 
operations team planning for fleet, 
people and logistics.

96%

Rental Solutions salespeople  
specialise in 1 or 2 sectors

60,135

opportunities quoted for,  
excluding projects

~30,000

pages of designs were completed  
for Tokyo 2020 tender process

Mobilise and install
Mobilisation may take hours, days, 
weeks or months depending on the 
scale and location of the contract. 
Rental contracts usually mobilise faster 
with equipment sourced from local 
service centres; project contracts 
may require civil works and equipment 
to be brought in from further away. 
Our technicians then work to install 
and commission the solution. 

Operate
Customers who rent our equipment 
will generally choose to run it 
themselves after our engineers have 
explained the operating procedures. 
Our equipment is fitted with sensors 
and is monitored 24 hours a day from 
our operations centre in Louisiana, USA. 
Through collecting this data and our 
historic experience we can see how 
equipment is performing and address 
any potential issues before they arise. 
Servicing by our engineers can 
therefore be based on condition, 
rather than time, which should improve 
our operational efficiency. Where our 
contract is for power, heat or cool air, 
our skilled technicians remain on site 
and operate the equipment; we aim 
for a mix of experienced Aggreko 
employees and a local workforce 
which we train up.

Demobilise and redeploy
At the end of a contract customers 
have the ability to extend and, in  
the case of rental contracts, this can  
be done using our customer app. 
When a customer does off-hire we  
will remove the equipment and for  
our project contracts we will remediate 
the site to leave it as we found it. 

Using our data monitoring and fleet 
management systems to determine 
whether maintenance is required, 
the fleet is either moved on to the 
next customer or returned to one 
of our service centres. This reduces 
costs and improves utilisation through 
more efficient fleet logistics and 
condition-based maintenance. 

~20,000 km

the distance our equipment will sail up 
the Amazon river to deliver power to 
remote locations in the Amazon basin

>31,000

65%

contracts operating globally in 2019

group fleet utilisation

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

07

 
 
 
OUR BUSINESS MODEL CONTINUED

How we make money

There are four main ways in which we generate revenue  
for the Group. 

Capacity charge
The charge for having each 
equipment item on rent.

Technical services
This includes any design work 
that is done to develop a 
customer solution, installation, 
and service and maintenance 
during operations.

In some instances, we act as a power producer for our customer, operating the 
site and supplying power. In these cases, the revenue streams are the same, 
but it will be charged as an “all-in” price to the customer. These items are 
closely linked and contribute to the three revenue generating performance 
obligations detailed in the accounting policies on page 96.

How we allocate capital

Effective capital allocation is critical to delivering long-term 
value to shareholders given the capital-intensive nature of 
our business. 

We aim to support this by maintaining gearing of around one 
times net debt to EBITDA. We believe this appropriately reflects 
the Group’s operational risk profile, although from time to time 
it may be higher as investment opportunities arise.  

1. Reinvest for  
organic growth
Capital spend across the fleet, 
including refurbishments, 
replacement and new 
technology; investment in 
training our people; and IT 
infrastructure, including digital.

3. Strategic investments
Investment in structural 
changes to our business 
activities in either capability  
or scale; these tend to  
be infrequent. 

08 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Production
Based on an agreed rate for  
the power, heating or cooling 
generated, we derive revenue 
from our customers’ use of our 
equipment.

Fuel and logistics
We recover our costs and can 
provide a fully managed fuel 
service.

2. Sustainable  
dividend policy
Committed to a sustainable 
dividend in the context of the 
business, delivering regular  
cash returns to shareholders.

4. Return excess capital  
to shareholders
Review our future cash generation 
reflecting growth, productivity and 
investment plans, while considering  
the external environment. When 
excess cash is identified it will be 
returned to shareholders through 
additional dividends or share  
buy-backs.

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What sets us apart

We compete with national, regional and local businesses, many of which are privately 
owned specialist rental businesses, general rental companies or divisions of large plant 
hire companies of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) dealerships. We believe 
Aggreko has a number of differentiating factors: 

6. Delivery of bespoke 
solutions for customers
We excel in the most challenging 
conditions where Group-wide 
engineering and operational expertise 
are brought together to deliver specific 
solutions in the most complex situations.

The extensive technical capability and 
experience of our people, together with 
our values, continue to reinforce our 
reputation for appropriate, reliable and, 
where necessary, innovative solutions 
for every customer. 

1. Brand strength  
and reputation 
Customers value our flexibility, reliability, 
innovation in offering options for lower 
cost and emissions, and our ethics. 

2. Global network of sales  
and service centres 
We are truly global, with operations  
in 79 countries and 190 sales and service 
centres. This diversity means that we  
can respond to events as they happen 
anywhere around the world and can 
move our equipment between end-user 
sectors and countries to wherever we 
can deliver the best returns. 

3. Investment in our  
digital capability 
As we own our equipment for its useful 
life, we have a vast amount of fleet 
performance data which we can use  
to improve customer experience and 
operating efficiency. Combined with our 
market intelligence platform, customer 
relationship management (CRM) and 
other customer-facing systems, this 
gives us the edge in the digital field.

4. Continuous innovation 
Our product and technology team  
is always working to optimise our 
existing applications and equipment, 
while testing and developing future 
technologies to deliver the reliability, 
flexibility and innovation our  
customers value. 

5. Highly trained team  
of experts 
Our technical engineering expertise, 
combined with our sector specialisation 
and depth of experience, differentiates 
us from our competitors. 

The value we create
£262m*

free cash flow

* Refer to page 138 for calculations

11%

reduction in CO2 emissions on 
hybrid contracts vs. thermal 
baseline

817 days

supporting our local communities 
through our Orange Days of Difference

£427m

wages and benefits 
expended

82%

local workforce

£272m

taxes borne and collected

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

09

 
 
 
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

A clear focus on our four strategic priorities will help 
us to prosper in a changing world
We have evolved the strategy that we set out in 2015 to reflect the changes in the markets in 
which we operate to continue to create value by providing mobile and modular temporary 
power, temperature control and energy services on a global basis. To achieve this over the next 
few years we will remain focused upon the following four strategic priorities to drive growth.

Customer focus
Tailoring our solutions to 
improve customer experience

Technology investment
Reducing the total cost of 
energy through innovation

Being particular about the sectors we target 
 → Continued focus on our seven key sectors
 → Using our technical capability to enable us to tackle 

higher-value, more complex challenges

 → Developing hybrid solutions using solar power and  
battery storage to regulate and integrate power 

Offering specialist solutions 
 → Applying sales and marketing discipline and  

process enhancements 

 → Developed segmentation and channel approach,  

including telesales and e-commerce
 → Adopted real-time pricing governance

Being simple to do business with 
 → System investment to improve customer experience  

and manage the end-to-end customer journey 

Developing competitive configurable 
products
 → Continued focus on reducing the total cost of energy
 → Improving our fuel efficiency, hybrid solutions and 

emissions management

Smarter use of connected systems  
& data analytics
 → Complex sector-specific applications leveraging  

the technical capability of our people 
 → Creating specific applications leveraging  

relevant experience

Integrating renewable & storage  
technology 
 → Developing our remote monitoring platform  

and data analytics capability

 → Integrating renewables, storage and thermal assets
 → Innovating across existing sites to improve efficiency  

and reliability

>    

Read more on page 12

>    

Read more on page 14

10 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Capital efficiency
Optimising deployment 
of resources

Expert people
Cultivating a high – 
performance organisation

Being mobile & modular 
 → More centralised fleet management to drive utilisation

Getting the very most out of our assets
 → Completing the roll-out of remote monitoring  

and data analytics tools across our fleet

 → Reducing maintenance costs and improving utilisation
 → Improving our working capital performance

Striving for the most competitive  
cost base 
 → Deploy Rental Solutions systems into Power  

Solutions Industrial 

 → Achieving back-office and process efficiencies
 → Cost reduction programme to deliver £50 million  

of savings in Power Solutions Utility by 2021

Living Always Orange
 → Our values underpin all we do and how we behave
 → Extensive internal communication ensures that this  

is fully embraced

Nurturing our full potential 
 → Valuing our people, incentivising them, monitoring  
their performance and enabling them to achieve  
greater things

Staying safe and professional  
at all times
 → Safety is the top priority for our people
 → Professionalism remains core to our reputation  

and customer relationships

>    

Read more on page 16

>    

Read more on page 18

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

11

 
 
 
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

Customer 
focus

Tailoring our solutions to 
improve customer experience

>    

 → Targeting particular sectors

 → Offering specialist solutions 

 → Being simple to do  

business with

Targeting particular sectors
Our customers share a common need 
for critical power, heating and cooling  
to solve complex challenges and ensure 
operational reliability. We focus on each 
customer interaction that we have,  
how we sell, deliver and maintain our 
products and solutions, to ensure 
exceptional customer service. Our deep 
understanding of customer needs  
across seven key sectors enables us to 
continually evolve our offering to solve 
their challenges while expanding our 
market opportunity.

Utilities 
Expertise in high voltage and grid 
connections, providing solutions from 
emergency response to base load power.

Oil & gas 
Solutions where the grid is unavailable, 
to eliminate bottlenecks and monetise 
gas by-products, from exploration to 
production.

Building services & construction 
Provision of reliable power, heating, 
cooling and dehumidification solutions 
to our customers in construction, 
services and contracting. 

Petrochemical & refining 
Complex power & temperature control 
solutions to optimise turnaround and 
daily maintenance processes that 
improve production rates.

Events 
A valued and trusted partner, offering 
high-profile event knowledge, cost-
efficient design capability combined 
with flexibility and reliability. 

Mining 
Fully flexible, cost-effective solutions  
for every stage of the mining lifecycle. 

Manufacturing 
Solutions to enhance processes and 
overcome power and temperature 
control challenges, reducing costly 
downtime.

Offering specialist solutions
By being particular about the sectors 
we serve, we can develop tailored 
applications and, through greater 
experience and expertise, ensure  
that our customers receive a  
superior solution.

Our customers’ requirements range 
from short-term, simple equipment 
rental, through providing power  
for three to six months where the 
complexity depends on the sector  
and geography, to longer-term projects 
where we may be providing a solution 
for a number of years. 

Our ability to manage and deliver 
increasingly complex, higher-value 
solutions, such as hybrids, emergency 
response, off-grid work and critical 
power, generates the majority of our 
revenue; the balance of revenue 
comprises shorter, more transactional 
rental contracts.

Being simple to  
do business with
Implementing customer-focused 
systems and processes make us simpler 
and more efficient to do business with.

The implementation of our enhanced 
CRM system was completed during 2019. 
It provides a better understanding of 
customer requirements by analysing our 
operating history and service provision  
to increase internal collaboration and 
the speed of our service delivery. For 
more transactional sales, we are 
deploying an e-commerce platform, 
providing a more agile, cost-effective 
telesales channel and a better service 
proposition. We reached a milestone  
in July 2019 with our first online order 
which means our sales offering now 
includes telesales, online and outside 
sales together, to suit all types of 
customer. Alongside this, the systems  
we previously implemented enable 
real-time pricing, building in much 
more discipline and governance,  
to help improve rates and recoveries.

Remote monitoring and data analytics 
enhance the service we provide  
our customers by improving our 
management of asset downtime, 
servicing and the efficient running  
of our equipment. This also builds  
our understanding of our equipment 
and the sharing of knowledge across  
the Group to feed back into the 
development of our products and 
bespoke solutions. 

We continue to enhance the skills and 
capabilities of our employees, and  
during the year we launched the 
Technician Learning Cycle to provide 
development for our technical  
workforce within a globally consistent 
framework. Similarly, we revised the core 
competency model for our sales team  
to drive a global sales model focusing  
on processes and tools, as well as sector  
and product knowledge. We also 
developed a consistent leadership suite 
of programmes aligned to the global 
leadership model for the Company. 

The ongoing evolution of our Market 
Intelligence Platform provides us with 
an accessible, in-depth understanding  
of the market dynamics affecting 
customers in each of our sectors and 
geographic markets, helping us to focus 
on the greatest opportunities for our 
business. It draws data from multiple 
sources to give our sales teams a detailed 
view of their markets, factoring in 
economic and political stability, ability  
of customers to pay, the electricity  
supply and demand balance, and  
fuel availability and pricing.

During the year, we launched the  
Cost of Electricity Calculator (CoEC).  
This proprietary tool is designed to cut 
through cost complexity to enable our 
customers to make the best energy 
choices for their business. Using the 
CoEC, we can input different parameters 
to provide numerous comparison points  
for customers, including emissions,  
to help them make more informed 
energy decisions.

12

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Working safely,  
under frozen ground

Challenge
Paris Metro is expanding by three new Metro stations.  
This was no ordinary construction programme with the 
tunnel for the prospective stations created before the stations 
themselves. Being 25 metres underground, the site had hazards 
not common in ground-level work, and proximity to a large 
volume of water requiring new construction methods to 
ensure that this major potential risk was managed. 

Solution 
Our experts designed an application utilising a Very Low 
Temperature Cooler (VLTC) to freeze the surrounding ground 
and maintain the integrity of the subterranean site from the 
threat of water leaks and subsidence. Our VLTC and ancillary 
equipment with our expertise maintained a consistent very 
low temperature to minimise site risks compared with 
conventional means.

Impact
The station projects remained on track with workers kept safe 
as a result of our engineering expertise combined with the 
reliable equipment we deployed. Our experience and ability  
to operate in dangerous environments is made possible by 
our dedication to safety that allows every person on site to 
concentrate on performing their own tasks.

-25m 
depth of site

-450C 
temperature of 
frozen ground 

84 
wireless 
temperature 
probes per 
station

Measuring our performance

Customer loyalty 
Measure
We use an industry standard known 
as Net Promoter Score (NPS) to 
measure and benchmark our 
performance against competitors 
and other B2B organisations. 

Relevance
It is important that we understand 
the extent to which we meet our 
customers’ expectations. The statistical 
insight we collect is driving our customer-
focused change agenda to improve 
overall customer satisfaction and enable 
us to be simple to do business with.

Target
Sustainable improvements in the NPS 
over time.

Performance
We have continued to focus on improving 
our customer experience during 2019  
and this is demonstrated by an NPS  
score of 65% (2018: 59%). Our encouraging 
progress further consolidates our  
position within the top 5% of B2B service 
organisations on a global basis.

Customer activity 
Measure
Group average megawatts (MW)  
of power on hire. 

Net Promoter Score

65%

Relevance
Average megawatts on hire across the 
year provides a good measure of the 
activity of the business globally. 

Target
Our focus on returns means that we will 
not increase average megawatts on hire 
at the expense of price or the quality of 
our customer offering.

Performance
During the year, we have seen a 
reduction in the average megawatts on 
hire primarily reflecting off-hires within 
the Power Solutions Utility business, and 
the focus on increased pricing discipline 
across the wider business.

2019

2018*

2017

2016

2015

65%

59%

65%

63%

63%

*  Reflects a change in how we measure. 

Group average power on hire (MW)*

6,381 MW

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

*  Excludes hybrids.

6,381

6,659

6,613

6,571

6,771

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

13

 
 
 
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

Technology 
investment

Reducing the total cost of  
energy through innovation

>    

 → Developing competitive 
configurable products 

 → Smarter use of connected 
systems and data analytics

 → Integrating renewable 

and storage technology

Developing competitive 
configurable products

Our knowledge of the regulatory 
requirements and the environments in 
which the fleet operates has significantly 
strengthened our capability to adapt  
as energy markets evolve, and drive 
innovation that reduces costs and/or 
emissions. 
 → Through understanding local 
emissions requirements and 
leveraging our in-house technical 
expertise, we continually innovate to 
deliver lower cost, greener solutions 
for our customers. 

 → The in-house design of our equipment 

and the development of unique, 
tailored solutions for our customers, 
some of which are patented, have 
considerable value to the Group. 
This is managed centrally and 
shared globally across Aggreko. 
 → The energy transition is opening 
up opportunities to support the 
deployment of renewables. Their 
intermittent nature creates inherent 
grid instability, which requires 
complex control systems to integrate 
existing power sources with battery 
storage and start to effectively 
manage security of supply.

 → Our newly formed Global Products & 

Technology function drives innovation 
and development of our existing fleet, 
while looking to the future in terms 
of assessing potential new technology 
and platforms. This enables sales and 
delivery to be managed by Rental 
Solutions and Power Solutions. 

Smarter use of connected 
systems and data analytics
 → Increasing utilisation is a key focus 
for improving our returns. Our fleet 
is modular and mobile, so it can be 
flexibly configured to provide any 
number of different solutions and 
moved to where it is needed around 
the world, which ensures a quick 
response as well as optimum 
utilisation. We work closely with our 
strategic suppliers and, using market-
leading but established technology, 
we design and assemble our fleet in  
a modular, mobile format, typically 
using 20ft shipping containers  
which facilitate transport logistics  
and lower costs.

 → Remote monitoring and data analytics 
are helping increase fleet longevity. 
Our supplier agreements cover the 
life of the assets, but we have scope to 
reduce the initial build cost as well as 
planned and unplanned maintenance. 
The performance data collected on 
our equipment provides valuable 
insight into the optimum operating 
conditions to benefit our customers.
 → Part of our cost-saving programme 
is reducing planned maintenance 
by introducing condition-based 
maintenance regimes across our fleet. 

Integrating renewable  
and storage technology
 → In 2019, 99% of our greenhouse gas 
emissions came from the operation 
of our fleet. We recognise our 
responsibility to mitigate the carbon 
footprint of our products where 
possible. Aside from running hours, 
the three main factors which drive 
our emissions are: the fuel type 
our customers choose; the pattern 
of usage; and the fuel efficiency 
of our fleet.

 → We constantly explore new ways 

to reduce emissions from our fleet 
and increase fuel efficiency. Our 
technology team assess new products 
and has recently been assessing 
whether bio-fuels, fuel cells and waste 
heat recovery could be adapted into 
our product portfolio. 

 → We also work to assess and reduce  
the impact of other environmental 
effects of our operations, such as 
refrigerant emissions and noise 
pollution, in which we have made 
significant advances using custom-
built acoustic enclosures, high-
performance isolation and  
attenuation systems to reduce noise. 
 → At a minimum, all of our equipment 

and processes are designed to  
comply with applicable laws, 
regulations and industry standards 
wherever we operate in the world. 

Read more about our greenhouse 
gas emissions on page 81

We are constantly upgrading our fleet to improve efficiency and offer greater choice

Diesel

Gas

HFO

Renewables

Average MW on hire 5,064 MW

1,264 MW

53 MW

Integration of new 
technology

Refurbished 43% of  
our 1 MW fleet to G3+ 

Benefits

>  5% improvement  
in fuel efficiency

>  15% improvement  
in power output

Addition of 392 MW  
of new gas engines  
since 2016

>  11% improvement  
in fuel efficiency

>  33% improvement  
in power output at  
lower capital cost

14 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Fleet of 181 MW introduced 
in 2016

We have now 10 MW of 
renewables on hire across 
various hybrid projects in 
Argentina, Ireland and 
Eritrea

>  8% improvement  
in efficiency vs. G3

>  Modular and mobile 
offering using proven 
engine technology

>  Emissions reduced  

by up to 13%

>  Provides a reduction  

in the overall total cost  
of energy

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Cutting carbon,  
cost and downtime

Challenge
An oil & gas customer, at a remote site in Argentina, required 
a solution to replace ageing infrastructure and improve 
its ability to manage frequency response and stability. 
The location made the project more challenging as onsite 
communications were limited, so planning and preparation 
ahead of time was key to a successful deployment. 

Solution 
Our experts designed an application for the customer 
including our latest technology offering, the Y.Cube, our new 
mobile and modular battery storage system. The package 
delivered consists of four 1.5 MW gas generators and  
a 1 MW Y.Cube to provide the flexibility to meet the site’s 
varied demand profile. 

Impact
The project will enable the production of cheaper, cleaner 
and more reliable power over the next five years. The 
successful deployment represents the result of collaboration 
between our experts in battery storage working alongside 
regional colleagues to deliver one of the first examples of 
energy storage in Argentina.

~5 year  
Contract duration

6 MW 
Next generation  
gas assets 

1 MW 
Y.Cube  
storage

Measuring our performance

Fleet size and composition
Measure
Total power fleet size (in MW), split 
between generation type (diesel, diesel 
G3+, gas, next generation gas (NGG)  
and HFO).

Relevance
Our strategy is to grow ahead of the 
market. To remain competitive we have 
to offer our customers cheaper and 
cleaner sources of energy that can be 
adapted to meet their needs. The best 
way to do this is through more fuel-
efficient engines and using cheaper 
and cleaner fuels where appropriate.

Target
Increasing proportions of our market- 
leading products in fuel efficiency, 
the diesel G3+ and NGG engine, and 
introducing clean energy sources such  
as solar and storage.

Performance
During the year, work has continued to 
refurbish and upgrade more of our diesel 
engines to the G3+ standard, while also 
introducing more NGG engines. We are 
making progress towards introducing 
more renewable technology such as solar 
and battery storage. This includes the 
launch of our new mobile and modular 
battery storage system, the Y.Cube, of 
which 30 of the 42 built in the year will  
be used in our fleet. While renewables  
are currently a small part in the context  
of the overall fleet, when deployed as  
part of a hybrid solution, they enable  
us to leverage our thermal fleet more 
efficiently for the duration of a project. 

Power fleet composition

9,700 MW

4 5

1

3

2

1.  Diesel

2.  Diesel G3+ 

3. Gas

4.  NGG

5.  HFO

2019

60%

17%

17%

4%

2%

2018

62%

16% 

17%

3%

2%

Total includes 46 MW (2018: 8 MW) of storage and 
solar assets

(2018 total power fleet composition: 10 GW)

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

15

 
 
 
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

Capital 
efficiency

Optimising deployment  
of resources

>    

 → Being mobile and modular 

 → Getting the most out  

of our assets 

 → Striving for the most 
competitive cost base

Capital allocation strategy
Effective capital allocation is critical 
to delivering value given the capital 
intensive nature of our business. This 
keeps the business focused on ROCE 
as a key metric to measure how effective 
we have been at delivering long-term 
value. The approach to allocating capital 
is disciplined both in terms of capital 
expenditure and working capital. We 
maintain a ROCE hurdle rate for all new 
projects, while improving our working 
capital management remains a key 
objective to help drive returns.

This is underpinned by maintaining a 
balance sheet structure that safeguards 
our financial position through economic 
cycles. Given the proven ability of the 
business to fund organic growth from 
operating cash flows, together with the 
nature of our business model, we believe 
it is appropriate to run the business with 
a modest amount of debt. 

Given the high operational gearing  
of our business, we do not believe it  
is appropriate to couple this with high 
financial gearing. Therefore, we target 
gearing of around one times net debt  
to EBITDA, recognising from time to 
time it may be higher as investment 
opportunities present themselves.  
At the end of 2019, net debt to EBITDA* 
was 1.0 times (2018: 1.3 times) despite  
the impact of adopting IFRS 16 ‘Leases’. 
During the year, cash flows from 
operations were £628 million (2018:  
£423 million). 

How we allocate our 
capital

01   Reinvest for organic growth

02  Sustainable dividend policy

03  Strategic investments

04  Return excess capital to 

shareholders

We remain committed to a sustainable 
ordinary dividend and, where we have 
excess capital, will look to distribute it to 
our shareholders. Subject to shareholder 
approval, the proposed final dividend  
will increase by 3% to 18.27 pence (2018: 
17.74 pence), combined with the interim 
dividend of 9.38 pence (2018: 9.38 pence), 
will result in a full year dividend of  
27.65 pence (2018: 27.12 pence) per 
Ordinary Share, our first increase in 
the ordinary dividend for five years. 

Being mobile and modular
Our scale brings operational efficiencies 
and minimises our capital costs, but  
the opportunity exists to improve  
the utilisation of our assets through 
increasingly centralised fleet 
management, making it easier to deploy 
fleet across the world, particularly from 
our Power Solutions Utility business to 
the faster growing businesses of Rental 
Solutions and Power Solutions Industrial. 

Capital expenditure is allocated where 
it can deliver the best returns over the 
long term. We invested £189 million in 
our fleet during 2019, which compares 
with £196 million in 2018. Fleet capital 
expenditure is expected to increase  
in 2020 to between £200 and  
£250 million reflecting further 
investment to fulfill new contracts  
and support continued fleet renewal.

Getting the very most out  
of our assets
We see the benefit of continued 
investment in asset monitoring and 
condition-based servicing to facilitate 
reductions in fleet redundancies and 
maintenance while extending the 
useful life of our assets. 

Much work has been undertaken within 
Aggreko in the past few years to remove 
duplication through to significant 
savings from procurement discipline 
and improved productivity from new HR 
policies which better align performance 
and remuneration. 

The management of our receivables 
position has been a major focus during 
the year. Our Group-wide focus on 
working capital management has 
delivered significant benefits during 
2019. However, some customers across 
Venezuela, Yemen and parts of Africa are 
taking longer to pay and face issues of 
liquidity and access to foreign currency 
leading to delays in payment. We have 

taken proactive steps to address this. 
Having defined an engagement process 
with our customers based around clear 
targets with increased frequency and 
level of review, and the deployment of 
additional resources. In 2019, we have 
demonstrated our ability to reduce the 
receivables balance through strong cash 
collection in Power Solutions Utility. 

We have also embedded inventory 
initiatives put in place during 2018 to 
increase levels of systematisation and 
enable automation improvements  
to our Group procurement processes. 
A centralised approach to inventory 
management ensures that we are able 
to utilise stock more efficiently across 
all our geographies. Closer relationships 
with suppliers enable us to establish 
more efficient stock arrangements and, 
where appropriate, put in place stock 
sales and buy-backs.

We seek to adopt best practice principles 
into our supply chain to further improve 
our payables performance. 

Striving for the most 
competitive cost base
We are targeting improved operating 
efficiency in our businesses through 
the sharing of best practice and 
adoption of standardised systems. 
This includes implementing effective 
customer-journey and remote asset 
monitoring systems from Rental 
Solutions into Power Solutions Industrial 
and utilising data analytics to reduce 
the costs of regular servicing and 
maintenance in the Group. In addition, 
in 2019 we implemented a new global 
HR system, Workday, to more effectively 
and efficiently manage our people. 

A cost reduction programme, which 
is focused on Power Solutions Utility, 
remains on track to achieve net savings 
of £50 million in 2021. Work includes 
condition-based maintenance to reduce 
servicing costs; procurement savings 
through expansion of our spare parts 
supplier base; optimisation of fleet 
logistics and project manning; reviewing 
regional and support function locations 
alongside training and development 
courses to drive sales productivity. 

* Net debt to EBITDA calculation is 
on page 138

16 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Real-time intelligence 
from thousands of sensors

Challenge
For the continued development of our products across the 
globe, we needed to increase our capability to remotely 
monitor the thousands of sensors across our mixed fleet of 
power generation and temperature control assets to enable 
increased performance and prevent disruption of our fleet, 
with the goal of improving customer service.

Solution 
Aggreko has invested further to increase our capacity to 
monitor the fleet, partnering our deep knowledge of the 
fleet we operate with our digital and data science expertise 
to expand our capacity to provide remote digital monitoring 
of our diversified fleet.

Impact
The solutions developed are part of our commitment to 
expand our capability to utilise digital tools that provide 
real-time intelligence to help manage performance across 
more of our fleet. With the ability to draw 100 data points  
from each asset, there is an opportunity to leverage data to 
drive improved asset availability and operations productivity 
that deliver better service for customers, while improving  
our market competitiveness.

>14,000 
assets currently 
monitored

>100 
data points can 
be monitored 
on each asset

58%

62%

56%

52%

55%

Rental Solutions:  
Rental Solutions utilisation

58%

68%

71%

69%

63%

65%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

65%

66%

73%

79%

77%

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

17

Measuring our performance

Capital efficiency
Measure
Fleet utilisation.

Relevance
We are a capital-intensive business and 
in order to generate strong returns on 
our capital investment our fleet needs to 
be well utilised. Across our businesses we 
use megawatt utilisation as the metric 
(average MW on hire divided by the total 
fleet size in MW).

Target
In our Rental Solutions and Power 
Solutions Industrial businesses we are 
targeting utilisation of 60–70%, while  
in our Power Solutions Utility business  
we target over 80%.

Performance
In 2019, we saw utilisation across the 
Group marginally reduce compared  
with 2018. Work continues to drive 
long-term improvements in the 
utilisation of our assets. 

Power Solutions:  
Industrial utilisation

68%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Power Solutions:  
Utility utilisation

65%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

 
 
 
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

Expert 
people

Cultivating a high-
performance organisation

>    

 → Living Always Orange 

 → Staying safe and professional  

at all times 

 → Nurturing our full potential 

Living Always Orange
At Aggreko we believe our culture  
is a strategic lever for growth and we 
developed and implemented Always 
Orange in 2017 as a guide for the culture 
we need. Our four key values set out 
below, and their respective day-to-day 
behaviours, govern the way in which 
we work, remain safe and professional, 
develop the expertise of our people, 
influence our social interaction across 
our markets and ultimately allow us  
to successfully deliver our business 
objectives.

Be Together
Asking the best of each other, harnessing 
our scale and diverse skills to grow 
stronger together.

Be Expert
Using our blend of experience,  
expertise and planning to keep  
us ahead of the game.

Be Dynamic
Using our entrepreneurial passion to 
deliver and make great things happen.

Be Innovative
Learning from the world for a better 
today and for great leaps tomorrow.
 → Our 2019 Be Heard employee 

engagement survey achieved an 
overall engagement score of 76%,  
in line with 2018, with 88% of our 
people declaring an overall pride  
in working for Aggreko. Our people 
embrace the Always Orange culture 
and recognise its importance in 
helping us to grow, with 88% of our 
people in the 2019 Be Heard survey 
stating their belief in our ability to 
make a difference to the individuals, 
customers and communities we serve. 

 → We expect all our people to act like 
owners and have increased our 
commercial acumen through the 
virtual ROCE learning experience  
on our internal business strategy 
microsite. 

 → We focus on the importance of 

managing our assets as well as the 
more obvious area of improving 
operating profit, thereby increasing 
the understanding of the levers we 
can exercise to influence ROCE.

 → Recognising the importance of the 
technical capability of our people  
to serve our customers, and the 
importance of our brand, we 
continually invest in ongoing training 
and development, and sharing  
of experience.

Staying safe and professional 
at all times
Safety remains a key priority for everyone 
at Aggreko, our 2019 Be Heard survey 
showed that 92% of staff recognised  
the efforts we take to continue this. 

Through our Standard Zero approach, 
we have set the foundation for how we 
manage risks to ensure that we stay  
safe and professional at all times across 
the world. We continue to embed the  
13 specific HSE risk aspects directly 
related to our people and our business  
to ensure that we are staying safe and 
responsible, with work ongoing to  
refine our global standard operating 
procedures to manage these key  
risk aspects. 
 → The extent of our safety culture can  

be seen in the results of our Be Heard 
employee survey, in which 97% of our 
people continue to state that they 
would use their ‘stop-work authority’  
if a colleague placed themselves in 
immediate danger or they personally 
were tasked to do something that  
was unsafe. We have also seen a 12% 
increase in safety walks in the year. 

 → Towards the end of the year we 

introduced a ‘Safer behind the Wheel’ 
initiative to support our refreshed 
Driving at Work standard. This update 
has a particular focus on mobile 
phone use to minimise the risks 
associated with driving. 

 → We were reminded of the risks 

involved with driving when one of  
our employees, Vladimir Antonov,  
lost his life in a road traffic accident 
that occurred on an ice road in 
Northern Siberia, Russia. An in-depth 
internal investigation into the cause  
of this accident has been carried out 
and we have taken steps to reduce  
the likelihood of such an event 
occurring again.

 → Our people have access to a bespoke 
Security Incident Reporting app so 
that, wherever they are, they can 
effectively report a security incident  
at any time. 

18 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 → We conducted our first Safety  

Climate survey in 2017, implementing 
several safety initiatives through the 
business as a result. We conducted 
our second Safety Climate survey  
in December 2019 to measure our 
progress on the safety journey, and 
inform the steps we must take to  
drive further improvements. 

Nurturing our full potential 
 → We remain committed to improving 

our scores across all areas by acting on 
feedback to make Aggreko an even 
better place to work and our Value 
Difference team was established in 
2018 to improve diversity and inclusion 
in our workforce. 

 → The team’s focus in 2019 was  
on building awareness and 
implementing the systems 
improvements required to support  
the initiatives. We began training our 
senior leaders to identify difference, 
understand what it means and value 
it, and to learn how a more inclusive 
culture enhances capability and 
performance. Analysis of our 
employee engagement survey  
from the perspective of gender 
helped inform activities such as 
inclusion workshops and further 
research among senior leaders to 
generate ideas and commitment  
to drive workplace improvements 
through 2020. Our latest Gender  
Pay Gap Report is available on our 
corporate website.

 → The introduction of a globally 

consistent approach to performance 
and development (Be Your Best)  
is encouraging the best from our 
people. Be Your Best offers training 
and development opportunities and 
financial incentives through personal 
objectives and performance-based 
remuneration. We now align any 
potential bonus payments to 
individual performance, including 
behavioural aspects, alongside 
Company and strategic business  
unit performance.

Read about our employee gender 
diversity statistics on page 57

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Critical support for 
disaster-hit families

Challenge
Globally, at least 85 million people need emergency shelter 
every year following disasters. Relief charity ShelterBox 
supports families with essential aid items to help rebuild 
homes. ShelterBox is reaching more families than ever,  
and it needs effective partners to support that growth. 

Solution 
We have a three-year partnership with ShelterBox to provide 
wide-ranging support such as skills sharing from our people 
to expand ShelterBox’s capacity to respond to a range  
of scenarios faced by a growing charity, from volunteer 
recruitment, logistics and international fundraising, to 
providing funding to help more families rebuild their lives. 

Impact
Aggreko and ShelterBox together have already made a 
difference in supporting people following severe weather 
events. For example, Aggreko’s funding supported 
distribution of Shelter Kits to more than 130 families in  
Malawi following Cyclone Idai in March 2019, while over  
500 families were supported following Category 5 Typhoon 
Mangkhut which hit the Philippines in September 2018. 

~3 year  
partnership with 
ShelterBox

>130 
families supported 
in Malawi

>500 
families supported 
in Philippines

Measuring our performance

Safety
Measure
Lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR).

Employee satisfaction
Measure
Employee turnover.

Relevance
Rigorous safety processes are absolutely 
essential if we are to avoid accidents or 
incidents which could cause injury to 
people and damage to property and 
reputation. The main metric we use to 
measure safety performance is LTIFR 
which is calculated by dividing the 
number of recorded LTI cases by  
the number of hours worked at the 
Company, multiplied by 200,000.  
A lost time accident is a work-related 
injury that results in an employee’s 
inability to work the shift after the  
initial injury.

Target
Continued reduction in accident rates.

Performance
Our overall LTIFR improved to 0.13  
(2018: 0.20). Our safety culture remains 
empowered with ‘stop-work authority’  
to ensure that employees act rather than 
putting themselves or others at risk, and 
this year we refreshed and re-authorised 
employees and contractors in our  
Energy Safety Rules, part of our ongoing 
commitment to evolve our standards 
consistently across the Group. 

Relevance
It is the attitude, skill and motivation of 
our people which makes the difference 
between mediocre and excellent 
performance. We monitor permanent 
employee turnover as a proxy for how 
our employees feel. It is measured as 
the number of employees who leave the 
Group (other than through redundancy) 
during the period as a proportion of the 
total average number of employees 
during the period. 

Target
We expect to see permanent  
employee turnover levels around  
10% in order to retain the skill base  
that we have developed.

Performance
Our employee engagement score is  
76% which is the same as the prior year. 
Our employee turnover rate is in line 
with our average over the last five years. 

Lost time injury frequency rate

0.13

(2018: 0.20)

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Employee turnover

10%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Employee engagement score

76%

(2018: 76%)

0.13

0.20

0.25

0.45

0.39

10%

8%

8%

9%

11%

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

19

 
 
 
GROUP PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Strong performance  
amid industry change

Our 2019 results demonstrate 
the significant progress we 
have made to improve the 
Group’s financial performance.  
Chris Weston 
Chief Executive Officer

Group Revenue

£1,613m

2018: £1,760m

Operating margin  

14.9%

2018: 12.5%

ROCE*  

11.2%

2018: 10.3%

1  Underlying excludes pass-through  

fuel and currency.

*  Refer to pages 137 and 138 for calculations

Group trading performance
Underlying1 Group revenue decreased  
1%. Excluding revenue from the Winter 
Olympics in 2018 and early design  
and project management revenue  
for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this year, 
underlying1 Group revenue was in line 
with the prior year. Underlying1 profit 
before tax was up 13% at £199 million.  
The operating margin was 14.9% (2018: 
12.5%), with improved underlying margins 
in both Rental Solutions and Power 
Solutions Utility. Diluted earnings per 
share (DEPS) were 50.7 pence (2018: 49.2 
pence), up 6% on an underlying1 basis.  

The Group’s return on capital employed 
(ROCE*) increased to 11.2% (2018: 10.3%), 
despite a 4% reduction in the overall 
volume on hire and lower levels of 
utilisation. This was driven by an increase 
in the underlying profitability of Rental 
Solutions, as a result of higher rates in  
key sectors within North America, our 
emergency work in Belgium and an 
ongoing focus on cost efficiency and 
pricing discipline throughout this 
business, along with the benefit of the 
cost reduction programme in Power 
Solutions Utility. The increase in ROCE 
provides good momentum into 2020  
and beyond, with the group on track  
to deliver mid-teens ROCE in 2020.

Reported financial measures
Reported revenue and operating profit 
include the translational impact of 
currency as Aggreko’s revenue and profit 
are earned in different currencies (most 
notably the US Dollar), which are then 
translated and reported in Sterling. The 
movement in exchange rates in the 
period had the translational impact of 
increasing revenue by £6 million and 
decreasing operating profit by £9 million.

In addition, the Group separately reports 
fuel revenue from certain contracts in the 
Power Solutions Utility business in Brazil 
and Sri Lanka, where we manage fuel  
on a pass-through basis on behalf of our 
customers. The reason for the separate 
reporting is that fuel revenue on these 
contracts is entirely dependent on fuel 

prices and the volume of fuel consumed, 
which can be volatile and may distort  
the view of the performance of the 
underlying business.  In 2019, fuel revenue 
from these contracts was £27 million 
(2018: £172 million), with the year on year 
decrease due to lower fuel consumption 
in Brazil as contracts off-hired.

Reported Group revenue was down 8% 
on the prior year, with Rental Solutions  
up 1%, Power Solutions Industrial up 3% 
and Power Solutions Utility down 33%.  

Cash flow and balance sheet
During the year cash generated from 
operations was £628 million (2018: £423 
million). The increase in operating cash 
flow is mainly driven by a £163 million year 
on year improvement in working capital 
cash flows  (2019: £107 million inflow, 2018: 
£56 million outflow). The 2019 £107 million 
comprised a £78 million inflow from 
trade and other receivables, a £21 million 
inflow from trade and other payables  
and a £8 million inflow from inventory. 
EBITDA* also increased £47 million, 
although this was partially offset by a  
£24 million higher cash outflow relating 
to mobilisation (fulfilment assets) and 
demobilisation activities. The higher 
fulfilment and demobilisation cash flows 
in 2019 primarily relate to contracts in 
Brazil and Burkina Faso, as well as the 
Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

The decrease in trade and other 
receivables of £78 million included a  
£93 million decrease in Power Solutions 
Utility (2018: £1 million decrease) which 
reflects an increased focus and 
implementation of process 
improvements to drive cash collection  
in this business. This was partially offset 
by a £10 million increase in Power 
Solutions Industrial (2018: £2 million 
increase) reflecting activity levels and 
some prepayments in the period relating 
to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, together 
with a £5 million increase in Rental 
Solutions (2018: £9 million increase). 
Despite this slight increase in the year, 
Rental Solutions has made good progress 
in reducing the level of unbilled revenue 

20 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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that had built up through the end of  
2018, and reducing its trade receivables 
balance continues to be a key focus  
for 2020. 

In Power Solutions Utility, the level  
of our bad debt provision is broadly 
unchanged at $81 million (2018: $83 
million) and we remain focused on 
managing the trade receivables which 
have risen over recent years, primarily  
as a result of our customers’ limited 
liquidity and access to foreign currency.

The various initiatives established during 
last year drove an £8 million decrease in 
inventory, mainly in Power Solution Utility, 
which was partially offset by an increase 
in Power Solutions Industrial as we 
prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

The increase in trade and other payables 
balances was primarily as a result of 
deferred revenue for the Tokyo 2020 
Olympics, partially offset by lower trade 
and other payables on our fuel contracts 
in Brazil due to lower fuel consumption  
as these contracts off-hired.

Fleet capital expenditure was £189 million 
(2018: £196 million), representing 0.7  
times fleet depreciation (2018: 0.7 times).  
Within this, £71 million was invested in 
Rental Solutions, primarily in relation  
to temperature control and the ongoing 
renewal of our oil free air (OFA) fleet,  
and £118 million in Power Solutions,  
which included our ongoing fleet 
refurbishment programme and  
£26 million of investment related  
to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

Net debt was £584 million at  
31 December 2019. This was £102 million 
lower than the prior year, despite the 
recognition within net debt of a £101 
million lease creditor following the 
Group’s adoption of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’  
from 1 January 2019. A detailed cash  
flow is included on page 90 of the 
financial statements. 

Net debt to EBITDA* at 31 December 2019 
was 1.0 times (2018: 1.3 times, pre IFRS 16).  

Capital structure and dividends
The objective of our strategy is to deliver 
long-term value to shareholders while 
maintaining a balance sheet structure 
that safeguards the Group’s financial 
position through economic cycles. Given 
the operational risk profile of the Group 
we believe gearing of around one times 
net debt to EBITDA is appropriate, 
recognising that from time to time it  
may be higher than this as investment 
opportunities present themselves.

More detail on our capital allocation 
policy will be outlined as part of the 
update on our four strategic priorities 
alongside our interim results. Prior to  
this, and subject to shareholder approval, 
the Board is proposing a final dividend  
of 18.27 pence (2018: 17.74 pence) 
representing an increase of 3%. This will 
result in a 2% increase in the full year 
dividend to 27.65 pence (2018: 27.12 pence) 
per Ordinary Share, giving dividend  
cover* (basic EPS divided by the full year 
declared dividend) of 1.8 times (2018:  
1.8 times). This increase reflects the 
Board’s confidence in the sustainability  
of performance, and its recognition  
of the dividend’s importance in providing 
returns to our shareholders. The retained 
earnings of the Company as at  
31 December 2019 were £416 million  
and the majority of these earnings  
are distributable. 

Outlook 
Our underlying performance during  
2019 provides good momentum into 
2020 and our preparations for the Tokyo 
2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games  
are progressing well.  Notwithstanding 
this, we are monitoring closely the 
development and potential impact of  
the coronavirus outbreak, both in terms 
of the Tokyo Olympics and the Group 
more widely.  At this point, however, we 
currently expect to deliver results in-line 
with expectations for 2020. 

We expect to make further progress  
on working capital and will continue  
our capital expenditure discipline with 
expected fleet capital expenditure  
of around £200-£250 million. This, 
combined with our performance outlook, 
underpins our confidence in delivering 
our mid-teens ROCE target this year and 
beyond, and we look forward to providing 
an update on our strategic priorities 
alongside our interim results in August.

A G G R E K O   P E R S P E C T I V E S   -   C O S T   O F   E L E C T R I C I T Y   C A L C U L A T O R  

What’s behind the numbers?
IT’S TIME TO CUT THROUGH THE NOISE 

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profiles and differing demand priorities – the variables are endless. 

Have you (cid:441)(cid:457)(cid:457)(cid:566)(cid:3)(cid:613)(cid:616)(cid:457)(cid:624)(cid:457)(cid:566)(cid:637)(cid:457)(cid:449)(cid:3)(cid:677)(cid:520)(cid:637)(cid:515)(cid:3)(cid:387)(cid:3)(cid:616)(cid:457)(cid:442)(cid:577)(cid:564)(cid:564)(cid:457)(cid:566)(cid:449)(cid:457)(cid:449)(cid:3)(cid:624)(cid:577)(cid:546)(cid:653)(cid:637)(cid:520)(cid:577)(cid:566)(cid:1239)(cid:3)
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE...

50%*

of energy decision makers identify  that cost is their primary 
consideration when comparing different power providers

67% 

state electricity costs are impacting 
the competitiveness of their 
business  

48% of business 

decision makers believe their 
energy provider doesn’t do 
enough to help improve their 
business’s competitiveness

50% say time taken to get  ROI is a 

key factor when comparing total cost of power 
from suppliers.

Aggreko’s Cost of Electricity Calculator is designed to cut through the cost 
complexity to enable our customers to make the best energy choices for 
their business

Read our report(cid:3)(cid:637)(cid:577)(cid:3)(cid:718)(cid:566)(cid:449)(cid:3)(cid:577)(cid:653)(cid:637)(cid:3)(cid:564)(cid:577)(cid:616)(cid:457)(cid:3)(cid:387)(cid:566)(cid:449)(cid:3)(cid:515)(cid:577)(cid:677)(cid:3)(cid:688)(cid:577)(cid:653)(cid:3)(cid:442)(cid:387)(cid:566)(cid:3)empower your 
decision making

* Statistics taken from in-depth interviews carried out as part of an Aggreko survey of over 80 energy decision makers conducted in May 2019.  

(cid:283)(cid:515)(cid:457)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:508)(cid:508)(cid:616)(cid:457)(cid:543)(cid:577)(cid:3)(cid:442)(cid:577)(cid:624)(cid:637)(cid:3)(cid:577)(cid:505)(cid:3)(cid:457)(cid:546)(cid:457)(cid:442)(cid:637)(cid:616)(cid:520)(cid:442)(cid:520)(cid:637)(cid:688)(cid:3)(cid:442)(cid:387)(cid:546)(cid:442)(cid:653)(cid:546)(cid:387)(cid:637)(cid:577)(cid:616)(cid:3)(cid:520)(cid:624)(cid:3)(cid:566)(cid:577)(cid:637)(cid:3)(cid:387)(cid:3)(cid:613)(cid:616)(cid:520)(cid:442)(cid:457)(cid:3)(cid:442)(cid:577)(cid:564)(cid:613)(cid:387)(cid:616)(cid:520)(cid:624)(cid:577)(cid:566)(cid:3)(cid:637)(cid:577)(cid:577)(cid:546)(cid:1245)(cid:3)(cid:1309)(cid:142)(cid:637)(cid:3)(cid:515)(cid:387)(cid:624)(cid:3)(cid:441)(cid:457)(cid:457)(cid:566)(cid:3)(cid:449)(cid:457)(cid:676)(cid:457)(cid:546)(cid:577)(cid:613)(cid:457)(cid:449)(cid:3)(cid:505)(cid:577)(cid:616)(cid:3)(cid:653)(cid:624)(cid:457)(cid:3)(cid:441)(cid:688)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:508)(cid:508)(cid:616)(cid:457)(cid:543)(cid:577)(cid:3)(cid:457)(cid:687)(cid:613)(cid:457)(cid:616)(cid:637)(cid:624)(cid:3)(cid:637)(cid:577)(cid:3)(cid:624)(cid:653)(cid:613)(cid:613)(cid:577)(cid:616)(cid:637)(cid:3)(cid:637)(cid:515)(cid:457)(cid:3)(cid:613)(cid:616)(cid:520)(cid:442)(cid:520)(cid:566)(cid:508)(cid:3)(cid:577)(cid:505)(cid:3)(cid:442)(cid:577)(cid:564)(cid:613)(cid:546)(cid:457)(cid:687)(cid:3)(cid:613)(cid:577)(cid:677)(cid:457)(cid:616)(cid:3)(cid:613)(cid:616)(cid:577)(cid:538)(cid:457)(cid:442)(cid:637)(cid:624)(cid:3)(cid:637)(cid:577)(cid:3)
enable us to give clearer indicative costs to our customers

Visit us at aggreko.com/electricitycalculator

We launched our Cost of Electricity 
Calculator to increase industry 
transparency. 

  Read more at: aggreko.com/en/
aggreko-perspectives 
/cost-of-electricity

We won the Experian Data 
Excellence Award at the Lloyds 
National Business Awards for our 
approach to utilising data to deliver 
more efficient and cost-effective 
solutions for our customers.

Large events are complex and 
require considerable design and 
engineering, demonstrated by our 
interactive experience. 

  Try it out at: aggreko.com/en/
sectors-and-services/events/
an-interactive-events-experience

*  Refer to pages 137 and 138 for calculations

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

21

 
 
 
 
 
GROUP PERFORMANCE REVIEW CONTINUED

Measuring our performance

Underlying revenue growth

-1%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Operating profit margin

14.9%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

(1)%

8%

4%

(10)%

(3)%

14.9%

12.5%

13.2%*

16.4%

17.6%

Measure
Revenue growth excluding the  impact 
of currency movements and pass-
through fuel.

Relevance
As a business that is exposed to different 
cycles, we look at revenue growth over 
time in order to deliver shareholder value. 
This is calculated as the adjusted revenue 
growth over the previous year. 

Further detail including why we exclude 
the impact of currency movements and 
pass-through fuel is provided in the 
reported financial measures on page 20.

Target
Our medium-term target is to grow 
ahead of our markets.

Performance
Rental solutions was down 1% with the 
year on year decrease driven by the 
Northern Europe and Australia Pacific 
regions. North America and Continental 
Europe performed well. Power Solutions 
Industrial grew 2%, with good growth  
in Latin America, Middle East and Africa; 
Eurasia and Asia had a challenging year. 
Power Solutions Utility was down 5%  
due primarily to off hires in Africa  
and Myanmar. 

Measure
Pre-exceptional operating profit margin.

Relevance
Our business has a large fixed cost  
base, therefore strong operating profit 
margins demonstrate disciplined variable 
cost control and our ability to leverage 
the fixed asset base. This is calculated as 
operating profit pre-exceptional items 
divided by revenue.

Target
Our medium-term target is for Group 
operating profit margins to achieve  
levels that support mid-teens ROCE  
in 2020.

Performance
The operating margin was up 1.8pp after 
adjusting for currency and pass-through 
fuel. In Rental Solutions, the margin was 
up due to higher rates and an increased 
focus on cost. In Power Solutions, the 
Industrial margin fell as a result of the 
weaker performance in Eurasia, while  
the Utility margin was up driven by the 
cost reduction programme.

Target
While we are exposed to different  
cycles and EPS varies accordingly, 
we target growing EPS in line with 
our strategic aims.

Performance
EPS was up 3% however after adjusting 
for currency and pass-through fuel EPS 
was up 6% driven by the growth in profit. 
The significant increase in profit does  
not fully fall through to EPS due to  
the Group’s tax charge. Read more  
on page 107.

Target
Our target is to achieve mid-teens  
ROCE in 2020.

Performance
ROCE increased 0.9pp, and 1.1pp 
excluding the impact of fuel and pass-
through fuel, reflecting the increase  
in underlying profit. 

Diluted earnings per share

Measure
Pre-exceptional diluted EPS.

50.70p

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

50.70p

49.18p

52.44p*

61.95p

71.68p

Relevance
We believe that EPS, while not perfect,  
is a good measure of the returns we  
are generating as a Group for our 
shareholders, and reflects both revenue 
growth and trading margins. So, for the 
Group as a whole, the key measure of 
short-term financial performance is 
diluted EPS, pre-exceptional items. EPS  
is calculated based on profit attributable 
to equity shareholders (adjusted to 
exclude exceptional items) divided by  
the diluted weighted average number  
of ordinary shares ranking for dividend 
during the relevant period.

Return on capital employed

11.2%**

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

11.2%

10.3%

10.7%

12.8%

16.3%

*  2017 numbers are shown on a pre-exceptional basis 
and have been restated for the implementation of 
IFRS 15.

**  ROCE calculation is on page 137.

Measure
Pre-exceptional return on capital 
employed (ROCE).

Relevance
In a business as capital intensive as 
Aggreko’s, profitability alone is not an 
adequate measure of performance:  
it is perfectly possible to be generating 
good margins, but poor value for 
Shareholders, if assets (and in particular, 
fleet) are not managed efficiently.  
We calculate ROCE by dividing operating 
profit pre-exceptional items in the period 
by the average of the net operating 
assets as at 1 January, 30 June and  
31 December.

22 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Rental Solutions

I am pleased with the performance  
of Rental Solutions in 2019. Our 
continued focus on key sectors and 
customer solutions, combined with 
our focus on cost management, has 
improved our profitability.

Bruce Pool 
President, Rental Solutions

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Revenue £m

Operating profit £m

Operating margin %
ROCE

2019

833

2019

133
15.9%
16.7%

2018

822

Change

1%

2018

Change

105
12.9%
14.7%

25%
3.0pp
2.0pp

Underlying 
change1 

(1)%

Underlying 
change1

22%
2.9pp
1.7pp

1  Underlying excludes currency. A reconciliation between reported and underlying performance is detailed  

on page 26.

                 Rental Solutions

 → Underlying1 revenue down 1%  
but operating profit up 22% 
 → Improved operating margin of  
15.9%, up 2.9 percentage points  
on an underlying1 basis 

 → ROCE of 16.7% reflects an underlying1 
increase of 1.7 percentage points, 
driven by profit growth in North 
America

 → Strong performance in key sectors 

within North America

Underlying1 revenue in Northern Europe 
was down 15%, as data centre contracts  
in Ireland off-hired, as planned, together 
with the effects of continuing market 
uncertainty. 

Operating margin on an underlying1 
basis was up 2.9 percentage points, 
reflecting higher rates in key sectors 
within North America and our 
emergency work to support the power 
shortages in Belgium; this was despite 
lower fleet utilisation as a result of prior 
year hurricane work off-hiring. In addition, 
we have begun to realise the benefits  
of our investment in new systems and 
processes that enable us to focus on 
more profitable work and improve our 
ability to recover costs. 

North American underlying1 revenue was 
up 5% on the prior year (up 12% excluding 
hurricane revenue in 2018). Our sector 
focus has continued to drive growth and 
we saw good performance in most of our 
key sectors, particularly in oil & gas and 
building services & construction. This 
top-line growth enabled us to leverage 
our fixed cost base more effectively, 
supporting the business to an improved 
operating margin. 

In our Australia Pacific business, 
underlying1 revenue decreased 13% as 
good growth in the mining sector was 
offset by a 100MW emergency contract  
in the prior year numbers. Despite this 
revenue reduction, our focus on cost 
efficiencies helped to drive an 
improvement in operating margin.

Our Continental European business grew 
underlying1 revenue 3%, supported by 
revenue earned from work in response to 
power shortages in Belgium and the FIFA 
Women’s World Cup in France (which 
was partially offset by the Ryder Cup 
revenue in the prior year).

Inside sales in Houston, USA

Shovel walk solution developed for 
a mining customer in Australia

Average MW on hire

1,444 MW

2018: 1,531 MW

Utilisation

58%

2018: 62%

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

23

 
 
 
GROUP PERFORMANCE REVIEW CONTINUED

Power Solutions

Across the Industrial business, sector specialisation 
and our technology strategy have enabled us to 
develop industry leading customer solutions, such 
as the one for Resolute’s Syama Gold mine. I’m also 
pleased that our cost efficiency programme and 
relentless focus on cash collection have delivered  
an underlying improvement in our Utility business. 

Stephen Beynon 
President, Power Solutions

Revenue £m

Industrial
Utility excl. pass-through fuel
Pass-through fuel

Operating profit £m

Industrial
Utility excl. pass-through fuel
Pass-through fuel

Operating margin %

Industrial
Utility excl. pass-through fuel 

ROCE 

Industrial 
Utility excl. pass-through fuel

2019

434
319
27

2019

64
43
1

2018

424
342
172

Change

3%
(7)%
(84)%

Underlying 
change1 

2%
(5)%
(84)%

2018

Change

Underlying 
change1

71
46
(3)

(9)%
(7)%
154%

(7)%
21%
155%

14.8%
13.3%

16.6%
13.4%

(1.8)pp
(0.1)pp

(1.4)pp
2.9pp

10.4%
5.8%

10.7%
6.2%

(0.3)pp
(0.4)pp

(0.2)pp 
1.1pp

1  Underlying excludes pass-through fuel and currency. A reconciliation between reported and underlying 

performance is detailed on page 26.

Power Solutions Industrial

 → Underlying1 revenue increased 2%;  
up 6% excluding the 2018 Winter 
Olympics and the early design  
revenue for the Tokyo 2020 
Olympics recorded in 2019
 → Underlying1 profit decreased  

7%, driven by a challenging year  
in our Eurasia business

 → Operating margin at 14.8% was  
down 1.4 percentage points on  
an underlying1 basis
 → ROCE of 10.4% is down  
0.2 percentage points  
on an underlying1 basis 

Power Solutions Utility

 → Underlying1 revenue was down 5%, 

primarily due to off hires

 → Underlying1 operating profit was  
up 21% as a result of improved 
operational performance

 → ROCE up 1.1 percentage points  
to 5.8% on an underlying1 basis

24 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Power Solutions Industrial
Power Solutions Industrial underlying1 
revenue increased 2%. Excluding both  
the 2018 Winter Olympics in the prior  
year and early design and project 
management revenue for the Tokyo 2020 
Olympics in 2019, revenue was up 6%.

Revenue in Latin America increased 3%, 
primarily driven by the mining and oil & 
gas sectors. In the Middle East revenue 
increased 10%, with good growth in 
Oman and Saudi Arabia, partially offset  
by Kuwait. Africa revenue grew 29%, 
driven by our local business in Nigeria 
and industrial projects in the Democratic 
Republic of Congo (DRC). As previously 
disclosed, Eurasia had a challenging year 
with revenue down 8% due to slower 
order intake and pressure on rates from 
increased competition. Revenue in Asia 
(excluding the 2018 Winter Olympics and 
Tokyo 2020 Olympics) decreased 17%, 
mainly driven by a reduction in work 
related to mining and oil & gas. 

The operating margin, on an underlying1 
basis, was down 1.4 percentage points on 
the prior year at 14.8%, primarily driven  
by pricing pressure and a reduction in the 
number of available market opportunities 
in Eurasia, partially offset by a good 
performance in Africa and Latin America.

Power Solutions Industrial order  
intake for the year was 506 MW (2018:  
604 MW), including 282 MW in Eurasia 
(2018: 333 MW). 

Average MW on hire

2,532 MW

2018: 2,445 MW

Order intake

506 MW

2018: 604 MW

Utilisation

68%

2018: 71%

Power Solutions Utility
Power Solutions Utility saw underlying1 
revenue decrease 5%, primarily due to  
off hires in Africa (including Angola,  
Benin and Mozambique) and Myanmar. 
The operating margin (excluding 
pass-through fuel) on an underlying1 
basis was up 2.9 percentage points to 
13.3%, primarily as a result of the ongoing 
cost reduction programme.

Average megawatts on hire were down 
10% to 2,405 (2018: 2,683), impacted most 
significantly by projects off-hiring in 
Africa and Asia. The full year off-hire  
rate was 33% (2018: 42%). Order intake  
for the year was 497 MW (2018: 398 MW), 
including 150MW in the Philippines.  
In addition, we have agreed contract 
extensions with a number of customers 
including an agreement to extend our 
200MW Ivory Coast contract until 
December 2021.

Managing the trade receivables in  
our Power Solutions Utility business 
continues to be a major focus, with  
active ongoing engagement with our 
customers a key priority. Encouragingly 
our Power Solutions Utility cash 
collections in the year were $584 million 
compared with amounts invoiced of 
$484 million. However, we continue to 
experience delays in receiving payments 
in Venezuela, Yemen and parts of Africa 
due to our customers’ more limited 
liquidity and access to foreign currency. 
While we believe that we remain 
relatively well positioned to recover  
the Group’s net exposure in Venezuela 
and Yemen when the current situation  
in each of these countries stabilises,  
we also recognise that there is a range  
of potential outcomes for each. The 
customer with whom we have our  
largest net exposure (in the range  
$30-40 million) is within the Africa region 
and, while there is no dispute over the 
amount outstanding, we remain in 
regular dialogue with this customer 
regarding the likely process and timing  
of future payments.

Overall the Power Solutions Utility bad 
debt provision at 31 December 2019 was 
$81 million (2018: $83 million). Although 
the overall provision is broadly in line  
with the prior year, to reflect the differing 
circumstances and payment progress 
made by customers, the Group has 
increased its provision against specific 
customers in Yemen and Venezuela  
by $8m, while reducing its provision 
against other customers by $10 million.  
In addition, we have revalued private 
placement notes relating to one 
customer in Venezuela (PDVSA)  
to £1 million (2018: £4 million). 

Designing a customer solution in 
Tyumen, Russia

We won the Argus LPG Award for 
Excellence in the New Frontier 
category for delivery of a utility-
scale power solution for the Virgin 
Island of St Croix

Monitoring power supply during 
the Rugby World Cup, Tokyo, Japan

Average MW on hire

2,405 MW

2018: 2,683 MW

Order intake

497 MW

2018: 398 MW

Utilisation

65%

2018: 66%

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

25

 
 
 
FINANCIAL REVIEW

The right capital structure  
to support our strategy

We have delivered strong 
profit growth and cash 
generation resulting in  
a proposed 3% increase  
in the final dividend. 

Heath Drewett 
Chief Financial Officer

Currency translation
The movement in exchange rates in the period had the translational impact of increasing revenue by £6 million and decreasing 
operating profit by £9 million. Currency translation also gave rise to a £75 million decrease in the value of the Group’s net assets. 
Set out in the table below are the principal exchange rates which affected the Group’s profit and net assets.  

Principal exchange rates

(Per £ sterling)

United States Dollar
Euro
UAE Dirhams
Australian Dollar
Brazilian Reals
Argentinian Peso
Russian Rouble

(Source: Bloomberg)

2019

2018

Average

Year end

Average

Year end

1.28
1.14
4.69
1.83
5.03
61.10
82.61

1.31
1.17
4.80
1.88
5.30
78.28
80.94

1.34
1.13
4.91
1.79
4.87
37.48
83.70

1.27
1.11
4.66
1.80
4.91
48.62
88.02

Reconciliation of reported to underlying results 
The tables below reconcile the reported and underlying revenue and operating profit movements:

Rental Solutions

Industrial

Utility

Group

Revenue £m

As reported
Pass-through fuel
Currency impact 
Underlying

Operating profit £m

As reported
Pass-through fuel
Currency impact 
Underlying

2018 Change

2019

2018 Change

2019

833
–
–
833

2018 Change

822
–
16
838

1%

(1)%

2019

434
–
–
434

2018 Change

424
–

1
425

3%

2%

2019

346
(27)
–
319

514
(172)
(6)
336

(33)%

(5)%

Rental Solutions

Industrial

Utility

2019

133
–
–
133

2018 Change

2019

2018 Change

2019

2018 Change

105
–
3
108

25%

22%

64
–
–
64

71
–
(1)
70

(9)%

(7)%

44
(1)
–
43

43
3
(11)
35

2%

21%

1,613
(27)
–
1,586

2019

241
(1)
–
240

(8)%

(1)%

1,760
(172)
11
1,599

Group

2018 Change

219
3
(9)
213

10%

13%

1  The currency impact is calculated by taking the 2018 results in local currency and retranslating them at the 2019 average rates.

2  The currency impact line included in the tables above excludes the currency impact on pass-through fuel in Utility, which in 2019 was £5 million on revenue and £nil on 

operating profit.

26 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Interest
The net interest charge of £42 million  
was £5 million higher than the prior year, 
primarily due to an increase in interest  
of £5 million associated with the adoption 
of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’. The lower average net 
debt has been offset by an increase in  
the effective interest rate and an increase 
in arrangement fees for refinancing 
committed debt. Interest cover* (including 
the impact of IFRS 16) measured against 
rolling 12-month EBITDA (Earnings  
before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation  
and Amortisation) remained strong  
at 13 times (2018: 14 times). 

Taxation
Tax strategy
We operate in an increasingly complex 
global environment, doing business 
in 79 countries, many of which have 
uncertain or volatile tax regimes. To 
ensure that our tax affairs are correctly 
and consistently managed, Aggreko’s 
tax strategy is applied across all taxes 
in all countries where we operate.

Our tax strategy is reviewed and 
revalidated annually and revised as 
appropriate to reflect any material 
changes in our business or tax legislation. 
Our strategy is to ensure that we pay, in 
a timely manner, the appropriate amount 
of tax commensurate with the activities 
performed in each country in which we 
operate. We recognise the importance 
of the tax we pay to the economic 
development of the countries in 
which we operate. We aim to be 
transparent in terms of the geographic 
spread of where we pay tax, with a 
breakdown provided in the figures 
overleaf. In applying the tax strategy, 
we undertake to comply with the 
applicable tax legislation utilising, 
where appropriate, any available 
legislative reliefs. 

Our engagement with tax authorities
We seek to build good working 
relationships with local tax authorities 
based on trust, respect and 
professionalism. We proactively  
engage, either directly or through local 
advisers, with the authorities to ensure 
that our business and tax positions  
are well understood and that our tax 
positions are confirmed in a timely 
manner.

Tax governance
Our tax governance framework  
is encompassed within a set 
of documented policies and procedures 
covering both the application of the 
strategy and operational aspects of tax. 

Ultimate responsibility for managing the 
Group’s tax risk and its tax affairs rests 
with our Chief Financial Officer, with 
day-to-day responsibility delegated to the 
Director of Tax and the tax function. To 
ensure that we fully understand our tax 

* Refer to pages 137 and 138 for calculations

obligations and the impact on our 
business of any legislative change, 
advisory and technical support is 
provided by major accounting firms with 
which the Group has a long association. 
The use of the Group’s external auditor  
for tax work of any kind is prohibited.

Approach to tax risk
The Group’s appetite for risk, including 
tax risk, is reviewed regularly by the Group 
Risk Committee and ratified annually 
by the Board. Given the overall risk profile 
of many of the countries in which we 
operate, we seek to structure our tax 
affairs in a way that carries a low degree 
of risk. Only the Director of Tax is 
permitted to consider any tax planning 
opportunities, with permission to 
implement any planning required from 
the Board or Finance Committee as 
appropriate. We will not implement  
any tax planning that is not driven by 
commercial aims or where the sole 
objective is to deliver tax benefit.

Tax management and provisioning
Given the complex, uncertain and often 
volatile nature of the tax environment  
in which we operate, strong local 
compliance and governance are key.  
This is particularly so for our Power 
Solutions business, where we may only  
be present in a country on a temporary 
basis. While we will always seek to 
manage our tax affairs and agree our tax 
positions in a timely manner, it can often 
take some time to settle our tax position 
and uncertainties may therefore exist  
for a period of time, particularly with 
complex tax regimes or where legislation 
is changing. 

We may therefore need to create tax 
provisions for potential uncertain 
positions. These provisions are based  
on reasonable estimates of the range  
of possible outcomes. Management 
uses its best judgement to determine the 
appropriate level of provision, recognising 
that differences of interpretation and 
a range of possible outcomes may arise, 
depending on the facts in each case. 

The provisions are principally held to 
manage the tax impact of various 
potential historic tax exposures, largely  
in connection with our Power Solutions 
Utilities business, together with potential 
transfer pricing risks faced by the Group 
with respect to how we transact 
internationally across the business. In 
order to ensure that all potential risks are 
properly understood and mitigated, we 
look to ensure that our local tax filings  
are made on a timely basis, appropriate 
advice is taken and that we proactively 
work with local tax authorities when 
issues arise. 

The risk that the application of 
management judgements and  
estimates in our tax forecasting fails  

to represent a true and fair view of our  
tax position is an area that receives focus 
from management, our tax advisers and 
the Group’s external auditor (to the extent 
necessary for them to form a view on  
the truth and fairness of the financial 
statements). In order to mitigate this risk, 
our tax position is internally reviewed four 
times per year by the Group tax team  
and any unanticipated variances to the 
forecast are reconciled and explained. 

In addition to the work done by the 
Group’s external auditor to confirm the 
appropriateness of our tax provisioning, 
tax is a matter that is regularly considered 
and discussed by the Audit Committee. 
The Group’s internal audit team also 
periodically reviews management’s 
assessment on the effectiveness of our 
tax controls and will also consider any 
relevant tax risks as part of its core 
assurance programme.

Legislative changes
While we continue to monitor global 
legislative change, the pace of change  
in our main operating countries slowed  
in 2019. Specifically, the tax reform 
agenda in North America has now largely 
been enacted into legislation and any 
impact of this change is reflected in  
our 2019 results. 

In terms of Brexit, we continue to believe, 
based on our ongoing assessment, that  
it will not have a material tax impact on 
the Group.

Cash taxes paid
In 2019, Aggreko’s worldwide operations 
resulted in direct and indirect tax 
payments of £272 million (2018: £241 
million) to tax authorities in the various 
countries in which we operate. 
This amount represents all corporate 
taxes paid on operations, payroll taxes 
paid and collected, import duties, sales 
taxes and other local taxes.

Within this overall total, corporate taxes 
paid increased by £15 million to £76 
million. We paid £4 million more in Africa 
(Senegal and the Democratic Republic  
of Congo) and a further £4 million in Asia 
(Indonesia), where we made a one-off tax 
payment following an audit by the local 
tax authorities. The remaining additional 
tax paid was principally in Europe, where 
we benefited in 2018 from a tax refund  
in the UK which did not reoccur in 2019. 

Our indirect taxes paid increased by  
£16 million to £196 million. The main 
contributors to this were a £5 million 
increase in Africa as a result of increased 
activity in Malawi and Burkina Faso, 
coupled with a lack of VAT recoveries  
in Mozambique compared with 2018, 
together with an increase of £12 million  
in North America due to increased 
activities leading to higher sales and 
payroll tax payments. 

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

27

 
 
 
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Corporate taxes paid by region £m

Total indirect taxes paid by region £m

Total taxes paid by region £m

25

20

15

10

5

a

A fric

2019

a s t

A

sia  &  
d le   E
A
M i d
2018

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

c

u r a sia

E

e

p

u r o

E

a

L

a ti n  
A m e ric

a

N

o rt h
A m e ric

a

A fric

2019

a s t

A

sia  &  
d le   E
A
M i d
2018

100

80

60

40

20

c

u r a sia

E

e

p

u r o

E

a

L

a ti n  
A m e ric

a

N

o rt h
A m e ric

a

A fric

2019

a s t

A

sia  &  
d le   E
A
M i d
2018

u s tr a lia
ci fi

a

P

c

u r a sia

E

e

p

u r o

E

a

L

a ti n  
A m e ric

a

N

o rt h
A m e ric

u s tr a lia
ci fi

a

P

u s tr a lia
ci fi

a

P

Tax charge
The Group’s effective corporation tax rate 
for the year was 35% (2018: 31%), based  
on a tax charge of £70 million (2018:  
£57 million) on a profit before taxation  
of £199 million (2018: £182 million). The 
Group’s effective tax rate has risen in  
2019 largely due to the geographic mix  
of the Group’s profit and the impact  
of non-recurring prior year credits in  
2018. Further information, including a 
reconciliation of the current year tax 
charge, is shown at Note 9 to the 
Accounts. Looking beyond 2019, our 
effective tax rate will continue  
to be driven principally by our geographic 
mix of profit, the ongoing resolution of 
open issues and changes in tax legislation 
in the Group’s most significant countries 
of operation. 

Reconciliation of the Group’s income 
statement tax charge and cash taxes
The Group’s total cash taxes borne and 
collected were £272 million, comprising 
£196 million of indirect taxes and £76 
million of corporate taxes. The difference 
between the corporate taxes paid of 
£76 million and the Group’s tax charge 
of £70 million as reported in the income 
statement is analysed in the table below.
£m

Cash taxes paid 
Non-corporate taxes
Corporate tax paid
Movements in deferred tax and 
prior year adjustments
Differences relating to timing of 
tax payments
Corporate tax charge per the 
income statement

272
(196)
76

(5) 

(1)

70

Cash flow 
During the year cash generated from 
operations was £628 million (2018:  
£423 million).  The increase in operating 
cash flow is mainly driven by a year on 
year improvement in working capital 
cash flows of £163 million (2019: £107 
million inflow,  2018: £56 million outflow) 
and an increase in EBITDA* of £47 million, 
partially offset by a higher cash outflow  
of £24 million relating to mobilisation 
(fulfilment assets) and demobilisation 
activities. The working capital movements 
in the period are explained in more detail 
on page 20. Capital expenditure in the 
year was £230 million (2018: £216 million), 
of which £189 million (2018: £196 million)  
was invested in fleet assets.  

Net operating assets
The net operating assets of the Group (including goodwill) at 31 December 2019 totalled £1,997 million, £162 million lower than 
31 December 2018, as detailed in the table below.

£m

Goodwill/intangibles/investments
Rental fleet
Property & plant
Working capital (excl. interest creditors)
Fulfilment asset & demobilisation provision
Cash (incl. overdrafts)
Total net operating assets

2019

227
939
227
496
72
36
1,997

2018

235
1,057
112
646
33
76
2,159

Movement

Movement excluding the 
impact of currency

(3)%
(11)%
103%
(23)%
118%
(53)%
(8)%

(1)%
(9)%
106%
(20)%
125%
(51)%
(5)%

A key measure of our performance is the return generated from the Group’s average net operating assets (ROCE).  We calculate 
ROCE* by taking the operating profit (pre-exceptional items) for the year and expressing it as a percentage of the average net 
operating assets at 31 December, 30 June and the previous 1 January.  In 2019 ROCE increased to 11.2% compared with 10.3% in 2018. 
On an underlying basis ROCE rose 1.1 percentage points, driven by a strong performance in Rental Solutions and the benefits of the 
cost-saving programme in Power Solutions Utility.

* Refer to pages 137 and 138 for calculations

28 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Property, plant and equipment
Our rental fleet accounts for £939 million, 
which is around 80% of the net book 
value of the Group’s property, plant and 
equipment. The majority of equipment  
in the rental fleet is depreciated on a 
straight-line basis to a residual value of 
zero over eight years, with some classes  
of rental fleet depreciated over 10 and  
12 years. The annual fleet depreciation 
charge of £265 million (2018: £273 million) 
reflects the estimated service lives 
allocated to each class of fleet asset.  
Asset lives are reviewed at the start of 
each year and changed, if necessary, to 
reflect their remaining lives in light of 
technological change, prospective 
economic utilisation and the physical 
condition of the assets.  No changes  
were made in 2019.  

Shareholders’ equity
Shareholders’ equity decreased by  
£8 million to £1,359 million, represented  
by the net assets of the Group of £1,943 
million less net debt of £584 million.  
The movements in shareholders’ equity 
are analysed in the table below:

Movements in shareholders’ 
equity

As at 1 January 2019
Profit for the period
Dividend
Retained earnings
Employee share awards
Purchase of Treasury 
shares
Re-measurement of 
retirement benefits
Currency translation
Other
As at 31 December 2019

£m

129
(69)

£m

1,367

60
11

(4)

(1)
(75)
1 
1,359

Pensions
Pension arrangements for our employees 
vary depending on market practice and 
regulation in each country. The Group 
operates a defined benefit scheme  
for UK employees, which was closed to 
new employees joining the Group after  
1 April 2002. Most of the other schemes in 
operation around the world are defined 
contribution schemes.   

Under IAS 19: ‘Employee Benefits’, 
Aggreko has recognised a pre-tax 
pension surplus of £4 million at 31 
December 2019 (2018: £1 million surplus) 
which is determined using actuarial 
assumptions. The improvement in 
pension funding is primarily driven by  
the additional contributions paid by the 
Company during the year. These were 
partially offset by the growth in liabilities 
being greater than the returns on the 
Scheme’s assets. The Scheme’s liability 
growth was primarily driven by a fall in 
interest rates, thereby reducing the 
discount rate applied to the liability,  

while all asset categories provided  
better than expected returns. 

The sensitivities regarding the main 
valuation assumptions are shown in  
the table below. 

Potential  
change  
Increase/ 
(decrease)

Deficit 
impact 
(Increase)/
decrease  
(£m)

Profit 
impact 
(Increase)/
decrease  
(£m)

0.5%
(0.5)%

(1)
(14)

–
(1)

0.5%
1 year

(10)
(4)

-
–

Assumption

Rate of 
increase  
in salaries
Discount rate
Inflation (0.5% 
increases on 
pensions 
increases, 
deferred 
revaluation 
and salary 
increases)
Longevity

Treasury
Liquidity and funding
The Group maintains sufficient facilities 
to meet its funding requirements over 
the medium term.  At 31 December 2019 
these facilities totalled £1,027 million,  
in the form of committed bank facilities 
arranged on a bilateral basis with several 
international banks and private 
placement lenders. The financial 
covenants attached to these facilities  
are that EBITDA should be no less than  
4 times interest and net debt should  
be no more than 3 times EBITDA.  
The covenants exclude the impact  
of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ and, on that basis,  
at 31 December 2019, these ratios were  
14* times and 0.9* times respectively. The 
Group does not expect to breach these 
covenants in the year from the date of 
approval of these financial statements.  

Net debt (including £101 million of a lease 
creditor on the Group’s adoption of IFRS 
16 from 1 January 2019) amounted to  
£584 million at 31 December 2019 (2018: 
£686 million) and, at that date, un-drawn 
committed facilities were £516 million. 

Further detail can be found in the Going 
Concern disclosure on page 94.

Risks
The Group’s operations expose it to a 
variety of financial risks that include 
liquidity, the effects of changes in foreign 
currency exchange rates, interest rates, 
and credit risk. 

The Group’s policy is to manage its 
exposure to interest rates by ensuring an 
appropriate balance of fixed and floating 
rate debt. At 31 December 2019, £478 
million of the gross debt of £570 million 
(excluding the lease creditor of £101 
million) was at fixed rates of interest 
resulting in a fixed to floating rate debt 
ratio of 84:16 (2018: 77:23).

The Group manages its currency flows to 
minimise foreign exchange risk arising on 
transactions denominated in foreign 
currencies and uses forward contracts 
and forward currency options, where 
appropriate, to hedge net currency flows.  
The Group’s foreign currency exposure on 
the translation into Sterling of its net 
investments in overseas subsidiaries is 
managed using debt in the same 
currency as those investments.

The group manages its credit risk on cash 
deposits and other financial instruments 
by limiting the aggregate amounts and 
their duration depending on external 
credit ratings of the relevant 
counterparty. 

Insurance 
The Group operates a policy of buying 
cover against the material risks which  
the business faces, where it is possible to 
purchase such cover on reasonable terms. 
Where this is not possible, or where the 
risks would not have a material impact  
on the Group as a whole, we self-insure. 

* Refer to pages 137 and 138 for calculations

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

29

 
 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

As our market and business changes, 
so do the risks

The Group recognises the importance of identifying and actively managing the 
financial and non-financial risks facing the business. We want our people to feel 
empowered to take advantage of attractive opportunities, but to do so within 
the risk appetite set by the Board. It is important that we have in place a robust 
risk management framework to facilitate this.

Risk management framework – roles and responsibilities
The Board has implemented a risk management framework that is summarised in the diagram below.

Ultimate responsibility
Board

 → Ultimate responsibility for risk and internal control

 → Approves the risk management framework

 → Approves risk appetite and monitors compliance

 → Approves the Group Register of Principal Risks

 → Approves the viability statement

Oversight
Audit Committee (makes 
recommendations to the Board)

 → Responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of the Group’s 

systems for internal control and risk management

 → Reviews and challenges the risk management framework

 → Reviews the effectiveness of the control environment

 → Reviews the effectiveness of and approves the approach  

for the viability statement

Management  
and monitoring
Group Risk Committee (makes 
recommendations to the Audit 
Committee and Board)

 → Responsible for implementing and embedding risk 

management and internal controls

 → Defines the risk management process to be followed  

by the business (including risk appetite)

 → Reviews and challenges the Group Register of Principal Risks 
ensuring that the controls identified are operating and that 
open issues are closed out

 → Facilitates the Group’s risk process, collating risk registers  
and consolidating the Group Register of Principal Risks

 → Aligns assurance activity

Ownership
Business units and Group 
functions leadership teams 
(supported by Group Risk)

 → Responsible for identification, prioritisation, assessment  
and monitoring of risks which may arise in the business

 → Risks and associated controls are designed, owned and 

operated by management

 → Risk registers are maintained and form the basis of the  

Group Register of Principal Risks

30 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Integrating risk and assurance
Risk management has always had a high 
profile at Aggreko, given what we do and 
where we work. We have developed a 
quantitative approach to measuring the 
residual risk that Aggreko is exposed to 
within its current control environment. 
We have started to integrate our 
approach to risk with that of assurance. 

The main components of our risk 
management approach are:
 → A risk event universe: We have 

defined a universe of 25 risk events 
that might prevent Aggreko from 
delivering its strategic plan. These risk 
events are a simple expression of what 
might go wrong and a reference point 
for working out the causes of risk 
events, identifying critical control 
activities and describing risk scenarios.

 → A set of critical control activities:  

We have identified the critical control 
activities that could stop each risk 
event happening or mitigate the 
consequences of the risk event if it did 
happen. We have asked ourselves how 
good we are at these critical control 
activities and used the answers to 
estimate how likely it is that our 25 risk 
events might occur and how severe 
the consequences might be if they do.

 → An impact yardstick: We have 

developed a yardstick that allows us  
to measure the relative level of concern 
we have for the environmental, 
financial, operational, regulatory, 
reputational and safety consequences 
of a risk event. 

 → Quantitative risk scores: We combine 
our level of concern for a particular  
risk event with the likelihood that it  
will occur to calculate its risk score. 
Tracking the Group’s risk scores over 
time allows us to see how our risk 
environment is changing. 

 → Risk registers: We describe risk 
scenarios as routes from a cause 
through the preventative controls  
to a risk event and then through  
the mitigating controls to the 
consequences. We consolidate risk 
scenarios into registers at business  
unit level for Global Products & 
Technology, Power Solutions and 
Rental Solutions and at functional  
level for Aggreko Technology Services, 
Finance, HR and Legal. We use risk 
scores to rank risk scenarios by our 
level of concern for them and include 
those with the highest risk scores in 
the Group Register of Principal Risks. 

 → Emerging risks: We expect new risk 

scenarios to emerge when the Group’s 
activities or environment changes or 
when the effectiveness of our critical 
control activities changes. By applying 
a consistent quantitative approach  
to risk scoring in all our risk registers  
we get a better understanding of 
emerging risks before they reach  
the Group Register of Principal Risks.
 → Risk appetite: The Group is willing  
to take and manage considered risk 
within clear boundaries set by the 
Executive Committee and approved  
by the Board. We set our appetite for 
each of the risk scenarios in our 
registers by agreeing a maximum 
acceptable risk score for each scenario. 
If a risk scenario’s score is outside our 
appetite, we look at our critical control 
activities to identify remedial actions 
that will lower the risk score to bring  
it within appetite.

Managing risk and assurance together 
helps us to see whether our control 
environment is operating effectively.  
We want to take the same standardised, 
quantitative approach to assurance as we 
do to risk so that we can see whether our 
assurance findings validate our estimates 
of risk.

We are integrating our approach to 
assurance with our approach to risk 
management as follows: 
 → Assurance coordination: We have 
begun to coordinate the Group’s 
assurance activities using an assurance 
calendar that reduces duplication of 
effort by eliminating overlapping 
audits by different assurance teams, 
reducing potential audit fatigue within 
the business and lowering the total 
cost of assurance for the Group. 

 → Assurance standardisation: We are 
defining minimum standards for 
controls and introducing standard 
work programmes for all assurance 
teams to use in testing critical control 
activities. 

 → Assurance findings database: We 
have launched a shared database to 
record all findings from the work that 
our assurance teams do using our risk 
scoring methodology. 

 → Risk experience history: We are 

maintaining a historical dataset of our 
risk experiences as they are identified 
by the Group’s assurance teams that 
will allow the assumptions in our risk 
framework to be validated and 
updated as the environment changes. 

By thinking in the same way about 
assurance and risk and by managing 
them together, we can achieve better 
control, lower risk and higher efficiency.

Changes since 2018
Our Group Register of Principal Risks will 
change from time to time as the business 
environment in which we operate evolves 
and as we take action to manage our  
risk exposure. 

Risks promoted to the Group 
Register of Principal Risks:
 → Climate change: We have isolated the 
contribution to the Group’s aggregate 
level of risk that is attributable to 
climate change. This has been done  
to reflect our increased focus on  
this issue. 

 → Service delivery – major contract 

failure: This risk returned to the Group 
Register of Principal Risks at the half 
year. The severity of this risk fluctuates 
with the number, scale and scope of 
major contracts that we are delivering 
at any time. The successful delivery of 
the Japan Olympics is a key priority for 
2020 with associated risks gaining 
additional scrutiny as a result. 

Risks removed from the Group 
Register of Principal Risks:
The risk scores of the following risks have 
fallen below the threshold for inclusion in 
the Group’s Register of Principal Risks. In 
both cases, additional control measures 
have been put in place to reduce the 
likelihood of a risk event occurring.
 → Security: Our Group security policy 

sets the standards in this area.  
Our Group security team provides 
guidance and monitors the security 
environment. In 2019, additional 
security training, security audits  
and a security incident reporting  
app were implemented.

 → Failure to conduct business dealings 
with integrity and honesty: You can 
read more about our code of conduct 
and compliance framework on page 
54. In 2019, a new code of conduct and 
associated training, increased oversight 
of third-party sales representatives  
and an improved supplier onboarding 
process were implemented to 
strengthen our compliance framework 
further. 

These risks remain on the risk registers  
of the relevant business units and 
corporate functions and, given their 
nature, will continue to be areas of focus 
for the Board.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

31

 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED

The Directors have carried out a robust assessment of the 
principal and emerging risks and uncertainties facing Aggreko, 
including those that would threaten our future performance, 
business model, solvency and liquidity. 

The list below is not exhaustive; our operations are large and geographically diverse and the list 
might change if something that seems immaterial today becomes more important tomorrow. 

The Group’s Principal Risks are presented in categories (strategic, hazard, operational, 
compliance and financial) for ease of reference.

Strategic

Global macroeconomic uncertainty
Lower than expected global GDP reduces demand

Executive responsible
Chris Weston, Chief Executive Officer

Background and impact
Several geopolitical factors have the 
potential to impact upon our ability  
to meet our forecast performance.

An increased trend towards 
protectionism in several jurisdictions  
in which we operate; US trade policy 
shifts; oil price volatility; Russian  
foreign policy unpredictability; Brexit 
uncertainty; the potential for a global 
economic slowdown resulting from 
sluggishness in China; and the impact 
of the Coronavirus on global GDP, each  
have the potential to impact upon  
our forecasts. 

As we move into 2020, any shifts in GDP 
growth outside of those which we have 
factored into our forecasts could impact 
on our returns.

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Market analysis and monitoring
 → Market and product diversification
 → Mobile, modular, homogenous 

equipment

 → Improved sector focus: structure, 

resourcing and capabilities

 → Improved technology offerings make 

us more competitive

 → Internal efficiency improvements

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Revenue growth
 → Customer activity
 → Customer loyalty
 → Operating profit margin
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
The factors noted above have remained 
consistent over the course of the year. 
Increased uncertainty as to global 
growth levels in 2020 has resulted  
in our increasing the risk score.

  Read more about our perspectives  
on Brexit on page 37

Market dynamics
Challenging market dynamics reduce volumes and profitability

Executive responsible
Bruce Pool, President Rental Solutions  
Stephen Beynon, Managing Director 
Power Solutions

specialist energy and temperature 
control providers is critical to us 
maintaining market share and 
profitability.

Background and impact
Power Solutions
Commodity price variations will impact 
on the economies of developing 
countries, reducing their capacity to pay 
for temporary power. Customer buying 
power increases as more competitors 
enter the market. The power gap in 
developing markets may reduce as 
permanent power comes online. 

Given the changing profile of our 
project portfolio, our results are less 
exposed to the impact of a major 
contract off-hiring. 

Rental Solutions
Customer buying power increases as 
the supply of fleet in the market and  
the level of competition increases.

Our ability to differentiate our services 
from those of our competitors as 

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Improved sector focus: structure, 

resourcing and capabilities

 → Improved sales capability, resourcing 

and performance management 

 → Sales and marketing strategy
 → Market and product diversification
 → Developing new and improving 

existing technology offerings make 
us more competitive

 → Internal efficiency improvements
 → Market analysis and monitoring
 → Mobile, modular, homogenous 

equipment

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Revenue growth
 → Customer activity
 → Customer loyalty
 → Operating profit margin
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
Our 2019 results were driven by a  
strong performance in Rental Solutions 
and a significant working capital 
improvement. We improved underlying 
operating margins in both Rental 
Solutions and Power Solutions Utility. 

We will continue to focus on delivering 
our strategic priorities as we move into 
2020.

  Read more about our business 
performance on page 20

32 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Link to strategic priorities

Risk change during 2019

 Customer focus

 Technology investment

 Capital efficiency

 Expert people

 Increased 
 No change
 Lowered
 New

Technology developments
Failure to identify, develop and deploy new technology hinders growth

Executive responsible
Dan Ibbetson, Managing Director  
Global Products & Technology

Background and impact
Alternative energy sources are 
becoming increasingly available  
and affordable. New energy business  
models using technology to manage 
the on and off-grid environment  
are emerging. Disruptive technology 
could reduce the size of the market  
for energy generated from fossil fuels 
faster than our expectations.

Continuing to develop, build and deploy 
our power storage solution is a key 
component of our strategic objectives. 
We continue to monitor developments 
in this evolving area to ensure that we 
take advantage of opportunities and 
manage any associated risks.

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Diversified product portfolio
 → Technology roadmap for existing and 
alternative technologies and fuels
 → Future Technology team to nurture 

future innovation

 → Market requirements monitoring
 → New product introduction process – 

design and build

 → Standard operating practices and 

training for new products

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Revenue growth
 → Operating profit margin
 → Customer activity
 → Fleet size and composition
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
We now have a specialist team which 
identifies, monitors and researches  
new technology innovations. We have 
continued to develop our existing fleet 
in line with market requirements.

  Read more about the technology 
developments taking place as  
part of our strategic priorities  
on page 14

Talent management 
Failure to attract, retain and develop key personnel

Executive responsible
Richard Stokes, Interim Group Human 
Resources Director

Background and impact
Our people make the difference 
between great performance and 
mediocre performance. The high- 
quality technical capability and 
exemplary attitude of our people is a 
competitive advantage that we wish  
to retain.

We are keenly aware of the need to 
attract the right people, establish  
them in their roles and manage their 
development. Failure to do so could 
result in loss of productivity and 
intellectual capital, increased 
recruitment costs and lower staff 
morale.

Where we seek to reorganise our 
business operations to better serve our 
customers, we engage with our people 
to ensure that we minimise the impact 
to their wellbeing.

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Recruitment policy and succession 

planning

 → Talent management reviews and 

development plans

 → Feedback from staff surveys 

incorporated into strategic priorities
 → Benchmarking of remuneration and 
benefits to attract and retain the 
required talent

 → Long-term incentive plans
 → Performance management
 → Promoting our culture

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Employee satisfaction

Changes during 2019
While, in general, attrition rates have 
remained broadly consistent with those 
in 2018, we have seen a slight increase  
in certain parts of our business which 
has seen us raise the relevant risk score. 
We expect that steps being taken to 
enact our succession and retention 
plans and to recruit more effectively will 
allow us to reduce the score in 2020.

  Read more about People on  
page 18

Change management 
Failure to successfully transform the Rental Solutions business to match customer needs

Executive responsible
Bruce Pool, President Rental Solutions

Background and impact
We have successfully introduced new 
internal systems to manage customer 
requirements and to allow us to more 
efficiently deliver our services. We are 
continuing to refine these systems  
and the associated business processes.

If we do not successfully execute these 
changes in a timely and sustainable 
manner it could result in a material 
impact on future revenue and profit  
in our Rental Solutions business.

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Senior leadership sponsorship
 → Project management resources  
to provide challenge, assurance  
and risk oversight

 → Adequate resourcing to deliver 

planned improvements

 → Business user acceptance testing  

and training

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Customer activity

 → Revenue growth
 → Operating profit margin
 → Customer loyalty
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
We remain in a critical period of 
implementation as we seek to embed 
revised processes, during which the 
likelihood of disruption to operations  
is higher.

  Read more about the efficiency 
developments taking place as part  
of our strategic priorities on page 16

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

33

 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED

Strategic

Climate change
Climate change has a greater effect on our business than expected

Executive responsible
Chris Weston, Chief Executive Officer

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Monitoring industry laws and 

regulations

 → Market requirements monitoring
 → Diversified product portfolio
 → Technology roadmap for existing  

and alternative technologies

 → Future Technology team to nurture 

future innovation
 → Demand forecasting
 → Capital expenditure management 

Link to strategic priorities

Background and impact
There is growing global awareness  
of the implications for the planet of 
global warming caused by greenhouse 
gas emissions. 

Business risks we might face relate to 
physical risks (i.e. events arising due  
to extreme weather events or shifts in 
climate patterns) and transition risks  
(i.e. risks arising as a result of legal, 
technology or market changes as we 
move to a lower-carbon economy).

The most prevalent of these is the risk 
that we fail to win contracts due to our 
inability to service changing customer 
and legal requirements, for example  
not having appropriate equipment in 
our fleet.

Hazard

Related KPIs
 → Revenue growth
 → Customer activity
 → Customer loyalty
 → Operating profit margin
 → Fleet size and composition
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
As we move to further develop our 
environmental and social responsibility 
strategy, we have undertaken a risk 
assessment of the business risks that  
we might face due to climate change.

Health and safety
A health and safety incident occurs that results in serious illness, injury or death

Executive responsible
Chris Weston, Chief Executive Officer

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Senior leadership focus area with 

Link to strategic priorities

Background and impact
Our business involves transporting, 
installing and operating equipment 
which is heavy, can produce high 
voltages or high pressure air and 
involves the use of millions of litres of 
fuel. All of these could cause serious 
injury or ill health to our people and 
third parties if not managed correctly.

In addition, some of our people work  
in high-risk locations. Besides the 
security considerations, issues facing 
these employees include: poor road 
infrastructure, a lack of access to 
healthcare services and exposure to 
contagious diseases. We also operate on 
customer sites, which present their own 
health and safety risks, such as offshore 
oil and wind platforms and mine sites.

accountability replicated throughout 
line management

 → Management safety walks
 → Group HSE policy supported by 
standard operating procedures

 → Incident response procedures
 → HSE training (against HSE standards 

and job-specific)

 → ‘Stop work’ protocol in place
 → HSE compliance audits conducted 
 → Rigorous testing and ongoing 
maintenance of equipment
 → Health testing and monitoring 
implemented, where required

 → Comprehensive employee induction 

programme

Related KPIs
 → Safety
 → Employee satisfaction

Changes during 2019
During 2019, we began to re-authorise 
employees and contractors in our 
Energy Safety Rules (last authorisation 
in 2016) and we have supplemented our 
HSE standards with additional standard 
operating procedures. Tragically, one of 
our employees was fatally injured in a 
motor vehicle accident on a remote ice 
road in Russia. We have taken steps to 
reduce the likelihood of such an event 
occurring again.

  Read more about Health and Safety 
on page 18

34 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Operational

Cyber security
A cyber security incident leads to a loss of data, a loss of data integrity or disruption to operations

Executive responsible
Grant Nairn, Chief Information Officer

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Cyber security forum that monitors  

risk threats and directs actions 
 → Security technologies including: 
antivirus and malware software; 
firewalls; monitoring of data  
egress points 

 → Third-party expertise engaged for 
incident response and security 
penetration testing 

 → IT user policy and training 
 → Data encryption and security 

incorporated to all new systems

Link to strategic priorities

Background and impact
A cyber security incident may be caused 
by an external attack, internal attack or 
user error. 

Such an incident may lead to the loss  
of commercially sensitive data, a loss of 
data integrity within our systems or the 
loss of financial assets through fraud. 

A successful cyber attack on our 
back-office or operational control 
systems could also result in our not 
being able to deliver service to our 
customers. As a result, we could suffer 
reputational damage, revenue loss and 
financial penalties.

We recognise that this is an area where, 
if we stand still, the level of risk will 
continue to rise.

Service delivery: major contractual failure 
Failure to deliver critical contracts effectively

Related KPIs
 → Revenue growth
 → Operating profit margin
 → Customer loyalty
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
A continued focus on delivery of our 
cyber security strategy in 2019 has 
allowed us to reduce the risk score.  
We have raised awareness internally 
through training and certification  
and invested further in the security 
technologies we employ. We will 
continue to improve in this area  
in 2020.

Executive responsible
Dan Ibbetson, Managing Director Global 
Products & Technology

Background and impact
The Group operates large and often 
technically complex contracts around 
the world. There is a risk that we  
commit to a contract that we cannot 
fulfil, either due to circumstances 
outside our control or due to a failure  
in our operational processes.

If this were to be one of our larger 
contracts, this could have a material 
financial impact and could damage  
the Group’s reputation. 

Among other large contracts, the 
successful delivery of the Japan 
Olympics is a key priority for 2020 with 
associated risks gaining additional 
scrutiny as a result. Aided by this 
additional focus, contract delivery  
is progressing well.

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Recruitment, training and 
performance management

 → Equipment redundancy built into 

planning and execution

 → Rigorous servicing and maintenance 

regimes

 → Equipment performance monitoring
 → Group contract risk management 

policy – compliance and monitoring

 → Enhanced project management 

oversight and disciplines

 → Third-party insurance

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Operating profit margin 
 → Revenue growth
 → Customer loyalty
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
The scale and scope of the Japan 
Olympics contract in particular has seen 
this risk added to the Group Register  
of Principal Risks following our update 
process at the half year.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

35

 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED

Compliance

Escalating sanctions
Escalating sanctions impact upon our ability to service customers and win new work.  
We are prosecuted as a result of trading with an entity subject to sanctions

Executive responsible
Peter Kennerley, Group Legal Director  
& Company Secretary

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Improved sector focus: structure, 

resourcing and capabilities

 → Group contract risk management 

policy – compliance and monitoring

 → Due diligence on all contracts in  

high-risk jurisdictions

 → Targeted training of employees  

and third parties

 → Recruitment, training and 
performance management

Link to strategic priorities

Background and impact
We believe that we have appropriate 
procedures in place to manage  
our compliance with current and 
developing sanctions regulations. 

There is the potential that any further 
sanctions might impede our ability to 
service current customers or win new 
work.

In addition, changes to existing 
sanctions may result in contractual 
relationships that are currently within 
regulations becoming out of line with 
regulations.

Financial

Related KPIs
 → Revenue growth
 → Customer loyalty
 → Operating profit margin
 → Employee satisfaction

Changes during 2019
Sanctions have been extended in  
some countries in which we operate. 
We continue to operate robust 
processes to ensure that we are 
assessing each new contract against 
current regulations while staying 
abreast of any changes in regulations 
that might impact on existing contracts.

Failure to collect payments or to recover assets
Significant customer payment default or impounding of assets

Executive responsible
Heath Drewett, Chief Financial Officer

Background and impact
The Group has some large contracts  
in emerging market countries  
where payment processes can be 
unpredictable, where liquidity has  
been adversely affected by a fall in 
commodity prices or our customers 
have competing demands on  
limited budgets. 

There is a risk that we do not obtain 
payment for a large project (or 
combination of projects) and/or that a 
material value of assets is confiscated. 

We continue to take a rigorous 
approach to credit risk management 
and to date have not suffered a 
significant loss. 

A customer’s non-payment would result 
in an increased bad debt provision or 
write-off of the debt. Should our assets 

be seized, we would also lose future 
revenue and profit associated with that 
equipment while having to write off its 
residual net book value.

Key preventions and mitigations
 → Regular monitoring of the risk profile 

and debtor position for large 
contracts

 → Contract risk management policy 

application

 → Mitigation techniques vary, though 
may include: obtaining advance 
payment; letters of credit; or 
insurance against losses

 → Ongoing customer relationship 

management

 → Business scale and customer 

portfolio diversification make it less 
likely that any unprovided bad debt 
or equipment seizure would be 
material

Link to strategic priorities

Related KPIs
 → Operating profit margin
 → Fleet size and composition
 → Fleet utilisation
 → Return on capital employed

Changes during 2019
While we have not suffered a significant 
loss in 2019, we continue to monitor 
closely overdue debt in our Power 
Solutions Utility business in particular 
and are pleased to report that we have 
reduced the level of aged debt this year. 
We continue to believe that the primary 
reason for delay in payments is liquidity 
and access to foreign currency, rather 
than customer dispute.

36 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Coronavirus

As the situation continues to evolve, our primary concern is for the welfare of our people, their families and the local communities 
in which we work. We are following the development of the coronavirus outbreak and have implemented several measures to 
protect our people and to prepare for possible consequences of the virus. It is unclear how the outbreak will develop and, therefore, 
the potential impact on our business. We will continue to follow developments closely and will take further action to protect our 
people and business as appropriate.

Brexit

The UK has now left the EU and is currently in a transition period until the end of 2020 while the UK and the EU negotiate 
additional future arrangements. At this point, we do not know what the result of these negotiations will be or whether the current 
transition period will be extended. 

We have completed an impact assessment to try to identify the aspects of our business that might be affected most by the UK’s 
withdrawal from the EU. We do not expect the impact on the Group’s business activities to be material because the large majority 
of them take place outside the UK and the EU. However, we have taken some actions and developed contingency plans to reduce 
the potential impact on the Group of the UK leaving the EU without a new trade agreement at the end of December 2020. 

Delays in our supply chain and in the export of finished products, changes to customs duties on the movement of equipment, 
changes to tax legislation and the associated system changes have the potential to affect our business the most, on top of the 
impact of changes in the value of Sterling and GDP growth in our UK and EU markets.

The Group earns approximately 5% of its revenue from the UK and 11% from EU markets. Demand for our services in these markets 
is, in part, GDP dependent. A significant change in the GDP growth in these markets is likely to have a knock-on effect on our level 
of activity there. 

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and refine our contingency plans as the situation develops.

Assessment of prospects and viability

The prospects for our Rental Solutions business are linked to growth in local economies and commodity cycles. Our Power Solutions 
Industrial business is driven by growth in developing markets, which can be commodity dependent, while Power Solutions Utility  
is driven by shortfalls in permanent capacity caused by economic growth, ageing power infrastructure, hydroshortages and  
social pressures. 

The Executive Committee and the Board regularly discuss factors that might affect Aggreko’s prospects. The 11 principal risks which 
the Board concluded could affect business performance are set out on the previous pages.

With the above as background, the Board approached the viability assessment as follows:
 → It took the decision to carry out the assessment over a three-year period to 2022. Although the prospects of the Group  

are considered over a longer period, three years was deemed appropriate for the viability assessment as:
 – The Group’s funding requirement can be forecast with sufficient accuracy over the viability period 
 – The Board expects to be able to arrange sufficient finance to meet its funding requirement over the viability period
 – Power Solutions Utility’s historical off-hire rate of 30% suggests an average contract life of three years. Rental Solutions  

and Power Solutions Industrial have shorter hire periods than Power Solutions Utility

 → It stress-tested the Group’s strategic plan to 2022 by modelling scenarios linked to each principal risk, together with scenarios  

of combinations of principal risks

The results of this stress-testing showed that the Group has sufficient scale, diversity and balance sheet strength to withstand  
the impact of these scenarios by making adjustments to its operating plans within the normal course of business. 

Based on the results of this analysis, 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 three-year period of their detailed assessment.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

37

 
 
 
SUSTAINABILITY

It is important that 
we do the right thing

To be a sustainable 
company means we have  
to manage our impact on 
society, by which we mean 
the environment, our 
people, the communities  
in which we operate, and 
our customers. We do  
all this to the highest 
standards of integrity  
and honesty.
Chris Weston
Chief Executive Officer

The environment 

Social and community issues 

We have always worked to minimise  
our environmental impact, but 
environmental preservation is now 
critical and so our traditional approach  
is no longer enough. Towards the end  
of the year, we began developing an 
environmental strategy which we expect 
to set out in 2020. 

Priorities
 → Minimise our environmental impact
 → Be accountable and transparent with 
regard to our environmental footprint 

Outcomes
 → Maintain our reputation for  
responsible management  
of environmental matters 

 → Gain commercial benefit through 
development of new solutions  
to environmental problems

Action in the year
 → Introduced our battery storage 

product, Y.Cube

 → Worked to optimise our existing fleet 
by improving fuel, and operating, 
efficiency and thus reduce its 
environmental impact 

 → Continued assessment of, and 

investment in, future technologies  
and alternative fuels which are more 
environmentally friendly

  Read more about our technology 
strategy on page 14 and our role in 
the energy transition on page 40
  Read more about our greenhouse  
gas (GHG) emissions on page 81

The nature of the services we provide 
mean we are often powering critical 
services on which local economies and 
communities depend. We have a 
responsibility to listen to the needs of 
local people and where possible work 
with them to make a lasting difference.

Priorities
 → Engage with local communities  

and work in partnership 

 → Recruit, train and develop local people 
 → Participate in activities that make 

a difference 

Outcomes
 → Build business longevity 
 → Gain new talent for the organisation
 → Support local industry and commerce
 → Provide power for communities 

that need it

 → Create local employment and 
enable skills development

Action in the year
 → 817 Orange Days of Difference where 
our people volunteered their time to 
support the communities in which 
we work

 → Increased the proportion of local 
people we employ, with 82% now 
working in their home country

 → Supported over 130 families in Malawi 
following cyclone Idai through our 
partnership with ShelterBox

Using waste 
biogas to 
generate power 
in Thailand

Northern Biogas is a clean power 
enterprise that strives to improve the 
environment and the lives of local 
communities. The company was 
looking for a partner in Thailand to 
replace an existing HFO power plant 
at a manufacturing site and use the 
waste biogas to generate power. 

We designed a 6 MW gas generator 
package that allows the customer 
to scale up or down in line with its 
operations. The design also enables 

excess power to be exported to the  
grid for use by the local community.  

The tailored solution we delivered 
helped Northern Biogas meet the 
project’s demands six months earlier 
than its initial capital-intensive choice. 
Earlier provision of power allowed 
increased revenue generation while  
also saving $1 million in annual power 
costs and significantly reducing the 
impact of the manufacturing plant  
on the environment. 

100,000 Nm3

of biogas converted per day

$1m

cost saving per annum

38 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Ethics, human rights, anti-
bribery and anti-corruption
 → Ethics, anti-bribery and anti-corruption 

policies are well embedded in the 
business and critical for our licence to 
operate. While acting with due regard 
for human rights has been implicit in 
our ethical policies, we are reviewing 
our human rights impacts and expect 
to provide further detail on this in 2020. 

Priorities
 → Ensure we operate with integrity 

and honesty 

 → Make sure that we are in compliance 

with laws and regulations 

Outcomes
 → Maintain our reputation for integrity 
 → Benefit operationally from good 

working practices

Action in the year
 → Launched a new Code of Conduct 
which sets out the standards of 
behaviour that are expected across the 
business, based on our #AlwaysOrange 
values; 99% of our people completed 
the online training at launch

  Read more about our approach in the 
Ethics and Corporate Responsibility 
Committee report on page 53

Our people 

Health and safety has always been, and 
will always be, our number one priority  
– our people have the right to return  
home safely each day. We are also 
committed to creating an inclusive 
working environment where everyone 
can reach their full potential and this 
remains an area of focus for the Group. 

Priorities
 → Ensure the health and safety of 
our people and others at work
 → Promote equal opportunities and  

an inclusive culture 

 → Provide career and personal 

development 

 → Operate with due regard to human 

rights 
Outcomes
 → Attract and retain the best people 
 → Keep our people safe and reduce 

downtime

Action in the year
 → Delivered a learning video on our 
Orange Rules to improve the 
application of our global standards

 → Hosted our second global safety 

climate survey to aid us in 
understanding where we need to 
refocus our efforts moving forward
 → Launched our Safer behind the Wheel 
initiative to mitigate the risk of mobile 
phone use while driving

 → Built awareness around diversity  
and inclusion, ensuring our senior 
leaders really understand what  
valuing difference means and the 
value it can bring.

  Read more about our UK Gender 
Pay Gap on our website at www.plc.
aggreko.com/responsibility/
gender-pay-gap

  Read more about our strategic 
objective of Expert people on page 18

817

Orange Days 
of Difference

Orange Days  
of Difference 
inspired by the 
Sustainable 
Development 
Goals

In November, Aggreko Technology Services 
(ATS) in Glasgow focused its Orange 
Days of Difference on three UN Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs). The team 
chose three local community projects 
to support, including a food bank 
(Zero Hunger), collecting rubbish on the 
shoreline (Life Below Water) and working 
with a local not-for-profit educational 
organisation, CodeYourFuture, to prepare 
students for job interviews (Quality 
Education). By thinking globally and acting 
locally, the team enjoyed a fun day out while 
making a big difference to the community 
in which they live. 

251

food bank boxes

35

bags of rubbish

9

students

Scan the QR code to find out 
more about ShelterBox. Or visit 
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=hLcQD4d8NK8

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

39

 
 
 
OUR ROLE IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION

We are helping our customers 
reduce their emissions

Ensuring reliability 
with battery storage

1 MW

of power in 30 minute  
or 60 minute durations

-20°C to 
+50°C

operating range

Once installed, solar and wind produce  
power at very low costs, but unlike thermal 
generation the power is inherently variable. 
This creates instability in grids and results  
in operational uncertainty, particularly on 
micro-grids. Battery storage strengthens 
the grid by buffering the impact of 
fluctuating power demand and supply.  
This allows thermal generation equipment  
to run at an optimal level, burning less fuel 
and delivering a substantial reduction in 
emissions, while also increasing its life span. 

The Y.Cube, which we launched this year, is 
our fully integrated, ready-to-install lithium-
ion battery system. Housed entirely within 
a standard 20ft container, the 1 MW units  
can be delivered and quickly deployed almost 
anywhere, creating cleaner power solutions, 
while ensuring reliability.

What we do goes well beyond 
mitigating our impact on the 
environment. Aggreko is playing 
a leading role in the critical shift 
to a lower-carbon economy.
Chris Weston
Chief Executive Officer

Improving 
flexibility with 
cleaner fuels

Our technology and engineering team is 
continuously looking at new technology 
and testing new fuel types, such as biodiesel,  
for our existing technology. We are helping 
customers switch from diesel to natural gas 
through bespoke applications such as high-
pressure reduction facilities and adaptations 
for our engines to run on non-standard gases.

At the Glastonbury festival in the UK, we used  
a special blend of hydrotreated vegetable oil 
(HVO) in our diesel generators. HVO fuel is 
derived from a mix of 100% used vegetable  
oils and waste fats. All carbon is removed in  
the production process resulting in a biofuel  
of higher consistency, quality and purity than 
other biofuels. 

HVO advantages over diesel

>80%

saving on 
greenhouse 
gas emissions

Zero

sulphur  
emissions

Scan the QR code to find out 
more. Or visit aggreko.com/
en/news

Scan the QR code to find out 
more. Or visit aggreko.com/en-
gb/products/energy-storage

40 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Bringing it all 
together with a 
hybrid solution

To maximise the efficiency of our customer’s 
energy system, we have created an energy 
package that smartly combines solar, 
thermal and battery storage – all seamlessly 
integrated and efficiently managed by our 
sophisticated software. This provides reliable 
power around the clock, come rain or shine, 
saving money and helping the environment.

Towards the end of 2019, we commissioned 
our first fully hybridised project supporting 
Gold Fields to introduce renewables at its 
Granny Smith gold mine in Australia. We have 
built, and will now operate, 8 MW of solar 
power generation and a 2 MW / 1 MWh 
battery system alongside the existing 22 MW 
of gas power generation. This allows Gold 
Fields to leverage the benefits of hybrid 
energy solutions providing the mine with 
reliable, flexible power at lower cost and with 
a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

The renewable power 
microgrid is a welcome 
addition to our suite of 
onsite energy solutions, 
and enables us to reduce 
our carbon footprint.
Stuart Mathews
Gold Fields

Granny Smith gold mine, Australia

20,000

solar panels integrated 
into the microgrid

18 GWh

of clean energy produced 
per year

80,000

tonnes of CO2 less over  
six years

Learn more about the energy 
transition at www.aggreko.
com/en/aggreko-perspectives

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

41

 
 
 
SECTION 172 STATEMENT

Listening to and understanding  
our stakeholders is critical

Transparent reporting

In line with the new reporting requirements of the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code 
and the Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018 for a separately identifiable 
section 172 (s172) statement, we have evolved our stakeholder engagement section to 
describe our stakeholders and how the matters set out in s172 of the Companies Act 2006 
have been considered in Board discussions and decision-making. Our s172 statement is set 
out on pages 42 and 43. We have identified our key stakeholders, the issues that matter 
most to them, and engagement activities during the year; on pages 44 and 45 we describe 
how stakeholder considerations have been taken into account in a selection of Board 
decisions in 2019, along with a discussion of capital allocation.

Employees

Material issues
 → Working for a company they can be 
proud of and the difference we can 
make in the world 

 → Working environment, health and 

safety, reward, training, progression 
and inclusion 

 → Ensuring our employees feel engaged 

with, and listened to, about what 
matters most to them 

 → Understanding our strategy and 

values, how to promote them and how 
their performance can influence them

Engagement in 2019
Be Heard surveys: Our quarterly Be Heard 
employee engagement surveys achieved 
a very high engagement score of 76% in 
2019 (2018: 76%). 88% of our employees 
say they are proud to work for Aggreko 
and 88% are proud of the difference we 
make, up 6% on 2018.

Safety culture surveys: Our biennial safety 
culture surveys attract a high response 
rate, which we follow up with regional 
workshops and actions for implementation. 
The actions implemented following our last 
survey in 2017 resulted in improvements 
across our 2019 metrics for lost time injuries, 
recordable injuries and vehicle accidents.  
In November 2019 we issued another survey 
and will hold workshops in early 2020 to 
identify areas for improvement.

Plan on a Page: We share our annual Plan 
on a Page to help our teams align behind 
the key actions to deliver our budget, 
updating our employees with progress 
on a quarterly basis.

Senior Leadership Team: Given the 
diverse and dispersed nature of our 
teams, we regularly brief a core group  
of senior leaders through calls, emails  
and face-to-face meetings to help 
manage communications, priorities  
and sentiment across the business.

High performance culture: We are living 
and breathing Always Orange, it is part of 
the fabric of our Group – our people are 
demonstrating our values and have a 
good understanding of the important 
part our culture plays in helping us to 
grow. 85% of our people stated they agree 
with this sentiment in our 2019 employee 
survey (Be Heard), up 2% on 2018.

The Board takes its responsibilities for 
workforce engagement seriously and 
engages with our employees via our 
Ethics & Corporate Responsibility 
Committee. 

  Read more about our approach to 
workforce engagement on page 46 

  Read more about how we nurture our 
full potential on page 18

Environment

The impact of our operations
What we do, and the way that we do it, 
can affect the world around us. We take 
that responsibility seriously by focusing 
on working in safe, responsible and 
honest ways. From designing our 
equipment, to building, installing and 
operating it, health and safety is our top 
priority for our people, our customers and 
our communities. We are also progressive 
in the way we provide power, by looking 
into alternative fuels, developing 
renewable energies and storage 
solutions, we aim to keep noise to a 
minimum and find ways to be more 
efficient with fuel burnt and energy  
used. Wherever we operate, we fully 
comply with regulations and follow  
strict standards for our equipment.

  Read more about our approach  
to the environment on page 38

Customers

Material issues
 → Cost is nearly always top of the list for 

our customers 

 → Offering tailored solutions and sector 

specialist knowledge

 → Reliability of supply, efficiency, 

customer service and product quality 
are also key 

 → Pressure to reduce emissions is 

increasingly important and will likely 
play a pivotal role in the coming years

Engagement in 2019
Voice of Customer surveys: These provide 
both transactional and relationship-
based feedback on what matters most  
to our customers. 

Net Promoter Score (NPS): We use the 
industry standard NPS to measure our 
performance and customer loyalty.  
We use this score to identify areas for 
improvement. We were delighted with  
an NPS of 65% in 2019, an increase of six 
percentage points since 2018. 

CRM system: This is an enhanced 
customer relationship management 
system which gives us a better 
understanding of customer requirements 
by analysing our operating history and 
service provision, improving the speed  
of our service delivery. 

Online platforms: An online customer 
portal which will enable customers to  
see their account with Aggreko including 
for example, what they have on rent,  
fuel usage and invoices. For more 
transactional services, we have evolved 
our e-commerce platform, providing  
a more agile and cost-effective sales 
channel. 

  Read more about our strategic priority 
of Customer Focus on page 12

  Read more about our Net Promoter 
Score on page 13

42 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Investors

Suppliers

Material issues
 → Financial performance, including 
working capital and the strength  
of our balance sheet

 → Capital allocation, including how  

we think about investment in new 
technology and the potential for 
capital returns

 → Development of new, and deployment 
of existing, technology in the broader 
context of climate change

 → Understanding the strategy and 

operations of the Group

 → Strong relationships, with open 

communication channels to the  
Board and senior management 

 → Emerging issues include 

understanding our policies in relation 
to the environment (including specific 
actions to reduce consumption and 
emissions),  management succession 
and inclusion

Engagement in 2019
Annual Report: Each year we aim  
to improve our overall explanation  
and provide simple messaging.

AGM: An opportunity for direct 
engagement with the Board.

Webcasts: Live presentation and Q&As  
for our full and half year results and a 
conference call for our Q3 trading update.

Investor website: A central resource to 
view announcements and associated 
materials.

We also have engagement activities 
designed to specifically target the needs 
of the following investors:
 → Institutional investor engagement 

during the year involved formal events, 
site visits, teach-ins, small group and 
one-to-one meetings. The investor 
relations team and senior 
management conducted 146 meetings 
in 2019, engaging with 128 institutions. 
During the year we implemented a 
new online tool which enables us to 
ask for, and receive, feedback directly 
from investors 

 → Our lenders receive an annual briefing 

with the executive and senior 
management

 → Private shareholder engagement  
on an ad hoc basis by request

Material issues
 → Working with them in partnership 
 → Commitment to integrity and honesty, 
and conducting business in a socially 
responsible and sustainable way 
 → Open channels of communication 
enable an understanding of our 
strategy and how they can work  
best with us to support its delivery 

Engagement in 2019
Supplier performance management:  
Our dedicated global procurement team 
focus on developing and managing our 
relationships with suppliers. This has 
enabled us to improve product quality 
and relationships with suppliers, 
introduce regular account review 
meetings and generate cost savings 
across the Group. 

Code of Conduct: We expect our suppliers 
to share our commitment to conducting 
business with integrity, honesty and in  
a socially responsible and sustainable 
way, and to work in partnership with  
us to achieve this goal. We expect all  
our suppliers to sign up to our Code  
of Conduct and ways of doing business. 
We monitor compliance and can 
terminate a relationship in the event  
a supplier falls short of the standards 
expected.

Development agreements and  
sharing data: Subject to appropriate 
confidentiality and intellectual property 
protections we share field data with our 
key suppliers. We are reducing the total 
cost of ownership of our fleet while 
continuously innovating to drive 
performance improvements.

Local communities

Material issues
 → Minimising the impact of our activities 
on the local area and environment 
around a site 

 → Contributing to the communities  

we work in: providing opportunities  
for local employment and training, 
investing in children’s welfare, 
education and health, partnering  
with local charities

Engagement in 2019
Generating power can be a noisy 
business, so we have developed sound-
proofed generators that reduce noise 
levels in line with industry standards. At 
night, we can switch to battery-operated 
hybrid power to make sure operations do 
not disturb the environment and people 
around a site. 

We seek to employ and train local people 
wherever we work; 82% of our global 
workforce are locally employed. We 
provide extensive on-the-job training for 
new recruits and give them the skills to 
become technicians. This helps us build 
relationships in the local community 
which are very important when we might 
be operating a contract for a number  
of years. We also run apprenticeship 
schemes at our largest locations and 
employ c.90 apprentices in around  
eight countries. 

Orange Days of Difference, our approach 
to corporate community investment, 
enabled 817 of our people to volunteer 
their time supporting the communities 
we served in 2019.

  Read more about our activities in local 
communities on page 38

The Board empowers our 
people to engage with 
stakeholders and implement 
solutions
Creating a new 
customer tool

Power Solutions conducted a global 
survey to better understand the 
priorities of customer decision-makers. 
Of those surveyed, 50% said that cost  
is their primary consideration, but the 
biggest barrier to better costing, and 
better decision-making from energy 
purchasers, is a lack of transparency  
of that cost. Decision-making has 
become more complicated, driven  
by the transformation in the global 
energy market and pressure to reduce 
emissions, with 57% of decision-
makers thinking the fuel they use to 
generate electricity will change in the 
next five years.

The lowest cost and the cleanest 
options cannot consistently meet the 
demand for reliable and stable supply. 
Balancing the two is a constant 
challenge. There is also no one-size 
solution for all customers, each one  
has unique variables that will impact 
their options for the best operation.

We created a new Cost of Electricity 
Calculator to equip our customers  
with the right tools and information  
to make good decisions, balancing 
cost, efficiency, performance and 
emissions. Each customer’s variables 
can be input into the calculator to 
build a complete picture of their 
project and present the most efficient 
solutions available. 

  Read more about the Cost  
of Electricity Calculator at  
aggreko.com/en/aggreko-
perspectives/cost-of-electricity

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

43

 
 
 
 
 
 
SECTION 172 STATEMENT CONTINUED

Key Board decisions in 2019

Investing in new technology 

Working with our suppliers  
to develop new ideas

Giving our employees more 
control over their data

42 Y.Cubes

built in 2019

How we engaged
Environmentally friendly power solutions 
are becoming increasingly important  
for our customers, and Aggreko needs  
to offer products to meet these needs.  
With this in mind, our Microgrid Storage 
Solutions Team developed our battery 
storage product, the Y.Cube. This is a  
new 1 MW mobile and modular energy 
storage system, housed entirely in a 20ft 
container, working seamlessly with the 
rest of our Aggreko kit, meeting our 
customers’ needs for energy storage  
and a lower carbon product. 

Assessing the potential
Any investment in new technology is 
time consuming and expensive, but 
meeting the needs of our customers  
and investors, reducing emissions and 
producing more environmentally  
friendly projects is key for the long-term 
sustainability of Aggreko.

Long-term implications
The Y.Cube has successfully combined 
battery expertise from Younicos with 
Aggreko’s containerisation experience. 
The Y.Cube enables us to provide cheaper, 
cleaner and smarter energy wherever  
it is needed. It is designed to fit 
seamlessly within the Aggreko thermal 
fleet and can be combined easily with 
solar and thermal products to provide  
our customers with the lowest cost of 
energy. We are now building a fleet of  
Y.Cubes, which will enable us to quickly 
deploy on short notice. Of the 42 Y.Cubes 
built in 2019, 30 are now under contract.

  Read more about our solar hybrid and 
Y.Cube power project at Gold Fields’ 
Granny Smith gold mine on page 41

40 MW

secured contract to build, operate and 
maintain a hybrid power plant at the 
Syama gold mine

How we engaged
In June 2019, the Board approved 
entering into a cooperation agreement 
with Wärtsilä, a global leader in smart 
technologies and complete lifecycle 
solutions for energy markets. The 
partnership agreement allows us to 
pursue a new concept in the power 
market of providing ready-to-go power 
plants using the Wärtsilä Modular Block 
solution.

Assessing the potential
Under the agreement, Wärtsilä provides 
the technology and designs for core 
thermal power generation equipment 
with Aggreko incorporating Wärtsilä’s 
Modular Block within its Rental Solutions 
and Power Solutions sales offering. 
Working with an external party brings its 
own challenges and it is important that 
we ensure that both parties are able to 
protect their intellectual property.

Long-term implications
This product will lead to major savings in 
fuel consumption and operating costs for 
our customers for long-duration projects 
(more than five years). The engines can 
run on a variety of fuels, including  
natural gas, as well as biofuel for a fully 
sustainable solution, thereby reducing 
greenhouse gas emissions. The Wärtsilä 
Modular Block is easy to integrate with 
Aggreko’s renewable energy and storage 
systems. This new concept responds  
to the growing market for distributed 
generation and the increasing need  
for new thermal power solutions that  
are cost competitive with permanent 
generation.

  Read more about our cooperation 
agreement with Wärtsilä and our 
40MW contract in Syama at  
aggreko.com

Modular block

100%

of employees have transferred  
to People+

How we engaged
In September 2019, we launched a new 
portal for our employees called People+. 
The new system provides a self-service 
approach for our employees and is the 
one place where employees can view  
and manage their personal information 
and easily keep everything up to date. 

Assessing the potential
Introducing a new employee system and 
launching it across the Group at the same 
time certainly brings some challenges 
and frustrations. A communications plan, 
designed to educate our employees on 
the new system, ran for three months in 
advance of the launch. A new support 
network was implemented with global 
help desks and ‘how to’ training videos 
were launched to support our employees 
with this transition.

Long-term implications
People+ enables us to deliver solid 
analytics which will allow us to make  
use of people data to drive our  
business forward. Processes have been 
streamlined and are largely consistent 
across all of our regions. The self-service 
model also puts our employees in control 
of their personal information and gives 
line managers immediate access to 
whatever they need. Also live is the  
Be Welcomed Onboarding Toolkit. 
Designed to work alongside People+,  
it will help line managers deliver a brilliant 
Always Orange welcome for every new 
team member, creating a great first 
impression that lasts.

  Read more about our employee 
engagement mechanisms on  
page 46

Y Cube 
Y Cube 

44 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Continuing with the current 
strategy

4

priorities to deliver growth

How we engaged
The Board discussed strategy over a 
number of meetings which culminated 
in a one-day strategy session in June 2019. 
We reviewed our current strategy and 
goals; looking at the markets and sectors 
in which we operate, our priorities within 
them and the competition. We reviewed 
data and feedback from our global sector 
leads, customers, investors and suppliers, 
and examined the impact of the global 
energy transition. The Board had a further 
strategy update in October 2019 on 
technology, in particular which emerging 
technologies might be appropriate for 
the business in the future. 

Assessing the potential
Our environmental impact, and our 
approach to addressing this, is now  
a key concern for all stakeholder groups, 
particularly our customers and investors 
as emissions legislation and social 
pressures increase. The Board discussed 
the risks and opportunities of investing  
in new technologies and this was 
weighed up against other factors 
including financing, existing fleet,  
internal resources and our existing 
strategic priorities.

Long-term implications
As energy markets continue to evolve  
and we execute on our strategy, we will 
look to optimise our existing fleet and 
innovate for the future. The proportion  
of purely diesel engines within our fleet 
will reduce as hybrid, renewable and 
storage products increase in proportion. 
These new products will drive growth and 
help to address environmental concerns, 
while optimising our existing assets will 
deliver efficiencies and improve returns. 
We are confident that our strategy is the 
right one and will enable us to remain  
the global leader in providing mobile, 
modular power, temperature control  
and energy services. There is always more 
to do and the Board intends to spend 
more time on our ESG strategy in 2020.

  Read more about our strategic 
priorities on page 10

Capital allocation
Capital allocation and dividend policy decisions also have  
an impact on the long-term prospects of our business.

This year’s budget was approved by the 
Board following a comprehensive review 
of our strategic priorities and risks to  
our business. 

We regularly review how we allocate 
capital and invest across the business.  
As part of the budget process we conduct 
a thorough review of our fleet which 
considers the age, utilisation, legislative 
requirements and sales pipeline in each 
of the geographies in which we operate 
by product line. This review considers 
whether the business needs can be met 
by transferring existing fleet or whether 
they require the purchase of new fleet. 
During the year; there is a monthly 
process where the regional teams submit 
requests to spend their budgeted capex; 
and these requests are reviewed and 
approved by the Executive team. Monthly 
and year to date spend versus budget is 
reported to the Board on a regular basis.

During the annual budget process and  
as part of our regular strategy reviews  
we look at our funding requirements.  
This ensures that our capital allocation 
supports the strategy of the business 
with due consideration to enabling 
organic growth, investing in the capability 
and scale of the business, and meeting 
shareholder expectations by paying 
sustainable dividends and returning 
capital to shareholders as appropriate.

Our plans are demanding but will 
position Aggreko well against our 
longer-term value creation ambition, 
while honouring our commitments  
to our stakeholders. 

  Read more about capital allocation  
on page 8

  Read about our investment in fleet  
on page 14

Non-financial information statement
We comply with the non-financial reporting requirements contained in sections  
414CA and 414CB of the Companies Act 2006. The table below is intended to guide 
stakeholders to where relevant non-financial information is included within  
our Annual Report. 

Reporting requirement

Page Our approach, outcomes and additional information

Environmental  
matters

Employees

Social matters

Human rights

Anti-bribery and 
anti-corruption

Business model 
description

Principal risks  
and uncertainties

Non-financial KPIs

40 
38 
14 
15 
81

39 
18 
18  

46 
57

38 
19

The environment
Our role in the energy transition
Mitigating our environmental impact
Cutting cost, carbon and downtime
GHG emissions

Our people
 Cultivating a high-performance organisation
 Leading by example, and promoting our culture  
and values
Workforce engagement
Gender diversity metrics

Social and community issues
Critical support for disaster hit families

39  Ethics, human rights, anti-bribery and anti-corruption

39 
53

 Ethics, human rights, anti-bribery and anti-corruption
 Ethics & Corporate Responsibility Committee Report

06 Our business model

30 Risk management

13 
15 
17 
19

Customer focus
Technology investment
Capital efficiency
Expert people

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

45

 
 
 
GOVERNANCE

Chairman’s introduction
Updating and improving 
our approach

Aggreko is committed to high 
standards of corporate governance; 
it is the way we do business and 
is at the core of everything we do.

Ken Hanna 
Chairman

Corporate governance 
developments affecting  
our 2019 Annual Report
In our 2018 Annual Report we highlighted 
the regulatory changes that would 
impact our corporate reporting for 2019 
and the preparation we had undertaken 
to date to ensure compliance. These 
regulations were, the new UK Corporate 
Governance Code (2018 Code), and the 
Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) 
Regulations 2018 (Reporting Regulations). 
There are a number of overlapping 
requirements between the 2018 Code 
and the Reporting Regulations.  
Subject to a few additional disclosures, 
compliance with the 2018 Code has,  
for the most part, enabled Aggreko to 
comply with the Reporting Regulations. 

Our approach
The UK Corporate Governance Code 
(2018 Code) calls for companies to focus 
on the application of the principles, with 
high quality reporting on the provisions. 
We have used this as an opportunity to 
restructure parts of the annual report, 
moving more meaningful content to the 
front and enhancing our disclosures in 
relation to culture and stakeholders.

Much of what Aggreko already does 
reflects the best practice embodied in the 
2018 Code. We carefully reviewed the 2018 
Code against the 2016 Code to identify 
gaps or areas for improvement, made 
recommendations and monitored the 
application of those recommendations 
in 2019 to ensure the guidance and 
measures we put in place for the 2019 
financial year reflected the new 
requirements. The new measures 
adopted to ensure compliance with 
the 2018 Code include:
 → New disclosures on the Board’s role 

in defining our culture, aligning values 
with strategy and the mechanisms we 
use to monitor culture are included on 
page 52.

 → Enhanced stakeholder disclosures and  
a new section 172 statement on pages 
42 to 45.

46 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 → New responsibilities for the Ethics & 
Corporate Responsibility Committee 
in relation to workforce engagement 
and monitoring the effectiveness of our 
Speaking Up policies and procedures. 
Our rationale for appointing the 
Ethics and Corporate Responsibility 
Committee as the formal mechanism 
for Board engagement with the 
workforce is described in more detail 
in the section below.

 → A larger role for the Nomination 

Committee: monitoring the application 
of our diversity and inclusion policy, 
supporting a diverse pipeline for 
succession planning purposes and 
appointments to the Board and 
Executive Committee and additional 
gender diversity reporting 
requirements in the Nomination 
Committee report on page 56.

 → An enhanced role for the 

Remuneration Committee to review 
workforce remuneration and its 
alignment with culture when setting 
the policy for Executive Director 
remuneration. There are also additional 
remuneration reporting requirements. 
These additional requirements are 
explained in more detail in the 
Remuneration Committee report 
on page 62.

Compliance statement
Aggreko is committed to high standards 
of corporate governance; it is the way 
we do business and is at the core of 
everything we do. We work hard to 
ensure compliance with the principles 
and provisions of the 2018 Code and fully 
support the “comply or explain” basis of 
reporting against it. Except as referred 
to below, Aggreko has complied with 
all relevant provisions of the 2018 Code 
throughout the year.

Workforce engagement
Provision 5 of the 2018 Code requires the 
Board to explain if it has not chosen one, 
or a combination of, the methods set out 
in provision 5 for board engagement with 
the workforce. The Guidance on Board 
Effectiveness (the Guidance) supporting 
the 2018 Code notes that the methods set 
out in provision 5 are not mandatory and 
other methods may be more effective. 

In deciding what method would be best 
for workforce engagement at Aggreko 
we: reviewed the three options suggested 
by the 2018 Code; undertook a detailed 
review of the Guidance for the 2018 Code; 
and reviewed the existing engagement 
mechanisms we had in place. We also 

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Aggreko already has 
a well-established 
approach to workforce 
engagement.

Ken Hanna 
Chairman

considered this against the structure  
of our highly diversified workforce, 
operating in around 79 countries, with 
many different languages. We concluded 
that Aggreko already had a well-
established and effective approach to 
workforce engagement. We identified 
some areas for improvement, including 
scope for expansion and greater 
participation from the Non-executive 
Directors and articulating the formal 
mechanism for workforce engagement.

Given the highly diversified nature of our 
workforce, we decided that to appoint a 
Director from the workforce, or to have 
a formal workforce advisory panel would 
be impractical. We also decided that the 
global scale of the business meant that 
oversight by a single Non-executive 
Director would be too onerous. We 
therefore decided to give the task to 
the newly named Ethics & Corporate 
Responsibility (ECR) Committee, while 
ensuring that it was adequately 
resourced for this task. In support of the 
ECR Committee’s new role, we agreed 
the following:
 → Support from a core team led by the 
Group HR Director and members 
of the HR team

 → Review and approval of a formal 
planner of Board engagement 
activities to oversee and report back 
to the Board

 → Additions to the ECR Committee 
planner, including a biannual 
presentation on workforce 
engagement from the HR team

 → A requirement for the ECR Committee 
Chair to formally report to the Board 
on workforce engagement annually, 
in addition to the informal updates 
at each Board meeting

 → Review and update of the ECR 
Committee terms of reference

All of the items described above were 
in place and operating from 1 January 
2019. The Chair of the ECR Committee 
presented a formal report on workforce 
engagement activities to the Board 
in December 2019, which included a 
review of the effectiveness of the current 
arrangements. The Board confirmed 
that workforce engagement mechanisms 
for 2019 were effective.

Chair tenure
Provision 19 of the Code states that the 
chair should not remain in post beyond 
nine years from the date of their first 
appointment to the board. To facilitate 
effective succession planning and the 
development of a diverse board, this 
period can be extended for a limited  
time, particularly in those cases where 
the chair was an existing Non-executive 
Director on appointment.

I was appointed as a Non-executive 
Director in October 2010 and as Chairman 
in April 2012, so my overall tenure with 
Aggreko is just over nine years, my  
tenure as Chairman being almost eight 
years as at the date of this report in  
March 2020. In March 2018 (before the 
publication of the 2018 Code) the 
Nomination Committee extended my 
appointment as Chairman for a further 
three years, expiring at the conclusion  
of the 2021 AGM.

Although this will take my overall tenure 
as a Non-executive Director beyond the 
total nine year tenure described in the 
2018 Code (this includes 18 months as 
a Non-executive Director before my 
appointment as Chairman), the Board 
believes that it is important to ensure  
an orderly succession for the role of 
Chairman and we should retain the 
existing timescale. We expect to make  
an announcement about the succession 
of the Chairman later in the year.

Looking ahead to reporting 
in 2020
The Board will continue to monitor 
emerging practices in corporate 
governance and reporting. We are 
acutely aware of the change in sentiment 
towards improved ESG strategies and 
associated reporting, and are closely 
monitoring the potential impact of the 
increasing volume of reports, guidance 
documents and items of potential 
legislation. The Board intends to review 
the Group’s ESG strategy in 2020 and we 
will report on the outcome of this review 
in our 2020 Annual Report.

Ken Hanna 
Chairman

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

47

 
 
 
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

Our Board

Ken Hanna
Chairman

Appointed: Non-executive Director in 
October 2010 and Chairman in April 2012.

Experience: Ken brings international 
financial and leadership expertise to 
Aggreko. He possesses knowledge of 
many different business sectors and is an 
experienced senior executive and leader, 
promoting robust debate and a culture 
of openness in the Boardroom.

Ken is also currently Chairman of Arena 
Events Group Plc, an AIM-listed company, 
and Chairman of RMD Kwikform, a 
privately owned engineering services 
company. Until 2009, Ken spent five years 
as Chief Financial Officer of Cadbury Plc. 
He has also held positions as Chair of 
Inchcape Plc, Operating Partner for 
Compass Partners, Group Chief Executive 
at Dalgety Plc, Group Finance Director 
of United Distillers Plc and Group Finance 
Director of Avis Europe Plc. He is also 
a fellow of the Institute of Chartered 
Accountants.

Chris Weston
Chief Executive Officer

Heath Drewett
Chief Financial Officer

Appointed: January 2015.

Appointed: January 2018.

Experience: Chris has experience at a 
senior level in the energy industry, proven 
leadership skills in a large international 
business and has consistently succeeded 
in driving performance and growth in 
his career.

Prior to his appointment as CEO in 
January 2015, Chris was Managing 
Director, International Downstream at 
Centrica plc, where he was the Executive 
Director responsible for the Group’s 
largest division. In this role, Chris was 
operationally responsible for both 
British Gas in the UK and Direct Energy 
in the USA. He joined Centrica in 2001 
after a successful career in the telecoms 
industry, working for both Cable & 
Wireless and One.Tel. Before that, Chris 
served in the Royal Artillery. He has a 
BSc in Applied Science, as well as an 
MBA and PhD from Imperial College 
London. Chris was also appointed as 
a Non-executive Director of the Royal 
Navy in January 2017.

Experience: Heath is an experienced 
CFO and proven leader with experience 
in the engineering, leisure, transportation 
and industrial sectors. He has 30 years 
of experience within various finance, 
corporate finance, business performance, 
financial and strategic planning roles. 
He has extensive international 
experience in both M&A and 
corporate development activities.

Prior to his appointment at Aggreko, 
Heath was Group Finance Director 
for eight years at WS Atkins plc where, 
following the acquisition of WS Atkins 
by SNC Lavalin, he was appointed 
President, with responsibility for its 
global engineering, design, project 
and programme management business. 
Before that, Heath worked at British 
Airways plc within corporate strategy, 
business planning and finance. Heath 
is a chartered accountant, having trained 
at PwC, with an MA in Mathematics from 
Cambridge University.

Sarah Kuijlaars
Non-executive Director

Appointed: October 2019.

Diana Layfield
Non-executive Director

Appointed: May 2012.

Experience: Sarah brings extensive 
international finance expertise, together 
with experience in many of our most 
important markets.

Sarah is currently Chief Financial Officer 
and a Member of the Executive Board 
of Arcadis NV, a global design and 
consultancy organisation for natural and 
built assets, with a listing on the Euronext 
Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Prior to 
joining Arcadis, Sarah was Deputy Chief 
Financial Officer at Rolls-Royce Holdings 
plc, and held a number of senior financial 
leadership roles during a 25-year career 
at Royal Dutch Shell plc.

Sarah has a Master’s degree in 
Mathematics from Oxford University, 
is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute 
of Management Accountants and 
an Associated Member of Corporate 
Treasurers.

Experience: Diana brings extensive 
international experience and detailed 
understanding of how to operate 
successfully across emerging markets, 
particularly in Asia and Africa. She also 
brings experience in technology, finance, 
sales and strategy.

Diana is Vice President, Next Billion Users 
at Google Inc, developing products and 
services for users in emerging markets, 
and in Fintech. Before joining Google, 
she was Chief Executive, Africa Region 
for Standard Chartered Plc and held a 
number of senior leadership roles over  
11 years at Standard Chartered. Prior 
to Standard Chartered, Diana was 
Chief Executive Officer of Finexia Ltd, a 
technology firm, and a consultant with 
McKinsey & Co, an international strategy 
consulting firm. Diana has a BA from 
Oxford University and a Master’s degree 
in International Economics and Public 
Administration from Harvard University.

Ian Marchant 
Non-executive Director 

Appointed: Non-executive Director  
in November 2013 and Chair of the  
Audit Committee in April 2016.

Experience: Ian brings knowledge of 
the domestic and international energy 
markets, along with a substantial 
understanding of associated strategic, 
financial and regulatory issues. Until 
his retirement in June 2013, Ian spent 
21 years at SSE Plc, most recently 
as Chief Executive, and prior to that 
as Finance Director.

Ian is an experienced Non-executive 
Director, currently serving as Chair of 
Thames Water Utilities, having recently 
retired as Chair of John Wood Group Plc. 
He is also a Member of the Prince’s 
Council of the Duchy of Cornwall, 
Honorary President of RZSS, Chair 
of the advisory board of the Centre of 
Energy Policy at Strathclyde University 
and former Chair of Scotland’s 2020 
Climate Group.

48 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Key to committee membership

 Audit          

 Remuneration          

 Nomination          

 Ethics & Corporate Responsibility          

 Committee Chair

Dame Nicola Brewer
Non-executive Director

Barbara Jeremiah
Non-executive Director

Uwe Krueger
Senior Independent Director

Appointed: Non-executive Director in 
February 2016 and Chair of the Ethics 
& Corporate Responsibility Committee 
in January 2019.

Experience: Nicola brings extensive 
geo-political and diplomatic experience 
to Aggreko, having worked in many of the 
developing regions in which we operate.

Nicola is currently Vice Provost at 
University College London, responsible 
for international strategy. She is also a 
Non-executive Director of Scottish Power 
and a trustee of Prince Harry’s southern 
African charity, Sentebale. In her previous 
diplomatic career, she worked in Mexico, 
India and France, was a member of the 
Foreign and Commonwealth Office 
Board from 2004 to 2007, and was 
High Commissioner to South Africa, 
Lesotho and Swaziland from 2009 
to 2013. As a member of the board 
of the Department for International 
Development, she supervised all UK 
bilateral aid programmes in Africa, Asia, 
Eastern Europe, the Middle East and 
Latin America.

Appointed: Non-executive Director 
in March 2017 and Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee in April 2018.

Appointed: Non-executive Director in 
February 2015 and Senior Independent 
Director in April 2018.

Experience: Barbara brings extensive 
international non-executive experience, 
largely in the USA and Australia, together 
with an executive career in the mining, 
exploration and energy industries.

An experienced Non-executive Director, 
Barbara is Senior Independent Director 
for the Weir Group and sits on the  
boards of Russel Metals and Premier Oil, 
having retired as Chair of Boart Longyear, 
a US-based company in the minerals 
drilling sector. Until her retirement in 
2009, Barbara spent over 30 years in a 
number of roles in Alcoa Inc, the world 
leader in the production of aluminium 
and related products. Her roles in Alcoa 
included Assistant General Counsel, VP 
Corporate Development and Executive 
VP in charge of strategy and M&A. 
Barbara is an American citizen with  
a BA in Political Science and is a  
qualified lawyer.

Experience: Uwe brings expertise of 
the engineering, services and renewable 
energy sectors. He is a physicist with 
a PhD and an honorary professorship 
from the University of Frankfurt and 
an honorary PhD from Heriot-Watt 
University. Most of his career has been 
spent leading engineering and 
consulting organisations.

Uwe is currently Senior Managing 
Director, Head of Industrials/Business 
Services/Energy & Resources and Joint 
Head of EMEA for Temasek. He also sits 
on the Board of Gategroup AG and 
lectures at the University of Frankfurt 
on renewable energy. Before joining 
Temasek, Uwe was Chief Executive 
Officer of WS Atkins plc and his past 
roles include Chief Executive Officer 
of Oerlikon, Senior Advisor at Texas 
Pacific Group, President of Cleantech 
Switzerland, and various senior leadership 
positions at Hochtief AG.

Miles Roberts
Non-executive Director

Appointed: March 2017. 

Experience: Miles brings extensive 
international business experience both 
as a Chief Executive and Finance Director.

Miles is currently Group Chief Executive 
of DS Smith Plc, a FTSE 100 international 
packaging group with operations in 
nearly 40 countries. Prior to joining DS 
Smith Plc in 2010, Miles was Group 
Chief Executive of McBride plc having 
previously been Group Finance Director. 
Prior to this, Miles worked for Costain 
Group plc and Vivendi UK. He also has 
non-executive experience, having served 
on the boards of Poundland Group plc 
as Senior Independent Director and 
Care UK plc as a Non-executive Director. 
Miles has a degree in Engineering and 
is also a chartered accountant.

Executive/Independent  
Non-executive composition  
of Board (excludes Chairman)

Board attendance in 2019

Board meetings

Executive
Non-executive

No.

2
7

Tenure of Non-executive Directors 

0 - 3 years
3 - 6 years
6 - 9 years

No.

3
2
2

Sector experience of the Board

Customer
Finance
Energy
Geo-politics/diplomacy
Operational
Technology

%

22
78

%

42
29
29

%

90
60
50
20
70
40

Independence
The Board reviews the independence 
of its Non-executive Directors as part 
of its annual Board evaluation process. 
We are committed to ensuring that 
the Board comprises a majority 
of independent Non-executive 
Directors who objectively challenge 
management, balanced against the 
continuity on the Board. All of our 
Non-executive Directors bring strong 
independent oversight and continue 
to demonstrate independence.

Name of Director

Ken Hanna
Chris Weston
Heath Drewett
Dame Nicola 
Brewer
Barbara Jeremiah
Uwe Krueger
Sarah Kuijlaars*
Diana Layfield
Ian Marchant
Miles Roberts**

A

6
6
6

6
6
6
2
6
6
6

% 
attended

100
100
100

100
100
100
50
100
100
83

B

6
6
6

6
6
6
1
6
6
5

A    Maximum number of meetings Director could 

have attended.

B    Actual number of meetings Director attended.

*   Sarah was appointed to the Board in September 

2019 and advised on appointment that she would 
be unable to attend the December 2019 meeting

**   Miles was unable to attend the June 2019 meeting 

owing to a commitment at DS Smith

Company Secretary
Peter Kennerley

Appointed: October 2008

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

49

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

2019 Board highlights
A busy year for Aggreko

Key discussion and decisions  
in the year

and dividend strategy. Read more  
about our capital allocation process  
on page 45.

business model requirements, an 
overview of our current technology  
and roadmaps, and environmental  
and efficiency considerations.

In 2019, the Board held six scheduled 
meetings. At each scheduled meeting 
the Board received reports from the 
CEO on the key issues affecting the 
business, the CFO on the performance 
of the business and the Committee 
Chairs on matters discussed at the 
Committee meetings.

Key priorities and discussions  
in 2019 included: 
Tracking progress against the actions 
agreed upon following the strategy 
review discussions in Q2 2018: At our 
meetings in March, July and December, 
the Chair presented an updated tracker 
to the Board. We also held a one-day 
strategy review session in June, and 
received a number of updates through 
the year from the CEO. Read more about 
our strategy review on page 45.

Reviewed progress against our five year 
plan: At our July meeting, the CEO 
presented an update on our five year 
plan, including progress against our 
sector based and specialised approach. 
The leaders of our Rental Solutions and 
Power Solutions businesses also provided 
in-depth reviews of their business units.

Monitored culture and workforce 
engagement mechanisms: Through 
regular reports from the Ethics & 
Corporate Responsibility Committee.  
You can read more about how the Board 
monitors culture on page 52 and our 
workforce engagement mechanisms  
on page 46.

Approving the 2020 Budget: At our 
meetings in October and December we 
reviewed and approved the proposed 
allocation of capital across the Group, 
including investing in new technology 

A deep dive into our approach to 
technology: At our October meeting, the 
Managing Director for Global Products  
& Technology and the Director of Future 
Technologies presented a review of our 
technology. This included the external 
factors driving technology evolution, 

Approved entering a cooperation 
agreement with our supplier Wartsila: 
Read more about the cooperation 
agreement and long-term benefits  
for Aggreko on page 44.

Visit Dubai to learn more about the  
Asia and Middle East business, engage 
with the local workforce and other 
stakeholder groups: In June the  
Board visited the Middle East and  
Power Solutions operations in Dubai.

Key areas of focus for 2020
 → ESG strategy, including a review of  
our position and risk exposure to 
climate change and consideration  
of target setting.

 → Review our dividend policy.
 → Plan a visit to Argentina to learn  

about the Power Solutions business  
in Latin America and engage with  
local stakeholder groups.

Spending time outside the confines of the boardroom, 
experiencing Aggreko’s operating environment and 
engaging with our people, is fundamental to increasing 
our understanding of culture and the needs of our 
workforce.

Dame Nicola Brewer
Non-executive Director

Our workforce engagement 
activities from a Non-
executive Director’s 
perspective

How has the remit of the Ethics  
& Corporate Responsibility (ECR) 
Committee changed in 2019?

In response to the new requirements  
of the UK Corporate Governance Code 
for greater involvement by the Board  
in workforce engagement the role of  
the ECR Committee was expanded 
from 1 January 2019 to take responsibility  
for workforce engagement and for 
monitoring the effectiveness of our 
Speaking Up policies and procedures. 
This has brought an interesting new 
dimension to the ECR Committee,  

as we looked to review existing channels  
of engagement with the workforce 
and worked closely with Group HR 
to develop a broader framework of 
engagement activities with increased 
Board involvement.

encouraging attendance at Senior 
Leadership Team meetings and 
increasing the number of site visits 
in the year. I am confident that our 
workforce engagement mechanisms  
are effective. 

How would you gauge the impact  
of the ECR Committee on workforce 
engagement mechanisms in 2019? 

We were fortunate that Aggreko already  
had a well-established and innovative 
approach to workforce engagement.  
In 2019 we were able to introduce 
workforce focus groups to discuss  
areas of concern following the Be  
Heard surveys, each one was chaired  
by a Non-executive Director. We also 
introduced additional engagement 
activities for the Non-executive Directors, 

The outcomes of our focus groups in 
Dubai confirmed, in particular, high 
levels of awareness of the importance 
of health and safety and satisfaction  
with the visibility of senior managers. 
They also revealed strong interest  
in the future strategic direction and 
structure of the company. There was 
appetite for more development and 
promotion opportunities.

  Read more about our workforce 
engagement activities in 2019 
on page 55

50 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Our Board  
evaluation

In line with the UK Corporate Governance 
Code, we undertake a formal and 
rigorous annual evaluation of the 
performance of the Board, its 
committees, the Chairman and individual 
Directors. We operate a three-year cycle 
of Chair’s review, Company Secretary’s 
review and externally facilitated review. 
Our 2018 evaluation was an externally 
facilitated evaluation, and so this year  
Ken Hanna, as Chairman, undertook  
the evaluation. 

Our approach for 2019
Given the depth and rigour of last year’s 
external evaluation, our approach for 2019 
was to ensure that: 
 → we delivered on the agreed 

recommendations and actions  
set out in the 2018 Annual Report

 → we addressed any new issues relevant 

to the business

Our process for 2019
Ken Hanna circulated a list of 
recommendations and actions arising 
from the 2018 evaluation. This included 
the actions identified in the 2018 Annual 
Report .The Board discussed and agreed 
the list at its February meeting and then 
discussed progress on the actions at 
the June meeting. In addition, at the July 
meeting, the Board discussed a number 
of important developments facing the 
Group, in particular, relating to risk 
management, technology, ESG and 
climate change, as referred to in the  
table opposite.

In April, Uwe Krueger, as Senior 
Independent Director, chaired a meeting 
of the Non-executive Directors, including 
an appraisal of Ken Hanna, who was not 
present at the meeting. Ken Hanna then 
joined the meeting for further discussion. 
In June, October and December Ken 
Hanna chaired further meetings of the 
Non-executive Directors. 

Recommendations and actions: 2018 External evaluation

What we committed to do in 2018

What we did in 2019

Agree approach to strategy discussions  
for 2019

April: CEO presented proposals on strategy 
to the Board

Continue to review the competitor and 
supplier landscape in strategy discussions

Expand scope of Nomination Committee 
to cover executive succession, talent 
management and diversity pipeline

Ensure succession discussions take place 
twice a year at the main Board, in tandem 
with the Nomination Committee (annual 
review and mid-year update)

June: Board strategy session

June: Strategy discussions included 
detailed presentation on competitors 
for each of Power Solutions and Rental 
Solutions

December 2018: Nomination Committee 
terms of reference were revised accordingly

July and December: Chris Weston  
and Anna Filipopoulos , Group HR Director 
presented to the Nomination Committee

Review Board composition to enhance the 
international profile of the Board

September: Appointed Sarah Kuijlaars  
as Non-executive Director 

Increase the amount of contact between 
Board members and the senior team, one 
level below the Executive Committee

Throughout year: Executive Committee 
direct reports joined the Board for dinners

May: Ken Hanna and Nicola Brewer 
attended the Senior Leadership Team 
meeting

June: Managing Director Asia & Middle East 
and Head of Power Solutions Operations 
presented to the Board. Afterwards their 
teams joined the Board for dinner

November: Ian Marchant attended the 
Senior Leadership Team meeting 

Increase visibility of Non-executive 
Directors in the organisation

June: Nicola Brewer and Ian Marchant  
hosted focus groups in Dubai

October: Nicola Brewer visited Japan 
Olympic team

October: Miles Roberts visited a UK Depot

November: Ian Marchant received 
presentations on strategic projects  
from LEAD participants

Recommendations and actions: 2019 evaluation

Recommendations

Actions

Requested more involvement in the 
approval process of large and potentially 
high risk projects

October: Approved a new  contract 
risk management policy, requiring 
Board approval for certain projects over 
designated thresholds

In light of the perceived increase in pace of 
the energy market transition, requested an 
update on the Group’s technology plans

October: Detailed review session on 
technology with the senior management  
of the Group Product & Technology team

Requested an increase in focus at the Board 
on ESG and climate change

October and December: Ongoing 
discussion at the Board to review Aggreko’s 
position and strategy for ESG and climate 
change

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

51

 
 
 
 
 
 
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

Leading by example, and promoting 
our culture and values

Indicators of culture 
reviewed by the Board 
and its Committees:
 → Reviewing the results of our employee 

surveys (Be Heard) 

 → Reviewing the volume and nature of 
whistleblowing reports and outcome 
of any investigations

 → Our safety performance, uptake 

of initiatives and trends

 → Internal audit reports and findings, 

as attitudes to regulators and internal 
audit can give an early indication 
of potential culture-related issues
 → Monitoring our KPI on employee 

satisfaction

 → Training completion rates
 → Feedback reports on workforce 

engagement activities

 → Visiting Aggreko locations in the UK 
and overseas to spend time with our 
people, allowing us to assess culture 
in the local context

 → Reviewing and monitoring compliance 

with our Code of Conduct

 → Receiving reports from the Ethics & 
Corporate Responsibility Committee

  Read our purpose on page 1 

  Read more about our culture  
on page 18

Defining our culture
After reorganising our business in 2015, 
we spent some time researching and 
refreshing the components of our 
culture. Always Orange was launched in 
2017 and is the cultural framework that 
resulted, bringing together our purpose, 
values and behaviours. Our four values, 
and their respective day-to-day 
behaviours, govern the way in which 
we work, remain safe and professional, 
develop the expertise of our people, 
influence our interactions across our 
markets and ultimately allow us to 
deliver our business objectives. 

The creation of Always Orange involved 
employee workshops in Buenos Aires, 
Houston, Dumbarton, Tanzania and 
Dubai. We gathered input from our 
online community and through 
debate at the Board, with the Executive 
Committee and Senior Leadership Team.

Setting the tone from the top
Our leaders have a critical role in setting 
the tone of our organisation and 
championing the behaviours we expect 
to see. At Board level, commitment to 
Always Orange values and behaviours 
is demonstrated through transparent 
operations and engagement outside  
the boardroom, which ensures that the 
Directors lead by example, reinforcing the 
cultural tone and expected behaviours. 
Our strategic initiatives for each year are 
underpinned by Always Orange values 
and behaviours. Specific behaviours are 
selected for each year to help us deliver 
our strategic initiatives, while highlighting 
and reinforcing those behaviours. 
Progress against those behaviours is 
tracked and quarterly updates on 
progress reported back to employees 
by email and online videos. For 2019, 
the behaviours selected were Playing for 
Team Aggreko and Loving the Discipline. 
These behaviours were selected to ensure 
focus and embed them within the 
organisation. For 2020, we will focus 
on role modelling Always Orange 
and demonstrating leadership in 
collaborating, to deliver for our customers 
and maximise the impact of our 
expertise. Culture is also monitored 
and assessed by the Board through 
a combination of direct contact and 
a number of recognised indicators.

52 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Ethics & Corporate Responsibility 
Committee report

The role of the Ethics & Corporate Responsibility 
Committee is to ensure that Aggreko conducts business 
with integrity and transparency and in accordance with 
the law, and to oversee workforce engagement.

Dame Nicola Brewer
Ethics & Corporate Responsibility Committee Chair

Attendance in 2019

Members in 2019

Position

Dame Nicola Brewer
Diana Layfield
Ken Hanna
Barbara Jeremiah

Committee Chair
Non-executive Director
Chairman, Aggreko plc
Non-executive Director

Meetings attended/  
No. of meetings eligible to attend

3/3
3/3
3/3
3/3

Areas of focus for 2020
 → Oversee the implementation of a new 

sanctions compliance framework

 → Review the anti-bribery and corruption 

compliance framework

 → Implement the plan for increased 

workforce engagement

 → Conduct a review of the policies which 
fall under the remit of the Committee

 → Receive feedback on the 

implementation of the policies

Areas of activity in 2019
 → Monitored the effectiveness of the 
Third-Party Sales Representatives 
Policy

 → Oversaw the development and 

implementation of the new Code 
of Conduct and updated Speaking 
Up Policy

 → Monitored the completion of refresher 

ethics training across the business
 → Monitored the effectiveness of the 
Speaking Up Policy and procedures
 → Oversaw the completion of internal 

investigations

 → Monitored actions taken to address 

sanctions risks

 → Reviewed the existing workforce 

engagement activities and developed 
a broader framework of workforce 
engagement activities for the Board

 → Undertook additional workforce 

engagement activities and reported 
to the Board on the findings from 
this engagement

Introduction by Dame 
Nicola Brewer, Ethics & 
Corporate Responsibility 
Committee Chair
The Ethics & Corporate Responsibility 
Committee is made up of three 
Independent Non-executive Directors 
and the Chairman of Aggreko Plc. I was 
appointed as the Chair of the Committee 
from 1 January 2019. In 2019, we held 
three meetings. We invited the Head 
of Compliance, the Group Legal Director 
and the CEO to attend all meetings.

A primary purpose of the Ethics & 
Corporate Responsibility Committee is 
to oversee the effectiveness of Aggreko’s 
compliance programme. Aggreko aims 
to conduct its business with integrity, 
honesty and transparency. We expect all 
Aggreko employees and any third parties 
acting on behalf of Aggreko to adopt 
these standards. We are proud that 
we have a reputation for conducting 
business fairly and professionally and 
we are committed to maintaining these 
values in all of our business dealings.

We recognise that our business is 
exposed to potential risks of unethical 
conduct because of the nature and value 
of many of our contracts and because 
standards of integrity are not consistent 
across all of the countries in which we 
operate. However, we believe we have 
a robust compliance programme in 
place which allows us to manage these 
risks effectively.

In 2019 we extended the remit of the 
Committee to facilitate and monitor 
engagement with the workforce in line 
with the 2018 UK Corporate Governance 
Code. In response to this increased scope, 
we have reviewed the existing channels 
of engagement with the workforce  
and developed a broader framework  
of activities to enable the Board to 
understand the views of the workforce.  
As part of this broader remit in 2019 the 
Committee oversaw the conduct of the 
quarterly Be Heard surveys and discussed 
key themes. We also introduced focus 
groups, which were held in Dubai this 
year and we expanded the engagement 
by Non-executive Directors through site 
visits, Board dinners and meetings of  
the Senior Leadership Team. We have 
welcomed this increased engagement 
with the workforce and we look forward 
to continuing with this broader 
engagement in 2020.

  Ethics & Corporate Responsibility Committee terms of reference:  
www.plc.aggreko.com

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

53

 
 
 
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

Ethics & Corporate Responsibility Committee report 
continued

Main activities of the Ethics 
& Corporate Responsibility 
Committee during the year
Third-party monitoring
We recognise that it is not just our 
employees who could be exposed to 
ethics risks but also our third-party 
sales representatives including sales 
consultants, agents and joint venture 
partners. Although the number of 
third-party sales representatives used 
by the business has reduced over the 
past few years there are circumstances 
in which we still need them to support 
some areas of the business. A summary 
of the measures we take to ensure these 
representatives conduct business in line 
with Aggreko’s standards is set out 
below in the overview of our compliance 
programme. In 2019, we received a 
briefing from the Power Solutions 
Managing Director on the outcome 
of his review of all arrangements with, 
and payments to, third-party sales 
representatives. We are pleased to 
observe the continued focus of the 
business in monitoring all activities 
in this area.

Effectiveness of the compliance 
programme
We are committed to ensuring that our 
compliance programme remains robust 
and is in line with best practice. We 
continually monitor the effectiveness 
of the policies and procedures and 
recommend areas where further 
improvements could be made. In 2019  
we reviewed the Ethics Policy, which  
has been in place since 2011. This is an 
important document, which sets out 
the basic standards and behaviours we 
expect from our employees, contractors 
and third-party sales representatives. 
It forms part of our employee induction 
and all employees are required to 
acknowledge compliance with it when 
they join Aggreko. During our review we 
identified some areas of emerging risk, 
which were absent or not adequately 
addressed in the Ethics Policy. This 
included sanctions, facilitation of tax 
evasion, data privacy and modern slavery.  
In response we developed a new Code  
of Conduct and Speaking Up Policy, 
which addressed these gaps and 
incorporated our Always Orange values 
and behaviours. The new Code of 
Conduct and Speaking Up Policy were 
issued to all employees, together with 
training, in 2019.

Speaking Up Policy and procedures
We monitor the volume and nature 
of whistleblowing reports received 
throughout the year to identify any 
underlying concerns and/or trends and 
to assess whether there are effective 
processes in place to enable the 
workforce to report any concerns. In 2019 
we updated the Speaking Up Policy and 
provided training on the procedures for 
reporting concerns. We also reviewed 
the volume and nature of the reports 
received and the actions taken in 
response to the reports. We are satisfied 
that the mechanisms that are in place 
to enable all members of the workforce 
to raise any concerns are effective.

Sanctions
The introduction and extension of 
sanctions in some of the countries in 
which we operate potentially attracts 
increased risk for the business. We 
received briefings on developments 
in relation to sanctions, the potential 
impact to the business and the actions 
being taken to manage potential risks. 
This included a review of the sanctions 
developments in relation to Russia 
and Venezuela.

Workforce engagement
We recognise the valuable insight the 
Board can obtain by engaging directly 
and indirectly with the workforce. In 2019 
we reviewed the activities already in place 
to engage with the workforce and 
developed a programme of activities to 
increase this engagement. This included 
overseeing the conduct of the quarterly 
Be Heard surveys and reviewing the key 
themes and proposed actions. We also 
introduced focus groups, which were 
held in Dubai this year and we expanded 
the engagement by Non-executive 
Directors through site visits, Board 
dinners and meetings of the Senior 
Leadership Team. Meetings in Dubai 
confirmed, in particular, high levels of 
awareness of the importance of health 
and safety and satisfaction with the 
visibility of senior managers. They also 
revealed strong interest in the future 
strategic direction and structure of the 
company. There was appetite for more 
development and promotion 
opportunities. We shared with the 
Board the key themes identified from 
our workforce engagement in 2019 and 
the actions underway across the business 
in response to these findings. 

Our engagement has focused on 
individuals who have formal employment 
contracts with Aggreko, wherever they 
work. Aggreko also uses the services of 
individual contractors, directly or through 
agencies or third-party companies. Since 
the tasks and terms on which contractors 
work vary greatly throughout the 
business, and there is no particular group 
that provides a substantial element of our 
workforce, we do not include them in our 
formal engagement.

We will continue to broaden this 
engagement in 2020 through oversight 
of the Be Heard surveys and direct 
engagement through site visits, focus 
groups and team meetings. 

An overview of our 
compliance programme
Our compliance programme is 
coordinated by our Head of Compliance 
and Compliance Manager with support 
from the business units and the central 
functions. The programme has a number 
of elements designed to ensure that 
we effectively manage compliance risks.

Code of Conduct
Every employee receives a copy of  
the Code of Conduct when they join 
Aggreko. This code sets out the standards 
and behaviours we expect from our 
employees and is an effective tool to allow 
us to challenge any improper behaviours 
identified. It is supported by a number  
of supplementary policies, procedures 
and guidelines to cover due diligence, 
gifts and hospitality, charitable donations, 
facilitation payments, conflicts of interest 
and speaking up. We provide training to 
all employees on these policies and we 
regularly monitor compliance with these 
policies to obtain assurance that they 
continue to work effectively.

Training
Every employee receives training, which 
is regularly refreshed, via our multi-
lingual online ethics compliance training 
programme. This online training is 
supplemented by additional workshops 
with senior management, which gives us 
comfort that our employees remain alert 
to risks.

Third-party risks
All of our sales consultants and agents 
are comprehensively reviewed before 
they are engaged and this exercise is 
refreshed at least every two years. 

Our sales consultants and agents are 
contractually required to comply with 
our Code of Conduct and we require 
them to confirm compliance with the 
code annually. We also provide ethics 
training to our sales consultants and 
agents to ensure that they remain alert to 
potential risks. We have controls in place 
in relation to the remuneration of sales 
consultants and agents and we monitor 
all payments to them to ensure that  
the remuneration structure does not 
incentivise unethical behaviour. This gives 
us a robust framework to enable us to 
clearly understand who our third-party 
sales representatives are and the activities 
they have undertaken on our behalf. This 
policy also enables us to avoid engaging 
with third parties who do not meet our 
ethical standards.

54 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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We have a Supplier Code of Conduct 
which sets out the standards we expect 
from all other suppliers to Aggreko and 
we require suppliers to confirm 
adherence to these standards. Any 
suppliers who do not agree to the 
standards or an equivalent standard 
will not be engaged by Aggreko.

Gifts, entertainment and hospitality
We have a clear approval process for gifts, 
entertainment and hospitality offered by, 
or given to, Aggreko employees. All gifts, 
entertainment and hospitality above a 
nominal value are recorded centrally and 
monitored by the Head of Compliance. 
This policy enables us to challenge any 
proposed gifts or hospitality which could 
be perceived as inappropriate.

Sponsorship and charitable donations
We have a clear approval process for 
sponsorships and charitable donations 
made by Aggreko. All sponsorships 
and charitable donations require 
senior management approval and are 
recorded centrally and monitored by 
the Head of Compliance. This policy 
enables us to challenge any donations 
or sponsorships which could be 
perceived as inappropriate.

Speaking up
We encourage all employees to speak 
up if they have any concerns. We have 
an independent compliance hotline 
operated by an external agency. This 
multi-lingual hotline is available to all of 
our workforce and allows anyone who 
has any concerns to report them on an 
anonymous basis. All reports are followed 
up, and we regularly analyse the types of 
report we receive. Where appropriate, 
our Group internal audit team is asked 
to investigate the issue and report 
on the outcome.

Sanctions
We have procedures in place to ensure 
that we conduct due diligence on any 
proposed activities in countries targeted 
by sanctions and/or export control 
restrictions. Any activities involving 
countries subject to the most extensive 
sanctions require approval by the Board. 
This currently includes the Crimea region 
of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North 
Korea, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela. 

We have developed a sanctions 
compliance framework documenting 
our policies and procedures relating 
to sanctions compliance, which will 
be fully implemented in 2020.

Modern slavery
We apply high employment standards 
across our business, complying with 
relevant employment, health and safety 
and human rights laws to ensure that 
our workforce is safe. We also expect our 
suppliers to adopt a similar approach in 
relation to the protection of their workers. 
Our Supplier Code of Conduct sets out 
the minimum standards we require 
from them. It specifically requires our 
suppliers to comply with workers’ 
fundamental rights, including standards 
of pay, working hours and freedom 
of association. Our modern slavery 
statement, available to read at  
www.plc.aggreko.com, provides 
more detail on the approach we 
take in relation to modern slavery.

Non-executive Director workforce engagement activities in 2019

Power Solutions / Rental Solutions Leadership
January 

Ken Hanna attended Power Solutions Leadership Team meeting and dinner

June 

Ken Hanna met with Rental Solutions Leadership Team

Board lunches / dinners
February 

Invited Managing Director of Northern Europe and Managing Director of Africa

April 

June 

 Invited Managing Director Global Products & Technology, Managing Director for Events & Load Bank Services, 
Group Chief Information Officer and Head of Analytics & Business Intelligence

 Invited Director of Operations for Power Solutions and Managing Director for Asia & Middle East with their  
direct reports

July 

Invited Managing Director Continental Europe and Group Financial Controller

October 

 Invited Managing Director Eurasia and Managing Director Global Products & Technology

Focus groups
June 

Nicola Brewer and Ian Marchant led two focus groups in Dubai

Executive Committee
May 

Ken Hanna attended Executive Committee dinner

Senior Leadership Team Meetings
May 

Ken Hanna and Nicola Brewer attended two days of meetings, break-out sessions and dinner

October 

 Ian Marchant attended two days of meetings, break out sessions and dinner

LEAD
October 

Site visits 
June 

 Ian Marchant met with participants in our LEAD programme, designed to provide exposure, education  
and experience for high potential leaders and to prepare them for more senior roles

Barbara Jeremiah visited our facility in Dubai to meet with local employees

September  Ken Hanna visited our manufacturing facility in Dumbarton to meet with local employees

 Ian Marchant visited our Northern Europe team in Overburn, Dumbarton

October 

 Nicola Brewer met the Aggreko Olympic team in Tokyo  

 Miles Roberts met the Managing Director for Northern Europe in Sutton for a tour of operations  
and to meet local employees

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

55

 
 
 
 
 
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

Nomination Committee report

Introduction by Ken Hanna, 
Nomination Committee Chair
Monitoring and reviewing the composition 
and balance of the Board and its 
Committees is key to the role of the 
Committee. By doing so we ensure that 
Aggreko has the right structure, skills and 
diversity for the effective management  
of the Group.

The Nomination Committee is currently 
made up of all of the Non-executive 
Directors, each of whom is independent,  
in addition to myself as Chair. I have been 
Chair of the Committee since my 
appointment as Chairman of Aggreko  
in April 2012, although I would not chair  
the Committee when it is dealing with 
succession to the Chairman of Aggreko.  
In 2019, we had three formal meetings  
to which we also invited the CEO.

Main activities of the 
Nomination Committee  
during the year
Appointment of a new  
Non-executive Director
During the year, the Committee undertook 
a broad review of the non-executive profile 
of the Board, including skills, experience, 
tenure and diversity. We decided to search 
for two new Non-executive Directors, with 
the aim of one starting in Q4 2019 and  
the other in Q4 2020, to strengthen our 
Board overall and add to our succession 
planning. We appointed Lygon Group,  
an independent search firm with no  
other connection to Aggreko, or any of our 
Directors, to assist in identifying suitable 
candidates. In September 2019 we were 
delighted to announce the appointment 
of Sarah Kuijlaars as a Non-executive 
Director with effect from October 2019.

Sarah is currently Chief Financial Officer  
of Arcadis NV, a global design and 
consultancy organisation for natural and 
built assets, with a listing on the Euronext 
Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Prior to this, 
Sarah was Deputy Chief Financial Officer 
at Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, and has held  
a number of senior financial leadership 
roles during a 25-year career at Royal 
Dutch Shell plc. Sarah brings extensive 
international finance expertise, together 
with experience in many of our most 
important markets and has joined the 
Audit and Nomination Committees.

Reappointment of Directors
Since the Committee’s last report, the 
Company has extended terms of 
appointment as follows:
 → Diana Layfield, as Non-executive 

Director, for a further year, expiring  
on 1 May 2020. Since Diana had already 
served for seven years, under the UK 
Corporate Governance Code (2018 Code), 
any proposal to extend a term beyond 
six years should be subject to particularly 
rigorous review, and should take into 
account the need for progressive 
refreshing of the Board. However,  

The Nomination Committee’s role is to lead the  
process for appointments to, and ensure orderly 
succession for, the Board and Executive Committee. 
Having a diverse pipeline for succession ensures 
Aggreko has the right structure, skills and diversity  
for the effective management of the Group.

Ken Hanna
Nomination Committee Chair

Attendance in 2019

Members in 2019

Ken Hanna

Nicola Brewer
Barbara Jeremiah
Sarah Kuijlaars1
Uwe Krueger
Diana Layfield
Ian Marchant
Miles Roberts

Position

Committee Chair and 
Chairman, Aggreko plc
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director

Non-executive Director
Senior Independent Director
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director

Meetings attended/  
No. of meetings eligible to attend

3/3
3/3
3/3

0/1
3/3
3/3
3/3
3/3

1  Sarah Kuijlaars was appointed to the Board in October 2019 and advised at the time of her appointment that 

she would be unable to attend the December 2019 Nomination Committee meeting.

Areas of activity in 2019
 → Oversaw the recruitment, 

appointment and induction of Sarah 
Kuijlaars as a Non-executive Director

 → Reviewed succession plans
 → Monitored the work of the team 

established to look at diversity across 
the Group

 → Approved the terms of reappointment 

for two Non-executive Directors

Areas of focus for 2020
 → Continued focus on succession 

planning

 → Identify a suitable candidate for 

appointment as a Non-executive 
Director

 → Monitor and support the work  
of the Value Difference team

  Nomination Committee terms of reference: www.plc.aggreko.com

56 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Board Diversity Policy
A diverse Board makes prudent business sense and makes  
for better corporate governance. Diversity promotes the  
inclusion of different perspectives and ideas and ensures  
that Aggreko has the opportunity to benefit from all  
available talent.

Diversity metrics at 31 
December 2019
Gender of Board

Male
Female

No.

6
4

Gender of Executive Committee

Male
Female

No.

7
1

Gender of Executive Committee  
direct reports*

Male
Female

No.

46
18

%

60
40

%

87
13

%

72
28

*   as required by the Companies Act 2006, the 

composition of our subsidiary company Boards 
is made up of 114 males and 9 females

Gender of permanent employees

Male
Female

No.

5,366
1,090

%

83
17

Aggreko seeks to maintain a Board 
comprising dynamic, expert and 
innovative individuals, who together 
demonstrate our values and lead our 
behaviours through a diverse mix  
of expertise, experience, skills and 
backgrounds. We aim to ensure that  
the skills and backgrounds collectively 
represented on the Board reflect  
the diverse nature of the business 
environment in which Aggreko 
operates. In particular, we look for a 
range of technical, financial and market 
expertise. We aim to balance long 
corporate memory with new insights 
from other fields. For the purposes of 
Board composition, diversity is taken to 
refer to, but is not limited to, protected 
characteristics covered by UK legislation; 
other factors such as business 
experience and geography will also be 
relevant. We monitor our net diversity 
but do not set formal targets or quotas. 
Our focus is on finding talented 
individuals from as wide a range  
of backgrounds as possible.

Aggreko is committed to a merit-based 
system for Board composition within  
a diverse and inclusive culture, which 
solicits multiple perspectives and views. 
When assessing Board composition  
or identifying suitable candidates for 
appointment or re-election to the 
Board, Aggreko will consider candidates 
on merit against objective criteria, 
having due regard for the benefits of 
diversity and the needs of the Board. 
Any search firm engaged to assist the 
Board or a Committee of the Board in 
identifying candidates for appointment 
to the Board will be specifically directed 
to include a diverse range of candidates 
that reflects this policy.

the Committee was unanimously of  
the view that Diana’s tenure had not 
compromised her independence in any 
way, and that it was important to retain 
her market and financial experience  
and knowledge of Aggreko.

 → Ian Marchant, as Non-executive  

Director, for a further year, expiring on  
1 November 2020. Since Ian had already 
served for six years, we undertook a 
rigorous review as required by the 2018 
Code and were unanimous in our view 
that Ian’s tenure had not compromised 
his independence, and we should retain 
his knowledge of Aggreko, particularly  
in his critical role as Audit Committee 
Chair.

Succession planning
Executive Committee and senior 
management: The Committee spent a 
considerable amount of time looking at 
succession planning and top talent review 
throughout the executive population in 
2019. The Committee formally met with 
the CEO and Group HR Director in July 
and December 2019 to review succession 
plans. The focus of these discussions was 
to review our succession plans for each  
of the CEO’s direct reports. Following the 
implementation of the 2018 UK Corporate 
Governance Code, we have increased our 
visibility of the succession pipeline below 
Executive Committee level and, at our  
July 2019 meeting, reviewed the talent 
replacement grid for approximately  
40 employees at the CEO-2 level. 

Board: The Committee monitors a 
schedule on the length of tenure of the 
Chairman and Non-executive Directors 
and the mix and skills of the Directors. 

The Committee is satisfied that adequate 
succession planning is in place for the 
Board, Executive Committee and senior 
management and will keep succession 
planning under review.

Diversity and inclusion
Aggreko acknowledges the importance  
of diversity and inclusion to the effective 
functioning of the Board and Group. While 
we acknowledge that the current make  
up of the Board has good gender diversity, 
we are always mindful of the need to 
recruit Board members from a wider  
and more diverse population. 

We also acknowledge that diversity 
extends beyond the boardroom. The Board 
continually encourages management to 
be more mindful of diversity in the Group 
and we fully support management in its 
efforts to build a diverse and inclusive 
organisation in order to effectively execute 
our strategy. In 2019, we monitored the 
work of the Value Difference team 
established to look at diversity on a 
Group-wide basis, determining what 
changes need to be made and working 
with the business to implement them.  

  Read more about the work of the Value 
Difference team on page 18.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

57

 
 
 
Introduction by Ian Marchant, 
Audit Committee Chair
Ensuring the integrity of the Group’s 
financial statements and determining 
whether the judgements taken by 
management are appropriate are key 
to the workings of the Committee. 
This report provides an overview of the 
significant issues we considered. This 
report also shares some insight into 
the work we have undertaken this 
year to assess the independence and 
effectiveness of the external auditor and 
oversee the Group’s systems for internal 
control and risk management.

The Committee is currently made up 
of four Independent Non-executive 
Directors, including myself as Chair. I have 
been a member of the Committee since 
November 2013 and was appointed as 
Chair of the Committee in April 2016. I am 
a chartered accountant and, prior to my 
appointment as Chief Executive of SSE 
(2002 to 2015), I served as Finance 
Director of SSE for four years and of 
Southern Electric for two and a half years. 
As a Committee, we bring an appropriate 
balance of financial and accounting 
experience, together with a deep 
understanding of Aggreko’s business 
and market sector. All the members of 
the Committee have recent and relevant 
financial experience.

In 2019, we held three scheduled 
meetings. The meetings are aligned 
to the Group’s financial reporting 
timetable, to allow sufficient time for full 
discussion of key topics and enable early 
identification and resolution of risks and 
issues. We invited the Chairman of the 
Board, the CEO and the CFO to attend 
our meetings in 2019, together with 
the Group Financial Controller, Director 
of Internal Audit and the KPMG audit 
partner.

GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

Audit Committee report

The role of the Audit Committee is to ensure the 
integrity of the Group’s financial reporting and 
provide oversight of our systems for internal control 
and risk management.

Ian Marchant 
Audit Committee Chair

Attendance in 2019

Members in 2019

Ian Marchant
Sarah Kuijlaars1
Diana Layfield
Miles Roberts

Position

Committee Chair
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director

1  Sarah Kuijlaars was appointed to the Board in October 2019.

Meetings attended/  
No. of meetings eligible to attend

3/3
1/1
3/3
3/3

Areas of activity in 2019
 → Close monitoring of key accounting 
judgements, including contract 
provisions, with a particular focus on 
Yemen, Venezuela and Africa, and  
tax provisions throughout the year, 
receiving detailed updates in 2019  
at all of our meetings

 → Monitored the position in relation  

to fleet obsolescence

 → Ensured proper application of a new 
accounting standard impacting the 
Group in 2019: IFRS 16

 → Regular updates on the status of  
the internal control environment

 → Monitored our cyber security strategy 

and status

 → Presentation on managing financial 
risks in our Rental Solutions business

 → Looked at the status of subsidiary 
statutory accounts in overseas 
jurisdictions following the 
identification of control weaknesses  
in Indonesia

 → Recommended some updates to the 
Group Register of Principal Risks, 
including a review of the overall number 

of risks and the inclusion of a separate 
risk for climate change

 → Monitored the closure of outstanding 

internal audit findings

Areas of focus for 2020
 → Continue close monitoring of contract 
provisions and tax provisions. Held an 
additional meeting in February 2020, 
ahead of the year-end meeting, to 
discuss contract provisions in detail, 
with a particular focus on Venezuela 
and Africa

 → Receive regular updates on the status 
of the internal control environment

 → Receive an update on the 

management of financial risk  
in our Power Solutions business
 → Continue to monitor the status  
of subsidiary statutory accounts  
in our overseas jurisdictions

 → Monitor our cyber security ratings
 → Receive an update on risk 

management within our tax function

 → Monitor the closure of outstanding 

internal audit findings

   Audit Committee terms of reference: www.plc.aggreko.com

58 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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The primary areas of judgement considered by the Committee in relation to the  
2019 Annual Report were: 

Area of judgement Contract provisions – Power Solutions Utility (PSU)

Reporting issue
One of the most significant risks facing 
the Group is that of non-payment by 
customers under some of the larger 
contracts in our PSU business. The Group 
policy is to consider each significant 
debtor individually, within its relevant 
context, taking into account a number  
of factors. These factors include, but are 
not limited to, the political and economic 
conditions in the relevant country, the 
duration and quality of our relationship 
with the customer, the age of the 
outstanding debt and the customer’s 
payment profile with us, together with 
any relevant communication exchanges 
with the customer (and other relevant 
stakeholders) throughout the year.

How did the Audit Committee address 
the judgement?
The Committee addressed contract 
provisions by considering accounting 
judgements papers, presented by the 
CFO, at its July 2019, December 2019 and 
February 2020 meetings. These papers 
detailed the latest position of debtors 
outstanding (at the half year and year end 
respectively), including any cash received 
against amounts invoiced during the year 
and post the reporting period end, and 
gave an assessment of the likelihood of 
future receipts. The Committee discussed 
in detail the main changes during the 
period and assessed the adequacy of all 
the provisions. In assessing the adequacy 
of the Group’s overall provision, 
consideration was given as to whether 
it was both sufficient to cover the risks 
identified and also whether it was in 
excess of the risks identified. Historically, 
the Group has experienced a low level 
of bad debt write-offs. However, we do 
operate in countries within our PSU 
business where customer payments are 
more unpredictable and volatile, and 
where political and economic conditions 
mean that there is a risk of default, and 
therefore the Group’s bad debt history 
may not be indicative of potential future 
outcomes.

In forming its view on the appropriateness 
of the Group’s provision against its 
receivables balances the Committee 
noted that PSU cash collections in the 
year were $584 million compared with 
amounts invoiced of $484  million.  The 
Committee also discussed the 16 most 
significant debtors in the PSU business, 
which accounted for 84% (2018: 84%) of 

the total PSU overdue debtor value at  
31 December 2019 (before taking into 
account provisions or payment security/
guarantees).  At 31 December 2019, 87% 
(2018: 86%) of the PSU impairment 
provision related to these top 16 debtors.  
Among these debtors, the Group had a 
net exposure, after taking into account 
provisions or payment securities/
guarantees, of $30-40 million to one 
customer (2018: two customers), a net 
exposure between $20-30 million to one 
customer (2018: four customers), a net 
exposure of $10-20 million to three 
customers (2018: three customers) and  
a net exposure of less than $10 million  
to each of the others.

While the Committee considered all of 
the most significant debtors as detailed 
above, the discussion focused on key 
customers in Venezuela, Yemen and parts 
of Africa, where we continued particularly 
to see delays in payments during the year. 
In Venezuela (where the Committee 
included in its review some outstanding 
balances within the PSI business), we 
raised invoices for $2 million in the year.  
Given the current political uncertainty we 
provided for these invoices in full and also 
recorded a further provision of $1.6 million 
during the year. In line with past practice 
we also marked to market the value of the 
PDVSA private placement notes, which 
resulted in a charge to the income 
statement of $3 million. The Group’s net 
exposure in Venezuela at 31 December 
2019 of $12 million (2018: $17 million) 
reflects a combination of bad debt 
provisions and payment security/
guarantees representing 82% (2018: 78%) 
of the gross debt and accrued income 
together with a 91% (2018: 75%) fair value 
adjustment against the private placement 
notes with PDVSA.

stabilises, we also recognise that there 
is a range of potential outcomes for each, 
both above and below the net exposure.  
Net exposure is defined here as the gross 
debtor value plus accrued revenue, less 
any payment security/guarantees and 
bad debt provision.  

In addition, we continue to monitor 
closely the situation with regard to our 
overdue debtors in Africa, as specifically, 
the customer with whom we have our 
largest net exposure (in the range $30- 40 
million) is within the Africa region. While 
there is no dispute over the amount 
outstanding, we remain in regular 
dialogue with the customer regarding  
the likely process and timing of future 
payments, with one of the customer’s 
primary issues being its access to US 
dollars to settle the debt.  Given the 
ongoing engagement with the customer 
and other key stakeholders, the Group 
does not hold a material provision against 
this debt and, therefore, the likelihood of 
receiving more cash than the net 
exposure is low. Non-payment of this 
particular debt represents one of the 
Group’s key single risks.

KPMG also reported on these contract 
provisions at both the July 2019 and 
February 2020 meetings in the context 
of its half year review and year end audit. 
In addition, the Committee is aware that 
the Executive Committee receives a 
report on contract exposures each month 
and has assessed the Group’s processes 
for calculating and regularly monitoring 
contract risk provisions.

Conclusion and outcome
We concluded that the judgements and 
estimates with respect to the Group’s 
contract provisions were reasonable 
and appropriate.

In Yemen, given the ongoing civil war, the 
Group increased its provision by $7 million 
to provide fully for its legacy debt (pre the 
current conflict). The net exposure 
at December 2019 is $9 million (2018: 
$10 million) and only relates to our current 
trading in Yemen. This net exposure 
position reflects a combination of bad 
debt provisions and payment security/
guarantees representing 71% (2018: 59%) 
of the gross debt and accrued income.

Overall the PSU contract provision 
at 31 December 2019 was $81 million 
(2018: $83 million).  Although the overall 
provision is broadly in line with the 
prior year, reflecting the differing 
circumstances and payment progress 
made by customer, the Group increased 
its provision against specific customers 
in Yemen and Venezuela by $8 million, 
while reducing its provision against other 
customers by $10 million.

While we believe that we remain relatively 
well positioned to recover these net 
exposure amounts when the current 
situation in each of these countries 

More information on our risk profile and 
mitigation for failure to collect payment 
or to recover assets can be found on 
page 36.

Area of judgement Direct and indirect tax positions – Bangladesh

Reporting issue
There is an ongoing dispute in relation 
to a tax assessment in Bangladesh. 
The matter is in court and is expected 
to take many years to resolve. We have 
strong legal opinion which supports 
our case. However, we recognise that 
this is a judgemental issue due to the 
complexities and uncertainties of local 
tax legislation.

How did the Audit Committee address 
the judgement?
The Committee addressed this matter by 
considering update papers tabled by the 
Chief Financial Officer, which included 
reference to updated legal opinions, at 
our meeting in February 2020. These legal 
opinions confirm there have been no 
material developments on either our 
case or other similar cases during the year.

As there have been no further material 
developments, in line with expectations, 
the Audit Committee remains 

comfortable with the approach but 
has specifically requested further 
regular updates.

KPMG reported on this issue at the July 
2019 meeting in the context of the half 
year review and at the February 2020 
meeting in the context of the year-end 
audit.

Conclusion and outcome
We concluded that the judgement 
and approach were reasonable 
and appropriate at this time.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

59

 
 
 
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED

Audit Committee report continued

In addition to the primary areas of 
judgement outlined in the table on the 
previous page, the Committee also paid 
close attention to the following items 
during its assessment of Aggreko’s 
financial reporting:
 → We considered whether there was a 
risk of obsolescence in our fleet due 
to changes in market conditions and 
advances in technology and concluded 
that there were no issues

 → We also reviewed the impact of IFRS 16, 

a new accounting standard which 
applied to the Group from 1 January 
2019. IFRS 16 applies to leases and 
further detail is provided in Note 1 to 
the financial statements

 → We considered the appropriateness of 
carrying a deferred tax asset in respect 
of tax losses in Brazil and our ability 
to use these in the foreseeable future, 
taking into account current forecasts 
and secured long term contracts
 → We reviewed the status of subsidiary 

statutory accounts in overseas 
jurisdictions following the identification 
of control weaknesses in Indonesia
 → We also considered the overall level 

of provisions for uncertain tax matters, 
particularly in respect of historic 
exposure in our Power Solutions 
business

Following completion of the above steps, 
we agreed to recommend the approval 
of the 2019 Annual and Interim Reports 
to the Board.

Main activities of the Audit 
Committee during the year
Financial reporting
During the course of the year, the 
Committee met with the external auditor 
and management as part of the 2019 
Annual and Interim Report approval 
process. We reviewed the draft financial 
statements and considered a number of 
supporting papers, including: information 
presented by management on significant 
accounting judgements to ensure all 
issues raised had been properly dealt 
with; key points of disclosure and 
presentation to ensure adequacy, clarity 
and completeness; external audit reports; 
documentation prepared to support the 
viability statement and going concern 
statements given on pages 37 and 94 
and information presented by 
management on the process 
underpinning the fair, balanced and 
understandable assessment and 
confirmation on page 83.

Fair, balanced and understandable 
reporting 
Aggreko recognises its responsibility 
to present a fair, balanced and 
understandable assessment in all of our 
reporting obligations. This responsibility 
covers the Annual Report and extends to 
the Interim Report and other regulatory 
announcements. At the request of the 
Board, the Committee has considered 
whether, in its opinion, the 2019 
Annual Report is fair, balanced and 
understandable, and whether it 
provides the information necessary 
for shareholders to assess the Group’s 
position, performance, business model 
and strategy.

For the 2019 Annual Report, this process 
included:
 → Review in December 2019 of a 

summary paper on key messages 
and changes from 2018

 → Feedback provided by Committee 
members on a number of drafts 
during January and February 2020
 → Full draft provided to the Committee 
and Board seven days prior to the 
February 2020 meetings to enable 
time for review and comment and 
to provide a final opinion

 → Comprehensive management and 
statutory accounts processes, with 
written confirmations provided by the 
business unit senior management 
teams on the ‘health’ of the financial 
control environment

 → Confirmations provided by the 

business unit senior management 
teams that the Performance Review 
text is a fair reflection of their business 
and performance in 2019

 → A verification process, involving our 

internal audit team, dealing with the 
factual content of the Annual Report
 → A key accounting judgements paper 
covering contract and tax provisions 
for 2019

Following its review, the Committee 
was of the opinion that the 2019 Annual 
Report is representative of the year 
and presents a fair, balanced and 
understandable overview, providing the 
necessary information for shareholders to 
assess the Group’s position, performance, 
business model and strategy.

External auditor
The Committee is responsible for making 
recommendations to the Board in 
relation to the appointment of the 
external auditor. We also approve the 
audit plan, terms of engagement and 
fees, and assess their effectiveness.

Audit plan
KPMG presented its audit plan at the 
July 2019 meeting and an update at 
the December 2019 meeting, setting 
out the scope and objectives of the audit, 
together with an overview of the planned 
approach, an assessment of the Group’s 
risks and controls, proposed areas of audit 
focus and coverage. In setting the audit 
plan, KPMG works with internal audit and 
management at a Group and business 
unit level to identify risk areas for the 
audit to determine where their effort 
should be focused.

KPMG carried out its work using an 
overall materiality of £9.9 million, as stated 
in its report on page 85, and confirmed 
that unadjusted audit differences were 
not material. We also agreed with the 
external auditor that it would inform us 
of any unadjusted misstatements above 
£0.5 million, as well as misstatements 
below this amount that warranted 
reporting for qualitative reasons. 

Tenure
KPMG was appointed by shareholders 
as the Group’s Statutory Auditor in 
2016 following a formal tender process. 
The external audit contract will be put 
out to tender at least every 10 years. 
The Committee recommends the 
appointment of KPMG for 2020. 
We believe the independence and 
objectivity of the external auditor and 
the effectiveness of the audit process 
are safeguarded and strong. The 
Company has complied with the 
Statutory Audit Services Order for 
the financial year under review.

Effectiveness
The Committee met with KPMG 
on a number of occasions without 
management present and the 
Committee Chair also maintained 
regular contact with the audit partner 
throughout the year. This enabled the 
Committee to closely monitor its work, 
ensure independence was maintained 
and a successful external audit of the 
2019 Annual Report was carried out.

We also used an internal questionnaire 
sent in December 2019  to Committee 
members, CFO, Group Functional Heads, 
Business Unit Finance Directors and 
a selection of Business Unit Heads 
of Finance (where a full scope audit 
had been undertaken in the year); 
respondents were asked to rate KPMG’s 
effectiveness in a number of areas, 
including quality of processes, audit team, 
audit scope and communications. Results 
were collated and presented at the 
February 2020 meeting of the Committee 
for discussion. Management concluded 
that both KPMG and its audit processes 
are considered to be effective, and 
that a good working relationship is 
complemented by a sufficiently rigorous 
and challenging audit approach. The 
Committee concurred with this view.

60 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Non-audit services
To safeguard the objectivity and 
independence of the external auditor 
from becoming compromised, the 
Committee has a formal policy governing 
the engagement of the external auditor 
to provide non-audit services. Non-audit 
services are normally limited to 
assignments that are closely related 
to the annual audit or where the work 
is of such a nature that a detailed 
understanding of the Group is necessary. 

Any proposal to use the external auditor 
for non-audit work requires prior approval 
of the CFO and, depending on the 
nature of the service and fee involved, 
authorisation may also be required 
from the Committee Chair or the 
full Committee. 

Non-audit fees are monitored by the 
Committee and this year we were 
satisfied that all non-audit work 
undertaken was in line with our policy 
and did not detract from the objectivity 
and independence of the external 
auditor. The majority of the non-audit 
work carried out by KPMG during the 
year related to the June 2019 Interim 
Review. In 2019, we spent £1,442,000 on 
audit fees (2018: £1,361,000) and £51,000 
on non-audit fees (2018: £46,000); this 
accounted for 4% (2018: 3%) of the overall 
audit fee for the year. Further details of 
the fees paid to the external auditor are 
set out in Note 6 to the Accounts.

The non-audit services policy is available 
on our website: www.plc.aggreko.com

Risk management and internal 
control
The objective of our risk framework is 
to provide the Board, Audit Committee 
and Executive Committee with a useful 
management tool to capture, assess and 
proactively manage the risks we face. 
Our risk management process also 
ensures that we take account of our 
business model and strategy to ensure 
alignment with our risk appetite, 
framework and controls. In turn, this 
enables us to fully comply with the UK 
Corporate Governance Code requirement 
for a viability statement. The process 
is designed to manage rather than 
eliminate risk, and can only provide 
reasonable and not absolute assurance 
against material misstatement or loss.

The Board assumes ultimate 
responsibility for the effective 
management of risk across the Group, 
determining our risk appetite as well 
as ensuring that each business unit 
implements appropriate internal controls. 
The Board has delegated responsibility 
for oversight of risk management to 
the Committee. 

The Committee provides oversight by 
reviewing the effectiveness of the Group’s 
systems for risk management, internal 
control and financial reporting. In 2019, 
we worked closely with the Group Risk 
Committee, receiving regular reports 
which enabled us to review and 
challenge the risk management 
framework, review the effectiveness of 
the control environment and approve the 
methodology for the viability statement.

The Committee also maintains a 
programme of in-depth review into 
specific financial, operational and 
regulatory areas of the business. These 
reviews are critical to the role of the 
Committee, as they allow us to meet key 
members of the management team and 
provide independent challenge to their 
activities. Agenda items in 2019 included: 
 → Reviewing our cyber security 
arrangements with the Chief 
Information Officer and Director of IT 
Operations and Security to understand 
progress against our security 
programme, the results of a detailed 
review of our microgrid and storage 
solution product portfolio, an update 
on the external threat landscape and 
actions for 2020

 → Receiving a detailed presentation on 
the management of financial risk in 
our Rental Solutions business, focusing 
on the capabilities of the finance 
leadership team, the status of statutory 
account filings, outstanding internal 
audit actions and the results of the 
financial control checklist

 → Receiving a detailed presentation on 
the internal control environment in 
place to protect the business from 
material risks identified. Management 
is responsible for establishing and 
maintaining adequate internal controls 
over financial reporting and the 
Committee has responsibility for 
ensuring the effectiveness of those 
controls. In 2019, the Committee 
continued to receive assurance that 
financial controls were in place for 
items on the Group Risk Register
 → Receiving an update on various 

balance sheet controls issues identified 
by management in Eurasia as part of 
its year end close process. All issues 
raised have now been addressed, 
including the appointment of a new 
Head of Finance for the region.

The Committee has completed its 
review of the effectiveness of the Group’s 
system of internal control, including risk 
management, during the year and 
up to the date of this Annual Report in 
accordance with the requirements of the 
Guidance on Risk Management, Internal 
Control and related Financial and 
Business Reporting published by the 
FRC. Beyond the issues identified in 
Eurasia, as noted above, the Committee 
confirms that no significant failings or 

weaknesses were identified in the review 
for the 2019 financial year and allowed us 
to provide positive assurance to the Board 
to assist it in making the statements 
required by the UK Corporate Governance 
Code. Where areas for improvement  
were identified, processes are in place to 
ensure that the necessary action is taken 
and that progress is monitored. 

Viability statement
The Committee reviewed management’s 
work in conducting a robust assessment 
of those risks which could threaten  
our business model and the future 
performance or liquidity of Aggreko, 
including our resilience to the threats 
of viability posed by those risks in severe 
but plausible scenarios. This assessment 
included stress and sensitivity analyses 
of these risks to enable us to evaluate 
the impact of a severe but plausible 
combination of risks. We then considered 
whether additional financing would be 
required in such eventualities. We also 
considered the review period and 
alignment with the Group’s strategic 
plans and internal long-term forecasts. 
Based on this analysis, we recommended 
to the Board that it could approve the 
viability statement included on page 37.

Internal audit
Monitoring and review of the scope, 
extent and effectiveness of the activity 
of internal audit is an agenda item at 
each Committee meeting. We approve 
the annual audit plan prior to the start of 
each financial year and receive a detailed 
report from the Group Internal Audit 
Director on audit activities, audit results 
and remedial actions at each meeting. 
The audit plan is risk-based and includes 
themed reviews based on an assessment 
of the strategic risks faced by the Group 
along with cyclical coverage of key 
business processes and locations. 
We also specifically followed up on 
a selection of areas where audit actions 
were outstanding to ensure that 
the overall control environment 
was still adequate.

The Committee assessed the 
effectiveness of the internal audit 
function by reviewing its reports, progress 
against the 2019 plan and meeting with 
the Director of Internal Audit without 
management being present. We also 
utilised a third-party risk assessment 
tool to verify the results of our own 
assessment and agreed the three-year 
Strategic Plan and Group Internal Audit 
Charter. Although the review found 
internal audit to be effective, the following 
actions were agreed for 2020: greater 
use of technology to improve planning, 
resourcing and data quality; and, 
sharing of best practice within the 
Group’s online community.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

61

 
 
 
Introduction by Barbara 
Jeremiah, Remuneration 
Committee Chair

Dear shareholders
On behalf of the Board and the 
Remuneration Committee, I am pleased 
to present to you our Remuneration 
Committee report for 2019. Following 
extensive consultation with our largest 
shareholders and representative bodies, 
Aggreko introduced our current 
remuneration policy in 2018, so 2019 
was its second year of adoption. 

No changes are proposed to the 
remuneration policy approved at the 
2018 AGM. This report includes both  
my annual statement and our annual 
report on remuneration. For ease of 
reference, we include a summary of  
the key elements of our remuneration 
policy with the full policy available in  
the 2017 report. The annual report on 
remuneration and this annual statement 
will be subject to an advisory vote at  
our AGM on 23 April 2020.

Annual remuneration statement 
page 62

Annual report on remuneration 
page 67

2018 remuneration policy summary 
page 75

REMUNERATION

Remuneration  
Committee report

The principal role of the Remuneration Committee 
is to determine the remuneration for Executive 
Directors and Executive Committee members.  
We also oversee Aggreko’s overall remuneration 
policy and practice for the wider workforce. 

Barbara Jeremiah 
Remuneration Committee Chair

Attendance in 2019

Members in 2019

Position

Barbara Jeremiah
Ken Hanna
Uwe Krueger
Ian Marchant

Committee Chair
Company Chairman
Senior Independent Director
Non-executive Director

Meetings attended/No. of meetings 
eligible to attend 

4/4
4/4
4/4
4/4

Areas of activity in 2019
 → Determined outcomes for the 2018 
Annual Bonus for financial and 
personal/strategic objectives

 → Set targets for the 2019 Long-term 
Incentive Plan (LTIP) and Annual 
Bonus Plan, both financial and 
personal/strategic objectives 

 → Approved awards under the 2019 LTIP
 → Ensured compliance with the revised 
FRC UK Corporate Governance Code 
in respect of remuneration

Areas of focus for 2020
 → Determine outcomes for the 2019 
Annual Bonus for financial and 
personal/strategic objectives

 → Set targets for the 2020 Annual Bonus 

Plan, both financial and personal/
strategic objectives

 → Review the financial performance 

measures for the LTIP to ensure that 
they continue to be aligned with the 
Group’s strategy for growth

 → Approve awards under the 2020 LTIP
 → Consult with shareholders on the  
2021 remuneration policy renewal

 → Ensure continued compliance  

with the revised FRC UK Corporate 
Governance Code in respect of 
remuneration

  Remuneration Committee terms of reference: www.plc.aggreko.com

62 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Our remuneration policy
The aim of our remuneration policy  
is to ensure that executive incentives  
are aligned with Group strategy and 
performance with, for example, a 
continued focus on reducing working 
capital, while investing in new technology 
to reduce the cost of energy and its 
environmental impact, leading to a 
reduced level of net operating assets  
and further improvement in ROCE.  
Our policy also ensures alignment with 
the shareholders of the Company with 
deferral of a portion of annual bonuses 
into shares.
Our reward package for Executive 
Directors is structured such that:
 → The fixed element of pay – salary, 
pension and benefits – is set at an 
appropriate level by reference to the 
talent markets in which we operate
 → The majority of executive remuneration 
is linked to Aggreko’s performance, 
with a heavier weighting on long-term 
performance than on short-term 
performance

 → The remuneration packages reward a 
balanced portfolio of measures which 
are designed to reflect our goal of 
delivering sustainable profit growth 
over the long term. We plan to achieve 
this by focusing on our four business 
priorities of customer focus, technology 
investment, capital efficiency and 
expert people 

 → The Committee is regularly appraised 
of developments in the market more 
widely. The Committee plans to 
commence work on the next policy 
renewal (due to be presented to 
shareholders at the 2021 AGM) in the 
summer of 2020 and will consult with 
our largest shareholders and their 
representative bodies as part of that 
process. Without pre-empting the 
outcome of that review, it envisages full 
consideration of such developments in 
market practice and implementation 
of any changes as appropriate. 

Full details are set out on page 64

Summary of 2019 performance 
outcomes
The Committee set challenging targets 
for 2019 and we have reported strong 
profit and cashflow growth. Both Chris 
Weston, Chief Executive Officer and 
Heath Drewett, Chief Financial Officer 
earned a total annual bonus for 2019  
of 71.54% of salary (54.04% related to 
financial objectives and 17.5% to personal/
strategic objectives). For both Executive 
Directors this was out of a maximum 
175% of salary. Chris and Heath have 
made good progress on the challenging 
financial performance targets set and  
will receive a payment of 38.60% of the 
maximum available for the financial 
element as set out on page 68.

Chris and Heath shared a single personal/
strategic objective relating to capital 
efficiency and ROCE targets were set at 
the beginning of 2019. At the end of the 
year, following a review of the strong 
business performance and full year 
progress on capital employed, the 
Committee decided that the original 
budget presented by management  
was the appropriate measure for ROCE 
improvement and this remained 
consistent with the calculation of the 
financial objective (D-EPS) and the 
capital efficiency measure for the rest  
of the organisation. This involved the 
technical exercise of discretion as the 
Committee initially set a ROCE scale 
which was higher than the agreed plan.
25% of the total bonus is deferred in 
Aggreko shares for three years.

Full details of the performance 
outcomes for the annual bonus  
are set out on pages 67 and 68

LTIP awards granted in June 2017 did not 
meet the performance targets, so these 
awards will lapse in full.

Full details are set out on page 68

All of these outcomes reflected the 
operation of our incentive programme 
formulas without the exercise of any 
discretion by the Committee other than 
the personal/strategic objective where  
an on-target payout was deemed valid. 
All outcomes were felt to reflect an 
appropriate recognition for the year’s 
performance.

Implementation of the policy 
for 2020 
The annual bonus for 2020 for the 
Executive Directors will operate on the 
same basis as in 2019, with financial 
performance – measured against D-EPS 
– accounting for 80% of total opportunity 
and the remaining 20% measured 
against personal/strategic objectives. 
Further details can be found on page 65.
Awards under the LTIP will be made at 
the same level as the previous year – 
250% of salary. The LTIP is designed to 
align the interests of management with 
those of shareholders in growing the 
value of the business over the long-term. 
In line with our policy, performance 
conditions are reviewed annually to 
ensure they remain appropriate and 
aligned with shareholder interests.  
The awards will again be subject 50%  
to EPS (5-12% CAGR on an aggregate 
measurement basis) and 50% to ROCE. 
The ROCE range of 13-18% (final year 
measurement basis) has, consistent with 
the policy approved in 2018, been set in 
line with the aspirations of our business 
performance over the next three years, 
which we look forward to updating you 
on later in the year. Further details can  
be found on page 65.

Salary review – in December 2019 the 
Committee undertook a detailed review 
of the salaries of our Executive Directors. 
Neither Executive Director has received  
a salary increase since joining Aggreko  
(in January 2015 in the case of the  
Chief Executive Officer, Chris Weston). 
Following this review the Committee  
has agreed to increase the salaries of 
Chris Weston and Heath Drewett, Chief 
Financial Officer, by 2%. The increases 
became effective on 1 January 2020 and 
are in line with the budgeted level set  
for the wider UK workforce in 2020.  
The salaries of both these Executives  
will be reviewed again in December 2020, 
to take effect from January 2021. 

Corporate Governance Code 
changes
In response to the introduction of the 
new Corporate Governance Code from 
January 2019, the Committee’s remit  
has been widened to include oversight  
of all-colleague remuneration and the 
Committee has received reports on  
such practices. The Committee considers 
that the objective of encouraging 
shareholdings beyond cessation  
is met through the combination of 
holding periods and bonus deferral.  
It will consider the adoption of more 
formal post-cessation share ownership 
guidelines as part of the 2021 policy 
renewal.
The 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code 
states ‘The pension rates for Executive 
Directors or payments in lieu, should be 
aligned with those available to the 
workforce.’ The Committee notes that 
shareholders have endorsed this change. 
Thus, while this will also be considered 
fully as part of the policy renewal, we 
confirm that any new Executive Director 
will be appointed with an allowance set  
at a rate when expressed as a percentage 
of salary no higher than the rate available 
to the majority of colleagues either in  
the UK or in the jurisdiction in which the 
executive resides. The rate for the majority 
of the UK workforce is currently 9% (but 
subject to periodic review). The rate for 
Chris Weston has been reduced for 2020 
from 30% of salary to 24%. Both Chris 
Weston’s rate and Heath Drewett’s rate 
(currently 20%) will reduce to the rate 
applicable to the UK workforce generally 
with effect from 1 January 2023.

In conclusion
I welcome any shareholder feedback 
in the meantime and hope you will 
continue to be supportive of the 
implementation of our policy in 2020.
Yours sincerely

Barbara Jeremiah
Remuneration Committee Chair

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

63

 
 
 
 
REMUNERATION CONTINUED

Our remuneration at a glance

Summary of 2019 remuneration
Our aim
The aim of Aggreko’s remuneration policy is to reward executives for delivering long-term value to our shareholders.

The following table summarises how the policy was applied in 2019 and the components making up the reported single  
figure on page 67.

Element of 
remuneration

Salary

How the policy works

To pay at an appropriate level in the talent 
market(s) relevant to each individual 
Cap of £900,000

How it was  
implemented in 2019

No increase in 2019

Benefits

To provide market normal benefits 
Not expected to exceed 20% of salary

Market-competitive insured 
benefits and company car 
allowance

Total single figure  
(% change from 2018)

CEO 

CFO

£750,000  
(0%)

£460,000  
(0%)

£27,175  
(3.2%)1

£19,342  
(3%)1

30% of salary cash supplement for 
the CEO and 20% for the CFO

£225,000  
(0%)

£92,000  
(0%)

Pension

Annual  
bonus

Defined contribution and/or cash in lieu 
Between 20% and 30% of salary  
(with no more than 20% for new hires)2

Reward for delivery of annual targets
Cap of 175% for Executive Directors
75% paid in cash, 25% deferred into  
shares for three years

D-EPS 80% weighting
Personal objectives 20%  
weighting

Long-term 
incentives

2019 LTIP grant subject to pre-vest 
performance conditions over three years 
50% subject to D-EPS
50% subject to ROCE
Legacy awards continue on their terms

2017 LTIP award: subject to 
continued service, due to vest  
in June 20203
D-EPS 0% vesting
ROCE 0% vesting

Total

40.88% of 
maximum 
(see page 67)
£536,550 (-17.6%)

40.88% of 
maximum 
(see page 67)
£329,084 (-19.2%)

0% of maximum 
(see page 68)
£0 (0%)

n/a

£1,538,725
(-7.2%)

£900,426
(-8.3%)4

1  Any change in reported value reflects the cost of provisions rather than a change in the level of benefits. 

2   The rate for Chris Weston has been reduced for 2020 from 30% of salary to 24%.

3  The 2017 LTIP award which is due to vest in June 2020 is subject to performance conditions over three years, ending on 31 December 2019, with 75% of the award  

subject to D-EPS and 25% of the award subject to ROCE. These awards were granted under our previous remuneration policy.

4   Heath Drewett’s total single figure for 2018 included buy-out awards and buy-out payments. These have been excluded from the percentage change calculation.

Executive Directors’ remuneration scenarios

Chris Weston
Chief Executive Officer

Heath Drewett
Chief Financial Officer

2019 Actual

2019 On target

2019 Actual

2019 On target

Key: 

 Fixed pay 

 Bonus 

 LTIP

£1,002,175

£536,550

Total: £1,538,725

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

£1,002,175

£656,250

£468,750

Total: £2,127,175

£571,342

£329,084

£571,342

£402,500 £287,500

Total: £900,426

Total: £1,261,342

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

64 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Implementation of remuneration policy in 2020 
The Committee intends to implement the remuneration policy 
in 2020 as follows:

Base salaries 
Chris Weston and Heath Drewett’s base salaries were reviewed 
by the Committee in December 2019; an increase of 2% was 
agreed. The increases became effective on 1 January 2020  
and are in line with the budgeted level set for the wider UK 
workforce in 2020. The Committee intends to confirm in  
the new policy to be presented to shareholders in 2021 that 
Executive Directors’ salary increases will normally be consistent 
with the level of increase set for the wider workforce. 

The base salaries for Executive Directors as at 1 January 2020 
and 1 January 2019 were as follows:

Executive  
Director

Chris Weston 

Heath Drewett

Position

Chief Executive  
Officer 
Chief Financial  
Officer

1 January  
2020 
£

Increase1  
%

1 January  
2019 
£

765,000

2 750,000

469,200

2 460,000

1   The average increase across the Group for 2019 was 4.1%. 

Pensions and benefits
Pensions and benefits will continue in line with policy. Any new 
Executive Director’s allowance would be set at a rate (when 
expressed as a percentage of salary) no higher than the rate 
available to the majority of colleagues either in the UK or in  
the jurisdiction in which the executive resides – currently 9% for 
the majority of the UK workforce. The Committee has elected  
to begin this transition for the incumbent Chief Executive 
Officer in 2020 rather than deferring any action until 2023.  
The rate for Chris Weston has been reduced for 2020 from  
30% of salary to 24%. Heath Drewett’s rate is currently 20%. 

Annual bonus
The Committee set annual bonus targets for the Executive 
Directors on the same basis as in prior years as follows:

Executive Director

Chris Weston 
Heath Drewett

D-EPS growth

Personal 
objectives

Total max 
bonus  
% salary

Max bonus  
% salary

On-budget 
bonus  
% salary

Max bonus  
% salary

175
175

140
140

70
70

35
35

The personal objectives were set individually for each Director. 
All include agreed outcomes for set strategic objectives specific 
to their role.

Consistent with the Corporate Governance Code, the 
Committee has appropriate discretion to adjust any  
formulaic result if it concludes that it is not appropriate  
in all the circumstances. 

We do not disclose full details of the personal/strategic 
objectives for the Executive Directors or the financial targets  
in this report, as we consider them to be commercially sensitive. 
It is, however, our intention to disclose retrospectively these 
targets in next year’s annual report on remuneration. 

Long-term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
The Committee approved the grant of 2020 LTIP awards to 
Executive Directors with a face value of 250% of salary with the 
same EPS performance target as the 2019 awards – 50% EPS  
of 5–12% CAGR per annum (aggregate measurement basis). 
However, the ROCE performance target will be revised to be  
in line with our assessment of the range of performance 
acceptable for the business for the next three years taking  
into account all facets of our business – 50% ROCE of 13–18% 
(final year measurement).

Awards are expected to be granted in March 2020. 

As with the annual bonus, consistent with the Corporate 
Governance Code, the Committee has appropriate discretion  
to adjust any formulaic result if it concludes that it is not 
appropriate in all the circumstances.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

65

 
 
 
REMUNERATION CONTINUED

Remuneration in context

How our remuneration policy relates  
to reward in the wider employee context
The Committee has clear line of sight and oversight of workforce 
remuneration and related policies when setting policies of 
Executive Director remuneration and to enable it to advise the 
Board whether Company policies and practices support culture 
and strategy. The Group HR Director and Group Director of 
Reward support the Committee in this and at the July meeting 
of the Committee provided an overview of annual pay in 
Aggreko. Throughout the year, the Committee reviews the 
frameworks and budgets for key components of the wider 
workforce remuneration, together with the broader structure  
of Group bonus arrangements; which ensures appropriate 
alignment with executive pay arrangements. The Committee,  
as members of the Board, has oversight of the quarterly  
Be Heard surveys and direct engagement with the workforce 
through focus groups and team meetings. 

Employee engagement 
Share ownership – employees in a number of countries in 
which we operate are offered the opportunity to participate  
in our Sharesave plan – nearly 70% of our workforce. 
Pay and bonus budgets – the Committee notes the total 
budgeted salary and bonus expenditure for all Aggreko 
employees, ensuring reward principles are aligned throughout 
the business.
Direct engagement with our people – we will communicate a 
link to the 2019 Annual Report through our “Orange Segments” 
all-employee communication vehicle. Employees will be invited 
to comment or ask questions through Orange Segments.

Chief Executive Officer’s pay ratio
The table below discloses the ratio of CEO pay for 2019 and has 
been calculated using the statutory method A approach – the 
general preference of institutional shareholders.

CEO 
£

n/a

25th  
percentile  
ratio

50th 
percentile  
ratio

75th  
percentile  
ratio

44 : 1

30 : 1

21 : 1

£1,538,725
£750,000

£34,875
£27,591

£50,513
£44,521

£72,890
£59,876

CEO pay ratio
Total pay and 
benefits
Base salary

Consistent with practice elsewhere, executives have a greater 
proportion of their overall pay subject to performance than 
other staff. Accordingly, the ratio may prove volatile. For the 
delivery of an on-target bonus and LTIP vesting (even ignoring 
share price appreciation) the median ratio would have been 41. 

Percentage change in remuneration of CEO
The table below shows the change in remuneration of the  
Chief Executive Officer in comparison with the average change 
in remuneration of employees within the Group central 
functions over that period.

Salary/fees
Benefits
Bonus

Percentage  
change for 
CEO

Percentage change 
for Group central 
functions

0
3.2
-17.6

4.0
10.5
-21.8

The comparator group relates to the employees within the 
Group central functions in the UK, rather than all Group 
employees. As in the previous year, we have chosen this group 
because the Committee believes that it provides a sufficiently 
large comparator group to give a reasonable understanding  
of underlying increases, while reducing the distortion that 
would arise from including all of the many countries in which 
the Group operates, with their different economic conditions. 

Gender pay gap
In line with government requirements, we have published our 
gender pay gap statistics as at 5 April 2019 and the reported 
data is available on our website.
Our gender pay numbers this year show some improvement 
from last year, and globally we have seen a small increase in the 
proportion of senior women in the workforce. As these numbers 
can be sensitive to quite small changes in our workforce profile, 
we have clear plans and priorities to take us forward.
The focus in 2019 has been on building awareness and capability 
among our most senior leaders so that they can take the 
necessary action to build an inclusive culture in their teams  
to ensure that Aggreko can support everyone in fulfilling  
their potential. For 2020, we plan to continue to share our 
commitment to inclusion and collaboration, rolling out a 
leadership framework that incorporates inclusion as a key 
component of leadership capability and effectiveness and 
developing a set of actions and an integrated roadmap  
to promote a culture of inclusion and collaboration. 

For 2020
During the coming year, the Committee will be developing a 
new remuneration policy for 2021. Consistent with the widening 
of its remit, the Committee will also review arrangements which 
extend beyond the Executive Directors and Executive 
Committee members.
In the following section of our report we explain how we have 
implemented Aggreko’s remuneration policy during 2019.  
The policy in place for the year was the one which was approved 
by shareholders at Aggreko’s 2018 Annual General Meeting,  
a summary of which is set out on pages 75 to 77.
The full policy is available on the Company’s website:  
www.plc.aggreko.com

66 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Annual report on remuneration

Single total figure of remuneration – Executive Directors (audited)
The table below sets out a single figure for the total remuneration received by each Executive Director for the years  
ended 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2018.

Executive Director

Chris Weston

Chris Weston
Heath Drewett
Heath Drewett1
2019 Total

2018 Total

 Year

2019 

2018
2019

2018

Base  
salary  
£

750,000

750,000
460,000

458,820
1,210,000

1,208,820

Benefits  
£

27,175

26,324
19,342

18,784
46,517

Annual  
bonus  
£

536,550

651,000
329,084

407,100
865,634

45,108

1,058,100

LTIP  
£

Sharesave 
£

Pension  
£

Other  
£

Total  
£

–

–
–

–
–

–

–

225,000

5,612
–

5,612
–

11,224

225,000
92,000

92,000
317,000

317,000

–

–
–

984,417
–

1,538,725

1,657,936
900,426

1,966,733
2,439,151

984,417

3,624,669

1  Heath Drewett’s remuneration for 2018 is from date of appointment, 3 January 2018. 

The figures have been calculated as follows:
 → Base salary: amount earned for the year. 
 → Benefits: the taxable value of benefits received in the year. See Benefits below.
 → Annual bonus: the total bonus earned on performance during the year. See Annual bonus scheme below.
 → No LTIPs vested in relation to the 2019 final performance.
 → Sharesave: the value is based on the market price of an Aggreko share on the date of grant, less the option price, multiplied  

by the number of options.

 → Pension: the amount of any Company pension contributions and cash in lieu. Chris Weston and Heath Drewett both received 

payment entirely in cash.

Total aggregate emoluments for Executive and Non-executive Directors were £3.16 million in 2019.

Additional disclosures in respect of the single total figure of remuneration table 
Benefits
Chris Weston and Heath Drewett received healthcare benefits, life assurance cover, income protection, accident insurance  
and a car allowance. 

The following table shows those benefits that the Committee considers significant:

Executive Director

Chris Weston
Heath Drewett

Annual bonus scheme

Car/fuel  
£

12,000
12,000

Other 

£

15,175
7,342

Total  
£

27,175
19,342

Base  
salary

Maximum 
incentive  
(% of salary)

Financial 
performance 
metrics  
(80%)

Personal 
objectives  
(20%)

Annual bonus 
outcome

Cash  
(75%)

Deferred 
shares  
(25%)

The table below sets out the total bonus entitlement for 2019: 

Executive Director

Chris Weston
Heath Drewett

Total max bonus  
% salary

Max bonus 
% salary

175
175

140
140

Outcome  
% salary

54.04
54.04

Max bonus  
% salary

Outcome 
% salary

35
35

17.5
17.5

% salary

71.54
71.54

£

536,550
329,084

D-EPS growth

Personal objectives

Total payable1

1   The total bonus includes the 25% deferred shares element.

The maximum bonus opportunity for 2019 for both Executive Directors was 175% of salary.

Bonus payments are payable as 75% in cash and 25% deferred into shares for three years. The Committee has discretion to  
reduce the number of shares that can vest in the event of gross misconduct, material misstatement of the accounts or any  
other circumstances or events that arise which the Committee considers to be sufficiently exceptional to justify the operation  
of malus/clawback.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

67

 
 
 
REMUNERATION CONTINUED

Annual report on remuneration continued

The targets under the 2019 annual bonus scheme were based 80% on financial performance measures set against the annual 
budget at the start of the year and 20% against personal/strategic objectives. 

Financial performance measures
The financial objectives for the Chief Executive Officer (Chris Weston) and Chief Financial Officer (Heath Drewett) were measured 
against D-EPS.
For the financial measure, they start to earn a bonus at threshold performance, calculated as a percentage below budget, 
increasing to half of the maximum that could be earned under that element at budget, on a straight-line basis in between.  
The bonus then increases on a straight-line basis to the maximum, calculated as a percentage above budget. 
The table below shows the performance against budget of the financial performance measure used for calculating the annual 
bonus for 2019:
Measure

Maximum

Threshold

Outcome

Budget

D-EPS1

48.0p

95

50.5p

55.6p

110

49.9p1

% budget

% budget

% budget

98.86

% maximum  
earned

38.60

1   As provided for under the plan, the reported D-EPS has been adjusted to a constant currency basis.

Personal/strategic performance measures
Capital efficiency was a key priority for Aggreko in 2019. Chris Weston and Heath Drewett shared a single personal/strategic 
objective relating to capital efficiency – to improve Group ROCE. Against this personal objective they could achieve the  
maximum bonus entitlement of 35% of salary, 17.5% at target.
The Committee reviewed performance against this measure and the table below shows the Committee’s assessment  
of the personal/strategic performance measure used for calculating the annual bonus for 2019:

Weighting (% total bonus) 20%

Metric

ROCE
Chosen to reflect strategic focus on capital efficiency

Target and assessment

Target range from 11.2% (budget) to 11.8% (ROCE measured using the average of 3 in-year data points)
All outcomes to be subject to post year qualitative assessment by the Committee of in-year 
performance and full year progress on capital efficiency

11.2% ROCE (based on average of 3 in-year data points)
Following year end, the scale was re-aligned to the original budget. The Committee reviewed  
the decision to approve a payout in line with the original budget metrics with the entire Board  
and the Committee exercised its discretion accordingly. This resulted in an on-target outcome.  
This is consistent with the use of the ROCE metric in Aggreko’s bonus plans generally for the  
wider workforce. 
17.5%

Outcome
% salary payable

An explanation of the Committee’s review of performance is detailed in the Committee Chair’s letter on page 63.

Long-term Incentive Plan (LTIP)

No. of  
awards 
granted

D-EPS 
performance 
(75%)

ROCE 
performance 
(25%)

Share  
price on  
vesting

LTIP  
outcome

The performance criteria for the LTIP awards granted in 2017 were as follows:
 → 75% of the award is based on three-year cumulative D-EPS as compared with three-year compound growth in real terms 

(RPI-adjusted). No performance shares will be awarded against this element if performance is below an equivalent of RPI+3%  
per annum growth. Awards will then start to vest above that level and will increase on a straight-line basis to a maximum at  
an equivalent of RPI+15% per annum growth 

 → 25% of the award is based on average ROCE over the three-year performance period in a range of 20% to 25%. No performance 
shares will be awarded against this element if performance is less than 20% and awards will increase on a straight-line basis  
to the maximum at 25% ROCE

 → The performance period for the 2017 LTIP awards ended on 31 December 2019. Over the three-year period:

 – Aggreko’s aggregate D-EPS was 145.3 pence. Since the threshold of growth of RPI+3% was not achieved, no shares will  

vest under this performance measure

 – Aggreko’s actual average ROCE for the period was 10.7%. Since this was less than the threshold of 20%, no shares will  

vest under this performance measure

As a result, all 2017 LTIP awards lapsed in full.

68 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Share awards granted in 2019 (audited)

Base  
salary

Maximum 
incentive  
(% of salary)

Share  
price at  
grant

No. of  
awards  
granted

This simply determines the size of the grant. Whether the award ultimately delivers value will depend on the extent to which the performance targets are met over the 
following three years (and to which a further two-year holding period is met).

In April 2019, Chris Weston and Heath Drewett were granted awards of shares under the LTIP, with a value equivalent to 250% 
of salary. The three-year performance period over which D-EPS will be measured began on 1 January 2019 and will end on 
31 December 2021. ROCE will be measured on a final year basis – in 2021. None of the awards granted under the LTIP are eligible 
to vest until 1 April 2022.

The performance criteria for the LTIP awards granted in 2019 are as follows:
 → 50% of the award is based on three-year cumulative EPS. No performance shares will be awarded against this element if 
performance is below an equivalent of 5% per annum growth. If performance is equivalent to 5% per annum growth, 25% 
of the award will vest. Vesting will increase on a straight-line basis to a maximum at an equivalent of 12% per annum growth
 → 50% of the award is based on final year ROCE (2021) in a range of 15% to 22%. No performance shares will be awarded against 
this element if performance is less than 15%. If performance is equivalent to 15% ROCE, 25% of the award will vest and awards 
will increase on a straight-line basis to the maximum at 22% ROCE

Shares which vest will be subject to a further holding period of two years in accordance with the rules of the LTIP.

In addition, 25% of the 2018 bonus payments for Chris Weston and Heath Drewett were deferred into shares under the Deferred 
Share Bonus Plan (DSBP). These shares will be released three years from the date of grant.

The table below shows details of interests awarded to Executive Directors during 2019:

Executive Director

Chris Weston
Heath Drewett

LTIP

Face value1
£

1,874,997
1,150,000

% vesting on 
minimum 
performance

25
25

Shares

242,561
148,771

DSBP

Face value2
£

162,747
101,773

% vesting on 
minimum 
performance

100
100

Shares

21,054
13,166

1   Face value of LTIP is the maximum number of shares that would vest if all performance targets are met multiplied by the average market price of Aggreko shares over the 

five business days prior to the date of grant of 1 April 2019, which was used to determine the number of shares awarded, being 773 pence.

2   Face value of DSBP is the number of shares awarded on 1 April 2019 multiplied by the average market price of Aggreko shares over the five business days prior to the date  

of grant which was used to determine the number of shares awarded, being 773 pence.

3  Both awards will further increase to reflect the value of any dividends paid over the vesting period.

Executive Directors’ shareholdings (audited) 
As at 31 December 2019, the shareholdings of the Executive Directors were as follows:

Director

Chris Weston
Heath Drewett

(A)  
Shares  
owned  
outright1

83,788
–

(B)  
Shares  
held subject  
to deferral

Shares held 
subject to 
performance 
conditions2

Options  
held not subject 
to performance 
conditions3

Shareholding 
guidelines  
% salary

Shares counting 
towards 
guidelines  
(A + B)

Current 
shareholding  
% salary4

51,163
42,936

759,776
395,400

2,727
2,727

250
250

134,951
42,936

150
78

1  This includes shares held by connected persons.

2  Shares held subject to performance comprise LTIP awards over shares.

3  Options held under the Sharesave Plan.

4  Percentage is calculated using a share price of 832.6 pence as at 31 December 2019. Under the Company’s share ownership guidelines, Executive Directors have a period  

of five years to achieve the shareholding guideline of not less than 250% of base salary.

Departing executives only receive deferred share awards at the normal time of maturity so are required to maintain some level 
of ownership post-cessation.

There have been no changes in the Executive Directors’ interests in Ordinary Shares between 31 December 2019 and 3 March 2020.

Chris Weston and Heath Drewett, as employees of the Company, have an interest in the holdings of the Aggreko Employee  
Benefit Trust (EBT) as potential beneficiaries. The EBT is a trust established to distribute shares to employees of the Company  
and its subsidiaries in satisfaction of awards granted under the Aggreko Long-term Incentive Plans and Sharesave Schemes. 
At 31 December 2019, the trustees of the EBT held a total of 1,611,875 Aggreko plc Ordinary Shares and the holding at the date  
of this report is 1,554,060. The dividend has been waived on these shares. All Aggreko share plans are settled through the use 
of market purchase shares so the Company has not utilised any of its available dilution limits.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

69

 
 
 
REMUNERATION CONTINUED

Annual report on remuneration continued

Share awards and share options
The table below shows details of share awards or options over Ordinary Shares in the Company pursuant to the Company’s share-
based incentive plans for Executive Directors who were in office for any part of the 2019 financial year. Details of awards and options 
granted to Executive Directors in 2019 under these plans are also included on page 69.

Options/ 
awards 
granted  
during  
year

Options/ 
awards 
exercised/
vesting  
during  
year

Options/ 
awards  
lapsing  
during  
year

At  
31 December 
2019

Market  
price at  
date  
awards  
granted 
(pence)4

Exercise  
price – 
options  
(pence)

As at  
1 January  
2019

Chris Weston
LTIP1

2016
2017
2018
2019
DSBP2

2017
2018
2019
Sharesave

2015
2018

Heath Drewett
LTIP1

2018
2019
DSBP2

2019
Restricted stock 
agreements3

2018
2018
Sharesave

2018

209,302
260,718
256,497
–

5,569
24,540
–

2,168
2,727

–
–
–
242,561

–
–
21,054

–
–

157,318
–

–
148,771

–

13,166

29,770
89,311

2,727

–
–

–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–

–
–

–
–

–

–
–

–

209,302
–
–
–

–
260,718
256,497
242,561

–
–
–

5,569
24,540
21,054

1,075
863
731
773

909
735
773

Normal  
vesting date/ 
exercise period

May 2019
June 2020
May 2021
April 2022

March 2020
March 2021
April 2022

2,168
–

–
2,727

1,027
865.8

830
660

January – June 2019
January – June 2022

–
–

–

–
–

–

157,318
148,771

13,166

731
773

773

29,770
89,311

724.6
724.6

May 2021
April 2022

April 2022

August 2020
April 2021

2,727

865.8

660

January – June 2022

1   All LTIPs have performance periods of three financial years commencing with the financial year in which the award is granted.

2   Awards under the Deferred Share Bonus Plan (DSBP) are not subject to any performance conditions other than continued employment on the vesting date.

3   Restricted stock agreements – conditional share awards were granted under our restricted stock agreements on 3 May 2018 to compensate Heath Drewett for the forfeiture 

of variable awards from his previous employment as explained on page 80 of our Annual Report 2017.

4   Market price at date awards granted is the average market price of an Aggreko share over the five business days prior to the date of grant for the LTIP and DSBP awards 
(which was used to determine the number of shares awarded). Market price for Sharesave is the market price on the date of grant. For the awards granted under the 
restricted stock agreements market price is the share price on date of grant, being 3 May 2018.

Arrangements with past Directors (audited)
Exit payments
There were no exit payments during the year.

70 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Relative importance of spend on pay
The chart below shows Aggreko’s profit after tax, dividend and total employee pay for the financial years ended 31 December 2018 
and 31 December 2019, and the percentage change.

Profit after tax £m
2018
+3.2%

Dividend £m
2018
+2.9%

Total employee pay £m
2018
+1.2%

2019

2018

£129m

£125m

2019

2018

0

28

56

84

112

140

0

20

40

£71m

£69m

60

2019

2018

£427m

£422m

80

100

0

100

200

300

400

500

Dividends are the interim and final dividends paid in respect of the financial year ended 31 December 2018 and the interim 
dividend paid and the final dividend recommended in respect of the financial year ended 31 December 2019.

Comparison of Company performance
The graph below shows the value, at 31 December 2019, of £100 invested in Aggreko’s shares on 31 December 2009 compared  
with the current value of the same amount invested in the FTSE 350 Index. The FTSE 350 Index is chosen because Aggreko has 
been a constituent member of this group over the entire period.

£221

£192

£192

£161

£100

£100

£114

£111

£124

£171

£151

£149

£152

£106

£178

£109

£201

£98

£182

£93

£217

£109

250

200

150

100

50

0

Dec 2009

Dec 2010

Dec 2011

Dec 2012

Dec 2013

Dec 2014

Dec 2015

Dec 2016

Dec 2017

Dec 2018

Dec 2019

Aggreko

FTSE350 Index

Source: Thomson Reuters

For comparative purposes, the remuneration of the Director undertaking the role of Chief Executive Officer for the same financial 
years is set out below:

Year

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

CEO

Rupert Soames
Rupert Soames
Rupert Soames
Rupert Soames
Angus Cockburn

Chris Weston
Chris Weston
Chris Weston
Chris Weston
Chris Weston

Single figure  
of total remuneration 
£1

Annual bonus payout 
against maximum
%

Long-term incentive  
vesting rates against  
maximum opportunity
%

5,839,209
8,501,865
2,685,840
1,779,144
1,290,9062
1,485,5163
1,909,1553
2,320,1123
1,657,936
1,538,725

100
82.4
6.4
49.6

42.4
0
15
55
50
40.9

100
100
100
72.5

5.8
0
0
0
0
0

1  The data for this table was taken from the Remuneration Reports for the relevant years and adjusted to take account of the actual share price on the date of vesting  

for the LTIP.

2   Angus Cockburn was Interim Chief Executive from 25 April to 30 September 2014, and his emoluments have been calculated on the assumption that he held the role  

for the full year at the rates of remuneration in place on 30 September 2014.

3   The 2015 figure for Chris Weston includes an amount of £483,392 to compensate him for his annual bonus from his previous employer he forfeited as a result of his 
resignation. The 2016 figure includes an amount of £706,620 and the 2017 figure includes an amount of £598,865 to compensate him for the forfeiture of long-term 
incentives from his previous employer.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

71

 
 
 
REMUNERATION CONTINUED

Annual report on remuneration continued

Non-executive Directors (including the Chairman)
The Board determines the remuneration policy and level of fees for the Non-executive Directors, within the limits set out in the 
Articles of Association. The Remuneration Committee recommends the remuneration policy and level of fees for the Chairman  
of the Board (although the Chairman of the Board does not take part in the discussions concerning his remuneration). 
Remuneration comprises an annual fee for acting as a Chairman or Non-executive Director of the Company. Additional fees are 
paid to Non-executive Directors in respect of service as Chair of the Audit, Remuneration and Ethics & Corporate Responsibility 
Committees and as Senior Independent Director. The Chairman and Non-executive Directors are not eligible for bonuses, 
retirement benefits or to participate in any share scheme operated by the Company. The Chairman’s fee has not increased  
since April 2015 and the fees for the Non-executive Directors have not increased since July 2015. Uwe Krueger has opted to forego 
any fees as a Non-executive Director for 2020, as he did in 2018 and 2019. The Company will make donations to ShelterBox (an 
international disaster relief charity) and African Parks (an organisation that supports rehabilitation and long-term management  
of national parks across Africa) equivalent, in total, to the fees foregone.

The fees for the Chairman and Non-executive Directors as at 1 January 2020 and 1 January 2019 were as follows:

Role

Chairman fee

Non-executive Director base fee

Committee Chair additional fee
Senior Independent Director additional fee

1 January 2020 
£

342,000

61,000

20,000
20,000

Single total figure of remuneration – Non-executive Directors (audited)

Non-executive Director

Ken Hanna

Ken Hanna
Nicola Brewer

Nicola Brewer
Barbara Jeremiah

Barbara Jeremiah
Sarah Kuijlaars1
Uwe Krueger2
Uwe Krueger2
Diana Layfield

Diana Layfield
Ian Marchant

Ian Marchant
Miles Roberts

Miles Roberts
2019 Total

2018 Total

Year

2019

2018
2019

2018
2019

2018
2019
2019

2018
2019

2018
2019

2018
2019

2018

Fees 
£

342,000

342,000
81,000

61,000
81,000

74,564
15,250
–

–
61,000

61,000
81,000

81,000
61,000

61,000
722,250

680,564

Increase
%

1 January 2019  
£

0

0

0
0

Benefits 
£

1,925

851
–

–
1,755

2,317
–
–

–
–

–
–

–
–

–
3,680

3,168

342,000

61,000

20,000
20,000

Total 
£

343,925

342,851
81,000

61,000
 82,755

76,881
15,250
–

–
61,000

61,000
81,000

81,000
 61,000

61,000
725,930

683,732

1   Sarah Kuijlaars’ remuneration for 2019 is from date of appointment, 1 October 2019.

2  Uwe Krueger opted to forego any fees for 2018 and 2019. The Company made donations to ShelterBox and African Parks equivalent, in total, to the fees foregone.

The figures have been calculated as follows:
 → Fees: amount earned for the year 
 → Benefits: the taxable value of benefits received in the year 

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Non-executive Directors’ shareholdings (audited)
As at 31 December 2019, the shareholdings of the Non-executive Directors were as follows:

Director

Ken Hanna
Nicola Brewer
Barbara Jeremiah
Sarah Kuijlaars
Uwe Krueger
Diana Layfield
Ian Marchant
Miles Roberts

 Shares  
owned  
outright1

15,644
1,450
1,000
–
3,101
2,855
3,331
–

1   This includes shares held by connected persons.

There have been no changes in the Non-executive Directors’ interests in Ordinary Shares between 31 December 2019  
and 3 March 2020.

Directors’ service contracts
Each of the Directors will be proposed for election or re-election at the Company’s Annual General Meeting to be held  
on 23 April 2020.

The Executive Directors are employed under contracts of employment with Aggreko plc. The Remuneration Committee sets  
notice periods for the Executive Directors at 12 months or less. The principal terms of the Executive Directors’ service contracts 
(which have no fixed term) are as follows:

Executive Director

Heath Drewett
Chris Weston

Position

Effective date of contract

Chief Financial Officer
Chief Executive Officer

3 January 2018
2 January 2015

Notice period

From Director

From Company

12 months
12 months

12 months
12 months

Non-executive Directors are appointed for a term of three years, subject to three months’ notice from either party.

The dates of the Chairman’s and Non-executive Directors’ appointments are as follows:

Non-executive Director

Ken Hanna
Nicola Brewer
Barbara Jeremiah
Sarah Kuijlaars
Uwe Krueger

Diana Layfield
Ian Marchant
Miles Roberts

1  Replaces earlier letter of appointment.

Position

Effective date of letter of appointment

Unexpired term as at 31 December 2019

Chairman
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director

Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director

29 April 20181
25 February 20191
7 March 2017
1 October 2019
1 February 20181
1 May 20191
1 November 20191
7 March 2017

1 year 4 months
2 years 2 months
2 months
2 years 9 months

1 year 1 month
4 months
10 months
2 months

External appointments
It is the Board’s policy to allow the Executive Directors to accept non-executive directorships of other quoted companies. Any such 
directorships must be formally approved by the Chairman of the Board. Directors are generally permitted to retain any earnings 
from these appointments. During the year, Chris Weston did not hold any external directorships of other quoted companies.  
He served as a Non-executive Director of the Royal Navy during the year. Fees for 2019 in relation to this appointment were £15,000. 
Heath Drewett did not hold any external directorships.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

73

 
 
 
REMUNERATION CONTINUED

Annual report on remuneration continued

Our Remuneration Committee
Determining the remuneration for the Executive Directors and Executive Committee members is a key focus of the Committee.  
The Committee oversees Aggreko’s overall remuneration policy, strategy and implementation to ensure that the policy is aligned 
with the key objectives of growing earnings and delivering a strong return on capital employed.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are considered when assessing the personal element of the Executive  
Directors’ performance and the Committee is satisfied that the design of the incentive plans does not pose undue ESG risks.

The Remuneration Committee is currently made up of four Independent Non-executive Directors. Peter Kennerley is Secretary  
to the Committee. We also invite the Chief Executive Officer, Group HR Director and Group Director of Reward to attend our 
meetings. The Chairman and the Executives are not present when their personal remuneration is discussed.

In 2019, as well as holding four meetings of the Committee, we also took a number of decisions based on papers circulated outside 
the context of a formal meeting. 

Our role is as follows:
 → Determine and agree with the Board the policy for remuneration for the Chairman, Executive Directors  

and Executive Committee

 → Within the terms of the remuneration policy, determine the total individual remuneration package for the  
Chairman, each Executive Director and each member of the Executive Committee (including the Secretary)

 → Approve the design of, and determine targets for, performance-related pay schemes operated by the Company  

and approve the total annual payments made under such schemes

 → Review the design of all share incentive plans for approval by the Board and shareholders 
 → Review the pay and other main terms of employment of employees more generally
 → Determine the policy for and scope of pension arrangements for each Executive Director and members  

of the Executive Committee

 → Oversee any major changes in employee benefit structures throughout the Group 

Read the full Terms of Reference for the Committee: www.plc.aggreko.com 

Shareholder voting and shareholder engagement
The following table shows the results of the binding vote on the remuneration policy at the 2018 AGM and the advisory vote on the 
2018 Remuneration Report at the 2019 AGM.

For
Against
Total votes cast (excluding withheld votes)
Votes withheld1
Total votes cast (including withheld votes)

Remuneration policy

Remuneration Report

Total number 
of votes

187,861,052
2,606,948
190,468,000

20,902
190,488,902

% of 
votes cast

Total number 
of votes

% of 
votes cast

98.63
1.37
100

–
–

186,342,627
9,203,889
195,546,516

421,848
195,968,364

95.29
4.71
100

–
–

1   A withheld vote is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes cast for and against a resolution.

The Committee is committed to a continuous, open and transparent dialogue with shareholders on the issue of executive 
remuneration. The Committee plans to consult extensively with our shareholders in 2020 as we develop the remuneration  
policy for consideration by shareholders in 2021. 

Consideration by the Directors of matters relating to Directors’ remuneration
The Committee was advised by FIT Remuneration Consultants LLP as the principal external adviser to the Committee for 2019. FIT 
was appointed in 2017 by a sub-committee of the Committee comprising the current Chair, Barbara Jeremiah, and the previous 
Chair, Russell King. FIT is a member of the Remuneration Consultants Group and signatory to its code of conduct and charges on  
its normal terms. Taking these factors into account, the Committee is satisfied as to the impartiality and objectivity of FIT’s advice.

The fee paid to FIT in respect of work that materially assisted the Committee in 2019 was £29,143, which includes advice for and 
attendance at all meetings of the Committee including a market and governance update. FIT provided no other services to  
the Group. 

74 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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2018 remuneration policy summary

A summary of Aggreko’s remuneration policy approved by shareholders at the 2018 AGM is set 
out below. For the full remuneration policy, please refer to the 2017 Directors’ Remuneration 
Report available on the Company’s website www.plc.aggreko.com.

Executive Directors 

Fixed pay

Base salary
Purpose and link to strategy
To attract, reward and retain talent  
by ensuring base salaries are at an 
appropriate level in the talent market(s) 
relevant to each individual.

Operation
Base salaries are generally reviewed 
annually. In determining the appropriate 
level of adjustment, we take into account: 
Company performance; the individual’s 
responsibilities and contribution to the 
business; salary levels for comparable 
roles at relevant comparator companies; 
and salary increases more broadly across 
the Group.

External benchmarking data is used  
with caution, but will reflect the size  
and complexity of the role in question. 
Internal relativities are equally important 
when determining the correct level at 
which to set base salaries.

Opportunity
Any base salary increases are applied  
in line with the outcome of the annual 
review and generally expected to be in 
line with those of the wider workforce, 
although the Committee may award  
a higher increase in exceptional 
circumstances (such as to reflect 
development in role).

Any salary will not exceed £900,000.

Performance measures
None, although continued good 
performance is a factor considered  
when reviewing salaries.

Pension
Purpose and link to strategy
To provide relevant statutory benefits  
and be competitive in the market in 
which the individual is employed.

Operation
All Executive Directors are entitled to a 
defined-contribution pension. They can 
opt to take a cash payment in lieu of all  
or part of their pension.

Opportunity
Contributions of between 20% and 30%  
of salary per annum except where limited 
by local practice.

For new hires, the pension contribution 
will be up to 20% of salary per annum.

Benefits
Purpose and link to strategy
Designed to be competitive in the market 
in which the individual is employed. 
Expatriate and relocation packages 
designed to ensure a geographically 
mobile management population related 
to business needs.

Operation
Includes healthcare benefits, life 
assurance cover, a company car (or an 
allowance in lieu). Where appropriate,  
we would provide an expatriate package, 
including bearing the cost of any local 
taxes payable on any expatriate benefits, 
relocation costs, living allowances and 
school fees.

Performance measures
None.

Any reasonable business-related 
expenses (including tax thereon) can  
be reimbursed if determined to be a 
taxable benefit.

Executive Directors are eligible for other 
benefits which are introduced for the 
wider workforce on broadly similar terms.

Opportunity
Benefits vary by role and local practice, 
and are reviewed periodically relative  
to market.

Benefits (excluding travel and related 
taxes and tax equalisation payments 
where appropriate) payable to Executive 
Directors will not exceed 20% of salary 
(and did not exceed 10% of salary during 
the most recent financial year). In line 
with market practice, it is not anticipated 
that in normal circumstances the cost  
of benefits provided will exceed this level 
of 10% over the next three years.

The Committee retains the discretion  
to approve a higher cost in exceptional 
circumstances (e.g. relocation and/or tax 
equalisation) or in circumstances where 
factors outside the Company’s control 
have changed materially (e.g. increases  
in insurance premiums, provider costs  
or taxes).

Performance measures
None.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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REMUNERATION CONTINUED

2018 remuneration policy summary continued

Variable pay

Annual bonus scheme
Purpose and link to strategy
To focus Executive Directors on achieving 
demanding annual targets relating to 
Group performance.

Long-term Incentive Plan
Purpose and link to strategy
To align the interests of management 
with those of shareholders in growing the 
value of the business over the long term.

Operation
Performance measures and targets  
are set at the start of the year and are 
weighted to reflect the balance of Group 
and, where appropriate, business unit 
responsibilities for each Executive 
Director.

At the end of the year the Committee 
determines the extent to which these 
have been achieved. The Committee has 
the ability to exercise discretion to adjust 
for factors outside management control.

Bonus payments are typically delivered as 
75% in cash and 25% deferred into shares 
and released after three years. Dividends 
will accrue on the deferred share 
element.

Malus and/or clawback provisions apply 
as described in the 2017 Directors’ 
Remuneration Report.

Opportunity
The maximum annual bonus opportunity 
for Executive Directors is 175% of salary. 
The financial element of the bonuses 
start to be earned for threshold 
performance (for which no bonus is paid).

Performance measures
Performance is assessed annually with up 
to 30% (currently 20%) of the maximum 
bonus potential based on personal/
strategic objectives aligned to the  
Group’s KPIs and the balance based  
on appropriate Group and/or business 
unit financial performance. The current 
measure for financial performance  
is D-EPS, but may vary each year 
depending on business context  
and strategy.

Further details of the performance 
measures proposed for the 2020 annual 
bonus are set out in the Annual 
remuneration statement on page 65.

Vesting of awards is subject to 
performance conditions based on the 
long-term financial performance of the 
Group; the value of the awards is based 
on both the proportion vesting and the 
movement in the share price over the 
vesting period.

Operation
The LTIP comprises a single Performance 
Share Plan (PSP).

Awards are normally granted annually. 
Award levels and performance conditions 
are reviewed from time to time to ensure 
that they remain appropriate and aligned 
with shareholder interests.

Awards normally vest after three years, 
subject to performance and continued 
office or employment. Awards which  
vest will be subject to a further holding 
period of two years. The holding period 
will end early on a takeover, scheme of 
arrangement or winding up of the 
Company, upon the death of an 
individual or in exceptional circumstances 
on such other date determined by the 
Committee. On vesting, participants  
will be entitled to the equivalent of any 
dividends on the shares between grant 
and vesting or the earlier of the date  
of exercise of an option and the expiry  
of any holding period.

Malus and/or clawback provisions apply 
to awards as described in the 2017 
Directors’ Remuneration Report.

Opportunity
The PSP provides for a nil-cost conditional 
award of shares worth up to an aggregate 
limit of 250% of salary per annum for 
Executive Directors.

Performance measures
The performance measures for the PSP 
will be based on Group performance with 
at least 75% linked to Group financial 
performance.

The Committee has the discretion to 
reduce vesting levels if, exceptionally,  
it considers the strict application of  
the performance conditions would 
produce a result inconsistent with our 
remuneration principles, where the 
formulaic outcome does not genuinely 
reflect the underlying performance of  
the Group, or where necessary to avoid 
unintended consequences.

The Committee also has the ability  
to include additional or alternative 
performance measures, weightings  
and/or targets in future years to take 
account of the Group’s key strategic  
and operational aims and targets,  
and business outlook at that time.

Further details of the 2020 performance 
measures proposed are set out on  
page 65.

Share ownership guidelines
The Committee has a policy of 
encouraging Executive Directors to 
acquire and retain a material number  
of shares in the Company, with the 
objective of further aligning their 
long-term interests with those of other 
shareholders. The minimum requirement 
for Executive Directors is 250% of salary.

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Non-executive Directors and Chairman

Incentives and benefits  
for Non-executive Directors  
and Chairman
Non-executive Directors and the 
Chairman do not participate in  
incentive arrangements or receive  
other remuneration in addition to  
their fees. However, where appropriate, 
the Company may provide additional 
benefits in kind (for example, 
reimbursement of travel costs and  
taxes thereon), and the Chairman may 
receive healthcare and/or other market 
standard benefits. Overall, benefits  
are not expected to exceed 20% of  
the annual fee in any year.

This Report was approved by the Board 
on 3 March 2020.

Barbara Jeremiah
Remuneration Committee Chair

Non-executive Directors’ and 
Chairman’s fee
Purpose and link to strategy
To attract and retain Non-executive 
Directors and a Chairman with an 
appropriate degree of skills, experience, 
independence and knowledge of the 
Group and its business.

Operation
Fee levels for Non-executive Directors  
are generally reviewed by the Board 
annually. Remuneration comprises an 
annual fee for acting as a Non-executive 
Director and serving as a member of  
any Committees. Additional fees are  
paid in respect of service as Chairman  
of a Committee or as Senior  
Independent Director.

The Chairman’s remuneration comprises 
an annual fee for acting as Chairman, 
which includes serving as Chairman  
or as a member of any Committees.  
The Remuneration Committee sets  
the Chairman’s remuneration, subject  
to review when appropriate.

When reviewing fees, reference is made 
to fees payable in companies of a similar 
size and complexity, information provided 
by a number of remuneration surveys, 
the extent of the duties performed and 
the expected time commitment of  
the role. 

Any reasonable business-related 
expenses (including tax thereon) can  
be reimbursed if determined to be  
a taxable benefit.

Opportunity
Any fee increases are applied in line  
with the outcome of the annual review. 
Currently the maximum aggregate 
annual fee for all Non-executive Directors, 
including the Chairman, provided in the 
Company’s Articles of Association is 
£900,000.

Performance metrics
None.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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STATUTORY DISCLOSURES

Directors’ Report and  
Strategic Report
The Directors’ Report and Strategic 
Report for the year ended 31 December 
2019 comprise pages 46 to 82 and pages  
1 to 45 of this report, together with the 
sections incorporated by reference.  
We have included some of the matters 
normally included in the Directors’ Report 
which we consider to be of strategic 
importance in the Strategic Report  
on pages 1 to 45. Specifically these are:
 → Future business developments on 

page 10

 → Stakeholder information is included in 
the Section 172 statement on page 42

Disclosures in relation to Listing Rule LR 
9.8.4R, where applicable, are included  
on page 68 in relation to Long-Term 
Incentive Plans and on page 80  
in relation to the dividend waiver 
arrangements in place for our Employee 
Benefit Trust.

Both the Directors’ Report and Strategic 
Report have been presented in 
accordance with applicable company  
law, and the liabilities of the Directors  
in connection with those reports are 
subject to the limitations and restrictions 
provided. Other information to be 
disclosed in the Directors’ Report is  
given in this section.

Management report
The Strategic Report and the  
Directors’ Report together include  
the ‘management report’ for the 
purposes of Disclosure and  
Transparency Rule (DTR) 4.1.8R.

a total for the year of 27.65 pence per 
Ordinary Share (2018: 27.12 pence), 
payable on 21 May 2020 to shareholders 
on the register at the close of business  
on 24 April 2020.

Dividend payments and DRIP
The Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) 
allows shareholders to purchase 
additional shares in Aggreko with their 
dividend payments. Further information 
and a mandate can be obtained from  
our Registrar, Link Asset Services, whose 
details are set out on page 145 and the 
shareholder information pages of our 
website at www.plc.aggreko.com.

Share capital
On 31 December 2019, the Company  
had in issue 256,128,201 Ordinary Shares 
of 4329/395 pence each, 188,251,587  
Deferred Shares of 984/775 pence each, 
18,352,057,648 Deferred Shares of 1/775 
pence each, 182,700,915 Deferred Shares 
of 618/25 pence each and 573,643,383,325 
Deferred Shares of 1/306125 pence each 
comprising 29.43%, 40.77%, 0.56%, 29.20% 
and 0.04% respectively of the Company’s 
issued share capital. Details of the 
changes in issued share capital during 
the year are shown in Note 22 to the 
Accounts on page 117.

Material share interests
As at 31 December 2019, the Company 
had received notifications of the following 
major shareholdings, representing 3% or 
more of the voting rights attached to the 
issued Ordinary Share capital of the 
Company:

Division of responsibilities and 
matters reserved for the Board
How we divide up our responsibilities at 
Board level and the schedule of matters 
reserved for the Board are available on 
our website at www.plc.aggreko.com. 

Shareholder

Capital Group 
Companies LLP
Lion Investment 
Partners LLP
M&G Plc

Number  
of shares

% of total  
voting rights

13,446,515

5.24

13,307,481
9,351,326

5.20
3.65

2020 Annual General Meeting
The Company’s Annual General Meeting 
will be held at 11.00am on 23 April 2020  
at 200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5RQ. 
The Notice of Meeting is set out on pages 
139 to 144 of this document and is also 
available on the shareholder information 
pages of our website at www.plc.
aggreko.com.

Dividends
The interim dividend of 9.38 pence per 
Ordinary Share was paid on 1 October 
2019. The Directors recommend a final 
dividend of 18.27 pence per Ordinary 
Share in respect of the year, making  

The Directors are not aware of any other 
material interests amounting to 3% or 
more in the share capital of the Company.

Rights and obligations 
attached to shares
Subject to applicable statutes (in this 
section referred to as the Companies 
Acts) and to any rights conferred on the 
holders of any other shares, any share 
may be issued with or have attached  
to it such rights and restrictions as the 
Company may by ordinary resolution 
decide or, if no such resolution has been 
passed or so far as the resolution does  
not make specific provision, as the Board 
may decide.

Voting
Subject to any special terms as to voting 
upon which any shares may be issued  
or may for the time being be held and  
to any other provisions of the Articles  
of Association of the Company (the 
Articles), on a show of hands every 
member who is present in person or  
by proxy or represented by a corporate 
representative at a general meeting  
of the Company has one vote.

On a poll, every member who is present 
in person or by proxy or represented by  
a corporate representative has one vote 
for every share of which he or she is the 
holder. In the case of joint holders of a 
share the vote of the senior who tenders  
a vote, whether in person or by proxy,  
is accepted to the exclusion of the votes 
of the other joint holders and, for this 
purpose, seniority is determined by the 
order in which the names stand in the 
register in respect of the joint holding.

The holders of the Deferred Shares are 
not entitled to receive notice of any 
general meeting of the Company or  
to attend, speak or vote at any such 
meeting.

Restrictions on voting
No member is, unless the Board 
otherwise decides, entitled in respect  
of any share held by them to vote (either 
personally or by proxy or by a corporate 
representative) at any general meeting  
of the Company or at any separate 
general meeting of the holders of any 
class of shares in the Company if any calls 
or other sums presently payable by them 
in respect of that share remain unpaid or 
if they are a person with a 0.25% interest 
(as defined in the Articles) and they have 
been served with a restriction notice (as 
defined in the Articles) after failure to 
provide the Company with information 
concerning interests in those shares 
required to be provided under the 
Companies Acts.

The Company is not aware of any 
agreement between holders of securities 
that may result in restrictions on voting 
rights.

Dividends and other 
distributions
Subject to the provisions of the 
Companies Acts, the Company may by 
ordinary resolution from time to time 
declare dividends in accordance with  
the respective rights of the members,  
but no dividend can exceed the amount 
recommended by the Board.

Subject to the provisions of the 
Companies Acts, the Board may pay such 
interim dividends as appear to the Board 

78 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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A Director may be removed by special 
resolution of the Company. In addition, 
the office of a Director must be vacated  
if: (i) they resign their office by notice in 
writing delivered to the office or tendered 
at a meeting of the Board; or (ii) by notice 
in writing they offer to resign and the 
Board resolves to accept such offer; or  
(iii) their resignation is requested by all  
of the other Directors and all of the other 
Directors are not less than three in 
number; or (iv) a registered medical 
practitioner who is treating that Director 
gives a written opinion to the Company 
stating that that Director has become 
physically or mentally incapable of acting 
as a Director and may remain so for more 
than three months; or (v) by reason of a 
Director’s mental health, a court makes 
an order which wholly or partly prevents 
that Director from personally exercising 
any powers or rights which that Director 
would otherwise have; or (vi) they are 
absent without the permission of the 
Board from meetings of the Board 
(whether or not an alternate Director 
appointed by them attends) for six 
consecutive months and the Board 
resolves that their office is vacated; or  
(vii) they become bankrupt or compound 
with their creditors generally; or (viii) they 
are prohibited by law from being a 
Director; or (ix) they cease to be a Director 
by virtue of the Companies Acts or are 
removed from office pursuant to the 
Articles.

Directors’ conflicts of interest
The Company has procedures in place  
for monitoring and managing conflicts  
of interest. Should a Director become 
aware that they, or their connected 
parties, have an interest in an existing or 
proposed transaction with Aggreko, they 
should notify the Board in writing or at 
the next Board meeting. Directors have  
a continuing duty to update any changes 
to these conflicts.

to be justified by the financial position  
of the Company and may also pay any 
dividend payable at a fixed rate at 
intervals settled by the Board whenever 
the financial position of the Company,  
in the opinion of the Board, justifies its 
payment. If the Board acts in good faith,  
it shall not incur any liability to the 
holders of any shares for any loss they 
may suffer in consequence of the 
payment of an interim or fixed dividend 
on any other class of shares ranking pari 
passu with or after those shares. The 
Deferred Shares confer no right to 
participate in the profits of the Company.

On a return of capital on a winding up 
(excluding any intra-Group reorganisation 
on a solvent basis), holders of Deferred 
Shares are entitled to be paid the 
nominal capital paid up or credited as 
paid up on such Deferred Shares after 
paying to the holders of the Ordinary 
Shares the nominal capital paid up or 
credited as paid up on the Ordinary 
Shares held by them respectively, 
together with the sum of £100,000,000 
on each Ordinary Share.

The Board may deduct from any dividend 
or other monies payable to a member  
by the Company on or in respect of  
any shares all sums of money (if any) 
presently payable by him to the Company 
on account of calls or otherwise in respect 
of shares of the Company. The Board may 
also withhold payment of all or any part 
of any dividends or other monies payable 
in respect of the Company’s shares from 
a person with a 0.25% interest (as defined 
in the Articles) if such a person has been 
served with a restriction notice (as 
defined in the Articles) after failure to 
provide the Company with information 
concerning interests in those shares 
required to be provided under the 
Companies Acts.

Variation of rights
Subject to the provisions of the 
Companies Acts, rights attached to any 
class of shares may be varied either with 
the consent in writing of the holders of 
not less than three quarters in nominal 
value of the issued shares of that class 
(excluding any shares of that class held  
as Treasury shares) or with the sanction  
of a special resolution passed at a 
separate general meeting of the holders 
of those shares. The necessary quorum 
applying to any such separate general 
meeting is two persons holding or 
representing by proxy not less than  
one third in nominal value of the issued 
shares of the class (excluding any shares 
of that class held as Treasury shares),  
but at any adjourned meeting one holder 
present in person or by proxy (whatever 
the number of shares held by them) will 

constitute a quorum; every holder of 
shares of the class present in person or  
by proxy (excluding any shares of that 
class held as Treasury shares) is entitled 
on a poll to one vote for every share of  
the class held by them (subject to any 
rights or restrictions attached to any class 
of shares) and any holder of shares of the 
class present in person or by proxy may 
demand a poll.

Restrictions on transfer of 
securities in the Company
There are no restrictions on the transfer  
of securities in the Company, except that:
 → Certain restrictions may from time  
to time be imposed by laws and 
regulations (for example, insider 
trading laws), in particular we operate 
a share dealing code which requires 
Directors of the Company and certain 
employees to obtain the approval  
of the Company before dealing in  
the Company’s Ordinary Shares

 → The Deferred Shares are not 

transferable except in accordance  
with the paragraph headed ‘Powers  
in relation to the Company issuing  
or buying back its own shares’ below  
or with the written consent of the 
Directors

The Company is not aware of any 
agreements between holders of 
securities that may result in restrictions 
on the transfer of securities.

Articles of Association
Our Articles are available on our website 
at www.plc.aggreko.com. Unless 
expressly specified to the contrary in the 
Articles, the Articles may be amended  
by a special resolution of the Company’s 
shareholders.

Appointment and replacement 
of Directors
The rules for the appointment and 
replacement of Directors are contained  
in the Company’s Articles. They include: 
the number of Directors must not be less 
than two or more than 15; the Board may 
appoint any person to be a Director; any 
Director so appointed by the Board shall 
hold office only until the next general 
meeting and shall then be eligible  
for election; each Director must retire 
from office at the third Annual General 
Meeting after the Annual General 
Meeting at which he/she was last  
elected. However, in line with the 2018  
UK Corporate Governance Code, all 
Directors will stand for annual election  
at the 2020 AGM.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

79

 
 
 
STATUTORY DISCLOSURES CONTINUED

Powers of the Directors
Subject to the provisions of the 
Companies Acts, the Articles and to any 
directions given by the Company in 
general meeting by special resolution, 
the business of the Company is managed 
by the Board, which may exercise all the 
powers of the Company whether relating 
to the management of the business of 
the Company or not. 

In particular, the Board may exercise all 
the powers of the Company to borrow 
money and to mortgage or charge all or 
any part of the undertaking, property and 
assets (present and future) and uncalled 
capital of the Company and to issue 
debentures and other securities, whether 
outright or as collateral security for  
any debt, liability or obligation of the 
Company or any third party.

Powers in relation to the 
Company issuing or buying 
back its own shares
The Directors were granted authority  
at the last Annual General Meeting held 
in 2019 to allot relevant securities up to  
a nominal amount of £4,126,149. That 
authority will apply until the earlier of  
30 June 2020 or at the conclusion of  
the Annual General Meeting for 2020.  
At this year’s Annual General Meeting, 
shareholders will be asked to grant an 
authority to allot relevant securities up  
to a nominal amount of £4,126,149, such 
authority to apply until the end of next 
year’s Annual General Meeting (or, if 
earlier, until the close of business on  
30 June 2021).

Special resolutions will also be proposed 
to renew the Directors’ power to make 
non-pre-emptive issues for cash up to  
a nominal amount of £1,237,844.

The Company was also authorised at  
the Annual General Meeting held in  
2019 to make market purchases of  
up to 25,612,820 Ordinary Shares. This 
authorisation will expire on the earlier  
of the conclusion of the Annual General 
Meeting of the Company for 2020 or  
30 June 2020.

A special resolution will also be proposed 
at this year’s Annual General Meeting  
to renew the Directors’ authority to 
repurchase the Company’s Ordinary 
Shares in the market. The authority will 
be limited to a maximum of 25,612,820 
Ordinary Shares and sets the minimum 
and maximum prices which may be paid.

The Company may at any time, without 
obtaining the sanction of the holders of 
the Deferred Shares:

(a)  Appoint any person to execute on 

behalf of any holder of Deferred Shares 
a transfer of all or any of the Deferred 
Shares (and/or an agreement to 
transfer the same) to the Company  
or to such person as the Directors may 
determine, in any case for not more 
than one penny for all the Deferred 
Shares then being purchased from 
him/her; and

(b)  Cancel all or any of the Deferred 

Shares so purchased by the Company 
in accordance with the Companies 
Acts.

Securities carrying special 
rights
No person holds securities in the 
Company carrying special rights with 
regard to control of the Company.

Rights under the employee 
share scheme
Estera Trust (Jersey) Limited, as Trustee  
of the Aggreko Employee Benefit Trust, 
holds 0.61% of the issued share capital  
of the Company as at 3 March 2020 on 
trust for the benefit of the employees and 
former employees of the Group and their 
dependants. The voting rights in relation 
to these shares are exercised by the 
Trustee and there are no restrictions  
on the exercise of the voting of, or the 
acceptance of any offer relating to, the 
shares. The Trustee is obliged to waive  
all dividends on the shares unless 
requested to do otherwise by the 
Company in writing.

Going concern and viability 
statements
The going concern statement is included 
on page 94 of the financial statements.

The viability statement is included on 
page 37 of the Strategic Report.

Change of control
The Company has in place a number  
of agreements with advisers, financial 
institutions and customers which contain 
certain termination rights which would 
have an effect on a change of control.  
The Directors believe these agreements 
to be commercially sensitive and that 
their disclosure would be seriously 
prejudicial to the Company; accordingly, 
they do not intend to disclose specific 
details of these. In addition, all of the 
Company’s share schemes contain 
provisions which, in the event of a change 
of control, would result in outstanding 
options and awards becoming 
exercisable, subject to the rules  
of the relevant schemes.

There are no agreements between the 
Company and its Directors or employees 
providing for compensation for loss of 
office or employment that occurs 
because of a takeover bid.

Disclosure of information  
to the Company’s auditor
In accordance with Section 418 of the 
Companies Act 2006, the Directors who 
held office at the date of approval of this 
Directors’ Report confirm that, so far as 
they are each aware, there is no relevant 
audit information (as defined by Section 
418(3) of the Companies Act 2006) of 
which the Company’s auditor is unaware; 
and each Director has taken all the  
steps that they ought to have taken  
as a Director to make themselves aware  
of any relevant audit information and  
to establish that the Company’s auditor  
is aware of that information.

Indemnity of officers
Under Article 154 of the Articles, the 
Company may indemnify any Director or 
other officer against any liability, subject 
to the provisions of the Companies Acts. 
The Articles grant an indemnity to the 
Directors against any liability for the costs 
of legal proceedings where judgement  
is given in their favour.

Under the authority conferred by  
Article 154, the Company has granted 
indemnities to Directors and officers  
of the Company and its subsidiaries.  
The indemnities do not apply to any 
claim which arises out of fraud, default, 
negligence or breach of fiduciary duty  
or trust by the indemnified person.

In addition, the Company may purchase 
and maintain for any Director or other 
officer, insurance against any liability.  
The Company maintains appropriate 
insurance cover against legal action 
brought against its Directors and officers 
and the Directors and officers of its 
subsidiaries.

Equal opportunities
Aggreko is committed to promoting 
equal opportunities for all, irrespective  
of disability, ethnic origin, gender or any 
other considerations that do not affect  
a person’s ability to perform their job.  
Our policies for recruitment, training, 
career development and promotion of 
employees are based on the suitability  
of the individual and give those who are 
disabled equal treatment with the able 
bodied where appropriate. Employees 
disabled after joining the Group are  
given suitable training for alternative 
employment with Aggreko or elsewhere.

80 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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Human rights
As we continue to grow our business in 
developing countries, we recognise that 
human rights are a concern in many 
regions in which we operate. We have  
a responsibility to all of our stakeholders 
to ensure that all of our interactions with 
them meet or exceed the standards of 
compliance set out in our ethics policies, 
approach to equal opportunities, health 
and safety policies, environmental policies 
and grievance mechanisms. In addition, 
we manage risks in relation to talent 
management and health and safety 
within our risk management framework. 
While all these matters are linked, to a 
greater or lesser extent, to human rights, 
we prefer to address them as part of our 
operations, rather than as a separate 
issue. We continue to evaluate all 
potential risks and do not think that 
human rights present material issues  
for our business.

Pensions
The assets of the UK defined-benefit 
pension fund are controlled by the 
Directors of Aggreko Pension Scheme 
Trustee Limited; they are held separately 
from the assets of the Company and 
invested by independent fund managers. 
These segregated funds cannot be 
invested directly in the Company.  
Four trustees have been appointed  
by the Company and, in addition, two 
member-nominated trustees have  
been appointed. This fund was closed  
to new employees joining the Group after 
1 April 2002; new UK employees are now 
offered membership of a Group Personal 
Pension Plan.

Greenhouse gas emissions
In line with the Company’s Act 2006,  
we are reporting on our greenhouse  
gas (GHG) emissions. We have used the 
method outlined in the GHG Protocol 
Corporate Accounting and Reporting 
Standard (revised edition), using the 
location-based scope 2 calculation 
method, together with the latest 
emissions factors from recognised public 
sources including the UK Department  
for Business, Energy and Industrial 
Strategy (BEIS), the US Energy 
Information Administration (EIA), the  
US Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) and the Intergovernmental Panel 
on Climate Change(IPCC).

Scope 1 emissions are from those 
activities owned and operated by 
Aggreko, and include fuel combusted in 
the Aggreko generator fleet (by far the 
greatest proportion of emissions); fuel 
combusted in Aggreko premise’s boilers; 
fuel combusted in Aggreko-owned 
vehicles; refrigerant gas lost from 
Aggreko A/C units or vehicles; and 
emissions of SF6. Scope 1 emissions  
are considered to be those over which  
the Company has the most control.

Scope 2 emissions are from electricity 
consumed in Aggreko-owned premises. 
Although the consumption of the 
electricity occurs at Aggreko premises, 
the electricity itself is generated by a 
third-party (i.e. the power station) and 
actual emissions from the production  
of the electricity occur without Aggreko’s 
control, hence why this is a separate 
scope.

Scope 3 emissions are everything else, 
and consist primarily of the upstream 
emissions from fuel combusted in the 
Aggreko fleet (upstream emissions are 
from all activities associated with the fuel 
before it is actually combusted, so its 
extraction, refining, transportation  
etc.); other Scope 3 emissions include 
transport of the fleet by third-party 
vehicles; business travel (air and rail  
travel etc); and waste and water supply/
treatment.

The tables below present the principal 
findings from GHG analysis of the 
previous three years:

Total GHG emissions by GHG  
protocol scope
tCO2e/year
Scope 1

4,571,080

6,259,024

2019

2018

2017

14,716,676

Total GHG emissions by fleet/non-fleet
tCO2e/year
2017
Fleet

13,829,638

17,556,543

13,149,392

2019

2018

Non-fleet

139,978

126,277

135,652

Total

13,969,616

13,275,669

17,692,195

In 2019, we emitted 13,969,616 tonnes of 
CO2e, an increase of 5.2% over 2018. In line 
with previous years, the results show that 
99% of GHG emissions arise from the 
operation of our fleet when it is out on 
rent. There are three main factors driving 
our annual GHG emissions: the fuel type 
our customers use; the pattern of their 
usage; and the fuel efficiency of the fleet.

As can be seen above, there is a slight 
increase in fleet emissions of 5.2%. This is 
due to an increase in calculated running 
hours which were stated as 61,877,424 in 
2019, a 16% increase from the 2018 value 
of 53,193,209. It is understood that the 
increase in running hours is due, in part 
as least, to an improved method of 
querying the generator meter reading  
as outlined by the Aggreko ATS team.

In line with best practice, our GHG 
accounting systems include an estimate 
of the upstream GHG emissions 
associated with fuel supply chains; in 2019 
this contributed 16% of fleet combustion 
emissions accounting for 23% of Scope 3 
emissions.

In terms of the non-fleet activities, 
emissions from activities associated with 
premises use (energy, waste, water and 
refrigerant gases) and company vehicles 
have increased, while emissions from 
business travel and third party freight 
have decreased compared to 2018. The 
most significant reduction is observed 
within freight emissions (-26%) due in 
part to more accurate freight data 
collection.

The intensity ratio expresses the GHG 
impact per unit of physical activity  
or economic output, with a declining 
intensity ratio reflecting a positive 
performance improvement. In 2013  
we chose to report Revenue Intensity  
as a suitable metric to measure year- 
on-year performance.

As can be seen from the chart below 
relative emissions (expressed in tCO2e/k£) 
have increased slightly (14%) from 2018 
due to the aforementioned increase in 
fleet emissions.

Scope 2

Scope 3

Total

21,94

17,017

21,414

9,376,572

6,999,628

2,954,104

13,969,616

13,275,669

17,692,195

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

81

 
 
 
STATUTORY DISCLOSURES CONTINUED

Revenue utensity ratio tCO2e/ thousand £

15

12

9

6

3

0

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

*  Please note the 2017 value has changed from 10.22 

due to accounting changes

Whilst normalising emissions by Revenue 
can be informative we feel that running 
hours (the number of hours our fleet  
are operational for) is a more suitable 
intensity metric to measure year-on-year 
performance. The chart below shows 
relative emissions using the running 
hours intensity metric for reporting years 
2014 to 2019.

Running hour intensity ratio tCO2e/ running hour

0.35

0.30

0.25

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

In addition, Aggreko’s Northern Europe 
business has been certified to the Carbon 
Trust Standard (replacing our CEMARS 
certification as referenced in previous 
Annual Reports). The Carbon Trust 
Standard recognises organisations  
that follow best practice in measuring, 
managing and reducing their 
environmental impact, achieving year- 
on-year reductions in carbon dioxide 
emissions. The Northern Europe business 
also achieved certification to ISO 50001, 
which validates a best practice approach 
to energy management, helping us to  
set a framework to continually improve 
energy performance. As part of this work, 
the Northern Europe business changed 
their electricity supplier for their service 
centres to a supplier offering 100% 
renewable electricity.

Branches
Subsidiaries of the Company have 
established branches in a number of 
different countries in which they operate.

Auditor
Resolutions re-appointing KPMG as the 
Company’s and Group’s auditor and 
authorising the Audit Committee to 
determine its remuneration will be 
proposed at the Annual General Meeting.

Important events since 
31 December 2019
There have been no important events 
affecting the Company or any subsidiary 
since 31 December 2019.

Political donations
No political donations were made during 
the financial year (2018: nil).

Approval of the Strategic 
Report and Directors’ Report
The Strategic Report set out on pages  
1 to 45 and Directors’ Report set out on 
pages 46 to 82 were approved by the 
Board on 3 March 2020 and have been 
signed by the Company Secretary on 
behalf of the Board.

In 2019, we undertook an Energy Saving 
Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) 
assessment in line with the UK 
Environment Agency requirements and 
can confirm that we remain compliant 
with the regulations, since our first 
assessment in 2015. Our next assessment 
is scheduled for 2023.

Peter Kennerley
Group Legal Director and 
Company Secretary

3 March 2020

82 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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We consider the Annual Report and 
Accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, 
balanced and understandable and 
provides the information necessary  
for shareholders to assess the Group’s 
position and performance, business 
model and strategy.

By order of the Board, 3 March 2020.

Ken Hanna
Chairman

Chris Weston
Chief Executive Officer

Statement of Directors’ 
responsibilities
The Directors are responsible for 
preparing the Annual Report and the 
Group and parent Company financial 
statements in accordance with 
applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to 
prepare Group and parent Company 
financial statements for each financial 
year. Under that law they are required to 
prepare the Group financial statements 
in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards as adopted by the 
European Union (IFRSs as adopted by the 
EU) and applicable law and have elected 
to prepare the parent Company financial 
statements in accordance with UK 
accounting standards, including FRS 101 
Reduced Disclosure Framework. 

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 
of the Group and parent Company and  
of their profit or loss for that period. 

In preparing each of the Group and 
parent Company financial statements, 
the Directors are required to: 
 → Select suitable accounting policies  
and then apply them consistently
 → Make judgements and estimates that 
are reasonable, relevant, reliable and 
prudent

 → For the Group financial statements, 

state whether they have been prepared 
in accordance with IFRSs as adopted  
by the EU 

 → For the parent Company financial 

statements, state whether applicable 
UK accounting standards have been 
followed, subject to any material 
departures disclosed and explained  
in the parent company financial 
statements

 → Assess the Group and parent 

Company’s ability to continue  
as a going concern, disclosing, as 
applicable, matters related to going 
concern and 

 → Use the going concern basis of 

accounting unless they either intend  
to liquidate the Group or the parent 
Company or to cease operations,  
or have no realistic alternative but  
to do so. 

The Directors are responsible for keeping 
adequate accounting records that are 
sufficient to show and explain the parent 
Company’s transactions and disclose  
with reasonable accuracy at any time the 
financial position of the parent Company 
and enable them to ensure that its 
financial statements comply with  
the Companies Act 2006. They are 
responsible for such internal control as 
they determine is necessary to enable the 
preparation of financial statements that 
are free from material misstatement, 
whether due to fraud or error, and have 
general responsibility for taking such 
steps as are reasonably open to them to 
safeguard the assets of the Group and  
to prevent and detect fraud and other 
irregularities. 

Under applicable law and regulations,  
the Directors are also responsible for 
preparing a Strategic Report, Directors’ 
Report, Directors’ Remuneration Report 
and Corporate Governance Statement 
that comply with that law and those 
regulations. 

The Directors are responsible for the 
maintenance and integrity of the 
corporate and financial information 
included on the Company’s website. 
Legislation in the UK governing the 
preparation and dissemination of 
financial statements may differ from 
legislation in other jurisdictions. 

Responsibility statement of the Directors 
in respect of the annual financial report

We confirm that to the best of our 
knowledge:
 → The financial statements, prepared in 
accordance with the applicable set of 
accounting standards, 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 includes a fair 
review of the development and 
performance of the business and  
the position of the issuer and the 
undertakings included in the 
consolidation taken as a whole, 
together with a description of the 
principal risks and uncertainties  
that they face. 

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

83

 
 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF AGGREKO PLC

1 Our opinion is unmodified 
We have audited the financial statements of Aggreko Plc (“the Company”) for the year ended 31 December 2019 which comprise 
the Group income statement, Group statement of comprehensive income, Group balance sheet, Group cash flow statement, 
Group statement of changes in equity, and the related notes, including the accounting policies in Note 1 and the Company 
balance sheet, Company statement of comprehensive income, Company statement of changes in equity, and the related notes, 
including the accounting policies in Note 28. 

In our opinion: 
 → the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s and of the parent Company’s affairs as at 

31 December 2019 and of the Group’s profit for the year then ended; 

 → the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 

as adopted by the European Union; 

 → the parent Company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with UK accounting standards, 

including FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework; 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 are described below. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is a sufficient and appropriate 
basis for our opinion. Our audit opinion is consistent with our report to the Audit Committee. 

We were first appointed as auditor by the shareholders on 27 April 2016. The period of total uninterrupted engagement is for the 
four financial years ended 31 December 2019. We have fulfilled our ethical responsibilities under, and we remain independent  
of the Group in accordance with, UK ethical requirements including the FRC Ethical Standard as applied to listed public interest 
entities. No non-audit services prohibited by that standard were provided. 

2 Key audit matters: our assessment of risks of material misstatement 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in the audit of the financial 
statements and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified  
by us, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and 
directing the efforts of the engagement team. We summarise below the key audit matters, in decreasing order of audit 
significance, in arriving at our audit opinion above, together with our key audit procedures to address those matters and, as 
required for public interest entities, our results from those procedures. These matters were addressed, and our results are based 
on procedures undertaken, in the context of, and solely for the purpose of, our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and  
in forming our opinion thereon, and consequently are incidental to that opinion, and we do not provide a separate opinion on 
these matters.

The risk

Recoverability of 
Power Solutions 
Utility overdue 
receivables and 
accrued income in 
certain countries 
including Yemen, 
Venezuela, Brazil 
and parts of Africa.

Refer to page 59 
(Audit Committee 
Report), page 99 
(accounting policy) 
and page 112 
(financial 
disclosures)

Risk vs 2018: 

Subjective estimate – certain customers of the  
Power Solutions Utility (“PSU”) business operate  
in territories with volatile regimes and adverse 
macroeconomic conditions where the risk of 
customer default (the customer often being  
the government) is high. In these territories, cash 
receipts are volatile and unpredictable due to factors 
such as regime change and economic stress, 
resulting in significant judgement being applied  
in the Group’s assessment of the recoverability  
of receivables (both trade receivables and accrued 
income) from customers in these territories.

We note this risk is in relation to ‘certain’ Power 
Solutions Utility debtors in Yemen, Venezuela, Brazil 
and parts of Africa, those being the receivables that 
we consider give rise to our key audit matter. We 
consider the overall net risk to have remained broadly 
in line with last year reflecting a decrease in overdue 
debt from those debtors offset by an increase in  
the age of certain ongoing overdue receivables. 

The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk 
assessment, we determined that the recoverability  
of certain Power Solutions Utility overdue receivables 
and accrued income in respect of certain countries 
outlined above has a high degree of estimation 
uncertainty, with a potential range of reasonable 
outcomes greater than our materiality for the 
financial statements as a whole, and possibly  
many times that amount. 

Our response

Our procedures included:
 → Our experience: using our experience of 

geographical issues, assessing and challenging the 
Directors’ judgement as to the likely recoverable 
amount of the receivables, which includes seeking 
evidence of the status of receivables from the  
latest communications with the relevant customer 
(including deposits and guarantees) where 
available, considering the Group’s previous 
experience of recovery, considering any non-
corroborating evidence and our knowledge  
of in-country exposures;

 → Tests of details: Assessing post year end debt 
collection by vouching receipts to supporting 
documentation and considering evidence of 
planned payments; and

 → Assessing transparency: Assessing the adequacy  
of the Group’s disclosures about the degree of 
estimation involved.

Our results
 → We found the carrying amount of the trade 

receivables and accrued income that were the 
subject of the key audit matter to be acceptable 
(2018: acceptable).

84 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 
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The risk

Consolidated and 
parent company 
taxation provisions 
in relation to the 
ongoing dispute  
in relation to a tax 
assessment in 
Bangladesh 

Refer to page 59 
(Audit Committee 
Report), page 100 
(accounting policy) 
and page 107 
(financial 
disclosures)

Risk vs 2018: 

Subjective estimate – Provision for tax contingencies 
require the Directors to make an estimate in relation 
to a tax assessment in Bangladesh. This is highly 
judgemental due to the complexities and 
uncertainties of Bangladesh tax legislation.

The matter is in court proceedings and may take 
many years to resolve. The risk to the financial 
statements is that the eventual resolution of the 
matter with the tax authorities is at an amount 
materially different to the provision held.

The effect of this matter is that, as part of our risk 
assessment, we determined that the provision  
in relation the ongoing dispute in relation to the 
Bangladesh tax assessment has a high degree  
of estimation uncertainty, with a potential range  
of outcomes greater than our materiality for the 
financial statements as a whole, and possibly  
many times that amount.

Our response

Our procedures included:
 → Our tax expertise: Assessing, together with our own 
international and local tax specialists, the Group’s 
tax position in relation to the ongoing tax 
assessment in Bangladesh, inspecting relevant 
correspondence with the tax authority and legal 
opinions and analysing and challenging the 
judgement about the likely conclusion used  
to determine the tax provision based on our 
knowledge and experience of the application  
of the international and local legislation by the 
relevant authority and courts; and

 → Assessing transparency: Assessing the adequacy  

of the Group’s disclosures in respect of the 
Bangladesh tax assessment.

Our results

We found the level of tax provisioning in the Group 
and Company to be acceptable (2018: acceptable).

3 Our application of materiality and an overview of the scope of our audit 
Materiality for the group financial statements as a whole was set at £9.9 million (2018: £9.0 million), determined with reference  
to a benchmark of group profit before tax, of which it represents 5.0% (2018: 4.9%). Materiality for the parent company financial 
statements as a whole was set at £5.9 million (2018: £6.5 million) based on component materiality. This is lower than we would 
otherwise have determined with reference to a benchmark of company net assets, and represents 1.2% (2018: 1.5 %) of this 
benchmark.

We agreed to report to the Audit Committee any corrected or uncorrected misstatements identified exceeding £500,000, in 
addition to any other identified misstatements that warranted reporting on qualitative grounds. This level was selected and 
agreed with the Audit Committee as, given the nature and scale of operations, adjustments under this level were not deemed  
to be of specific interest to them.

The Group audit team instructed component auditors in Australia, Brazil and Russia as to the significant areas to be covered, 
including the relevant risks detailed above and the information to be reported back. The Group team completed audit work  
on components in Dubai, the UK and US including the parent company. The Group audit team approved the component 
materialities, which ranged from £2.0 million to £5.9 million, having regard to the mix of size and risk profile of the Group across 
the components. The components not included were not individually financially significant enough to require an audit for group 
reporting purposes, and did not present specific individual risks that needed to be addressed.

The Group audit team visited the component location in Australia to participate in the planning meeting and assess the audit 
risk and strategy. Telephone calls were also held with the component auditors in Australia, Brazil and Russia. On these calls, the 
audit risks and strategy were discussed, the findings from the audit reported to the Group audit team were discussed in more 
detail, and any further work required by the Group audit team was then performed by the component auditor as relevant. 

Of the Group’s revenue, PBT and net assets we subject the following amounts to full audit and specified risk focussed audit 
procedures (are revenue, cost of sales and accounts receivable)

Full audit
Specified on revenue, cost of sales and accounts receivable

66% (2018: 77%)
7% (2018: 0%)

67% (2018: 77%)
23% (2018: 0%)

71% (2018: 80%)
3% (2018: 0%)

Revenue

Profit before tax

Total assets

The remaining 27% of total Group revenue, 10% of Group profit before tax and 26% of total Group assets is represented by a 
number of reporting components, none of which individually represented more than 7% of any of total Group revenue, Group 
profit before tax or total group assets. For these components we performed analysis at an aggregated group level to re-examine 
our assessment that there were no significant risks of material misstatement within these.

4 We have nothing to report on going concern
The Directors have prepared the financial statements on the going concern basis as they do not intend to liquidate the Company 
or the Group or to cease their operations, and as they have concluded that the Company’s and the Group’s financial position 
means that this is realistic. They have also concluded that there are no material uncertainties that could have cast significant 
doubt over their ability to continue as a going concern for at least a year from the date of approval of the financial statements 
(“the going concern period”). 

Our responsibility is to conclude on the appropriateness of the Directors’ conclusions and, had there been a material uncertainty 
related to going concern, to make reference to that in this audit report. However, as we cannot predict all future events or 
conditions and as subsequent events may result in outcomes that are inconsistent with judgements that were reasonable  
at the time they were made, the absence of reference to a material uncertainty in this auditor's report is not a guarantee  
that the Group and the Company will continue in operation. 

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

85

 
 
 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF AGGREKO PLC CONTINUED

In our evaluation of the Directors’ 
conclusions, we considered the inherent 
risks to the Group’s and Company’s 
business model and analysed how those 
risks might affect the Group’s and 
Company’s financial resources or ability 
to continue operations over the going 
concern period. The risks that we 
considered most likely to adversely affect 
the Group’s and Company’s available 
financial resources over this period were:
 → Global macroeconomic uncertainty 
resulting in reduced demand; and

 → Market dynamics in the Power 

Solutions Utility business impacting 
on returns.

As these were risks that could potentially 
cast significant doubt on the Company's 
ability to continue as a going concern, 
we considered sensitivities over the level 
of available financial resources indicated 
by the Company’s financial forecasts 
taking account of reasonably possible 
(but not unrealistic) adverse effects that 
could arise from these risks individually 
and collectively and evaluated the 
achievability of the actions the Directors 
consider they would take to improve  
the position should the risks materialise.  
We also considered less predictable but 
realistic second order impacts, such as 
the impact of Brexit on customs delays 
impacting on the Group’s ability to meet 
demand in certain areas.

Based on this work, we are required  
to report to you if:
 → we have anything material to add  

or draw attention to in relation to the 
Directors’ statement in Note 1 to the 
financial statements on the use of  
the going concern basis of accounting 
with no material uncertainties that 
may cast significant doubt over the 
Group and Company’s use of that 
basis for a period of at least twelve 
months from the date of approval  
of the financial statements; or
 → the related statement under the 
Listing Rules set out on page 29  
is materially inconsistent with our 
audit knowledge.

We have nothing to report in these 
respects, and we did not identify going 
concern as a key audit matter.

5 We have nothing to report 
on the other information in 
the Annual Report
The Directors are responsible for the 
other information presented in the 
Annual Report together with the 
financial statements. Our opinion on  
the financial statements does not cover 
the other information and, accordingly, 
we do not express an audit opinion or, 
except as explicitly stated below, any 
form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

Our responsibility is to read the other 
information and, in doing so, consider 
whether, based on our financial 
statements audit work, the information 
therein is materially misstated  
or inconsistent with the financial 
statements or our audit knowledge. 
Based solely on that work we have  
not identified material misstatements  
in the other information. 

Strategic report and Directors’ report 
Based solely on our work on the  
other information: 
 → we have not identified material 
misstatements in the strategic  
report and the Directors’ report; 

 → in our opinion the information given  
in those reports for the financial year  
is consistent with the financial 
statements; and 

 → in our opinion those reports have  

been prepared in accordance with  
the Companies Act 2006. 

Directors’ remuneration report 
In our opinion the part of the Directors’ 
remuneration report to be audited has 
been properly prepared in accordance 
with the Companies Act 2006. 

Disclosures of principal risks and 
longer-term viability 
Based on the knowledge we acquired 
during our financial statements audit, 
we have nothing material to add or  
draw attention to in relation to: 
 → the Directors’ confirmation within 
page 37 that they have carried out  
a robust assessment of the principal 
risks facing the Group, including those 
that would threaten its business 
model, future performance, solvency 
and liquidity; 

 → the principal risks and uncertainties 
disclosures describing these risks  
and explaining how they are being 
managed and mitigated; and 
 → the Directors’ explanation in the 

assessment of prospects and viability 
statement of how they have assessed 
the prospects of the Group, over what 
period they have done so and why 
they considered that period to be 
appropriate, and their statement  
as to whether they have a reasonable 
expectation that the Group will be 
able to continue in operation and 
meet its liabilities as they fall due  
over the period of their assessment, 
including any related disclosures 
drawing attention to any necessary 
qualifications or assumptions. 

Under the Listing Rules we are required 
to review the assessment of prospects 
and viability statement. We have nothing 
to report in this respect. 

Our work is limited to assessing these 
matters in the context of only the 
knowledge acquired during our financial 
statements audit. As we cannot predict 
all future events or conditions and  
as subsequent events may result in 
outcomes that are inconsistent with 
judgments that were reasonable at the 
time they were made, the absence of 
anything to report on these statements 
is not a guarantee as to the Group’s  
and Company’s longer-term viability.

Corporate governance disclosures 
We are required to report to you if: 
 → we have identified material 

inconsistencies between the 
knowledge we acquired during our 
financial statements audit and the 
directors’ statement that they consider 
that 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 
position and performance, business 
model and strategy; or 

 → the section of the annual report 
describing the work of the Audit 
Committee does not appropriately 
address matters communicated  
by us to the Audit Committee.

We are required to report to you if  
the Corporate Governance Statement 
does not properly disclose a departure 
from the eleven provisions of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code specified  
by the Listing Rules for our review. 

We have nothing to report in these 
respects.

6 We have nothing to report 
on the other matters on  
which we are required to 
report by exception 
Under the Companies Act 2006, we  
are required 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. 

We have nothing to report in these 
respects. 

86 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

8 The purpose of our audit 
work and to whom we owe 
our responsibilities 
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 auditor’s 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. 

John Luke 
(Senior Statutory Auditor)  
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP,  
Statutory Auditor 

Chartered Accountants  
319 St Vincent Street 
Glasgow 
G2 5AS

3 March 2020

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7 Respective responsibilities 
Directors’ responsibilities 
As explained more fully in their 
statement set out on page 83, the 
Directors are responsible for: the 
preparation of the financial statements 
including being satisfied that they give  
a true and fair view; such internal control 
as they determine is necessary to enable 
the preparation of financial statements 
that are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or 
error; assessing the Group and 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 they either intend  
to liquidate the Group or the parent 
Company or to cease operations, or  
have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s responsibilities 
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 other irregularities (see below), 
or error, and to issue our opinion in an 
auditor’s report. Reasonable assurance  
is a high level of assurance, but does not 
guarantee that an audit conducted in 
accordance with ISAs (UK) will always 
detect a material misstatement when  
it exists. Misstatements can arise from 
fraud, other irregularities or error and  
are considered material if, individually  
or in aggregate, they could reasonably 
be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis  
of the financial statements. 

A fuller description of our responsibilities 
is provided on the FRC’s website at  
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. 

Irregularities – ability to detect
We identified areas of laws and 
regulations that could reasonably be 
expected to have a material effect on the 
financial statements from our general 
commercial and sector experience and 
through discussion with the Directors 
and other management (as required by 
auditing standards), and discussed with 
the Directors and other management 
the policies and procedures regarding 
compliance with laws and regulations. 
We communicated identified laws and 
regulations throughout our team and 
remained alert to any indications of 
non-compliance throughout the audit. 
This included communication from the 
Group to component audit teams of 
relevant laws and regulations identified 
at Group level.

The potential effect of these laws and 
regulations on the financial statements 
varies considerably.

Firstly, the Group is subject to laws and 
regulations that directly affect the 
financial statements including financial 
reporting legislation (including related 
companies legislation), distributable 
profits legislation and taxation legislation 
and we assessed the extent of 
compliance with these laws and 
regulations as part of our procedures  
on the related financial statement items. 

Secondly, the Group is subject to many 
other laws and regulations where the 
consequences of non-compliance could 
have a material effect on amounts or 
disclosures in the financial statements, 
for instance through the imposition of 
fines or litigation. We identified anti-
bribery as the area most likely to have 
such an effect, recognising the nature  
of the group’s activities and the 
Governmental nature of many of the 
group's customers. Auditing standards 
limit the required audit procedures  
to identify non-compliance with these  
laws and regulations to enquiry of the 
directors and other management and 
inspection of regulatory and legal 
correspondence, if any. Through these 
procedures, we became aware of actual 
or suspected non-compliance and 
considered the effect as part of our 
procedures on the related financial 
statement items. The identified actual  
or suspected non-compliance was not 
sufficiently significant to our audit to 
result in our response being identified  
as a key audit matter.

Owing to the inherent limitations of  
an audit, there is an unavoidable risk 
that we may not have detected some 
material misstatements in the financial 
statements, even though we have 
properly planned and performed our 
audit in accordance with auditing 
standards. For example, the further 
removed non-compliance with laws and 
regulations (irregularities) is from the 
events and transactions reflected in the 
financial statements, the less likely the 
inherently limited procedures required 
by auditing standards would identify it. 
In addition, as with any audit, there 
remained a higher risk of non-detection 
of irregularities, as these may involve 
collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, 
misrepresentations, or the override of 
internal controls. We are not responsible 
for preventing non-compliance and 
cannot be expected to detect non-
compliance with all laws and regulations.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

87

 
 
 
GROUP INCOME STATEMENT
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

For the year ended 31 December 2019

Revenue
Cost of sales

Gross profit

Distribution costs
Administrative expenses
Impairment loss on trade receivables
Other income
Operating profit

Net finance costs
– Finance cost
– Finance income
Profit before taxation

Taxation
Profit for the year

All profit for the year is attributable to the owners of the Company.

Basic earnings per share (pence)
Diluted earnings per share (pence)

Notes

4

16
2
4
8

5
9

11
11

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

1,613
(644)

969
(482)
(249)
(7)
10
241

(46)
4
199
(70)
129

1,760
(824)

936
(476)
(241)
(7)
7
219

(41)
4
182
(57)
125

50.80
50.70

49.22
49.18

GROUP STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the year ended 31 December 2019

Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Remeasurement of retirement benefits
Taxation on remeasurement of retirement benefits

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss

Cash flow hedges
Net exchange losses offset in reserves

Other comprehensive loss for the year (net of tax)
Total comprehensive income for the year

2019  

£ million

129

2018  
£ million

125

(1)
–

1
(75)
(75)
54

26
(5)

2
(24)
(1)
124

88 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019
88

GROUP BALANCE SHEET (COMPANY NUMBER: SC177553)

As at 31 December 2019

Non-current assets
Goodwill
Other intangible assets
Investment
Property, plant and equipment
Deferred tax asset
Fulfilment assets
Retirement benefit surplus

Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Fulfilment assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Derivative financial instruments
Current tax assets

Total assets

Current liabilities
Borrowings
Lease liability
Derivative financial instruments
Trade and other payables
Current tax liabilities
Demobilisation provision
Provisions

Non-current liabilities
Borrowings
Lease liability
Deferred tax liabilities
Demobilisation provision

Total liabilities
Net assets

Shareholders’ equity
Share capital
Share premium
Treasury shares
Capital redemption reserve
Hedging reserve (net of deferred tax)
Foreign exchange reserve
Retained earnings
Total Shareholders’ equity

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2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

177
41
9
1,166
44
54
4
1,495

216
659
32
87
1
21
1,016
2,511

(59)
(33)
(1)
(388)
(42)
(5)
–
(528)

(511)
(68)
(36)
(9)
(624)
(1,152)
1,359

42
20
(13)
13
2
(126)
1,421
1,359

184
42
9
1,169
36
29
1
1,470

229
781
15
85
1
23
1,134
2,604

(144)
–
(1)
(371)
(47)
(6)
(2)
(571)

(627)
–
(34)
(5)
(666)
(1,237)
1,367

42
20
(17)
13
1
(51)
1,359
1,367

Notes

12
27.A2

13
21
14
27.A5

15
16
14
3
27.A4

17
18
27.A4
19

20

17
18
21
20

22

23

The financial statements on pages 88 to 129 were approved by the Board of Directors on 3 March 2020 and signed on its 
behalf by:

K Hanna  
Chairman 

H Drewett
Chief Financial Officer

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

89

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GROUP CASH FLOW STATEMENT

For the year ended 31 December 2019

Operating activities
Profit for the year
Adjustments for:
Tax
Depreciation
Amortisation of intangibles
Fulfilment assets
Demobilisation provisions
Finance income
Finance cost
Profit on sale of property, plant and equipment (PPE)
Share-based payments
Changes in working capital (excluding the effects of exchange differences on consolidation):

Decrease in inventories
Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables
Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables

Cash flows relating to fulfilment assets
Cash flows relating to demobilisation provisions
Cash flows relating to 2017 exceptional items
Cash generated from operations
Tax paid
Interest received
Interest paid(i)
Net cash generated from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions (net of cash acquired)
Purchases of PPE
Purchase of other intangible assets
Purchase of investment
Proceeds from sale of PPE
Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Increase in long-term loans
Repayment of long-term loans
Increase in short-term loans
Repayment of short-term loans
Payment of lease liabilities
Dividends paid to Shareholders
Purchase of treasury shares
Net cash used in financing activities

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year
Exchange loss on cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year

Notes

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

129

70
315
8
21
9
(4)
46
(10)
11

8
78
21
(66)
(6)
(2)
628
(76)
4
(46)
510

–
(230)
(8)
–
21
(217)

393
(493)
2
(127)
(31)
(69)
(4)
(329)

(36)
76
(4)
36

125

57
293
5
9
4
(4)
41
(7)
10

14
(10)
(60)
(44)
(4)
(6)
423
(61)
4
(36)
330

(24)
(216)
(10)
(9)
15
(244)

726
(624)
5
(94)
–
(69)
(12)
(68)

18
59
(1)
76

14
20

2

14
20

2

3

(i)  Interest paid of £46 million (2018: £36 million) includes £5 million relating to leases (2018: £nil).

Cash flows for the purchase and sale of rental fleet assets are presented as arising from investing activities because the 
acquisition of new fleet assets represents a key investment decision for the Group, the assets are expected to be owned and 
operated by the Group to the end of their useful economic lives, the disposal process (when the assets are largely depreciated) 
is not a major part of the Group’s business model and the assets in the rental fleet are not specifically held for subsequent resale. 

90 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH FLOW TO MOVEMENT IN NET DEBT

For the year ended 31 December 2019

As at 31 December 2019

Analysis of changes in net debt
Cash and cash equivalents (Note 3)

At  
1 January 
2019 
£ million

76

IFRS 16 
Transition 
£ million

Cash flow 
£ million

Exchange 
£ million

Other  
non-cash 
movements 
£ million

At  
31 December 
2019 
£ million

–

(36)

(4)

–

36

Current borrowings:

Bank borrowings
Private placement notes
Lease liability

Non-current borrowings:

Bank borrowings
Private placement notes
Lease liability

(115)
(20)
–
(135)

(134)
(493)
–
(627)

–
–
(31)
(31)

–
–
(73)
(73)

105
20
31
156

100
–
–
100

Net debt

(686)

(104)

220

Analysis of changes in liabilities from  
financing activities

Current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Total financing liabilities

(135)
(627)
(762)

(31)
(73)
(104)

156
100
256

2
–
–
2

1
15
2
18

16

2
18
20

–
–
(33)
(33)

–
–
3
3

(8)
–
(33)
(41)

(33)
(478)
(68)
(579)

(30)

(584)

(33)
3
(30)

(41)
(579)
(620)

Other non-cash movements include reclassifications between short term and long term borrowings, with £nil being reclassified 
from non-current to current borrowings and £24 million from non-current to current lease liabilities. The remaining balance is 
due to £25 million of new lease liabilities and £5 million of interest.

As at 31 December 2018

Analysis of changes in net debt
Cash and cash equivalents

Current borrowings:

Bank borrowings
Private placement notes

Non-current borrowings:

Bank borrowings
Private placement notes

At  
1 January 
2018 
£ million

Cash flow 
excluding 
acquisitions 
£ million

Cash flow– 
acquisitions 
£ million

Exchange 
£ million

59

18

(72)
(55)
(127)

(103)
(481)
(584)

34
55
89

(78)
–
(78)

–

–
–
–

(24)
–
(24)

(1)

(2)
(2)
(4)

(4)
(30)
(34)

Net debt

(652)

29

(24)

(39)

Analysis of changes in liabilities from  
financing activities

Current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Financing derivatives
Total financing liabilities

(127)
(584)
(2)
(713)

89
(78)
2
13

–
(24)
–
(24)

(4)
(34)
–
(38)

Other  
non-cash 
movements 
£ million

At  
31 December  
2018 
£ million

–

76

(75)
(18)
(93)

75
18
93

–

(93)
93
–
–

(115)
(20)
(135)

(134)
(493)
(627)

(686)

(135)
(627)
–
(762)

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

91

 
 
 
GROUP STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the year ended 31 December 2019

As at 31 December 2019

Balance at 1 January 2019
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive  
(loss)/income:
Transfers from hedging reserve 
to revenue
Fair value gains on foreign 
currency cashflow hedge  
(net of tax)
Currency translation 
differences(i)
Remeasurement of retirement 
benefits (net of tax)
Total comprehensive  
income/(loss) for the year 
ended 31 December 2019

Transactions with owners:
Purchase of Treasury shares
Employee share awards
Issue of Ordinary Shares to 
employees under share  
option schemes
Dividends paid during 2019

Balance at 31 December 2019

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Ordinary 
share  
capital  

£ million

Share 
premium 
account  
£ million

Treasury 
shares  

£ million

Capital 
redemption 
reserve  

£ million

Notes

Foreign 
exchange 
reserve 
(translation)  

£ million

Hedging 
reserve  

£ million

Retained 
earnings  
£ million

Total  
equity  

£ million

42
–

20
–

(17)
–

13
–

–

–

–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
42

–

–

–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
20

–

–

–

–

–

(4)
–

8
–
4
(13)

–

–

–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
13

1
–

(1)

2

–

–

1

–
–

–
–
–
2

(51)
–

1,359
129

1,367
129

–

–

(75)

–

–

–

–

(1)

(1)

2

(75)

(1)

(75)

128

54

–
–

–
–
–
(126)

–
11

(4)
11

(8)
(69)
(66)
1,421

–
(69)
(62)
1,359

10

(i)  Included in currency translation differences of the Group are exchange gains of £16 million arising on borrowings denominated in foreign currencies designated as 

hedges of net investments overseas, and exchange losses of £91 million relating to the translation of overseas results and net assets. The currency translation difference is 
explained in the Financial Review on page 26.

(ii) There is no impact on retained earnings at 1 January 2019 from the adoption of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’.

92 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

As at 31 December 2018

Balance at 1 January 2018  
as previously reported
Impact of change in accounting 
policy in 2018
Restated balance at  
1 January 2018
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive  
(loss)/income:
Fair value gains on interest rate 
swaps (net of tax)
Currency translation 
differences(i)
Remeasurement of retirement 
benefits (net of tax)
Total comprehensive  
income/(loss) for the year  
ended 31 December 2018
Transactions with owners:
Purchase of Treasury shares
Employee share awards
Issue of Ordinary Shares to 
employees under share  
option schemes
Dividends paid during 2018

Balance at 31 December 2018

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Ordinary 
share  
capital  
£ million

Share 
premium 
account  
£ million

Treasury 
shares  
£ million

Capital 
redemption 
reserve  
£ million

Notes

Foreign 
exchange 
reserve 
(translation)  
£ million

Hedging 
reserve  
£ million

Retained 
earnings  
£ million

Total  
equity  
£ million

42

–

42
–

–

–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
42

20

–

20
–

–

–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
20

(7)

–

(7)
–

–

–

–

–

(12)
–

2
–
(10)
(17)

13

–

13
–

–

–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
13

(1)

–

(1)
–

2

–

–

2

–
–

–
–
–
1

(27)

1,277

1,317

–

(27)
–

–

(24)

–

(3)

(3)

1,274
125

1,314
125

–

–

21

2

(24)

21

(24)

146

124

–
–

–
–
–
(51)

–
10

(2)
(69)
(61)
1,359

(12)
10

–
(69)
(71)
1,367

(i)  Included in currency translation differences of the Group are exchange losses of £46 million arising on borrowings denominated in foreign currencies designated 

as hedges of net investments overseas, and exchange gains of £22 million relating to the translation of overseas results and net assets. 

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Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

93

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS

For the year ended 31 December 2019

1 Accounting policies
The Company is a public limited 
company which is listed on the London 
Stock Exchange and is incorporated and 
domiciled in the UK. The address of the 
registered office is 120 Bothwell Street, 
Glasgow G2 7JS, UK. The principal 
accounting policies applied in the 
preparation of these consolidated 
financial statements are set out below. 
These policies have been consistently 
applied to all years presented, unless 
otherwise stated.

Basis of preparation
The Group financial statements have 
been prepared in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting 
Standards as adopted by the European 
Union (EU IFRS), IFRIC interpretations 
and the Companies Act 2006 applicable 
to companies reporting under EU IFRS. 
The financial statements have been 
prepared under the historical cost 
convention, as modified by the 
revaluation of certain financial assets 
and financial liabilities (including 
derivative instruments) at fair value.

The preparation of financial statements 
in conformity with EU IFRS requires the 
use of estimates and assumptions that 
affect the reported amounts of assets 
and liabilities at the date of the financial 
statements and the reported amounts  
of the revenue and expense during  
the reporting period.

Although these estimates are based  
on management’s best knowledge  
of the amount, event or actions, actual 
results ultimately may differ from  
those estimates.

Adjusted measures
The Directors assess the performance  
of the Group and its reportable 
segments based on ‘adjusted measures’. 
These measures are used for internal 
performance management and are 
believed to be most appropriate for 
explaining underlying performance  
to users of the accounts including 
shareholders of the Company and other 
stakeholders. The adjusted measures  
in relation to profit exclude exceptional 
items where appropriate. In comparing 
performance year on year we also 
exclude the impact of currency and 
pass-through fuel. The Group reports 
separately fuel revenue from contracts  
in our Power Solutions Utility business  
in Brazil and Sri Lanka where we 
manage fuel on a pass-through basis  
on behalf of our customers. The reason 
for the separate reporting is that fuel 
revenue on these contracts is entirely 
dependent on fuel prices and volumes  
of fuel consumed, and these can be 
volatile and may distort the view of the 
performance of the underlying business. 

The financial covenants attached to  
our borrowing facilities are that EBITDA 
should be no less than four times 
interest and net debt should be no more 
than three times EBITDA. The covenants 
exclude the impact of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ 
therefore in monitoring performance 
against these covenants we exclude  
the impact of IFRS 16. This calculation  
is included in the definition and 
calculation of Non GAAP measures  
on page 138.

Going concern
Given the proven ability of the business 
to fund organic growth from operating 
cash flows, and the nature of our 
business model, we believe it is sensible 
to run the business with a modest 
amount of debt. We say ‘modest’ 
because we are strongly of the view  
that it is unwise to run a business which 
has high levels of operational gearing 
with high levels of debt. Given the  
above considerations, we believe that  
a Net Debt to EBITDA ratio of around 
one times is appropriate for the Group 
over the longer term. 

The Group maintains sufficient facilities 
to meet its normal funding requirements 
over the medium term. At 31 December 
2019, these facilities totalled £1,027 
million in the form of committed bank 
facilities arranged on a bilateral basis 
with a number of international banks 
and private placement lenders. The 
financial covenants attached to these 
facilities are that EBITDA should be  
no less than four times interest and  
net debt should be no more than three 
times EBITDA. The covenants exclude 
the impact of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ and,  
on that basis, at 31 December 2019,  
these rates are 14* times and 0.9* times 
respectively. The Group does not expect 
to breach these covenants in the year 
from the date of approval of this report 
and the Group expects to continue to  
be able to arrange sufficient finance to 
meet its future funding requirements.  
It has been the Group’s custom and 
practice to refinance its facilities in 
advance of their maturity dates, 
providing that there is an ongoing need 
for those facilities. Net debt (including 
£101 million of a lease creditor on 
adoption of IFRS 16 from 1 January  
2019) amounted to £584 million at  
31 December 2019 and, at that date, 
undrawn committed facilities were  
£516 million. 

The Group balance sheet shows 
consolidated net assets of £1,359 million 
(2018: £1,367 million) of which 
£939 million (2018: £1,057 million) relates 
to fleet assets. The defined benefit 
pension surplus is £4 million (2018: 
surplus of £1 million).

More detail can be found within the 
Risks section on pages 30 to 36 and in 
the assessment of prospects and viability 
section on page 37.

Based on the above the Directors are 
confident that it is appropriate for the 
going concern basis to be adopted  
in preparing the year end financial 
statements. 

Changes in accounting policy  
and disclosures
(a) New and amended standards 
adopted by the Group 

IFRS 16 ‘Leases’
The Group adopted IFRS 16 from 
1 January 2019 and, therefore, this is the 
first set of the Group’s annual financial 
statements where IFRS 16 has been 
applied.

Prior to the adoption of IFRS 16, leases 
where substantially all of the risks  
and rewards of ownership were not 
transferred to the Group were classified 
as operating leases. Rentals under 
operating leases were charged to 
operating profit on a straight-line basis 
over the term of the lease. IFRS 16 
addresses the accounting for leases and 
requires lessees to recognise all leases  
on balance sheet with limited 
exemptions. This results in the 
recognition of a right-of-use asset and 
corresponding liability on the balance 
sheet, with the associated depreciation 
and interest expense being recorded in 
the income statement over the lease 
period. Limited exemptions apply for 
short-term leases (leases with a term of 
12 months or less) and low-value leases 
(which have been defined as <$10,000). 
The payments for the exempt leases are 
recognised as an expense in the income 
statement on a straight-line basis over 
the lease term.

The Group has adopted IFRS 16 using  
the modified retrospective approach, 
under which the cumulative effect of 
initial application (£nil) is recognised  
in retained earnings at 1 January 2019. 
Accordingly, the comparative 
information has not been restated  
and continues to be reported under  
IAS 17 ‘Leases’ and IFRIC 4 ‘Determining 
Whether an Arrangement contains  
a Lease’. 

Definition of a lease
Previously, the Group determined  
at contract inception whether an 
arrangement was or contained a lease 
under IFRIC 4. Under IFRS 16, a contract 
is, or contains a lease, if the contract 
conveys a right to control the use of  
an identified asset for a period in 
exchange for consideration. 

*  Calculation is on page 138.

94 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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1 Accounting policies 
continued
In applying IFRS 16 for the first time, the 
Group has used the following practical 
expedients permitted by the standard:
 → to grandfather the assessment  

of which transactions are leases.  
The Group applied IFRS 16 only  
to contracts that were previously 
identified as leases. Contracts that 
were not identified as leases under  
IAS 17 and IFRIC 4 were not reassessed. 
Therefore, the definition of a lease 
under IFRS 16 has been applied only  
to contracts entered or changed on  
or after 1 January 2019; 

 → the use of hindsight in determining 

the lease term if the contract contains 
options to extend or terminate the 
lease; 

 → the accounting for operating leases 
with a remaining lease term of less 
than 12 months as at 1 January 2019  
as short-term leases; and

 → to exclude initial direct costs from the 
measurement of the right-of-use asset 
at the date of initial application.

Accounting policy
On initial measurement the right-of- 
use asset is recognised at cost, which 
comprises the value of the lease liability 
adjusted for any lease payments made 
on or before the commencement date, 
less any incentives received, any initial 

direct costs incurred and an estimate  
of costs to dismantle and remove the 
underlying asset. The right-of-use asset 
is depreciated using the straight-line 
method from the commencement  
date to the end of the lease term.  
The right-of-use asset is periodically 
adjusted for impairment, if any, and any 
remeasurements of the lease liability.

The Group leases various properties, 
vehicles, plant and equipment. Rental 
contracts are typically for fixed periods 
from 3 to 7 years but may have extension 
options. Lease terms are negotiated on 
an individual basis and contain a wide 
range of different terms and conditions.

On initial measurement the lease liability 
is measured at the present value of the 
future lease payments, discounted using 
the interest rate implicit in the lease or,  
if that rate cannot be readily determined, 
the Group’s incremental borrowing rate. 
Generally, the Group uses its incremental 
borrowing rate as the discount rate as 
the majority of subsidiary debt is funded 
by Group borrowings and therefore this 
is the rate at which lessees obtain 
funding for the asset. In addition, given 
the types of leases entered and the 
geographies of the majority of the 
leasing activity the interest rates implicit 
in these leases would be expected  
to gravitate around the Group’s 
incremental rate. If the discount rate 
increased or decreased by 0.5% then  
the lease liability would change by circa 
£1 million. 

The lease liability is measured at 
amortised cost using the effective 
interest rate method and is remeasured 
when there is a change in the future 
lease payments arising from a change  
in index or a change in the original 
assessment made. Each lease payment 
is allocated between the liability and 
finance cost. The finance cost is charged 
to the income statement over the lease 
period to produce a constant periodic 
rate of interest on the remaining balance 
of the liability for each period.

The Group presents the right-of-use 
asset and lease liability on the balance 
sheet.

Lease payments associated with 
short-term and low-value leases are 
recognised on a straight-line basis  
as an expense in the profit or loss. 

On transition to IFRS 16 the Group 
recognised an additional £104 million  
of right-of-use assets and £104 million  
of lease liabilities at the present value  
of the remaining lease payments, 
discounted at the Group’s incremental 
borrowing rate as at 1 January 2019. The 
Group’s weighted average incremental 
borrowing rate applied to the lease 
liabilities on 1 January 2019 was 5%. This 
rate has remained at 5% throughout 
2019. On transition the right-of-use 
assets were measured at an amount 
equal to the lease liability, adjusted by 
the amount of any prepaid or accrued 
lease payments, which were not 
material.

The recognised right-of-use assets relate to the following types of assets:

Freehold property
Vehicles, plant & equipment

The recognised lease liability at 1 January 2019 is detailed below.

Operating lease commitment at 31 December 2018 as disclosed in the Group’s consolidated financial statements
Impact of discounting
Discounted using the incremental borrowing rate at 1 January 2019
Recognition exemption for leases with less than 12 months of term at transition
Extension or termination options reasonably certain to be exercised
Lease liabilities recognised at 1 January 2019

1 January 2019
£ million

75
29
104

1 January 2019
£ million

117
(21)
96
(1)
9
104

Impact for the period
The impact from applying IFRS 16 for the 
year ended 31 December 2019 was:

Income statement
 → Improvement in operating profit of  

£3 million

 → Increase in depreciation of £30 million
 → Increase in interest costs of £5 million
 → Reduction in profit before tax of  

£2 million

Balance sheet/cash flow statement
 → Right-of-use asset included within 
property, plant & equipment of  
£98 million at 31 December 2019  
(1 January 2019: £104 million)
 → Lease liabilities of £101 million at 

31 December 2019 (1 January 2019: 
£104 million)

 → Net debt at 31 December 2019 is 

higher by £101 million

Ratios
 → An increase in EBITDA of £33 million
 → An increase in net debt/EBITDA of 

0.1 times

 → Reduction in Group ROCE of 0.4pp

Note 18 sets out more details on the 
Group leases.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

95

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

1 Accounting policies 
continued
IFRIC 23 ‘Uncertainty over Income 
Tax Treatments’
The Group adopted IFRIC 23 from 
1 January 2019. There was no material 
impact arising from the adoption of 
this standard.

(b) New standards, amendments and 
interpretations issued but not effective 
for the financial year beginning 
1 January 2019 and not early adopted
There are no standards, amendments 
and interpretations that are not yet 
effective that would be expected to 
have a material impact on the Group.

Basis of consolidation
The Group financial statements 
consolidate the financial statements of 
Aggreko plc and all of its subsidiaries  
for the year ended 31 December 2019. 
Subsidiaries are those entities over  
which the Group has control. The Group 
controls an entity when the Group is 
exposed to, or has rights to, variable 
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.

The Group uses the acquisition method 
of accounting for business combinations. 
The consideration transferred for the 
acquisition of a subsidiary is the fair 
value of the assets transferred, the 
liabilities incurred and the equity 
interests issued by the Group. The 
consideration transferred includes the 
fair value of any asset or liability resulting 
from a contingent consideration 
arrangement. Acquisition related costs 
are expensed as incurred. Identifiable 
assets and liabilities and contingent 
liabilities assumed in a business 
combination are measured initially at 
their fair values at the acquisition date.

Inter-company transactions, balances 
and unrealised gains on transactions 
between Group companies are 
eliminated. Unrealised losses are also 
eliminated. Accounting policies of 
subsidiaries have been changed where 
necessary to ensure consistency with  
the policies adopted by the Group.

Revenue recognition
Revenue is measured based on the 
consideration specified in a contract 
with a customer and excludes amounts 
collected on behalf of third parties.  
The Group recognises revenue when  
it transfers control over a service to  
a customer as detailed below. 

As explained on page 2, Aggreko  
has three operating segments as 
detailed below:
 → Rental Solutions: This business 

provides power, heating and cooling in 
developed markets. These customers, 
requirements tend to revolve around 

smaller, short-term projects and 
key events.

 → Power Solutions Industrial: This 

business comprises medium-term 
projects for industrial customers, as 
well as shorter-term rental contracts.
 → Power Solutions Utility: This business 

delivers longer-term projects providing 
power to national utility customers.

The Group generally has three 
performance obligations:
 → In Rental solutions and shorter-term 

rental contracts within Power 
Solutions Industrial the Group provides 
rental contracts for the supply of 
temporary power, temperature 
control, oil-free compressed air and 
related services (for example, fuel, 
logistics and technical services). 

 → In Power Solutions Utility and 

medium-term projects for industrial 
customers the Group supplies 
temporary power, temperature 
control, oil-free compressed air and 
related services (for example, fuel, 
logistics and technical services).
 → In some contracts the Group is 

responsible for the design and project 
management phase of the project 
(for example, in some of the major 
events contracts) and at the end of 
this phase the Group will hand over 
the design documentation and 
project management knowledge/
documentation to the customer 
who can then take this documentation 
and use someone else for the provision 
of power if they so wish. This is 
different from the technical services in 
the first two performance obligations 
where the design phase is part of the 
normal running and not handed over 
to the customer.

In the first two performance obligations 
revenue is recognised over time based, 
on outputs provided to the customer, 
because this is the most accurate 
measurement of the satisfaction of the 
performance obligation. Revenue can 
comprise a fixed rental charge and a 
variable charge related to the usage  
of assets or other services (including 
pass-through fuel). The Group earns 
a fixed charge on certain contracts 
by providing agreed levels of power 
generation capacity to the customer 
and this is recognised when availability 
criteria in the contract are met. Variable 
charges are earned as the Group 
provides power or rental and associated 
services in accordance with contractual 
arrangements and are recognised as 
the power is produced or the service 
is provided. 

In the third performance obligation 
revenue is recognised over the period of 
the performance obligation which ends 
when the documentation/knowledge  
is transferred to the customer.

Revenue is accrued or deferred at the 
balance sheet date depending on the 
period covered by the most recent 
invoice issued and the contractual terms. 

A receivable is recognised by the  
Group when the service is provided  
to the customer. Payment terms vary 
across the Group and the majority of 
receivables across the Group are paid 
within or close to the payment terms. 
However, some of the contracts the 
Group undertakes in developing 
countries in our Power Solutions Utility 
business are very large and are in 
jurisdictions where payment practices 
can be unpredictable. These are 
explained in more detail on page 99.

Variable consideration 
The Group is liable to penalties on 
certain contracts if we fail to fulfil  
the relevant performance obligation.  
The transaction price is reduced by the 
amount of any penalties in the contract 
unless it is highly likely that they will  
not occur.

Disaggregation of revenue
In Note 4 to the Accounts revenue  
from contracts with customers  
is disaggregated by business unit,  
geography and sector.

Contract balances
The following table provides information 
about receivables, accrued income, 
fulfilment assets (contract assets) and 
demobilisation provisions (contract 
liabilities) from contracts with 
customers.

Notes

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

Receivables
Accrued income
Fulfilment assets
Demobilisation 
provisions

16
16
14

20

444
124
86

502
169
44

14

11

Mobilisation and demobilisation
Mobilisation costs are classified as 
fulfilment costs where they are 
separately identifiable and specific to a 
project and where the mobilisation does 
not itself form a separate performance 
obligation. In these circumstances, 
mobilisation costs are capitalised as they 
relate to future performance obligations, 
i.e. the provision of power is the future 
performance obligation, which begins 
when the power starts to be generated. 
During the phase of mobilisation this 
service has not yet started and as such 
represents a future performance 
obligation. The costs incurred during 
mobilisation are directly related to the 
contract and enable Aggreko to earn 
revenue from the provision of power. 
They are expected to be recovered 
because the contract is profitable, 
although they will be reviewed carefully 
for any indication of impairment if any 
loss making contracts arise.

96 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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1 Accounting policies 
continued
With respect to demobilisation costs 
the Group has a legal obligation to incur 
demobilisation costs once the assets are 
installed on site, as this is required by the 
contract. This creates a legal obligation 
from a past event. The majority of these 
costs can be measured reliably and 
therefore they meet the definition of 
a provision. These costs are capitalised  
as a fulfilment cost asset as they are 
incurred in relation to a performance 
obligation (delivering power) and are 
expected to be recovered and generate 
or enhance resources because they 
facilitate Aggreko’s delivery of the 
contract.

The fulfilment costs (mobilisation and 
demobilisation costs) are amortised to 
the income statement over the period 
of the initial contract. The amortisation 
starts when we start to earn revenue and 
stops when the initial contract period 
ends. If there is a signed extension, the 
unamortised amount left in the balance 
sheet when the extension is signed is 
then amortised over the remaining 
period of the initial contract and the 
extension period. Generally there are  
no options in contracts to extend at 
an advantageous price.

In contracts where mobilisation and 
demobilisation income timing is 
specifically stipulated in the contract in 
order to match the timing of associated 
costs, then this income is generally 
recognised during the period of 
provision of power. 

During the year £66 million of  
fulfilment assets were capitalised  
mainly relating to mobilisation costs  
for our contracts in Brazil and Burkina 
Faso, as well as the Japan Olympics.

Segmental reporting
Operating segments are reported in  
a manner consistent with the internal 
reporting provided to the chief operating 
decision maker. The chief operating 
decision maker has been identified  
as the Board of Directors.

Aggreko has two business units:  
Rental Solutions and Power Solutions. 
Within Power Solutions we serve  
both Utility and Industrial customers. 
Aggreko therefore has three segments 
comprising: Rental Solutions, Power 
Solutions – Industrial and Power 
Solutions – Utility. A description of these 
business units is contained on page 2. 
This is reflected by the Group’s divisional 
management and organisational 
structure and the Group’s internal 
financial reporting systems.

The Global Products and Technology 
results and assets, as well as central 
administrative costs, are allocated 
between segments based on revenue.

Exceptional items
Exceptional items are items which 
individually or if of a similar type, in 
aggregate, need to be disclosed by 
virtue of their size or incidence if the 
financial statements are to be properly 
understood. To monitor our financial 
performance we use a profit measure 
that excludes exceptional items.

We exclude these items because, if 
included, these items could distort 
understanding of our performance 
for the year and comparability 
between periods. 

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment is carried 
at cost less accumulated depreciation 
and impairment losses. Cost includes 
purchase price, and directly attributable 
costs of bringing the asset into the 
location and condition where it is 
capable for use. Borrowing costs are  
not capitalised since the assets are 
assembled over a short period of time.

Freehold properties are depreciated on  
a straight-line basis over 25 years or over 
the term of each lease. Short leasehold 
properties are depreciated on a straight-
line basis over the terms of each lease.

Other property, plant and equipment  
are depreciated on a straight-line basis 
at annual rates estimated to write off the 
cost of each asset over its useful life from 
the date it is available for use or over the 
term of each lease. Assets in the course 
of construction are not depreciated. The 
periods of depreciation are reviewed on 
an annual basis and the principal periods 
used are as follows:

Rental fleet 

8 to 12 years

Vehicles, plant  
and equipment  4 to 15 years

Intangibles
Intangible assets acquired as part of a 
business combination are capitalised, 
separately from goodwill, at fair value  
at the date of acquisition if the asset  
is separable or arises from contractual  
or legal rights and its fair value can be 
measured reliably. Amortisation is 
calculated on a straight-line method  
to allocate the fair value at acquisition  
of each asset over their estimated useful 
lives as follows: customer relationships: 
5-10 years, non-compete agreements: 
over the life of the non-compete 
agreements, technology intangible 
assets acquired: 4 years.

The useful life of intangible assets  
is reviewed on an annual basis.

Goodwill
On the acquisition of a business, fair 
values are attributed to the net assets 
acquired. Goodwill arises where the fair 
value of the consideration given for a 
business exceeds the fair value of such 
assets. Goodwill arising on acquisitions is 
capitalised and is subject to impairment 

reviews, both annually and when there 
are indicators that the carrying value 
may not be recoverable.

For the purpose of the impairment 
testing, goodwill is allocated to each  
of the Group’s cash-generating units 
expected to benefit from the synergies 
of the combination.

Cash-generating units to which goodwill 
has been allocated are tested for 
impairment annually, or more frequently 
when there is an indication that the unit 
may be impaired. If the recoverable 
amount of the cash-generating unit  
is less than the carrying amount of  
the unit, then the impairment loss is 
allocated first to reduce the carrying 
amount of any goodwill allocated to the 
unit and then to the other assets of the 
unit pro-rata on the basis of the carrying 
amount of each asset in the unit.

An impairment loss recognised  
for goodwill is not reversed in a 
subsequent period. Any impairment  
of goodwill is recognised immediately  
in the income statement.

Research and development costs
All research expenditure is charged to 
the income statement in the period in 
which it is incurred.

Development expenditure is charged  
to the income statement in the period  
in which it is incurred unless it relates  
to the development of a new product  
or technology and it is incurred after  
the technical feasibility and commercial 
viability of the product has been proven, 
the development cost can be measured 
reliably, future economic benefits are 
probable and the Group intends, and  
has sufficient resources, to complete  
the development and to use or sell  
the assets. Any such capitalised 
development expenditure is amortised 
on a straight-line basis so that it is 
charged to the income statement over 
the expected useful life of the resulting 
product or technology, which is currently 
deemed to be between three to six years.

Impairment of property, plant and 
equipment and other intangible 
assets (excluding goodwill) 
Property, plant and equipment 
(including right-of-use-assets) and other 
intangible assets are amortised/
depreciated and reviewed for 
impairment whenever events or 
changes in circumstances indicate  
that the carrying amount may not be 
recoverable. An impairment loss is 
recognised for the amount by which  
the asset’s carrying amount exceeds  
its recoverable amount. The recoverable 
amount is the higher of an asset’s fair 
value less costs to sell and value in  
use. Value in use is calculated using 
estimated cash flows. These are 
discounted using an appropriate 
long-term pre-tax interest rate.  

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NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

1 Accounting policies 
continued
For the purposes of assessing impairment, 
assets are grouped at the lowest levels for 
which there are separately identifiable 
cash flows (cash-generating units).

Foreign currencies
Items included in the financial statements 
for each of the Group’s entities are 
measured using the currency of the 
primary economic environment  
in which the entity operates (functional 
currency). The Group’s consolidated 
financial statements are presented  
in Sterling, which is the Group’s 
presentational currency.

At individual company level, transactions 
denominated in foreign currencies are 
translated at the rate of exchange on  
the day the transaction occurs. Assets and 
liabilities denominated in foreign currency 
are translated at the exchange rate ruling 
at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary 
assets are translated at the historical rate. 
In order to hedge its exposure to certain 
foreign exchange risks, the Group enters 
into forward contracts and foreign 
currency options.

On consolidation, assets and liabilities  
of subsidiary undertakings are translated 
into Sterling at closing rates of exchange. 
Income and cash flow statements are 
translated at average rates of exchange 
for the period. Gains and losses from the 
settlement of transactions and gains and 
losses on the translation of monetary 
assets and liabilities denominated in  
other currencies are included in the 
income statement.

Taxation
Deferred tax
Deferred tax is provided in full, using 
the liability method, on temporary 
differences arising between the tax base 
of assets and liabilities and their carrying 
amounts in the financial statements. 
In principle, deferred tax liabilities are 
recognised for all taxable temporary 
differences and deferred tax assets are 
recognised to the extent that it is 
probable that taxable profits will be 
available against which deductible 
temporary differences can be utilised. 
Such assets and liabilities are not 
recognised if the temporary difference 
arises from goodwill, negative goodwill  
or from the acquisition of an asset, 

which does not affect either taxable 
or accounting income. Deferred tax is 
determined using tax rates (and laws)  
that have been enacted or substantively 
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 
is charged or credited in the income 
statement, except when it relates to items 
credited or charged directly to equity, in 
which case the deferred tax is also dealt 
with in equity.

Deferred tax is provided on temporary 
differences arising on investments in 
subsidiaries, except where the timing 
of the reversal of the temporary difference 
is controlled by the Group and it is 
probable that the temporary difference 
will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

Provision for income taxes, mainly 
withholding taxes, which could arise  
on the remittance of retained earnings, 
principally relating to subsidiaries, is only 
made where there is a current intention 
to remit such earnings.

Current tax
The charge for current tax is based on the 
results for the year, as adjusted for items 
which are non-assessable or disallowed. 
It is calculated using taxation rates that 
have been enacted or substantially 
enacted by the balance sheet date.

Where the amount of tax payable or 
recoverable is uncertain, in accordance 
with IFRIC 23, provisions are based on 
either: the Group’s judgement of the most 
likely amount of the liability or recovery; 
or, when there is a wide range of possible 
outcomes, a probability weighted average 
approach.

Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of  
cost and net realisable value, using the 
weighted average cost basis. Cost of raw 
materials, consumables and work in 
progress includes the cost of direct 
materials and, where applicable, direct 
labour and those overheads that have 
been incurred in bringing the inventories 
to their present location and condition.

Inventory is written down on a case  
by case basis if the anticipated net 
realisable value declines below the 
carrying amount of the inventory or to 
take account of inventory losses. Net 
realisable value is the estimated selling 

price less cost to completion and selling 
expenses. When the reasons for a 
write-down of the inventory have ceased 
to exist, the write-down is reversed.

Employee benefits
Wages, salaries, social security 
contributions, paid annual leave and  
sick leave, bonuses and non-monetary 
benefits are accrued in the year in which 
the associated services are rendered by the 
employees of the Group. Where the Group 
provides long-term employee benefits, the 
cost is accrued to match the rendering of 
the services by the employees concerned.

The Group operates a defined benefit 
pension scheme and a number of defined 
contribution pension schemes. The cost 
for the year for the defined benefit 
scheme is determined using the 
projected unit method with actuarial 
updates to the valuation being carried  
out at each balance sheet date.

Remeasurements are recognised 
in full, directly in retained earnings, 
in the period in which they occur 
and are shown in the statement of 
comprehensive income. The current 
service cost of the pension charge  
and administrative expenses are included 
in arriving at operating profit. Interest 
income on scheme assets and interest  
on pension scheme liabilities  
are included in net finance costs.

The retirement benefit obligation 
recognised in the balance sheet is  
the present value of the defined  
benefit obligation at the balance sheet 
date less the fair value of the scheme 
assets. The present value of the defined 
benefit obligation is determined by 
discounting the estimated future cash 
flows using interest rates of high-quality 
corporate bonds.

Contributions to defined contribution 
pension schemes are charged to the 
income statement in the period in 
which they become payable.

Trade receivables
Trade receivables are recognised initially 
at fair value (which is the same as cost). 
Impairment of financial assets
Receivables (including accrued revenue) 
are considered immediately for 
impairment to reflect the possibility 
of future default or non-collectability.

The Group assesses the Expected Credit 
Loss (ECL) as explained below:

Power Solutions Industrial and Rental Solutions
The Group has taken advantage of the practical expedient in IFRS 9 to use a provision matrix to simplify the calculation where 
accounts receivable are split into various risk categories (e.g. based on credit rating agencies) and then a percentage is applied  
to each category to obtain the impairment allowances. An example of the provision matrix is detailed below:

Ageing
Risk
Low risk
Medium risk
High risk
Specific

Notes

Current

0-30  
days

31-60  
days

61-90 days

> 90 days 

1
1
1
2

Notes: 1. Classification based on assessment of customer credit risk  2. Specific provision for customers.

98 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 
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1 Accounting policies 
continued
Each operating unit within the Power 
Solution Industrial and Rental Solutions 
businesses has used this provision  
matrix to calculate the provision and 
each matrix is specific to the economic 
and operating conditions of each 
operating unit. In applying this matrix 
the operating units will also consider the 
following: significant financial difficulties 
of the debtor, probability that the debtor 
will enter bankruptcy or financial 
reorganisation and default, or large and 
old outstanding balances, particularly  
in countries where the legal system  
is not easily used to enforce recovery. 
When a trade receivable is uncollectable 
it is written off against the provision  
for impairment of trade receivables. 
More detail is contained below.

Power Solutions Utility (PSU)
Within our PSU business when 
considering the risk profile of the 
debtors and the relevant impairment 
provision the Group considers each 
debtor and customer individually, within 
the relevant environment to which it 
relates, taking into account a number  
of factors. These factors include 
advanced payments and guarantees, the 
political and economic conditions in the 
relevant country, duration and quality  
of relationship with the customer, age of 
debt, cash flows from the customer and 
any relevant communication throughout 
the year. We then apply the matrix 
approach detailed above to any debtors 
that do not have a specific provision. 

Trade payables
Trade payables are recognised initially  
at fair value and subsequently measured 
at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method.

Provisions
Provisions are recognised where a legal 
or constructive obligation has been 
incurred which will probably lead to  
an outflow of resources that can be 
reasonably estimated. Provisions are 
recorded for the estimated ultimate 
liability that is expected to arise, taking 
into account the time value of money 
where material.

A contingent liability is disclosed where 
the existence of the obligation will only 
be confirmed by future events, or where 
the amount of the obligation cannot  
be measured with reasonable reliability. 
Contingent assets are not recognised, 
but are disclosed where an inflow of 
economic benefits is probable.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise 
cash on hand, deposits with a maturity 
of three months or less and short-term 
overdrafts.

Borrowings
Borrowings are recognised initially at fair 
value, net of transaction costs incurred. 
Borrowings are subsequently stated at 
amortised cost. Any difference between 
the proceeds, net of transaction costs, 
and the redemption value is recognised 
in the income statement over the period 
of the borrowings using the effective 
interest rate.

Key assumptions and estimations 
The Group uses estimates in the 
preparation of its Accounts. The most 
sensitive areas affecting the Accounts 
are discussed below.

Trade receivables
The trade receivables accounting policy 
is noted above.

The approach to exercising judgement 
in this area is to consider each significant 
debtor and customer individually, within 
the relevant environment to which it 
relates, taking into account a number  
of factors. These factors include the 
political and economic conditions in the 
relevant country, duration and quality  
of relationship with the customer, age  
of debt, cash flows from the customer 
and any relevant communication 
throughout the year. A review of the 
provision for bad and doubtful debts  
is performed at each month end and 
specifically at the end of each reporting 
period. It is an assessment of the 
potential amount of trade receivables 
which will not be paid by the customer 
after the balance sheet date. This is 
calculated by reference to the factors 
above as well as the information 
disclosed in Note 16, notably the  
ageing of past due but not impaired.

The management of trade receivables is 
the responsibility of the operating units, 
although they report monthly to the 
Group on debtor days, debtor ageing 
and significant outstanding debts.

At an operating unit level a credit  
rating is normally established for each 
customer based on ratings from external 
agencies. Where no ratings are available, 
cash in advance payment terms are 
often established for new customers. 
Credit limits are reviewed on a regular 
basis. The majority of the contracts the 
Group enters into are small relative to 
the size of the Group and, if a customer 
fails to pay a debt, this is dealt with in  
the normal course of business. However, 
some of the contracts the Group 
undertakes in developing countries in 
our Power Solutions Utility business are 
very large, and are in jurisdictions where 
payment practices can be unpredictable. 

The Group monitors the risk profile and 
debtor position of all such contracts 
regularly, and deploys a variety of 
techniques to mitigate the risks of 
delayed or non-payment; these include 
securing advance payments and 
guarantees. On the largest contracts,  
all such arrangements are approved  
at Group level.

In forming its view on the appropriateness 
of the Group’s provision against its 
receivables balances the Audit 
Committee noted that Power Solutions 
Utility cash collections in the year were 
$584 million compared with amounts 
invoiced of $484 million. The Audit 
Committee also discussed the 16 most 
significant debtors in the PSU business, 
which accounted for 84% (2018: 84%) of 
the total PSU overdue debtor value at 
31 December 2019 (before taking into 
account provisions or payment security/
guarantees). At 31 December 2019, 87% 
(2018: 86%) of the PSU impairment 
provision related to these top 16 debtors. 
Among these debtors, the Group had 
a net exposure, after taking into account 
provisions or payment securities/
guarantees, of $30-40 million to one 
customer (2018: two customers), a net 
exposure between $20-$30 million to 
one customer (2018: four customers), a 
net exposure of $10-20 million to three 
customers (2018: three customers) and 
a net exposure of less than $10 million 
to each of the others. 

While the Committee considered all of 
the most significant debtors as detailed 
above, the discussion focused on key 
customers in Venezuela, Yemen and 
parts of Africa, where we continued 
particularly to see delays in payments 
during the year. 

In Venezuela (where the Committee 
included in its review some outstanding 
balances within the PSI business), we 
raised invoices for $2 million in the year. 
Given the current political uncertainty 
we provided for these invoices in full  
and also recorded a provision for a 
further $1.6 million during the year.  
In line with past practice we also marked 
to market the value of the PDVSA private 
placement notes, which resulted in  
a charge to the income statement  
of $3 million. The Group’s net exposure 
at 31 December 2019 of $12 million  
(2018: $17 million) reflects a combination 
of bad debt provisions and payment 
security/guarantees representing  
82% (2018: 78%) of the gross debt  
and accrued income together with  
a 91% (2018: 75%) fair value adjustment 
against the private placement notes 
with PDVSA.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

1 Accounting policies 
continued
In Yemen, given the ongoing civil war, 
the Group increased its provision by 
$7 million to provide fully for the legacy 
debt (pre the current conflict). The net 
exposure at 31 December 2019 is $9 
million (2018: $10 million) and only relates 
to our current trading in Yemen. This net 
exposure position reflects a combination 
of bad debt provisions and payment 
security/guarantees representing 71% 
(2018: 59%) of the gross debt and accrued 
income 

While we believe that we remain 
relatively well positioned to recover these 
net exposure amounts when the current 
situation in both of these countries 
stabilises, we also recognise that there is 
a range of potential outcomes for each, 
both above and below the net exposure. 
Net exposure is defined here as the 
gross debtor value plus accrued revenue, 
less any payment security/guarantees 
and bad debt provision. 

In addition, we continue to monitor 
closely the situation with regard to our 
overdue debtors in Africa as, specifically, 
the customer with whom we have our 
largest net exposure (in the range 
$30-40 million) is within the Africa 
region.  While there is no dispute over 
the amount outstanding, we remain  
in regular dialogue with the customer 
regarding the likely process and timing 
of future payments, with one of the 
customer’s primary issues being its 
access to US dollars to settle the debt.  
Given the ongoing engagement with 
the customer and other key 
stakeholders, the Group does not hold a 
material provision against this debt and, 
therefore, the likelihood of receiving 
more cash than the net exposure is low.  
Non-payment of this particular debt 
represents one of the Group’s key single 
risks.

Contracts are reviewed on a case by  
case basis to determine the customer 
and country risk. As a result of the 
rigorous approach to risk management, 
historically the Group has had a low level 
of bad debt write-offs. The Group does 
operate in countries, especially in our 
PSU business, where payments are 
unpredictable, where political and 
economic conditions mean that there  
is a risk of default and that risk can 
increase quickly, therefore the Group’s 
history in this area may not be indicative 
of the likely future outcome. When a 
trade receivable is uncollectable, it is 
written off against the provision  
for impairment of trade receivables.

Taxation
Ongoing tax dispute in Bangladesh 
We continue to have an open tax issue 
in Bangladesh. This was appealed in 2017 
and is still waiting to be heard by the 
courts. We do not anticipate that this 
matter will progress to conclusion over 
the course of the coming financial year 
and believe that it may be many years 
before the matter is resolved. Our 
position is supported by a strong legal 
opinion and so we remain of the opinion 
that we will be successful in the courts. 
We therefore believe that there is no 
likelihood of further financial exposure 
on this in the coming year.

Other areas of judgement  
and consideration
Leases
Lessor
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ requires that any 
arrangement that is dependent on 
the use of a specific asset or assets, and 
that conveys a right to use the asset, is 
accounted for as a lease. The Directors, 
have concluded that none of the Group’s 
contracts are dependent on the use of 
a specific asset or assets as the Group 
swaps in and out the rental fleet 
required to provide the services to 
our customers and the assets are not 
contract specific (i.e. one asset could 
work across many contracts).

Lessee
The Group has applied judgement to 
determine the lease term for some lease 
contracts that include renewal options. 
The assessment of whether the Group 
is reasonably certain to exercise such 
options impacts the lease term, which 
affects the amount of lease liabilities 
and right-of-use assets recognised. 
The overall impact of this is not material.

Hyperinflationary environments
The Group operates in Venezuela  
which is considered a hyperinflationary 
environment. The Group does not 
consider that the provisions of IAS 29 
‘Financial Reporting in Hyperinflationary 
Economies’ apply to the Group’s 
operations in Venezuela as the 
functional currency of the Venezuelan 
operation is US Dollars. The Group 
operates in Argentina and Zimbabwe 
which are considered hyperinflationary 
environments, however the impact  
is not material. 

Supplier payment 
The Group participates in a supply chain 
finance programme under which its 
suppliers may elect to receive early 
payment of their invoice from a bank 
by factoring their receivable from the 
Group. Under the arrangement, a bank 
agrees to pay amounts to a participating 

supplier in respect of invoices owed by 
the Group and receives settlement from 
the Group at a later date. The principal 
purpose of this programme is to 
facilitate efficient payment processing 
and enable the willing suppliers to sell 
their receivables due from the Group 
to a bank before their due date. 

From the Group’s perspective, the 
arrangement does not significantly 
extend payment terms beyond the 
normal terms agreed with other 
suppliers that are not participating. 
The Group does not incur any additional 
interest towards the bank on the 
amounts due to the suppliers.

The Group has not derecognised 
the original liabilities to which the 
arrangement applies because neither 
a legal release was obtained, nor was 
the original liability substantially 
modified on entering into the 
arrangement. The Group discloses the 
amounts factored by suppliers within 
trade payables (Note 19) because the 
nature and function of the financial 
liability remain the same as those of 
other trade payables, but discloses 
disaggregated amounts in the notes.

Revenue
Identification of performance 
obligations
Judgement is required in determining 
the number of performance obligations 
in relation to each revenue stream  
given a number of services (including 
mobilisation and demobilisation) that 
can be provided as part of the contract. 
In the majority of cases Aggreko will  
only have two performance obligations. 
In Rental Solutions and shorter-term 
rental contracts within Power Solutions 
Industrial the Group provides rental 
contracts for the supply of temporary 
power, temperature control, oil-free 
compressed air and related services.  
In Power Solutions Utility and medium-
term projects for industrial customers 
the Group supplies temporary power, 
temperature control, oil-free 
compressed air and related services.  
We believe these are performance 
obligations as any services to mobilise  
or demobilise assets are not considered 
distinct from the provision of power.  
The Group’s services are considered 
to be a service or series of services that 
are substantially the same and have the 
same pattern of transfer to the customer.

In some cases the Group will have an 
additional performance obligation 
where the Group is responsible for the 
design and project management phase 
of the project (for example, in some of 
the major events contracts) and at the 

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1 Accounting policies 
continued
end of this phase the Group will hand 
over the design documentation and 
project management knowledge/
documentation to the customer who 
can then take this documentation/
knowledge and use someone else for 
the provision of power if they so wish.

Rehire arrangements  
(Principal vs Agent)
Aggreko will sometimes hire equipment 
from a third party to use on a contract. 
Under IFRS 15 Aggreko is acting as an 
agent rather than principal in this 
instance mainly because Aggreko does 
not control the provision of the service 
due to factors such as the fact that the 
third party is still responsible for repairs 
to the equipment. Under IFRS 15 the cost 
of the rehire is netted against revenue. 
Judgement is required in determining 
if there is a Principal/Agent relationship 
in the relevant contracts.

Taxation
Other uncertain tax positions excluding 
Bangladesh
Aggreko’s tax charge is based on the 
profit for the year and the applicable tax 
rates in force at the balance sheet date. 
As well as corporation tax, Aggreko is 
subject to indirect taxes such as sales 
and employment taxes across the tax 
jurisdictions in which the Group 
operates. The varying nature and 
complexity of the tax laws requires the 
Group to review its tax positions and 
make appropriate judgements at the 
balance sheet date.

Due to the uncertain nature of the tax 
environment in many of the countries in 
which we operate, it can take some time 
to settle our tax position. We therefore 
create appropriate tax provisions for 
significant potential or contentious tax 
positions, and these are measured using 
the most likely outcome method. 
Provisions are considered on an 
individual basis.  All provisions are 
calculated in line with IFRIC 23 which 
came into force on 1 January 2019.   
There was no material change to any 
provisions previously held as result of the 
implementation of the new standard.

For other uncertain direct tax positions, 
excluding Bangladesh, as at 31 
December 2019, we had tax provisions 
totalling £26 million (2018: £24 million).  
The provisions are principally held to 
manage the tax impact of various 
potential tax exposures, largely in 
connection with our Power Solutions 
Utilities business, and potential transfer 
pricing risks faced by the Group with 
respect to how we transact 
internationally within the business. 

Due to the uncertainty associated with 
such tax positions, it is possible that at a 
future date, on conclusion of these open 
tax positions, the final outcome may vary 
significantly. While a range of outcomes 
is reasonably possible, based on 
management’s historic experiences of 
these issues, we believe a likely range  
of outcomes is additional liabilities of  
up to £4 million and a reduction in 
liabilities of around £15 million. The  
range of sensitivities depends upon 
quantification of the liability, risk  
of technical error and difference in 
approach taken by tax authorities in 
different jurisdictions. In addition, the 
recognition of deferred tax assets is 
dependent upon an estimation of future 
taxable profits available against which 
deductible temporary differences can  
be utilised. 

Financial risk management
Financial risk factors
The Group’s operations expose it to 
a variety of financial risks that include 
liquidity, the effects of changes in foreign 
currency exchange rates, interest rates 
and credit risk. The Group has a 
centralised treasury operation whose 
primary role is to ensure that adequate 
liquidity is available to meet the Group’s 
funding requirements as they arise, and 
that financial risks arising from the 
Group’s underlying operations are 
effectively identified and managed.

The treasury operations are conducted in 
accordance with policies and procedures 
approved by the Board and are reviewed 
annually. Financial instruments are only 
executed for hedging purposes and 
transactions that are speculative 
in nature are expressly forbidden. 
Monthly reports are provided to senior 
management and treasury operations 
are subject to periodic internal and 
external review.

Liquidity, funding and capital 
management
The intention of Aggreko’s strategy 
is to deliver long-term value to its 
shareholders while maintaining a 
balance sheet structure that safeguards 
the Group’s financial position through 
economic cycles. Total capital is equity 
as shown in the Group balance sheet.

Given the proven ability of the business 
to fund organic growth from operating 
cash flows, and the nature of our 
business model, we believe it is sensible 
to run the business with a modest 
amount of debt. We say ‘modest’ 
because we are strongly of the view that 
it is unwise to run a business which has 
high levels of operational gearing with 
high levels of financial gearing. Given the 
above considerations, we believe that a 
Net Debt to EBITDA ratio of around one 
times is appropriate for the Group over 

the longer term. This is well within our 
covenants to lenders which stand at 
three times Net Debt to EBITDA.

At 31 December of 2019, Net Debt to 
EBITDA was 1.0* times (2018: 1.3* times).

The Group maintains sufficient facilities 
to meet its normal funding 
requirements over the medium term.  
At 31 December 2019, these facilities 
totalled £1,027 million in the form of 
committed bank facilities arranged  
on a bilateral basis with a number  
of international banks and private 
placement lenders.

The financial covenants attached to 
these facilities are that EBITDA should  
be no less than four times interest and 
net debt should be no more than three 
times EBITDA. The covenants exclude 
the impact of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ and, on 
that basis at 31 December 2019, these 
ratios were 14* times and 0.9* times. The 
Group does not expect to breach these 
covenants in the year from the date of 
approval of these financial statements.

The Group expects to be able to arrange 
sufficient finance to meet its future 
funding requirements. It has been  
the Group’s custom and practice to 
refinance its facilities in advance of their 
maturity dates, providing that there  
is an ongoing need for those facilities.  
Net debt (including £101 million of a 
lease creditor on adoption of IFRS 16 
from 1 January 2019) amounted to  
£584 million at 31 December 2019 and, at 
that date, undrawn committed facilities 
were £516 million. The maturity profile  
of the borrowings is detailed in Note 17  
to the Accounts.

Interest rate risk
The Group’s policy is to manage the 
exposure to interest rates by ensuring  
an appropriate balance of fixed and 
floating rates.

At 31 December 2019, £478 million of  
the gross debt of £570 million (excluding 
the lease creditor of £101 million) was at 
fixed rates of interest resulting in a fixed 
to floating rate net debt ratio of 84:16  
(2018: 77:23**). 

The Group monitors its interest rate 
exposure on a regular basis by applying 
forecast interest rates to the Group’s 
forecast net debt profile after taking  
into account its existing hedges.

The Group also calculates the impact  
on profit and loss of a defined interest 
rate shift for all currencies. Based on the 
simulations performed, the impact on 
profit or loss of a +/– 100 basis-point  
shift, after taking into account existing 
hedges, would be £1 million (2018:  
£1 million). The sensitivity analysis  
is performed on a monthly basis  
and is reported to the Board.

*  Calculation is on pages 137 and 138.
**  Prior year calculation was based on net debt. This has been changed to gross debt and the comparator has been re-stated from 86:14 to 77:23.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

101

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

1 Accounting policies 
continued
Foreign exchange risk
The Group is subject to currency 
exposure on the translation of its net 
investments in overseas subsidiaries  
into Sterling. In order to reduce the 
currency risk arising, the Group uses 
direct borrowings in the same currency  
as those investments.

Group borrowings are predominantly 
drawn down in the currencies affecting 
the Group. The Group manages its 
currency flows to minimise foreign 
exchange risk arising on transactions 
denominated in foreign currencies  
and uses forward contracts where 
appropriate in order to hedge net 
currency flows.

The impact of currency increased our 
revenue by £6 million (2018: decreased 
by £112 million) and decreased operating 
profit by £9 million (2018: decrease  
of £24 million) for the year ended  
31 December 2019. 

The Group monitors the impact of 
exchange closely and regularly carries 
out sensitivity analysis. For every 5% 
movement in the US Dollar to GBP 
exchange rate there is an approximate 
impact of £4 million (2018: £4 million) in 
operating profit in terms of translation.

Currency translation also gave rise to  
a £75 million decrease in reserves as  
a result of year on year movements  
in the exchange rates (2018: decrease  
of £24 million). For every 5% movement 
in the US Dollar, there is an approximate 
impact in equity of £24 million (2018:  
£30 million) arising from the currency 
translation of external borrowings which 
are being used as a net investment 
hedge. However, this will be offset by a 
corresponding movement in the equity 
of the net investment being hedged.

The principal exchange rates which 
impact the Group’s profit and net assets 
are set out in the Financial Review on 
page 26.

Credit risk
Cash deposits and other financial 
instruments give rise to credit risk  
on amounts due from counterparties.  
The Group manages this risk by limiting 
the aggregate amounts and their 
duration depending on external credit 
ratings of the relevant counterparty.  
In the case of financial assets exposed  
to credit risk, the carrying amount in  
the balance sheet, net of any applicable 
provisions for loss, represents the 
amount exposed to credit risk.

Management of trade receivables Refer 
to page 99.

Insurance
The Group operates a policy of buying 
cover against the material risks which 
the business faces, where it is possible  
to purchase such cover on reasonable 
terms. Where this is not possible,  
or where the risks would not have  
a material impact on the Group  
as a whole, we self-insure.

2 Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 
In the cash flow statement, proceeds from sale of PPE comprise:

Net book amount
Profit on sale of PPE
Proceeds from sale of PPE

Profit on sale of PPE is shown within other income in the income statement.

3 Cash and cash equivalents

Cash at bank and in hand
Bank overdrafts (Note 17)
Cash and cash equivalents

4 Segmental reporting
(A) Revenue by segment

Power Solutions 

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

11
10
21

8
7
15

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

87
(51)
36

85
(9)
76

External revenue

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

434
346
780
833
1,613

424
514
938
822
1,760

(i)  Inter-segment transfers or transactions are entered into under the normal commercial terms and conditions that would also be available to unrelated third parties. 

All inter-segment revenue was less than £1 million apart from revenue of £1 million from Power Solutions Utility to Rental Solutions.

102 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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4 Segmental reporting continued
(A) Revenue by segment continued
Disaggregation of revenue
In the tables below revenue is disaggregated by geography and by sector.

Revenue by geography

North America
UK
Continental Europe
Eurasia
Middle East
Africa
Asia
Australia Pacific
Latin America

Revenue by sector

Utilities
Oil & gas
Petrochemical & refining
Building services & construction
Events
Manufacturing
Mining
Other

(B) Profit by segment

Power Solutions
Industrial 
Utility

Rental Solutions

Operating profit
Finance costs – net
Profit before taxation

Taxation
Profit for the year

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

506
76
176
73
169
206
146
80
181
1,613

460
106
179
77
148
200
166
100
324
1,760

31 December 2019

31 December 2018

PSI  

£ million

PSU 
£ million

RS 
£ million

Group 
£ million

PSI  
£ million

PSU 
£ million

RS 
£ million

Group 
£ million

19
178
8
43
55
31
64
36
434

346
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
346

82
148
157
151
72
56
48
119
833

447
326
165
194
127
87
112
155
1,613

27
163
9
48
53
32
53
39
424

514
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
514

99
110
147
151
80
56
43
136
822

640
273
156
199
133
88
96
175
1,760

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

64
44
108
133
241
(42)
199
(70)
129

71
43
114
105
219
(37)
182
(57)
125

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

103

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

4 Segmental reporting continued
(C) Depreciation and amortisation by segment

Power Solutions

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

(D) Capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment and intangible assets by segment

Power Solutions 

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

100
100
200
123
323

90
104
194
104
298

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

80
78
158
105
263

55
76
131
109
240

Capital expenditure comprises additions of property, plant and equipment (PPE) of £255 million (including £25 million in relation 
to leased right-of-use assets) (2018: £216 million), additions of intangible assets of £8 million (2018: £10 million), acquisitions of PPE 
of £nil (2018: £13 million), and acquisitions of intangible assets of £nil (2018: £1 million).

(E) Assets/(liabilities) by segment

Assets

Liabilities

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

768
828
1,596
845
2,441
65
1
–
–
4
2,511

714
996
1,710
833
2,543
59
1
–
–
1
2,604

(175)
(187)
(362)
(82)
(444)
(87)
(1)
(519)
(101)
–
(1,152)

(94)
(214)
(308)
(76)
(384)
(90)
(1)
(762)
–
–
(1,237)

2019  

Number

2018  
Number

2,071
1,227
3,298
2,906
6,204

1,954
1,314
3,268
2,759
6,027

Power Solutions 

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

Tax and finance assets/(liabilities)
Derivative financial instruments
Borrowings
Lease liability
Retirement benefit surplus
Total assets/(liabilities) per balance sheet

(F) Average number of employees by segment

Power Solutions

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

104 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

4 Segmental reporting continued
(G) Geographical information

North America
UK
Continental Europe
Eurasia
Middle East
Africa
Asia
Australia Pacific
Latin America

Non-current assets exclude deferred tax.

(H) Reconciliation of net operating assets to net assets

Net operating assets 
Retirement benefit surplus
Net tax and finance payable

Borrowings and derivative financial instruments
Lease liability
Net assets

5 Profit before taxation
The following items have been included in arriving at profit before taxation:

Staff costs (Note 7)
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (Note 13)
Amortisation of intangibles (included in administrative expenses) (Note 27.A2)
Fulfilment asset amortisation (Note 14)
Net gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment (Note 2)
Research costs
Net foreign exchange losses/(gains)(i)
Operating lease rentals

(i)  The translational impact of currency on the Group’s revenue and profit is discussed in the Group Performance Review on page 20.

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Non-current assets

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

294
177
140
69
181
179
142
79
190
1,451

288
161
137
59
251
153
151
70
164
1,434

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

1,997
4
(22)
1,979
(519)
(101)
1,359

2,159
1
(31)
2,129
(762)
–
1,367

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

427
315
8
24
(10)
–

4
–

422
293
5
12
(7)
1

(1)
38

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

105

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

6 Auditor’s remuneration

Audit services

Fees payable to the Company’s auditor for the audit of the Company’s annual accounts and
consolidated financial statements
Fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates for other services:

– the audit of the Company’s subsidiaries
– other assurance related services
– tax compliance

2019  
£000

2018  
£000

363

1,079
48
3

332

1,029
43
3

In addition to the above services, the Group’s auditor acted as auditor to the Group’s defined benefit pension scheme.  
The appointment of the auditor to this pension scheme and the fees paid in respect of the audit and for any other services  
are agreed by the Trustee of the scheme, who acts independently from the management of the Group. The aggregate fees  
paid to the Group’s auditor for audit and non-audit services to the pension scheme during the year were £8k (2018: £8k).

7 Employees and Directors
Staff costs for the Group during the year:

Wages and salaries (including severance costs)
Social security costs
Share-based payments
Pension costs – defined contribution plans
Pension costs – defined benefit plans (Note 27.A5)

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

367
34
11
13
2
427

363
33
10
14
2
422

Key management personnel compensation
Full details of the Directors’ remuneration are set out in the Remuneration Report on pages 62 to 77. The key management 
comprises the Executive Committee as well as Non-executive Directors. 

Key management compensation comprised the following:

Short-term employee benefits
Share-based payments

8 Net finance charge

Finance cost on bank loans and overdrafts
Finance cost on lease liability (Note 18)
Finance cost on employee benefit scheme liabilities (Note 27.A5)

Finance income on bank balances and deposits
Finance income on employee benefit scheme assets (Note 27.A5)

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

7
2
9

10
2
12

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

(38)
(5)
(3)
(46)
1
3
4

(37)
–
(4)
(41)
1
3
4

106 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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9 Taxation

Analysis of charge in year

Current tax expense:

– UK corporation tax 
– Double tax relief

– Overseas taxation

Adjustments in respect of prior years:

– UK
– Overseas

Deferred taxation (Note 21):

– Temporary differences arising in current year
– Movements in respect of prior years

The tax charge relating to components of other comprehensive income is as follows:

Deferred tax on retirement benefits

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

6
(1)
5
70
75

(2)
5
78

(2)
(6)
70

6
–
6
62
68

(2)
(17)
49

5
3
57

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

–
–

(5)
(5)

Variances between the current tax charge and the standard 19% (2018: 19%) UK corporate tax rate when applied to profit on 
ordinary activities for the year are as follows:

Profit before taxation

Tax calculated at 19% standard UK corporate tax rate

Differences between UK and overseas tax rates
Expenses not tax effected
Income not subject to tax
Impact of deferred tax rate changes 
Tax on current year profit
Prior year adjustments – current tax
Prior year adjustments – deferred tax
Total tax on profit

2019 
£ million

199

2018 
£ million

182

38

32
3
(1)
1
73
3
(6)
70

35

32
6
(1)
1
73
(19)
3
57

Effective tax rate

35%

31%

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

107

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

10 Dividends

Final paid
Interim paid

2019  

2019  

£ million

per share (p)

2018  
£ million

2018  
per share (p)

45
24
69

17.74
9.38
27.12

45
24
69

17.74
9.38
27.12

In addition, the Directors are proposing a final dividend in respect of the financial year ended 31 December 2019 of 18.27 pence 
per share which will utilise an estimated £47 million of Shareholders’ funds. It will be paid on 21 May 2020 to shareholders who  
are on the register of members on 24 April 2020.

11 Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share have been calculated by dividing the earnings attributable to ordinary Shareholders by the weighted 
average number of shares in issue during the year, excluding shares held by the Employee Share Ownership Trusts which are 
treated as cancelled.

Profit for the year (£ million)
Weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue (million)
Basic earnings per share (pence)

2019

129.3
254.6
50.80

2018

125.4
254.8
49.22

For diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue is adjusted to assume conversion  
of all potentially dilutive Ordinary Shares. These represent share options granted to employees where the exercise price is less 
than the average market price of the Company’s Ordinary Shares during the year. The number of shares calculated as above  
is compared with the number of shares that would have been issued assuming the exercise of the share options.

Profit for the year (£ million)
Weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue (million)
Adjustment for share options
Diluted weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue (million)
Diluted earnings per share (pence)

2019

129.3
254.6
0.4
255.0
50.70

2018

125.4
254.8
0.2
255.0
49.18

108 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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12 Goodwill

Cost
At 1 January
Acquisitions 
Exchange adjustments
At 31 December

Accumulated impairment losses

Net book value

Goodwill impairment tests
Goodwill has been allocated to cash-generating units (CGUs) as follows:

Power Solutions 

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

184
–
(7)
177

–

177

184
3
(3)
184

–

184

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

56
20
76
101
177

59
22
81
103
184

Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or whenever there is an indication that the asset may be impaired. Goodwill is 
monitored by management at an operating segment level. The recoverable amounts of the CGUs are determined from value in 
use calculations which use cash flow projections based on the five-year strategic plan approved by the Board. The strategic plan 
approved by the Board is based on past performance, the opportunity pipeline, and management’s best estimate of future 
market developments. The key assumptions for value in use calculations are those relating to expected changes in revenue 
(utilisation and rates) and the cost base, discount rates and long-term growth rates, are as follows:

Power Solutions Industrial
Power Solutions Utility
Rental Solutions

2019

2018

EBITDA 
£ million

Post-tax 
discount 
rate

Pre-tax 
discount 
rate

164
144
256

7.3%
7.3%
7.3%

11.2%
11.2%
11.2%

Long-term 
growth  

rate

3%
3%
3%

EBITDA 
£ million

Post-tax 
discount  
rate

Pre-tax 
discount  
rate

Long-term 
growth  
rate

161
147
209

8.4%
8.4%
8.4%

12.2%
12.2%
12.2%

3%
3%
3%

Values in use were determined using current year cash flows, a prudent view of the medium-term business strategy. A terminal 
cash flow was calculated using a long-term growth rate of 3%. On the basis that the business carried out by all CGUs is closely 
related and assets can be redeployed around the Group as required, a consistent Group discount rate has been used for all CGUs.

As at 31 December 2019, based on internal valuations, management concluded that the values in use of the CGUs exceeded 
their net asset value with the highest headroom value being £2.5 billion and the lowest £486 million. Given these headroom 
numbers the Directors consider that there is no reasonably possible change in the key assumptions made in their impairment 
assessment that would give rise to an impairment.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

109

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

13 Property, plant and equipment
Year ended 31 December 2019

Cost

At 1 January 2019
Exchange adjustments
Transition to IFRS 16
Additions (note (ii))
Disposals (note (iii))
IFRS 16 remeasurements (note (iv))
At 31 December 2019
Accumulated depreciation

At 1 January 2019
Exchange adjustments
Charge for the year
Disposals
At 31 December 2019
Net book values:
At 31 December 2019

At 31 December 2018

Freehold 
properties  
£ million

Short leasehold 
properties  
£ million

Rental fleet  

£ million

Vehicles,  
plant and 
equipment  
£ million

Total  

£ million

92
(5)
75
17
(2)
6
183

40
–
21
(2)
59

124

52

23
(2)
–
1
–
–
22

16
(1)
1
–
16

6

7

3,612
(112)
–
189
(161)
–
3,528

2,555
(79)
265
(152)
2,589

939

1,057

168
(2)
29
48
(10)
(2)
231

115
(1)
28
(8)
134

97

53

3,895
(121)
104
255
(173)
4
3,964

2,726
(81)
315
(162)
2,798

1,166

1,169

(i)  The net book value of assets capitalised in respect of leased right-of-use assets at 31 December 2019 is £98 million.

(ii)  Additions of £255 million include £25 million in relation to leased right-of-use-assets. 

(iii) Disposals include £1 million of cost and £1 million of depreciation in relation to leased right-of-use assets.

(iv)  Remeasurements represent amendments to the terms of existing leases which are prospectively applied.

(v)  Assets in the course of construction total £39 million (2018: £49 million).

Note 18 contains more information on leases.

Year ended 31 December 2018

Freehold 
properties  
£ million

Short leasehold 
properties  
£ million

Rental fleet  
£ million

Vehicles,  
plant and 
equipment  
£ million

Total  
£ million

86
4
2
–
–
92

35
2
3
–
40

52
51

20
1
2
–
–
23

15
–
1
–
16

7
5

3,400
102
196
13
(99)
3,612

2,296
77
273
(91)
2,555

1,057
1,104

152
2
16
–
(2)
168

98
3
16
(2)
115

53
54

3,658
109
216
13
(101)
3,895

2,444
82
293
(93)
2,726

1,169
1,214

Cost

At 1 January 2018
Exchange adjustments
Additions
Acquisitions
Disposals
At 31 December 2018
Accumulated depreciation

At 1 January 2018
Exchange adjustments
Charge for the year
Disposals
At 31 December 2018
Net book values:
At 31 December 2018

At 31 December 2017

110 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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14 Fulfilment assets

Balance at 1 January
Capitalised in period
Provision created for future demobilisation costs
Amortised to the income statement
Exchange
Balance at 31 December

Analysis of fulfilment assets
Current
Non-current
Total

15 Inventories

Raw materials and consumables
Work in progress

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

44
66
3
(24)
(3)
86

32
54
86

8
44
3
(12)
1
44

15
29
44

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

214
2
216

226
3
 229

The cost of inventories recognised as an expense within cost of sales amounted to £81 million (2018: £85 million). The write down 
of inventories to net realisable value amounted to £4 million (2018: £5 million).

16 Trade and other receivables

Trade receivables
Less: provision for impairment of receivables
Trade receivables – net
Prepayments
Accrued income
Other receivables (Note (i))
Total receivables

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

529
(85)
444
45
124
46
659

587
(85)
502
45
169
65
781

(i)  In September 2016, the Group signed £14 million of private placement notes with one customer in Venezuela (PDVSA) to 

progress clearing the overdue debt. This resulted in a financial instrument which replaced the net trade receivable balance. 
The financial instrument is booked at fair value which reflects our estimation of the recoverability of these notes. This fair  
value is calculated to be £1 million (2018: £4 million). This financial instrument is included in other receivables. Other material 
amounts included in other receivables include indirect taxes receivable (such as sales taxes) of £23 million (2018: £21 million) 
and deposits of £6 million (2018: £15 million).

(ii)  The value of trade and other receivables quoted in the table above also represents the fair value of these items.  The carrying 

amounts of the Group’s trade and other receivables are denominated in the following currencies:

Sterling
Euro
US Dollar
Other currencies

Movements on the Group’s provision for impairment of trade receivables are as follows:

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

20
84
347
208
659

24
125
373
259
781

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

At 1 January
Net provision for receivables impairment
Utilised
Receivables written off during the year as uncollectable
Exchange
At 31 December

85
7
(2)
(3)
(2)
85

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

80
7
(2)
(2)
2
85

111

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

16 Trade and other receivables continued
Credit quality of trade receivables
The table below analyses the total trade receivables balance per operating segment into fully performing, past due and impaired.

Concentrations of credit risk are limited in the Rental Solutions and Power Solutions Industrial businesses due to the Group’s 
large number of internationally dispersed customers. Disclosures in relation to concentration of credit risk in the Power Solutions 
Utility business are set out in Note 1 on page 99.

31 December 2019

Power Solutions

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

31 December 2018

Power Solutions

Industrial
Utility

Rental Solutions
Group

Fully performing  

£ million

Past due  
£ million

Impaired  
£ million

Total  

£ million

56
26
82
92
174

61
141
202
68
270

12
61
73
12
85

129
228
357
172
529

Fully performing 
£ million

Past due  
£ million

Impaired  
£ million

Total  
£ million

56
53
109
71
180

56
202
258
64
322

11
64
75
10
85

123
319
442
145
587

Total
£ million

4.9%
529

(24)

(61)
444

Ageing of gross trade receivables and the provision for impairment

31 December 2019

Expected loss rate
Gross trade receivables
Provision for impairment of trade 
receivables – matrix approach (ECL)
Provision for impairment of trade 
receivables – specific determination
Net trade receivables

Not  

past due
£ million

0.2%
175

(1)

–
174

Less than  
30 days
£ million

Between 30  
and 60 days
£ million

Between 60  
and 90 days
£ million

Greater than  

90 days
£ million

0.1%
70

(1)

–
69

0.1%
42

(1)

–
41

0.2%
23

(1)

-
22

4.3%
219

(20)

(61)
138

Of receivables over 90 days £42 million of the gross receivables and £6 million of the total provision are less than 180 days overdue.  
£35 million of the gross receivables and £9 million of the total provision are older than 180 days but less than one year overdue 
whilst £142 million of gross receivables and £66 million of the total provision are older than 365 days. Of the specific provision 
of £61 million £1 million is between 90 and 180 days, £5 million is between 180 days and 365 days and £55 million is over 365 days. 
Of the ECL provision of £20 million £5 million is between 90 and 180 days, £4 million is between 180 days and 365 days and 
£11 million is over 365 days. Of net receivables over 90 days overdue £36 million is less than 180 days overdue, £26 million is 
between 180 and 365 days overdue and £76 million is over 365 days overdue.

31 December 2018

Expected loss rate
Gross trade receivables
Provision for impairment of trade 
receivables – matrix approach
Provision for impairment of trade 
receivables – specific determination
Net trade receivables

Not  
past due  
£ million

Less than  
30 days  
£ million

Between 30  
and 60 days  
£ million

Between 60  
and 90 days  
£ million

Greater than  
90 days  
£ million

–
180

–

–
180

–
72

–

–
72

–
50

–

–
50

0.1%
39

(1)

–
38

3.6%
246

(20)

(64)
162

Total  
£ million

3.7%
587

(21)

(64)
502

The Group seeks to secure advance payments and guarantees and as at 31 December 2019 these amounted to £52 million 
(advance payments: £15 million; guarantees: £37 million). In determining the Expected Credit Loss (as explained in the trade 
receivables accounting policy on page 98)  one of the factors taken into  account of is the level of security obtained as we consider 
that the security obtained is effective in mitigating credit risk. The Group assesses credit quality as explained below:

112 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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16 Trade and other receivables continued
Power Solutions – Industrial
This is a transaction intensive business and the majority of the contracts in this business are small relative to the size of the  
Group. There is no concentration of credit risk in this business and there is a large number of customers who are unrelated  
and internationally dispersed.

The management of trade receivables is the responsibility of the operating units, although they report monthly to Group on 
debtor days, debtor ageing and significant outstanding debts. At an operating unit level a credit rating is normally established 
for each customer based on ratings from external agencies. Where no ratings are available, cash in advance payment terms  
are often established for new customers. Credit limits are reviewed on a regular basis. Receivables written off during the year  
as uncollectable as a percentage of total gross debtors was 1% (2018: 2%).

Power Solutions – Utility
This business concentrates on medium to very large contracts. Customers are mainly state owned utilities in emerging markets.

In many instances these contracts are in jurisdictions where payment practices can be unpredictable. The Group monitors the 
risk profile and debtor position of all such contracts regularly, and deploys a variety of techniques to mitigate the risks of delayed 
or non-payment; including securing advance payments, bonds and guarantees. On the largest contracts, all such arrangements 
are approved at a Group level. Contracts are reviewed on a case by case basis to determine the customer and country risk.

The total trade receivables balance as at 31 December 2019 for our Power Solutions Utility business was £228 million (2018:  
£319 million). Within this balance, receivable balances totalling £52 million (2018: £32 million) had some form of payment cover 
attached to them. This payment cover guards against the risk of customer default rather than the risk associated with customer 
disputes. The risk associated with the remaining £176 million (2018: £287 million) is deemed to be either acceptable or payment 
cover is not obtainable in a cost-effective manner.

Rental Solutions
This business is similar to the Power Solutions Industrial business above and the management of trade receivables is similar.  
Receivables written off during the year as uncollectable as a percentage of total gross debtors was 1% (2018: 1%).

17 Borrowings

Non-current

Bank borrowings
Private placement notes

Current

Bank overdrafts
Bank borrowings
Private placement notes

Total borrowings

Cash at bank and in hand
Lease liability
Net borrowings

Overdrafts and borrowings are unsecured.

(i) Maturity of financial liabilities
The maturity profile of the borrowings was as follows:

Within 1 year, or on demand
Between 1 and 2 years
Between 2 and 3 years
Between 3 and 4 years
Between 4 and 5 years
Greater than 5 years

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

33
478
511

51
8
–
59
570
(87)
101
584

134
493
627

9
115
20
144
771
(85)
–
686

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

59
138
10
–
146
217
570

144
104
157
11
–
355
771

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

113

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

17 Borrowings continued
(ii) Borrowing facilities
The Group has the following undrawn committed floating rate borrowing facilities available at 31 December 2019 in respect  
of which all conditions precedent had been met at that date:

Expiring within 1 year
Expiring between 1 and 2 years
Expiring between 2 and 3 years
Expiring between 3 and 4 years
Expiring between 4 and 5 years

18 Leases
(i) Amounts recognised in the balance sheet
Property, plant and equipment comprise owned and leased assets.

Property, plant and equipment owned
Right-of-use assets

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

69
81
201
50
115
516

–
276
100
89
–
465

2019  

£ million

1,068
98
1,166

The Group leases many assets including land and buildings, vehicles and machinery. Information about leases for which the 
Group is a lessee is presented below.
Right-of-use assets

Freehold 
properties 
£ million

Vehicles,  
plant & 
equipment 
£ million

75
16
6
(18)
(4)
75

29
9
(2)
(12)
(1)
23

Net book value at 1 January 2019
Additions for the year
Remeasurements
Depreciation charge for year
Exchange adjustments
Net book value at 31 December 2019

Lease liabilities

Maturity analysis – contractual undiscounted cash flows

Less than one year
One to five years
More than five years
Total undiscounted lease liabilities at 31 December

Impact of discounting
Lease liabilities included in the balance sheet
Current
Non-current

(ii) Amounts recognised in the income statement

Depreciation charge of right-of-use assets

Freehold property
Vehicles, plant & equipment

Interest on lease liabilities
Expenses relating to short-term leases

The short-term lease commitments are not dissimilar to the short-term lease expense in the year.

114 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Total  
£ million

104
25
4
(30)
(5)
98

2019  

£ million

35
63
23
121

(20)
101
33
68

2019  

£ million

18
12
30
5
4

18 Leases continued

(iii) Amounts recognised in the statement of cash flows

Total cash outflow for leases

2019  

£ million

36

This £36 million is included in the cash flow statement with £31 million included within cash flows from financing activities and 
£5 million included in interest paid within net cash generated from operating activities.

19 Trade and other payables

Trade payables
Trade payables – supplier factoring facility
Other taxation and social security payable
Other payables
Accruals
Deferred income

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

106
3
17
106
96
60
388

134
–
15
99
115
8
371

The value of trade and other payables quoted in the table above also represents the fair value of these items.

The Group participates in a supply chain finance programme under which its suppliers may elect to receive early payment of 
their invoice from a bank by factoring their receivable from the Group. Under the arrangement, a bank agrees to pay amounts 
to a participating supplier in respect of invoices owed by the Group and receives settlement from the Group at a later date. 
The principal purpose of this programme is to facilitate efficient payment processing and enable the willing suppliers to sell 
their receivables due from the Group to a bank before their due date. From the Group’s perspective, the arrangement does 
not significantly extend payment terms beyond the normal terms agreed with other suppliers that are not participating. 
The Group does not incur any additional interest towards the bank on the amounts due to the suppliers.

The Group has not derecognised the original liabilities to which the arrangement applies because neither a legal release was 
obtained, nor the original liability was substantially modified on entering into the arrangement. The Group discloses the amounts 
factored by suppliers within trade payables because the nature and function of the financial liability remain the same as those 
of other trade payables, but discloses disaggregated amounts in the notes.

The payments to the bank are included within operating cash flows because they continue to be part of the normal operating 
cycle of the Group and their principal nature remains operating, i.e. payments for the purchase of goods and services. 
The payments to a supplier by the bank are considered non-cash transactions and amounted to £4 million (2018: £nil).

We have undrawn bank facilities to cover a withdrawal of the supply chain finance programme.

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20 Demobilisation provision

Balance at 1 January
New provisions
Utilised
Exchange
Balance at 31 December

Analysis of demobilisation provision

Current
Non-current
Total

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

11
9
(6)
–
14

5
9
14

10
4
(4)
1
11

6
5
11

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

115

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

21 Deferred tax
31 December 2019

Fixed asset temporary differences
Retirement benefit obligations
Overseas tax on unremitted earnings
Tax losses
Other temporary differences

31 December 2018

Fixed asset temporary differences
Retirement benefit obligations
Overseas tax on unremitted earnings
Tax losses
Other temporary differences

At  
1 January  
2019  

£ million

Credit/(debit)  
to income 
statement  
2019  

£ million

Exchange 
differences  
2019  

£ million

At  
31 December 
2019  

£ million

(44)
–
(1)
30
17
2

–
(1)
–
(5)
14
8

(2)
–
–
–
–
(2)

(46)
(1)
(1)
25
31
8

At  
1 January  
2018  
£ million

Debit to  
income 
statement  
2018  
£ million

Debit to other 
comprehensive 
income  
2018  
£ million

Exchange 
differences  
2018  
£ million

At  
31 December  
2018  
£ million

(40)
4
–
32
24
20

–
–
(1)
(2)
(5)
(8)

–
(5)
–
–
–
(5)

(4)
1
–
–
(2)
(5)

(44)
–
(1)
30
17
2

A deferred tax liability of £1 million (2018: £1 million) has been recognised in respect of unremitted earnings.

No other deferred tax liability has been recognised in respect of unremitted earnings of subsidiaries. It is likely that the majority  
of the overseas earnings will qualify for the UK dividend exemption and the Group can control the distribution of dividends by  
its subsidiaries. In some countries, local tax is payable on the remittance of a dividend. Were dividends to be remitted from these 
countries, the additional tax payable would be £17 million.

The movements in deferred tax assets and liabilities (prior to offsetting of balances within the same jurisdiction as permitted by 
IAS 12) during the period are shown below. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are only offset where there is a legally enforceable 
right of offset and there is an intention to settle the balances net.

Deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that the realisation of the related deferred tax benefit through future taxable 
profits is probable based on current forecasts. The Group did not recognise deferred tax assets of £39 million (2018: £31 million)  
of which £38 million (2018: £27 million) relates to carried forward tax losses and £1 million (2018: £4 million) relates to fixed asset 
timing differences as our forecasts indicate that these assets will not reverse in the near future. 

Deferred tax assets of £13 million (2018: £23 million) have been recognised in respect of entities which have suffered a loss in 
either the current or preceding period. Deferred tax assets have been recognised on the basis it is probable there will be future 
taxable profits against which they can be utilised based on current forecasts and secured long term contracts. The majority of 
these assets can be carried forward indefinitely.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

Fixed asset temporary differences
Retirement benefit obligations
Overseas tax on unremitted earnings
Tax losses
Other temporary differences
Total
Offset of deferred tax positions
Net deferred tax

31 December 2019

31 December 2018

Assets  

£ million

Liabilities  
£ million

Net  

£ million

Assets  
£ million

Liabilities  
£ million

Net  
£ million

21
–
–
25
32
78
(34)
44

(67)
(1)
(1)
–
(1)
(70)
34
(36)

(46)
(1)
(1)
25
31
8
–
8

15
–
–
30
23
68
(32)
36

(59)
–
(1)
–
(6)
(66)
32
(34)

(44)
–
(1)
30
17
2
–
2

The net deferred tax asset due after more than one year is £8 million (2018: £2 million).

116 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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22 Share capital

2019  
Number  
of shares

2019  
£000

2018  
Number  
of shares

2018  
£000

(i) Ordinary Shares of 4329⁄395 pence (2018: 4329⁄395 pence)

At 1 January and 31 December

256,128,201

12,378

256,128,201

12,378

(ii) Deferred Ordinary Shares of 618⁄25 pence (2018: 618⁄25 pence)

At 1 January and 31 December

182,700,915

12,278

182,700,915

12,278

(iii) Deferred Ordinary Shares of 1⁄775 pence (2018: 1⁄775 pence)

At 1 January and 31 December

18,352,057,648

237

18,352,057,648

237

(iv) Deferred Ordinary Shares of 984⁄775 pence (2018: 984⁄775 pence)

At 1 January and 31 December

188,251,587

17,147

188,251,587

17,147

(v) Deferred Ordinary Shares of 1⁄306125 pence (2018: 1⁄306125 pence)

At 1 January and 31 December
Total

573,643,383,325

19
42,059

573,643,383,325

19
42,059

The rights and obligations attached to shares is described on pages 78 to 79.

23 Treasury shares

Treasury shares

2019  

£ million

(13)

2018  
£ million

(17)

Interests in own shares represents the cost of 1,611,875 of the Company’s Ordinary Shares (nominal value 4329/395 pence). Movement 
during the year was as follows:

1 January
Purchase of shares
Deferred shares and restricted stock
Sharesave maturity expenses
31 December

2019  
Number  
of shares

1,949,676
510,082
(835,050)
(12,833)
1,611,875

2018  
Number  
of shares

527,373
1,601,295
(178,992)
–
1,949,676

These shares represent 0.6% of issued share capital as at 31 December 2019 (2018: 0.8%).

These shares were acquired by a Trust in the open market using funds provided by Aggreko plc to meet obligations under the 
Long-term Incentive Plan and Aggreko Sharesave Plans. The costs of funding and administering the scheme are charged to the 
income statement of the Company in the period to which they relate. The market value of the shares at 31 December 2019 was 
£13 million (2018: £14 million).

24 Capital commitments

Contracted but not provided for (property, plant and equipment)

25 Operating lease commitments – minimum lease payments

Commitments under non-cancellable operating leases expiring: 
Within one year
Later than one year and less than five years
After five years
Total

(1)  The Group adopted IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ from January 2019 and as a result this disclosure is not applicable for 2019.

2019  

£ million

39

2018  
£ million

19

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

–
–
–
–

29
67
21
117

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

117

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

26 Investments in subsidiaries
The subsidiary undertakings of Aggreko plc at 31 December 2019, and the main countries in which they operate, are shown 
below. All companies are wholly owned and, unless otherwise stated, incorporated in the UK or in the principal country of 
operation and are involved in the supply of modular, mobile power, heating, cooling and related services.

All shareholdings are of Ordinary Shares or other equity capital.

Company

Aggreko Algeria SPA*

Aggreko Angola Lda

Aggreko Argentina S.R.L.

Aggreko Aruba VBA 

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

Algeria

Extension La Zone Des Activities, N 01, Adrar, Algeria

Angola

Rua 21 Jan, Qunintalao Escola de Enfermagem, Bairro Morro Bento III, District 
of Samba, Luanda, Angola

Argentina

465, 2D, Av. L.N. Alem, Buenos Aires, 1001, Argentina 

Aruba Weststraat 13, Aruba

Aggreko Generators Rental Pty Limited

Australia

101, Woodlands Drive, Braeside, VIC, 3195, Australia

Aggreko Bangladesh Power Solutions Limited

Bangladesh

Aggreko Bangladesh Energy Solutions Limited

Bangladesh

Concord Baksh Tower, Level-6, Plot-11A, Road-48, Block-CWN(A), Kamal 
Ataturk Avenue, Gulshan-2, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Concord Baksh Tower, Level-6, Plot-11A, Road-48, Block-CWN(A), Kamal 
Ataturk Avenue, Gulshan-2, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Aggreko Belgium NV

Belgium 7, Smallandlaan, Antwerpen, 2660, Belgium

Aggreko Energia Locacao de Geradores Ltda

Aggreko Cameroon LTD

Aggreko Canada Inc

Brazil

3500, Av. das Américas, – Ed Toronto 2000 – 6° Andar – Barra da Tijuca, Rio de 
Janeiro, 22640-102, Brazil

Cameroon

Centre des Affaires Flatters, Rue Flatters, BP 4999, Bonanjo, Doula, Cameroon

Canada

199, Bay Street, Suite 2800, Commerce Court West, Toronto, ON, M5L1A9, 
Canada

Aggreko Financial Holdings Limited +

Cayman Islands

89, Nexus Way, Camana Bay, PO Box 31106, Grand Cayman, KY1-1205, Cayman 
Islands

Aggreko Chile Limitada

Aggreko (Shanghai) Energy Equipment Rental 
Company Limited

Shanghai Yude Aggreko Energy Equipments 
Rental Co., Ltd##

Aggreko Colombia SAS

Chile

Galvarino 9450, Parque Industrial Buenaventura, Quilicura, Region 
Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile

China

Building 16, No 99 HuaJia Road, SongJiang District, Shanghai, 201611, China

China

301 Rongle East Road, Songjang District, Shanghai, China

Colombia

Parque Industrial Gran Sabana Vereda Tibitoc Lote M Unidad 67-A, 
Tocancipa, Colombia

Aggreko Power Solutions Colombia SA ESP

Colombia

Parque Industrial Gran Sabana, Carretera Snrto Zipaquira Lote 67, Tocancipa 
– Cundinamarca, Colombia

Aggreko Costa Rica S.A.

Aggreko DRC S.A.R.L.

Aggreko Cote d’Ivoire SARL

Aggreko Curacao B.V.

Costa Rica

Centro Corporativo Forum I, Torre G, Piso 1, Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica 

Congo

50, Avenue Goma- Commune de la Gombe, Kinshasa

Cote d’Ivoire

Vridi Canal – Base Centrale thermique à gaz, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire 

Curacao

Hoogstraat 30, PO Box 3961, Curacao

Aggreko (Middle East) Limited**

Cyprus

3 Themistokli Dervi, Julia House, P.C. 1066, Nicosia, Cyprus

Aggreko Denark ApS

Denmark

Rådhuspladsen 4, 4. 1550 København V

Aggreko Dominican Republic SRL

Dominican 
Republic

Paseo de los Locutores No. 53, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 

Aggreko Energy Ecuador CIA.LTDA

Ecuador

E 2324, Rumipamba y Av. Amazonas, Quito, NA, Ecuador

Aggreko Finland Oy

Aggreko France SARL

Aggreko Gabon S.A.R.L.

Finland

Hatanpaan Valtatie 13, Tampere, Finland

France

5, Rue Boole, Saint-Michel sur Orge, 91240, France

Gabon

Residence Du Golf, Libreville, BP: 4568, Gabon

Aggreko Deutschland GmbH

Germany

Barbarastraße 62, 46282 Dorsten, Germany

Younicos GmbH

Aggreko Hong Kong Limited

Germany

Am Studio 16, 12489 Berlin, Germany

Hong Kong

Lots 1845 and 1846 in DD125 Ho Tsuen, Yuen Long, N.T. Hong Kong, SAR, 
00852, Hong Kong

Aggreko Energy Rental India Private Limited +++

India

“The Chambers”, Office No 501, Plot No 4/12/13, Viman Nagar, Pune, 411014, 
India

Aggreko Energy Services Indonesia PT

PT Kertabumi Teknindo

Indonesia

Indonesia

Talavera Tower Lantai 5 Talavera Office Park, Jl. Letjend TB Simatupang Kav  
22 – 26, Cilandak Barat Cilandak, Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta 12430

Talavera Tower Lantai 5 Talavera Office Park, Jl. Letjend TB Simatupang Kav  
22 – 26, Cilandak Barat Cilandak, Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta 12430

118 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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26 Investments in subsidiaries continued

Company

Aggreko Ireland Ltd

Aggreko Italia S.R.L.

Aggreko Japan Limited

Aggreko Events Services Japan Ltd

Aggreko Kazakhstan LLC

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

Ireland

Riverside One, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, D02 X576, Ireland

Italy

29, Via A. Einstein, Assago (MI), 20090, Italy

Japan

Japan

Kazakhstan

4F, Ace Kudan Building, 2-2-1 Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 

4F, Ace Kunda Building, 2-2-1 Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Building 14/2, Oteshkaly Atambayev street, Atyrau city, Atyrau region, 
Republic of Kazakhstan

Aggreko Kenya Energy Rentals Limited

Kenya

Plot 12100, Tulip House, Mombasa Road, P.O. Box 10729, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya 

Aggreko Malaysia SDN BHD

Aggreko Mali S.A.R.L.

Aggreko Mauritania SARL

Aggreko Africa Limited

Aggreko Energy Mexico SA de CV

Aggreko Services Mexico SA de CV

Aggreko SA de CV ++++

Malaysia

Level 8 Symphony House Berhad Pusat Dagangan Dana 1 Jalan PJU 1A/46, 
Petaling Jaya, 47301, Malaysia

Mali

Bamako-Lafiabougou ACI 2000, Immeuble Samassa, 1 Etage, porte 02 

Mauritania

Tevragh Zeina, Lot ZRB, Villa No 225, Avenue Moctar Daddah, Nouakchott

Mauritius

co/o Abax Corporate Services Ltd, 6th Floor, Tower A, 1 CyberCity, Mauritius

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

8, Carretera Coacalco Tultepec, Estado de Mexico, 55717, Mexico 

8, Carretera Coacalco Tultepec, Estado de Mexico, 55717, Mexico 

Mar Cantabrico No. 20, Co. Popotla C.P. 11400, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

Aggreko Mocambique Limitada

Mozambique

7 Andar, Av. 24 de Julho, No 7, Bairro Polana Cimento, Distrito Urbano 1, 
Maputo, Mozambique

Aggreko Myanmar Co Limited

Myanmar

No. 112 (First Floor), 49th Street, Pazundaung Township, Yangon, Myanmar 

Aggreko Namibia Energy Rentals (Proprietary) 
Limited

Namibia

344 Independence Avenue, Windhoek, Namibia

Aggreko (NZ) Limited

Aggreko Projects Limited

New Zealand

Level 8, 188 Quay Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand 

Nigeria

27 Festival Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria 

Aggreko Gas Power Generation Limited ++++

Nigeria

27 Festival Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria 

Aggreko Norway A/S

Aggreko Energy Rentals Panama SA

Norway

44, Dragonveien, Bygg 31, Oslo, Norway

Panama

Patton, Moreno & Asvat offices in Capital Plaza Building, 8th floor, Roberto 
Motta y Costa del Este Avenue, Panama, PA, 507, Panama

Aggreko Latin America Inc

Panama

Street 50, PH 909, 14º floor, Panama City, Panama

Aggreko Generator Rentals (PNG) Limited

Papua New 
Guinea

c/- Ashurst PNG, Level 4, Mogoru Moto Building, Champion Parade, Port 
Moresby, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea

Aggreko Peru S.A.C.

Peru

Avenida Elmer Faucett 4800, Callao, Peru

Aggreko Energy Rental Solutions Inc

Philippines

Unit 1101, Picadily Star Building, 4th Avenue, 27th Street Bonifacio Global City, 
Taguig City, 1634, Philippines

Aggreko Polska Sp. z o.o.

Graciolica Lda

Poland

Fort Ordona 6 street, Czosnow, 05-152, Poland

Portugal

Estrada Velha Do Quitadouro, Ilha da Graciosa, 9880 315 Santa Cruz da 
Graciosa, Portugal

Aggreko South East Europe SRL

Romania

Soseaua de Centura 7A, Tunari, Ilfov, 077180, Romania

Aggreko Eurasia LLC

Aggreko Senegal SARL

Aggreko Singapore PTE Ltd

Milman International PTE LTD

Aggreko Energy Rental South Africa  
Proprietary Ltd

Aggreko South Korea Limited

Aggreko Iberia SA

Russia

Building 1, House 8, 2nd km Stariy Tobolsky Trakt, Tyumen, 625000, Russian 
Federation

Senegal

Route De Ngor 29912, Dakar, Senegal

Singapore

8B Buroh Street, Singapore, 627532

Singapore

8B Buroh Street, Singapore, 627532

South Africa

2 Eglin Road, Sunninghill, 2157, South Africa

South Korea

Unit 3203 S-Trenue, 37 Gukjegeumyung-ro 2-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 
Republic of Korea

Spain

35-37, Avinguda Torre Mateu, Pol.Industrial Can Salvatella, Barbera del Valles, 
08210, Spain

Aggreko Sweden AB

Sweden

Box 16285, Stockholm, 103 25, Sweden

Aggreko Energy Rentals Tanzania Limited

Tanzania

Ubungo Plaza Unit 209, 2nd Floor, PO Box 158, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania 

Aggreko (Thailand) Limited

Thailand

Central World, 29th Floor, Rama I Road, Pathumwan Sub-district, 
Pathumwan District, Bangkok, Thailand

Aggreko Americas Holdings B.V. +

The Netherlands

Amstelveenseweg 760, 1081 JK Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

119

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

26 Investments in subsidiaries continued

Company

Country of 
incorporation

Registered address

Aggreko Euro Holdings B.V. +

The Netherlands

Amstelveenseweg 760, 1081 JK Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Aggreko Rest of the World Holdings B.V. +

The Netherlands

Amstelveenseweg 760, 1081 JK Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Aggreko (Investments) B.V. ++

The Netherlands

3, Fuutweg, Haven 461b, Klundert, 4791PB, Netherlands 

Aggreko Nederland B.V.

The Netherlands

3, Fuutweg, Haven 461b, Klundert, 4791PB, Netherlands

Aggreko International Power Projects B.V.

The Netherlands

Aggreko Trinidad Limited

Aggreko Enerji ve Isi Kontrol Ticaret Anonim 
Sirketi

Aggreko Middle East Limited FZE

Aggreko Fujairah FZE

Aggreko Events Services Limited

Aggreko Finance Limited +

Aggreko Holdings Limited +

Aggreko International Projects Holdings  
Limited +

Aggreko International Projects Limited

Aggreko Pension Scheme Trustee Limited

Aggreko Russia Finance Limited ++

Aggreko UK Finance Limited ++

Aggreko UK Limited

Aggreko Generators Limited ++++

Aggreko Luxembourg Holdings

Dunwilco (680) Limited ++++

Golden Triangle Generators Limited

Origami Energy Limited#

Aggreko Global Solutions Limited

Aggreko Indonesia Finance Limited ++

Aggreko Ukraine LLC

Aggreko Uruguay S.A.

Aggreko Holdings Inc +

Aggreko USA LLC +

Aggreko LLC

Younicos Inc

Between Roundabouts 7 and 8, Opposite Red Sea Housing, PO Box 17576, 
Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

5/7 Sweet Briar Road, St. Clair, Trinidad and Tobago

Republic of 
Trinidad & 
Tobago

Turkey

EGS Business Park B2 Blok Kat:6 D:227 Yeşilköy, Bakırköy, Istanbul, Turkey

UAE

E-LOB Office No E2-112F-40, PO Box 52462, Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah, 
United Arab Emirates

UAE

PO Box 50283, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

UK

UK

UK 

UK 

UK 

UK 

UK

UK

UK

UK

UK

UK

UK

UK

UK

UK

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

Overburn Avenue, Dumbarton, G82 2RL, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland, United Kingdom

Aggreko House Orbital 2, Voyager Drive, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS11 8XP, 
England, United Kingdom

Ashcombe Court, Woolsack Way, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1LQ,  
United Kingdom

8th Floor, 120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland

8th Floor, 120 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JS, Scotland

Ukraine

77, 709, Sichovyh Strilstiv St, Kyiv, Ukraine, 04053

Uruguay

675, Of 20, Peatonal Sarandi, Montevideo, Uruguay

USA Wilmington Trust SP Services Inc, 1105 N. Market Street, Suite 1300, 

Wilmington DE, 19801, United States

USA

USA

The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange 
Street, Wilmington, DE, 19801, United States

The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange 
Street, Wilmington, DE, 19801, United States

USA

3100 Alvin Devane Blvd, Building A, Suite 200, Austin, TX, 78741, United States 

Aggreko de Venezuela C.A.

Venezuela

Av. Venezuela Edif. Lamaletto, piso 5, oficina Unica, El Rosal, Caracas

*  

Aggreko ownership is 49%

**   Registered in Cyprus

+ 

Intermediate holding companies

++ 

Finance company

+++  The financial year end of Aggreko Energy Rental India Private Limited is 31 March due to local taxation requirements

++++  Dormant company

# 

  Aggreko ownership is 14.47%

##    Aggreko ownership is 21.5%

120 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Share-based payments
IFRS 2 ‘Share-based Payment’ has  
been applied to all grants of equity 
instruments. The Group issues equity-
settled share-based payments to certain 
employees under the terms of the 
Group’s various employee-share and 
option schemes. Equity-settled share-
based payments are measured at fair 
value at the date of the grant. The fair 
value determined at the grant date of 
equity-settled share-based payments  
is expensed on a straight-line basis over 
the vesting period, based on an estimate 
of the shares that will ultimately vest. 
Fair value is measured using the 
Black-Scholes option-pricing model.

Own shares held under trust for the 
Group’s employee share schemes are 
classed as Treasury shares and deducted 
in arriving at Shareholders’ equity.  
No gain or loss is recognised on disposal 
of Treasury shares. Purchases of own 
shares are disclosed as changes in 
Shareholders’ equity.

Dividend distribution to the Company’s 
Shareholders is recognised as a liability  
in the Group’s financial statements  
in the period in which the dividends  
are approved by the Company’s 
Shareholders. Interim dividends  
are recognised when paid.

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27 Notes to the Group 
Accounts – appendices
27.A1 Accounting policies
Derivative financial instruments
The activities of the Group expose it 
directly to the financial risks of changes 
in forward foreign currency exchange 
rates and interest rates. The Group uses 
forward foreign exchange contracts, and 
interest rate swap contracts to hedge 
these exposures. The Group does not  
use derivative financial instruments  
for speculative purposes.

Derivatives are initially recorded and 
subsequently measured at fair value, 
which is calculated using standard 
industry valuation techniques in 
conjunction with observable market 
data. The fair value of interest rate swaps 
is calculated as the present value of 
estimated future cash flows using 
market interest rates and the fair value  
of forward foreign exchange contracts  
is determined using forward foreign 
exchange market rates at the reporting 
date. The treatment of changes in fair 
value of derivatives depends on the 
derivative classification. The Group 
designates derivatives as hedges of 
highly probable forecasted transactions 
or commitments (‘cash flow hedge’).

In order to qualify for hedge accounting, 
the Group is required to document in 
advance the relationship between the 
item being hedged and the hedging 
instrument. The Group is also required  
to document and demonstrate an 
assessment of the relationship between 
the hedged item and the hedging 
instrument, which shows that the  
hedge will be highly effective on an 
ongoing basis. This effectiveness  
testing is re-performed at each period 
end to ensure that the hedge remains 
highly effective.

Cash flow hedges
Changes in the fair value of derivative 
financial instruments that are 
designated, and effective, as hedges of 
future cash flows are recognised directly 
in equity and any ineffective portion is 
recognised immediately in the income 
statement. If the cash flow hedge is  
of a firm commitment or forecasted 
transaction that subsequently results in 
the recognition of an asset or a liability 
then, at the time the asset or liability  
is recognised, the associated gains  
or losses on the derivative that had 
previously been recognised in equity  
are included in the initial measurement 
of the asset or liability. For hedges of 
transactions that do not result in the 
recognition of an asset or a liability, 
amounts deferred in equity are 
recognised in the income statement  
in the same period in which the hedged 
item affects net profit and loss.

Changes in the fair value of derivative 
financial instruments that do not qualify 
for hedge accounting are recognised  
in the income statement as they arise.

Hedge accounting is discontinued  
when the hedging instrument no longer 
qualifies for hedge accounting. At that 
time any cumulative gain or loss on  
the hedging instrument recognised  
in equity is retained in equity until  
the forecasted transaction occurs.  
If a hedged transaction is no longer 
expected to occur, the net cumulative 
gain or loss recognised in equity is 
transferred to the income statement.

Overseas net investment hedges
Certain foreign currency borrowings  
are designated as hedges of the Group’s 
overseas net investments, which are 
denominated in the functional currency 
of the reporting operation.

Exchange differences arising from the 
retranslation of the net investment in 
foreign entities and of borrowings are 
taken to equity on consolidation to  
the extent the hedges are deemed 
effective. All other exchange gains  
and losses are dealt with through the 
income statement.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

121

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A2 Other intangible assets
Year ended 31 December 2019

Cost

At 1 January 2019
Additions
Exchange adjustments
At 31 December 2019
Accumulated amortisation

At 1 January 2019
Charge for the year
At 31 December 2019
Net book values
At 31 December 2019

At 31 December 2018

Customer 
relationships 
and non-
compete 
agreements  

£ million

Development 
expenditure  

£ million

Technology  

£ million

Total  

£ million

58
–
–
58

42
4
46

12

16

24
8
–
32

–
3
3

29

24

3
–
(1)
2

1
1
2

–

2

85
8
(1)
92

43
8
51

41

42

Amortisation charges in the year have been recorded in administrative expenses.

Year ended 31 December 2018

Cost

At 1 January 2018
Acquisitions
Additions
Exchange adjustments
At 31 December 2018
Accumulated amortisation

At 1 January 2018
Charge for the year
Exchange adjustments
At 31 December 2018
Net book values
At 31 December 2018

At 31 December 2017

Customer 
relationships  
and non- 
compete 
agreements  
£ million

Development 
expenditure  
£ million

Technology  
£ million

Total  
£ million

56
1
–
1
58

38
4
–
42

16
18

10
–
10
4
24

–
–
–
–

24
10

3
–
–
–
3

–
1
–
1

2
3

69
1
10
5
85

38
5
–
43

42
31

Amortisation charges in the year have been recorded in administrative expenses.

122 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A3 Borrowings
(i) Interest rate risk profile of financial liabilities
The interest rate profile of the Group’s financial liabilities at 31 December 2019, after taking account of the interest rate swaps 
used to manage the interest profile, was:

Currency:
US Dollar
Euro
Mexican Pesos
Brazilian Reals
Great British Pounds
Indian Rupees
Other currencies
As at 31 December 2019

Currency:
US Dollar
Euro
Canadian Dollar
Mexican Pesos
Indonesian Rupiah
Other currencies
As at 31 December 2018

Floating rate 
£ million

Fixed rate 
£ million

Total 
£ million

–
9
21
22
15
8
17
92

478
–
–
–
–
–
–
478

478
9
21
22
15
8
17
570

Floating rate 
£ million

Fixed rate 
£ million

Total 
£ million

13
61
23
18
23
42
180

591
–
–
–
–
–
591

604
61
23
18
23
42
771

Fixed rate debt

Weighted 
average  
interest rate 
%

Weighted 
average  
period for  
which rate  
is fixed 
Years

3.8
–
–
–
–
–
–

5.5
–
–
–
–
–
–

Fixed rate debt

Weighted 
average  
interest rate 
%

Weighted 
average  
period for  
which rate  
is fixed 
Years

4.0
–
–
–
–
–

5.4
–
–
–
–
–

The floating rate financial liabilities principally comprise debt which carries interest based on different benchmark rates 
depending on the currency of the balance and is normally fixed in advance for periods between one and three months.

The weighted average interest rate on fixed debt is derived from the fixed leg of each interest rate swap and coupons applying  
to fixed rate private placement notes.

The effect of the Group’s interest rate swaps is to classify £nil (2018: £79 million) of borrowings in the above table as fixed rate.  
The notional principal amount of the outstanding interest rate swap contracts at 31 December 2019 was £nil (2018: £79 million).

(ii) Interest rate risk profile of financial assets

Currency:
US Dollar
Euro
Brazilian Reals 
Other currencies
As at 31 December 2019

Cash at bank 
and in hand  

£ million

19
10
8
50
87

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

123

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A3 Borrowings continued

Currency:
US Dollar
Russian Roubles
Other currencies
As at 31 December 2018

Cash at bank 
and in hand  

£ million

22
9
54
85

All of the above cash and short-term deposits are floating rate and earn interest based on relevant LIBID (London Interbank Bid 
Rate) equivalents or market rates for the currency concerned.

27.A4 Financial instruments
As stated in our accounting policies Note 27.A1 on page 121 the activities of the Group expose it directly to the financial risks of 
changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. The Group uses forward foreign exchange contracts and interest 
rate swap contracts to hedge these exposures. The movement in the hedging reserve is shown in the Statement of Changes  
in Equity.
Net investment hedges
The sterling value of the Group’s net investments in overseas subsidiaries is exposed to changes in foreign currency exchange 
rates. The Group uses foreign currency denominated debt to hedge part of that exposure. The carrying value of debt in a net 
investment hedge was £478 million (2018: £665 million). A foreign exchange gain of £16 million (2018: loss of £46 million) relating 
to the net investment hedges has been netted off within currency translation differences as presented in the group statement of 
comprehensive income. We assess whether each of these hedges is effective by comparing (on a prospective and retrospective 
basis) the changes in the sterling equivalent values of the net investment in the overseas subsidiary and the relevant foreign 
currency denominated debt.
Foreign currency cashflow hedges
The Group manages its currency flows to minimise foreign exchange risk arising on transactions denominated in foreign 
currencies and uses foreign currency forward contracts, where appropriate, to hedge net currency flows. A net foreign currency 
gain of £1 million (2018: £nil), relating to those foreign currency forward contracts, has been recognised in the hedging reserve.  
We assess whether each of these hedges is effective by comparing (on a prospective and retrospective basis) the changes in the 
functional currency equivalent values of the foreign currency denominated transaction and the relevant foreign currency forward 
contract.
(i) Fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities
The following table provides a comparison by category of the carrying amounts and the fair values of the Group’s financial assets 
and financial liabilities at 31 December 2019. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a 
liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Market values have been used to 
determine fair values.

Primary financial instruments held or issued to finance the  
Group’s operations:
Current borrowings and overdrafts
Non-current borrowings
Lease liabilities
Cash at bank and in hand
Trade receivables
PDVSA private placement notes
Trade payables
Derivative financial assets
Derivative financial liabilities

2019

2018

Book value  
£ million

Fair value  
£ million

Book value  
£ million

Fair value  
£ million

(59)
(511)
(101)
87
444
1
(109)
1
(1)

(59)
(511)
(101)
87
444
1
(109)
1
(1)

(144)
(627)
–
85
502
4
(134)
1
(1)

(144)
(627)
–
85
502
4
(134)
1
(1)

All financial instruments are measured at amortised cost other than the PDVSA private placement notes and derivatives which 
are measured at fair value with changes recorded in the income statement.

(ii) Summary of methods and assumptions
Interest rate swaps and foreign currency derivatives
Fair value is based on market price of these instruments at the balance sheet date. In accordance with IFRS 13, interest rate swaps 
are considered to be Level 2 with fair value being calculated as the present value of estimated future cash flows using market 
interest rates. Forward foreign currency contracts and currency options are considered to be Level 1 as the valuation is based on 
quoted market prices at the end of the reporting period. Private placement notes are Level 2.

Current borrowings and overdrafts/short-term deposits
The fair value of short-term deposits and current borrowings and overdrafts approximates to the carrying amount because of the 
short maturity of these instruments.

Non-current borrowings
In the case of non-current borrowings, the fair value approximates to the carrying value reported in the balance sheet.

124 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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27.A4 Financial instruments continued
(iii) Derivative financial instruments
Hedge of net investment in foreign entity

The Group has designated as a hedge of the net investment in its overseas subsidiaries foreign currency denominated 
borrowings as detailed in the table below. 

US Dollar
Euro

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

478
–

604
61

A foreign exchange gain of £16 million (2018: loss of £46 million) on translation of the borrowings into Sterling has been 
recognised in exchange reserves.

(iv) The exposure of the Group to interest rate changes when borrowings reprice is as follows:
As at 31 December 2019

Total borrowings
Effect of interest rate swaps and other fixed rate debt

As at 31 December 2018

Total borrowings
Effect of interest rate swaps and other fixed rate debt

<1 year  

£ million

1-5 years  
£ million

>5 years  
£ million

Total  

£ million

59
–
59

294
(261)
33

217
(217)
–

570
(478)
92

<1 year  
£ million

1-5 years  
£ million

>5 years  
£ million

Total  
£ million

144
(99)
45

272
(137)
135

355
(355)
–

771
(591)
180

As at 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2018, all of the Group’s floating debt was exposed to repricing within three months of 
the balance sheet date. The Group’s interest rate swap portfolio is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure it is consistent with the 
Group policy as described on page 101.

The effective interest rates at the balance sheet date were as follows:

Bank overdrafts
Bank borrowings
Private placement

2019

5.4%
7.6%
3.8%

2018

9.4%
3.8%
3.9%

Maturity of financial liabilities
The table below analyses the Group’s financial liabilities and net-settled derivative financial liabilities into the relevant maturity 
groupings based on the remaining period at the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in 
the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows.

As at 31 December 2019

Borrowings
Derivative financial instruments
Trade and other payables

As at 31 December 2018

Borrowings
Trade and other payables

No trade payable balances have a contractual maturity greater than 90 days.

<1 year  

£ million

1-2 years  
£ million

2-5 years  
£ million

>5 years  
£ million

59
1
109
169

145
–
–
145

178
–
–
178

284
–
–
284

<1 year  
£ million

1-2 years  
£ million

2-5 years  
£ million

>5 years  
£ million

145
134
279

104
–
104

179
–
179

454
–
454

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

125

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A4 Financial instruments continued
Derivative financial instruments settled on a gross basis
The table below analyses the Group’s derivative financial instruments which will be settled on a gross basis into relevant maturity 
groupings based on the remaining period at the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in 
the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows.

As at 31 December 2019

Forward foreign exchange contracts – cash flow hedges
Outflow
Inflow

As at 31 December 2018

Forward foreign exchange contracts – cash flow hedges
Outflow
Inflow

<1 year 
£ million

(250)
250
–

<1 year 
£ million

(114)
114
–

All of the Group’s forward foreign currency exchange contracts are due to be settled within one year of the balance sheet date.

27.A5 Pensions
Overseas
Pension arrangements for overseas employees vary and schemes reflect best practice and regulation in each particular country. 
The charge against profit is the amount of contributions payable to the defined contribution pension schemes in respect of the 
accounting period. The pension cost attributable to overseas employees for 2019 was £11 million (2018: £12 million).

United Kingdom
The Group operates pension schemes for UK employees. The Aggreko plc Pension Scheme (‘the Scheme’) is a funded, 
contributory, defined benefit scheme. Assets are held separately from those of the Group under the control of the Directors of 
Aggreko Pension Scheme Trustee Limited. The Scheme is subject to valuations at intervals of not more than three years by an 
independent actuary.

The Trustee of the Scheme has control over the operation, funding and investment strategy of the Scheme but works closely  
with the Company to agree funding and investment strategy.

A valuation of the Scheme was carried out as at 31 December 2017 using the Attained Age method to determine the level of 
contributions to be made by the Group. The actuary adopted a valuation basis linked to market conditions at the valuation date. 
Assets were taken at market value. The major actuarial assumptions used were:

Return on investments pre-retirement 

Return on investments post-retirement 

Growth in average pay levels 

Increase in pensions 

3.2%

1.9%

3.4%

3.1%

At the valuation date, the market value of the Scheme’s assets (excluding AVCs) was £109 million which was sufficient to cover 
93% of the benefits that had accrued to members, after making allowances for future increases in earnings.

As part of the valuation at 31 December 2017, the Company and the Trustee agreed upon a Schedule of Contributions and a 
Recovery Plan. Company contributions for benefits building up in the future increased from 41.0% to 50.4% on 1 April 2019. 
To address the Scheme deficit the Company has already made additional contributions of £1.25 million in 2018 and £3.75 million 
in 2019 (£1.25 million catch up for 2018 and £2.5 million for 2019) and plans to make further additional contributions of £2.5 million 
each year until 2023. Employee contributions are 6% of pensionable earnings.

The Group has the right to a refund of any pension surplus at the end of the Scheme and as such has not recognised an 
additional liability in accordance with IFRIC 14.

The Scheme closed to all new employees joining the Group after 1 April 2002. New employees are given the option to join  
a defined contribution scheme. Contributions of £2 million were paid to this defined contribution scheme during the year  
(2018: £2 million). There are no outstanding or prepaid balances at 31 December 2019.

126 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 
 
 
27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A5 Pensions continued
An update of the Scheme was carried out by a qualified independent actuary using the latest available information for the 
purposes of this statement. The major assumptions used in this update by the actuary were:

Rate of increase in salaries
Rate of increase in pensions in payment
Rate of increase in deferred pensions
Discount rate
Inflation assumption
Longevity at age 65 for current pensioners (years)
Men
Women
Longevity at age 65 for future pensioners (years)
Men
Women

The assets in the Scheme were:

Equities

– UK equities
– Overseas equities
– Diversified growth
– Absolute return
Bonds

– Index – linked gilts
– Corporate bonds
– Liability driven investments
Cash
Total

31 Dec 2019

31 Dec 2018

3.3%
2.9%
3.0%
2.1%
3.0%

22.3
24.9

23.8
26.9

3.7%
3.2%
3.4%
3.0%
3.4%

22.4
24.5

24.0
26.6

Value at  
31 Dec 2019  
£ million

Value at  
31 Dec 2018  
£ million

–
15
20
–

–
33
44
2
114

9
12
8
1

43
19
–
5
97

The amounts included in the balance sheet arising from the Group’s obligations in respect of the Scheme are as follows:

Fair value of assets
Present value of funded obligations
Asset recognised in the balance sheet

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

114
(110)
4

97
(96)
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127

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE GROUP ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A5 Pensions continued
Movement in defined benefit surplus/(liability) during the year:

Defined benefit obligation

Fair value of Scheme assets

Net defined benefit surplus/(liability)

2019  

£ million

(96)

2018  
£ million

(134)

2019  

£ million

97

2018  
£ million

109

Balance at 1 January
Included in the income statement

Service cost
Interest cost 
Interest income

Included in the statement of  
comprehensive income

Remeasurements
–  Effect of changes in demographic 

assumptions

–  Effect of changes in financial 

assumptions

– Effect of experience adjustments
–  Return on plan assets  

(excluding interest income)

Other
Employer contributions 
Benefits paid

(2)
(3)
–
(5)

–

(15)
–

–
(15)

–
6
6

(2)
(4)
–
(6)

15

13
5

–
33

–
11
11

–
–
3
3

–

–
–

14
14

6
(6)
–

2019  

£ million

1

(2)
(3)
3
(2)

–

(15)
–

14
(1)

6
–
6

4

2018  
£ million

(25)

(2)
(4)
3
(3)

15

13
5

(7)
26

3
–
3

1

–
–
3
3

–

–
–

(7)
(7)

3
(11)
(8)

97

Balance at 31 December

(110)

(96)

114

The Projected Unit method has been used for the valuation of the liabilities. Under this method each participant’s benefits  
under the Scheme are attributed to years of service, taking into consideration future salary increases and the Scheme’s benefit 
allocation formula. Thus, the estimated total pension to which each participant is expected to become entitled at retirement  
is broken down into units, each associated with a year of past or future credited service. The benefit obligation is the total  
present value (assessed using appropriate assumptions) of the individual’s attributed benefits for valuation purposes at the 
measurement date. The discount rate was derived from the AA corporate bond yield curve and based on Scheme specific  
cash flow data from the last actuarial valuation to arrive at an appropriate single-equivalent rate.

The fair value of the assets is based on the underlying ‘bid value’ statements issued by the various investment managers.  
The manager statements reflect the relevant pricing basis of the units held in the underlying pooled funds. An alternative 
method of valuation is the estimated cost of buying out benefits at 31 December 2019 with a suitable insurer. This amount 
represents the amount that would be required to settle the Scheme liabilities at 31 December 2019 rather than the Company 
continuing to fund the ongoing liabilities of the Scheme. The Company estimates the amount required to settle the Scheme’s 
liabilities at 31 December 2019 is around £137 million which gives a Scheme shortfall on a buyout basis of approximately  
£23 million.

128 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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27 Notes to the Group Accounts – appendices continued
27.A5 Pensions continued
Cumulative actuarial gains and losses recognised in equity

At 1 January
Actuarial losses/(gains) recognised in the year
At 31 December

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

32
1
33

58
(26)
32

The actual return on Scheme assets was a gain of £14 million (2018: loss of £7 million).

Risks to which the Scheme exposes the Group
There is a risk of asset volatility leading to a deficit in the Scheme. Working with the Company, the Trustee has agreed investment 
derisking triggers which, when certain criteria are met, will decrease corporate bond holding and increase the holding of index 
linked bonds. Over time, this will result in an investment portfolio which better matches the liabilities of the Scheme thereby 
reducing the risk of asset volatility. However there remains a significant level of investment mismatch in the Scheme. This is 
deliberate and is aimed at maximising the Scheme’s long term investment return while retaining control of the funding risks.

Through the Scheme, the Group is exposed to a number of other risks:
 → Changes in bond yields – a decrease in corporate bond yields will increase Scheme liabilities.
 → Inflation risk – pension obligations are linked to inflation and higher inflation will lead to higher liabilities.
 → Life expectancy – an increase in life expectancy will result in an increase in the Scheme liabilities.

The measurement of the defined benefit obligation is particularly sensitive to changes in key assumptions as described below:
 → The discount rate has been selected following actuarial advice and taking into account the duration of the liabilities. A decrease 

in the discount rate of 0.5% per annum would result in a £14 million increase in the present value of the defined benefit 
obligation. The weighted average duration of the defined benefit obligation liabilities is around 25 years.

 → The inflation assumption adopted is consistent with the discount rate used. It is used to set the assumptions for pension 
increases, salary increases and deferred revaluations. An increase in the inflation rate of 0.5% per annum would result in a  
£10 million increase in the present value of the defined benefit obligation.

 → The longevity assumptions adopted are based on those recommended by the Scheme actuary advising the Trustee of the 

Scheme and reflect the most recent mortality information available at the time of the Trustee actuarial valuation. The increase 
in the present value of the defined benefit obligation due to members living one year longer would be £4 million.

There is a risk that changes in the above assumptions could increase the deficit in the Scheme. Other assumptions used to value 
the defined benefit obligation are also uncertain, although their effect is less material.

Defined benefit obligation by participant status

Actives 
Deferreds 
Pensioners

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

39
36
35
110

31
34
31
96

The duration of the liabilities is approximately 25 years.

Expected cash flows in future years
Expected employer contributions for the year ending 31 December 2020 are £4 million. Expected total benefit payments: 
approximately £2 million per year for the next 10 years.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

129

 
 
 
COMPANY BALANCE SHEET (COMPANY NUMBER: SC177553)

As at 31 December 2019

Fixed assets

Property, plant and equipment
Investments
Retirement benefit surplus

Current assets

Other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Deferred tax asset
Current tax asset

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Borrowings
Lease liability
Other payables
Derivative financial instruments
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities

Creditors: amounts falling due after one year

Borrowings
Lease liability
Net assets

Shareholders’ equity

Share capital
Share premium
Treasury shares
Capital redemption reserve 
Retained earnings
Total Shareholders’ equity

Notes

32
33
27 A.5

34

35
36
37

35
36

22

2019 
£ million

2018  
£ million

38
804
4
846

660
10
1
13
684

(22)
(1)
(514)
(1)
146
992

(511)
(3)
478

42
20
(13)
13
416
478

29
752
1
782

706
7
–
13
726

(101)
–
(347)
(1)
277
1,059

(627)
–
432

42
20
(17)
13
374
432

The financial statements on pages 130 to 136 were approved by the Board of Directors on 3 March 2020 and signed on its 
behalf by:

K Hanna  
Chairman 

H Drewett
Chief Financial Officer

130 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

 
 
COMPANY STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the year ended 31 December 2019

Profit/(loss) for the year
Other comprehensive (loss)/income
Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

– Remeasurement of retirement benefits
– Taxation on remeasurement of retirement benefits
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss

– Cash flow hedges
Other comprehensive (loss)/income for the year (net of tax)

Total comprehensive income for the year

2019  

£ million

109

2018  
£ million

(14)

(1)
–

–
(1)

108

26
(5)

2
23

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131

 
 
 
COMPANY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the year ended 31 December 2019

As at 31 December 2019

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Balance at 1 January 2019
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive loss
Remeasurement of retirement benefits (net of tax)
Total comprehensive income for the year ended 
31 December 2019

Transactions with owners:
Purchase of Treasury shares
Employee share awards
Issue of Ordinary Shares to employees under  
share option schemes
Dividends paid during 2019

Balance at 31 December 2019

As at 31 December 2018

Balance at 1 January 2018
Loss for the year
Other comprehensive income
Fair value gains on interest rate swaps (net of tax)
Remeasurement of retirement benefits (net of tax)
Total comprehensive income for the year ended 
31 December 2018

Transactions with owners:
Purchase of Treasury shares
Employee share awards
Issue of Ordinary Shares to employees under  
share option schemes
Dividends paid during 2018

Balance at 31 December 2018

Ordinary 
Share 
capital 
£ million

Share 
premium 
account 
£ million

Treasury 
shares  

£ million

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£ million

42
–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
42

20
–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
20

(17)
–

–

–

(4)
–

8
–
4
(13)

13
–

–

–

–
–

–
–
–
13

Retained 
earnings 
£ million

Total  
equity 
£ million

374
109

432
109

(1)

(1)

108

108

–
11

(8)
(69)
(66)
416

(4)
11

–
(69)
(62)
478

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Ordinary 
Share  
capital 
£ million

Share 
premium 
account 
£ million

Treasury 
shares  
£ million

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£ million

42
–

–
–

–

–
–

–
–
–
42

20
–

–
–

–

–
–

–
–
–
20

(7)
–

–
–

–

(12)
–

2
–
(10)
(17)

13
–

–
–

–

–
–

–
–
–
13

Hedging 
reserve 
£ million

Retained 
earnings 
£ million

Total  
equity 
£ million

(2)
–

428
(14)

494
(14)

2
–

2

–
–

–
–
–
–

–
21

7

–
10

(2)
(69)
(61)
374

2
21

9

(12)
10

–
(69)
(71)
432

132 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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NOTES TO THE COMPANY ACCOUNTS

For the year ended 31 December 2019

28 Company accounting 
policies
28.1 Basis of preparation
These financial statements have been 
prepared in accordance with Financial 
Reporting Standard 101, ‘Reduced 
Disclosure Framework’ (FRS 101).  
The financial statements have been 
prepared under the historical cost 
convention, as modified by the 
revaluation of certain financial assets 
and liabilities (including derivative 
instruments) at fair values in accordance 
with the Companies Act 2006.

The preparation of financial statements 
in conformity with FRS 101 requires  
the use of certain critical accounting 
estimates. It also requires management 
to exercise its judgement in the  
process of applying the Company’s 
accounting policies.

The following exemptions from the 
requirements of IFRS have been applied 
in the preparation of these financial 
statements, in accordance with FRS 101:
 → Paragraphs 45(b) and 46 to 52 of 

IFRS 2, ‘Share-based payment’ (details 
of the number and weighted-average 
exercise prices of share options, and 
how the fair value of goods or services 
received was determined).
 → IFRS 7, ‘Financial Instruments: 

Disclosures’.

 → Paragraphs 91 to 99 of IFRS 13, ‘Fair 
value measurement’ (disclosure of 
valuation techniques and inputs used 
for fair value measurement of assets 
and liabilities).

 → Paragraph 38 of lAS 1, ‘Presentation  
of financial statements’ comparative 
information requirements in respect 
of:

 – Paragraph 79(a)(iv) of lAS 1;

 – Paragraph 73(e) of lAS 16 ‘Property, 

plant and equipment’;

 – Paragraph 188(e) of lAS 38 

‘Intangible assets’ (reconciliations 
between the carrying amount at the 
beginning and end of the period).

 → The following paragraphs of lAS 1, 

‘Presentation of financial statements’:

 – 10(d) (statement of cash flows);

 – 10(f)(a) (statement of financial 
position as at the beginning  
of the preceding period);

 – 16 (statement of compliance with  

all IFRS);

 – 38A (requirement for minimum of 
two primary statements, including 
cash flow statements);

 – 38B-D (additional comparative 

information);

 – 40A-D (requirements for a third 
statement of financial position);

 – 111 (cash flow statement 

information); and

 – 134-136 (capital management 

disclosures).

 → lAS 7, ‘Statement of cash flows’.
 → Paragraph 30 and 31 of lAS 8, 

‘Accounting policies, changes in 
accounting estimates and errors’ 
(requirements for the disclosure of 
information when an entity has not 
applied a new IFRS that has been 
issued but is not yet effective).

 → Paragraph 17 of lAS 24, ‘Related party 

disclosures’ (key management 
compensation).

 → The requirements in lAS 24, ‘Related 
party disclosures’ to disclose related 
party transactions entered into 
between two or more members  
of a group.

 → Paragraph 52, the second sentence 
of paragraph 89 and paragraphs 90, 
91 and 93 of IFRS 16.

28.1.1 Going concern
Given the going concern disclosures in 
the Group Accounts on page 94, the 
Directors consider it appropriate to 
adopt the going concern basis of 
accounting in preparing these financial 
statements.

28.1.2 Changes in accounting policy 
and disclosures 
New and amended standards adopted 
by the Company 
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’
The Company adopted IFRS 16 from  
1 January 2019 and, therefore, this is  
the first set of the Company’s annual 
financial statements where IFRS 16 has 
been applied. Changes to significant 
accounting policies are the same as the 
Group changes and are detailed out on 
pages 94 to 95.

On transition to IFRS 16 the Company 
recognised an additional £5 million of 
right-of-use assets and £5 million of 
lease liabilities at the present value of the 
remaining lease payments discounted at 
the Group’s incremental borrowing rate 
of 5% as at 1 January 2019. This rate has 
remained at 5% throughout 2019. Note 
36 gives more detail on the company 
leases.

IFRIC 23 ‘Uncertainty over income tax 
treatments”
The Company adopted IFRIC 23 from 
1 January 2019. There was no material 
impact arising from the adoption of 
this standard.

Investments
Investments in subsidiary undertakings 
are stated in the balance sheet of the 
Company at cost, or nominal value  
of the shares issued as consideration 
where applicable, less provision for  
any impairment in value. Share-based 
payments recharged to subsidiary 
undertakings are treated as capital 
contributions and are added to 
investments.

Share-based payments
The accounting policy is identical to that 
applied by the consolidated Group as set 
out on page 121 with the exception that 
shares issued by the Company to 
employees of its subsidiaries for which 
no consideration is received are treated 
as an increase in the Company’s 
investment in those subsidiaries.

Dividend distribution
Dividend distribution to the Company’s 
Shareholders is recognised as a liability 
in the Company’s financial statements  
in the period in which the dividends  
are approved by the Company’s 
Shareholders.

The following accounting policies are 
identical to that applied by the Group
Property, plant and equipment – refer  
to page 97

Impairment of property, plant and 
equipment – refer to page 97

Foreign currencies – refer to page 98

Derivative financial instruments –  
refer to page 121

Borrowings – refer to page 99

Taxation – refer to page 98

Employee benefits – refer to page 98

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

133

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE COMPANY ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

29 Critical accounting estimates and assumptions
Taxation
This is explained in Note 1 to the Group Accounts on pages 100 to 101.

30 Dividends
Refer to Note 10 of the Group Accounts.

31 Auditor’s remuneration

Fees payable to the Company’s auditor for the audit of the Company’s annual accounts
Fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates for other services:
– other assurance related services

32 Property, plant and equipment

Cost

At 1 January 2019
Transition to IFRS 16
Additions
At 31 December 2019
Accumulated depreciation

At 1 January 2019
Charge for the year
At 31 December 2019
Net book values
At 31 December 2019

At 31 December 2018

(i)  The net book value of assets capitalised in respect of leased right-of-use-assets at 31 December 2019 is £4 million.

33 Investments

Cost of investments in subsidiary undertakings:
At 1 January 2019
Additions
Net impact of share-based payments
At 31 December 2019

2019  
£000

363

34

2018  
£000

332

32

Freehold 
properties  
£ million

Vehicles,  
plant & 
equipment  
£ million

Total  
£ million

–
5
–
5

–
1
1

4

–

46
–
11
57

17
6
23

34

29

46
5
11
62

17
7
24

38

29

£ million 

752
50
2
804

Details of the Company’s subsidiary undertakings are set out in Note 26 to the Group Accounts. The Directors believe that the 
carrying value of the investments is supported by their underlying net assets.

Of the additional investments, £29 million was in Aggreko Holdings Limited to allow it to invest in Aggreko Luxembourg 
Holdings, which then invested in Aggreko Energia Locacao de Geradores Ltda; £21 million was invested in Aggreko Holdings 
Limited to allow it to invest in Aggreko Indonesia Finance Limited.

134 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

34 Other receivables

Amounts due from subsidiary undertakings
Other receivables

35 Borrowings

Non-current

Bank borrowings 
Private placement notes

Current

Bank overdrafts
Bank borrowings
Private placement notes

Total borrowings before lease liability

Lease liability
Total borrowings

The bank overdrafts and borrowings are all unsecured.

(i) Maturity of financial liabilities
The maturity profile of the borrowings was as follows:

Within 1 year, or on demand
Between 1 and 2 years
Between 2 and 3 years
Between 3 and 4 years
Between 4 and 5 years
Greater than 5 years

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2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

654
6
660

699
7
706

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

33
478
511

22
–
–
22
533
4
537

134
493
627

2
79
20
101
728
–
728

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

22
138
10
–
146
217
533

101
104
157
11
–
355
728

(ii) Borrowing facilities
The Company has the following undrawn committed floating rate borrowing facilities available at 31 December 2019 in respect  
of which all conditions precedent had been met at that date:

Expiring within 1 year
Expiring between 1 and 2 years
Expiring between 2 and 3 years
Expiring between 3 and 4 years
Expiring between 4 and 5 years

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

69
81
201
50
115
516

–
276
100
89
–
465

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

135

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE COMPANY ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

36. Leases
(a) Amounts recognised in the balance sheet
Property, plant and equipment’ comprise owned and leased assets.

Property, plant and equipment owned
Right-of-use assets

The Company leases office space.

Information about leases for which the Company is a lessee is presented below:

Right-of-use assets

Net book value at 1 January 2019
Depreciation charge for year
Net book value at 31 December 2019

Lease liabilities

Maturity analysis – contractual undiscounted cash flows

Less than one year
One to five years
Total undiscounted lease liabilities at 31 December

Impact of discounting
Lease liabilities included in the balance sheet

Current
Non-current

(b) Amounts recognised in the income statement

Depreciation charge of right-of-use assets

Freehold property

The short-term lease commitments are not dissimilar to the short term lease expense in the year.

(c) Amounts recognised in the statement of cash flows

Total cash outflow for leases

37 Other payables

Amounts owed to subsidiary undertakings
Accruals and other income

2019 
£ million

 34 
 4 
 38 

Freehold 
properties 
£ million

5
(1)
4

2019 
£ million

1
3
4
–
4
1
3

2019 
£ million

1
1

2019 
£ million

1

2019  

£ million

2018  
£ million

493
21
514

324
23
347

38 Profit and loss account
As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the Company has not presented its own income statement and related 
notes. The profit for the financial year of the Company was £109 million (2018: loss of £14 million).

136 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

DEFINITION AND CALCULATION OF NON GAAP MEASURES

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Return on average capital employed (ROCE)
Definition:
Calculated by dividing operating profit for a period by the average net operating assets at 1 January, 30 June and 31 December.

Calculation:

Operating profit
Average net operating assets

Accounts reference

Income statement

1 January
30 June
31 December
Average (i.e. total of 1 Jan, 30 June and 31 Dec divided by 3)

(Note (a)) below
(Note (b)) below
Note 4 of 2019 and 2018 Accounts

2019  

£ million

241

2018 
£ million

219

2,263
2,190
1,997
2,150

2,074
2,123
2,159
2,119

ROCE (operating profit divided by net average operating assets)

11.2%

10.3%

Note (a) – Net operating assets as at 1 January 2019 for ROCE calculation 
As reported at 31 December 2018
IFRS 16 ‘Right-of-use’ asset at 1 January 2019
Adjusted net operating assets at 1 January 2019

Note (b):
Per June 2019 Interim Accounts
Note 4 (E)
Assets
Liabilities
Net operating assets

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA)
Calculation:

Operating profit  
(Earnings Before Interest and Taxation)
Depreciation
Amortisation
EBITDA

Accounts reference

Income statement
Note 5
Note 5

Interest cover: EBITDA divided by net finance costs
Calculation:

EBITDA (£ million)
Net finance cost (£ million)
Interest cover (times)

Accounts reference
Per above
Income statement

2,159
104
2,263

2,575
(385)
2,190

2,491
(368)
2,123

2019  

£ million

2018 
£ million

241
315
8
564

2019
564
42
13

219
293
5
517

2018
517
37
14

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

137

 
 
 
DEFINITION AND CALCULATION OF NON GAAP MEASURES CONTINUED

Interest cover excluding the impact of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’

EBITDA (£ million)
Impact of IFRS 16 (£ million)
Adjusted EBITDA (£ million)

Net finance cost (£ million)
Impact of IFRS 16 (£ million)
Adjusted net finance cost

Adjusted interest cover (times)

Net debt to EBITDA
Calculation:

Net debt (£ million)
EBITDA (£ million)
Net debt/EBITDA (times)

Accounts Reference

Per above

Income statement

Accounts reference

Cash flow statement
Per above

2019

584
564
1.0

Net debt to EBITDA excluding the impact of IFRS 16 ‘Leases’
Calculation:

Net debt  (£ million)
Impact of IFRS 16 (£ million)
Adjusted net debt (£ million)

Adjusted EBITDA (£ million)
Adjusted net debt/EBITDA (times)

Accounts Reference

Cash flow statement

Per above

Dividend cover
Definition:
Basic earnings per share (EPS) divided by full year declared dividend.

Calculation: 

Basic EPS (pence)
Full year declared dividend
Interim dividend (pence)
Final dividend (pence)

Dividend cover (times)

Accounts reference

Note 11

Note 10
Note 10

2019

564
(33)
531

42
(5)
37

14

2018

686
517
1.3

2019

584
(101)
483

531
0.9

2019

50.80

9.38
18.27
27.65
1.8

2018

49.22

9.38
17.74
27.12
1.8

Free cash flow
Definition: 
Net cash generated from operating activities less net cash used in investing activities less payment of lease liabilities.

Net cash generated from operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Payment of lease liabilities
Free cash flow

Accounts Reference

Cash flow statement
Cash flow statement
Cash flow statement

2019 
£ million

2018 
£ million

510
(217)
(31)
262

330
(244)
–
86

138 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. 
If you are in any doubt as to any matter referred to in this report or as to the action you should take, you should  
seek your own personal financial advice from: (a) a stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other 
independent professional adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 if you are resident  
in the United Kingdom; or (b) another appropriately authorised independent financial adviser if you are not resident  
in the United Kingdom.

If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares in Aggreko plc please pass this report, together with  
the accompanying documents (except the accompanying personalised form of proxy), as soon as possible to the 
purchaser or transferee, or to the stockbroker, bank or other person who arranged the sale or transfer so they  
can pass these documents to the person who now holds the shares.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual 
General Meeting of Aggreko plc (the 
“Company”) will be held at 200 SVS, 200 
St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5RQ on 
Thursday 23 April 2020 at 11.00am to 
consider and, if thought fit, pass the 
resolutions set out below. Resolutions 17 
to 20 (inclusive) will be proposed as 
special resolutions. All other resolutions 
will be proposed as ordinary resolutions.

Ordinary resolutions
Resolution 1
To receive the reports of the Directors 
and Auditors and to adopt the 
Company’s accounts for the year ended 
31 December 2019.

Resolution 2
To approve the Annual Statement by the 
Remuneration Committee Chair as set 
out on pages 62 to 66 and the Annual 
Report on Remuneration (excluding the 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy) as set 
out on pages 67 to 74 of the Annual 
Report and Accounts for the year ended 
31 December 2019.

Resolution 3
To declare a final dividend on the 
Company’s Ordinary Shares of 18.27 
pence per share.

Resolution 4
To elect Sarah Kuijlaars as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 5
To re-elect Ken Hanna as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 6
To re-elect Chris Weston as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 7
To re-elect Heath Drewett as a Director 
of the Company.

Resolution 8
To re-elect Dame Nicola Brewer  
as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 9
To re-elect Barbara Jeremiah  
as a Director of the Company.

Resolution 10
To re-elect Uwe Krueger as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 11
To re-elect Diana Layfield as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 12
To re-elect Ian Marchant as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 13
To re-elect Miles Roberts as a Director  
of the Company.

Resolution 14
To re-appoint KPMG LLP as auditor of 
the Company to hold office from the 
conclusion of the meeting until the 
conclusion of the next general meeting 
at which accounts are laid before the 
Company.

Resolution 15
To authorise the Audit Committee of 
the Board of Directors of the Company 
to determine the remuneration of the 
Company’s auditor.

Resolution 16
That the Board of Directors of the 
Company (the “Board”) be and is hereby 
generally and unconditionally authorised 
pursuant to and in accordance with 
section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 
(the “Act”) to exercise all the powers  
of the Company to allot shares in the 
capital of the Company and to grant 
rights to subscribe for or to convert any 
security into shares in the Company  
up to an aggregate nominal amount  
of £4,126,149, such authority to expire  
on the earlier of 30 June 2021 or at the 
conclusion of the next Annual General 
Meeting of the Company after the 
passing of this resolution, save that 
the Company may before such expiry 
make an offer or enter into an 
agreement which would or might 
require equity securities to be allotted 
after such expiry and the Board may 
allot equity securities in pursuance 
of such an offer or agreement as if 
the authority conferred hereby had 
not expired.

Special resolutions
Resolution 17
That, if resolution 16 is passed, the Board 
of Directors of the Company (the 
“Board”) be and is hereby generally 
empowered, pursuant to sections 570 
and 573 of the Companies Act 2006  
(the “Act”), to allot equity securities 
(within the meaning of section 560 of 
the Act) (including the grant of rights  
to subscribe for, or to convert any 
securities into, ordinary shares in the 
capital of the Company (“Ordinary 
Shares”)) wholly for cash pursuant to  
any authority for the time being in force 
under section 551 of the Act and/or by 
way of a sale of treasury shares (within 
the meaning of section 560(3) of the 
Act), as if section 561(1) of the Act did 
not apply to any such allotment or sale, 
provided that this power shall be limited 
to the allotment of equity securities and 
the sale of treasury shares for cash:

(a)  in connection with or pursuant to  
a rights issue, open offer or other 
pre-emptive offer in favour of holders 
of Ordinary Shares (“Ordinary 
Shareholders”) on the register of 
members on a date fixed by the 
Board where the equity securities 
respectively attributable to the 
interests of all such Ordinary 
Shareholders are proportionate  
(as nearly as may be practicable) to 
the respective numbers of Ordinary 
Shares held by them on that date 
(subject to such exclusions or other 
arrangements as the Board may 
deem necessary or expedient to  
deal with Treasury shares, fractional 
entitlements or legal or practical 
problems arising under the laws  
of any overseas territory or the 
requirements of any regulatory  
body or stock exchange or by virtue  
of shares being represented by 
depositary receipts or any other 
matter whatsoever); and

(b)  otherwise than pursuant to sub-
paragraph (a) above, up to an 
aggregate nominal amount of 
£618,922

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

139

 
 
 
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

provided that this power shall (unless 
previously renewed or revoked) expire 
 on the earlier of 30 June 2021 or at the 
conclusion of the next Annual General 
Meeting of the Company after the 
passing of this resolution, save that the 
Company may before such expiry make 
an offer or enter into an agreement 
which would or might require equity 
securities to be allotted after such expiry 
and the Board may allot equity securities 
in pursuance of such an offer or 
agreement as if the power conferred 
hereby had not expired.

Resolution 18
That, if resolution 16 is passed, in addition 
to any authority granted pursuant to 
resolution 17 proposed at the Annual 
General Meeting, the Directors of the 
Company (the “Board”) be and are 
hereby generally empowered pursuant 
to sections 570 and 573 of the 
Companies Act 2006 (the “Act”) to allot 
equity securities (within the meaning  
of section 560 of the Act) (including the 
grant of rights to subscribe for, or to 
convert any securities into, ordinary 
shares in the capital of the Company 
(“Ordinary Shares”) for cash pursuant to 
any authority for the time being in force 
under section 551 of the Act and/or by 
way of a sale of treasury shares (within 
the meaning of section 560(3) of the 
Act), as if section 561(1) of the Act did  
not apply to any such allotment or sale, 
provided that this power shall:

(a)  be limited to the allotment of equity 
securities and the sale of treasury 
shares for cash up to an aggregate 
nominal amount of £618,922; and

(b)  be used only for the purposes of 

financing (or refinancing, if the 
authority is to be used within six 
months after the original transaction) 
a transaction which the Directors  
of the Company determine to  
be an acquisition or other capital 
investment of a kind contemplated 
by the Statement of Principles on 
Disapplying Pre-Emption Rights 
most recently published by the 
Pre-Emption Group prior to the  
date of this notice

and shall expire on the earlier of 30 June 
2021 or at the conclusion of the next 
Annual General Meeting of the 
Company after the passing of this 
resolution, save that the Company may 
before such expiry make an offer or 
enter into an agreement which would  
or might require equity securities to be 
allotted after such expiry and the Board 
may allot equity securities in pursuance 
of such an offer or agreement as if the 
power conferred hereby had not expired.

Resolution 19
That the Company be and is hereby 
generally and unconditionally authorised 
for the purposes of section 701 of the 
Companies Act 2006 (the “Act”) to make 
one or more market purchases (within 
the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) 
of ordinary shares in the capital of the 
Company (“Ordinary Shares”) on such 
terms and in such manner as the 
Directors of the Company may 
determine, provided that:

(a)  the maximum aggregate number  

of Ordinary Shares hereby authorised 
to be purchased is 25,612,820;

(b)  the maximum price which may  
be paid for any Ordinary Share is  
an amount equal to the higher of  
(i) 105% of the average of the middle 
market quotations for an Ordinary 
Share as derived from the London 
Stock Exchange Daily Official List for 
the five business days immediately 
preceding the day on which the 
share is contracted to be purchased; 
and (ii) the higher of the price of 
the last independent trade and the 
highest current independent bid 
on the trading venue where the 
purchase is carried out, and the 
minimum price which may be paid 
for any Ordinary Share is its nominal 
value (in each case exclusive of 
associated expenses),

provided that the authority hereby 
conferred shall expire on the earlier  
of 30 June 2021 or at the conclusion 
of the next Annual General Meeting 
of the Company after the passing of 
this resolution, save that a contract 
of purchase may be made before such 
expiry which will or may be completed 
wholly or partly thereafter, and a 
purchase of Ordinary Shares may be 
made in pursuance of any such contract.

Resolution 20
That a general meeting of the Company 
(other than an Annual General Meeting) 
may be called on not less than 14 clear 
days’ notice, provided that this authority 
shall expire at the conclusion of the next 
Annual General Meeting of the 
Company.

By order of the Board

Peter Kennerley
Company Secretary

19 March 2020

Registered office:
Aggreko plc 
8th Floor 
120 Bothwell Street 
Glasgow G2 7JS 
Scotland 
United Kingdom

Registered in Scotland 
Number: SC177553

140 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Notes to the Notice of Annual 
General Meeting
1 Attending the Annual General 
Meeting in person
If you wish to attend the Annual General 
Meeting in person, you should arrive  
at the venue for the Annual General 
Meeting in good time to allow your 
attendance to be registered. It is 
advisable to have some form of 
identification with you as you may  
be asked to provide evidence of your 
identity to the Company’s Registrar  
prior to being admitted to the Annual 
General Meeting.

2 Appointment of proxies
Members are entitled to appoint one  
or more proxies to exercise all or any  
of their rights to attend, speak and vote 
at the Annual General Meeting. A proxy 
need not be a member of the Company 
but must attend the Annual General 
Meeting to represent a member. To  
be validly appointed a proxy must be 
appointed using the procedures set  
out in these Notes and in the notes  
to the accompanying form of proxy.

If members wish their proxy to speak  
on their behalf at the meeting, members 
will need to appoint their own choice of 
proxy (not the Chairman of the Annual 
General Meeting) and give their 
instructions directly to them.

Members can only appoint more than 
one proxy where each proxy is appointed 
to exercise rights attached to different 
shares. Members cannot appoint more 
than one proxy to exercise the rights 
attached to the same share(s). If a 
member wishes to appoint more than 
one proxy, they should contact the 
Company’s Registrar, Link Asset Services, 
on Tel: 0371 664 0300. Calls are charged 
at the standard geographic rate and will 
vary by provider. Calls outside the UK are 
charged at the applicable international 
rate. Lines are open between 9.00am 
and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday excluding 
public holidays in England and Wales.

A member may instruct their proxy  
to abstain from voting on any of the 
resolutions to be considered at the 
meeting by marking the “Withheld” 
option when appointing their proxy.  
It should be noted that an abstention  
is not a vote in law and will not be 
counted in the calculation of the 
proportion of votes “For” or “Against”  
the relevant resolution.

The appointment of a proxy will not 
prevent a member from attending the 
Annual General Meeting and voting 
in person if he or she wishes.

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A person who is not a member of the 
Company but who has been nominated 
by a member to enjoy information  
rights does not have a right to appoint 
any proxies under the procedures set 
out in these Notes and should read  
Note 9 below.

3 Appointment of a proxy online
As an alternative to appointing a proxy 
using the form of proxy or CREST, 
members can appoint a proxy online  
at http://shares.aggreko.com. In order  
to appoint a proxy using this website, 
members will need their personal 
identification Investor Code. If for any 
reason a member does not have this 
information, they should contact the 
Registrar on Tel: 0371 664 0300. Calls are 
charged at the standard geographic rate 
and will vary by provider. Calls outside 
the UK are charged at the applicable 
international rate. Lines are open 
between 9.00am and 5.30pm, Monday 
to Friday excluding public holidays in 
England and Wales.

Members may appoint a proxy using  
the website no later than 48 hours 
(excluding non-working days) before  
the time of the Annual General Meeting 
or any adjournment of that meeting.

4 Appointment of a proxy using  
a form of proxy
A form of proxy for use in connection 
with the Annual General Meeting is 
enclosed. To be valid, any form of proxy 
or other instrument appointing a proxy, 
together with any power of attorney or 
other authority under which it is signed 
or a certified copy thereof, must be 
received by post or (during normal 
business hours only) by hand to Link 
Asset Services, The Registry, 34 
Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent 
BR3 4TU by no later than 48 hours 
(excluding non-working days) before  
the time of the Annual General Meeting 
or any adjournment of that meeting.

If you do not have a form of proxy and 
believe that you should have one, or you 
require additional forms of proxy, please 
contact the Registrar on Tel: 0371 664 
0300. Calls are charged at the standard 
geographic rate and will vary by provider. 
Calls outside the UK are charged at the 
applicable international rate. Lines are 
open between 9.00am and 5.30pm, 
Monday to Friday excluding public 
holidays in England and Wales.

5 Appointment of a proxy  
through CREST
CREST members who wish to appoint  
a proxy or proxies through the CREST 
electronic proxy appointment service 
may do so by using the procedures 
described in the CREST Manual and  
by logging on to the following website: 

www.euroclear.com/CREST. CREST 
personal members or other CREST 
sponsored members, and those CREST 
members who have appointed (a) voting 
service provider(s), should refer to their 
CREST sponsor or voting service 
provider(s) who will be able to take  
the appropriate action on their behalf.

In order for a proxy appointment or 
instruction made using the CREST 
service to be valid, the appropriate 
CREST message (a “CREST Proxy 
Instruction”) must be properly 
authenticated in accordance with 
Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited’s 
specifications, and must contain the 
information required for such 
instruction, as described in the CREST 
Manual (available via www.euroclear.
com/CREST). The message, regardless  
of whether it constitutes the 
appointment of a proxy or is an 
amendment to the instruction given  
to a previously appointed proxy, must,  
in order to be valid, be transmitted  
so as to be received by the Registrar  
(CREST ID RA10) no later than 48 hours 
(excluding non-working days) before the 
time of the Annual General Meeting or 
any adjournment of that meeting. For 
this purpose, the time of receipt will be 
taken to be the time (as determined by 
the timestamp applied to the message 
by the CREST Application Host) from 
which the Registrar is able to retrieve  
the message by enquiry to CREST in  
the manner prescribed by CREST.  
After this time any change of 
instructions to proxies appointed 
through CREST should be 
communicated to the appointee 
through other means.

CREST members and, where applicable, 
their CREST sponsors or voting service 
provider(s) should note that Euroclear 
UK & Ireland Limited does not make 
available special procedures in CREST for 
any particular message. Normal system 
timings and limitations will, therefore, 
apply in relation to the input of CREST 
Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility 
of the CREST member concerned to take 
(or, if the CREST member is a CREST 
personal member, or sponsored 
member, or has appointed (a) voting 
service provider(s), to procure that his/
her CREST sponsor or voting service 
provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall 
be necessary to ensure that a message  
is transmitted by means of the CREST 
system by any particular time. In this 
connection, CREST members and, 
where applicable, their CREST sponsors 
or voting system providers are referred,  
in particular, to those sections of the 
CREST Manual concerning practical 
limitations of the CREST system and 
timings.

The Company may treat as invalid  
a CREST Proxy Instruction in the 
circumstances set out in Regulation 
35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities 
Regulations 2001.

6 Appointment of a proxy  
through Proxymity
If you are an institutional investor you 
may be able to appoint a proxy 
electronically via the Proxymity platform, 
a process which has been agreed by the 
Company and approved by the Registrar. 
For further information regarding 
Proxymity, please go to www.proxymity.
io. Your proxy must be lodged no later 
than 48 hours before the time of the 
Annual General Meeting, in order to be 
considered valid. Before you can appoint 
a proxy via this process you will need to 
have agreed to Proxymity’s associated 
terms and conditions. It is important 
that you read these carefully as you  
will be bound by them and they will 
govern the electronic appointment of 
your proxy.

Proxymity will then contract with your 
underlying institutional account holder 
directly to accept their vote instructions 
through the platform.

7 Appointment of a proxy by  
joint holders
In the case of joint holders, where more 
than one of the joint holders purports  
to appoint one or more proxies, only the 
purported appointment submitted by 
the most senior holder will be accepted. 
Seniority is determined by the order in 
which the names of the joint holders 
appear in the Company’s register of 
members in respect of the joint holding 
(the first named being the most senior).

8 Corporate representatives
Any corporation which is a member  
can appoint one or more corporate 
representatives. Members can only 
appoint more than one corporate 
representative where each corporate 
representative is appointed to exercise 
rights attached to different shares. 
Members cannot appoint more than 
one corporate representative to exercise 
the rights attached to the same share(s).

9 Entitlement to attend and vote
To be entitled to attend and vote at the 
Annual General Meeting (and for the 
purpose of determining the votes they 
may cast), members must be registered 
in the Company’s register of members  
at 5.00pm on Tuesday 21 April 2020  
(or, if the Annual General Meeting is 
adjourned, at 5.00pm on the day, two 
days prior to the adjourned meeting). 
Changes to the register of members 
after the relevant deadline will be 
disregarded in determining the rights  
of any person to attend and vote at the 
Annual General Meeting.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

141

 
 
 
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

10 Nominated persons
Any person to whom this notice is 
sent who is a person nominated under 
section 146 of the Companies Act 2006 
(the “Act”) to enjoy information rights  
(a “Nominated Person”) may, under  
an agreement between him/her and  
the member by whom he/she was 
nominated, have a right to be appointed 
(or to have someone else appointed) as  
a proxy for the Annual General Meeting. 
If a Nominated Person has no such 
proxy appointment right or does not 
wish to exercise it, he/she may, under 
any such agreement, have a right to 
give instructions to the member as 
to the exercise of voting rights.

11 Website giving information 
regarding the Annual General Meeting
Information regarding the Annual 
General Meeting, including information 
required by section 311A of the Act,  
and a copy of this notice of Annual 
General Meeting is available at  
www.plc.aggreko.com.

12 Audit concerns
Members should note that it is possible 
that, pursuant to requests made by 
members of the Company under 
section 527 of the Act, the Company 
may be required to publish on a website 
a statement setting out any matter 
relating to: (a) the audit of the 
Company’s accounts (including the 
auditor’s report and the conduct of 
the audit) that are to be laid before 
the Annual General Meeting; or (b) any 
circumstance connected with an auditor 
of the Company ceasing to hold office 
since the previous meeting at which 
annual accounts and reports were laid  
in accordance with section 437 of the 
Act. The Company may not require the 
members requesting any such website 
publication to pay its expenses in 
complying with sections 527 or 528 of 
the Act. Where the Company is required 
to place a statement on a website under 
section 527 of the Act, it must forward 
the statement to the Company’s auditor 
not later than the time when it makes 
the statement available on the website. 
The business which may be dealt with  
at the Annual General Meeting includes 
any statement that the Company has 
been required under section 527 of 
the Act to publish on a website.

13 Members resolution
Under section 338 and section 338A  
of the Act, members meeting the 
threshold requirements in those 
sections have the right to require the 
Company (a) to give to members of the 
Company entitled to receive notice of 
meeting, notice of any resolution which 
may properly be moved and is intended 
to be moved at the meeting and/or (b) 
to include in the business to be dealt 
with at the meeting any matter (other 
than a proposed resolution) which may 
be properly included in the business. 
A resolution may properly be moved 
or a matter may properly be included 
in the business unless (a) (in the case 
of a resolution only) it would, if passed, 
be ineffective (whether by reason of 
inconsistency with any enactment or 
the Company’s constitution or 
otherwise), (b) it is defamatory of any 
person, or (c) it is frivolous or vexatious. 
Such a request may be in hard copy 
form or in electronic form, must identify 
the resolution of which notice is to be 
given or the matter to be included in 
the business, must be authorised by the 
person or person making it, must be 
received by the Company not later than 
12 March 2020, being the date six weeks 
before the meeting, and (in the case of  
a matter to be included in the business 
only) must be accompanied by a 
statement setting out the grounds  
for the request.

14 Voting rights
As at 3 March 2020 (being the latest 
practicable date prior to the publication 
of this notice), the Company’s issued 
share capital consisted of 256,128,201 
Ordinary Shares of 4329/395 pence  
each, carrying one vote each; 188,251,587 
Deferred Shares of 984/775 pence each, 
18,352,057,648 Deferred Shares of 1/775 
pence each, 182,700,915 Deferred Shares 
of 618/25 pence each and 573,643,383,325 
Deferred Shares of 1/306125 pence each.  
The deferred share classes do not carry 
voting rights in any circumstances. In 
addition, the Company did not hold any 
shares in treasury. Therefore, the total 
voting rights in the Company as at 
3 March 2020 were 256,128,201 votes.

15 Notification of shareholdings
Any person holding 3% or more of the 
total voting rights of the Company  
who appoints a person other than  
the Chairman of the Annual General 
Meeting as their proxy will need to 
ensure that both they, and their proxy, 
comply with their respective disclosure 
obligations under the UK Disclosure 
Guidance and Transparency Rules.

16 Further questions and 
communication
Under section 319A of the Act, the 
Company must cause to be answered 
any question relating to the business 
being dealt with at the Annual General 
Meeting put by a member attending  
the meeting unless answering the 
question would interfere unduly with  
the preparation for the meeting or 
involve the disclosure of confidential 
information, or the answer has already 
been given on a website in the form  
of an answer to a question, or it is 
undesirable in the interests of the 
Company or the good order of the 
meeting that the question be answered.

Members who have any queries about 
the Annual General Meeting should 
contact the Company Secretary by 
writing to Aggreko plc, 120 Bothwell 
Street, Glasgow G2 7JS.

Members may not use any electronic 
address provided in this notice or in  
any related documents (including  
the accompanying form of proxy)  
to communicate with the Company  
for any purpose other than those 
expressly stated. 

17 Documents available for inspection
The following documents will be 
available for inspection at the registered 
office of the Company during normal 
business hours on any weekday 
(Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 
excepted) from the date of this notice 
until the conclusion of the Annual 
General Meeting and on the date of the 
Annual General Meeting at the venue of 
the Annual General Meeting at 200 SVS, 
200 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5RQ:

(a)  copies of the service contracts of the 
Company’s Executive Directors; and

(b)  copies of the letters of appointment 
of the Company’s Non-executive 
Directors.

142 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

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EXPLANATORY NOTES
The following provide an explanation  
of the resolutions to be considered 
at the Annual General Meeting.

Resolutions 1 to 16 will be proposed as 
ordinary resolutions. This means that  
for each of those resolutions to be 
passed, more than half of the votes cast 
must be in favour of the resolution. 
Resolutions 17 to 20 will be proposed as 
special resolutions. This means that for 
each of those resolutions to be passed,  
at least three-quarters of the votes cast 
must be in favour of the resolution.

Annual Report and Accounts 
(Resolution 1)
This resolution deals with the receipt  
and adoption of the accounts for the 
financial year ended 31 December  
2019 and the associated reports of  
the Directors and Auditors.

Annual Statement and Annual Report 
on Remuneration (Resolution 2)
Resolution 2 seeks approval of the 
Annual Statement by the Remuneration 
Committee Chair set out on pages 62 to 
66 and the Annual Report on 
Remuneration set out on pages 67 to 74 
of this document.

We are required by law to seek 
shareholders’ approval for the Annual 
Statement and Annual Report on 
Remuneration on an annual basis. The 
current Directors’ Remuneration Policy 
was approved by shareholders at the 
2018 Annual General Meeting, and the 
Annual Report on Remuneration sets  
out the Company’s policy applied to 
Directors’ remuneration in 2019. The  
full Directors’ Remuneration Policy is 
available on www.plc.aggreko.com.

This vote is advisory in respect of the 
overall remuneration package and the 
Directors’ entitlements to remuneration 
are not conditional upon this resolution 
being passed.

Final dividend (Resolution 3)
Shareholders are being asked to approve 
a final dividend of 18.27 pence per 
Ordinary Share for the year ended  
31 December 2019. If shareholders 
approve the recommended final 
dividend, it will be paid on 21 May 2020 to 
all Ordinary Shareholders who are on the 
register of members on 24 April 2020.

Election and re-election of Directors 
(Resolutions 4 to 13)
Resolution 4 refers to the newly 
appointed Director standing for election 
and resolutions 5 to 13 refer to the 
Directors standing for re-election in line 
with the UK Corporate Governance Code, 
which states that all directors of FTSE 
350 companies should be subject to 
annual election by shareholders.

Biographical details for each of the 
Directors seeking election and re-
election are set out on pages 48 and 49 
of this document and are also available 
to view online at www.plc.aggreko.com. 
Following the announcement made by 
Arcadis NV on 4 March 2020, Sarah 
Kuijlaars has resigned from her position 
as CFO and Member of the Executive 
Board at Arcadis. With the exception of 
this information, all other biographical 
details set out on pages 48 and 49 of  
this document remain unchanged as at 
the date if the publication of the notice 
of Annual General Meeting. The Board 
confirms that, following a formal 
performance evaluation, each of the 
Directors standing for election or 
re-election continues to perform 
effectively, demonstrates commitment 
to their role, and has the capacity to 
discharge their responsibilities fully, 
given their existing time commitments 
to other organisations. Therefore, the 
Board unanimously recommends  
the election and re-election of the 
Directors proposed.

External auditor (Resolutions 14  
and 15)
These resolutions deal with the re-
appointment of KPMG LLP as auditor  
of the Company and the authorisation  
of the Audit Committee to determine 
their remuneration.

Authority to allot shares  
(Resolution 16)
In line with last year, this resolution will 
authorise the Directors to allot Ordinary 
Shares up to an aggregate nominal 
value of £4,126,149 (representing 
85,376,067 Ordinary Shares of 4329/395 
pence each). This amount represents 
approximately one third of the issued 
Ordinary Share capital of the Company 
as at 3 March 2020, being the latest 
practicable date prior to the publication 
of this circular. As at 3 March 2020, the 
Company held no Treasury shares and 
there were no warrants over Ordinary 
Shares.

The authority sought under this 
resolution will expire on the earlier  
of 30 June 2021 (the latest date by  
which the Company must hold an 
Annual General Meeting in 2021)  
or the conclusion of the Annual General 
Meeting of the Company to be held  
in 2021.

The Directors have no present intention 
to issue new shares other than in relation 
to the issue of shares under the 
Company’s executive and employee 
share schemes in circumstances where 
they do not consider it appropriate to 
satisfy awards vesting using market 
purchase.

Disapplication of statutory pre-
emption rights (Resolutions 17 and 18)
Resolution 17 will be proposed as a 
special resolution and will authorise  
the Directors to disapply the statutory 
pre-emption rights of shareholders  
on allotment of equity securities for  
cash up to an aggregate nominal value 
of £618,922 (representing 12,806,410 
Ordinary Shares of 4329/395 pence each), 
being approximately 5% of the issued 
Ordinary Share capital of the Company 
as at 3 March 2020, being the latest 
practicable date prior to the publication 
of this document. This resolution also 
disapplies statutory pre-emption rights 
to the extent necessary to facilitate  
rights issues.

Resolution 18 will also be proposed as  
a special resolution and will authorise 
the Directors to allot a further 5% of the 
issued Ordinary Share capital of the 
Company otherwise than in connection 
with a pre-emptive offer to existing 
shareholders for the purpose of 
financing a transaction (or refinancing 
within six months of the transaction) 
which the Directors determine to be a 
n acquisition or other capital investment 
contemplated by the Pre-Emption 
Group’s revised Statement of Principles, 
published on 12 March 2015 (the “PEG 
Principles”), being the Statement of 
Principles on Disapplying Pre-Emption 
Rights most recently published by the 
Pre-Emption Group prior to the date  
of this notice.

This additional disapplication authority  
is in line with the PEG Principles, and 
provides the Company with greater 
flexibility by allowing the Company  
to allot shares with a nominal value of 
£618,922 (representing 5% of the issued 
Ordinary Share capital of the Company 
as at 3 March 2020) for cash pursuant  
to this authority where that allotment  
is in connection with an acquisition  
or specified capital investment (as 
described in the PEG Principles) which  
is announced at the same time as the 
allotment, or which has taken place in 
the preceding six-month period and is 
disclosed in the announcement of that 
allotment.

The Board does not intend to allot shares 
for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis 
above 7.5% of the total issued Ordinary 
Share capital of the Company over  
a rolling three-year period without 
consulting shareholders first. This 
complies with the PEG Principles.

The authority under these resolutions 
will expire at the conclusion of the 
Annual General Meeting to be held  
in 2021 or on 30 June 2021, whichever  
is the earlier. The Directors intend to seek 
renewal of this power at subsequent 
Annual General Meetings.

Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

143

 
 
 
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Purchase of own shares (Resolution 19)
The Directors recommend that 
shareholders renew the authority of the 
Company to purchase its own Ordinary 
Shares. Accordingly, this resolution will 
be proposed as a special resolution 
seeking authority to make such 
purchases in the market. The Directors 
will only use this authority when they 
consider it to be in the best interests  
of shareholders generally and an 
improvement in earnings per share 
would result. Any Ordinary Shares 
purchased under this authority will 
either be cancelled (and the number 
of Ordinary Shares in issue reduced) 
or be held in treasury.

This resolution specifies the maximum 
number of Ordinary Shares which  
may be purchased (representing 
approximately 10% of the Company’s 
issued Ordinary Share capital as at 
3 March 2020, being the latest 
practicable date prior to the publication 
of this document) and the minimum 
and maximum prices at which they 
may be bought.

The Directors intend to seek renewal  
of this power at subsequent Annual 
General Meetings.

As at 3 March 2020, there were options 
over 8,548,213 Ordinary Shares in the 
capital of the Company which 
represented 3.34% of the Company’s 
issued Ordinary Share capital at that 
date. If the authority to purchase the 
Company’s Ordinary Shares were 
exercised in full, these options would 
represent 3.71% of the Company’s issued 
Ordinary Share capital.

Notice of general meetings 
(Resolution 20)
Under the Act, all general meetings of 
the Company must be held on 21 clear 
days’ notice unless shareholders agree 
to a shorter notice period on an annual 
basis and certain other conditions are 
met. The Company is currently able to 
call general meetings (other than Annual 
General Meetings) on 14 clear days’ 
notice. The Board is proposing this 
resolution as a special resolution at the 
Annual General Meeting so that the 
Company can continue to be able to 
convene general meetings on 14 clear 
days’ notice.

The Board intends that this shorter 
notice period would not be used as  
a matter of routine, but would only be 
used where the flexibility was justified  
by the business of the meeting and 
it would be to the advantage of 
shareholders as a whole.

If this resolution is passed, the authority 
to convene general meetings on 14 clear 
days’ notice will remain effective until 
the Company’s next Annual General 
Meeting, when it is intended that a 
similar resolution will be proposed.  
The notice period for Annual General 
Meetings will remain 21 clear days.

Recommendation
The Board considers that all the 
resolutions to be considered at the 
Annual General Meeting are in the 
 best interests of the Company and  
its shareholders as a whole. Your Board 
will be voting in favour of them and 
unanimously recommends that you  
do so as well.

144 Aggreko plc Annual Report and Accounts 2019

SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

Financial calendar
23 April 2020: Annual General Meeting

23 April 2020: Ex-dividend date –  
Final dividend

24 April 2020: Record date to be eligible 
for the final dividend

21 May 2020: Final dividend payment  
for the year to 31 December 2019

6 August 2020: Half year results 
announcement for the year to  
31 December 2020

Early September 2020: Ex-dividend  
date – Interim dividend

Early September 2020: Record date  
to be eligible for the interim dividend

Early October 2020: Interim  
dividend payment for the year  
to 31 December 2020

Our website
Provides access to share price and 
dividend information as well as sections 
on managing your shareholding online, 
corporate governance and other investor 
relations information. 

To access the website, please visit  
www.plc.aggreko.com

Managing your shares online
Shareholders can manage their holding 
online by registering to use our share 
portal at https://shares.aggreko.com.  
This service is provided by our Registrar, 
Link Asset Services, giving quick and 
easy access to your shareholding, 
allowing you to manage all aspects  
of your shareholding online, with  
a useful FAQ section.

Electronic communications
We encourage shareholders to consider 
receiving their communications 
electronically. Choosing to receive your 
communications electronically means 
you receive information quickly and 
securely and allows us to communicate 
in a more environmentally friendly and 
cost-effective way. You can register for 
this service online using our share portal.

Payment of dividends
We encourage shareholders to have 
dividends paid directly into their bank 
accounts as this has a number of 
advantages, including ensuring efficient 
payment to receive cleared funds on the 
payment date.

If shareholders would like to receive their 
dividends directly to their bank account, 
they should contact our Registrar, Link 
Asset Services. UK shareholders may  
also register using the share portal.

Overseas shareholders may be able to 
have the dividend converted to local 
currency before payment to their bank 
account using the international payment 
service. Please contact our Registrar, 
Link Asset Services, for details.

Dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP)
This allows eligible shareholders to 
purchase additional shares in Aggreko 
with their dividend payment. Further 
information and a mandate can be 
obtained from our Registrar, Link Asset 
Services, or by using the share portal.

Duplicate documents
Some shareholders find that they  
receive duplicate documentation and 
split dividend payments due to having 
more than one account on the share 
register. If you think you fall into this 
group and would like to combine your 
accounts, please contact our Registrar, 
Link Asset Services.

Change of address
To avoid missing important 
correspondence relating to your 
shareholding, it is important that you 
inform our Registrar, Link Asset Services, 
of your new address as soon as possible.

Sharegift
If you have a very small shareholding 
that is uneconomical to sell, you may 
want to consider donating it to Sharegift 
(Registered Charity no. 10526886), a 
charity that specialises in the donation  
of small, unwanted shareholdings to 
good causes. You can find out more  
by visiting www.sharegift.org or by 
calling +44 (0) 207 930 3737.

Shareholder queries
Our share register is maintained  
by our Registrar, Link Asset Services. 
Shareholders with queries relating to 
their shareholding should contact Link 
Asset Services directly. For more general 
queries, shareholders can look at our 
website at www.plc.aggreko.com

Unsolicited mail and shareholder 
fraud 
Shareholders are advised to be wary  
of unsolicited mail or telephone calls 
offering free advice, to buy shares at  
a discount or offering free company 
reports. To find more detailed 
information on how shareholders can  
be protected from investment scams 
visit www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams/ 
investment-scams/share-fraud-and-
boiler-room-scams

Our Registrar
Link Asset Services 
The Registry 
34 Beckenham Road 
Beckenham 
Kent BR3 4TU 
United Kingdom

Share portal: https://shares.aggreko.com

Website: www.linkassetservices.com

Email: enquiries@linkgroup.co.uk

Telephone: 0371 664 0300*

*  Calls are charged at the standard geographic  

rate and will vary by provider. Calls outside the UK 
are charged at the applicable international rate. 
Lines are open 9.00am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday 
excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

Registered office 
8th Floor 
120 Bothwell Street 
Glasgow G2 7JS 
Scotland 
United Kingdom 

Telephone: +44 (0) 141 225 5900

Email: investors@aggreko.biz

Registered in Scotland No. SC177553

Designed and produced by: Friend  
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This report is printed on Revive 100 Silk paper. Revive 100 Silk is made from 100 per cent de-inked post consumer waste and produced 
in mills which hold IS0 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditation.

Printing
This publication is produced by a CarbonNeutral® company and Carbon Balanced with World Land Trust. 

Balancing is delivered by World Land Trust, an international conservation charity, who offset carbon emissions through the purchase 
and preservation of high conservation value land. 

Through protecting standing forests, under threat of clearance, carbon is locked in that would otherwise be released. These protected 
forests are then able to continue absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, referred to as REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation 
and forest Degradation). This is now recognised as one of the most cost-effective and swiftest ways to arrest the rise in atmospheric 
CO2 and global warming effects. Additional to the carbon benefits is the flora and fauna this land preserves, including a number of 
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