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De La Rue plc

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FY2019 Annual Report · De La Rue plc
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FOCUSING ON  
TECHNOLOGY 
AND SOLUTIONS 

De La Rue plc 
Annual Report 2019

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
De La Rue 

Annual Report and Accounts 2019

Contents

INSIDE THIS YEAR’S 
ANNUAL REPORT

08

Chairman’s statement

A YEAR OF 
TRANSITION

INNOVATION EVERYDAY

HELPING 
TO STOP 
ILLICIT TRADE

Interview with the CEO

02
Strategic Report
Innovation everyday
02 
08  Chairman’s statement
09  Financial highlights
10 
12  At a glance
14  Our markets
18  Business model
20  Resources and relationships
22 
24  Review of strategy
28  Review of operations
32  Financial review
36  Risk and risk management
42  Responsible business

 Strategic update

50
Corporate Governance
50  Chairman’s introduction
52  Leadership
58 

 Composition, succession 
and evaluation

64  Audit, risk and internal control
74  Directors’ remuneration report
92  Directors’ report

96
Accounts
96 
104  Group income statement
105   Group statement of 

Independent auditor’s report

comprehensive income

106  Group balance sheet
107   Group statement of 

changes in equity

108  Group cash flow statement
109  Accounting policies
117  Notes to the accounts
149  Company balance sheet
150   Company statement of 
changes in equity

151  Accounting policies – Company
152  Notes to the accounts – Company
153  Non-IFRS measures
157  Five year record
158  Shareholders’ information

Read our Chairman’s  
statement on p08

10

Interview with the CEO

QUESTIONS AND 
ANSWERS WITH 
MARTIN SUTHERLAND

Helping to stop 
illicit trade p02

CASH IS 
PART OF 
THE FUTURE

Cash is part of 
the future p04

TECHNOLOGY 
TO BEAT THE 
COUNTERFEITS

Read our interview  
with the CEO on p10

Technology to beat the  
counterfeits on p06

INNOVATION EVERYDAY

Strategic Report

1

It’s been a challenging year, 
but we remain confident about 
the future. The marketplace we 
are in is an exciting one. One that 
is demanding more innovative and 
effective ways to protect against 
fraud and identity.

While our heritage in secure 
manufacturing and banknote 
printing remains crucial, our future 
is focused on building De La Rue 
into a more technology led security 
solutions business. There’s lots 
of work we are doing in this 
area which we explain over 
the following pages.

Andrew Gilbert and  
Jerome Pichot

Dr Nikki Strickland

Julia Dean

Front cover image: shows a close up visual under UV light of the Danske 
Bank new £10 note that launched into Northern Irish circulation in March 2019. 
The note was designed and produced by De La Rue and is printed on our house 
polymer substrate Safeguard®.

2

INNOVATION EVERYDAY

HELPING 
TO STOP 
ILLICIT TRADE

With Andrew Gilbert and Jerome Pichot

De La Rue’s approach is to incorporate the 
benefits of existing systems and software 
platforms for all stakeholders.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 20193

Andrew Gilbert (left), track and trace solutions expert.

Jerome Pichot (right), product authentication specialist 
and veteran in cross border trades.

De La Rue’s approach to product 
authentication is to incorporate the benefits 
of existing systems and software platforms 
of all stakeholders. This means working 
with all parties to ensure we meet their 
needs, while also providing control and 
visibility of regulation for the authorities. 
This way, we can implement a flexible, 
modular and open-source model quickly 
and at low risk.

We’re already operating a number of 
complex supply chain track and trace 
contracts across Europe, the Middle 
East and Africa. And this new integrated 
approach is one that builds trust and 
confidence for all players in the system.

US $1.7tn

Current value of illicit trade,  
the fastest area of growth  
in organised crime

Illicit trade stunts economic growth, 
damages brands, and risks the health 
and safety of consumers. Illicit activity – 
such as smuggling, diversion, counterfeit, 
fraud and tax evasion – is a major 
strategic problem for governments.

Illicit trade is the fastest area of growth in 
organised crime. It’s currently valued at $1.7tn, 
equivalent to the GDP of the tenth largest 
economy in the world. One in 10 cigarettes 
is illegal; over a quarter of alcohol consumption 
is believed unrecorded or illicit; and nearly a 
quarter of consumers have unintentionally bought 
counterfeit goods online. It really is big business. 
Product authentication and track and trace 
solutions can help address the challenges of illicit 
trade. And once established, the same solution 
can be easily rolled out across other product 
types, including alcohol, tobacco and sugary 
drinks. All of this will help governments raise tax 
revenues and reduce health risks to citizens.

Changing regulatory environment
Although governments haven’t made product 
authentication of tobacco compulsory, the 
massive loss of revenue and increasing pressure 
from the World Health Organisation point to the 
potential benefits that a tax scheme would bring. 
The FCTC (Framework Convention for Tobacco 
Control) has been a key influencing factor. 
Its Illicit Trade Protocol for Tobacco Products 
is an international treaty that aims to eliminate 
all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products. 
It calls for countries to cooperate and create 
a global solution to a global problem.

The guidelines refer to a solution that includes 
secure authentication combined with a digital 
code for data management, supply chain 
control and full track and trace from source to 
consumption. This would help volume control, 
tax collection, and detection of illicit products, 
meeting the international obligations of the FCTC.

An integrated approach
Trade today travels through complex cross 
border supply chains involving governments, 
manufacturers, regulators and distributors. 
To bring all these stakeholders together in the 
fight against illicit trade, the various systems 
must be able to operate as one.

Strategic Report4

INNOVATION EVERYDAY

 CASH IS 
 PART OF 
THE FUTURE

With Dr Nikki Strickland

Cash in circulation will continue to 
grow well into the future. Our role is to 
make sure banknotes meet the needs 
of future users and future cash cycles.

Dr Nikki Strickland, cash matters 
subject expert and inventor of cash cycle 
management software DLR Analytics™.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 20195

The value of cash in circulation continues 
to rise in nearly every country around 
the world. In fact, there are approximately 
$7tn worth of banknotes and coins in 
circulation today.

Cash continues to play an integral role in the 
global economy. It’s meeting people’s needs in 
a unique way. Millions of people around the world 
depend on it, and significant portions of society 
would be severely disadvantaged if they couldn’t 
get or use cash when they needed to. 

In short, the world cannot function without it. 
Even in the UK, a country where alternative 
payment mechanisms are widely available, a 
recent ‘access to cash’ report concluded that 
17% of the population would struggle to cope 
without cash1. It would need huge investments, 
over long timescales, all around the world, 
to match the universal nature of cash.

Clearly there are alternative payment methods, 
which have grown rapidly with new technologies, 
and research shows that many different payment 
methods will co-exist with cash. But globally, 
the growth in value of cash in circulation over 
time continues to remain closely correlated 
with growth in GDP and population. 

Cash has a certain resilience to sudden changes. 
For example, there was a programme announced 
in India in November 2016 to move away from 
cash reliance toward digital payments. But two 
years later, there is more currency in circulation 
and its use is growing faster than before.2

At De La Rue, we play a key role in keeping 
cash relevant, viable and competitive. We design 
banknotes that are fit for purpose – those for 
storing wealth have very different needs to those 
used in daily transactions. Our Safeguard® 
polymer is durable, and suitable for use in harsh 
circulating environments. We also design security 
features that anticipate the future purpose of 
banknotes. And we use our DLR Analytics™ 
cash cycle service to help central banks 
reduce the cost of providing cash.

In summary, cash in circulation continues to 
grow and is expected to do so well into the future. 
Our role is to make sure banknotes meet the 
needs of future users and future cash cycles.

Regional CAGR % growth of the volume of cash in circulation
Numbers are based on bank statistics, annual reports of 134 issuing authorities, IMF data  
2013-17, and specific central bank web pages. Two countries with high inflation in Latin  
America have pushed up the average in the region, which would otherwise be 5.8%.

4.1%

4.1%

7.9%

15.8%

5.9%

4.4%

Notes: 
1  https://www.accesstocash.org.uk/media/1087/final-report-final-web.pdf
2  https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/demonetisation-more-cash-rbi-data-1384452-2018-11-08

Strategic Report6

INNOVATION EVERYDAY

TECHNOLOGY 
TO BEAT THE 
COUNTERFEITS

With Julia Dean

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 20197

Julia Dean, material development expert.

Digital integration
Adding in digital security is another method that we 
use to fight against counterfeit and fraud. As part 
of our track and trace solution, we can identify 
where a product is within the supply chain and by 
scanning its code, we can authenticate when and 
where it was made and where it is destined for. 
We use layers of unique coding in combination with 
physical labels and features to prove its journey from 
source to consumption. Intelligent tags, Near Field 
Communication (NFC) and multi-factor authentication 
(MFA) also enhance protection. Digital tools such 
as blockchain will become more prominent as the 
market continues to evolve.

Expert security 
With over 200 years of experience across the 
banknote, identity and product authentication 
sectors, De La Rue has always remained one step 
ahead of the counterfeiter. We use global expertise, 
extensive analysis, multiple technologies and a 
sophisticated layering of overt, covert, forensic 
and digital features while also always looking 
for new approaches, new innovations and new 
security methods, which ensures we will always 
remain at the forefront of this fight. 

Criminals are always innovating and the ability 
and skill of counterfeiters is constantly 
improving. In an industry that contributes 
to the trust, security and integrity of critical 
infrastructures that enable society to function, 
we have to be even more innovative in order to 
stay ahead. Collectively, we have seen more 
development and innovation in our industry in 
the last 30 years than in the previous 300, and 
there is no sign of this trend slowing.

The intricacy of counterfeit today means that no 
single feature remains completely safe. But by 
taking a combination of approaches to layer with 
multiple features you create high barriers to entry 
and a solution that requires so much unweaving 
and detailed decoding it makes any attempt 
of tampering simply futile. Below, we briefly 
examine some of the approaches that we use 
to fight against such threats.

Intelligent layering
There are several techniques to ensure our 
products are intelligently layered and offer the 
maximum security possible. One of the first 
methods is to create a solution that is so eye-
catching, physically interactive and easy to 
authenticate that it immediately draws the user’s 
attention to any tamper evidence or variance from 
the original. This puts the consumer in control 
and at the first line of defence. De La Rue’s Ignite® 
is a case in point – a security thread that layers 
dramatic colour shift technique with advanced 
microstructure technology to create a highly 
distinctive effect and easy end user authentication. 

Clever design integration is a tool we also use 
to stay ahead. By combining the visible with the 
invisible design techniques to create a hidden 
layer under the surface, and by adding bespoke 
forensic properties, such as magnetics and 
taggants, it enables machine readability and 
provides even greater protection against the 
threat of counterfeit or alteration. De La Rue’s 
Enigma®, for instance, combines physical and 
digital security with highly specialised, chemically 
created elements with a unique signature and 
can only be detected by special sensors.

We blend the visible and invisible in our identity 
offerings too. The bio-data page is by far the 
most protected in a passport. Here, the holder’s 
personal details will be printed onto a uniquely 
watermarked page with additional design features 
and print layers, then further safeguarded via 
a holographic laminate patch which is heat sealed 
to the sheet. For a polycarbonate datapage, details 
are lasered into the very core of the component 
and this is then further protected with additionally 
applied surface features and techniques.

Strategic Report8

Chairman’s statement

A YEAR OF TRANSITION

The Group has achieved a reasonable 
underlying performance and has 
continued its strategic progress 
in a year of transition.

Our continued investment in R&D and sales 
in the past few years has started to bear 
fruit. Despite having fewer business lines**, 
the Group’s turnover and intake of orders 
have been the strongest we have seen in five 
years. We are also making progress in 
diversifying our revenue, from providing 
banknotes into more digital and service-
oriented businesses. Here we have 
won several new contracts in Product 
Authentication & Traceability (PA&T), a 
business we expect to double revenues 
in the next three years.

The conclusion of the UK passport contract 
later this year, and our expectation that 
the strong demand for banknotes of the 
past few years will weaken somewhat, 
leading to pressure on prices, will create a 
challenging couple of years ahead. We shall, 
therefore, take immediate action to ensure 
our business is fit for purpose for the future.

We are announcing a proposal to realign the 
Group’s operating model into two divisions 
focused on Currency and Authentication. 
The growth businesses, represented 
mainly by PA&T and Security Features, 
will command the greater share of R&D 
expenditure, while the Banknote Print 
and Polymer businesses, aligned mainly 
to the slower growing banknote market, 
will focus primarily on the cost effective 
delivery of high quality products.

The realignment of the operating model 
will provide each of our divisions with 
the opportunity to focus better on their 
respective markets, and will create 
future strategic options. 

Our three year cost reduction programme, 
aimed at delivering cost savings of in excess 
of £20m by FY22, will partially mitigate the 
pricing pressure in Banknote Print, and 
support the growth agenda for the growth 
businesses. This growth will be achieved 
organically, supplemented as appropriate 
by partnerships and acquisitions. 
Martin comments more fully on this in 
the Review of Strategy and Operations 
on pages 24 to 31.

The higher than expected level of net debt 
was disappointing. Detailed commentary 
on cash flow and borrowings is included 
in the Financial Review on pages 32 to 34. 
We have taken further measures to improve 
cash management and there remains 
much to do. 

The Board
Martin Sutherland will be stepping 
down as Chief Executive Officer and as 
a Director of the Company. The Board 
has commenced a process to identify 
Martin’s successor and Martin has 
agreed to continue to serve as CEO 
until his successor is in place in order 
to assist an orderly succession. 

For the past five years, Martin has brought 
tremendous energy and strategic insight 
to moving the Company from a traditional 
manufacturing business to a service-
oriented business building on leading 
edge technological solutions, as well 
as refocusing the business on its core 
strengths and bringing greater balance 
to the portfolio. The Company is now 
well-positioned to move to the next phase 
of this journey. I would like to take this 
opportunity to thank Martin on behalf of 
the Board and colleagues for all that he 
has achieved. I would also like to thank 
him for his commitment to ensuring a 
smooth handover of his responsibilities.

Helen Willis joined De La Rue as Chief 
Financial Officer on 19 July 2018, and 
was appointed to the Board after the 
annual general meeting on 26 July 2018. 
Her extensive experience in finance and 
manufacturing, gained with a number 
of large international businesses, 
is a valuable addition to the Board. 

The Board recognises the importance of 
having an inclusive and diverse culture, and 
we aim to reflect this within its composition. 
Today, two of seven Directors, or nearly 
30% of the Board, are female. The range 
of experience, knowledge and expertise 
within the Board provides support to 
management, and challenges decisions 
in an effective manner. 

Culture and people
The Board considers leadership, culture 
and good governance as essential factors 
in the Group’s ongoing transformation. 
Since 2015, the Group has been aiming 
to forge a dynamic, responsive and 
high performing culture, and the Board 
supports this fully. 

Our commitment to high ethical standards 
is incorporated in our Code of Business 
Principles, which our colleagues, business 
partners, and other third party suppliers 
must adhere to. 

Our people are our greatest assets, and 
are vital to the success of the business, and 
to fulfilling our purpose. We have appointed 
a Non-executive Director responsible for 
workforce engagement. FY19 was a 
particularly challenging year for our 
colleagues and the UK passport loss has 
had an impact on people’s morale and pride. 
However, they have stayed strong, and 
despite many uncertainties, achieved a 
solid set of results. On behalf of the Board, 
I would like to express our thanks for their 
hard work and dedication. 

The Group’s turnover and 
intake of orders have been 
the strongest we have  
seen in five years.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Financial performance
Group revenue increased by 12% to 
£516.6m (FY18: £461.4m) excluding 
paper† and by 14% on a reported basis 
to £564.8m (FY18: £493.9m). 

Adjusted operating profit* excluding paper† 
increased by 6% to £60.1m (FY18: £56.9m). 
The growth in adjusted operating profit on 
an excluding paper† basis was a reflection 
of a greater volume of jobs but with more 
complexity and lower margin in the currency 
division; higher profits in Identity Solutions 
largely reflecting the fact that the prior year 
included the write off of the costs of £3.7m 
in respect of the UK passport bid, and FY19 
included a non-recurring credit due to the 
release of a bad debt provision where the 
cash was received; and lower profits in PA&T 
due to product investment for future growth 
and operating expenses relating to the 
new contracts. Overall, adjusted operating 
profit* excluding paper† included £6.9m 
benefit from IFRS 15, and a net credit 
of £4.0m due to the release of an accrual 
relating to a dispute which arose out of the 
well publicised events of 2010 concerning 
one of De La Rue’s key customers, and the 
recognition of a net significant bad debt 
expense (excluding amounts relating to 
Venezuela). FY18 adjusted operating profit* 
also benefited from a similar value of 
non-recurring credits from certain 
provision and accrual releases. 

IFRS operating profit was substantially lower 
at £31.5m (FY18: £123.0m), primarily because 
of the impact of the gain relating to the 
change in indexation methodology on the 
UK pension scheme in the prior year, as 
well as the recording of an £18m credit loss 
associated with the accounts receivable 
balance of a customer in Venezuela in FY19. 

Adjusted basic earnings per share* 
excluding paper† increased by 12% 
to 42.9p (FY18: 38.2p). 

IFRS basic earnings per share were down 
80% at 18.8p (FY18: 93.7p) due to the 
impact of the gain on the change in 
pension indexation in FY18 and additional 
exceptional charges in FY19.

Cash generated from operating activities 
was an outflow of £4.6m (FY18: inflow 
of £73.5m). Net debt increased to £107.5m 
(31 March 2018: £49.9m). 

More detail of the Group’s financial 
performance including cash flow and net 
debt is covered in the Financial Review 
section on pages 32 to 34.

Capital allocation
The Board has adopted a capital 
allocation framework designed to increase 
shareholder value in the execution of the 
Group’s strategy. The Group’s capital 
allocation priorities are:

• organic growth investments – capital

projects, investment in R&D and sales

• dividend payment – aim to at least
maintain dividend per share in the
short to medium term

• mergers and acquisitions – explore

value-enhancing opportunities

The Board is committed to maintaining 
an efficient balance sheet, appropriate 
to the Group’s medium term investment 
requirement. We intend to keep the Group’s 
capital structure under regular review.

Dividend
To maintain the Group’s financial flexibility 
to sustain growth, the Board proposes 
to keep the dividend unchanged, and is 
recommending a final dividend of 16.7p 
per share. This, together with the 8.3p 
paid in January 2019, will make a full year 
dividend of 25.0p per share. Subject to 
shareholders’ approval, we will pay the final 
dividend on 2 August 2019, to shareholders 
on the register on 5 July 2019.

Outlook
We will face some big challenges in the 
next couple of years with the conclusion of 
the UK passport contract and the anticipated 
margin pressure in banknote printing. We 
must raise our game and stay competitive. 
In the near term, the proposed realignment 
of our operating model will allow better 
strategic focus on the two very different 
markets and bring cost benefits. 

In the medium to long term, the Board 
remains confident about the future of the 
business as the cost-out programme, 
expected to complete in FY22, will partially 
mitigate the margin impact on banknote 
print and support the growth agenda. 
You can find a viability assessment 
of the business on page 41.

* 

† 

** 

 This is a non-IFRS measure. Amortisation of acquired intangible assets is a non-cash item while exceptional items are non-recurring 
in nature. By excluding these items from the adjusted operating profit and EPS metrics, the Directors are of the opinion that these 
measures give a better understanding of the underlying performance of the business. See page 153 for further explanations and 
reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measures.
 Reported figures included in this report include the paper business results in FY18 as originally reported and in FY19 they include 
£48.2m of revenue on non-novated contracts with nil profit margin. Figures reported on the ‘excluding paper’ basis have been 
adjusted to exclude revenue from non-novated contracts in FY19. In FY18 ‘excluding paper’ figures exclude the results of the 
paper business. In addition, Security Features sales of £35.0m, which would have previously been treated as internal, have been 
added back to present the comparative numbers in FY18 on a basis consistent with the IFRS accounting treatment applied 
in FY19. This change has been made to provide a more meaningful presentation of the financial performance of the business 
during the period.
 The Group disposed of Cash Processing Solutions business in 2016 and the paper business in 2018.

9

Financial highlights

£516.6m

Revenue excluding paper† 
2018: £461.4m

£79.3m

Adjusted EBITDA*†1
2018: £78.4m

£60.1m

Adjusted operating profit*†2
2018: £56.9m

42.9p

Adjusted basic earnings 
per share*†3
2018: 38.2p

25.0p

Dividend per share
2018: 25.0p

£51.4m

IFRS EBITDA
2018: £148.2m

£31.5m

IFRS operating profit
2018: £123.0m

18.8p

IFRS basic earnings per share 
from continuing operations4
2018: 93.7p 

1 

2 

3 

4 

 Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings from 
continuing operations before the deduction 
of interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and 
exceptional items and on an excluding paper basis.
 Adjusted operating profit represents operating profit 
from continuing operations adjusted to exclude 
exceptional items and amortisation of acquired 
intangible assets and on an excluding paper basis.
 Adjusted earnings per share are the earnings 
attributable to equity shareholders, excluding 
exceptional items, amortisation of acquired 
intangible assets and discontinued operations 
divided by the weighted average number of 
ordinary shares outstanding during the year 
and on an excluding paper basis.
 Continuing operations only, excluding the 
Cash Processing Solutions business which 
was sold on 22 May 2016.

Strategic Report10

Interview with the CEO

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 
WITH MARTIN SUTHERLAND

How do you plan to deal with 
the loss of the UK passport 
contribution in a year’s time?
For identity, we offer two different things. 
There is the solutions side, based on 
our identity software, and supplying 
the identity token such as passports 
and ID cards, and the security features 
and components that make the token 
difficult to counterfeit. 

After the decision of the UK passport 
retender in April 2018, we conducted 
a review of the cost base and 
competitiveness of our identity business 
and concluded that while the identity 
business has a strong foundation and 
good growth potential, the market 
dynamics have changed. The truth is 
that the identity solutions market has 
been consolidating, and we are not 
big enough to compete in it. 

The more attractive growth opportunity 
for us is identity related security features 
and components, where the market is 
more fragmented, and we can differentiate 
ourselves. So, while the UK passport 
retender result means we lose half our 
identity business, this market remains 
attractive. But it will mean a shift in sales 
focus, targeting a different group of 
customers such as the state print 
works sector.

What’s the key driver for the 
proposed realignment of the 
operating model and how will it 
help you deliver the strategy?
We have made good progress in achieving 
our strategic objectives in the past four 
years. The shape of our business has 
changed significantly, particularly after 
exiting the Cash Processing Solutions and 
the paper business. The strong growth 
momentum in Product Authentication and 
Traceability (PA&T) and Security Features 
will transform the business in the next 
few years, into one that is less capital 
intensive and more technology led. 

To reflect the current state of the 
business and the different characteristics 
of the four remaining products: Banknote 
Print, Polymer, Security Features and 
PA&T, we are announcing a proposal to 
realign our operating model and better 
align our resources with our strategy.

The proposed operating model will focus 
on two market areas: Currency and 
Authentication. Currency encompasses 
Banknote Print and Polymer substrate. 
Authentication combines the existing 
PA&T business with Security Features 
and components. Given their distinctive 
characteristics and market dynamics, the 
two divisions require different approaches. 
This structure will ensure that each division 
has the necessary management focus, 
investment profile and cultural attributes 
to succeed.

The banknote print market continues to 
grow but remains unpredictable due to 
the irregular buying patterns of customers 
and fluctuating overspill orders from state 
print works. Priorities for this division are 
to improve cost competitiveness through 
optimisation of the manufacturing footprint, 
efficiency improvements and greater 
operational flexibility. 

In contrast, the Authentication division 
is exposed to higher growth markets in 
brand protection and product traceability, 
with a greater value attributed to technology 
and integration. The priority for this division 
is to maximise the growth opportunity with 
both government and enterprise customers 
through an innovative portfolio of security 
and value-add components, software and 
services. This will equip the Authentication 
business to accelerate growth in existing 
markets, as well as positioning it for 
diversification into adjacent areas, such as 
brand enhancement. Each division will be 
led by a managing director with operational 
responsibility from sales to delivery. 

As the business is becoming 
smaller and more streamlined, 
do you require the same level 
of investment?
As a counter-counterfeiting business, 
intellectual property is one of the most 
valuable assets for us. It underpins 
the integrity of our products, whether 
banknotes, ID cards or authentication labels. 
To stay ahead of the counterfeiters, we 
must continue to invest in new technology. 

We have an excellent heritage in this but 
had fallen behind when I took over. So we 
have increased our investment in R&D by 
82% since 2015. Frankly, the first couple 
of years we were just playing catch up, but 
we’ve developed some new technologies 
in the last few years. We are spending 
more of our R&D budget on disruptive 
technology, to future proof the business. 
We are also investing more in software 
development, to continue to enhance 
our digital offerings, such as DLR Certify 
and DLR Analytics. We think the current 
level of R&D investment is about right. 
The focus right now is maximising the 
return on our technology platforms.

Building capabilities is also important 
for the future success of the business. 
An increasing proportion of our capital 
expenditure will be invested in new 
capabilities and technologies that 
will drive either greater efficiency 
or future growth.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

WITH MARTIN SUTHERLAND

11

We have become 
far more streamlined 
and focused. 
However, there 
is still a lot to do. 
We need to look 
at how we can do 
things better, faster 
and cheaper, while 
taking costs out.

What are De La Rue’s 
competitive strengths, 
and what’s driving growth?
We have a foundation of 200 years of 
history – a fantastic brand, a strong record 
of innovation, and a best-in-class security 
print design facility. We operate in growth 
markets and have huge potential to further 
diversify our revenue streams. We are 
making good progress on this front, 
but still have a long way to go. 

Product Authentication is growing for 
primarily two reasons. Firstly, governments 
wanting to protect revenues, and secondly 
the need to protect brands and consumers 
from counterfeit goods, which is being 
driven by increased globalisation and 
e-commerce.

We’re focusing on niche markets where 
we combine the physical and digital worlds. 
In the UAE, for example, we provide a 
track and trace solution compliant with the 
World Health Organisation’s Framework 
Convention for Tobacco Control, as well 
as secure tax stamps. This helps the 
government generate more tax revenue, 
while reducing the risk to citizens’ health. 
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are 
helping the government with a similar 
mechanism for sugary drinks, to help 
improve citizens’ health.

These factors are all driving growth, but 
also, despite stories to the contrary, cash 
is still growing. It accounts for 17 of every 
20 transactions around the world, and the 
number of banknotes in circulation rises by 
3% to 4% each year. Three quarters of the 
world’s population live in countries where 
95% of all transactions are cash. 

Even in the developed world – the UK, 
Eurozone and the US – cash in circulation 
is rising 5% to 6% a year. Other digital 
payment methods will clearly work alongside 
cash, but these technologies tend to 
replicate each other due to their similarity, 
as we have seen with mobile payment and 
contactless cards. So, I can assure you, 
cash will still be a vital part of the payment 
ecosystem alongside these other payment 
methods for a long time to come.

Where would you like to see the 
business in five years’ time?
It’s been a busy few years and I think we’ve 
accomplished a lot. We’ve become far more 
streamlined and focused. However, some 
things haven’t moved as fast as I would have 
liked, and there’s still a lot to do. We need to 
look at how we can do things better, faster 
and cheaper, while taking costs out.

We will become much more of a technology 
led business, investing in automation 
and robotics, with the aim of becoming a 
world class manufacturer. We already have 
strong products and solutions to compete 
in our fast changing markets. And within 
the next three to five years, we’re aiming to 
launch some disruptive technologies we’re 
working on, which will keep us ahead 
of the marketplace.

Our goal is to grow the business, 
both organically and through acquisition, 
into one with leading positions in all our 
chosen markets. With the focus provided 
by our proposed new divisional structure, 
it is my aim that in less than five years’ 
time, Authentication will contribute 
the majority of the Group’s profit.

Strategic Report12

At a glance

PROVIDING INNOVATIVE 
SOLUTIONS GLOBALLY
Our purpose is to enable every citizen 
to participate in the global economy.

FY19 Revenue** £m

£516.6m

Currency 

Identity Solutions 

Product Authentication 

77%

15%

8%

FY19 Adjusted operating profit* £m

£60.1m

Currency

Identity Solutions 

Product Authentication 

69%

21%

9%

Key facts

#1

In banknote and passport 
markets by volume.

 159 years

Longest customer relationship 
(with Mauritius).

 1/3

Of the world’s total banknote 
denominations in circulation in 
2018 were designed by De La Rue.

 140

Countries served in the 
last three years.

Currency 

Identity Solutions 

Banknote Print
We design, manufacture and 
deliver banknotes to customers 
around the world.

7.5bn notes

Banknotes sold in FY19 
(FY18: 7.3bn notes) 

Polymer
We are the only vertically 
integrated producer of polymer 
substrate and banknotes.

 998 tonnes

Polymer substrate sold in FY19 
(FY18: 810 tonnes) 

Security Features
We create features that underpin 
the integrity of our currency, identity 
and authentication products.

4.7m m2

Security features sold in FY19 
(FY18: 3.8m m2) 

We create and deliver passports and 
identity solutions for governments.

 13.5m

Passports sold in FY19 
(FY18: 12.0m) 

Product Authentication 

We create and deliver authentication 
labels and track and trace solutions 
for governments and commercial 
customers.

 1.8bn

Authentication labels sold in FY19 
(FY18: 1.6bn) 

Find out more about our business
www.delarue.com/ar2019

For more information about our 
future structure see page 22.

** 

 Excluding the £48.2m revenue from the non-novated contracts related to the paper business 
sold in March 2018.

* 

 This is a non-IFRS measure. See further explanations and reconciliation to the comparable
IFRS measure on page 153.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201913

FY19 Revenue** by region %

£516.6m

Middle East and Africa 

The Americas 

UK 

Asia 

Rest of Europe 

Rest of world 

30%

30%

19%

16%

4%

1%

FY19 Employees by region %

2,827

UK 

Rest of Europe 

Middle East and Africa 

Asia 

The Americas 

57%

18%

12%

11%

2%

Our global footprint
We have a global footprint and work with governments, central banks 
and commercial organisations in over 140 countries.

Gateshead, UK  
Banknote and security printing

Westhoughton, UK  
Polymer substrate and 
security features

Debden, UK  
Banknote printing 
managed service

Overton, UK  
Technology Centre

Basingstoke, UK  
Design Centre

Logan, Utah, US  
Security features 
and printing

Miami, Florida, US  
Regional hub

Wilmington, Delaware, US  
Research and development

Malta  
Banknote and security printing

Dubai, UAE  
Regional hub

Beijing, China  
Country office

Malwana, Sri Lanka 
Banknote printing

Sales support office
Manufacturing facility and regional office

Nairobi, Kenya  
Banknote and 
security printing

Our Values

Drive change 
and innovate

Act with  
integrity

Take 
responsibility

Excel in 
what we do

Work 
together

Strategic Report14

Our markets

STRONG PROSPECTS FOR LONG 
TERM SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
We operate in three main markets – currency, identity 
and product authentication – all of which have strong 
prospects for long term sustainable growth.

Currency 
market

A close up image of Ignite®, our next 
generation security thread for banknotes.

The total amount of cash 
in world circulation has 
been growing at c3% a year 
over the past decade, and 
is expected to continue to 
increase at a similar rate 
in coming years.

Population growth and the increasing 
number of ATMs are among the main 
reasons for this. Although electronic 
payment is growing as a proportion 
of total payments, cash remains the 
most commonly used payment method. 
Of all the world’s transactions, 85% 
are still cash based2. Even in developed 
countries, such as Germany and Japan, 
cash accounts for over 80% of total 
number of transactions. 

In addition to its use for payment, using 
cash as a store of value also creates 
a demand. Cash is increasingly seen 
as a safer way to store value during 
political and economic uncertainty, 
such as the 2008 financial crisis.

There has been a growing trend that 
more central banks are changing their 
procurement practice, moving from 
fixed contracts to tendering.

Although many customers buy finished 
banknotes from a single supplier, some 
use multiple suppliers. This model 
involves separating their note buying 
into individual components: printing, 
substrate and security features. 

Printing
Most banknotes are printed by 
the state print works (SPWs) of their 
issuing countries. The rest are printed 
by commercial banknote printers. 

The number of countries outsourcing 
their banknote production has been 
stable in the past decade, and we 
expect it to remain unchanged in the 
near future. Around 11%, or c20 billion, 
of the 171 billion banknotes issued 
globally3 in 2018 were available for 
printing in the commercial market. 
This market is highly concentrated, 
with four major operators sharing two 
thirds of it. De La Rue is the market 
leader, with 28% market share.

While the increase in cash in circulation 
creates growth in the commercial 
banknote printing market, the timing of 
orders can be unpredictable. This degree 
of uncertainty is exacerbated by the SPWs 
being unable to meet internal demand. 
The overspill orders created typically 
account for 2% to 4% of the total banknote 
market, and so can have a profound effect 
on the commercial printing market. 

Polymer substrate 
Of the banknotes in circulation, c3% 
are printed on next-generation substrates 
such as polymer4. As central banks 
seek to reduce the cost of printing cash, 
polymer is becoming more popular, 
thanks to its durability, sustainability 
and greater security5. 

More economies are switching, or 
considering switching, paper banknotes 
to polymer ones. Forty two countries 
have already issued, or are about to issue, 
one or more denominations on polymer. 
We expect the market to double in size 
by 20236. 

Currently there are only two commercial 
suppliers of polymer substrate. Although 
second in the market, De La Rue has 
been growing fast and now has 20% 
share by volume7. Polymer also offers 
opportunities to service the countries 
printing their own banknotes, yet 
sourcing substrate from the commercial 
market, thus increasing the size of the 
addressable market.

Security features
Security features underpin the integrity 
of our products. Customers are 
increasingly looking to gain the benefits 
of added value security features, such 
as threads and holograms, and this is 
making ownership of such innovations 
an attractive opportunity.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201915

There are two types of security feature: 
covert and overt. Covert features can be 
detected only by using special devices or 
machines, such as UV inks and taggants. 
Overt features are easily seen and 
recognised by the public, such as 
threads and holograms. 

Typically, security features have a long 
life cycle. This is because the design 
of the product – such as a banknote 
or passport – tends to last between five 
and 10 years, and security features are 
usually integrated into the design. 

Almost all countries buy security 
features or IP licences on the 
commercial market. About 90% of 
the 171 billion banknotes issued in 
2018 incorporated security threads, 
while only 13% included features such 
as holographic patches and stripes. 
However, we believe growth in 
holographic features will accelerate,  
as the adoption rate of polymer 
banknotes increases. 

Compared to print and polymer, 
the security features market is 
fragmented, with more than a dozen 
suppliers, ranging from banknote 
printers to firms that offer security 
features only. De La Rue is the  
third largest commercial supplier 
of security features.

Global banknote issuance 
Billion of notes

Commercially available print markets
%

Commercial print market by volume 
%

2022E

2021E

2020E

2019E

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

195

192

184

174

171

167

170

150

152

150

Commercial print 

Overspill print 

State print works 

11%

3%

86%

De La Rue 

G&D 

Oberthur 

Goznak 

Crane 

Other 

28%

22%

19%

7%

5%

19%

Source: De La Rue estimates.

Source: De La Rue estimates.

Source: De La Rue estimates. Excluding overspill orders.

Polymer substrate market share 
by number of customers

Polymer market share by volume 
%

Security features market by volume 
%

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

13

14

12

10

9

9

5

4

3

2

20

22

20

22

21

22

21

21

22

23

De La Rue

CCL

Source: De La Rue estimates.

De La Rue 

CCL 

20%

80%

De La Rue 

ZSST (China) 

Crane 

G&D 

Fabriano 

Kurz 

Generic/Other 

8%

29%

15%

12%

6%

5%

25%

Source: De La Rue estimates.

Source: De La Rue estimates.

Strategic Report16

Our markets continued

Identity 
market

A close up image under a UV light showing 
invisible design features and embedded candy 
stripe fluorescent fibres on an end page of our 
house passport, the De La Rue River Book.

The global identity market 
is valued at around £3.9bn 
today, and expected to 
grow at c6% a year.

The global identity market includes 
passports, ID cards, and associated 
digital solutions. With the increasing world 
population and greater globalisation, 
demand for identity products and services 
continues to rise, as governments 
increasingly focus on improved border 
security, authentication and their citizens’ 
access to services. 

Although many countries have security 
print capabilities in-house, many still 
choose to buy printing or individual 
components from the commercial market. 
More than half of the identity market is 
available to commercial manufacturers.

With annual growth of c8%, the 
passport market remains attractive. 
Around 165 million passports are 
issued globally each year, and a 
quarter of this production is available 
to commercial security printers. 
Customers increasingly value security 
features, such as a polycarbonate 
data page, and holograms.

Around 100 of the world’s countries 
have compulsory identity card schemes. 
The national ID market is expected 
to grow at 5%. Today, over 70% of the 
national IDs in circulation are chip based. 
Technological advances in recent years 
have enabled new types of ID schemes 
that combine traditional ID functionality 
with payment methods.

Commercial passport market 
by volume %

De La Rue 

Gemalto 

CBN 

IDEMIA 

G&D 

Other 

Source: De La Rue estimates.

32%

12%

12%

9%

8%

27%

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201917

Global brand protection market $bn

2022

2017

2013

3.6

2.7

2.3

Source: The future of anti-counterfeiting, brand protection
and security packaging to 2022, Smithers Pira.

Global brand protection market
by technology 2017 %

Track and trace 

Tamper evidence 

Product authentication 

Anti-theft 

37%

34%

26%

3%

Source: The future of anti-counterfeiting, brand protection
and security packaging to 2022, Smithers Pira.

Notes: 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 

9 

 De La Rue estimate
 McKinsey/CapGemini
 De La Rue estimate
 De La Rue estimate
 Bank of England survey
 De La Rue estimate
 De La Rue estimate
 The economic impacts of counterfeiting and piracy, 
Frontier Economics
 The future of anti-counterfeiting, rand protection 
and security packaging to 2022, Smithers Pira

Product 
authentication 
market

Image shows reels of tax stamp base 
before personalisation with unique reference 
numbers and being applied to product.

The global market for brand 
protection is forecast to 
grow at 7% a year, rising 
to $3.6bn by 2022.

A significant increase in counterfeit goods 
and illicit trade means governments are 
losing billions of dollars in tax revenues. 
This undermines legitimate businesses 
and brand owners, erodes consumer 
confidence and puts their health at risk. 

Excisable fast moving consumer goods 
such as tobacco and alcohol are widely 
recognised to be among the most illegally 
traded products in the world. One in every 
10 cigarettes lit up in the world is illicit, 
a total valued at almost $40bn, with a 
corresponding tax loss to governments. 
The need to protect tax revenue, together 
with continuing changes to governments’ 
policies due to international treaties (such 
as the EU Tobacco Products Directive and 
the World Health Organisation Framework 
Convention on Tobacco Control), are the 
key factors behind growth in the tax 
stamp market. This market is expected 
to grow 12% a year until 2024.

There are over a dozen suppliers in the 
tax stamp market, ranging from small 
local firms that make tax stamps, to 
international conglomerates that provide 
track and trace technology. 

De La Rue is one of the two leading 
providers that supply both physical tokens 
and end to end software systems. 

The rise of counterfeit goods, unauthorised 
production, and the diversion of distribution 
channels also mean businesses and brand 
owners are losing revenue and brand equity. 
The rapid growth of e-commerce and easy 
global shipping have exacerbated the 
problem. The total world value of counterfeit 
and pirated goods is expected to be $2.8tn 
in 2022, a 150% increase from 20138. 
The global market for brand protection 
– including track and trace, product 
authentication, tamper evidence and 
anti-theft technologies – is forecast to 
grow from $2.7bn in 2017 to $3.6bn 
in 20229. 

Similar to tax stamps, the brand protection 
market is highly fragmented, with most 
operators offering only partial solutions 
such as serialised labels and tamper-
evident packaging. However, there is 
a growing trend towards integrated, 
end to end solutions. These provide 
a combination of highly secure labels, 
unique ID, and systems that can track, 
trace and authenticate products throughout 
the supply chain. Authenticating products 
through smartphones or other handheld 
devices is also becoming a trend as brand 
owners increasingly look to engage with 
their customers.

Strategic Report18

Business model

HOW WE CREATE VALUE

Our unique 
resources

7
Manufacturing footprint
Our seven centres of excellence 
give us a global presence.

1,000+ 
IP and shared knowledge 
Our knowledge is underpinned by over 
200 years of continuous innovation.

2,827
Our people
We have dedicated and passionate 
employees across four continents.

1
Global supply chain 
We work with suppliers and partners all 
over the world to ensure sustainability 
and reliable delivery to our customers. 

Find out more about our  
strategy on page 22.

The value we create

The world around us

Enabling everyone’s 
secure participation 
in the economy

Helping deliver 
confidence in the 
economy by ensuring 
a secure cash cycle

Supporting social 
and financial inclusion 
by securing legal 
identities and 
providing currency

Contributing to 
economic growth and 
stability by protecting 
tax revenues and 
tackling illicit trade

Our people

Engaging and 
developing a world 
class workforce

Building local skills 
and capabilities with 
strong partnerships 
in key countries

Our business
£60.1m

42.9p

Adjusted operating  
profit*

Adjusted basic  
earnings per share*

25.0p

Full year  
dividend

 This is a non-IFRS measure. See further explanations and reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measure on page 153.

* 
**  Excluding the £48.2m revenue from the non-novated contracts related to the paper business sold in March 2018.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201919

A focus on innovative 
solutions across all  
areas of the business

Revenue**
£516.6m

INNOVATION EVERYDAY

Currency

Identity  
Solutions

Product Authentication  
Solutions

Intellectual property 

Digital solutions

Our 1,000+ patents with 600 pending  
are the result of our increased  
R&D spend.

Identity management and track and trace 
increasingly require robust and flexible 
online solutions.

Consulting

Data analytics

We work with governments worldwide  
on all aspects of cash, identity  
and security solutions.

We use our award winning software 
to provide intelligence to support 
customer decision making.

Design

Training and development

World class design of banknote 
and passports. Fourteen international 
awards since 2007.

We support our customers, by 
advising them on all aspects of best 
practice regarding security identity 
and fraud avoidance.

Tomorrow

We have a vision to be  
a technology led security 
solutions provider

Today 

We are focused  
on being a world class 
print manufacturer

Revenue**
£398.9m

Resilient and stable 
currency revenue

Trust

Revenue
£117.7m

Innovative solutions from 
identity and product 
authentication

Find out more about our business
www.delarue.com/ar2019

Strategic Report20

Resources and relationships

THE RESOURCES 
WE RELY ON
Here, we look at the resources and relationships we rely on to provide 
solutions to our customers’ challenges – as summarised in the left hand 
‘inputs’ column of our business model on pages 18 and 19.

Our people 
Our business depends on the skills, 
experience and commitment of over 
2,827 employees at 22 locations. 
We’re careful to maintain a blend of 
‘home grown’ talent and people from 
outside our industry – as the external 
hires bring a range of skills and 
perspectives that can add a new 
dimension to our business.

We take on talented people and 
reward them through a performance 
based incentive scheme. 

Find out more about our business 
www.delarue.com/ar2019

We also offer every employee the 
opportunity to develop their knowledge 
and ability through a range of training 
and development programmes. 
We encourage people to care about 
both our company and our local 
communities – an approach we hope 
will flourish in our supportive, open 
and collaborative working environment. 
We have high ethical standards 
alongside extensive health, safety 
and wellbeing programmes.

Intellectual property and shared knowledge 
Innovation is the driving force behind 
De La Rue. Over 200 years, we’ve 
amassed a huge store of expertise in 
how to stay ahead of the counterfeiter, 
which now includes digital security 
solutions. We add to that resource every 
day, and have doubled our R&D spend in 
the last four years. We have more than 
1,000 current patents, with another 600 
pending. With our increased investment 
in, and focus on, R&D, we’re launching 
more products and services, faster 
and more regularly. We also accelerate 
product development through 
partnerships and, where appropriate, 
mergers and acquisitions. 

Our aim is to develop once but use 
many times, by sharing technology 
across our three segments using a 
platform based approach. This means 
all our customers can benefit from 
our innovation. We also provide our 
expertise to customers, regulators 
and policymakers, through forums 
such as the International Civil Aviation 
Organisation, World Customs Organisation 
and the Global Compact for Migration, 
as well as through industry affiliations 
such as the Secure Identity Alliance, 
and collaborations such as our Joint 
Charter with the Bank of England. 
In doing so, we create a more secure 
world for everyone. 

Find out more about our business 
www.delarue.com/ar2019

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201921

Manufacturing excellence 
We manufacture at seven centres of 
excellence on four continents. Here we 
aim to maintain stable and flexible 
operations, to manage fluctuations 
in demand or product mix.

We continue to invest in these 
manufacturing capabilities, with 
more than half of our capital expenditure 
being spent on new machinery and 
equipment. We also work closely 
with our manufacturing partners 
to ensure high quality products 
and efficient delivery.

Each site maintains strict international 
standards – with all our main 
manufacturing sites having OHSAS18001 
certification for their health and safety 
management systems. 

We assure quality through ISO 
standards and common working 
practices across all operations. 
These have established De La Rue as 
a beacon of manufacturing excellence. 
Our plant in Kenya is the only site in 
Africa to have achieved ISO14298 – 
the highest possible level of secure 
printing accreditation.

Suppliers and partners 
We depend on our suppliers for 
timely and cost effective delivery of high 
quality components for banknotes, ID 
documents and authentication labels. 
We secure these supplies through 
strong and long-lasting relationships 
with trusted suppliers, all of whom 
we expect to comply with our ethical 
and environmental standards and 
our Code of Business Principles.

We recognise the value of close 
partnerships, and work with our industry’s 
leading suppliers to encourage innovation 
that leads to benefits for society at large. 

Find out more about our business 
www.delarue.com/ar2019

Find out more about our business 
www.delarue.com/ar2019

For example, we operate technical 
partnerships with ink suppliers and 
manufacturers of printing equipment 
to develop secure print features and 
identify efficiency savings. 

We also work with our manufacturing 
and commercial partners to ensure 
we provide the best quality products 
and services to our customers. Just as 
suppliers and partners support our aims, 
so we support theirs – sharing best 
practice in order to boost efficiency 
and achieve common goals.

Strategic Report22

Strategic update

A MORE STREAMLINED, 
FOCUSED BUSINESS

In May 2015, we announced a five 
year plan to transform De La Rue 
into a less capital intensive, more 
technology led security product 
and services provider, with a more 
balanced business portfolio that 
will deliver growth and improve 
quality of earnings, as well as 
reduce volatility in the business. 
The main priorities were:

• Divesting non-core business

• Reducing our exposure to the
volatility of the paper market

• Improving predictability and

competitiveness in Banknote Print

• Diversifying revenue by growing
Polymer, Security Features,
IDS, and PA&T

• Reducing our pension deficit

We have made good progress against 
these priorities, making De La Rue a 
very different business today than it 
was four years ago. We have divested 
the underperforming CPS business. 
We have sold the paper business, 
removing our exposure to an over 
supplied market whilst maintaining 
surety of supply of a key raw material. 
And we have also grown Polymer, 
Security Features and PA&T, the 
product lines in the growth area.

The strategic review of our international 
identity business is ongoing, and we 
have made good progress.

Our pension deficit has been reduced 
by £157.3m since 2015. Our aim is 
to eradicate the deficit in the coming 
years to give us more strategic 
optionality in the future.

The shape of our business today is 
materially different to four years ago. 
We are now embarking on the next 
phase of transformation of the Group 
into a technology led security product 
and service provider.

Authentication 
This division is focused on a high growth 
market. The market is growing in both the 
commercial and government sectors. In 
the commercial sector there is consumer 
demand for protection against counterfeit 
goods, particularly in the context of more 
and more retail moving online. Meanwhile 
brand owners are seeking new and 
innovative ways of not only protecting 
their consumers against counterfeit 
but also better connecting with them.

Proposed Group operating model realignment

Our business is now focused on two clear markets: Currency and Authentication. 
We announced on 30 May 2019 the proposed realignment of the Group operating 
model into two market focused divisions, namely:

Currency

Authentication

Encompassing our Banknote Print and Polymer product 
lines, focused on the provision of finished Banknotes and 
advanced Banknote substrate into central banks and state 
print works.

Encompassing our Security Features, identity related 
security components and Product Authentication product 
lines, focused on the supply of products and services 
to authenticate goods as genuine and to assure 
tax revenues.

The market dynamics of these two divisions are different, in terms of the solutions that customers seek, customer 
buying behaviours and the competitive landscape. This in turn offers very different opportunities for De La Rue in  
terms of the growth rates and margin opportunities available to us in each sector. By aligning the Group structure  
into two divisions focused on our chosen markets, we will not only optimise the operations of each division to the  
market dynamics they face, but we will also give ourselves strategic optionality in the future.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201923

Governments have a desire to frustrate 
illicit trade, partly to protect citizens from 
dangerous goods, but also to raise taxes. 
We are seeing a structural shift in the 
Government Revenues Solutions (GRS) 
market due to more and more countries 
adopting the World Health Organisation’s 
Framework Convention on Tobacco 
Control into law.

Combining differentiated security features 
with digital and service offerings is also 
important in this market. The investments 
we have made over recent years in 
software capabilities, ongoing service 
provision and R&D focused on IP 
generation all underpin our solutions 
in this market. 

Currency
The currency market continues to grow 
but remains unpredictable due to the 
volatile nature of overspill and customers’ 
irregular buying patterns. Cash remains 
the pre-eminent payment mechanism 
around the world due to its inclusivity, 
resilience, anonymity and low cost of 
use for both consumers and retailers. 
However, alternative payment 
mechanisms continue to erode share 
of cash transactions in some countries. 

Normalisation of overspill volumes 
from recent levels means there is 
currently over capacity in the industry, 
leading to pricing pressure.

The priority for this division is to maintain 
our leading market position in Banknote 
Print, continuing to grow our market share 
in Polymer, whilst remaining competitive 
by improving efficiency, optimising 
capacity and cutting costs.

With demand for banknotes expected 
to normalise, we will now, as first set 
out in 2015, complete the programme 
to match our banknote print capacity 
with the estimated long term average 
demand of circa 6bn notes per annum. 
This includes access to one print line 
at Debden under our agreement with 
the Bank of England.

The priorities below were set out in our 2015 strategy plan. The following pages report 
against these priorities. In future we will report against the new divisional structure.

Our strategic priorities

2020 goals

1 DELIVER OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

•  Divest non-core business
•  Limit exposure to paper market volatility
•  Reduce banknote print volatility
•  Drive efficiency

•  Standardised footprint with flexibility to deal 

with demand surges

•  Improved return on capital employed (ROCE)
•  Better quality of earnings

2 INVEST FOR GROWTH

•  Invest in skills and new capabilities 
•  Invest in new technologies 

and service solutions

•  Accelerate growth through 

partnerships and acquisitions

3 STRENGTHEN BALANCE SHEET

•  Manage working capital more efficiently
•  Maintain prudent capital investment
•  Manage pension deficit effectively

4 DRIVE CULTURAL CHANGE

•  Mid-single digit revenue growth 2015–2020 CAGR*
•  More diversified revenue streams
•  Double R&D investment by 2020

•  Improved cash flow
•  Reduced pension deficit

•  Improve performance management
•  Training and development

•  Dynamic, high performing culture
•  Diverse skilled workforce with high 

ethical standards

Read more about operational 
excellence on page 24.

Read more about investing 
for growth on page 25.

Read more about strengthening 
the balance sheet on page 26.

Read more about cultural 
change on page 27.

* 

 CAGR = Compound Average Growth Rate.

Strategic Report24

Review of strategy

1   DELIVER OPERATIONAL 

EXCELLENCE

This strategic priority is about cost 
and efficiency management across the 
Group, with a relevance to Banknote 
Print and Polymer substrate.

The downside risk of Banknote Print 
lies with the unpredictability of market 
demands. The number of central banks 
outsourcing banknote printing is relatively 
stable. However, overspill from state print 
works, which could be significant, has 
caused fluctuations of demand in the 
commercial market. Central banks’ 
irregular order patterns add another 
layer of uncertainty. 

To address this potential downside risk, 
we look to both supply and demand. 
On the supply side, we aim to reduce 
our internal banknote printing capacity 
to match long term average demands, 
while creating flexibility through 
outsourcing to external partners 
to cover any surge in demand. 

In November 2018, we announced that 
we were evaluating a number of cost 
saving initiatives. We have concluded the 
evaluation process and have developed 
a cost out plan that is expected to deliver 
a total annualised saving in excess 
of c£20m by FY22. This includes:

Corporate efficiency: we will reduce 
corporate overheads by delayering the 
organisation structure and as a benefit 
of moving to a divisional structure. 

Manufacturing optimisation: we will 
continue to monitor any changes in market 
conditions and review our manufacturing 
footprint on a regular basis to ensure we 
have the optimum footprint to deal with 
the changes. We will also continue to 
optimise cost of quality, procurement 
and manufacturing fixed costs. 

Automated manufacturing

As technology progresses 
and becomes more affordable, 
automation and robotics are 
no longer limited to high volume 
operations. With industrial 
automation, we can maximise 
what we can produce in any 
given space. This means 
we can raise output and 
productivity without the need 
for an expensive factory 
extension or relocation. We 
can also retain or establish 
production in a country with 
high labour costs. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean 
we should automate everything. 
We must base decisions on 
whether we can achieve and 
sustain improvements, and see 
a return on investment. We also 
need to factor into production 
decisions softer benefits such as 
employee satisfaction levels and 
workplace culture, both of which 
are vital to running a successful 
growing business. 

Industrial automation allows us 
to maximise our workflow and 
output within a given space. 

Alan Newman,  
Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Director

DLR Analytics, which more than 85 central 
banks are using, expanded its service 
offering with the launch of its forecasting 
functionality in June 2018. During the year, 
two central banks that use DLR Analytics 
have signed up to test our banknote-as-a-
service offering. Following its success at 
the Central Banking Awards in January 
2018, De La Rue Analytics was awarded 
the ‘Currency Technology Provider of the 
Year’ at the Central Banking’s FinTech 
and RegTech Global Awards in 2019. 

On the demand side, orders can be 
sparse and vary in size, which creates 
uncertainties in cash supply in each 
country as well as in the commercial 
market. We look to build trusted 
partnerships with our customers, 
by helping them better understand the 
cash cycle in their countries and, over 
a longer term, to manage the buying 
cycle for them. ‘Banknote-as-a-service’, 
a managed service model enabled by 
our proprietary cash cycle management 
software, DLR Analytics, will ensure 
‘just-in-time’ delivery, helping customers 
to better manage their budgets and 
to reduce inventory. Building more long 
term partnerships like this will improve 
our visibility of orders, thus reducing 
volatility in performance. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201925

2   INVEST FOR GROWTH

We continue to drive growth 
through organic investment 
and, if appropriate, through 
acquisitions and partnerships.

Innovation is a key differentiator for us 
– we aim to counter the counterfeiters 
at every turn, and that means having 
access to the best technology. As set 
out in the 2015 strategy, we plan to 
double R&D investment from 2015 
to 2020, to improve product offerings 
and drive growth, and we have almost 
achieved that this year, with R&D 
investment up 82% since 2015. 

As a result of the investment and 
improved focus, the number of 
patents filed and granted over the 
past four years has totalled 137 
and 133, respectively.

We invest in R&D primarily in two 
areas: material science and software 
development. We are world leaders 
in physical authentication and aim to 
continue to strengthen our position. 
We are placing more focus on exploiting 
existing technology platforms, such 
as holographics, as well as creating 
disruptive technologies. 

To encourage long term recurring 
revenues, we continue to invest in 
building our digital and service 
offering. We have enhanced our 
existing software platforms such as 
track and trace system DLR Certify 
and online cash cycle management 
platform DLR Analytics by adding 
new modules and expanding the offerings. 
We are also exploring new frontier 
technologies such as blockchain as 
part of our brand protection solutions 
for customers looking for better ways 
to ensure supply chain integrity. 

Read more on  
www.delarue.com

Exploring a new frontier

Blockchain is a secure ledger 
technology. Transactional and 
contract data within a ledger 
are stored as blocks, and each 
block is linked to the previous 
one using public cryptography 
and a timestamp. Due to its highly 
secure method of transferring 
and storing data, blockchain 
technology is being used in a 
number of areas, the most widely 
known today is crypto currencies. 
The technology is also well- 
positioned for use in other 
industries that require secure 
data solutions, such as supply 
chain management. 

It can help to prevent 
counterfeits by allowing real time 
tracking of genuine goods, stop 
unauthorised products entering 
the market and authorised 
goods entering unauthorised 
distribution channels. Although 
the technology is still in its 
infancy, it is predicted to be the 
most used technology in world 
trade by 2030. At De La Rue, 
we are actively exploring 
various possibilities of how 
to best engage and adopt 
this new approach into our 
existing lines of business.

Blockchain is predicted to be the 
most used technology in world 
trade by 2030. We are exploring 
possibilities of how to adopt 
it into our lines of business.

Brett Nelson,  
Digital Product Manager,  
Product Authentication & Traceability

Strategic Report26

Review of strategy continued

3   STRENGTHEN 

BALANCE SHEET

We aim to strengthen our balance 
sheet through improving profit and 
managing cash prudently. 

We have adopted a capital allocation 
framework designed to create increasing 
shareholder value, based on executing 
our strategy. Our capital allocation 
priorities are:

• organic growth investments – capital

projects, investment in R&D and sales

• dividend payment – aim to at least
maintain dividend per share in the
short to medium term

• mergers and acquisitions – explore

value enhancing opportunities

We are disciplined in allocating our capital 
resource. Investing to keep our factories 
and equipment functioning efficiently is 
important, so is investing in technology 
and capability. In the next few years, we 
expect an increasing proportion of our 
capital expenditures to be invested in new 
capabilities and technologies that will drive 
either greater efficiency or future growth. 
The Group’s return on capital employed 
average in the past four years was 40%, 
demonstrating our ability to generate 
good returns on our investments.

Given the nature of our business, the size of 
contracts and timing of orders and shipments 
vary significantly, which could have a 
profound effect on our working capital. 

We look to manage our working capital 
better through a number of ways: 1) tighter 
control on inventory; 2) better vendor 
management; 3) credit control. During the 
year, we appointed inventory managers 
to each site, and set up a credit control 
function. We also renegotiated payment 
terms with our key suppliers.

In FY19, our year end net debt was 
£107.5m (31 March 2018: £49.9m). 
The year on year increase was due 
to adverse working capital movement. 
Further details on net debt is provided 
in the Financial Review section on 
pages 32 to 34.

Design precision 

Banknotes and identity 
documents are arguably some 
of the most widely recognised 
and iconic products in the 
world. And a lot of thoughts 
and skills go into their design. 
The process starts with an 
understanding of how they are 
going to be used – whether by 
people or machines – and the 
specific security threats they 
need to counter throughout 
their lifetime. Our design team 
works closely with customers 
and end users on this. 

We also use insights and 
data from our work around 
the world, and keep abreast of 
all technological developments. 
Plus the complex and highly 
skilled process of converting 
artwork into technically 
accurate, print-ready files. 
The precision applied by 
our design team in translating 
graphics, patterns and 
engravings to high security 
print is measured in microns 
– a millionth of a metre.

The finest designs are always based on best practice. 
De La Rue’s expertise has come from working across 
the globe, creating a diverse range of complex bespoke 
design solutions.

Julian Payne, Creative Director

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 20194   DRIVE CULTURAL  

CHANGE

Our culture underpins every aspect 
of our business. It’s the strategic 
priority that enables us to manage 
all the other priorities effectively.

Since 2015, we have been creating 
a dynamic, results oriented, and high 
performing culture. Our programme 
has four main strands: accelerating 
performance management culture; 
improving leadership skills and 
capabilities; improving recognition; 
building confidence in the business 
through improved communication. 

There is strong evidence of better 
performance management across 
the Group in FY19. We achieved 
this by better alignment of objectives 
across functions at all levels of the 
organisation, as well as enhanced 
succession development. Last 
year, half the appointments to 
the senior leadership team were 
of internal candidates.

We have been focusing over the last 
three years on training our managers and 
leaders in the skills required to improve 
performance, through an established 
leadership development programme. 
We have also changed the senior 
leadership team structure, streamlining 
operations and reducing layers.

The platform put in place in 2016 
to enable De La Rue colleagues to 
recognise others’ effort and commitment 
is now becoming the norm. People have 
sent 100,000 recognitions since it was 
launched. We continued to improve our 
internal and external communications by 
adding more initiatives in the last year.

As announced in May 2019, we will 
undergo some significant changes during 
the next 12 months. The proposed 
delayering of structure and the changing 
of the operating model will change the way 
we operate, as well as the way we think 
and behave. It requires a more agile and 
high performing culture to sustain it.

27

Looking ahead

In the next two years, we will 
face some significant challenges. 
Replacing the contribution from the 
UK passport contract will be hard, 
and the anticipated market pressure 
in the banknote print market will 
have an impact on margin. That 
said, we must raise our game to 
stay competitive.

The proposed reorganising and 
right sizing of the business will allow 
better strategic focus and bring 
cost benefits in the short term.

For the long term, riding on the 
strong momentum in the GRS 
market and stable growth in 
brand protection, we expect 
PA&T to double its revenue within 
the next three years. The cost out 
programme to reduce corporate 
and factory overhead and 
production costs will enable 
us to compete more effectively 
in the banknote print market, 
and to partially offset the impact 
on margin. Thus, we remain 
confident about the long term 
future of the business. 

Award winning 

We always strive for the best 
and are proud to be recognised 
as leaders in both innovation 
and design. In recent years, we 
have won 14 industry awards 
for design, four Queen’s Award 
for innovation, and two Central 
Banking Innovation awards for 
our cash cycle management 
software DLR Analytics. 

In 2019 we were awarded 
the prestigious Currency 
Services Provider of the Year by 
Central Banking. Most recently, 
De La Rue has been recognised 
as one of the Superbrands in 
the UK.

Read more on  
www.delarue.com

Strategic Report28

Review of operations

Currency

Revenue (£m)
Adjusted operating profit* (£m)
Adjusted operating margin*
IFRS operating profit (£m)
IFRS operating profit margin
Banknote print volume 
(bn notes)
Polymer volume (tonnes)

Excluding Paper† 

Reported

FY19
398.9
41.7

Change
FY18
+16%
344.1
+3%
40.5
10.4% 11.8% -140bpts
n/a
n/a

n/a
n/a

n/a
n/a

7.5
998

7.3
810

+3%
+23%

FY19
447.1
n/a
n/a
21.0
4.7%

7.5
998

Change
FY18
+20%
371.8
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
30.7
-32%
8.3% -360bpts

7.3
810

+3%
+23%

* 

 Excludes exceptional item charges of £2.6m (FY18: net charges of £14.4m). This is a non-IFRS measure. See further explanations
and reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measure on page 153.

The Currency business comprises 
Banknote Print, Polymer and 
Security Features.

Excluding paper†, the Currency business 
delivered 16% growth in revenue to 
£398.9m (FY18: £344.1m), benefiting from 
strong growth across all Currency product 
lines. Adjusted operating profit was up 3% 
to £41.7m (FY18: £40.5m). The Currency 
business operating margin reduced 
year on year due to a mix with more 
complex and lower margin jobs this 
year, and continuing competitive 
pressures and investment. 

On a reported basis, revenue was up 
20% and IFRS operating profit was 32% 
lower than FY18 driven by the loss of 
operating profits from the paper business 
following the disposal on 29 March 2018, 
the impact of the reduced margins and 
investment referred to above alongside 
increased exceptional charges, with £18m 
credit loss associated with the accounts 
receivable balance of a customer in 
Venezuela in FY19 exceeding the 
exceptional items in FY18 of £14.4m 
relating to the Portals disposal.

Adjusted and IFRS operating profit were 
also impacted by a net non-recurring credit 
of £2.3m due to the release of an accrual 
relating to a dispute which arose out of the 
well-publicised events of 2010 concerning 
one of De La Rue’s key customers, and 
the recognition of a significant bad debt 
expense (excluding amounts relating 
to Venezuela).

Currency revenues benefited from the 
impact of the adoption of IFRS 15 (revenue 
from contracts with customers) with a 
net additional amount of £11.9m being 
recognised on an ‘over time basis’ in 
FY19 whereas under IAS 18 the majority 
of this revenue would have been recognised 
in FY20 on final delivery to the customer. 
The operating profit impact was £6.6m 
on both an adjusted and IFRS basis. 
Excluding the impact of IFRS 15 Currency 
revenues would have been up 13% 
excluding paper† and 17% on an IFRS 
basis. Adjusted operating profit would 
have been £35.1m, lower by 13% 
compared to FY18.

At the year end, the 12 month order book 
for Currency was £202m (FY18: £272m).

† 

 Reported figures included in this release include the paper business results in FY18 as originally reported and in FY19 they  
include £48.2m of revenue on non-novated contracts relating to the disposal of the paper business with nil profit margin. 
Figures reported on the ‘excluding paper’ basis have been adjusted to exclude revenue from non-novated contracts in FY19. 
In FY18 ‘excluding paper’ figures exclude the results of the paper business and include pro-forma Security Features sales of 
£35.0m, which were previously treated as internal, to present the comparative numbers in FY18 on a basis consistent with  
the IFRS accounting treatment applied in FY19. This is a change in presentation of FY18 results in this release compared  
to those previously reported in the release in May 2018.

Banknote print volume
Billion of notes 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Polymer volume
Tonnes 

2019

2018

2017

2016

380

100

Currency revenue
£m 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

7.5

7.3

7.1

7.1

6.5

998

810

398.9

344.1

330.9

352.5

317.1

Currency adjusted operating profit*
£m 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

41.7

40.5

36.4

55.1

50.5

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201929

Security Features
On an excluding paper† basis Security 
Features revenue grew by 38% year on year, 
with volumes growing 24% to 4.7m m2 
this year. We have seen early traction with 
Ignite® and PureImage™, the banknote 
features launched in May 2018, with our 
first customer for PureImage secured in 
September 2018. As typical for banknote 
products, security features have a long 
sales cycle which could take up to 
24 months. Therefore, the early adoption 
is particularly encouraging.

Banknote Print
Banknote Print volumes increased by 3% 
to 7.5bn notes (FY18: 7.3bn), and revenue 
was up 12%. The higher volumes were 
supported by higher overspill demand, 
in particular from Venezuela.

As previously announced, the formation 
of the joint venture between De La Rue 
with the Government of Kenya was 
completed on 18 April 2019. De La Rue 
retains a 60% stake of the joint venture 
and will continue to manage and control 
the day to day operations. The move has 
further strengthened our ties with the 
country and secured our position as 
a regional supply hub for security printing. 

Polymer
Total Polymer volumes increased in the 
year by 23% to 998 tonnes, 667 tonnes 
of which related to direct sales of polymer 
substrate. Including the notes on order, 
our Safeguard® substrate is currently, 
or will be, adopted by 26 note issuing 
authorities across 61 denominations 
(FY18: 24 note issuing authorities and 
50 denominations). 

We continue to differentiate and we have 
been investing in developing special 
materials that can be embedded into the 
polymer substrate, as well as design and 
security features that make our polymer 
note stand out. Illuminate™, a new design 
feature launched in December 2018 in the 
Mauritius 200 Rupee, is one of the latest 
innovations designed to complement our 
Safeguard substrate. 

Transforming Debden

Debden was one of our first factories to be able 
to print polymer banknotes. From 2014 to 2018, 
the factory went through a transformation 
programme that included installing two new 
print lines and launching the Bank of England’s 
£5 and £10 polymer banknotes. 

The transformation itself was based on a culture 
of problem solving, with Toyota Kata – a continual 
improvement process – being the primary problem 
solving tool. Innovations at the site included the 
world’s first single pass tactile emboss machine, 
as well as a laser guided device to measure tactile 
feature height, and an unblocking machine 
invented by a De La Rue engineer, that won a 
UK Works Management Employee Innovation 
award. During this period, productivity for printing 
on polymer increased by over 50%. 

We have a culture  
of innovation and 
problem solving  
that enables us  
to implement  
new products  
and technology.

Barry McDonnell,  
Manufacturing Director, UK 

The majority of 
hologram counterfeits 
are based on mimicking 
the effect rather than 
re-originating the 
holographic image. 
One approach to 
addressing this is to 
develop more complex 
structures and to create 
brighter holograms. 

Brian Holmes,  
Chief Scientist

Digitalising holography

Holograms are a key security feature, but most 
hologram forgeries are based on simulating the effect 
rather than re-constructing the holographic image. To 
address this, we can develop more complex structures, 
or create brighter holograms. Using digital holography, 
we can create multicolour and multiplexed holographic 
images, but this technique is widely used in the low 
security commercial market. There are, however, only 
a handful of companies expert in making ‘classical’ 
holography or advanced ‘rainbow’ holography, 
and we are the world leader in this field. 

Given our expertise, we apply an advanced form 
of digital holography to augment our classical 
method, and it’s the combination of these two 
different methods that gives us a near unique 
holographic origination capability and versatility. 

Strategic ReportIdentity Solutions revenue
£m 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Identity Solutions adjusted
operating profit* £m 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

7.0

8.9

8.3

78.4

78.9

73.2

76.5

75.9

12.7

12.2

30

Review of operations continued

Identity Solutions

Excluding Paper†

Reported

Revenue (£m)
Adjusted operating profit* (£m)
Adjusted operating margin*
IFRS operating profit
IFRS operating profit margin

FY19
78.4
12.7
16.2%
n/a
n/a

FY18
78.9
7.0

Change
-1%
+81%
8.9% +730bpts
n/a
n/a

n/a
n/a

FY19
78.4
n/a
n/a
12.2
15.6%

FY18
82.0
n/a
n/a
7.5

Change
-4%
n/a
n/a
+63%
9.1% +650bpts

* 

 Excludes amortisation of acquired intangible assets of £0.5m (FY18: £0.6m). This is a non-IFRS measure. See further explanations
and reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measure on page 153.

Excluding paper†, revenues were largely 
flat year on year, as lower volumes in the 
international identity business were offset 
by increased UK passport volumes 
following a spike in demand at the end 
of the year. Adjusted operating margin 
increased by 730bpts in the year, or by 
260bpts excluding the £3.7m write off 
of the UK passport bid costs in the prior 
year, driven by the timing and mix of 
contracts within this business.

On a reported basis, revenue was 4% 
lower and IFRS operating profit was 63% 
higher than the prior year in line with the 
growth in adjusted operating profits. 

Adjusted and IFRS operating profit also 
benefited from the release of a credit loss 
provision of £1.7m which was recorded 
in a previous year and as the customer 
paid the underlying balance in the FY19 
was not required.

Identity Solutions revenue benefited 
from £0.3m recognised in the year 
relating to IFRS 15. This revenue has 
been recognised on an ‘over time basis’ 
in FY19 which is different to the previous 
timing of recognition under IAS 18. 

In May 2019, we have agreed an exit 
plan for the UK passport contract and 
now have a clear timeline for the service 
transfer to the new supplier. We are 
currently in joint consultation with the 
new supplier and our employees who 
may be affected by the changes. This 
consultation process will conclude by 
the end of September. Operations for 
UK passport production will have 
concluded by end March 2020. 

† 

 Reported figures included in this release include the paper business results in FY18 as originally reported and in FY19 they  
include £48.2m of revenue on non-novated contracts relating to the disposal of the paper business with nil profit margin. 
Figures reported on the ‘excluding paper’ basis have been adjusted to exclude revenue from non-novated contracts in FY19. 
In FY18 ‘excluding paper’ figures exclude the results of the paper business and include pro-forma Security Features sales of 
£35.0m, which were previously treated as internal, to present the comparative numbers in FY18 on a basis consistent with  
the IFRS accounting treatment applied in FY19. This is a change in presentation of FY18 results in this release compared  
to those previously reported in the release in May 2018.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201931

Product Authentication & 
Traceability revenue £m 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

39.3

38.4

29.1

28.8

32.7

Product Authentication & Traceability adjusted 
operating profit* £m 

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

9.4

8.0

5.7

7.0

6.4

Product Authentication & Traceability

Excluding Paper†

Reported

Revenue (£m)
Adjusted operating profit* (£m)
Adjusted operating margin*
IFRS operating profit
IFRS operating margin

FY19
39.3
5.7

Change
FY18
+2%
38.4
-39%
9.4
14.5% 24.5% -1000bpts
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

n/a
n/a

FY19
39.3
n/a
n/a
3.4

Change
FY18
-2%
40.1
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
-56%
7.7
8.7% 19.2% -1050bpts

* 

 Excludes exceptional items charges of £2.1m (FY18: £1.6m) and amortisation of acquired intangible assets of £0.2m (FY18: £0.1m). 
This is a non-IFRS measure. See further explanations and reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measure on page 153.

PA&T performed in line with our 
expectations. Revenue increased by 2% 
on increased volumes. Adjusted operating 
profit excluding paper† was 39% lower 
due to £1.2m of upfront operating expenses 
associated with the tax stamp projects in 
the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 
as well as a £2.3m impact of the move of 
our PA&T production line from Gateshead 
to Malta in the first half of the year. We 
anticipate that the operating margin of this 
business will improve going forwards as 
the upfront costs are not repeated, and as 
the production line gets fully established 
and optimised.

On a reported basis, revenue declined 
by 2% and IFRS operating profit was 
56% lower due to the loss of operated 
profits for the paper business and 
higher exceptional item charges in 
FY19 compared to FY18.

The digital tax stamp system being rolled 
out for the Federal Tax Authority of the 
UAE is now in operation and excisable 
tobacco products carrying the stamp 
and digital code are being imported 
into the Emirates. The system will deliver 
a scheme fully compliant with the World 
Health Organisation’s FCTC.

Momentum in government revenue 
solutions (GRS) has gathered pace. In 
February 2019, we were awarded a five 
year contract by Her Majesty’s Revenue 
and Customs to implement a track and 
trace system for all tobacco products sold 
in the UK to comply with the requirements 
of the EUTPD, a first digital only contract 
for PA&T. Also in support of the EUTPD 
we secured contracts to supply more 
than 3.5bn tax stamps each year to be 
applied on tobacco products sold in the 
UK, France, Austria, Sweden, Finland and 
Cyprus. Continuing our work to help 
governments secure excise revenues and 
meet regulatory requirements, De La Rue 
signed a five year contract with the General 
Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) in the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to implement 
and operate a digital tax stamp solution 
for all tobacco products and soft drinks 
sold in the Kingdom. 

On brand protection, DAS has performed 
well, winning eight new programmes. It has 
also released several new and enhanced 
products for Izon® and Traceology®. 

Strong momentum in GRS, together 
with stable growth in brand protection, 
will drive our PA&T business to double 
revenue within the next three years. 

Strategic Report32

Financial review

Revenue
Excluding paper†, Group revenue 
was up 12% to £516.6m (FY18: £461.4m) 
with growth coming from Currency 
(up 16%) and PA&T (up 2%). On a 
reported basis (which includes the 
impact of non-novated paper contracts) 
Group revenue grew to £564.8m from 
£493.9m in FY18 representing a 14% 
increase and was generated by growth 
in Currency, the impact of which was 
partially offset by slightly lower PA&T 
and Identity Solutions revenue due to the 
impact of the loss of paper. Further detail 
on the revenue performance by division 
is included in our Review of Operations 
on pages 28 to 31.

Group revenue also benefited from 
the impact of the adoption of IFRS 15 
(revenue from contracts with customers) 
with a net impact of £12.2m being 
recognised on an ‘over time basis’ 
in FY19 whereas under IAS 18 the 
majority of this revenue would have 
been recognised in FY20 on final delivery 
to the customer. Excluding the impact 
of IFRS 15 Group revenue would have 
increased by 9% on an excluding paper† 
basis and 12% on a reported basis.

Operating profit
Adjusted operating profit excluding  
paper† increased by 6% to £60.1m 
(FY18: £56.9m). This growth of £3.2m 
was a driven by:

• £1.2m increase in Currency operating
profit reflecting a greater volume of
jobs but with more complexity and
lower margin

• £5.7m increase in Identity largely

reflecting the fact that the prior year
included the write off of bid costs of
£3.7m in respect of the UK passport
bid, and FY19 included a non-recurring
credit due to the release of a bad
debt provision where the cash
was received from the customer

• £3.7m decrease in PA&T due to

product investment for future growth
and operating expenses relating
to the new contracts that is not
expected to recur in 2020

Overall, adjusted operating profit excluding 
paper† was impacted by £6.9m benefit 
from IFRS 15 and a net non-recurring 
credit of £4.0m due to the release of an 
accrual relating to a dispute which arose 
out of the well-publicised events of 2010 
concerning one of De La Rue’s key 
customers, and the recognition of a net 
significant bad debt expense (excluding 
amounts relating to Venezuela). FY18 
adjusted operating profit also benefited 
from a similar value of non-recurring 
credits from certain provision 
and accrual releases. 

IFRS operating profit on a reported basis 
was £31.5m and substantially lower than 
FY18 (FY18: £123.0m) primarily because 
of the impact of the gain in the prior 
period relating to the change in indexation 
methodology on the UK pension scheme, 
as well as the recording in FY19 of 
an £18.1m credit loss associated with 
the accounts receivable balance of a 
customer in Venezuela. IFRS operating 
profit also included the benefit of the 
£6.9m from the adoption of IFRS 15 
as referred to above.

In accordance with the Group’s policy, 
the credit loss relating to the customer 
in Venezuela has been recorded in 
exceptional items due to the circumstances 
surrounding the ability of the customer to 
pay and the size and non-recurring nature. 
Revenue and standard margin recognised 
under IFRS 15 when the original sales 
were recorded have remained in the 
income statement in adjusted operating 
profit, as at the point of recognition 
collectability issues were not anticipated.

Finance charge
The Group’s net interest charge was 
£4.4m (comprising a gross interest 
expense of £4.5m and gross interest 
income of £0.1m) (FY18: £3.8m) excluding 
IAS 19 finance charge and interest income 
due from the loan notes and preference 
shares obtained as part of the disposal 
of Portals paper. Net interest expense 
in FY19 (excluding IAS 19 finance charge 
and interest and preference share 
interest income) was higher than FY18 
as the prior period benefited from the 
release of accruals for potential interest 
charges relating to tax liabilities, the 
impact of which was offset by lower 
interest charges on borrowings due 
to the lower average level of net 
debt during the current period 
as compared to prior period.

† 

 Reported figures included in this release include the paper business results in FY18 as originally reported and in FY19 they  
include £48.2m of revenue on non-novated contracts relating to the disposal of the paper business with nil profit margin. 
Figures reported on the ‘excluding paper’ basis have been adjusted to exclude revenue from non-novated contracts in FY19. 
In FY18 ‘excluding paper’ figures exclude the results of the paper business and include pro-forma Security Features sales of 
£35.0m, which were previously treated as internal, to present the comparative numbers in FY18 on a basis consistent with the 
IFRS accounting treatment applied in FY19. This is a change in presentation of FY18 results in this release compared to those 
previously reported in the release in May 2018.

*  This is a non-IFRS measure. See further explanations and reconciliation to the comparable IFRS measure on page 153.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201933

The IAS 19 related finance cost, which 
represents the difference between the 
interest on pension liabilities and assets 
was £2.1m (FY18: £5.6m). The lower 
charge reflects the substantial reduction 
in the pension deficit following the 
change in indexation methodology 
which occurred in the second half of 
FY18, the benefit of which has been 
in place for whole of FY19. 

Interest due on the loan notes and 
preference shares held in Mooreco Limited 
(obtained as part of the consideration for 
the Portals paper disposal) amounted to 
£0.5m in FY19 (FY18: £nil). The loan notes 
and preference shares are included in the 
balance sheet as Other Financial Assets.

The total Group net finance charge 
is £6.0m (FY18: £9.4m).

Exceptional items
The exceptional items during the period 
resulted in a net charge of £27.9m (FY18: 
net gain of £60.9m). These comprise:

•  £18.1m credit loss provision associated 

with the accounts receivable of a 
customer in Venezuela currently unable 
to transfer funds due to non-UK related 
sanctions. In accordance with the 
Group’s policy, the credit loss relating 
to the customer in Venezuela has been 
recorded in exceptional items due 
to its size and non-recurring nature

•  £4.8m site relocation and restructuring 
costs including £1.9m net charges 
in relation to the completion of the 
manufacturing footprint review 
announced in 2015 and costs of £1.3m 
relating to the finalisation of the finance 
system upgrade. In addition, costs 
of £1.6m were incurred in the period 
following a review of our cost base 
as reported in HY19 

•  £2.6m additional loss on disposal 
net of transaction costs relating 
to the sale of the paper business 
due to finalisation of the disposal 
accounting post-year end and final 
estimates of associated transaction 
costs now being known

•  £1.7m charge relating to the 
initial estimate of the impact 
of the equalisation of pension 
benefits between men and women, 
relating to Guaranteed Minimum 
Payments (GMP) 

See note 4 ‘exceptional items’ 
for further details.

Taxation
The net tax charge in respect of 
continuing operations for the year was 
£4.8m (FY18: £16.8m). The effective tax 
rate on continuing operations before 
exceptional items and the movement 
on acquired intangibles was 16.1% 
(FY18: 15.5%). The effective tax rate 
for FY20 is expected to be 15-16%. 

There was a net tax credit relating 
to exceptional items in the period of 
£1.7m (FY18: tax charge of £9.7m). 

Earnings per share
Basic Adjusted EPS excluding paper† 
was up 12% at 42.9p as compared 
to the prior year figure of 38.2p. 

On an IFRS basis, basic EPS on a 
reported basis was down 80% at 
18.8p (FY18: 93.7p) due to the impact 
of the gain on the change in indexation 
methodology on the pension scheme 
in FY18. 

Loss from discontinued operations
The loss on discontinued operations in the 
period, of £2.4m (comprising net charges of 
£2.8m and £0.4m associated to tax credits), 
relates to costs associated with a loss-
making CPS contract that was not novated 
post-disposal and other costs associated 
with the winding down of remaining activity 
related to CPS. In addition receivables 
due from CPS totalling £1.4m have been 
provided for in the year as these are now 
not expected to be received. 

Dividend
The Board is recommending a final 
dividend of 16.7p per share (FY18: 16.7p 
per share). This, together with the 8.3p 
paid in January 2019, would make a full 
year dividend of 25.0p per share. Subject 
to shareholders’ approval, the final dividend 
will be paid on 2 August 2019 to shareholders 
on the register on 5 July 2019. 

Cash flow and borrowings
Cash generated from operating activities 
was an outflow of £4.6m (FY18: inflow of 
£73.5m). The outflow in the current year 
was primarily driven by: 

•  An adverse working capital movement:

 – increased trade receivables primarily 
due to the phasing of revenue in the 
current year (negative impact £19m) 
and the impact of outstanding balances 
relating to sales to Venezuela 
(negative impact £18m)

 – a build in accrued income relating 
to revenue recognised over time 
under IFRS 15 (impact £9m)

 – the impact of a build in inventory 
relating to the PA&T segment 
ahead of the anticipated growth 
in FY20 (£4.7m)

 – the impact of the above adverse 
working capital movements was 
partially offset by higher receipts 
of advanced payments in the 
year (positive impact £16m)

Strategic Report34

Financial review continued

The charge to operating profit in 
respect of the Scheme in the period 
was £2.7m (FY18: £2.3m). In addition, 
under IAS 19 there was a finance charge 
of £2.1m arising from the difference 
between the interest cost on liabilities 
and the interest income on scheme 
assets (FY18: £5.6m). 

A triennial review of the Scheme’s 
valuation and the funding plan started 
in April 2018. The existing funding plan 
agreed in June 2016 will remain in 
place until the review is concluded. 
Cash contribution to the Scheme 
for FY19 was £20.5m and will rise 
by 4% in FY20. 

Capital structure
At 30 March 2019 the Group had 
net liabilities of £29.2m (31 March 
2018: £20.7m). 

The Company had shareholders’ funds 
of £190.8m (31 March 2018: £210.5m) 
and had 103.8m fully paid ordinary 
shares in issue (31 March 2018: 102.4m) 
at the year end.

• The overall adverse working capital
impact of transactions with Portals
De La Rue was £17m, made up of:

Net debt increased to £107.5m from 
£49.9m at 31 March 2018 driven by 
the factors referred to above.

 – The one off impact of the £16m paid
to Portals in H1 FY19 relating to the
payment of previous intercompany
balances which were converted to
third party working capital following
the sale and paid in H1 FY19

 – The impact of an initial build of

receivables due from Portals on
direct sales of Security Features
(negative impact £12m), offset by
the impact of payables to Portals
for finished banknote paper
(positive impact £11m)

• Higher special pension funding

payments of £20.5m as compared
to £13.5m in FY18

Cash outflow from investing activities 
was £24.5m and was related to spend 
on capex and development assets as 
we invest in the business. Cash flows from 
investing activities in FY18 were an inflow 
of £38.0m as capex spend was more 
than offset by the sales proceeds of the 
Paper business (£55.8m) and the receipt 
of £5.0m in advance of the completion 
of the formation of the new Kenya 
joint venture which was announced 
in April 2019. 

Cash flows from financing activities 
were a net cash inflow of £27.2m as 
dividend payments of £25.7m were 
more than offset by net cash proceeds 
on the draw down on the revolving 
credit facility of £53.5m.

The Group has a revolving credit facility 
of £275m. The facility expires in 
December 2021. At the period end the 
specific covenant tests were as follows: 
EBIT/net interest payable 12.9 times 
(covenant of ≥4.0 times), net debt/EBITDA 
1.46 times (covenant of ≤3.0 times).

Cash conversion ratio for the year was 
53%. The year on year decrease was 
driven by adverse year on year working 
capital flows, mainly from accounts 
receivable as explained in the Cash flows 
and borrowings section. Cash conversion 
is the ratio of adjusted operating profit 
adjusted for depreciation, amortisation 
and the movement in working capital 
over adjusted operating profits.

Pension deficit and funding
The valuation of the Group’s UK defined 
benefit pension scheme (the ‘Scheme’) 
under IAS 19 indicates a deficit at 
30 March 2018 of £76.8m (31 March 
2018: £87.6m). The decrease reflects 
positive asset performance in the year, 
the impact of higher special funding 
contributions of £20.5m compared to 
£13.5m in FY18, the benefit of which was 
partially offset by an increase in the gross 
liability position due to a lower discount 
rate used at 30 March 2019 as compared 
to 31 March 2018 and the impact of 
recording the £1.7m additional liability 
relating to the GMP adjustment. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201935

How we performed

FINANCIAL KPIs

Linking to performance

Performance measures which directly  
affect the remuneration of our Directors.

See Directors’ remuneration  
report on pages 74-91.

Revenue excluding paper
£m 

Adjusted EBITDA1
£m 

Adjusted operating profit2
£m 

2019

2018 ex-paper

2018 as reported

2017

2016

2015

516.6*

2019

461.4

2018 ex-paper

493.9

2018 as reported

461.7

454.5

422.8

2017

2016

2015

79.3

78.4

2019

2018 ex-paper

87.3

2018 as reported

97.4

96.4

93.8

2017

2016

2015

60.1

56.9

62.8

70.7

70.4

69.1

£516.6m*

£79.3m

£60.1m

Revenue increased by 12% year on year vs 2018 
excluding paper and grew by 15% on a reported 
basis. This growth was driven by strong sales across 
all Currency product lines and also within PA&T.

Adjusted EBITDA was up by 1% as a strong growth 
in revenue was offset by market pressures in the 
Currency segment and upfront costs incurred in PA&T 
related to the contract wins announced in FY19.

Adjusted EBITDA was up by 1% as a strong growth 
in revenue was offset by market pressures in the 
Currency segment and upfront costs incurred in PA&T 
related to the contract wins announced in FY19, 
mitigated by a lower deprecation charge.

Adjusted EBITDA margin1
% 

Return on capital employed4
% 

Cash conversion5
% 

2019

2018 ex-paper

2018 as reported

2017

2016

2015

15.4%

15.4

17.0

17.7

21.1

21.2

22.2

2019

2018 as reported

2017

2016

2015

43%

43

2019

53

36

2018 as reported

39

39

42

2017

2016

2015

53%

163

160

114

123

The year on year decline despite strong revenue 
growth is a reflection of the market pressures in the 
Currency segment and upfront costs incurred in PA&T 
related to the contract wins announced in FY19.

The year on year increase was primarily driven by a 
lower average capital employed through the period 
than the prior year, following the disposal of the 
capital intensive paper business at the end of FY18.

The year on year decrease was driven by adverse 
year on year working capital flows, mainly on 
accounts receivable.

Earnings per share
Pence 

93.7

93.7

67.3

65.2

46.1

31.8

48.1

46.8

47.2

47.1

42.9

38.2

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018
as reported

2018
ex-paper

Earnings per share

Adjusted earnings per share³

*  Excluding Portals Pass through revenue of £48.2m.

Notes: 
1 

42.9

18.8
2019

2 

3 

4 

5 

 Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before the deduction of interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and exceptional 
items and on an excluding paper basis.
 Adjusted operating profit represents operating profit adjusted to exclude exceptional items and amortisation of acquired 
intangible assets and on an excluding paper basis.
 Adjusted basic earnings per share are the earnings attributable to equity shareholders excluding exceptional items 
and on an excluding paper basis, divided by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year.
 ROCE is calculated as the ratio of adjusted operating profit over average capital employed (where capital employed 
equals net assets excluding liabilities for pension, tax interest and long term liabilities).
 Cash conversion is the ratio of operating cash flow (adjusted operating profit plus depreciation and amortisation 
and working capital movement) divided by the adjusted operating profit.

For further explanations of non-IFRS measures and 
reconciliations to comparable amounts, see page 153.

Strategic Report36

Risk and risk management

HOW WE MANAGE OUR PRINCIPAL 
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

How we manage risk
Risk management is the responsibility of the 
Board, supported by the Risk Committee 
which comprises members of our Executive 
Leadership Team (ELT). The Risk Committee 
is accountable for identifying, mitigating and 
managing risk. Further details about the 
Committee can be found on page 69. Our 
formal risk identification process evaluates 
and manages our significant risks in 
accordance with the requirements of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code. Our Group risk 
register identifies the risks, their potential 
impact and likelihood of occurrence, the key 
controls and management processes we 
have established to mitigate these risks, and 
the investment and timescales agreed to 
reduce the risk to an acceptable level within 
the Board’s risk appetite.

The Risk Committee meets twice a year to 
review risk management and monitor the 
status of key risks as well as the actions we 
have taken to address these at both Group 
and functional level. Any material changes 
to risk are highlighted at the monthly ELT 
meetings, while the Audit Committee also 
reviews the Group’s risk report. The ELT 
undertakes a risk workshop each year to 
challenge whether it has identified the 

principal risks that could impact the 
business in the context of the environment 
in which we operate.

Management is responsible for implementing 
and maintaining controls, which have been 
designed to manage rather than eliminate 
risk. These controls can only provide 
reasonable but not absolute assurance 
against material misstatement or loss. 
See page 68 for further information 
regarding internal controls.

Principal risks and uncertainties 
The following pages set out the principal 
risks and uncertainties that could crystallise 
over the next three years. The Board has 
undertaken a robust risk assessment to 
identify these risks. There may be other risks 
that we currently believe to be less material. 
These could become material, either 
individually or simultaneously, and significantly 
affect our business and financial results. 
We have modelled potential scenarios 
of these risks crystallising to support the 
disclosures in the Viability Statement and 
assess the Group’s risk capacity. See page 
41 for further details. Due to the nature of risk, 
the mitigating factors stated cannot be 
viewed as assurance that the actions taken 
or planned will be wholly effective.

Risk appetite 
The Board has reviewed our principal risks 
and considered whether they reflect an 
acceptable level of risk. Where this is not the 
case, the Board has also considered what 
further investment is being made to reduce 
the likelihood and potential impact of the risk. 
The Board either approves the level of risk 
being taken, or requires management to 
reduce the risk exposure. 

For core areas of the business, the Board 
uses a number of methods to ensure that 
management operates within an accepted 
risk appetite. These include delegated 
authority levels, the approval of specific 
policies and procedures and the approval 
of the annual insurance programme. The 
Board receives regular feedback on the 
degree to which management is operating 
within acceptable risk tolerances.

This feedback includes regular operational 
and financial management reports, internal 
audit reports, external audit reporting and 
any reports to the whistleblowing hotline. 
All members of the ELT have individual 
ownership for one or more of the principal 
risks. Management of those risks forms 
part of their personal objectives.

De La Rue’s risk management framework

Board of Directors and Company Secretary

•  Responsible for risk management and internal controls
•  Defines risk appetite and tolerance
•  Approves the risk profile

Audit Committee
•  Reviews the effectiveness of internal controls
•  Approves the annual internal and external 

audit plans

•  Reviews findings from selected 

assurance providers

Risk Committee
•  Reviews and proposes the business risk profile
•  Monitors the management of key risks
•  Tracks implementation of actions to 

mitigate risks

Ethics Committee
•  Reviews ethical risks, policies and standards

Health, Safety and Environment 
(HSE) Committee
•  Sets HSE standards
•  Agrees and monitors implementation

of HSE strategy

•  Monitors HSE performance

Executive Leadership Team
•  Accountable for the design 
and implementation of the 
risk management process 
and the operation of the 
control environment

Group policies
•  Policies for highlighting and 

managing risks

•  Procedures and internal controls

Functional management
•  Ensures that risk management is 
embedded into business culture,
practice and operations

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201937

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES 
RANKED BY NET PREDICTED IMPACT

Key for strategic focus

Key for risk outlook

Deliver operational excellence

Strengthen balance sheet

Invest for growth

Drive cultural change

Increasing

No change

Decreasing

Exposure

Impact

Mitigation

Impact on 
strategy

Outlook

Bribery and corruption

It is possible that our 
employees or overseas 
representatives, either 
individually or in collusion 
with others, could act in 
contravention of our stringent 
requirements in relation to 
bribery and corruption, 
anti-competitive behaviours 
and management of third 
party partners (TPPs).

Major reputational 
and financial damage.

A successful prosecution 
under anti-bribery 
legislation could see 
the Company barred 
from participating 
in major tenders.

We are accredited to the Banknote Ethics Initiative, which provides 
governments and central banks with assurance regarding our ethical 
standards and business practices.

Our commitment to ethical standards is articulated in the Code of Business 
Principles. This is supported by underlying policies which are reviewed 
regularly and enforced robustly. There is zero tolerance to non-compliance 
and it is dealt with through disciplinary procedures.

We have a particular focus on raising awareness through local Ethics 
Champions as well as training on anti-bribery and corruption, and 
competition law. Our policies and processes are independently audited.

Our rigorous process for the appointment, management and remuneration 
of TPPs operates independently of the sales function. The behaviours of 
TPPs are strictly monitored and the TPP process is overseen by the General 
Counsel and Company Secretary, who reports directly to the Board 
on these matters. This is further enhanced by external due diligence 
checks. To reduce the exposure of TPPs, we are working on migrating 
them to employee relationships. 

Our whistleblowing policy and associated procedures are integral 
aspects of the compliance framework, which is complemented by 
a whistleblowing hotline.

Failure to integrate and execute M&A activity

We are seeking to grow 
our business both organically 
and through appropriate 
partnerships and acquisitions.

Acquiring or partnering 
with third parties carries a 
level of inherent risk that the 
transaction may not achieve 
the expected business 
benefits over the medium 
to long term.

We have a controlled process for reviewing all opportunities that 
have to meet certain criteria before being able to progress to full due 
diligence and offer stage. This process is led by a skilled in-house 
M&A team which is supported by each function within the Company 
and experienced legal and financial advisers. The Board has to 
approve all such transactions before they can proceed.

Failure to innovate and modernise to be competitive

We operate in competitive 
markets. Our products and 
services are characterised by 
continually evolving industry 
standards and changing 
technology, driven by the 
demands of our customers. 
Longer term threats could 
include the growth of 
e-commerce, the emergence 
of cashless societies and lower 
barriers to manufacturing.

Quality management failure

Failure to maintain and 
exploit technical innovation 
and intellectual property 
may result in lower demand, 
loss of market share and 
lower margins.

We maintain sustained levels of investment in R&D to ensure a steady 
flow of ideas into our innovation pipeline. Our product roadmaps are 
designed to meet our customers’ needs and to ensure a clear and 
tested product roadmaps and lifecycle methodology. 

We continue to invest in modern and cost effective techniques 
and emerging technologies to enable us to advance our R&D 
and manufacturing capabilities, and have increased our focus 
on digital technologies since the strategy review in 2015.

We operate an active digital scouting for technology and digital 
companies, and collaboration with universities to ensure that 
we remain aware of new technologies.

Each of our contracts has 
a unique specification on 
product quality and delivery. 
Some of these contracts 
demand a high degree of 
technical specification.

A shortfall in quality 
management may expose 
us to additional cost to 
remake as well as to 
any associated fines 
or warranty costs.

We operate an established end to end quality management system 
with defined standards and acceptable limits for all products across all 
production sites. The process is run by dedicated quality professionals. 
All major sites are certified to ISO9001 quality management standards.

In 2012, we introduced an Operational Excellence programme to further 
drive continuous improvement across our manufacturing sites. In 
2018/19, we introduced further capital and operational investment to 
prioritise on automated detection technologies to enhance quality 
across all product lines and ensure customer focused delivery. 

Strategic Report38

Risk and risk management continued

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES 
RANKED BY NET PREDICTED IMPACT

Key for strategic focus

Key for risk outlook

Deliver operational excellence

Strengthen balance sheet

Invest for growth

Drive cultural change

Increasing

No change

Decreasing

Exposure

Impact

Mitigation

Impact on 
strategy

Outlook

Failure of a key supplier

We have close trading 
relationships with a number 
of key suppliers, including 
unique producers of 
specialised components 
that we incorporate into 
our finished products.
With the sale of Portals 
De La Rue Limited, 
our paper supplier now 
moves to become a 
third party supplier. 

Failure of a key supplier, 
the inability to source 
critical materials or poor 
supplier performance in 
terms of quality or delivery 
could disrupt our supply 
and ability to deliver on 
time and in full.

Where we rely on external supply, we have strengthened procedures for 
identifying possible risks for each supplier as part of the Procurement 
Transformation Programme, launched in November 2017. 

Key suppliers are monitored and managed through supplier analytics 
and contract management programmes. This ensures that all key supplier 
contracts have been reviewed on their financial strength and their ability 
to deliver to our quality standards and security, as well as their business 
continuity arrangements as a part of the onboarding process. Key 
suppliers are audited on a rotational basis and have a recovery plan in 
case of failure.

As a contingency, alternative suppliers are pre-qualified wherever 
possible and where necessary we retain higher levels of stocks.

Inability to accurately forecast financial information

Political and other factors 
can delay government 
procurement decisions for 
sensitive products such as 
banknotes and passports.

The timing and size of 
contract awards is often 
uncertain. Delays lead 
to volatility in our order 
book and variance 
against our predicted 
financial performance.

Failure to win or renew a material contract

While we operate globally and 
have a diversified geographic, 
product and customer profile, 
we rely heavily on a small 
number of medium and longer 
term material contracts.

Failure to win or renew a 
key contract could restrict 
growth opportunities and 
have a material impact on 
our financial performance 
and reputation.

We maintain close and regular contact with customers as part of a 
data driven customer relationship management programme so that any 
changes in timing and requirements are recognised promptly. 

We monitor our sales activity, order pipeline and forward order book 
to optimise production planning and ensure that delivery to customers 
is on time and in full. This has included a core focus on improving 
month end close procedures.

We also actively monitor and track actions or any delays in order 
confirmation on a weekly basis. This enables us to maintain flexibility 
in the supply chain as far as possible, and to accommodate any 
changes to production planning.

To minimise future unpredictability, we proactively pursue longer term 
commitments from customers. We also aim to grow recurring revenues 
by expanding our digital and service offerings.

Our business involves tendering for long term contracts on a constant 
basis. We have dedicated bid specialists and where necessary contract 
in additional resources for the largest strategic bids. We have continued 
engagement with national and international governments to enable 
expansion of new markets.

We employ complex sales methodologies to identify and qualify 
opportunities. These measures, along with our strong focus on customer 
service and improving our quality, mean that we are well-positioned to win 
or renew strategic or significant contracts. 

We are focused on retaining key contracts, as and when they fall due for 
renewal, and on continued acquisition of new opportunities as they arise. 
However, as the UK passport contract award announced in March 2018 
shows, there can be no certainty that we will win all major contract tenders. 

Management lack of bandwidth and clear prioritisation to execute the strategy and run the business

Our business has seen 
a considerable level of 
organisational change over 
the last three years. The Board 
expects there to be a similar 
level of change over the next 
two to three year period.

All grades of staff may 
become demoralised by the 
level of constant change in 
the organisation. Processes, 
procedures, and control 
environments may suffer 
as the ELT continues to 
implement change. 

Our change goals of Transform, Fix and Run are incorporated into 
the annual objectives each year and cascade via each functional area 
to provide line of sight to strategy so that all staff understand and 
are familiar with our priorities. All change initiatives are reviewed and 
approved by the ELT following risk analysis. All change initiatives are 
managed through programme managers with progress monitored 
and reported to the ELT and Board. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201939

Exposure

Impact

Mitigation

Impact on 
strategy

Outlook

Pension fund liability

The Group’s UK defined 
benefit pension scheme 
(the ‘Scheme’) is in deficit. 
As at 30 March 2019 the 
deficit as accounted for 
under IAS 19 was £76.8m 
(31 March 2018: £87.6m).

Loss of a key site or process

All our manufacturing sites 
are exposed to business 
interruption risks.

We have created a joint 
working group with 
the pension trustees 
to proactively manage 
our pension obligations. 
The next triennial valuation 
is near to completion. 

We continue to work with the pension trustees to explore methods of 
improving the return of the Scheme’s assets and reducing the Scheme’s 
liabilities. As announced in November 2017, the trustees changed the 
primary index for increased Scheme benefits to the Consumer Prices 
Index. The movements in the assets and liabilities as measured under 
IAS 19 are in note 24 of the financial statements. 

We have also appointed external advisers to the Company, who are 
advising on how to reduce the risk to the Company balance sheet.

The total loss of any one 
of these sites could have 
a major financial impact, 
particularly where the 
site represents a single 
source of supply.

Our head office and the banknote production operations in Debden and 
Gateshead UK are accredited to the ISO22301:2012 Business Continuity 
standard. This is supported by site based business continuity coordinators 
who ensure that all other sites are aligned to ISO22301:2012 standards.

We maintain a degree of interoperability across our banknote production 
and security printing sites. We aim to minimise risk by adopting the highest 
standards of risk engineering in our production processes. 

These controls are monitored via internal auditing and through monthly 
business continuity forums, quarterly business continuity management 
steering committee meetings and annual ELT/audit committee.

Risk outlook has increased due to number of reported site risks 
and escalations.

Failure in health, safety and environment controls 

All of our activities are subject 
to extensive internal health, 
safety and environmental 
(HSE) procedures, processes 
and controls. Nevertheless, 
there is a risk that any failure 
of an HSE management 
process could result in 
a serious incident.

Failure of an HSE 
management process 
could lead to a 
serious injury or an 
environmental breach.

Breach of information security

A breakdown in the control 
environment including 
collusion, non-compliance 
or an external attack could 
lead to a cyber security 
breach resulting in the 
loss of critical data.

Any compromise in the 
software functionality 
or confidentiality of 
information could impact 
our reputation with current 
and potential customers.

At all major facilities, we have HSE resources and a robust 
management system which is internally audited and certified 
to the OHSAS18001 and ISO14001 standards. 

All of our activities are subject to extensive internal HSE procedures, 
processes and controls, which are being updated to meet 
ISO45001:2018 requirements.

The Group HSE Committee regularly reviews HSE performance. 
This is also monitored by the Chief Operating Officer’s leadership 
team and reported to the Board monthly.

Each manufacturing facility has clear HSE action plans which 
are prioritised, monitored and subject to review by local senior 
management to ensure that health and safety standards 
are maintained.

Our corporate information systems are accredited to the ISO27001 
Information Security standard. This is supported by an independent 
information security team which is focused on ensuring that all 
hardware and software deployed has compliant and secure 
security built in. 

We maintain a strict control environment to enforce disciplined 
software development and information security practices and 
behaviours. A number of key technical controls are in place to 
manage this risk, including agile software development techniques, 
behaviour analytics, quality reviews, regular testing, network 
segregation, access restrictions, system monitoring, security reviews 
and vulnerability assessments of infrastructure and applications.

We also conduct supplier reviews on a risk basis and ensure all of 
our employees undertake mandatory information security e-learning.

Our processes and policies are monitored and audited internally 
and externally.

Strategic Report40

Risk and risk management continued

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES 
RANKED BY NET PREDICTED IMPACT

Key for strategic focus

Key for risk outlook

Deliver operational excellence

Strengthen balance sheet

Invest for growth

Drive cultural change

Increasing

No change

Decreasing

Exposure

Impact

Mitigation

Impact on 
strategy

Outlook

Breach of product security

Loss of product or high 
security components 
from a manufacturing site 
could occur as a result 
of negligence or theft. 
Loss of product while 
in transit, particularly during 
transhipment, through the 
failure of freight companies 
or through the loss of 
an aircraft or vessel as 
a result of an accident 
or natural disaster, is 
also possible.

Breach of sanctions

Entering a contract or 
other commitment with a 
customer, supplier or partner 
which is subject to a sanction 
or trade embargo could lead 
De La Rue to be in breach 
of sanctions. 

This is a new risk in FY19. 
Following review by the 
Audit Committee and in light 
of continuing developments in 
this area, the Board considers 
being in breach of sanctions 
to be a key risk in achieving 
the Group’s objectives. 

Any loss of product or 
high security components 
has the potential to cause 
reputational and financial 
damage. In certain 
circumstances, customer 
contracts may mean 
that we are liable for 
those losses.

We have dedicated security personnel, robust standardised 
physical security and materials control policies and procedures 
at our production sites, which reduce the risk of inadvertent loss 
or theft during manufacturing. This is overseen and monitored 
by Group Security, HSE and Risk to ensure compliance. 
Vetting of personnel, training and auditing is conducted 
in line with the Group Baseline Security Manual. 
We apply risk assessed stringent operational procedures 
– and use vetted and approved carriers and personnel – to
handle movements of security materials between our sites and
onward delivery to customers. All movements are monitored,
risk managed and conducted in line with TAPA standards. We
also maintain a comprehensive global insurance programme.

We also ensure that product security verification and 
reconciliation are embedded and monitored throughout all 
sites to ensure that product is stored, shipped, reconciled 
and destroyed securely and safely.

Breach could result 
in imprisonment and 
substantial fines for 
individuals, the leadership 
team, the Board and the 
Company. In addition it 
may lead to a withdrawal 
of our banking facilities, 
as well as disbarment 
from future tenders.

We utilise strong policies and processes to ensure national and 
international sanction compliance. This will be overseen by the newly 
created Sanctions Board and external auditing of the programme. 

Commercial opportunities are considered against the sanction 
risk as standard within the RFA process and we utilise customer 
relationship management systems to identify medium and high 
sanction risk opportunities. If identified these are investigated 
by legal, treasury and commercial teams to ensure compliance.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201941

Viability statement

The Directors have considered the 
longer term viability of De La Rue plc 
in line with the recommendations under 
the UK Corporate Governance code.

Whilst the Group has a five year 
strategic planning horizon, the financial 
performance of the Group is inherently 
less predictable in years four and five 
because good visibility of the order 
book is over a shorter term horizon. 
Therefore, the Directors believe that 
an appropriate period to consider the 
Group’s viability is over three years. 

In assessing the viability of the 
Group, the Directors have reviewed the 
principal risks and mitigations as set out in 
pages 37 to 40 and considered plausible 
scenarios of one or more of the principal 
risks crystallising in the same time period 
in the context of its strategic plan. 

The two risks identified as having 
the largest impact on the viability 
of the Group were:

•  Failure to innovate and modernise
•  Failure to win or renew a material 

contract

The Directors have focused on principal 
risks that could plausibly occur and result 
in the Group’s future operational results, 
financial condition and future prospects to 
materially differ from current expectations, 
including the ability to maintain a dividend, 
meet current investment plans and comply 
with Banking covenants. The Board 
has focused on the impact of these risk 
scenarios on Group EBITDA, as the limiting 
factor is the Net Debt/EBITDA covenant, 
not the absolute value of net debt.

Scenarios that the Directors see as 
implausible (or outside of the Group’s 
control eg a terrorist attack or an event 
of nature) have not been modelled, nor 
have all potential mitigating responses. 

The Directors have assumed that the 
current revolving credit facility remains in 
place with the same covenant requirements 
through to December 2023. The current 
facility expires in December 2021, however 
the Directors are comfortable that the 
facility will be renewed with the same 
covenant requirements as the Company 
enjoys continued strong support from 
its relationship banks.

Based on the forecasts, net of mitigations 
for the three years modelled, the maximum 
reduction in EBITDA that could be 
supported by the Group before the 
net debt/EBITDA covenant is breached 
is 35-40%.

The Directors have reviewed a detailed 
report of four scenarios over the three 
year timeframe and the impact that the 
materialisation of the risks has on the 
Group’s EBITDA and net debt, in order 
to assess the ability of the Group to 
maintain its operations within the facility 
and covenant headroom of its current 
banking facilities. 

Based on the review of these scenarios 
over the three year period, the Directors 
are comfortable that there are no recurring 
breaches of the Group’s net debt/EBITDA 
covenant and therefore have a reasonable 
expectation that the Group is viable 
and will be able to meet its obligations 
as they fall due up to March 2022.

This conclusion is based on the current 
strategic plan approved by the Board and 
we acknowledge that we operate in a 
changing commercial environment which 
may cause this plan to adapt. In responding 
to changing conditions, we will continue 
to evaluate any additional risks involved 
which may impact the business model 
and future viability.

Strategic Report42

Responsible business

We continue to focus on running 
our business sustainably, ensuring 
that alongside a clear Environmental 
Policy, wellbeing, human rights and 
labour rights are protected in our 
customer solutions as well as within 
our business and its supply chain.

Further information about the ways 
in which De La Rue as a business 
supports a fairer, more prosperous 
and secure future is available on 
our website www.delarue.com 

Martin Sutherland
Chief Executive Officer

De La Rue’s mission is to 
provide products and services 
that underpin the integrity 
of trade, personal identity 
and the movement of goods, 
supporting economic growth, 
job creation and prosperity 
of citizens. 

As we strive to enable everyone 
to participate securely in the 
global economy, a commitment 
to responsible business practices 
is crucial. Membership of the United 
Nations Global Compact helps to 
ensure that governance and ethics 
remain at the heart of the products 
and services we provide and I am 
proud to reaffirm our commitment 
to the UN Global Compact and 
its principles. 

I am proud to reaffirm 
our commitment to the 
UN Global Compact.

Further information 
about the ways in 
which De La Rue as 
a business supports a 
fairer, more prosperous 
and secure future is 
available on our website 
www.delarue.com

Environment 

Read more on protecting the 
environment pages 43-45.

Human Rights

Read more on human rights 
pages 45-47.

Labour Rights

Read more on labour rights 
pages 48-49.

Anti-Corruption

Read more on anti-corruption 
page 49.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201943

We are committed to minimising, as 
far as is appropriate, the impact of 
our operations on the environment. 
We set clear environmental goals 
and report against them each year. 
We share our commitment and 
standards with our suppliers 
and partners. 

We fully support the principles set 
out in the UN Declaration of Human 
Rights and the guidelines of the 
International Labour Organisation, 
including equal opportunity and 
freedom from discrimination. 

Our Modern Slavery Transparency 
policy details how we comply with 
the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We are 
committed to preventing slavery and 
human trafficking in our operations 
and in our supply chain. We work 
closely with main suppliers and 
contractors to ensure that their health 
and safety processes are robust.

Protecting the environment

We aim to minimise risk and our impact 
on the environment while ensuring the 
sustainability of the products we offer 
and the future of our manufacturing sites. 

We continue to participate in the Carbon 
Disclosure Project, a global disclosure 
system for investors, companies, cities, 
states and regions to manage their 
environmental impacts, and work with 
our customers to reduce environmental 
impacts together. In addition to the 
case studies on pages 44 and 45, examples 
of our environmental stewardship include: 

aiming towards zero to landfill in the UK, a 
move towards science based goals where 
possible; commitment to a Group HSE 
Sustainability policy and maintaining 
ISO 14001 certification. Our research 
and development function reviews and 
assesses environmental impacts of new 
products being developed according to 
our technical manual and we provide our 
customers with the opportunity to recycle 
our Safeguard polymer notes with Yes 
Recycling Ltd as an alternative to landfill 
or incineration.

Delivering against objectives 
Progress against 2018/19 environmental objectives are detailed below: 

Objective

Progress

To measure key environmental KPIs in 
the changed business during the year to 
enable the business to set science based 
targets that are realistic for the next two 
to three years.

To review all products and main 
processes, identifying all significant 
carbon impacts in order to drive an 
investment and change programme.

To review our supply chain in order 
to improve our sustainable procurement 
and reduce carbon impact.

To include Sri Lanka and Kenya in 
our ISO14001:2015 Group Certification 
by the end of 2019.

Achieved. See 2019/20 objectives below.

Partially achieved. Banknote products 
have been reviewed and work is 
continuing on remaining processes. 

Some progress has been made but 
there is work still to be done.

Due to the different legal entities it is not 
possible to include Sri Lanka and Kenya 
in the Group certification. However, 
the sites are operating within the Group 
Environmental Management System and 
standards alongside local arrangements.

We are committed to preventing 
our employees, third party partners, 
other representatives, contractors, 
consultants or other third parties from 
engaging in bribery or other corrupt 
practices and implement a robust 
framework of anti-bribery policies 
and processes.

Our goals/objectives for 2019/20 are: 

•  an absolute energy reduction target of -2.1% per year until 2021  

(set on a science based trajectory)

•  to track our sustainability KPI at operational sites of energy used 

(kWh) per tonne of good output against a target of -5% per annum

•  to improve our waste segregation and recycling/reuse options 

for our polymer waste streams

•  to roll out further education on environmental awareness to 

>80% of operational employees across the Group

Environment 

Human Rights

Labour Rights

Anti-Corruption

Strategic Report44

Responsible business continued

Greenhouse gas emissions year on year comparison for FY 2018/19 

2018-19

2017-18*

Type of emissions
Direct (Scope 1)

Indirect (Scope 2)

Indirect other (Scope 3)

Activity
Natural gas
Other fuels
Process emissions
Fugitive emissions
Owned vehicles
Subtotal
Electricity
Subtotal
Rail travel
Air travel
Non-owned vehicles
Water
WTT all scopes
Subtotal

Total gross emissions (tCO2e)
Renewable electricity (tCO2e)
Electricity exported to grid (tCO2e)
Total net emissions (tCO2e)

Intensity metric

Total gross emissions (tCO2e)
Total net emissions (tCO2e)
Revenue (£m)
Tonnes of gross CO2e per million GB £ turnover
Tonnes of net CO2e per million GB £ turnover

% of total
7.1
1.1
4.2
0.0
0.3
12.7
56.0
56.0
0
14.1
0.3
0.3
16.7
31.4

tCO2e
2,558
390
1,496
0.1
103
4,547
20,054
20,054
5
5,052
93
94
5,985
11,229
35,830
0
0
35,830

tCO2e
2,702
547
1,197
373
99
4,919
19,390
19,390
5
6,961
0
125
7,264
14,355
38,665 
0 
0 
38,665 

2018-19
35,830
35,830
516.6
69
69

*  2017/18 figures have been restated to exclude Overton mill and Bathford mill following the sale of Portals De La Rue.

% of total
7.0
1.4
3.1
1.0
0.3
12.7
50.1
50.1
0.0
18.0
0.0
0.3
18.8
37.1

% Difference 
in emissions
(5)
(29)
25
(100)
4
(8)
3
3
(7)
(27)
–
(25)
(18)
(22)
(7)
–
–
(7)

2017-18* % Difference
(7)
38,665
(7)
38,665
12
461.4
(17)
84
(17)
84

The numbers have been re-based 
following good practice.

Methodology: The table and the 
calculations have been created using 
the IEA 2017 emission factors for power 
and DEFRA 2018 for all other emission 
factors, and comply with DEFRA 
mandatory greenhouse gas 
reporting guidelines. 

Carbon offsetting events

We regularly take part in events around 
the world, which involves significant 
travel. In order to reduce the impact 
of these activities on the environment, 
we have agreed to offset all travel and 
accommodation cost for our delegates 
and exhibitors at these events.

Working with Carbon Footprint Ltd, 
De La Rue has estimated savings 
of 268 tonnes of CO2 – which is the 
equivalent of around 29 homes’ energy 
use in a year or the CO2 emissions of 
30,156 gallons of gasoline.

We support three international 
carbon-offsetting projects, each 
of which will have a positive impact 
in the community: a tree project in 
Kenya, a drinking water programme 
in Uganda and the Wayang Windu 
Geothermal power initiative in 
Indonesia – all locations where 
De La Rue attended events 
throughout the year, so directly 
giving back to the local community.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201945

Human Rights

We fully support the principles set out in 
the UN Declaration of Human Rights, in 
particular with regard to equal opportunity 
and freedom from discrimination. We have 
effective management systems in place 
to protect human rights. Our Code of 
Business Principles (see our Corporate 
Governance report on page 71) covers 
human rights issues including employment 
principles, health and safety, anti-bribery 
and corruption and the protection of 
personal information. The Code also 
highlights that we seek to provide an 
environment where employees can raise 
any concerns via a variety of mechanisms, 
including a whistleblowing hotline known 
as ‘CodeLine’ which is managed by an 
external third party, and a network of Ethics 
Champions across the Group where issues 
can be raised in confidence. A global 
awareness programme is planned for 
2019/20 to promote CodeLine.

The business has remedial processes 
in place should there be any human 
rights infringements. These include 
claims procedures and trade union 
engagement procedures.

Equality and diversity
We treat our employees fairly and equally 
irrespective of their gender, transgender 
status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, 
marital status, civil partnership status, age, 
colour, nationality, national origin, disability 
or trade union affiliation. Our commitment 
to achieving an inclusive and diverse 
workforce can be demonstrated by 
the following initiatives and activities:

•  By working with our recruitment partner 
Optamor we have introduced changes 
to our recruitment process, which seeks 
to remove bias. For example, CVs are 
now provided to our managers absent 
of details not relevant for the role, such 
as gender and name. By working with 
Optamor we are also starting to see a 
richness of management information 
allowing us to assess our talent 
acquisition process and start 
using data to inform decisions 

Energy saving awareness

Energy efficiency in the workplace cuts costs, 
improves competitiveness and helps to safeguard 
profits and employment. It also reduces our impact 
on the environment by reducing carbon dioxide 
emissions, helping to combat climate change. 

During the year, De La Rue Malta launched ‘DLR 
Unplugged’, an energy awareness campaign to 
improve understanding amongst employees on our 

energy consumption and giving practical advice 
on energy saving measures for the workplace 
and home. 

The initiative included presentations by 
representatives from the ‘Energy and Water 
Agency’ a governmental agency that specialises 
in the drafting and implementation of national 
policies on water and energy. 

Gateshead clean water initiative

Our Gateshead site has partnered with Hydro 
Industries Ltd, a water technology start up in 
Wales to see if they could help find a way to 
minimise the chemicals needed to clean the effluent 
and recover as much purified water as possible. 
Following a successful week long trial, Hydro 
Industries designed a custom made solution 
for the Gateshead plant and signed a £500,000 
contract with De La Rue to support them in reducing 
wastewater. This will be done by installing a reverse 
osmosis unit, which recycles the waste and splits it 
from the clean water. Half of the clean water will 
be put back into the effluent water treatment plant 
which dilutes the chemicals needed for the process, 
making it less damaging to the environment and 
reducing costs. The other half will go back to 
Northumbrian Water for wider consumption.

The new technology will be installed by summer 
2019 and, once fully operational, staff at the 
plant will be trained to operate and maintain it. 
If the new project is successful there is potential for 
it to be rolled out at other De La Rue sites.

Strategic Report46

Responsible business continued

International 
Women’s Day

In March 2019 events were 
held at some of our sites 
to celebrate International 
Women’s Day. The theme 
this year was ‘Balance 
for Better’ and provided 
an opportunity to raise the 
profile of gender issues 
across the Group.

• Following the successful launch of

unconscious bias training last year, open
sessions across the organisation have
continued. We have also provided an
infographic on unconscious bias that is
accessible to all employees. We view this
training as a key step in developing an
inclusive culture but acknowledge that
the true value comes from exploring our
organisational biases and putting in place
action plans to remove any barriers

• We continue to celebrate diversity and
our Women’s Networks have gained
momentum. Networks have been
established at our head office site as
well as in Sri Lanka and Westhoughton
and a number of events have taken
place this year, providing both men
and women with the opportunity to
hear external speakers, create informal
networks with colleagues and to
discuss and debate topical issues
relating to inclusion. De La Rue uses
Insights profiling which helps our
employees to understand themselves
and the teams that they work within.
This enables employees to recognise
the value of diversity of thought and
communication style and improve their
ability to communicate with others

• We continue to embed our flexible
working policies and implement
them whenever possible

Our long term commitment to eliminate 
any pay gap remains. As at 5 April 2018 
our gender pay gap was 15.37% (mean) 
or 17.47% (median). 

This was higher than in 2017, but the 
bonus gap of -2.25% (mean) or 22.88% 
(median) has decreased. Analysis, 
however, has shown us that these 
differences are primarily due to two main 
organisational reasons not linked to our 
Inclusion and Diversity strategy. Firstly, 
at the end of FY17/18 De La Rue sold 
90% of its shareholding in the Group’s 
paper business to Epiris and retained the 
remaining 10% shareholding. This change 
of ownership meant that c500 employees 
transferred out of De La Rue to Portals 
in March 2018. Significantly a larger 
percentage of males, particularly in the 
lower two pay quartiles, transferred out 
compared to females; this decrease in UK 
employee numbers changed the overall 
male/female pay ratio and also our gender 
pay gap. Secondly, individuals in roles 
covered by our collective bargaining 
agreement received a lump sum as 
part of the 2017 pay settlement. These 
payments are included in the bonus 
data and consequently show that a high 
proportion of our employees received a 
bonus during the year. It should be noted 
that this payment was unique to 2017 and 
if we remove this payment from the data, 
the mean and median bonus gap are 
more in line with the 2017 figures. 

We continue to strive towards improving 
the proportion of women in senior roles, 
which we believe to be the underlying 
reason behind our gap. To reflect 
our ratio between males and females 
overall in the UK, we aim to increase 
the proportion of women within our 
senior leadership to 30% by 2020. 

As at the end of this financial year, 
the percentage was 25%. 

Every manager and employee has 
responsibility for the implementation 
of our inclusivity policy and training 
is provided to newly appointed line 
managers in inclusivity and associated 
policies and procedures such as 
stress management, grievance 
and anti-harassment.

Engagement
On a regular basis we conduct global 
employee surveys. Our most recent 
survey was launched in April 2019. The 
results will be analysed and action plans 
created through employee workshops. 
These plans will be closely monitored 
by the Executive Leadership Team.

We work closely with the relevant trade 
unions, employee forums and other 
employee representatives and report to all 
employees the outcomes of these meetings.

We communicate all relevant news, 
business and financial updates. To do 
this we hold regular town hall meetings, 
conduct conference calls, update our 
intranet and screens in communal areas, 
send email announcements and publish 
monthly site news updates. These are 
adapted to the audience, whether all staff, 
a country, a site or department. During 
the year we have continued to develop 
a standardised approach to employee 
communications and engagement across 
our sites, coordinating campaigns where 
possible. Examples include National 
Apprenticeship week in the UK and 
International Women’s Day. Each site 
organises its own social events including 
family days and local celebration events 
and most have an employee forum. 
Our global employee recognition scheme, 
High Five, launched in August 2015 and 
in February 2019 the 100,000th High 
Five was celebrated. In 2019 we will hold 
our fourth annual ‘Above and Beyond’ 
employee awards event, recognising the 
most outstanding contributions to the 
business from across the organisation. 

In line with the 2018 Corporate Governance 
Code, the Board has appointed a  
Non-executive Director responsible 
for engagement with the workforce.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201947

Community
We take pride in supporting many 
varied local charities. This includes 
the De La Rue Advanced Partnership 
programme, focused on building a 
lasting footprint in a country through a 
programme of sustainability, education, 
training and enterprise development. 
Through our relationship with Rwanda 
Aid we have helped to fund business 
development for new start ups; giving 
them a small amount of investment that 
enables them to take themselves to the 
next level of sustainability and business 
success. In order to qualify, the start 
ups had to have been trading for a 
set period of time and achieved certain 
basic goals and also produce a 
thorough business plan for evaluation. 

Our employees around the world continue 
to engage with their local communities via 
fundraising activities or giving their time 
to contribute to projects in their local area. 
For example, our Malta site has supported 
several charities including ‘Beyond the 
Moon’, a charity which offers holidays 
to seriously ill children and their families. 
The site also supported World Down 
Syndrome Day and a team of volunteers 
helped with the refurbishment of a 
children’s home.

Gender diversity as at 30 March 2019
Employees

Male 

Female 

1,929

853

Senior Management

Male 

Female 

Executive Management

Male 

Female 

29

9

5

2

Training and development 
A new learning system called ‘Venture’ 
launched at the end of the year and is 
being made available to all employees 
globally. In its first phase we have 
encouraged people to explore the content 
and make suggestions about what they 
want to see on the system. We have 
set up small groups to design content 
that is relevant to different functions, 
demonstrating how knowledge sharing 
across the business can be facilitated. 
The content on the system will continue 
to grow and our ambition is to enable 
learners to own their own development 
by mapping content to career paths. 
Face to face training globally has been 
ongoing throughout the year and will 
continue as part of a blended learning 
approach. Examples of face to face 
training include unconscious bias 
awareness sessions across the 
business to help our people understand 
more about themselves and how they 
can reinforce inclusivity through their 
actions, storytelling, presenting with 
charisma, influencing and stakeholder 
management skills.

With the apprenticeship levy in the 
UK opening up an increasing number 
of opportunities for our employees 
to develop their skills and experience, 
we now have around 40 colleagues 
participating in apprenticeship 
schemes across all of our UK sites. 
Apprenticeships currently being 
undertaken include accounting, 
engineering, machine printing, 
lean improvement, as well as team 
leader, management and senior 
leader apprenticeships to support 
management development at every 
level of our organisation. Nearly half 
of these apprenticeships are at level 
5 (foundation degree level) or above, 
demonstrating that apprenticeships can 
support everyone at any stage in their 
development, not just new starters or 
those just embarking on their career. 

Strategic Report48

Responsible business continued

Labour Rights

We directly employ over 2,800 people 
and provide livelihoods to thousands 
more indirectly across our global supply 
chain. Our modern slavery statement 
details the steps we take to eradicate 
the practice and suppliers are obliged 
to abide by the United Nations 
Convention on the Rights of the Child 
and International Labor Conventions 
138 and 182. Improving health and 
safety and protecting people in our 
business is a priority. We insist on the 
highest health and safety standards and 
provide training across the organisation 
to ensure all employees understand and 
are aware of their responsibilities. During 
the year we have delivered over 2,000 
person days training. Our safety policies 
ensure accountability and engagement 
throughout our business and with 
our suppliers.

Wellbeing
During the year our SAFE health and 
safety initiative was updated to include 
mental heath issues, highlighting that 
health at De La Rue includes both mental 
and physical wellbeing. We have also 
piloted mental health awareness training 
for our managers at head office. The case 
study opposite gives more details about 
our network of mental health first aiders. 

Health and safety
Progress against our 2018/19 
objectives is detailed opposite:

Read more on 
www.delarue.com

Mental health first aiders

During 2018 we introduced a team of 
Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) to 
the business as part of a broader focus 
on employee wellbeing and support.

With over 40 qualified MHFAs located 
across our six UK sites, we are 
continuing to roll out a programme of 
awareness to the wider population and 
provide additional training resources to 
support our global sites. 

The De La Rue MHFA role is to provide 
additional support to employees and 
to understand and assist with any 
potential mental health issues. They can 
listen and signpost employees to the 
appropriate professional help should it 
be required. The team has been trained 
by MHFA England, whose vision is to 

normalise society’s attitudes and 
behaviours around mental health, by 
developing the skills needed to look 
after our own and others’ wellbeing. 
Mental health education empowers 
people to care for themselves and 
others. By reducing stigma through 
understanding, MHFA England hopes to 
break down barriers to the support that 
people may need to stay well, recover, 
or manage their symptoms – to thrive 
in learning, work and life.

All line managers in Malta, one of our 
manufacturing sites, have completed 
the MHFA module under the MHFA 
Malta framework and we are exploring 
appropriate opportunities for the rest 
of our business.

Objective

Progress

To bring all the manufacturing sites 
under the central OHSAS18001 
certification. 

Due to the different legal entities it is not possible 
to include Sri Lanka and Kenya in the Group 
certification. However, the sites are operating in 
accordance with our Group manual and standards. 

To maintain a world class LTIFR per 
200,000 worked hours of less than 0.6. 

Achieved. Our LTIFR was <0.25.

To maintain our strong HSE training 
delivery performance of over 2,000  
person days per year.

Achieved.

To achieve >92% of conformance 
to our Zone ‘SAFE’ EHS inspections 
programmes.

To cascade more certified 
(eg NEBOSH, IOSH) health and 
safety training and deliver four 
‘SAFE’ training modules.

95% conformance was achieved.

Achieved. NEBOSH training has been completed 
by 92% of those in the Delivery function identified 
for training. Ninety people across our sites have 
completed IOSH training. 
‘SAFE’ modules have been updated and issued 
to sites.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201949

Anti-Corruption

De La Rue are experts in delivering 
complex features and solutions that help 
protect against crime and corruption. 
We are committed to preventing our 
employees, third party partners, other 
representatives, contractors, consultants 
or other third parties from engaging in 
bribery or other corrupt practices and 
implement a robust framework of anti-
bribery policies and processes.

During the year the leadership group and 
core personnel in customer facing roles 
and central functions completed an online 
affirmation that they understand their 
obligations and continue to comply 
with our Code of Business Principles. 

BnEI
As the largest commercial security printer 
in the world, we take our responsibility 
seriously. We recognise that our influence 
can help ensure that international 
standards and best practice become the 
norm. Being a member of the Banknote 
Ethics Initiative (BnEI) as well as the 
Secure Identity Alliance and International 

Tax Stamp Association provides us with 
platforms to drive positive changes in 
our industries towards the highest product 
and ethical standards. We will continue 
to use our influence to push for further 
transparency and accountability in 
our sector.

Transforming our sales 
partner remuneration
We are now four years into a five year 
programme to change the way our 
sales partners are remunerated. Our aim 
is to reduce risk to the business while 
recognising all the work carried out by our 
partners. A rolling Agent Transition Plan 
is being implemented to change partner 
remuneration as agreements become due 
for renewal. The majority of partners are 
now engaged under the new scheme, 
which is based on the BnEI commitments. 
Work has started to define the next phase 
of our partner management programme 
as we drive to further improve our 
anti-corruption credentials.

During the year, we experienced zero 
prosecutions for infringing health and 
safety laws or regulations. All our main 
manufacturing sites have maintained 
OHSAS18001 certification for their 
health and safety management systems, 
following external audits by accredited 
providers. More details on our Company 
policies and procedures around health 
and safety and wider labour rights can 
be found on our website.

We have set the following new 
objectives for health and safety 
for 2019/20: 

•  To maintain our world class 
LTIFR per 200,000 worked 
hours of ≥0.25

•  To maintain our strong HSE 

training delivery performance of 
over 1,900 person days per year

•  To achieve ≥94% of conformance 

to our Zone ‘SAFE’ HSE 
inspection programmes

•  To ensure all operational line 

managers and process leaders 
are trained to IOSH Managing 
Safely, an equivalent, or 
higher qualification 

•  To ensure our OHS management 
system meets all the requirements 
of the new international 
standard ISO45001:2018 
(replacing OHSAH18001)

Corporate culture and strategy
The Board receives annual updates 
on corporate culture. For the first time 
our employee survey in 2019 included 
questions related to culture in order 
to inform and shape the culture of 
the organisation.

Strategic Report 
50

Corporate governance

CHAIRMAN’S  
INTRODUCTION

The Board considers leadership, 
culture and good governance as 
essential factors in the Group’s 
ongoing transformation.

Dear Shareholder,

De La Rue operates globally in markets 
where security, integrity and accountability 
are paramount. We aim to forge a dynamic, 
responsive and high performing culture and 
the Board supports this fully. Our commitment 
to high ethical standards which underpin 
our behaviours is incorporated in our 
Code of Business Principles (CBP) which 
all employees, business partners and 
other third party suppliers must follow.

As a Board, we are committed to ensuring 
that these values and high standards 
are embedded throughout the Group. 
Our proposed reorganisation will aim to 
ensure we have management and cultural 
attributes to succeed with the executive 
management team playing an integral role 
in our governance framework by promoting 
positive behaviours so that our people 
understand how we expect to achieve 
our purpose.

The Board and its Committees have kept 
abreast of developments in the legal and 
governance landscape, including The 
Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) 
Regulations 2018 and the 2018 edition 
of the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) 
UK Corporate Governance Code (2018 
Code), both of which will apply to the 
Company from 1 April 2019. 

All references to the Code refers to 
the 2016 edition. The Code contains 
broad principles together with more 
specific provisions which set out 
standards of good practice in relation 
to Board leadership and effectiveness, 
accountability, remuneration and 
relations with shareholders. We will 
report formally in accordance with 
the 2018 Code in the 2020 annual 
report but we believe we are already 
well-placed to prepare to meet the 
requirements of the 2018 Code including 
in respect of Company purpose, values 
and culture as described briefly in the 
Strategic report and the Directors’ 
remuneration report. The Board has 
appointed a Non-executive Director 
responsible for workforce engagement 
to represent the Board in this area and 
to provide the mechanism for gathering 
the views of the workforce at all levels 
throughout the organisation to inform 
its decision making. We undertake 
an annual review of our governance 
framework including the terms of 
reference of the Board and of each of 
its Committees and as part of the 2019 
review the Board approved appropriate 
amendments to ensure that such terms 
of reference are fully compliant with the 
new 2018 Code. 

Board changes and 
succession planning
Succession planning is an important 
element of good governance, ensuring 
that we are fully prepared for planned 
or sudden departures from key positions 
throughout the year. 

Following the resignation of Jitesh 
Sodha in March 2018, the Nomination 
Committee sought a successor to the role 
of Chief Financial Officer, culminating in 
the appointment of Helen Willis (who had 
joined De La Rue as Interim Chief Financial 
Officer in April 2018) as Chief Financial 
Officer on 19 July 2018 and an Executive 
Director on the Board on 26 July 2018. 

Post-year end, on 30 May 2019, 
the Company announced that Martin 
Sutherland has agreed that he will step 
down as Chief Executive Officer and 
as a Director of the Company. He will 
continue to serve as Chief Executive 
Officer until his successor is in place.

Board effectiveness
As detailed on page 59, an externally 
facilitated evaluation of the Board and its 
Committees was once again undertaken 
during the year and I am pleased to report 
that as a result of the evaluation, the Board 
concluded that both it and its Committees 
continue to operate effectively. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201951

Structure of the corporate 
governance statement
The Company is subject to the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC)  
UK Corporate Governance Code (the ‘Code’).

The report that follows provides an overview of the work undertaken by  
the Board and its Committees in fulfilling our governance responsibilities and 
describes how the principles of the 2016 Code have been applied during the 
period to 30 March 2019, but where actions have been taken in readiness 
for the 2018 Code, this is noted. The Code is issued by the FRC and is 
available for review on the FRC website: www.frc.org.uk 

Leadership

Read more on leadership  
pages 52 to 57.

Read more on relations with  
shareholders on page 61.

Composition,  
succession 
and evaluation

Read more on  
page 58.

Division of  
responsibilities

Read more on  
page 58.

Audit, risk and 
internal control

Read more on  
pages 64 to 73.

Remuneration

Read more on remuneration  
pages 74 to 91.

The Board continues to work closely with 
the executive management team and offers 
support and robust challenge as appropriate. 
All Directors play an active role in overseeing 
management of the business.

The Board agenda will continue to balance 
the need to improve oversight and 
governance of all aspects of the business 
with the ability to debate and examine 
forward looking strategy, including changes 
to the business environment and markets 
in which we operate and compete.

Philip Rogerson
Chairman
30 May 2019

Compliance statement
The Board encourages a culture of 
strong governance across the business 
and continues to adopt the principles 
of good governance and adhere to 
the requirements of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code. The Board considers 
that it and the Company have, throughout 
the period to 30 March 2019, complied 
in all respects with the provisions of the 
Code. The Company’s auditors, Ernst 
and Young LLP, are required to review 
whether this statement reflects the 
Company’s compliance with those 
provisions of the Code specified for 
their review by the Financial Conduct 
Authority’s Listing Rules. 

The Board is responsible for leading 
De La Rue, and setting the tone which 
it believes is most likely to lead to its long 
term success, and promoting effective 
engagement with our key stakeholders 
including employees and shareholders.

We aim to ensure that we have 
a balanced Board with the skills, 
experience and knowledge to govern  
the business, together with an effective 
evaluation and succession plan.

We ensure we have the right balance 
of Executive and Non-executive Directors 
for constructive and challenging debate 
and decision making. 

The Board defines the strategy, which 
aims to maximise our performance 
with minimum unnecessary or 
unacceptable risks.

The Remuneration Committee ensures 
that there is a formal and transparent 
process that aligns executive pay with 
performance that is simple to understand, 
linked to strategy and is in the long 
term interest of the Company 
and shareholders.

Corporate Governance52

Corporate governance continued

LEADERSHIP

Board of Directors

Philip Rogerson
Chairman
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in March 2012 and became Chairman 
in July 2012.

Committees:

E

N Re

Current directorships and business interests:
• Bunzl plc, chairman
• Blancco Technology Group plc, non-executive director

(senior independent director)

• Seal Laundry Management Company Limited, director

Career, skills and experience:
Philip was an executive director of BG plc (formerly British Gas plc) 
from 1992 to 1998, latterly as deputy chairman. Since then he 
has been both a non-executive director and chairman of a number 
of companies.

Martin Sutherland
Chief Executive Officer
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in October 2014.

Committees: N

Ri

Current directorships and business interests:
• International Currency Association, board member
• Forterra plc, non-executive director

Career, skills and experience:
Martin joined De La Rue from BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, 
where he was managing director since its acquisition by BAE 
Systems in 2008. At BAE Systems Applied Intelligence (formerly 
Detica), Martin was responsible for the strategic expansion 
of the business internationally through both organic growth 
and acquisitions. Prior to joining Detica in 1996, Martin worked 
for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and British Telecom.

Helen Willis
Chief Financial Officer
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board on 27 July 2018.

Andrew Stevens
Senior Independent Non-executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in January 2013.

Committees: Ri

Committees:

A

E

N Re

Current directorships and business interests:
• NACRO, trustee director

Career, skills and experience:
Having joined De La Rue as Interim Chief Financial Officer on 16 April 
2018, Helen was appointed as Chief Financial Officer on 19 July 2018 
and became a member of the Board on 26 July 2018. Helen is a 
qualified accountant and has a wealth of finance experience, most 
recently with Premier Farnell PLC, where she held the positions of 
chief financial officer and director of financial operations between 
2014 and 2017, until its acquisition by US parts distributor Avnet in 
2017. Her previous experience spans a number of senior finance 
roles in international manufacturing environments including, among 
others, AZ Electronic Materials plc.

Current directorships and business interests:
• CAE Inc., non-executive director
• Hèroux-Devtek Inc., non-executive director
• Praesidiad Group Limited, non-executive director/chairman
• Erpe Topco Limited, non-executive director

Career, skills and experience:
Andrew has extensive international experience in the technology and 
engineering sectors, having spent over 30 years operating across the 
globe, including in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 
He was a director of Cobham plc between 2003 and 2012, where 
he held a range of positions, becoming chief executive in 2010 until 
stepping down from that role in June 2012. Before that he held senior 
positions in Rolls Royce, Messier Dowty International and Spirent plc.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Board of Directors

 Key for Committees

A Audit Committee

E Ethics Committee

N Nomination Committee

Re Remuneration Committee

Ri Risk Committee

Committee Chair

53

Nick Bray
Independent Non-executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in July 2016. 

Sabri Challah
Independent Non-executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in July 2015.

Committees:

A

E

N Re

Committees:

Re

A

E

N

Current directorships and business interests:
•  Sophos Group plc, chief financial officer

Career, skills and experience:
Nick has extensive international experience in the technology 
and information security industries and, since 2010, has been 
chief financial officer of security software firm, Sophos Group plc. 
Before joining Sophos, he was chief financial officer at Micro Focus 
International plc, having previously held CFO roles at Fibernet Group 
plc and Gentia Software plc. Prior to that, he held various senior 
financial positions at Comshare Inc. and Lotus Software.

Current directorships and business interests:
•  CogitalGroup Limited, deputy chairman
•  Actis, senior adviser
•  Robert Kime, senior adviser

Career, skills and experience:
Sabri was a partner at Deloitte from 1991 to 2013, where he had a 
varied career. He served as a member of both the Deloitte UK board, 
where he acted as chairman of the remuneration committee, and 
the Deloitte Global board, where he was chairman of the succession 
planning committee. Sabri was also chairman of Igneus UK Limited, 
a leading provider of welfare to work services. Sabri has significant 
and wide ranging experience in organisational design, change 
management, strategy, and corporate development.

Maria da Cunha
Independent Non-executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in July 2015.

Committees:

A

E

N Re

Current directorships and business interests:
•  Royal Mail plc, non-executive director
•  Community Integrated Care, trustee
•  Competition and Markets Authority, panel member

Career, skills and experience:
Maria has spent her career in a range of legal roles as a solicitor 
and in-house at Lloyds of London and, from 2000 to July 2018, 
with British Airways where she was director of people and legal, and 
was a member of the executive board and corporate security board. 
Maria is experienced at working with international regulators and 
governments and has a deep understanding of operational risk, 
including cyber security, data and mobile risk. She also has 
significant geo-political, multi-channel distribution, acquisition 
and post-merger integration experience.

Edward Peppiatt
General Counsel and Company Secretary
Appointment to the Board
Appointed as General Counsel in March 2009 
and as Company Secretary from April 2009.

Committees: Ri

Career, skills and experience:
Edward has many years of experience as a general counsel and 
company secretary in publicly quoted businesses and his roles in the 
past have included responsibility for risk, security, insurance, HSE 
and HR. He was previously general counsel and corporate secretary 
of Christian Salvesen PLC and prior to that practised as a corporate 
lawyer at Stephenson Harwood. He is a qualified solicitor and holds 
an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

Corporate Governance54

Corporate governance continued

LEADERSHIP

Governance principle
The Board is collectively accountable 
to the Company’s shareholders for 
good corporate governance and all 
Directors are responsible for complying 
with their legal and fiduciary obligations. 
The Board is committed to ensuring 
the highest standard of corporate 
governance which is critical to creating 
value. The diverse range of experience 
offered by the Chairman and the 
Non-executive Directors means that 
they are well-qualified to scrutinise 
performance, assess the Group’s risk 
management and control processes, 
provide constructive challenge and 
support the Executive Directors.

Board Diversity
The Board recognises the importance of 
having an inclusive culture and the value 
that diversity brings to De La Rue and 
aims to reflect this within the composition 
of the Board. The Chairman seeks to 
ensure that the composition of the 
Board includes individuals whose varied 
backgrounds, experience, knowledge 
and expertise bring a wide range of 
perspectives to the business.

Following the appointment of Helen Willis 
on 26 July 2018, as at 30 March 2019, 
the percentage of women on the Board 
is 28.5%. 

The Group’s inclusion strategy 
is discussed further on page 46. 

The role of the Board
The Board is ultimately responsible 
to shareholders for the direction, 
management, performance and long 
term success of the Company. It sets 
the Group’s strategy and objectives 
and overseas and monitors internal 
controls (in conjunction with the Audit 
Committee), risk management, principal 
risks, governance and viability of the 
Company. In doing so the Directors 
comply with their duties under section 
172 Companies Act 2006. 

To ensure Directors maintain overall 
control over strategic, financial, 
operational and compliance issues, 
the Board meets regularly throughout 
the year and has formally adopted 
a schedule of matters which are 
required to be brought to it for decision. 

Matters reserved for the 
Board’s decision 
• Group strategy, long term

objectives, annual budgets

• Approval of the annual and

interim results

• Acquisitions, disposals

• Approval of risk appetite

• Ensuring that a sound system
of internal control and risk
management is maintained

• Changes to the Group’s

capital structure

• Approval of dividend policy

The Board has established certain 
principal Board Committees to assist 
it in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, 
providing dedicated focus on particular 
areas, as set out on pages 62 to 91. 
The Board Committees play an important 
governance role through the work they 
carry out to fulfil the responsibilities 
delegated to them. The matters reserved 
to the Board and the terms of reference 
for each of its Committees, which are 
reviewed on an annual basis, can be 
found on the Company website at 
www.delarue.com. These were last 
reviewed on 28 March 2019 and were 
updated so as to be compliant with the 
2018 UK Corporate Governance Code.

Board Diversity

Executive and Non-executive 
Director balance 

Executive Directors 

Non-executive Directors 

Chairman 

Board tenure

More than 5 years 

3 to 5 years 

1 to 3 years 

Less than 1 year 

Gender of Board

Male 

Female 

2

4

1

2

3

1

1

5

2

Read about the Directors’ careers, skills 
and experience on pages 52 and 53.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201955

Unscheduled meetings
The unscheduled meetings of the Board held during the year related to various capital 
expenditure and major business initiatives that required consideration by the Board in 
accordance with the Group’s internal approvals process.

Non-attendance
Some Board members were unable to participate in Board and Board Committee 
meetings as noted in the table below. If any Directors are unable to attend a meeting 
they communicate their opinions and comments on the matters to be considered 
via the Chairman of the Board or the relevant Board Committee Chairman.

Directors’ attendance 2018/191
Nick Bray
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha 
Philip Rogerson
Andrew Stevens
Martin Sutherland
Helen Willis3

Board2
11 (12)
12 (12)
12 (12)
12 (12)
12 (12)
12 (12)
8 (8)

Nomination 
Committee
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
3 (4)
4 (4)
–

Ethics 
Committee
2 (2)
2 (2)
2 (2)
2 (2)
2 (2)
–
–

Audit 
Committee
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)
–
5 (5)
–
–

Remuneration 
Committee
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)
4 (5)
–
–

Notes:
1 
2 

3 

 Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings that could have been attended.
 Of the meetings detailed within the table, four Board meetings were convened on an ad hoc basis to consider matters 
in between scheduled Board meetings.
 By invitation, Helen Willis also attended all the Board meetings held during the financial year prior to her appointment 
as an Executive Director on the Board on 26 July 2018.

The ELT comes together to communicate, 
review and agree on issues and actions 
of Group-wide significance. It develops, 
implements and monitors strategic and 
operational plans, and considers the 
continuing applicability, appropriateness 
and impact of risk. It leads the Group’s 
culture and aids decision making of the 
Chief Executive Officer in managing the 
business in the performance of his duties.

Executive Leadership  
Team (ELT)
Matters that are not reserved to 
shareholders, the Board or one of its 
Committees are the responsibility of 
the Chief Executive Officer who has 
established and maintains a schedule 
of delegations of authority to members 
of the ELT and other management 
as approved by the Board. 

The Chief Executive Officer reports 
on the Group’s activities through his 
(and the Chief Financial Officer’s) regular 
reports to the Board. The Board and 
each Committee receives sufficient, 
reliable and timely information in 
advance of meetings and is provided 
with access to all necessary resources 
and expertise to enable them to fulfil 
their responsibilities and undertake 
their duties in an effective manner. 

Board composition
As at 30 March 2019, the Board was 
made up of seven members comprising 
a Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, 
Chief Financial Officer and four 
independent Non-executive Directors. 
Helen Willis, Chief Financial Officer, 
was appointed to the Board on 26 July 
2018. Brief biographies and skills and 
experience of the Directors who held 
office during the year are set out on 
pages 52 and 53 and the role of the 
Board is on page 54. None of the 
Company’s Non-executive Directors 
had any previous connection with the 
Company or its Executive Directors 
on appointment to the Board and all of 
them are considered by both the Board 
and the criteria set out in the Code to 
be independent. Philip Rogerson was 
considered independent at the date 
of his appointment and continues to be 
independent in character and judgement 
and there are no relationships or 
circumstances which are likely to affect, 
or appear to affect his judgement. 
His external appointments are set out 
on page 52. The Chairman and each 
of the Non-executive Directors have 
a breadth of strategic, management 
and financial experience gained in 
each of their own fields in a range 
of multinational businesses. 

In accordance with the Code, Helen 
Willis will be subject to election at the 
forthcoming AGM with each of the 
other Directors subject to re-election.

Board and Board 
Committee meetings
The Board and Board Committee 
attendance during the year is shown 
in the table opposite. Two of the 
scheduled Board meetings were held at 
the Group’s UK locations in Gateshead 
and Westhoughton, thus enabling all 
Directors to visit those sites’ operations 
and meet with employees. In addition 
to the schedule of Board meetings, the 
Board meets for dinners which give the 
Directors additional time together to 
discuss issues more broadly. 

Corporate Governance56

Corporate governance continued

LEADERSHIP

The Board’s areas of focus

Board activity during the year
The Board has a programme of meetings during the year and also meets on an ad hoc basis as required. In the period under review, 
the Board’s focus has been on progress made on the execution and delivery of the strategic objectives. The Board held a meeting 
with the ELT dedicated specifically to this review. Feedback and content of discussions were shared with the ELT. The Board has 
received regular reports from both the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer.

In particular the Board: 

Strategy

• Received presentations from different parts of the business on product portfolios,

progress with agreed strategy and potential business opportunities

• Held the annual strategy review meeting in November 2018, following which an updated

strategy base case was considered and agreed

• Approved updated budget and medium term plans in the context of the agreed strategy
• Reviewed progress on implementation of the strategy through regular reports from the

Chief Executive Officer

• Reviewed potential M&A activity

For more information 
on our strategy 
see page 22.

Shareholder 
engagement

• Reviewed reports from brokers on shareholder feedback following meetings
with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer during the period

For more information 
see page 61.

• Received presentations from brokers on the market perception of De La Rue plc
• Consulted with shareholders and proxy voting bodies on resolutions put to

the AGM

Performance 
monitoring

• Reviewed performance reports from the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
• Reviewed reports on the Group’s financial position
• Reviewed the year end and interim results

For more information 
see page 35.

People

• Visited the Gateshead and Westhoughton sites during Board meetings

in September 2018 and March 2019 respectively

• Received an update from the Group Director of Human Resources on people capability,

employee engagement and progress on the culture change journey

• Succession planning and Board appointment

Governance 
and risk

Other

• Received reports from the Group Director of Security, HSE and Risk
• Approved principal risks and the risk appetite for those risks
• Conducted an assessment of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018
• Discussed the results of the Board performance evaluation
• Received reports from the Chairs of the Audit, Remuneration,

Ethics and Nomination Committees

• Approved changes to the composition of the Board
• Carried out the annual corporate governance review and reviewed and agreed
proposed changes to the Terms of Reference for the Board and its principal
Committees to bring these in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018

• Considered the scope and remit for a Non-executive Director to be responsible

for workforce engagement in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018

• Approved the 2018 Annual Report and Accounts and the 2018 notice of AGM
• Approved the 2018/19 annual budget
• Reviewed the Group’s insurance programme renewal
• Reviewed HSE performance
• Approved capital expenditure projects and other matters reserved for the Board
• Considered the Group’s Modern Slavery Transparency Statement
• Approved Non-executive Directors’ fees

For more information 
on principal risks 
see pages 36 to 41. 

For more information 
on Board Committee  
reports see pages 
62 to 91.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201957

Our governance framework

Certain Board responsibilities are delegated to formal Board Committees which play an important governance role through 
the work they carry out:

Remuneration Committee
Sets the remuneration policy for the 
Chairman and Executive Directors and 
monitors the policies and practices 
applied to senior management 
remuneration.

Risk Committee
Oversees the risk management 
framework for the Group. Identifies, 
evaluates and monitors principal 
risks facing the Group.

Audit Committee
Reviews and monitors the integrity  
of the Company’s financial reports, risk 
processes and internal controls and 
the effectiveness of the internal audit 
function and external auditors.

See pages 74 to 91.

See page 69. 

See pages 64 to 68. 

Board of Directors and Company Secretary

Nomination Committee
Reviews the structure, size and 
composition of the Board and its 
Committees with regard to diversity 
and to ensuring a balance of skills, 
knowledge and experience.

Ethics Committee
Makes recommendations to the Board 
on ethical matters and reinforces the 
Group’s commitment to ensuring 
business ethics are a fundamental and 
enduring part of the Group’s culture.

See pages 62 and 63. 

See pages 70 to 73.

Disclosure Committee
Oversees the implementation of the 
governance procedures associated 
with the assessment, control and 
disclosure of inside information 
in accordance with the Market 
Abuse Regulation.

Chief Executive Officer 

Executive Leadership Team
•  Operates under the direction and authority 

of the Chief Executive Officer

•  Manages the day-to-day running of the Group
•  Develops and implements strategy, monitoring 
the operating and financial performance and 
the prioritisation and allocation of resources

Group Health, Safety and 
Environment Committee
•  Makes recommendations on HSE strategy
•  Monitors compliance with HSE obligations
•  Reports on key HSE KPIs 
•  Recommends appropriate training and actions to 
maintain HSE improvements and performance

Corporate Governance58

Corporate governance continued

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION 
AND EVALUATION
Board composition and roles

There is a clear division of responsibilities between the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer, which is set out 
in writing and has been agreed by the Board. The following table summarises the role and responsibilities of the 
different members of the Board:

Chief Executive Officer
• Maintaining a senior management

team with the appropriate
knowledge, experience, skills,
attitude and motivation to manage
the Group’s day-to-day activities

• Exercising personal leadership and
developing a management style
which encourages excellent and
open working relationships at all
levels within the Group

• Ensuring, through the Chief Financial
Officer, the implementation, control
and coordination of the Group’s
financial and funding policies
approved by the Board

• Ensuring that the Group has in

place appropriate risk management
and control mechanisms

• Setting the operating plans and
budgets required to deliver the
agreed strategy for growth in
shareholder value

• Implementing and reviewing

HSE policy and, supported by the
ELT, overseeing improvements
and performance

• Identifying acquisitions and

monitoring competitive forces

• Communicating with the Company’s
shareholders and analysts on a
day-to-day basis as necessary
(subject to the Chairman being
made aware of any such instances)

Independent Non-executive 
Directors
The Non-executive Directors play 
a key role in corporate governance 
and accountability through their 
attendance at Board meetings and their 
membership of Board Committees. 
The Non-executive Directors bring 
a broad range of business and 
financial expertise to the Board which 
complements and supplements the 
experience of the Executive Directors.

Other Executive Directors
The Chief Financial Officer supports 
the Chief Executive Officer and is 
responsible for managing the Group’s 
finance strategy, financial reporting, risk 
management and internal controls, 
investor relations programme and the 
leadership of the finance function.

General Counsel and 
Company Secretary
The General Counsel and Company 
Secretary advises the Board on matters 
of corporate governance and supports 
the Chairman and Non-executive 
Directors. He is also the point of 
contact for investors on matters of 
corporate governance and ensures 
good governance practices at Board 
level and throughout the Group.

Chairman
• Providing leadership to the Board,
setting its agenda, style and tone
to promote constructive debate
and challenge between Executive
Directors and Non-executive Directors

• Take overall responsibility for the
composition and capability of the
Board and its Committees

• Ensuring good information flows
from the Executive Directors to
the Board, and from the Board
to its key stakeholders

• Supporting and advising the

Chief Executive Officer, particularly
in the development of strategy

• Chairing the Nomination Committee

and building an effective and
complementary Board, regularly
considering its composition
and balance, diversity and
succession planning

• Chairing the Ethics Committee

• Ensuring high standards of
corporate governance and
probity throughout the Group are
established and maintained

Senior Independent Director
A key role of the Senior Independent 
Director is to be available to shareholders 
if they have concerns which contact 
through the normal channels of Chairman, 
Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial 
Officer has failed to resolve, or for which 
such contact is inappropriate. The 
Senior Independent Director is also 
available to the other Directors should 
they have any concerns which are not 
appropriate to raise with the Chairman 
or which have not been satisfactorily 
resolved by the Chairman. The Senior 
Independent Director will also lead the 
recruitment of a new Chairman other 
than when being considered for the 
position himself.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201959

All of these processes were carried 
out satisfactorily during the period. 
The reviews undertaken in the year 
have concluded that the performance 
of the Board, its Committees and 
individual Directors was effective. 

Induction and professional 
development
All new Directors receive a tailored 
induction on joining the Board, including 
meetings with senior management and 
visits to some of the Group’s locations. 
They also receive a detailed information 
pack which includes details of Directors’ 
duties and responsibilities, procedures 
for dealing in De La Rue plc shares 
and a number of other governance 
related issues. Directors are continually 
updated on the Group’s businesses, 
their markets and changes to the 
competitive and regulatory environments 
in which they operate. All Directors are 
encouraged to undertake additional 
training where it is considered appropriate 
for them to do so and to visit the Group’s 
facilities on an ongoing basis.

Conflicts of interests 
and independence
The Board has established a process to 
review at least annually and, if appropriate, 
authorise any conflict of interest and has 
carried out such a review during the year 
and authorised all Directors’ situational 
conflicts. Any transactional conflicts are 
reviewed as they arise. Directors are 
asked to review and confirm reported 
conflicts of interests as part of the year 
end process.

Culture and values
The Board considers leadership, 
culture and good governance as 
essential considerations in the Group’s 
ongoing transformation. As we seek to 
build a high performance culture across 
the business to deliver our strategy, 
the Board recognises the role it plays in 
providing leadership and tone from the 
top. The Board is developing a framework 
through the ELT for regular oversight of the 
culture within the Company. The intention 
is to ensure the De La Rue values are 
integral to the performance management 
of the senior leadership group and other 
employees, and that the incentive 
structure in place supports and 
encourages behaviours consistent with 
those values. See page 27 for more 
information on our culture journey.

Performance evaluation
The Chairman is responsible, with 
support from the Nomination Committee, 
for ensuring that the Company has 
an effective Board with a suitable range 
of skills, knowledge, experience and 
diversity. The Company has a formal 
performance evaluation process for the 
Board, its Committees and individual 
Directors. The performance evaluation 
involved the use of an external independent 
facilitator, Lintstock Limited. The evaluation 
is undertaken annually.

The review process involved completion 
of online questionnaires which focused 
on Board composition, expertise and 
dynamics, quality of decisions made, 
Board support and processes, structure, 
behaviours and other key issues such 
as strategy and succession. The review 
also addressed delivery of the Board’s 
objectives and any issues identified 
during the previous review or which 
became relevant during the year. 

A report on the performance of the Board 
and each of the principal Committees was 
compiled by Lintstock. The results of the 
questionnaire as they applied to the 
Board were discussed collectively. 

The Chairman and each Committee 
Chairman have discussions with each 
Director or Committee member based on 
the responses. The Senior Independent 
Director is responsible for appraising the 
Chairman’s performance in discussions 
with the Non-executive Directors and the 
Executive Directors in the absence of the 
Chairman. The Chairman holds one-to-
one meetings with all Directors. 

Corporate Governance60

Corporate governance continued

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION

Whistleblowing
A whistleblowing telephone hotline, 
CodeLine, allows De La Rue employees 
to raise concerns in relation to dishonesty 
or malpractice on an entirely confidential 
basis. The hotline is operated by a third 
party which is independent of De La Rue. 
Incoming reports are provided to the 
General Counsel and Company 
Secretary who ensures that the matters 
are appropriately investigated. The Ethics 
Committee and the Audit Committee 
receive regular reports on any matters 
raised through the hotline and monitor 
its use throughout De La Rue. 

Assessment of the prospects 
of the Company and its 
viability statement
In accordance with provision C.2.2 of the 
Code, the Directors set out on page 41 
how they have assessed the prospects 
of the Company, over what period the 
prospects have been assessed, and the 
Company’s formal viability statement.

Information in the 
Directors’ report
Information fulfilling certain requirements 
of the corporate governance statement 
can be found in the Directors’ report 
and is incorporated into this corporate 
governance section by reference.

For reference, relevant sections of the 
Directors’ report are:

• Substantial shareholdings

• Deadlines for voting rights

• Amendment of the Company’s

articles of association

• Appointment and replacement

of Directors

• Powers of Directors

• Authority to issue shares

• Repurchase of shares

Risk management 
and internal control
The Board retains overall responsibility 
for identifying, evaluating, managing and 
mitigating the principal risks faced by the 
Group and for monitoring the Group’s risk 
management and internal control systems. 
However, such systems are designed to 
manage rather than eliminate the risk of 
failure to business objectives and can 
only provide reasonable and not absolute 
assurance against material misstatement 
or loss. In accordance with principle C.2 
of the Code and the related guidance, the 
Company has established the procedures 
necessary to ensure that there is an 
ongoing process for identifying, evaluating, 
managing and mitigating the principal risks 
it is willing to take to achieve its strategic 
objectives (its risk appetite). The Directors 
confirm that such procedures have been 
in place for the period ended 30 March 
2019 and up to the date of approval of 
these financial statements and that the 
Group’s risk management and internal 
control systems have been monitored 
during the period. Further details on the 
ongoing risk management and internal 
control systems can be found in both the 
risk management section of this annual 
report and the Audit Committee report 
on pages 37 to 40 and pages 64 
to 68 respectively.

This review does not extend to associated 
companies or joint ventures where the 
Group does not have management control. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201961

Relations with shareholders
The Company reports formally to its 
shareholders twice a year, with the 
half year results announced normally 
at the end of November and the full 
year results normally at the end of May. 
In addition, the Board continues to 
value the importance of building 
strong investor relations, delivered 
through an active investor relations 
communication programme. 

In the reporting period, our scheduled 
engagement programme focused on 
improving investors’ understanding 
of the Company’s strategy, product 
developments and technology. An 
extensive investor programme was 
undertaken involving the Chairman, 
the Chief Executive Officer, Chief 
Financial Officer and Head of Investor 
Relations. This included formal events, 
roadshows and site visits, along with 
regular calls and one-to-one investor 
meetings with representatives of 
institutional shareholders and 
prospective investors.

Additional investor engagement 
activities were initiated by the Chief 
Executive Officer and the Chairman 
following the loss of the UK passport 
contract and the departure of 
Jitesh Sodha. 

The Chairman, Senior Independent 
Director and other members of the 
Board make themselves available 
to meet with institutional investors 
when requested, taking their 
recommendations on board 
where appropriate.

All holders of ordinary shares may 
attend the Company’s AGM at which 
the Chairman presents a review of the 
key business developments during the 
year. This year’s AGM will be held at 
10:30 on Thursday 25 July 2019 at 
De La Rue House, Jays Close, Viables, 
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG22 4BS. The 
notice of AGM accompanies this annual 
report. Shareholders can ask questions 
of the Board on the matters put to the 
meeting, including the annual report and 
the running of the Company generally. 

All Directors are invited to attend each 
AGM and all Committee Chairmen will 
be present to take questions at the AGM.

The Company sends the notice of 
AGM and relevant related papers to 
shareholders at least 20 working days 
before the meeting. The notice of AGM is 
available to view on the Group’s website.

A poll is conducted on each resolution 
at all Company general meetings. All 
shareholders have the opportunity to 
cast their vote in respect of proposed 
resolutions by proxy, either electronically 
or by post. Following the AGM, the voting 
results for each resolution are published 
and are made available on our website.

By order of the Board

Edward Peppiatt
Company Secretary
30 May 2019

The Board values the 
importance of building 
strong relationships 
with shareholders 
and investors. 

Shareholders by location
%

UK 

North America 

Rest of Europe 

Rest of world 

Shareholder concentration
%

Top 1 to 5 

Top 6 to 10 

Top 11 to 20 

Top 21 to 60 

The remainder 

65%

26%

8%

1%

36%

19%

19%

19%

7%

Corporate Governance62

Corporate governance continued

COMPOSITION, SUCCESSION AND EVALUATION

Nomination Committee

The Nomination Committee 
ensures that the Board and 
its Committees maintain the 
appropriate balance of skills, 
knowledge, experience and 
diversity to ensure compliance 
with all legal and fiduciary 
obligations and to deliver 
value to shareholders and 
other stakeholders.

Principal responsibilities
The key areas of responsibility 
of the Committee are:

Board structure
• To review the structure, size

and composition of the Board
and its Committees, to ensure
they remain appropriate, with
regard to maintaining a balance
of skills, experience, knowledge
and diversity and to make
recommendations to the Board

Succession
• To consider succession plans
taking into account challenges
and opportunities facing the
Company and the skills required

Effectiveness
• To review the time commitment

required of Non-executive
Directors at least once a year
• To review the independence of
the Non-executive Directors

The Board recognises  
the importance of 
having an inclusive and 
diverse culture, and we 
aim to reflect this within  
its composition.

Dear Shareholder

I am pleased to present the 2019 
Nomination Committee report.

Members and attendance

Member
Philip Rogerson 
(Chairman)
Martin Sutherland
Nick Bray
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha
Andrew Stevens1

Directors’ 
attendance 
2018/19

4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
3 (4)

Note: 
Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings 
that could have been attended.
1 

 Andrew Stevens was absent from a meeting where the 
only item on the agenda was his own re-appointment.

Biographical details of the members 
of the Board who held office up to 
the date of this report can be found 
on pages 52 and 53.

Operation of the Committee
The Committee leads the process 
for nominations to the Board, making 
recommendations to the Board as 
appropriate. It gives full consideration 
to the composition of the Board and 
succession planning for Directors 
and senior executives. The Chairman 
and the independent Non-executive 
Directors, together with the Chief 
Executive Officer, are members 
of the Committee.

Committee meetings
The Committee is required, in accordance 
with its terms of reference, to meet at 
least once a year. During the year, the 
Committee met four times.

Philip Rogerson
Chairman of the Nomination Committee

Activities during the period
This year the Committee’s main 
activity was Board and senior leadership 
succession planning, in particular the 
search for, and appointment of, a new 
Chief Financial Officer. This was achieved 
through a mixture of formal meetings 
and frequent informal exchanges. Further 
detail on the process involved is given 
under Board changes below. 

Other areas of focus included: 

• Review of the composition of the
Board and the range of skills and
experience on the Board

• Board and management succession

• Review of Board diversity

• Non-executive Directors’ periods
of appointment and confirmation
that all should stand for re-election
at the AGM following a formal
performance appraisal process

• Review of the composition

of Board Committees

• Evaluation and effectiveness review

• External commitments

The Committee’s annual evaluation 
involved the use of an external 
independent facilitator, Lintstock Limited. 
It was concluded that the Committee 
continued to operate effectively.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201963

Non-executive Directors’ periods of appointment

Director

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Andy Stevens

Sabri Challah

Maria da Cunha 

Nick Bray

First three 
year term

First additional 
three year term

Second additional 
three year term

Non-executive Directors are appointed for an initial period of three years with the expectation of one further three year term, subject 
to satisfactory performance and annual re-election by shareholders. Terms beyond this period are considered on a case by case basis 
and only following rigorous review, taking account of performance and ability to contribute to the Board in light of the knowledge, skills, 
experience and diversity required.

The Group has formally approved an 
Inclusivity policy describing De La Rue’s 
commitment to a working environment 
where all people feel valued and respected 
as individuals. Further details on the 
Group’s approach to inclusion and 
diversity and the gender pay gap are 
set out on pages 45 and 46.

Election and re-election
Helen Willis, having been appointed 
by the Board since the last AGM, will 
stand for election at the 2019 AGM. 
As in previous years, and in accordance 
with the UK Corporate Governance 
Code, all other Directors will stand 
for re-election at the AGM. 

The Board, having carried out the 
effectiveness and evaluation process, 
considers the performance of each of 
the Directors standing for election and 
re-election at this year’s AGM to be fully 
satisfactory and is of the opinion that they 
have demonstrated ongoing effectiveness 
and continued commitment to the role. 
The Board strongly supports their election 
and re-election and recommends that 
shareholders vote in favour of the 
resolutions at the AGM.

Philip Rogerson
Chairman of the Nomination Committee
30 May 2019

Succession planning and talent
The Committee recognises that 
having the right Directors and senior 
management is crucial for the Group’s 
success and a key task of the Committee 
is to ensure that there is a robust and 
rigorous succession process to ensure 
that there is the right mix of skills and 
experience as the Group evolves. 
During the period, the Chief Executive 
Officer and Group HR Director led 
a comprehensive talent review and 
succession planning presentation 
to the Committee and to the Board.

The review focused on the executive 
pipeline from which future leaders of the 
Company were likely to emerge, both 
at ELT level and other key management 
areas. Strong successors and a diverse 
pipeline of ‘ready later’ emerging talent 
have been identified. 

The Board meets ELT members 
and other key managers formally and 
informally to exchange views and ideas.

Board changes 
Following the resignation of Jitesh 
Sodha in March 2018, the Nomination 
Committee sought a successor to the 
role of Chief Financial Officer. The Board 
retained Russell Reynolds Associates, 
an independent executive search 
firm which does not have any other 
connections with the Company, to 
conduct an extensive and thorough 
search. Two candidates were short listed, 
of whom Helen Willis (who had joined 
De La Rue as Interim Chief Financial 
Officer in April 2018) was the preferred 
candidate. Helen was appointed as 
Chief Financial Officer on 19 July 2018 
and became a member of the Board 
on 26 July 2018, following the conclusion 
of the AGM. 

Board Diversity policy
Diversity and inclusion continues to 
be an area of focus for the Nomination 
Committee and the Board is committed 
to promoting an inclusive and diverse 
culture in terms of ideas, skills, knowledge, 
experience, education, ethnicity, gender, 
or any other relevant measure. 

The primary objective and responsibility 
of the Board when making new 
appointments is to ensure the strength 
of the Board’s composition. The Board 
will continue to follow a policy of ensuring 
that the best people are appointed for 
the relevant roles while ensuring that 
the Board members are able to provide 
the range of perspectives, insights and 
challenge required to support effective 
decision making. Appointments will 
be made based on merit by assessing 
candidates against objective criteria, but 
recognising and embracing the benefits 
of greater diversity. The Committee will 
instruct search consultants to identify 
candidates who meet the skills and 
experience brief and as with previous 
appointments, the Board will consider 
candidates from the widest pool.

As at 30 March 2019, the Company 
has two female Directors (one Executive, 
one Non-executive) (nearly 30%) which 
is higher than last year. Maria da Cunha 
is a Non-executive Director and Helen 
Willis, Executive Director, is our Chief 
Financial Officer. 

Corporate Governance64

Corporate governance continued

AUDIT, RISK AND  
INTERNAL CONTROL
Audit Committee

Activities during the period
During the period, the Audit Committee 
met on five occasions and dealt with 
the following matters: 

• Group half year results

• Group preliminary announcement

and annual results

• Principal judgemental accounting

matters affecting the Group based
on reports from management and
the external auditors

• External audit plans and reports

• Group disclosure and
whistleblowing policy

• Going concern and viability

assessment

• External auditor effectiveness,

independence, and fees
(including non-audit fee)

• Review of improvements made to

the Group’s Business Continuity Plan

• Risk and assurance plans and

reports including:

 – Group risk profile

 – Internal audit plan

 – Internal audit reports

 – Follow up of internal

audit recommendations

 – Annual review of the system

of internal controls

 – Business continuity

 – Internal control self
assessment review

 – HSE legal assurance

and compliance audits

• Audit Committee effectiveness

The Audit Committee provides 
an independent overview of the 
effectiveness of the internal 
financial control systems and 
financial reporting processes. 

Principal responsibilities
Financial reporting
• Reviewing the integrity

of the interim and full year
financial statements
• Reviewing significant

financial reporting issues
and judgements

• Advising the Board on whether
taken as a whole, the annual
report is fair, balanced and
understandable and provides
the information necessary 
for shareholders to assess 
the Group’s performance, 
business model and strategy

Risk management 
and internal audit
• Monitoring and reviewing

the effectiveness of internal
financial controls and
internal control and risk
management systems

• Reviewing the effectiveness
of the internal audit function
• Reviewing the effectiveness

of the Group’s whistleblowing
procedures and arrangements

External audit
• The appointment of the

external auditors including
the agreement of the terms
of engagement at the start
of each audit, the audit scope
and the external audit fee
• Reviewing and monitoring the

external auditor’s effectiveness,
independence and objectivity
including the nature and
appropriateness of any
non-audit fees

The terms of reference of the 
Audit Committee are available 
on the Group’s website.

Dear Shareholder

I am pleased to present the 2019 
Audit Committee report. This report 
describes the Committee’s ongoing 
responsibilities and key tasks as well 
as its major activities in the period 
ended 30 March 2019.

Members and attendance

Member
Nick Bray (Chairman)
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha
Andrew Stevens

Directors’
attendance 
2018/19
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)

Note: 
Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings 
that could have been attended.

Operation of the Committee
All members of the Committee are 
Independent Non-executive Directors. 
The Board is satisfied that the 
membership of the Audit Committee 
meets the requirement for relevant 
and recent financial experience, 
by virtue of my position as Chief 
Financial Officer of Sophos Group plc. 
Biographies and experience of 
members of the Committee can 
be found on pages 52 and 53.

I have continued with the practice of 
inviting the Chairman, Chief Executive 
Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General 
Counsel and Company Secretary, and 
the external and internal auditors to join 
meetings of the Committee. The Group 
Director of Security, HSE and Risk also 
attends Committee meetings at specific 
times during the year. The internal auditor 
and external auditors each meet the 
Committee without Executive Directors 
or other employees being present.

Committee meetings
The Committee is required, in 
accordance with its terms of reference, 
to meet at least three times a year. 
During the year, the Committee 
met five times.

Nick Bray
Chairman of the Audit Committee

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Providing rigorous 
oversight and challenge 
of the Group’s internal 
controls and risk 
management processes 
and procedures continues 
to be an important part 
of the Committee’s role 
and an essential aspect 
of the Group’s corporate 
governance framework.

65

Significant accounting matters 
The Audit Committee is responsible for 
reviewing whether suitable accounting 
policies have been adopted and 
applied consistently and determining 
if management has made appropriate 
estimates and judgements in the 
preparation of the financial statements. 
During the period, the Audit Committee 
has also overseen the adoption of the 
new IFRS 15 and IFRS 9 Financial 
Reporting standards. In addition, 
the Audit Committee has reviewed 
and considered and challenged a 
number of key accounting areas 
and judgements as set out below.

Adoption of new Financial Reporting 
Standards in the period
Implementation of IFRS 15 (Revenue 
from contracts with customers): 
During the year, the Committee oversaw 
the adoption of IFRS 15. A detailed 
assessment was undertaken, and a 
number of areas identified where revenue 
recognition is different for certain customer 
contracts. The Audit Committee reviewed 
the analysis and impact and determined 
that where certain contracts are to be 
recognised over time under IFRS 15, 
the establishment of the enforceable 
right to payment is potentially a complex 
judgement and has therefore concluded 
that this represents a critical accounting 
estimate. Further consideration of this 
is detailed below.

Implementation of IFRS 9 
(Financial instruments):
The Audit Committee has reviewed the 
Group’s assessment of the impact of 
IFRS 9 and concluded that it does not 
have a material impact to the Group. 
The key change resulting from IFRS 9 
is the adoption of the Expected Credit 
Loss (ECL) model for the calculation 
of an allowance for future credit losses. 
The Audit Committee has reviewed the 
methodology applied by the Group for 
calculating the ECL and has considered 
both the segmentations applied to 
identify customers with a similar credit risk 
and the loss rates applied to each and 
considered that these are appropriate. 

Revenue recognition over time: 
enforceable right to payment for 
performance completed to date 
During the period, judgement has 
been made on certain contracts that 
an enforceable right to payment for 
performance completed to date exists, 
which is required to allow revenue 
recognition over time rather than at a point 
in time under IFRS 15. This represented a 
complex judgement considering the legal 
terms within the contract and required 
expert legal opinion from external lawyers. 
The Audit Committee has reviewed the 
assessment prepared by management 
and is comfortable based on the 
understanding of the legal terms, that 
the ‘over time’ revenue recognition 
criteria have been met as it can be 
demonstrated that an enforceable 
right to payment exists. 

Revenue recognition
The Committee considered the 
Group’s revenue recognition policies and 
procedures to ensure that they remained 
appropriate and that the Group’s internal 
controls were operating effectively in this 
area. Feedback was also sought from the 
external auditors over the application of 
the revenue recognition policy including 
the adoption of IFRS 15 and a specific 
review of shipments pre- and post-year 
end. Following a review of the varied 
sources of information received, the 
Committee concluded that the 
accounting treatments were 
reasonable and appropriate.

Post-retirement benefit 
obligations
The Committee received and considered 
reports from management based on 
analysis prepared by independent actuaries 
and the external auditors in relation to the 
valuation of the defined benefit pension 
scheme and challenged the key actuarial 
assumptions used in calculating the 
scheme liabilities, especially in relation 
to discount rates, RPI and CPI inflation 
rates and mortality. 

Corporate Governance66

Corporate governance continued

AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

During the year, a £1.7m charge was 
included within exceptional items relating 
to the booking of an additional provision 
for the Guaranteed Minimum Pension 
(GMP). The Committee reviewed the key 
assumptions used by the independent 
actuaries in calculating the additional 
provision arising due to GMP and 
concluded that it represented a 
reasonable estimate of the additional 
liability required.

The Committee discussed the reasons for 
the decrease in the net pension deficit and 
was satisfied that the assumptions used 
were appropriate and were supported by 
independent actuarial specialists. Details 
of the key assumptions used are set out 
in note 24. 

Valuation of inventory
The Committee reviewed the Group’s 
policies and procedures over the valuation 
and recoverability of inventory in Currency 
(£24.1m). The Committee received 
confirmation that the valuation principles 
had been consistently applied and noted 
that the majority of inventory items were 
made to order rather than held for generic 
stock and hence the recoverability risk 
was low. Accordingly, the Committee 
concluded that the accounting treatments 
were reasonable and appropriate.

Estimation of accruals 
and provisions
The Group holds a number of provisions 
relating to warranties including present 
obligations for defective products and 
known claims as well as anticipated claims 
that had not been reported at the balance 
sheet date. The Committee reviewed and 
discussed reports from management 
and the external auditors concerning the 
significant provisions held for such matters 
including any provisions with notable 
movements. The Committee considered 
the background to all material accruals 
and provisions and challenged 
management over the judgements 
applied in determining the value 
of provisions required. 

The Committee enquired of management 
and the external auditors as to the 
existence of other matters potentially 
requiring a provision to be made. 
The Committee concluded that it was 
satisfied with the value of accruals and 
provisions carried.

The Group currently has certain ongoing 
taxation assessments which are provided 
for where the Company considers it 
probable that an outflow of economic 
benefits will occur and the amount can be 
reliably measured. Where the Company 
considers that the chance of an outflow 
is remote no provision is recorded and no 
disclosure is given. The Committee has 
considered the latest available information 
provided by management including the 
latest view of external advisers and is 
confident with the judgements made 
in preparing the financial statements 
in the current period.

Classification of exceptional items
As part of the Committee’s deliberations 
over whether the Annual Report and 
Accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, 
balanced and understandable, the 
Committee also considered the amounts 
disclosed as exceptional items. The nature 
of the items classified as operating 
exceptional items during the period 
is described in note 4. 

The Committee considered the 
accounting treatment and disclosure 
of these items in the financial statements 
including seeking the views of the external 
auditors. On the basis of this review, the 
Committee concluded that the accounting 
treatment and disclosures in relation 
to these items were appropriate.

During the current year, the accounting 
policy for exceptional items has also been 
updated with regards to items related to 
the Group’s defined benefit arrangement 
to include not just curtailments but also 
changes to the liability which are 
considered to be of a permanent nature 
and therefore recorded in the income 
statement. Specific examples of this 
include the change in GMP and the 
indexation change. 

The Committee considered this change 
and concluded that such items are 
non-recurring and not representative 
of underlying business performance 
and consequently including them in 
exceptional items helps to provide users 
of the accounts with a more meaningful 
understanding of the underlying 
business performance.

The Committee also considered other 
material items in order to determine the 
appropriate classification in exceptional 
items or adjusted operating profit.

Accounting for the credit loss and 
revenue recognition associated 
with a customer in Venezuela
During the period a credit loss of £18.1m 
was recognised for a customer in 
Venezuela. Due to the material size of the 
credit loss and its one off nature and the 
fact that the customer is unable to pay 
due to non-UK sanctions it has been 
concluded that it is appropriate for the 
item to be classified exceptional. It has 
also been considered that Revenue and 
associated margin should remain in IFRS 
and adjusted operating profit as at the 
time of the revenue recognition, the risk 
to payment had not fully materialised 
and because the Group had fully met its 
obligations under the customer contract 
with control passing to the customer. 
Furthermore, there is no dispute of 
disagreement with the customer, 
rather the ability to pay is impacted 
by non-UK sanctions.

Update on accounting following 
the disposal of Portals De La Rue 
Limited in 2018
The Committee reviewed the updated 
disposal accounting for Portals De La Rue 
Limited. The Committee reviewed the:

• Critical accounting estimates used in
the estimate of potential recompense
of consideration

• Accounting treatment for the disposal

group under IFRS 5

• Appropriate accounting treatment

for the remaining interest De La Rue
has in the Portals De La Rue

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201967

Appointment of auditors
The Audit Committee assesses 
annually the qualification, expertise, 
resources and independence of the 
external auditors and the effectiveness 
of the audit process. The Audit 
Committee’s assessment is performed 
by an audit satisfaction questionnaire 
completed by the Chairman, relevant 
senior management and Audit 
Committee members. 

Ernst & Young LLP have been the 
Company’s auditors since June 2017, 
when they were appointed by the 
Board following the most recent tender 
of the external audit. They have since 
been re-appointed at the annual 
general meetings held in July 2017 
and July 2018.

During the year ended 30 March 2019, 
the Audit Committee met privately with 
Ernst & Young LLP on four occasions, 
without executives of the Company 
being present.

Following presentations by management 
and discussions with the external auditors, 
the Committee was satisfied with the 
disclosures relating to the disposal of 
Portals De La Rue Limited.

Independence and objectivity 
of external auditors
The Committee ensures that the external 
auditors (Ernst & Young LLP) remain 
independent of the Group. The Audit 
Committee has a detailed policy covering: 

•  Choosing the statutory auditors 

and approving the audit fee

•  Commissioning non-audit work

•  Defining circumstances in which it 
is appropriate or inappropriate for 
incumbent auditors to be allowed 
to provide or be prohibited from 
providing non-audit work

•  De La Rue’s procedures for procuring 

non-audit services from external 
sources, which specifically prohibits 
Ernst & Young LLP from undertaking 
certain types of service (including but 
not limited to services where it would 
audit its own work, where it would act 
in an advocacy role for the Group or 
where it would participate in activities 
normally undertaken by management) 

However, it may be cost effective for 
Ernst & Young LLP to perform certain 
non-audit services, in particular where 
the skills and experience required make 
Ernst & Young LLP the most suitable 
supplier. Certain categories of non-audit 
services, including corporation tax 
compliance and due diligence services 
must be subject to competitive tender 
unless it is justifiable in the circumstances 
not to do so. Areas which would not 
normally be acceptable non-audit 
services but in exceptional circumstances 
may be considered appropriate, such 
as litigation and compliance services, 
require my prior approval. 

The selection criteria include detailed 
proposals, timescales, local resource, 
cost and the safeguards put in place 
by Ernst & Young LLP to avoid conflicts 
of interest or loss of independence. 

In addition, the Group’s policy is for any 
individual assignment to be undertaken 
by Ernst & Young LLP where the fee is 
likely to be in excess of £50,000 to be 
approved by me prior to commencement 
of work. During 2018/19, the amount of 
non-audit fees paid to Ernst & Young LLP 
was £0.1m.

Ernst & Young LLP put safeguards 
in place to avoid compromising their 
objectivity and independence. They 
provide a written report to the Audit 
Committee on how they comply with 
professional and regulatory requirements 
and best practice designed to ensure 
their independence. Key members of 
the Ernst & Young LLP audit team rotate 
and the firm ensures, where appropriate, 
that confidentiality is maintained 
between different parts of the firm 
providing services to De La Rue.

The Audit Committee places great 
emphasis on the objectivity of the 
Company’s auditors, Ernst & Young LLP, 
in reporting to shareholders.

The Ernst & Young LLP audit partner is 
present at Audit Committee meetings to 
ensure communication of matters relating 
to the audit. The Audit Committee has 
regular discussions with the auditors, 
without management being present, 
on the adequacy of controls and on 
judgemental areas and receives and 
reviews the auditors’ highlights reports 
and management letters, which are 
one of the main outputs from the 
external audit.

The scope and key focus of the 
forthcoming year’s audit is discussed with, 
and approved by, the Audit Committee. 

During the year the Group’s audit for 
the year ended 31 March 2018 has 
been subject to inspection by the 
FRC’s Audit Quality Review team. 
No significant findings were identified 
by the regulators during the course 
of this inspection in respect of the 
audit procedures performed.

Corporate Governance68

Corporate governance continued

AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

In making its recommendation to the 
Board the Committee continued its robust 
existing governance arrangements by:

• Comprehensive Group and subsidiary

accounts process, with written
confirmations provided by business unit
senior management teams on the health
of the financial control environment

• Reviews of the annual report

undertaken at different levels of the
Group and by the senior management
team that aim to ensure consistency
and overall balance

• External audit review

• Clear guidance and instruction of the
requirement provided to contributors

• Written confirmation that information

provided by executive management has
been done on a fair and balanced basis

• Additional reviews by the Audit

Committee Chairman of the draft annual
report in advance of the final sign-off in
the context of the Code provision

Final sign-off is provided by the Board, 
on the recommendation of the Committee.

Nick Bray
Chairman of the Audit Committee
30 May 2019

Internal control and 
risk management 
As noted above, the Committee is 
responsible for reviewing, on behalf 
of the Board, the effectiveness of the 
Group’s internal financial controls and 
the assurance procedures relating to 
the Group’s risk management systems. 
These controls and procedures are 
designed to manage, but not eliminate, 
the risk of failure of the Group to meet 
its business objectives and, as such, 
provide reasonable but not absolute 
assurance against material misstatement 
or loss. The key elements of the Group’s 
risk management framework and 
procedures are set out on pages 36 to 
40. The Committee reviews these topics
at each meeting and considers that none
of the areas identified for enhancement
during the year constituted a significant
failing or weakness for the Group.

Internal audit 
Assurance over the design and 
operation of internal controls across 
the Group is provided through a 
combination of techniques. The Board, 
through the Audit Committee, monitors 
the effectiveness of internal control 
systems through reports received from 
the internal audit function during the 
period. The delivery of the internal 
audit function has been outsourced 
since 2009. PricewaterhouseCoopers 
LLP have performed this role since 
the start of 2013/14.

Internal audit continued to ensure 
that their efforts were aligned to the 
operational risks that the Group faces 
while maintaining an emphasis on 
reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness 
of general finance and IT controls across 
the Group on a cyclical basis. In addition 
to internal audit work, there is a system 
of self assessment internal control 
reviews by which management are 
required to detail and certify that controls 
are in operation to ensure the control 
environment in their business areas 
is appropriate. This self assessment 
process has been refreshed in the year 
to reflect improvements in the overall 
Group controls framework. Actions 
agreed are followed up by senior 
management to ensure that satisfactory 
control is maintained. The internal audit 
plan is set and reviewed by the Audit 
Committee. Additionally, the Audit 
Committee reviews reports from the 
external auditors on internal control 
matters noted as part of their audit work.

The 2019/20 Internal Audit plan was 
approved by the Committee in April 2019 
and during the year ended 30 March 
2019, the Audit Committee met privately 
with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP on 
two occasions, without executives of 
the Company being present.

Fair, balanced and 
understandable view
At its May 2019 meeting, the Committee 
reviewed the content of this Annual Report 
and Accounts and advised the Board 
that, in its view, taken as a whole, it is 
fair, balanced and understandable and 
provides the information necessary for 
shareholders to assess the Group’s 
position and performance, business 
model and strategy.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Risk Committee

The Board has delegated 
to the Risk Committee the 
responsibility for identifying, 
evaluating and monitoring 
the risks facing the Group 
and for deciding how 
these are managed. 

Principal responsibilities
•  Recommend the risk 
management policy 
and strategy

•  Oversee development and 

maintenance of a Group-wide 
risk management framework for 
identifying and managing risks

•  Identify and review all major 
risks faced by the Group 
and ensure that appropriate 
controls are in place to 
manage those risks

•  Review the Group’s ability 

to identify and manage new 
types of risks

•  Promote a risk management 

culture and control environment 

•  Review the effectiveness 

of the Group’s non-financial 
internal control systems in the 
management and reporting 
of risks

69

Dear Shareholder

On behalf of the Risk Committee, 
I am pleased to present the 2019 Risk 
Committee report. This report sets 
out the composition, role and activities 
of the Committee in the period ended 
30 March 2019.

Members and attendance

Member
Edward Peppiatt (Chairman)
Steve Brown (ceased to be 
member during the year)
Andrew Davidson 
(new appointee)
Jo Easton
Bryan Gray 
Richard Hird
Selva Selvaratnam
Martin Sutherland
Martin Sutton (ceased to be 
member during the year)
Helen Willis 

Members’ 
attendance 
2018/19
3 (3)

1 (1)

2 (2)
3 (3)
3 (3)
3 (3)
3 (3)
3 (3)

1 (1)
3 (3)

Note: 
Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings 
that could have been attended.

Operation of the Committee
The Committee comprises all Executive 
Directors of the Board, the rest of 
the ELT members and the Group 
Director of Security, HSE and Risk. 
The Committee meets and reports 
to the Board at least annually. 

Any Director may attend meetings 
and the Board may appoint any other 
individual as they determine.

Committee meetings
The Committee is required, in 
accordance with its terms of reference, 
to meet at least twice a year. During the 
year, the Committee met three times.

Activities during the period
During the period, the Risk Committee 
considered reports on: 

•  The principal risks of the Group 

(see the risk and risk management 
report on pages 36 to 40)

•  Risks associated with Brexit, including 
preparedness and risk ratings under 
both ‘Deal’ and ‘No Deal’ scenarios

•  Risk appetite

•  Controls and mitigations 

implemented to manage banking 
arrangements effectively

•  Improvements made to the 

Group’s Business Continuity Plan

•  Specific operational risks of concern 

and the mitigations in place

•  Data protection requirements

The Directors acknowledge that they 
have overall responsibility for the Group’s 
system of internal control for managing 
risks associated with the business and 
markets within which the Company 
operates. Further details relating to how 
the Directors maintain overall control of 
significant strategic, financial, operational 
and compliance issues are set out in the 
risk and risk management report on 
pages 36 to 40.

In addition, the Board has delegated to 
the Risk Committee the responsibility for 
identifying, evaluating and monitoring the 
risks facing the Group and for deciding 
how these are managed. 

At the period end, following review by the 
Audit Committee of internal controls and 
of the processes covering these controls, 
the Board evaluates the effectiveness 
of the risk management procedures 
conducted by senior management.

The Committee is assisted by Group 
Committees, which deal with specific 
areas of risk, such as HSE and security.

Edward Peppiatt
Chairman of the Risk Committee 
30 May 2019

Corporate GovernanceActivities during the period
During the period to 30 March 2019, 
the Committee focused on the 
following activities: 

• Status of the restructuring of the

management of TPPs programme

• CBP activity update

• Update on BnEI activities and progress

• Review of the gift register for

Executive Directors

• Review of reports on issues raised

through the whistleblowing hotline –
CodeLine – and other channels and
review of results of any investigations
into ethical or compliance breaches
or allegations of misconduct

• Review of business ethical risk
and consideration of actions

70

Corporate governance continued

AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

Ethics Committee

The Committee is responsible, 
on the Board’s behalf, for 
reviewing compliance with 
the Group’s CBP. The Committee 
considers ethical matters and 
makes recommendations to 
the Board on how they should 
be addressed and reinforces 
the Group’s commitment to 
ensuring business ethics are 
a fundamental and enduring 
part of the Group’s culture. 

Principal responsibilities
The main responsibilities of the 
Ethics Committee are to: 

• Assist the Board in fulfilling
its oversight responsibilities
in respect of ethical matters

• Ensure that De La Rue
conducts business with
integrity and honesty and
in accordance with relevant
legislation and regulations

• Advise the Board on the
development of strategy
and policy on ethical matters
• Advise the Board on steps to
be taken to embed a culture
of integrity and honesty in all of
the Group’s business dealings

• Oversee the development
and adoption of Group
policies and procedures for
the identification, assessment,
management and reporting
of ethical risk

• Oversee the investigation

of any material irregularities
of an ethical or non-financial
fraudulent nature and review
subsequent findings
and recommendations

Dear Shareholder

I am pleased to present the 2019 
Ethics Committee report.

Members and attendance

Member
Philip Rogerson 
(Chairman)
Nick Bray
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha
Andrew Stevens

Directors’
attendance 
2018/19

2 (2)
2 (2)
2 (2)
2 (2)
2 (2)

Note: 
Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings 
that could have been attended.

Operation of the Committee
The Committee comprises all  
Non-executive Directors of the Board. 
The Chief Executive Officer and other 
Board members may attend meetings 
at the invitation of the Committee. 
Members of the ELT and other 
employees, including Functional 
Heads, may be asked to attend 
from time to time to address 
specific matters.

Committee meetings
The Committee is required, in 
accordance with its terms of reference, 
to meet at least twice a year. During the 
year, the Committee met twice.

Business ethics are a 
fundamental and enduring 
part of the Group’s 
culture and governance 
framework.

Philip Rogerson
Chairman of the Ethics Committee

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201971

De La Rue’s ethical framework
The Group delivers high profile security 
print products and services to customers 
across the world. It is essential that the 
Group conducts its business with integrity, 
honesty and transparency to maintain the 
trust and confidence of its customers, 
and everyone it deals with both inside 
and outside the Group. 

The Group has clear core values and 
principles which govern how all employees 
and business partners must behave and 
we believe that by committing to these 
values the business will be well-placed 
to deliver its strategic objectives with 
the expected behaviours.

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

The Group’s ethical framework is 
supported by the standards, policies, 
internal controls and communication as 
highlighted on page 73. We expect all our 
employees, consultants and those acting 
on our behalf to adopt these standards. 
We are participants of the UN Global 
Compact initiative which we are using as 
a guide to align our Company strategies 
and operations with business principles 
on human rights, environment and 
anti-corruption. We also collaborate 
with the International Chamber of 
Commerce corporate responsibility 
and anti-corruption committee.

Our ethics and 
compliance programme
Code of Business Principles (CBP)
The CBP was reviewed and relaunched 
in 2016 and our nine core principles 
are regularly reviewed to ensure that 
they continue to underpin the way in 
which we conduct ourselves and 
work on a daily basis.

If an employee is found to have acted 
in breach of the CBP, the Group takes 
appropriate action to address that 
breach including disciplinary action 
and ultimately terminating employment 
in the most serious cases.

Gifts and hospitality
We have a clear approval process 
for gifts, entertainment and hospitality 
offered by or given to our employees. 
All employees are required to comply 
with the gifts and hospitality policy 
which requires all gifts, entertainment 
and hospitality above a nominal value 
to be recorded on a central Gift Register 
which is reviewed on a monthly basis. 
The Committee receives a report on 
the gifts received or given by the 
Executive Directors. 

Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI)
De La Rue is one of the founding 
members of the BnEI which sets out 
a rigorous framework for promoting 
high ethical standards in the industry 
and requires members to commit to 
the Code of Ethical Business Practice 
that was developed in partnership 
with the Institute of Business Ethics. 

The initiative was established to promote 
ethical business practice, with a focus 
on the prevention of corruption and on 
compliance with anti-trust law within the 
banknote industry. Compliance with the 
code is rigorously tested through an audit 
framework developed in conjunction with 
GoodCorporation, recognised worldwide 
as a leading company in the field of 
corporate responsibility assurance 
and business ethics. 

De La Rue’s re-accreditation was 
confirmed at Level 1 in April 2017. 
The audit focuses on anti-bribery and 
corruption and anti-trust processes, 
procedures and controls. The findings 
of the triennial BnEI audit confirm that 
De La Rue continues to perform strongly 
or above GoodCorporation benchmarks.

Third party partners (TPPs)
We recognise that it is not just our 
employees who could be exposed to 
ethics risks but also TPPs. Their conduct 
remains one of our most significant risks 
and there is a continuing requirement for 
TPPs to undergo our mandatory training 
programme and to conduct business in 
compliance with the standards set by the 
Company. Due diligence is undertaken 
on all our TPPs before they are engaged 
and this process is reviewed on a regular 
basis. TPPs are given regular training to 
ensure they remain alert to potential risks. 
We have risk management measures 
and controls in place including in relation 
to remuneration of TPPs and we monitor 
all payments to ensure that the 
remuneration structure does not 
incentivise unethical behaviour.

Corporate Governance72

Corporate governance continued

AUDIT, RISK AND INTERNAL CONTROL

The Board has core 
values and principles 
which govern how we 
behave and operate. 

Training
The Committee attaches significant 
importance to regular, relevant and 
focused training. Training during the 
period included:

• Face-to-face introduction to TPP training
sessions to new TPP stakeholders

• Competition law training where
relevant for all new starters

• Online training modules for TPPs

and relevant employees

• Senior managers, members of the

Customer & Commercial team and core
functional employees completed online
CBP refresher training and affirmations

• Security awareness training including
guiding principles on ethical behaviour
for employees travelling overseas,
backed up by an online e-learning
course for all travellers going to high
or extreme security risk destinations

Philip Rogerson
Chairman of the Ethics Committee
30 May 2019

The Committee receives regular reports 
on payments made to sales consultants, 
together with an update on the progress 
in moving TPPs away from the traditional 
commission-only model. This is part 
of a five year plan and reflects the 
Group’s aim to reduce risk and manage 
partner performance and reflects the 
recommendation of the BnEI.

Ethics Champions
The Group’s network of Ethics Champions 
ensures that each site has local support 
and representation for CBP matters and 
continues to play an integral part in 
ensuring that strong De La Rue values 
are embedded across the business. 
An Ethics Champions’ conference was 
held in October 2018 and sessions 
included refresher training and an 
external speaker who presented on 
‘Encouraging a Speak Up Culture’.

Whistleblowing
We encourage all employees and people 
acting on our behalf to speak up if they 
have any concerns. The Audit Committee 
reviews our whistleblowing policy and 
procedures each year. Ethical questions 
or concerns raised by employees or third 
parties through the De La Rue CodeLine 
are investigated and all findings and 
remedial actions are reported in detail 
in periodic reports prepared for and 
reviewed by the Ethics Committee. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201973

Code of Business Principles – 9 Topics

Bribery and 
corruption

Competition 
and anti-trust

Gifts and 
hospitality

HSE

Employment 
principles

Records 
and reports

Personal 
information

Insider  
trading

Conflicts 
of interest

Backed up by policies

• Anti-bribery 

and corruption

• Competition 
and anti-trust

• Gifts and 

entertainment

• Charitable 

giving

• Gifts and 

• Health 

• Equal 

• Group finance 

• Data 

and safety
• Environment
• Fire safety

entertainment

• Expenses
• Anti-bribery 

and corruption

• Conflict 

of interests

opportunities

manual

protection

• Fairness 

and respect

• Diversity

• Share dealing, 
market abuse 
and insider 
trading

• Conflicts 
of interest
• Gifts and 

entertainment

Supported by processes

• TPP
• Gift register
• Expenses 
vetting

• Legal 

department 
guidelines

• Gift register
• Expenses 
vetting

• Monthly 
reporting
• Global HSE 
standards

• ISO 

management 
systems

• Grievance 
procedure
• Disciplinary 
process

• Compliance 
declarations

• External 

monitoring
• Separation 
of duties

• Data 

protection 
officer

• Annual data 
protection 
returns

• Procedure 
for dealing 
with inside 
information

• Dealing 

approvals

• Gifts  

register

Underpinned by oversight, controls and communication

Specialist audits

Benchmarking

CodeLine

Employee surveys

Ethics Committee

External audit

Internal audits

Training/induction

Risk reviews

SharePoint

BnEI accreditation

ICC CR and Anti-Corruption Committee

UN Global Compact

Corporate Governance74

Directors’ remuneration report

ANNUAL STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN 
OF THE REMUNERATION COMMITTEE

The Committee’s responsibilities 
are outlined in its terms of 
reference which can be 
found at www.delarue.com. 
The responsibilities are 
reviewed annually and referred 
to the Board for approval. 

Principal responsibilities
A summary of the responsibilities 
are as follows:

Remuneration
• Setting and reviewing the

remuneration of the Chairman,
Executive Directors and senior
executives who report to the
Chief Executive Officer

• Ensuring that all remuneration

paid to Directors is in accordance
with the Company’s previously
approved remuneration policy

• Ensuring that all contractual

terms on termination, and any
payments made, are fair to the
individual and the Company
• Monitoring the reward policies

and practices throughout
the business

Incentive plans
• Determination of the design,
conditions and coverage of
annual and long term incentive
plans for senior executives and
approval of total and individual
awards under the plans

• Determination of targets for any
performance related pay plans

Governance and compliance
• Ensuring that provisions relating
to disclosure of remuneration
as set out in the relevant
legislation, the UK Listing
Rules and the UK Corporate
Governance Code are fulfilled

Dear Shareholder

Members and attendance

As Chairman of the Remuneration 
Committee, I am pleased to present the 
Directors’ remuneration report for the 
period ended 30 March 2019 which has 
been prepared by the Remuneration 
Committee and approved by the Board. 

Member
Sabri Challah (Chairman)
Philip Rogerson
Nick Bray
Maria da Cunha
Andrew Stevens

Directors’ 
attendance 
2018/19
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)
5 (5)
4 (5)

Note: 
Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings 
that could have been attended.

Committee meetings
The Remuneration Committee consists 
exclusively of Non-executive Directors, all 
of whom are regarded as independent, 
and the Chairman of the Board, who 
was regarded as independent at the 
time of his appointment as Chairman. 
The Committee met five times during the 
period and details of attendance can be 
found above. The Chief Executive Officer 
and the Group Director of Human 
Resources also attended meetings 
by invitation. The General Counsel 
and Company Secretary, who is also 
secretary to the Committee, advised 
on governance issues.

No Executive Director or employee is 
present for or takes part in discussions 
in respect of matters relating directly 
to their own remuneration.

Background and business context
Against a backdrop of challenging market 
conditions, progress has been made 
over the year in product innovation, driving 
organic growth, improving efficiency of 
operations and shaping the culture of the 
business. Strong performance in order 
intake growth, with multiple wins in brand 
protection and government revenue 
solutions, has helped to offset declining 
margins in the Currency Print business 
and longer term will help compensate 
for the loss of the UK passport contract.

During the year, a comprehensive 
strategic review took place that 
reaffirmed the strategy to transform 
De La Rue into a less capital intensive, 
more technology led business with a 
more balanced portfolio that delivers 
growth, improves the quality of earnings 
and reduces volatility in the business. 

This year, strategic progress has 
continued with wins in brand protection 
and Government Revenue Solutions 
delivering a significant change to product 
mix, underpinning our confidence 
in our ability to deliver the strategic 
goals in these markets. 

Our remuneration policy remains a 
critical catalyst to delivering both the 
in-year performance and longer term 
transformation of De La Rue. Incentives are 
geared towards rewarding achievement 
against both operational and strategic 
goals and reinforcing the behaviours and 
culture that support sustainable growth. 

Sabri Challah
Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201975

Compliance statement
This report has been prepared on 
behalf of, and has been approved 
by, the Board. It complies with the 
Large and Medium-sized Companies 
and Groups (Accounts and Reports) 
(amendment) Regulations 2013 
(the ‘Regulations’), the UK Corporate 
Governance Code and the FCA’s 
Listing Rules and takes into 
account the policies of shareholder 
representative bodies. The 
Companies Act 2006 and the Listing 
Rules require the Company’s auditor 
to report on the audited information in 
their report on pages 96 to 103 and 
to state that this section has been 
properly prepared in accordance 
with these regulations.

In accordance with the Regulations, 
at the 2019 AGM the Company 
will be asking shareholders to vote 
on an advisory basis on the annual 
report on Directors’ remuneration 
as set out on pages 81 to 91 
which provides details of the 
remuneration earned by Directors 
for performance in the period ended 
30 March 2019 and describes the 
planned implementation of the 
remuneration policy in 2020. 

We believe our remuneration 
policy is critical to delivering 
both planned performance 
each year and the longer 
term transformation of 
De La Rue. 

Activities during the period
•  Approval of the ELT group and 

strategic individual objectives for 
the year

•  Review of performance targets against 
short and long term incentive plans

•  Approval of pay awards for Executive 

Directors and the ELT 

•  Determination of remuneration 

for the new Chief Financial Officer 
and Executive Director 

•  Determination of retention 

arrangements for key senior executives

•  Review and approval of the 

Directors’ remuneration report 

•  Review of the proposed changes to 

the remuneration policy statement and 
consultation with major shareholders 
and institutional bodies

•  Review of market trends and 

latest developments in governance 
including the new UK Corporate 
Governance Code 2018

•  Awards under the UK Sharesave 

employee share scheme

•  Review of the report on gender 

pay gap and action plan 

Structure of Directors’ 
remuneration report
This report is presented in two main 
sections: an annual statement from 
the Chairman of the Committee and 
summary of the remuneration policy, 
and the annual report on remuneration 
for 2018/19. The Directors’ remuneration 
policy was approved by shareholders at 
the AGM held on 20 July 2017 and had 
a binding effect at that date. The policy 
is not subject to a vote at the 2019 AGM. 
A copy of the remuneration policy 
approved in 2017 can be found in the 
annual report 2017 on the Company’s 
website www.delarue.com

Remuneration policy
Our Directors’ remuneration policy was 
approved by shareholders at the 2017 
annual general meeting, and a summary 
of the policy is detailed on page 78. 

As reported last year, we reviewed the 
way in which our remuneration policy is 
implemented, with particular focus on our 
variable pay plans, to assess the degree 
to which the performance measures 
and targets remain aligned to our Group 
strategy and forecast performance. As part 
of this review, we consulted with our largest 
shareholders and have taken on board 
their sometimes divergent comments 
and views.

A summary of the changes implemented 
in 2018/19 is set out below: 

Changes introduced to the 
operation of the Performance 
Share Plan 2018
•  Re-weighting of the performance 

measures under the PSP from 75% 
EPS: 25% ROCE to 50% EPS: 50% 
ROCE. Significant increase to the 
stretch of the ROCE performance 
targets at threshold and maximum 
to reflect recent and forecast 
performance, and our strategic 
plan (from 30%–36%, to 34%–40%)

•  Widened the EPS growth target range 
to better reflect recent and forecast 
performance, and our strategic plan 
(from 5%–10% to 4%–12%)

Further details can be found in the 
annual report on remuneration on  
page 81.

Context of remuneration
The Group has achieved a reasonable 
underlying performance and continued its 
strategic progress in a year of transition. 
Group turnover and intake orders have 
been strong and we are making progress 
in diversifying our revenue, moving from 
printing banknotes into more digital and 
service-oriented businesses.

Developments in 2019
As announced in April 2018, Helen Willis 
(who had joined De La Rue as Interim 
Chief Financial Officer in April 2018) was 
appointed as Chief Financial Officer on 
19 July 2018 and became an Executive 
Director and a member of the Board on 
26 July 2018, following the conclusion 
of the AGM. 

Corporate Governance76

Directors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN 
OF THE REMUNERATION COMMITTEE

Outcomes 2018/19
Annual Bonus Plan (ABP)
The maximum opportunity for Executive 
Directors under the ABP is 135% of salary 
for the Chief Executive Officer and 115% 
for the Chief Financial Officer. For 2018/19, 
the bonus opportunity was based 80% 
on financial performance and 20% on 
achievement of strategic personal objectives. 
The weighting of the financial performance 
objectives was as follows:

• Group revenue 20%

• Group underlying operating profit 40%

• Group cash conversion 20%

No payment is made on any element of 
bonus (including the personal element) 
if a minimum operating profit threshold 
is not achieved. 

In light of the above structure and ABP 
measures, I report that the ABP payout 
against the financial measures outlined 
above will be 23.8% of a maximum 
of 80% of entitlement. A payment of 
10% against a maximum of 20% was 
achieved on the personal element. 

Full details are on pages 82 and 83. 
This year, to improve transparency, we 
have provided further disclosure of the 
personal strategic objectives and the 
Committee’s assessment of the extent 
to which they have been achieved 
(whilst noting that the more granular 
detail of these targets could be of 
interest to our competitors).

Performance Share Plan (PSP) 
Vesting 2019
Awards under the PSP in 2016/17 had 
three year performance criteria based 
on EPS and ROCE. Seventy-five per cent 
of the award was based on EPS average 
compound growth of between 5% and 
10% and 25% of the award was based on 
average ROCE of between 30% and 36%. 
The EPS performance criteria were not 
met, however average ROCE over the 
three years of 39% was above the target 
range. This achievement delivers a full 
payout against this measure. The 2016/17 
PSP therefore vests at 25%. The details in 
respect of Martin Sutherland are included 
on page 85. 

PSP awards in 2018
The Remuneration Committee made 
awards under the PSP in 2018 and details 
of award levels and the performance 
conditions are on pages 85 and 86. 

2019 salary review
The Committee has reviewed the 
salary levels of the Executive Directors 
and against the backdrop of a challenging 
year, concluded that no increases will be 
made for 2019. Salaries will be reviewed 
again in the normal way in 2020.

Gender pay
In line with the UK regulations 
we published gender pay gap 
data and narrative in January 2019. 
Further information is provided 
on page 47 within our Responsible 
business section. 

2019 review of implementation 
of remuneration policy and 
shareholder consultation
This year the Committee, with support 
from our independent remuneration 
consultants, has reviewed the weighting 
and measures for the short term incentive 
plan (ABP) and believe that there is a 
strong rationale for implementing the 
following changes for the financial 
year 2019/20:

• Replacing cash conversion

with average net debt

• Amending the weighting of the

Strategic Personal Objectives to
30% from 20% of the total and
placing additional emphasis on
longer term strategic goals

The proposed changes follow a 
comprehensive review of our strategy 
and reaffirmed the key areas of focus. 
The current maximum entitlements 
of Executive Directors under the ABP 
remains as 135% of salary for the 
Chief Executive Officer and 115% for 
the Chief Financial Officer. The bonus 
is only payable if a threshold level of 
profit is achieved for 2019/20.

Rationale for change in operation 
of ABP
The Committee believes that average 
net debt is a measure which a larger 
proportion of employees have an ability 
to impact and is considered a more 
appropriate measure that will heighten 
the emphasis on cash management and 
enable continuous operational focus on 
this during the year. Reduction of net debt 
will lead to a stronger balance sheet and 
increase flexibility for management to 
allocate capital in line with our business 
strategy to deliver long term growth 
and shareholder value.

Current structure and weighting
%

Proposed structure and weighting
%

Revenue 

Profit 

Cash conversion 

Personal objectives 

20%

40%

20%

20%

Revenue 

Profit 

Average net debt 

Strategic personal objectives 

20%

30%

20%

30%

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201977

The proposed changes to the ABP 
provide an opportunity to place additional 
emphasis on the achievement of strategic 
outcomes, accelerate the transformation 
of the business while retaining a strong 
emphasis on operational performance. 

The strategic personal objectives, tailored 
for each Executive Director and for other 
members of the ELT, will comprise a small 
number of quantifiable goals to deliver 
significant progress on strategy, including 
material improvements in operational 
efficiency. The Committee is committed 
to assessing the achievement of these 
objectives on a quantifiable and objective 
basis and to clear retrospective disclosure 
in the Directors’ remuneration report, 
compatible with protecting our 
competitive position.

The Committee believes that this 
revised combination of financial measures 
and strategic objectives with adjusted 
weightings will drive value creation for 
shareholders and provide a fair reward for 
Executive Directors and Senior Leaders. 
To be clear, the largest proportion of 
the payout (70%) will be related to the 
financial performance of the business. 

The Committee is confident that the 
proposed changes to the implementation 
of our remuneration policy demonstrate 
our continued commitment to alignment 
between the interests of shareholders and 
the Executive Directors and the senior 
management of the business. In line with 
our established practice, the Committee 
will continue to rigorously review incentive 
outturns and will consider the overall 
performance of the business not just 
the outcome of each measure. Specifically 
the Committee will exercise its discretion 
in determining rewards if circumstances 
in-year merit a review.

2019/20 Performance Share Plan 
(PSP)
The PSP will remain at the same target 
levels, performance will be measured 
against two Group targets: earnings 
per share (EPS) (50% weighting) and 
ROCE (50% weighting). The ROCE 
performance targets have been 
adjusted as explained on page 86. 

There will be a change to the required 
holding period. The award will vest fully 
on the third anniversary of award subject 
to meeting performance criteria, but all 
vested shares will be held for a further 
two years and become exercisable 
on the fifth anniversary of award.

Changes to the UK Corporate 
Governance Code 
The Committee has been considering the 
forthcoming changes to the UK Corporate 
Governance Code and other reporting 
regulations and has taken steps to 
prepare for their introduction.

Effective from 2019/20, the following 
structural changes to the implementation 
of executive remuneration will be made: 

•  In respect of the operation of share 

awards under the PSP, the Committee 
has determined that the total vesting 
and holding period will be extended 
to five years in total. Awards will vest 
in full on the third anniversary of grant, 
subject to the appropriate performance 
conditions being met and held for a 
further two years becoming exercisable 
on the fifth anniversary 

•  The Committee has also determined 

that it is appropriate to change 
the policy as it relates to pension 
arrangements for newly appointed 
Executive Directors. From 2019/20, 
the Company pension contribution 
rates or payments in lieu will align 
with the wider UK workforce at 12% 

As part of the triennial remuneration policy 
review to be presented to shareholders for 
approval at the 2020 AGM, the Committee 
will give further consideration to the pension 
arrangements for existing Executive Directors 
and post-employment shareholding 
requirements in relation to Executive 
Directors’ incentive plans. 

In addition, the Committee is committed 
to complying with the new Code’s 
provisions in relation to the extended 
remit and reporting responsibilities. 

The Board has appointed a Non-executive 
Director responsible for workforce 
engagement supported by the Group 
Director of HR. Terms of reference have 
been drawn up for this role which include 
participation in existing Employee Forums, 
engaging with employees at different 
Company sites, reviewing the results of 
employee engagement and culture surveys 
and other workforce related reports. 

The Committee believes it is already 
well-placed to meet many of the Code’s 
other new requirements. This will be a key 
priority for the Committee during the year. 

Priorities for 2019
The work of the Committee in 2019 will 
focus on the linkage between our culture 
and reward to ensure that incentives drive 
behaviours consistent with that culture. 

As we review our policy during 2019, we 
will be giving further consideration to the 
provisions of the new Code and compliance 
with the new reporting regulations.

I would like to thank shareholders 
who contributed to the Committee’s 
discussions during the year. 

Sabri Challah
Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee
30 May 2019

Corporate Governance78

Directors’ remuneration report continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION POLICY

Introduction
In this section we summarise the 
key principles that underpin our 
remuneration policy and how we 
will apply our policy in 2019/20. 

When assessing remuneration in 
the marketplace, the Remuneration 
Committee makes prudent use of survey 
data focusing on companies of similar size 
and complexity. Performance targets set 
for the incentive schemes are designed to 
provide maximum awards for exceptional 
performance. The Committee tracks the 
five year history of executive rewards to 
ensure the awards are in line with and 
proportionate to De La Rue business 
performance.

The Committee reviews remuneration and 
related policies for the broader workforce 
to assess alignment between incentives 
and rewards with De La Rue’s culture.

Broader workforce pay is taken into 
account when setting executive pay. 
In future years, this will be considered 
alongside feedback from engagement 
with the workforce on this subject. 

The Committee adopts a policy that 
requires Executive Directors to build 
up and retain a long term personal 
shareholding in the Company equivalent 
to one times salary and intended to be 
met by retaining 100% of vested post-tax 
deferred bonus shares, restricted shares 
and performance shares until the 
requirement is met in full.

Summary of remuneration policy
Remuneration policy statement
The Committee has amended and 
approved the policy statement to align 
with the forthcoming changes to the 
UK Corporate Governance Code 2018 
coming into effect at the start of 2019/20. 

The Group’s remuneration policy 
aims to align the interests of Executive 
Directors and other senior executives to 
join De La Rue’s purpose and values and 
with those of shareholders. The overriding 
objective is to ensure that the executive 
remuneration policy incentivises and 
rewards the delivery of sustainable 
long term shareholder value.

The Remuneration Committee believes 
that variable performance related pay and 
incentives should account for a significant 
proportion of the overall remuneration 
package of our executive team, so that 
their reward is aligned with shareholder 
interests and the performance of the 
Group, without encouraging excessive 
risk taking. Performance related elements 
of the remuneration therefore form 
a significant proportion of the total 
remuneration packages. 

In setting the Group’s remuneration policy, 
the Remuneration Committee believes 
that the Group should provide:

• Competitive rewards which will attract
and retain high calibre employees
with the skills and commitment to drive
performance and which reflect individual
responsibilities and experience

• Incentive arrangements which are

fair, competitive, simple to understand,
transparent, proportionate and aligned
to culture. They should also be subject
to challenging performance targets
reflecting the Group’s objectives to
motivate executives to focus on both
annual and longer term performance

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201979

The Group’s current remuneration policy, as approved by shareholders at the Company’s Annual 
General Meeting in July 2017, is set out on pages 76 to 83 of the annual report 2017 available at 
www.delarue.com 

Summary of our remuneration policy

Fixed Pay

Variable Pay

Base Salary

Annual Incentive Plan

Performance Share Plan

Benefits

Pension

70% Group 
Financial 
Performance

+

30% Strategic 
Personal  
Objectives 

50% EPS

50% ROCE

30%  
Operating profit

20%  
Revenue

20%  
Average net debt 

60% cash 
40% deferred shares

100% vesting year 3 
2 year post-vesting  
holding period

Malus and clawback and shareholding requirements

Illustration of the application of remuneration policy
The following charts illustrate the potential value of the Executive Directors’ remuneration packages in various scenarios in a typical 
year. Salary levels are as at 1 July 2018 (or date of appointment). 

Chief Executive Officer – Martin Sutherland 
£’000 

Chief Financial Officer – Helen Willis 
£’000 

Maximum

36%

On Target Total

59%

Minimum

100%

0

XX%

22%

15%

27%

£1,802,500

Maximum

36%

20%

14% 30%

£772,656

18% 12% 11%
£651,000
XX%

500

XX%

1,000

£1,104,250

XX%

XX%

1,500

2,000

On Target Total

60%

17% 11%12% 12%

£469,943

Minimum

100%

0

XX%

£281,462

XX%

250

XX%

500

XX%

XX%

750

1,000

Fixed Remuneration

Annual Incentive Plan (Cash)

Annual Incentive Plan (Deferred Shares)

Performance Share Plan

The themes that underpin our policy are:

•  Competitive rewards that drive performance

•  Simple and transparent

•  Aligned to culture

These themes continue to align our strategy and our reward programme through salary, benefits, annual bonus and long term 
incentives, underpinned by stretching performance measures and proportionate award levels as illustrated above. The full policy 
can be found in the annual report 2017 which is available at www.delarue.com

Corporate Governance80

Directors’ remuneration report continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION POLICY

Performance scenarios for the ABP and PSP assume the following:

Minimum
There is no cash bonus or deferred 
share award under the ABP or vesting 
under the PSP.

Target
Target cash bonus and deferred  
shares under the ABP, target vesting 
under PSP.

Maximum
Maximum cash bonus, maximum deferred 
shares under the ABP, maximum vesting 
under the PSP.

Assumptions for the scenario charts

Minimum performance
Fixed pay (base salary, benefits 
and pension)

Target performance
Fixed pay (base salary, benefits 
and pension)

Maximum performance
Fixed pay (base salary, benefits 
and pension)

No bonus payout

No vesting under ABP 
or PSP

50% of maximum bonus opportunity 
(67.5% of salary for CEO,  
57.5% of salary for CFO)

100% of maximum bonus opportunity  
(135% of salary for CEO, 115% of salary 
for CFO)

60% will be payable immediately in cash 
and 40% will be deferred in shares

60% will be payable immediately in cash 
and 40% will be deferred in shares

25% of PSP shares vesting  
(25% of salary for CEO and CFO)

100% of PSP shares vesting 
(100% of salary for CEO and CFO)

Executive Director remuneration mix 2019/20
Based on the above performance scenarios the table below illustrates that a significant proportion of Executive Directors’ 
remuneration is biased towards variable pay at maximum:

CEO

CFO

Fixed
Variable
Fixed
Variable

% of pay at 
minimum achieved
100
–
100
–

% of pay at 
target achieved
59
41
60
40

% of pay at 
maximum achieved
36
64
36
64

The remuneration mix above is based on the remuneration policy as it is intended to be operated for 2019/20.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201981

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

This section of the Directors’ remuneration report shows how the Remuneration Committee implemented the policy on Directors’ 
remuneration during 2018/19 including all elements of remuneration received by Executive Directors and the incentive outturns 
for 2018/19. 

Single figure of remuneration for each Director (audited)
The table below shows how we have applied the current remuneration policy during 2018/19. It discloses all the elements 
of remuneration received by the Directors during the period. 

Executive Directors
Martin Sutherland
Helen Willis
(appointed to the Board 26 July 2018)

Jitesh Sodha 
(resigned from the Board 19 March 2018)
Rupert Middleton
(stood down from the Board 20 July 2017)

Chairman
Philip Rogerson
Non-executive Directors
Nick Bray 
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha
Andrew Stevens 
Aggregate emoluments

Salary and 
feesa

Benefits
(excluding
pensions)b

2019
£’000

2018
£’000

2019
£’000

2018
£’000

2019
£’000

Long term
incentive (PSP)
(vested)d

Pensionse

2019
£’000

2018
£’000

2019
£’000

2018
£’000

2019
£’000

Total

2018
£’000

Bonusc

2018
£’000

490

477

225

–

–

314

–
715

99
890

194

193

58
58
50
58

58
58
50
58
1,133 1,307

29

14

–

–
43

–

–
–
–
–
43

29

197

–

77

21

5
55

–

–
–
–
–
55

–

–
274

–

–
–
–
–
274

–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–
–

106

148

132

129

954

783

–

–

–
106

–

39

–

355

–

113

–
261

–

56

–

504

–
171

17
202

–

121
1,309 1,408

–

–

–

–

194

193

–
–
–
–
106

–
–
–
–
261

–
–
–
–
171

–
–
–
–
202

58
58
50
58

58
58
50
58
1,727 1,825

Notes: 
The figures in the single figure table above are derived from the following:
a 

 Base salary and fees: the actual salary and fees received during the period. The Executive Directors’ salaries are normally reviewed, but not necessarily increased, with effect from 1 July each year.
i 

 Martin Sutherland has a salary of £502,000 per annum effective 1 July 2018 and the salary shown above is for the period to 30 March 2019. Martin Sutherland took advantage of the annual leave 
flexibility scheme and purchased an additional five days’ annual leave entitlement during the period at a cost of £9,481 which is reflected in the table above. 
ii 
 Helen Willis has a salary of £330,000 per annum effective 18 July 2018 and the salary shown above is for the period when Helen started as an Executive Director to 30 March 2019.
 Benefits (excluding pensions): the gross value of all taxable benefits received in the period, including for example car or car allowance and private medical and permanent health insurance. 
 Bonus: A description of the performance measures that applied for the year 2018/19 is provided on pages 82 and 83.
 PSP: the estimated value of the shares due to vest in June 2019 (including dividend shares accrued to date) that were subject to performance over the three year performance period ending 
30 March 2019 based on the number of shares that will vest multiplied by the average share price of 421.49p over the quarter ending 30 March 2019 (as the vesting price is not known at the date 
of the Directors’ remuneration report). The performance conditions that applied to the PSP awards vesting are described on page 85. The PSP amounts for 2018 (being the final year of the performance 
period) related to the share award to Martin Sutherland that vested in June 2018 used a share price of 610.04p per share as the actual vesting price and the additional dividend shares exercised were 
not known at the time. The table showing vested and unvested share awards on page 89 gives details of the share price on the vesting date and exercise date respectively. 
 Pension allowance and contributions to defined contribution section. See page 87 for further details of pension arrangements.

b 
c 
d 

e 

Corporate Governance 
82

Directors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

Individual elements of remuneration
Base salary and fees (audited)
Base salaries for Executive Directors are reviewed annually by the Remuneration Committee and are set with reference to individual 
performance, experience and responsibilities, Group performance, affordability and market competitiveness. An annual salary review 
was carried out by the Remuneration Committee on 25 April 2019. Following that review the Committee concluded that no increase 
in salary for Martin Sutherland and Helen Willis will be made for 2019. The salary levels (effective 1 July) are as follows:

Martin Sutherland 
Helen Willis 

Base salary 
2019
£’000
502
330

Base salary 
2018
£’000
502
2251

Increase
%
–
–

Note: 
1 

 Helen Willis was appointed to the Board on 26 July 2018 and received a notional salary of £330,000. The amount shown is pro-rata for the period in office.

The Directors’ remuneration policy, approved by shareholders at the 2017 AGM, is that increases in salary for Executive Directors 
will not normally exceed the range of increases awarded to other employees in the Group except in the specific circumstances listed 
in the binding policy. 

The remuneration policy for Non-executive Directors, other than the Chairman, is determined by the Board. Fees reflect the 
responsibilities and duties of Non-executive Directors while also having regard to the marketplace. The Non-executive Directors do 
not participate in any of the Group’s share incentive plans nor do they receive any benefits or pension contributions. The Chairmen 
of the Remuneration Committee and Audit Committee and the Senior Independent Director each received a further fee of £8,000 
to reflect their additional duties in 2018/19. Basic fees payable to Non-executive Directors remain unchanged for 2018/19 and 
no fee increase is proposed for 2019.

The fees for 2019 are as follows:

Non-executive Director fees
Basic fee
Additional fee for chairmanship of Audit and Remuneration Committees and Senior Independent Director

2019
£’000
50
8

2018
£’000
50
8

The Chairman’s fee will remain at £194,000 for 2019 and will be reviewed again in the normal way in April 2020.

External directorships of Executive Directors
The Board considers whether it is appropriate for an Executive Director to serve as a non-executive director of another company. 
Martin Sutherland is a non-executive director of Forterra plc and received a fee in respect of this appointment for the period to 
30 March 2019 of £51,520. 

Performance against targets (audited)
Annual bonus
The annual bonus is delivered under the ABP. 

ABP performance measures 2018/19
The Remuneration Committee decided not to introduce any changes to the structure and weightings to the annual bonus for 2018/19 
(Group revenue, Group adjusted operating profit, Group cash conversion) and weightings. The bonus opportunity was based on an 
element of strategic personal objectives (20%) and a number of financial performance metrics apportioned as follows:

• Group revenue (20%)

• Group adjusted operating profit (40%)

• Group cash conversion (20%)

No payments will be made on any element of bonus (including the strategic personal element) if a minimum operating profit threshold 
is not achieved. In addition, the Remuneration Committee has discretion to consider other factors, such as ethical behaviours, 
corporate responsibility, environment and health and safety matters as it sees fit when determining awards. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201983

Disclosure of 2018/19 bonus targets 
The following table sets out the financial performance targets and achievements for 2018/19.

Measure
Group revenue
Group adjusted operating profit
Group cash conversion

Threshold
£490m
£58m
135%

Target
£510m
£62m
145%

Max
£530m
£66m
155%

Actual
£516.6m
£60.1m
53%

% of maximum 
achieved
13.3
10.5
0

Strategic personal objectives
Strategic personal objectives are based on Group objectives. The objectives reward achievement of core strategic priorities 
and transformation goals. Targets relate to growth, product innovation, efficiency, and culture. 

Category
Growth

Product Innovation

Efficiency

Culture

Commentary
Group revenue grew by 12%. Market share grew in polymer with an 
increased volume of 23%. Multiple wins in brand protection and Government 
Revenue Solutions.
Expansion of the product portfolio has been delivered through R&D and 
partnerships with a key focus on exploiting existing technology platforms. 
Three new security features were launched during the year. PureImage™, 
the new holographic thread, PhotocolourUV™ and MyImage™, the 
polycarbonate feature jointly developed with strategic partner Opalux.
Steps to improve organisational efficiency and modernise infrastructure and 
systems progressed well. Corporate overheads reduced by 4% from headcount 
and general savings and factory fixed costs by 11% from savings related to the 
footprint rationalisation programme. Systems improvements in Finance have 
led to enhanced management and financial information and forecasting. 
Strong, visible leadership of SAFE initiative to drive an outcome of zero harm 
contributed to a reduction in the long term injury frequency rate (LTIFR) to 0.25. 
Active engagement took place with leaders and employees globally including 
multiple site visits, town hall meetings, global briefings and biannual strategic 
leadership group meetings. 
Improvements were made to gender diversity in senior management with a change 
to the male:female ratio from 80:20 to 75:25, closer to the 2020 target of 70:30.

Outcome
Met

Partially Met

Partially Met

Met

Following a review of achievements against the personal strategic objectives for the Executive Directors, the Remuneration 
Committee concluded that: 

•  Martin Sutherland should receive a payment of 10% of maximum opportunity of 20%

•  Helen Willis should receive a payment of 10% of maximum opportunity of 20%

The 2018/19 cash bonus and deferred share element is detailed in the table below:

Martin Sutherland
Helen Willis

*  Full eligibility 115% but pro-rata 80% for 2018/19 due to start date.

Cash payment
£’000
118
46

Deferred into shares
£’000
79
31

Total annual bonus shown in column (c) of total 
remuneration table on page 81 in respect of 2019
£’000
197
 77*

Corporate Governance84

Directors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

ABP 2019/20
The Remuneration Committee decided not to introduce any changes to the structure and weightings to the annual bonus for 
2018/19, but as indicated in last year’s annual report the Committee would review introducing the strategic personal objectives 
with a 30% weighting when the Committee consider it to be appropriate to do so. As indicated in the Chairman of the Remuneration 
Committee report on page 76, changes to the operation of the ABP will be introduced for the financial year 2019/20.

The bonus structure will be adjusted for the 2019/20 financial year to reflect a 70% weighting on financial targets and 30% on 
strategic personal objectives. We have also made the decision to transition our Cash Conversion measure to one of Averaged Net 
Debt. The current maximum entitlements of Executive Directors under the ABP remains as 135% of salary for the Chief Executive 
Officer and 115% for the Chief Financial Officer. The structure and weightings will be as follows:

Proposed structure & weighting
Revenue
Adjusted operating profit
Average net debt1
Group strategic personal objectives

Note: 
1  Average of the 12 month end net debt positions over the course of the year. 

20%
30%
20%
30%

No payment will be made on any element of bonus (including the personal element) if a minimum operating profit is not achieved.

The proposed changes to the ABP provide an opportunity to place additional emphasis on the achievement of strategic outcomes, 
accelerate the transformation of the business while retaining a strong emphasis on operational performance. 

The Group strategic personal objectives, tailored for each Executive Director and other members of the ELT, will comprise a small 
number of goals to deliver significant progress on strategy, including material improvements in operational efficiency. The Committee 
is committed to assessing the achievement of these objectives on a quantifiable and objective basis and to clear retrospective 
disclosure in the Directors’ remuneration report. 

The Committee has decided to change the current cash conversion measure with average net debt as this is a measure which a 
larger proportion of employees have an ability to impact and is considered a more appropriate measure that will focus continuous 
attention on reducing debt and proactively managing cash in-flow. 

A key deliverable of the strategy is to generate a better balance of profit throughout the year and maximise cash flow. Placing a 
greater emphasis on the management and reduction of net debt alongside delivering revenue and profit targets represents a strong 
set of measures to drive improved financial performance. 

The Committee believes that this revised combination of financial measures and strategic objectives with adjusted weightings will 
drive value creation for shareholders and provide a fair reward for Executive Directors and senior leaders. The largest proportion 
of the payout (70%) will be related to the financial performance of the business. 

In line with our established practice, the Committee will continue to rigorously review incentive outturns and will consider the overall 
performance of the business, not just the outcome of each measure.

The specific performance points are not disclosed while still commercially sensitive, but will be disclosed the following year.

Long term incentive – Performance Share Plan (PSP) 
The PSP is a share based long term incentive aligned closely with business strategy and the interests of shareholders through the 
performance measures chosen. The PSP is designed to provide Executive Directors and selected senior managers with a long term 
incentive that promotes annual and long term performance and reinforces alignment between participants and shareholders. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201985

Performance measures applying to PSP awards 
The awards made under the PSP were subject to a combination of compound average growth in underlying basic EPS and average 
ROCE. EPS growth ensures any payout is supported by sound profitability. ROCE supports the strategic focus on growth and 
margins ensuring cash is reinvested to generate the appropriate returns. 

All awards are made as performance shares based on a percentage of salary and the value is divided by the average share price over 
a period before the date of grant in accordance with the rules of the PSP. In addition, the Remuneration Committee must be satisfied 
that the vesting reflects the underlying performance of the Group and retains the flexibility to adjust the vesting amount to ensure it 
remains appropriate. Any adjustments will depend on the nature, timing and materiality of any contributory factors.

A summary of the performance measures and award vesting levels that apply to awards under the PSP is shown in the table below:

Year of award
2015

2016

2017 

2018 

2019 

Measure
EPS1
ROCE
EPS1
ROCE2
EPS1
ROCE
EPS1
ROCE
EPS1
ROCE

Vesting % of element 
at threshold
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25

Vesting % of element
at maximum
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100

Growth % required
for threshold
5
26
5
30
5
30
4
34
4
32

Growth % required
for maximum
10
32
10
36
10
36
12
40
12
38

Notes: 
1  Underlying earnings per share. Based on average annual cumulative growth during the performance period. 
2 

 The vesting levels under ROCE was adjusted to take account of the impact of a discontinued operation held for sale as described in note 2 to the financial statements (as reported in 2018). 
The Remuneration Committee is satisfied that the performance measures which are appropriately weighted support the Group’s strategy and business objectives.

EPS and ROCE remain the most appropriate long term incentive measures and provide a strong line of sight between strategy, 
business performance and executive reward. The Remuneration Committee believes that the performance necessary to achieve 
awards is sufficiently stretching.

PSP award vesting in 2019
Awards under the PSP had three year performance criteria based on EPS and ROCE. Seventy-five per cent of the award was 
based on underlying EPS average compound growth above 5% and 25% was based on ROCE of over 30%. 

The performance period for the 2016 PSP awards ended on 30 March 2019. Over the period:

•  The Group’s underlying EPS growth was below the threshold growth of 5% per annum, under this performance measure 

this element of the PSP will not vest

•  De La Rue’s average ROCE for the period was 39%. Since this was above the threshold of 30% and above the maximum of 

36%, under this performance measure this element of the PSP will vest in full. Sixty per cent of this portion of the share award 
vests in June 2019 and the balance will vest after a further one year subject to continued employment

Corporate Governance86

Directors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

PSP awards made in June 2018 (audited)
Executive Directors received PSP awards in line with the existing Directors’ remuneration policy as follows:

Martin Sutherland
Helen Willis

Number of 
shares awarded
88,929
62,265

Date 
of award
26 June 2018
28 August 2018

% 
of salary
100
100

Face value 
£’000
485
304

Vesting at threshold 
(as a % of maximum)
25
25

Performance 
period end date
March 2021
March 2021

All awards are made as performance shares based on a percentage of salary and the value is divided by the average share price 
over a five day period prior to the date of award, being 551.00p for the award on 26 June 2018 and 498.00p for the award on 
28 August 2018. Face value is the maximum number of shares that would vest multiplied by the share price (545.00p on 26 June 
2018 and 488.50p on 28 August 2018) at the date of grant. The Remuneration Committee may add dividend shares accrued 
only on vested shares during the performance period and extended vesting period.

The Remuneration Committee gave detailed consideration to the potential reintroduction of a relative TSR performance measure 
but concluded that the measures of EPS growth and ROCE remain the most appropriate measures for De La Rue. 

Having undertaken a thorough analysis to review the target ranges, the Remuneration Committee decided to significantly increase 
the stretch of the target range for ROCE to incentivise Executive Director behaviour in delivering the strategy and encouraging 
investment in products and services that generate returns efficiently, and deliver bottom line growth and to reflect recent and 
forecast performance. The ROCE range for the 2018 PSP is 34% to 40% over three years.

The Committee decided that the existing target range for EPS is relatively narrow and would most likely result in ‘all or nothing’ 
payouts and therefore the range was broadened to reflect recent and forecast performance. The EPS range for the 2018 PSP 
was set at 4% to 12%.

In addition, given the importance of managing capital efficiently to deliver bottom line growth, the Remuneration Committee decided 
that a rebalancing of the weightings between EPS and ROCE was necessary to ensure an appropriate balance of focus between 
in-year profitability and investment and growth. For the PSP awards made in 2018 the weighting will be 50% EPS and 50% ROCE.

Performance measures applying to PSP awards made in 2019 
The Remuneration Committee has concluded that the measures of EPS growth and ROCE remain the most appropriate measures 
for De La Rue.

The PSP will remain at the same target levels, performance will be measured against two Group targets: EPS (50% weighting) and 
ROCE (50% weighting). In determining the appropriate target ranges, the Committee concluded that the range for EPS of 4% to 12% 
remains appropriate and that the target range for ROCE performance at threshold and maximum should change from 34%–40% 
to 32%–38%, to reflect sensitivities in our strategic plan and to ensure that management actions to drive performance continue 
to be aligned with the interests of shareholders.

There will be a change to the required holding period. The award will vest fully on the third anniversary of award subject to meeting 
performance criteria, but shares will be held for a further two years and become exercisable on the fifth anniversary of award.

Executive Directors’ service contracts
The table below summarises the notice periods contained in the service contracts for Executive Directors in office as at 
30 March 2019.

Martin Sutherland
Helen Willis

Date of contract
28 August 2014
18 July 2018

Date of appointment
13 October 2014
26 July 2018

Notice from Company
12 months
6 months

Notice from Director
6 months
6 months

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201987

Non-executive Directors’ letters of appointment
The Chairman and Non-executive Directors have letters of appointment rather than service contracts.

Non-executive Director
Nick Bray
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha
Philip Rogerson 
Andrew Stevens

Date of appointment
21 July 2016
23 July 2015
23 July 2015
1 March 2012
2 January 2019

Current letter of 
appointment end date
20 July 2019
22 July 2021
22 July 2021
28 February 2021
2 January 2022

Total pension entitlements (audited) 
The Group’s UK pension schemes are funded, HMRC registered and approved schemes. They include both defined contribution 
and defined benefit pension schemes. 

None of the Executive Directors in the period were a member of the legacy defined benefit schemes. All the Executive Directors 
have opted out of the defined contribution plan and receive a cash allowance in lieu of a pension contribution.

During the year, Martin Sutherland received a cash allowance of 30% of his basic salary in lieu of a pension contribution and 
Helen Willis received a cash allowance of 20% of basic salary in lieu of pension contributions. The cash allowances were reduced 
by the amount of the Company’s national insurance contribution to ensure cost neutrality with making the same contribution to 
the pension plan. 

Details of the payments made to the Executive Directors are included on page 81.

Payments for loss of office (audited)
There were no payments for loss of office during the period.

Payments to past Directors (audited)
Rupert Middleton
Rupert Middleton stepped down from the Board at the conclusion of the AGM in July 2017. Rupert Middleton had a consultancy 
agreement with the Company from 1 September 2017 until 20 July 2018 for the provision of advisory services relating to operational 
matters for a period of not more than 20 days during the period for a fee of a daily rate of £1,500 plus expenses incurred and payable 
in accordance with the consultancy agreement. 

Jitesh Sodha
The former Chief Financial Officer, Jitesh Sodha, was paid his notional salary for six months after he stepped down from the Board 
on 19 March 2018 whilst working his notice period.

Share retention policy
The Remuneration Committee believes it is important that the interests of Executive Directors should be closely aligned with those 
of shareholders. The Committee has adopted a policy that Executive Directors are required to build up a shareholding equivalent 
to one times salary. It is intended that this be met by the Executive Directors retaining 100% of post-tax deferred bonus shares, 
restricted shares and performance shares until the requirement is met in full. As at March 2019, Martin Sutherland had built up 
a shareholding of 70% of salary.

Corporate Governance88

Directors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

Directors’ interests in shares (audited)
The Directors and their connected persons had the following interests in the ordinary shares of the Company at 30 March 2019:

Unvested awards

Subject to 
performance 
conditions

Not subject to performance conditions 

Vested shares

Executive Directors
Martin Sutherland 
Helen Willis
Non-executive Chairman
Philip Rogerson 
Non-executive Directors
Nick Bray 
Sabri Challah
Maria da Cunha
Andrew Stevens

Current 
shareholding 
ordinary shares 
(held outright)

Current 
shareholding 
as % 
of salary

90,148
–

13,000

18,348 
3,400
4,735
2,327

70
–

n/a

n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Performance 
Share Plan

Performance 
Share Plan 

Annual 
Bonus Plan 

250,319
66,265

8,567
–

7,438
–

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

–

–
–
–
–

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Vested 
SAYE shares 
unexercised 
during the 
period

Vested 
shares 
exercised 
during the 
period

1,567
–

36,3891
–

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

–
–
–
–

SAYE 

3,363
1,796

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

There have been no changes in Directors’ outright interests in ordinary shares in the period 30 March 2019 to 30 May 2019. 
All interests of the Directors and their families are beneficial. 

The current shareholdings as a percentage of salary during the period are calculated using the closing De La Rue plc share price 
of 385.50p on 29 March 2019 (30 March 2019 being a Saturday). 

Note: 
1 

 Includes a total of 2,094 and 1,756 dividend shares on vested award under the ABP and PSP respectively during the period. All shares on exercise retained by Martin Sutherland after disposal to meet 
tax liabilities pursuant to the share retention policy.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201989

Directors’ interest in vested and unvested share awards (unaudited)
The awards over De La Rue plc shares held by Executive Directors under the ABP and PSP and Sharesave scheme during the 
period are detailed below:

Total award 
as at 
31 March 
2018

Date of 
award

Awarded 
during 
year

Exercised
during
year

Lapsed
during
year

Awards 
held at
30 March
2019

Awards 
vested 
(unexercised)
during year

Mid-market 
share price at 
date of award 
(pence)

Market price 
per share at 
exercise date 
(pence)

Date of 
vesting

Expiry
date

Martin Sutherland
Annual Bonus Plan1

Performance 
Share Plan

Sharesave options1

Helen Willis
(appointed 26 July 2018)
Performance 
Share Plan

Jun 16
Jun 17
Jun 17
Jun 15
Jun 15
Jun 16
Jun 16
Jun 17
Jun 17
Jun 18
Jun 18

Jan 15
Jan 16
Jan 19

Aug 18
Aug 18

Sharesave options1

Jan 19

13,224
7,438
7,438
51,405
34,270
54,488
36,325
42,346
28,231

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– 53,357
– 35,572
275,165 88,929
–
–
1,796

2,876
1,567
–

13,2242
7,4382
–

–
–
–
12,8515 38,554
– 25,703
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
7,438
–
8,567
54,488
36,325
42,346
28,231
53,357
35,572
33,513 64,257 266,324
–
1,567
1,796

2,876
–
–

–
–
–

– 39,759
– 26,506
66,265
1,796

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

39,759
26,506
66,265
1,796

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
1,567
–

– 
–

–

546.603
680.103
680.103
541.003
541.003
520.853
520.853
680.103
680.103
551.003
551.003

438.007
344.407
372.677

498.003
498.003

511.15
511.15
–

Jul 184
Jul 184
Jul 19
549.02 Jun 186
Jun 19
Jun 19
Jun 20
Jun 20
Jun 21
Jun 21
Jun 22

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Jun 26
Jun 27
Jul 27
Jun 25
Jun 25
Jun 26
Jun 26
Jun 27
Jun 27
Jun 28
Jun 28

555.00 Mar 188 Aug 18
Aug 19
– Mar 19
– Mar 22  Aug 22 

– Aug 21
– Aug 22

Aug 28
Aug 28

372.677

– Mar 22

Aug 22

Notes: 
1 
2 

 These awards do not have any performance conditions attached.
 Includes an additional 2,094 dividend shares on vesting (2016: 1,574; 2017: 520). Martin Sutherland made an aggregate taxable gain (after dealing costs excluding PAYE/NI) of £196,187. The balance 
of shares (12,022) following disposal to meet all liabilities was retained by Martin Sutherland.

3  Mid-market share value of a De La Rue plc ordinary share averaged over the five dealing days immediately preceding award date. 
4  The closing mid-market price of the Company’s ordinary share on 10 July 2018 was 519p (the vesting date). 
5 

 Includes an additional 1,756 dividend shares on vesting. Martin Sutherland made an aggregate taxable gain (after dealing costs excluding PAYE/NI) of £80,195. The balance of shares (7,717) following 
disposal to meet all liabilities was retained by Martin Sutherland.

6  The closing mid-market price of the Company’s ordinary share on 29 June 2018 was 548p (the vesting date). 
7  For Sharesave options the share price shown is the exercise price which was 80% of mid-market value of an ordinary share averaged over the three dealing days immediately preceding award date.
8  On exercise of the options on 13 June 2018 the 2,876 shares were retained by Martin Sutherland.

Dividend shares on unvested awards
Dividend shares are an additional award of shares that may be released by the Remuneration Committee on the vesting date in 
respect of awards under the ABP and PSP equivalent in value to the amount of dividends that would have been received pursuant 
to the relevant Plan Rules. As at 30 March 2019 and based on the prevailing market share price on the respective dividend record 
date, the dividend shares accrued and assuming vesting as appropriate were as follows:

Martin Sutherland: 22,548 ordinary shares

Helen Willis: 1,248 ordinary shares

Corporate Governance90

Directors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

Chief Executive Officer pay, total shareholder return (TSR) and all employee pay
This section of the report enables our remuneration arrangements to be seen in context by providing:

• De La Rue’s TSR performance for the nine years to 30 March 2019

• A history of De La Rue’s Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration for the current and previous eight years

• A comparison of the year on year change in De La Rue’s Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration with the change in the average

remuneration across the Group

• A year on year comparison of the total amount spent on pay across the Group with profit before tax and dividends paid

Chief Executive Officer pay

Period ended March

Chief Executive Officer
Single figure of total 
remuneration £’000
Annual bonus payout 
as a % of maximum 
opportunity
LTIP vesting against 
maximum opportunity 
(%)

2010

2011

James
Hussey1

James
Hussey1

2011

Tim

Cobbold2,3

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Tim
Cobbold

Tim
Cobbold

Tim
Cobbold2

Martin
Sutherland4

Martin
Sutherland

Martin
Sutherland

Martin
Sutherland

Martin
Sutherland

843

433

604

1,053

634

1,071

1,107

998

899

783

954

46

44

Nil

100

100

Nil

80

Nil

Nil

Nil

Nil

60

14

Nil

57

Nil

40

Nil

Nil

25

29

25

Notes: 
1  Role as Chief Executive Officer ended on 12 August 2010.
2  Appointed Chief Executive Officer on 1 January 2011 and resigned on 29 March 2014.
3 
4  Appointed 13 October 2014.

Includes award to the value of £450,000 at the date of award under the Recruitment Share Award (which vested on 31 January 2014).

TSR performance
This graph shows the value, by 30 March 2019, of £100 invested in De La Rue plc on 28 March 2009, compared with the value 
of £100 invested in the FTSE 250 Index (excl. Investment Trusts) on the same date. The other points plotted are the values at 
intervening financial year ends. De La Rue has been a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index for the majority of the period under review. 
TSR is not used as a performance measure for any benefits provided to Executive Directors.

Total shareholder return
Source: FactSet

500

400

300

200

100

)

d
e
s
a
b
e
r
(

)
£
(
e
u
a
V

l

335.54

335.80

310.30

409.42

405.91

387.41

255.58

197.28

202.76

168.52

103.03

109.05

123.49

105.83

91.27

78.53

66.07

96.81

80.96

64.45

March 09

March 10

March 11

March 12

March 13

March 14

March 15

March 16

March 17

March 18

March 19

De La Rue plc

FTSE 250 (excluding Investment Trusts)

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019 
 
91

Percentage change in Chief Executive Officer remuneration 
The table below compares the percentage change in the Chief Executive Officer’s salary, bonus and benefits to the average change 
in salary, bonus and benefits for all UK employees between 2017/18 and 2018/19. UK employees were chosen as a comparator 
group to avoid the impact of exchange rate movements over the year. UK employees make up approximately 57.17% of the total 
employee population.

Chief Executive Officer
UK employee average

Salary 
%
2.36
1.3

Benefits 
%
0
0

Annual bonus 
%
29
63

Relative spend on pay 
The following table sets out the percentage change in payments to shareholders and the overall expenditure on pay across 
the Group.

Dividends (note 9 to the financial statements)
Overall expenditure on pay (note 25 to the financial statements)

2019
£m
25.7
126.4

2018
£m
25.4
151.8

Change
%
1
(20.1)

Statement of shareholder voting 
The remuneration policy was last approved by shareholders at our AGM on 20 July 2017. The remuneration report was last approved 
by shareholders at our AGM on 26 July 2018. Details are shown below.

Approval of remuneration policy (2017 AGM)
Approval of remuneration report (2018 AGM)

Total votes cast
81,796,628
78,836,431

For1
80,461,069
77,391,287

(%)
98.37
98.17

Against
1,335,559
1,445,144

(%)
1.63
1.83

Votes withheld2
1,544,071
1,361,038

Notes: 
1  The votes ‘For’ include votes given at the Chairman’s discretion.
2  A vote ‘Withheld’ is not a vote in law and, as such, is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes ‘For’ and ‘Against’. 

De La Rue carefully monitors shareholder voting on the remuneration policy and implementation and the Company recognises the 
importance of ensuring that shareholders continue to support the remuneration arrangements. All voting at the AGM is undertaken 
by poll.

Remuneration advice
The Remuneration Committee consults with the Chief Executive Officer on the remuneration of executives directly reporting to him 
and other senior executives and seeks to ensure a consistent approach across the Group taking account of seniority and market 
practice and the key remuneration policies outlined in this report. During 2018/19, the Committee also received advice from Willis 
Towers Watson. Willis Towers Watson has been formally appointed by the Remuneration Committee and advised on the structure, 
measures and target setting for incentive plans, executive remuneration levels and trends, corporate governance developments 
and Directors’ remuneration report preparation. The Remuneration Committee requests Willis Towers Watson to attend meetings 
periodically during the year.

Willis Towers Watson is a member of the Remuneration Consultants’ Group and has signed up to the code of conduct relating to the 
provision of executive remuneration advice in the UK. In light of this, and the level and nature of the service received, the Committee 
remains satisfied that the advice has been objective and independent. 

Total fees for advice provided to the Remuneration Committee during the year by Willis Towers Watson were £77,991.

Dilution limits
The share incentives operated by the Company comply with the institutional investors’ share dilution guidelines.

The Directors’ remuneration report was approved by the Board on 30 May 2019 and signed on its behalf.

Sabri Challah
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
30 May 2019

Corporate Governance92

Directors’ report

The Directors present their 
annual report on the affairs 
of the Group, together with 
the financial statements 
and auditor’s report, for the 
period ended 30 March 2019. 
The following also form part 
of this report:

• Pages 52 and 53, which

show the names of all persons
who served as Directors of
the Company during the year,
together with their biographical
details, at 30 March 2019
• The reports on corporate
governance set out on
pages 50 to 91

• Information relating to financial
instruments and financial risk
management, as provided in note
14 to the financial statements

• Related party transactions
as set out in note 28 to
the financial statements
• Greenhouse gas emissions,

set out on page 44
• Details of Committee

membership for each Director
are set out on page 55

• Details of Directors’ interests
are set out on page 88 of the
Directors’ remuneration report

Introduction
De La Rue plc is a public limited 
company, registered in England 
and Wales incorporated under the 
Companies Act 1985 with registered 
number 3834125 and has its registered 
office at De La Rue House, Jays Close, 
Viables, Basingstoke, Hampshire 
RG22 4BS.

Directors’ report 
and Strategic report
The Directors of the Company are 
aware of their responsibilities in respect 
of the Annual Report and Accounts. 
The Directors consider that the Annual 
Report and Accounts, taken as a whole, 
is fair, balanced and understandable and 
provides the information necessary for 
shareholders to assess the Company’s 
position and performance, business 
model and strategy. Further information 
regarding related processes can be 
found in the Audit Committee report 
and Risk management sections of this 
annual report on pages 64 and 36 
respectively. The Statement of Directors’ 
Responsibilities appears on page 95.

Under the Companies Act 2006, a safe 
harbour limits the liability of Directors in 
respect of statements in and omissions 
from the Strategic report and the 
Directors’ report. Under English law, the 
Directors would be liable to the Company, 
but not to any third party, if the Strategic 
report or the Directors’ report contain 
errors as a result of recklessness or 
knowing misstatement or dishonest 
concealment of a material fact, but 
would not otherwise be liable.

Management report
The Strategic report and this Directors’ 
report together with other sections 
of this annual report incorporated by 
reference, when taken as a whole, form 
the management report as required 
for the purposes of Disclosure and 
Transparency Rule 4.1.5R. 

Strategic report
The Board has prepared a Strategic 
report which provides an overview 
of the development and performance 
of the Group’s business for the period 
ended 30 March 2019 and which covers 
likely future developments in the Group. 
The Chairman’s overview, Chief Executive 
Officer’s statement, business overviews, 
the strategic priorities, key performance 
indicators, review of operations, 
responsible business, financial review 
and managing our risks sections together 
provide information which the Directors 
consider to be of strategic importance 
to the Group.

Dividends
An interim dividend of 8.3p was paid 
on 3 January 2019 in respect of the 
half year ended 29 September 2018. 
The Board is recommending a final 
dividend of 16.7p per share, making 
a total for the year of 25.0p per share 
(2017/18: 25.0p per share). 

Dividend details are given in note 9 
of the financial statements. Subject to 
approval of shareholders at the AGM 
on 25 July 2019, the final dividend will 
be paid on 2 August 2019 to those 
shareholders on the register on 
5 July 2019.

Share capital 
As at 30 March 2019, there were 
103,796,134 ordinary shares of 44152⁄175p 
each and 111,673,300 deferred shares 
of 1p each in issue.

Deferred shares carry limited economic 
rights and no voting rights. They are not 
transferable except in accordance with 
the articles of association. 

The ordinary shares are listed on the 
London Stock Exchange.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201993

Rights and restrictions on shares 
and transfers of shares
The rights and obligations attaching to 
the Company’s ordinary and deferred 
shares, in addition to those conferred 
on their holders by law, are set out in the 
Company’s articles of association, copies 
of which can be obtained from Companies 
House in the UK or the Group’s website 
www.delarue.com. The key points are 
summarised below:

Voting
On a show of hands at a general meeting 
of the Company, each holder of ordinary 
shares present in person and entitled 
to vote shall have one vote and, on a 
poll, every member present in person or 
by proxy and entitled to vote shall have 
one vote for every ordinary share held. 
Electronic and paper proxy appointments, 
and voting instructions, must be received 
by the Company’s Registrar no later than 
48 hours before a general meeting.

Transfers of shares
The Company’s articles of association 
place no restrictions on the transfer of 
ordinary shares or on the exercise of 
voting rights attached to them except 
in very limited circumstances (such as 
a transfer to more than four persons). 
Certain restrictions, however, may from 
time to time be imposed by laws and 
regulations, such as the FCA’s Listing 
Rules, the City Code on Takeovers 
and Mergers or any other regulations.

Dealings subject to the 
Listing Rules and EU Market 
Abuse Regulation
In accordance with the Listing Rules of 
the FCA and EU Market Abuse Regulation, 
Directors and other persons discharging 
managerial responsibilities of the Company, 
and in each case, any persons closely 
associated with them, are required to seek 
the prior approval of the Company to deal 
in the ordinary shares of the Company. 

Exercise of rights of shares 
in employee share schemes
Awards held by relevant participants under 
the Company’s various share plans carry 
no voting rights until the shares are issued. 
The Trustee of the De La Rue Employee 
Share Ownership Trust does not seek to 
exercise voting rights on existing shares 
held in the employee trust. No shares 
are currently held in trust.

Shareholder agreements 
and consent requirements
There are no known arrangements 
under which financial rights carried by 
any of the shares in the Company are 
held by a person other than holders of the 
shares. The Company is not aware of any 
agreements between shareholders that 
may result in any restriction on the transfer 
of shares or exercise of voting rights.

Dividends and distributions to 
shareholders on winding up 
Holders of ordinary shares may receive 
interim dividends approved by Directors 
and dividends declared in general 
meetings. On a liquidation and subject 
to a special resolution of the Company 
the liquidator may divide among 
members in specie the whole or any 
part of the assets of the Company and 
may, for such purpose, value any assets 
and may determine how such division 
shall be carried out.

Power to issue and allot 
The Directors are generally and 
unconditionally authorised under authorities 
granted at the 2018 AGM to allot shares in 
the Company up to approximately one third 
of the Company’s issued share capital 
or two thirds in respect of a rights issue. 
The Directors were also given the power 
to allot ordinary shares for cash up to a limit 
representing 10% of the Company’s issued 
share capital as at 30 May 2018, without 
regard to the pre-emption provisions of the 
Companies Act 2006 (however, more than 
5% can only be used in connection with an 
acquisition or specified capital investment).

No such shares were issued or allotted 
under these authorities and at present the 
Directors have no intention of exercising 
this authority, other than to satisfy share 
options under the Company’s share 
option schemes and, if necessary, to 
satisfy the consideration payable for 
businesses to be acquired.

These authorities are valid until the 
conclusion of the forthcoming AGM 
and the Directors again propose to seek 
equivalent authorities at such AGM.

Details of shares issued during the year 
and outstanding options are given in notes 
20 and 21 on pages 138 and 139 which 
form part of this report. Details of the 
share incentives in place are provided 
on pages 82 to 86 of the Directors’ 
remuneration report.

Authority to purchase own shares
At the 2018 AGM, shareholders gave 
the Company authority to purchase up 
to 10,257,648 of its own ordinary shares 
representing 10% of its issued ordinary 
share capital either for cancellation or to 
be held in treasury (or a combination of 
these). No purchases have been made 
pursuant to this authority and a resolution 
will be put to shareholders at the 2019 
AGM to renew the authority for a further 
period of one year.

Directors
Details of Directors’ remuneration are 
provided in the Directors’ remuneration 
report on pages 74 to 91. The interests of 
the Directors and their families in the share 
capital of the Company are shown on 
page 88 of the Directors’ remuneration 
report which also includes information 
on the Company contracts of service 
with its Directors on page 86.

Appointment and removal 
of Directors
Rules regarding the appointment and 
removal of Directors are set out in the 
Company’s articles of association.

Corporate Governance94

Directors’ report continued

Substantial shareholdings
As at 30 May 2019, the Company had received formal notification of the following 
holdings in its shares under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the FCA. 
It should be noted that these holdings may have changed since the Company was 
notified, however notification of any change is not required until the next notifiable 
threshold is crossed.

Persons notifying
Brandes Investment Partners, L.P.
Majedie Asset Management Limited
Royal London Asset Management Limited
Aberforth Partners LLP
Crystal Amber Fund Limited
Neptune Investment Management Limited
Norges Bank

Date last TR1 
notification made
19/07/2016
17/12/2015
22/08/2018
09/04/2018
10/09/2018
01/05/2018
12/10/2017

% of issued 
ordinary share 
capital held at 
notification date
9.97
5.60
5.23
5.11
5.00
4.70
3.03

Nature 
of interest
Indirect
Indirect
Direct
Indirect
Direct
Direct
Direct

Powers of Directors
Subject to the Company’s articles of 
association, the Companies Act 2006 and 
any directions given by the Company in 
general meeting by a special resolution, 
the business of the Company is managed 
by the Board who may exercise all the 
powers of the Company, whether relating 
to the management of the business of the 
Company or not. The powers of the Board 
are described in the corporate governance 
statement on pages 54 to 58.

Indemnity
At the date of this report, the Company 
has agreed, to the extent permitted by 
the law and the Company’s articles of 
association, to indemnify Directors and 
officers in respect of all costs, charges, 
losses, damages and expenses arising 
out of claims made against them in the 
course of the execution of their duties 
as a Director or officer of the Company or 
any associated company. The Company 
may advance defence costs in civil or 
regulatory proceedings on such terms 
as the Board may reasonably determine 
but any advance must be refunded if 
the Director or officer is subsequently 
convicted. The indemnity will not provide 
cover where the Director or officer has 
acted fraudulently or dishonestly. 

The Group also maintains Directors’ and 
officers’ liability insurance cover for its 
Directors and officers. This cover extends 
to directors of subsidiary companies.

Amendment of articles 
of association
The articles of association may be 
amended by special resolution of 
the shareholders. 

Change of control 
Contracts
There are a number of contracts 
which allow the counterparties to alter 
or terminate those arrangements in 
the event of a change of control of the 
Company. These arrangements are 
commercially sensitive and confidential 
and their disclosure could be seriously 
prejudicial to the Group.

Financial risk management
See note 14 on page 127.

Banking facilities
The credit facility between the Company 
and its key relationship banks contains 
a provision such that, in the event of a 
change of control, any lender may, if it 
so requires, notify the agent that it wishes 
to cancel its commitment whereupon 
the commitment of that lender will be 
cancelled and all its outstanding loans, 
together with accrued interest, will 
become immediately due and payable.

At the 2017 AGM, shareholders approved 
a proposal to increase the borrowing limit 
from £250m (as stated in the Company’s 
articles of association) to £325m.

Employee share plans
In the event of a change of control, automatic 
vesting would occur in accordance with 
the relevant scheme or plan rules.

Political donations
The Group’s policy is not to make any 
political donations and none were made 
during the period. However, it is possible 
that certain routine activities may 
unintentionally fall within the broad scope of 
the Companies Act 2006 provisions relating 
to political donations and expenditure. As in 
previous years, the Company will therefore 
propose to shareholders at the forthcoming 
AGM that the authority granted at the AGM 
in July 2018 regarding political donations 
be renewed.

Essential contracts or 
other arrangements
The Group has a number of suppliers of 
key components, the loss of which could 
disrupt the Group’s ability to deliver on time 
and in full. See more details on page 38.

Branches
De La Rue is a global company and 
our activities and interests are operated 
through subsidiaries, branches of 
subsidiaries and associates which are 
subject to the laws and regulations 
of many different jurisdictions. Our 
subsidiaries and associates are listed 
on pages 147 and 148.

Acquisitions and disposals
No acquisitions or disposals were made 
during the year.

Post-balance sheet events
Post-balance sheet events are disclosed 
in note 29 to the financial statements.

Going concern
As described on page 109, the Directors 
continue to adopt the going concern basis 
(in accordance with the guidance ‘Going 
Concern and Liquidity Risk Guidance for 
Directors of UK Companies 2009’ issued 
by the FRC) in preparing the consolidated 
financial statements.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201995

Employment of disabled persons
The Group gives full consideration to 
applications for employment from disabled 
persons where the requirements of the job 
can be adequately fulfilled by a disabled 
person. Where existing employees 
become disabled, it is the Group’s policy, 
wherever practicable, to provide continuing 
employment under normal terms and 
conditions and to provide training and 
career development and promotion to 
disabled employees wherever appropriate. 

Disclosures required under 
UK Listing Rule 9.8.4
There are no disclosures required to be 
made under the UK Listing Rule 9.8.4 
not already reported by reference within 
the annual report. 

Auditor and disclosure 
of information to auditor
Each of the persons who is a Director at the 
date of approval of this report confirms that:

• So far as the Director is aware, there is
no relevant audit information of which
the Company’s auditor is unaware

• The Director has taken all the steps
that he or she ought to have taken
as a Director in order to make himself
or herself aware of any relevant audit
information and to establish that
the Company’s auditor is aware
of that information

This confirmation is given, and should 
be interpreted, in accordance with 
the provisions of section 418 of the 
Companies Act 2006.

Auditors
Ernst & Young LLP have expressed 
their willingness to be re-appointed 
as auditor of the Company. A resolution 
to re-appoint Ernst & Young LLP as the 
Company’s auditor will be proposed 
at the forthcoming AGM.

Statement of Directors’ 
responsibilities in respect 
of the annual report and 
the financial statements
The Directors are responsible for 
preparing the annual report and the 
Group and Parent Company financial 
statements in accordance with 
applicable law and regulations. 

Under that law they are required to 
prepare the Group financial statements 
in accordance with IFRS 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 
102 The Financial Reporting Standard 
applicable in the UK and Republic of 
Ireland, and applicable law. 

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 and prudent

• For the Group financial statements,

state whether they have been
prepared in accordance with
IFRS 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

• Prepare the financial statements on
the going concern basis unless it is
inappropriate to presume that the
Group and the Parent Company
will continue in business

The Directors are responsible for keeping 
adequate accounting records that are 
sufficient to show and explain the Parent 
Company and Group’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 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 Group’s website. 
Legislation in the UK governing the 
preparation and dissemination of 
financial statements may differ from 
legislation in other jurisdictions.

Directors’ responsibility statement 
Each of the persons who is a Director at 
the date of approval of this report confirms 
that to the best of his or her knowledge:

• The Group financial statements,

prepared in accordance with IFRS
as adopted by the EU, give a true and
fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial
position and profit of the Company
and the undertakings included in the
consolidation taken as a whole

• The Strategic report on pages 2 to

50 and the Directors’ report on pages
92 to 95 include a fair review of the
development and performance of the
business and the position of the Group
and the undertakings included in the
consolidation taken as a whole, together
with a description of the principal risks
and uncertainties that they face

• The Annual Report and Accounts,
taken as a whole, are fair, balanced
and understandable and provide the
information necessary for shareholders
to assess the Group’s financial
position, performance, business
model and strategy

The Strategic report and the Directors’ 
report were approved by the Board 
on 30 May 2019.

By order of the Board

Edward Peppiatt
Company Secretary
30 May 2019

Corporate Governance96

Independent auditor’s report 
to the members of De La Rue plc

Opinion
In our opinion:
• De La Rue plc’s group financial statements and parent company financial statements (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 30 March 2019 and of the group’s profit for the year then ended;

• the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union;
• the parent company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted

Accounting Practice; 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.

We have audited the financial statements of De La Rue plc which comprise:

Group
Group income statement for the period ended 30 March 2019
Group statement of comprehensive income for the period 
then ended
Group balance sheet as at 30 March 2019

Group statement of changes in equity for the period then ended
Group cash flow statement for the period then ended
Related notes 1 to 31 to the financial statements, including 
a summary of significant accounting policies

Parent Company
Company balance sheet as at 30 March 2019
Company statement of changes in equity for the period then ended

Related notes 1 to 9a to the financial statements including 
a summary of significant accounting policies

The financial reporting framework that has been applied in the preparation of the group financial statements is applicable law and 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union. The financial reporting framework that has been 
applied in the preparation of the parent company financial statements is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, 
including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally 
Accepted Accounting Practice).

Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities 
under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report 
below. We are independent of the group and parent company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit 
of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard as applied to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled 
our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to principal risks, going concern and viability statement
We have nothing to report in respect of the following information in the annual report, in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report 
to you whether we have anything material to add or draw attention to:

• the disclosures in the annual report set out on pages 37 to 40 that describe the principal risks and explain how they are being managed

or mitigated;

• the directors’ confirmation set out on page 69 in the annual report that they have carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks

facing the entity, including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity;

• the directors’ statement set out on page 94 in the corporate governance section about whether they considered it appropriate to adopt
the going concern basis of accounting in preparing them, and their identification of any material uncertainties to the entity’s ability to
continue to do so over a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements;

• whether the directors’ statement in relation to going concern required under the Listing Rules in accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.6R(3)

is materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in the audit; or

• the directors’ explanation set out on page 41 in the annual report as to how they have assessed the prospects of the entity, over what

period they have done so and why they consider that period to be appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable
expectation that the entity 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.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201997

Overview of our audit approach

Key audit  
matters

 – Specific judgemental accruals
 – Revenue recognition (cut-off)
 – The adoption of IFRS 15 (Revenue from contracts with customers)
 – Recoverability of receivables in Venezuela (including the impact of the adoption of IFRS 9 and the expected 

credit loss model)

Audit scope

 – Post-retirement benefits – Liabilities 
 – We performed an audit of the complete financial information of four components and audit procedures 

on specific balances for a further two components.

 – The components where we performed full or specific audit procedures accounted for 117.8% of Profit 

before tax adjusted for exceptional items, 98.9% of Revenue and 96.9% of Total assets.

Materiality

 – Overall group materiality of £2.6m which represents 4.9% of profit before tax (‘PBT’) adjusted for 

exceptional items (a full reconciliation of IFRS PBT to the adjusted PBT figure used for determining 
materiality is set out in the “Our application of materiality” section below).

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements of 
the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) that we identified. 
These matters included those 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. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as 
a whole, and in our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

Key observations 
communicated 
to the Audit Committee 

Based on the results 
of our work, we agree 
with management’s 
judgements and 
estimates in relation 
to significant 
judgemental accruals. 
We identified certain 
audit misstatements 
in respect of accruals 
however these were 
below our materiality 
threshold presented 
above. We note that 
the assumptions and 
judgements applied 
in some calculations 
mean that the range 
of possible outcomes 
is broad.

Risk

Our response to risk

We have ensured that we understand all contractual terms 
and conditions relevant to agent commission accruals 
and evaluated the best estimates of these liabilities based 
on the terms of the contract, past practise and where 
relevant external legal advice (evaluating the provider 
of such advice for competence as an expert used 
by management). We also evaluated management’s 
judgement applied in the assumptions used and the 
accuracy of previous estimated positions.

We have also considered the income statement 
classification of material accrual releases – in particular 
considering the classification and disclosure of such 
releases, taking into account the historic accounting 
for the build-up of these accruals. 

We have performed an analysis of accruals for indicators 
of judgement. Based on this analysis, we identified varying 
levels of judgement that management may influence 
in order to manipulate the financial statements (ranging 
from significant to minimal) and have executed our audit 
procedures directly in response to this risk assessment.

For accruals deemed more susceptible to manipulation 
we have determined a sample size to test using a reduced 
testing threshold relative to the remaining accruals balance; 
and obtained corroborative third party support or other 
supporting information.

Specific judgemental accruals – £54.9m 
(FY18 – £58.2m)

Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 66); 
Accounting policies (page 137); and Note 17 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements (page 137).

De La Rue has certain agency commissions 
agreements which need to be accrued for based 
on the legal or contractual obligation arising. 
In relation to unsettled historic amounts these 
involve a level of estimation and judgement 
which is both material to the financial statements 
and susceptible to management override and 
manipulation. As identified by management on 
page 32 of the Strategic Report management 
released the remainder of a material accrual 
in relation to a historic dispute relating to 
agency commissions based on a judgement 
that this would no longer be required.

We have also identified a number of smaller, 
individually insignificant accruals that have a higher 
opportunity to be used to manipulate the financial 
statements due to several layers of ownership and 
lower levels of management oversight. We have 
therefore identified an additional risk that these 
accruals could be utilised to smooth profit 
across periods.

Misstatements that occur in relation to the risk over 
specific judgemental accruals affect the accrued 
expenses account on the balance sheet as well 
as the cost of sales and administrative expenses 
accounts in the income statement.

Accounts98

Independent auditor’s report  
to the members of De La Rue plc continued

Key observations 
communicated 
to the Audit Committee 

Based on the 
procedures performed, 
including those in 
respect of revenue 
recognition cut off, 
we did not identify any 
evidence of material 
misstatement in the 
revenue recognised in 
the period or revenue 
accrued or deferred 
at 30 March 2019.

Based on the 
procedures performed, 
including those in 
respect of revenue 
recognition (adoption 
of IFRS 15), we did not 
identify any evidence of 
material misstatement in 
the revenue recognised 
in the period or revenue 
accrued or deferred 
at 30 March 2019.

Risk

Our response to risk

We have performed testing to a reduced materiality 
threshold on revenue recognised around the period end 
date ensuring that, where revenue has been recognised 
there is appropriate evidence to support that control has 
passed to the customer. This includes third party evidence 
of delivery as applicable. For ‘bill and hold’ contracts we 
ensured that the related goods had been manufactured 
at the year-end date and that control had passed to 
the customer.

We have performed reviews of significant revenue 
generating contracts at the period end, to ensure the 
accounting treatment is in line with the contract terms, 
including that acceptance and “bill and hold” conditions 
have been satisfied.

At each full scope audit location with significant revenue 
streams (4 components) plus (where relevant) consolidation 
adjustments, we performed audit procedures which 
covered 98.9% of the Group’s Revenue.

Revenue recognition (cut-off) – £564.8m 
(FY18 – 493.9m)
Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 65); 
Accounting policies (page 110); and Note 1 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements (page 117)

We have identified that there is a risk that revenue 
is manipulated at or near to the period end to meet 
income statement targets through management 
override of controls. This cut-off risk manifests itself in 
different ways based on the terms of the contract and 
the associated accounting policy under IFRS 15. For 
contracts where revenue is recognised ‘over time’ the 
risk relates to the accuracy of the cost incurred position 
at year-end as well as the forecast margin for the 
contract. For contracts where revenue is recognised 
at a ‘point in time’ the risk relates to evidencing that 
control has passed to the customer. In particular 
certain contracts include specific terms, for example, 
complex acceptance criteria or “bill and hold” criteria 
which adds to the risk that revenue may be recorded 
in the incorrect reporting period. 

Misstatements that occur in relation to this risk would 
impact the revenue recognised in the income statement 
as well as any revenue related balance sheet account 
such as trade debtors, deferred income etc.

Revenue recognition (adoption of IFRS 15) – 
£564.8m (FY18 – 493.9m)
Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 65); 
Accounting policies (page 110); and Note 1 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements (pages 117)

Management’s process for quantifying the impact of IFRS 
15 has entailed a number of steps including initial impact 
assessment, extension of impact assessment to the wider 
population of contracts with customers and quantification 
of adjustments.

De La Rue adopted IFRS 15 “Revenue from 
contracts with customers” with effect from 1 
April 2018. The standard was adopted using the 
modified retrospective approach whereby the 
comparative figures were not adjusted and a 
transition adjustment was recorded on 1 April 2018.

IFRS 15 applies to all contracts with customers 
excluding those covered by other IFRSs such 
as lease contracts, insurance contracts, and 
financial instruments.

The standard introduces a 5-step model which 
outlines the principles an entity must apply to 
measure and recognise revenue. The core principle 
is that an entity will recognise revenue at an amount 
that reflects the consideration to which the entity 
expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring 
goods or services to a customer.

There is a risk that revenue is manipulated through 
incorrectly applying the principles set out in the 
5-step model of IFRS 15 to accelerate revenue
which could include identifying a contract as
subject to “revenue over time” accounting
instead of “revenue at a point in time”.

We have performed audit procedures in respect of each 
of the above steps including;

 – Performing an independent impact assessment of
IFRS 15 for a sample of the most material contracts
in the period (in addition to a random sample of
customer contracts).

 – Agreed the basis of material transition adjustments

(based on a reduced testing threshold commensurate
with the identified risk) in light of the above impact
assessment.

 – Tested the calculation of these transition adjustments
(typically moving to ‘revenue over time’) by agreeing
the costs incurred to date to source documentation
and by reviewing and understanding the forecast
costs to complete.

 – We have also considered the completeness of transition

adjustments in the context of our knowledge of significant
contracts. For contracts moving to a revenue recognised
over time policy (the impact of which on current year
revenue and profits is disclosed by management in
accounting policies on page 110) we reviewed the
contractual terms and conditions or where relevant legal
advice obtained by management in respect of these
against IFRS 15 to ensure this treatment was appropriate.

 – In addition to testing the transition adjustments

Misstatements that occur in relation to this risk would 
impact the revenue recognised in the income statement 
as well as any revenue related balance sheet accounts 
such as contract assets and contract liabilities.

(as summarised above) we undertook testing on
revenue transactions for the current financial year
taking consideration of the new policies adopted
with the implementation of IFRS 15.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201999

Key observations 
communicated 
to the Audit Committee 

  Based on the 
procedures performed, 
we believe that provision 
of the full balance in 
respect of the Venezuela 
receivable is appropriate 
and accordingly we 
did not identify any 
material misstatements 
in this area.

Based on procedures 
performed in respect 
of the IFRS 9/
expected credit loss 
accounting we also did 
not identify any audit 
misstatements either 
upon transition or 
for the year ended 
30 March 2019.

Based on the results 
of our work, we have 
concluded that the 
actuarial assumptions 
applied within the 
valuation of post-
retirement benefits 
at period-end are 
appropriate.

As a result, and in 
tandem with the results 
of all other procedures 
performed on post-
retirement benefits, 
we did not identify any 
evidence of material 
misstatement in the 
retirement obligation 
as at 30 March 2019.

Risk

Our response to risk

We have ensured that we understand all of the pertinent 
facts pertaining to the Venezuela receivable and the 
associated credit loss provision including the nature & timing 
of US sanctions, our knowledge of positions adopted 
by other companies and the ability to receive settlement 
through alternative means.

We have also considered management’s calculation 
of the associated provision and disclosure within the 
financial statements, including the treatment of the credit 
loss expense as an exceptional item and the disclosure 
of the original revenue and margin recognised in 
underlying profit. 

We have understood management’s approach to quantifying 
the expected credit loss including the source of data used 
to determine inputs (historical credit losses and any future 
expectations to derive an expected lifetime credit loss), the 
stratification across homogeneous populations of receivable 
balances and the final calculation of the resulting provision 
(both as at the transition date and as at the year-end).

Recoverability of Trade and other receivables 
– £159.5m (FY18 – £99.1m)
Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 66); 
Accounting policies (page 126); and Note 13 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements (page 126)

At the balance sheet date De La Rue holds £18m 
of receivables due from Banco Central de Venezuela. 
As a result of the US sanctions upon Venezuela, Banco 
Central de Venezuela have been unable to settle their 
open receivables to De La Rue creating uncertainty 
over the recoverability of this balance. There is a risk 
that, were the balance not provided, the profits for 
the year could be materially misstated.

In addition to the above specific matter, De La Rue 
are also adopting IFRS 9 “Financial Instruments” 
with effect from 1 April 2018. Consistent with the 
approach for IFRS 15, the standard was adopted 
using the modified retrospective approach whereby 
the comparative figures were not adjusted and a 
transition adjustment was recorded on 1 April 2018.

IFRS 9 introduces new accounting requirements in 
respect of provisions for receivables – most notably 
the introduction of an ‘expected credit loss’ model for 
impairment of financial assets (including trade & other 
receivables). There is a risk that the income statement 
and balance sheet could be misstated due to errors 
in the calculation of the expected credit loss.

Post-retirement benefit Liabilities – £1,081.6m 
(FY18 – £1,061.6m) 
Refer to the Audit Committee Report (page 65); 
Accounting policies (page 142); and Note 24 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements (page 142)

Together with our EY pension specialists, we have 
coordinated with the actuaries of the pension scheme 
to thoroughly understand the valuation process and 
challenged the basis for setting key assumptions, 
such as the discount rate. 

We have assessed the competency of the third parties 
used in determining the valuation.

In addition to the review of the main pension assumptions 
we have received the actuary’s assessment for GMP 
equalisation. Our internal pension specialists have re-
calculated the expected impact of the GMP calculation 
based on available data and the estimates applied 
defined by management and their actuaries. 

Small changes in the assumptions and estimates 
used to calculate the defined benefit pension obligation 
have a significant impact on the financial statements.

In October 2018 a landmark ruling was reached in 
respect of the equalisation of Guaranteed Minimum 
Pensions (‘GMPs’) on the Lloyds Banking Group’s 
pension scheme. This ruling is expected to set 
precedents for similar GMP equalisation for 
defined benefit pension schemes across the UK.

As a result, we have identified an additional risk in 
respect of the accounting for this GMP equalisation 
change in the period. 

Misstatements that occur in relation to this risk would 
affect the retirement benefit obligations account in the 
balance sheet as well as related accounts in the income 
statement account and other comprehensive income. 

In the prior year, our auditor’s report included a key audit matter in relation to the valuation of inventory. In the current year, it was concluded 
that valuation of inventory no longer represented a significant audit risk due to the lack of errors identified in the prior period and our updated 
understanding of the inventory process in the period. 

In the prior year, our auditor’s report included a key audit matter in relation to the disposal of the paper business. In the current year, it was 
concluded that this no longer required reporting as a key audit matter as the majority of the disposal accounting was performed in the year 
of disposal (certain adjustments have been made to the final consideration amount in the current year but not such that this constituted 
a key audit matter).

Accounts100

Independent auditor’s report  
to the members of De La Rue plc continued

An overview of the scope of our audit
Tailoring the scope
Our assessment of audit risk, our evaluation of materiality and our allocation of performance materiality determine our audit scope for each 
entity within the Group. Taken together, this enables us to form an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We take into account 
size, risk profile, the organisation of the group and effectiveness of group-wide controls and changes in the business environment when 
assessing the level of work to be performed at each entity.

In assessing the risk of material misstatement to the Group financial statements, and to ensure we had adequate quantitative coverage of 
significant accounts in the financial statements, of the 53 reporting components of the Group, we selected 6 components covering entities 
within the United Kingdom, Malta, Sri Lanka and Kenya, which represent the principal business units within the Group. 

Of the 6 components selected, we performed an audit of the complete financial information of four components (“full scope components”) 
which were selected based on their size or risk characteristics. For the remaining two components (“specific scope components”), we 
performed audit procedures on specific accounts within that component that we considered had the potential for the greatest impact 
on the significant accounts in the financial statements either because of the size of these accounts or their risk profile. 

• The reporting components where we performed audit procedures accounted for 117.8% (2018: 105.7%) of the Group’s profit before tax
adjusted for exceptional items, 98.9% (2018: 95.3%) of the Group’s Revenue and 96.9% (2018: 81.8%) of the Group’s Total assets. For
the current year, the full scope components contributed 146.3% (2018: 105.7%) of the Group’s profit before tax adjusted for exceptional
items, 98.8% (2018: 95.3%) of the Group’s Revenue and 81.4% (2018: 80.7%) of the Group’s Total assets. The specific scope component
contributed -28.5% (2018: 0%) of the Group’s profit before tax adjusted for exceptional items, 0.1% (2018: 0%) of the Group’s Revenue
and 15.5% (2018: 1.1%) of the Group’s Total assets. The audit scope of these components may not have included testing of all significant
accounts of the component but will have contributed to the coverage of significant tested for the Group. We also instructed 8 components
to perform specified procedures over certain aspects of cash and cash equivalents, other operating expenses, revenue, trade & other
payables, trade & other receivables, intangibles and external borrowings in response to our risk assessment for these individual
financial statement captions.

Of the remaining 47 components that together represent -17.8% of the Group’s Profit before Tax adjusted for exceptional items, none are 
individually greater than 11.8% of the Group’s Profit before Tax adjusted for exceptional items. For these components, we performed other 
procedures, including analytical review, tests of details on balances considered significant due to size or risk and foreign currency 
translation recalculations to respond to any potential risks of material misstatement to the Group financial statement.

The charts below illustrate the coverage obtained from the work performed by our audit teams.

Full Scope Components
Specific Scope Components
Other Procedures
Total

Profit before Tax 
adjusted for 
exceptional items 
(%)
146.3
(28.5)
(17.8)
100.0

Revenue 
(%)
98.8
0.1
1.1
100.0

Total Assets 
(%)
81.4
15.5
3.1
100.0

Involvement with component teams 
In establishing our overall approach to the Group audit, we determined the type of work that needed to be undertaken at each of the 
components by us, as the primary audit engagement team, or by component auditors from other EY global network firms operating under 
our instruction. Of the four full scope components, audit procedures were performed on one of these directly by the primary audit team. 
For other in-scope components, where the work was performed by component auditors, we determined the appropriate level of involvement 
to enable us to determine that sufficient audit evidence had been obtained as a basis for our opinion on the Group as a whole.

During the year the Group audit team determined not to undertake any planned visits to overseas locations. This decision was taken based 
on the relative contribution of the UK to the overall Group results (113.5% of Group profit before tax adjusted for exceptional items and 95.8% 
of group revenue), the prior period visit to the Maltese location and the other interactions with all component teams conducted throughout 
the audit. 

The primary team interacted regularly with the component teams where appropriate during various stages of the audit, reviewed key 
working papers and were responsible for the scope and direction of the audit process. This, together with the additional procedures 
performed at Group level, gave us appropriate evidence for our opinion on the Group financial statements.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019101

Our application of materiality
We apply the concept of materiality in planning and performing the audit, in evaluating the effect of identified misstatements on the audit 
and in forming our audit opinion. 

Materiality
The magnitude of an omission or misstatement that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of the users of the financial statements. Materiality provides a basis for determining the nature and extent of our audit procedures.

We determined materiality for the Group to be £2.6 million (2018: £2.7 million), which is 4.9% (2018: 5%) of profit before tax adjusted for exceptional 
items. We believe that the materiality basis provides us with reference to an appropriate benchmark of Group profit from continuing operations 
before tax, normalised to remove the impact of separately identified exceptional items (as disclosed in note 4 of the financial statements).

We determined materiality for the Parent Company to be £3.8 million (2018: £4.6 million), which is 2% (2018: 2%) of equity. 

Our materiality is based on the Group’s profit before tax adjusted for exceptional items in order to exclude items which are non-recurring 
in nature. We have determined the final materiality amount applied in our audit procedures below:

Starting basis

•  Group profit before tax – £25.5m

Adjustments

•  Add-back net exceptional items of £27.9m as disclosed on the Group income statement

Materiality

•  Totals £53.4m
•  Materiality of £2.6m (4.9% of materiality basis)

Performance materiality
The application of materiality at the individual account or balance level. It is set at an amount to reduce to an appropriately low level the 
probability that the aggregate of uncorrected and undetected misstatements exceeds materiality.

On the basis of our risk assessments, together with our assessment of the Group’s overall control environment, our judgement was 
that performance materiality was 50% (2018: 50%) of our planning materiality, namely £1.30m (2018: £1.35m). We have set performance 
materiality at this percentage due to an expectation of possible audit misstatements in the current year driven by the volume and quantum 
of audit misstatements identified in the prior year.

Audit work at component locations for the purpose of obtaining audit coverage over significant financial statement accounts is undertaken 
based on a percentage of total performance materiality. The performance materiality set for each component is based on the relative scale 
and risk of the component to the Group as a whole and our assessment of the risk of misstatement at that component. In the current year, 
the range of performance materiality allocated to components was £329,000 to £1,304,000 (2018: £337,000 to £1,350,000).

Reporting threshold
An amount below which identified misstatements are considered as being clearly trivial.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them all uncorrected audit differences in excess of £130,000 (2018: £135,000), 
which is set at 5% of planning materiality, as well as differences below that threshold that, in our view, warranted reporting on qualitative grounds.

We evaluate any uncorrected misstatements against both the quantitative measures of materiality discussed above and in light of other 
relevant qualitative considerations in forming our opinion.

Other information 
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report set out on pages 1 to 95, including the Strategic Report 
and Corporate Governance Report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The directors are responsible 
for the other information. 

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in this 
report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

Accounts102

Independent auditor’s report  
to the members of De La Rue plc continued

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether 
the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears 
to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine 
whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the 
work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of the other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

In this context, we also have nothing to report in regard to our responsibility to specifically address the following items in the other 
information and to report as uncorrected material misstatements of the other information where we conclude that those items meet 
the following conditions:

•  Fair, balanced and understandable set out on page 68 – the statement given by the directors that they consider the annual report
and financial statements taken as a whole is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders
to assess the group’s performance, business model and strategy, is materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in the audit; or

• Audit committee reporting set out on page 64 – the section describing the work of the audit committee does not appropriately

address matters communicated by us to the audit committee; or

• Directors’ statement of compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code set out on page 51 – the parts of the directors’
statement required under the Listing Rules relating to the company’s compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code containing
provisions specified for review by the auditor in accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.10R(2) do not properly disclose a departure from a
relevant provision of the UK Corporate Governance Code.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, the part of the directors’ remuneration report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies 
Act 2006.

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• the information given in the strategic report and the directors’ report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared

is consistent with the financial statements and those reports have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements;
• the information about internal control and risk management systems in relation to financial reporting processes and about share capital
structures, given in compliance with rules 7.2.5 and 7.2.6 in the Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules sourcebook made by the
Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA Rules), is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with
applicable legal requirements; and

• information about the company’s corporate governance code and practices and about its administrative, management and supervisory

bodies and their committees complies with rules 7.2.2, 7.2.3 and 7.2.7 of the FCA Rules.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent company and its environment obtained in the course of the 
audit, we have not identified material misstatements in:

• the strategic report or the directors’ report; or
• the information about internal control and risk management systems in relation to financial reporting processes and about share capital

structures, given in compliance with rules 7.2.5 and 7.2.6 of the FCA Rules

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, 
in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received

from branches not visited by us; or

• the parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in agreement with

the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
• a Corporate Governance Statement has not been prepared by the company

Responsibilities of directors
As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement set out on page 95, the directors are responsible for the preparation of 
the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine 
is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the 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 the 
directors either intend to liquidate the group or the parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019103

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, 
whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, 
but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. 
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be 
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. 

Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, 
including fraud 
The objectives of our audit, in respect to fraud, are: to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements due to 
fraud; to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and 
implementing appropriate responses; and to respond appropriately to fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary 
responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both those charged with governance of the entity and management. 

Our approach was as follows: 

•  We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the group and determined that the most 
significant are those that relate to the reporting framework (IFRS, Companies Act 2006, the UK Corporate Governance Code, and the 
Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority) and the relevant tax compliance regulations in the jurisdictions in which De la Rue plc operates.
•  We understood how De La Rue plc is complying with those frameworks by understanding how De La Rue’s own oversight mitigates risk 
through driving a culture of honesty and ethical behaviour (by placing a strong emphasis on fraud prevention). We also made enquiries of 
management, internal audit, those responsible for legal and compliance procedures and the Company Secretary. We corroborated our 
enquiries through our review of Board minutes, papers provided to the Audit Committee and correspondence received from regulatory 
bodies and noted that there was no contradictory evidence.

•  We assessed the susceptibility of the group’s financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur by 

considering the risk of fraud through management override and, in response, we incorporated data analytics across manual journal entries 
into our audit approach. Where instances of risk behaviour patterns were identified through our data analytics, we performed additional 
audit procedures to address each identified risk. These procedures included testing of transactions back to source information and were 
designed to provide assurance that the financial statements were free from fraud or error.

•  Based on this understanding we designed our audit procedures to identify non-compliance with such laws and regulations. 

Our procedures involved journal entry testing, with a focus on journals meeting our defined risk criteria based on our understanding 
of the business; enquiries of legal counsel, group management, internal audit and all full and specific scope management.

•  If any instance of non-compliance with laws and regulations were identified, these were communicated to the relevant local EY teams 

who performed sufficient and appropriate audit procedures supplemented by audit procedures performed at the group level. 

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website 
at https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Other matters we are required to address
•  We were appointed by the company on 20 July 2017 to audit the financial statements for the period ending 31 March 2018 and 
subsequent financial periods. We were appointed as auditors by the Board of Directors and signed an engagement letter on 
21 September 2017. 

•  The period of total uninterrupted engagement including previous renewals and reappointments is 2 years, covering the years ending 

31 March 2018 to 30 March 2019.

•  The non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not provided to the group or the parent company and we remain 

independent of the group and the parent company in conducting the audit. 
•  The audit opinion is consistent with the additional report to the audit committee.

Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. 
Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in 
an 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. 

Kevin Harkin (Senior statutory auditor)
for and on behalf of Ernst & Young LLP, Statutory Auditor
Reading
30 May 2019

Notes:
1 

 The maintenance and integrity of the De La Rue plc web site is the responsibility of the directors; the work carried out by the auditors does not involve consideration of these matters and, accordingly, 
the auditors accept no responsibility for any changes that may have occurred to the financial statements since they were initially presented on the web site.
 Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

2 

Accounts104

Group income statement
for the period ended 30 March 2019

Revenue from customer contracts
Operating expenses – ordinary
Operating (expenses)/income – exceptional
Total operating expenses
Operating profit
Comprising:
Adjusted operating profit
Amortisation of acquired intangible assets
Net exceptional items 

Profit before interest and taxation
Interest income
Interest expense
Retirement benefit obligation net finance expense 
Net finance expense
Profit before taxation
Taxation
Profit from continuing operations
Loss from discontinued operations
Profit for the year
Attributable to:
 – Owners of the parent
 – Non-controlling interests
Profit for the year

Earnings per ordinary share
Basic
Basic EPS continuing operations
Basic EPS discontinued operations
Total Basic EPS
Diluted
Diluted EPS continuing operations
Diluted EPS discontinued operations
Total Diluted EPS

Notes
1
3
4,5

4,5

6
6
6,24

7

2

8

8

2019  
£m
564.8
(505.4)
(27.9)
(533.3)
31.5

60.1
(0.7)
(27.9)

31.5
0.6
(4.5)
(2.1)
(6.0)
25.5
(4.8)
20.7
(2.4)
18.3

17.0
1.3
18.3

18.8p
(2.3p)
16.5p

18.8p
(2.3p)
16.5p

2018  
£m
493.9
(431.8)
60.9
(370.9)
123.0

62.8
(0.7)
60.9

123.0
–
(3.8)
(5.6)
(9.4)
113.6
(16.8)
96.8
(1.8)
95.0

93.6
1.4
95.0

93.7p
(1.8p)
91.9p

92.8p
(1.8p)
91.0p

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Group statement of comprehensive income
for the period ended 30 March 2019

Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Items that are not reclassified subsequently to profit or loss:
Remeasurement (loss)/gain on retirement benefit obligations
Tax related to remeasurement of net defined benefit liability
Other movements
Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss:
Foreign currency translation differences for foreign operations
Change in fair value of cash flow hedges
Other movements
Change in fair value of cash flow hedges transferred to profit or loss
Change in fair value of cash flow hedges transferred to non-current assets
Income tax relating to components of other comprehensive income
Other comprehensive (loss)/income for the year, net of tax
Total comprehensive income for the year
Comprehensive income for the year attributable to:
Equity shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests

105

2018 
£m
95.0

61.5
(10.4)
−

(0.1)
(1.9)
0.4
(1.2)
0.2
0.4
48.9
143.9

142.5
1.4
143.9

Notes

24
7

7

2019 
£m
18.3

(4.8)
1.5
0.7

(0.9)
(2.6)
−
0.4
−
0.7
(5.0)
13.3

12.0
1.3
13.3

Accounts106

Group balance sheet
at 30 March 2019

ASSETS
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Other financial assets
Investments in associates and joint ventures
Deferred tax assets
Derivative financial assets

Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Contract assets
Current tax assets
Derivative financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Borrowings
Trade and other payables
Contract liabilities
Current tax liabilities
Derivative financial liabilities
Provisions for liabilities and charges

Non-current liabilities
Retirement benefit obligations
Deferred tax liabilities
Derivative financial liabilities
Provisions for liabilities and charges

Total liabilities
Net liabilities

EQUITY
Share capital
Share premium account
Capital redemption reserve
Hedge reserve
Cumulative translation adjustment
Other reserve
Retained earnings
Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company
Non-controlling interests
Total equity

Approved by the Board on 30 May 2019.

Philip Rogerson 
Chairman 

Helen Willis
Chief Financial Officer

Registered number: 3834125

Notes

2019  
£m

2018  
£m

10
11
5

16
14

12
13

14
15

18
17

14
19

24
16
14
19

20

115.0
33.3
7.3
−
18.4
0.2
174.2

42.3
114.4
24.9
3.3
4.0
12.2
201.1
375.3

(118.7)
(175.0)
(6.0)
(11.7)
(6.7)
(3.5)
(321.6)

(78.6)
(3.4)
(0.2)
(0.7)
(82.9)
(404.5)
(29.2)

47.7
42.1
5.9
(2.5)
5.0
(83.8)
(53.5)
(39.1)
9.9
(29.2)

112.8
29.5
6.6
0.1
19.8
0.2
169.0

37.0
99.1
−
4.6
3.4
15.5
159.6
328.6

(63.9)
(167.1)
−
(13.3)
(4.3)
(4.1)
(252.7)

(89.6)
(3.0)
(0.1)
(3.9)
(96.6)
(349.3)
(20.7)

47.1
38.4
5.9
(0.5)
7.2
(83.8)
(43.9)
(29.6)
8.9
(20.7)

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Group statement of changes in equity
for the period ended 30 March 2019

107

Attributable to equity 
shareholders

Non-
controlling  
Interests

Total  
equity

Balance at 26 March 2017
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income for the year, 
net of tax
Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners of the 
Company recognised directly in equity:
Share capital issued 
Employee share scheme:
– value of services provided
Income tax on income and expenses
recognised directly in equity
Dividends paid
Balance at 31 March 2018
as previously reported
Accounting policy restatement:
IFRS 15
IFRS 9
Balance at 1 April 2018 (restated)
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income for the year, 
net of tax
Other movements
Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners of the 
Company recognised directly in equity:
Share capital issued 
Employee share scheme:
– value of services provided
Income tax on income and expenses
recognised directly in equity
Dividends paid
Balance at 30 March 2019

Share 
capital  
£m
46.8
–

Share 
premium 
account  
£m
36.7
–

Capital 
redemption 
reserve  
£m
5.9
–

Hedge 
reserve  
£m
2.0
–

Cumulative 
translation 
adjustment  
£m
7.3

Other 
reserve  
£m
(83.8)
–

Retained 
earnings  
£m
(165.6)
93.6

(2.5)
(2.5)

(0.1)
(0.1)

–
–

–
–

0.3

1.7

–

–
–

–

–
–

47.1

38.4

–
−
47.1
–

–
–
–

–
−
38.4
–

–
–
–

0.6

3.7

–

–

–
–
47.7

–
–
42.1

–
–

–

–

–
–

5.9

–
−
5.9
–

–
–
–

–

–

–

–

–
–

(0.5)

–
−
(0.5)
–

(2.0)
–
(2.0) 

–

–

7.2

(83.8)

(43.9)

–
–

–

–

–
–

51.5
145.1

–

2.2

(0.2)
(25.4)

–
−
(83.8)
–

–
–
–

–

–

0.3
(0.8)
(44.4)
17.0

(2.6)
1.6
16.0

–

0.9

–

–

–
–

–
−
7.2
–

(0.4)
(1.8)
(2.2)

–

–

–
–
5.0

£m
7.9
1.4

–
1.4

–

–

–
(0.4)

8.9

–
−
8.9
1.3

–
0.2
1.5

–

–

£m
(142.8)
95.0

48.9
143.9

2.0

2.2

(0.2)
(25.8)

(20.7)

0.3
(0.8)
(21.2)
18.3

(5.0)
–
13.3

4.3

0.9

–
–
5.9

–
–
(2.5)

–
–
(83.8)

(0.3)
(25.7)
(53.5)

–
(0.5)
9.9

(0.3)
(26.2)
(29.2)

Share premium account
This reserve arises from the issuance of shares for consideration in excess of their nominal value.

Capital redemption reserve
This reserve represents the nominal value of shares redeemed by the Company.

Hedge reserve
This reserve records the portion of any gain or loss on hedging instruments that are determined to be effective cash flow hedges. 
When the hedged transaction occurs, the gain or loss on the hedging instrument is transferred out of equity to the income statement. 
If a forecast transaction is no longer expected to occur, the gain or loss on the related hedging instrument previously recognised in 
equity is transferred to the income statement. 

Other reserve
On 1 February 2000, the Company issued and credited as fully paid 191,646,873 ordinary shares of 25p each and paid cash of £103.7m 
to acquire the issued share capital of De La Rue plc (now De La Rue Holdings Limited), following the approval of a High Court Scheme 
of Arrangement. In exchange for every 20 ordinary shares in De La Rue plc, shareholders received 17 ordinary shares plus 920p in cash. 
The other reserve of £83.8m arose as a result of this transaction and is a permanent adjustment to the consolidated financial statements.

Cumulative translation adjustment (CTA)
This reserve records cumulative exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of foreign entities since 
transition to IFRS. Upon disposal of foreign operations, the related accumulated exchange differences are recycled to the income statement. 
This reserve also records the effect of hedging net investments in foreign operations. During the period an amount of £1.5m has been 
reclassified to the cumulative translation adjustment reserve from retained earnings which has been included on the other movements line. 

Accounts108

Group cash flow statement
for the period ended 30 March 2019

Cash flows from operating activities
Profit before tax*
Adjustments for:
Finance income and expense
Depreciation
Amortisation
(Increase)/decrease in inventory
(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables and contract assets
(Decrease) in trade and other payables and contract liabilities
(Decrease) in provisions
Non-cash gain on the defined benefit pension indexation change
Special pension fund contributions
Impairment of disposal group
Share based payment expense
Add back of non-cash GMP pension liability adjustment
Loss on disposal of subsidiary
Add back of non-cash credit loss provision for Venezuela
Add back of non-cash credit loss provision
Other non-cash movements
Cash generated from operating activities
Tax paid
Net cash flows from operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Proceeds from sale of discontinued operations
Proceeds from the sale of subsidiary (net of cash disposed)
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
Purchase of software intangibles and development assets capitalised 
Advanced payment – non trading
Acquisition of subsidiary (net of cash acquired)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment
Net cash flows from investing activities
Net cash flows before financing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of share capital
Net draw down of borrowings
Interest paid
Payment of revolving credit facility fees
Dividends paid to shareholders
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests
Net cash flows from financing activities
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Exchange rate effects
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

Cash and cash equivalents consist of:
Cash at bank and in hand
Short term deposits
Bank overdrafts

*  Profit before tax includes continuing and discontinued operations. The cash flows relating to discontinued operations are included within note 2.

Notes

2019 
£m 

2018 
£m 

22.8

110.6

6.0
16.7
3.2
(7.3)
(67.3)
14.7
(2.0)
–
(20.5)
–
0.7
1.7
3.0
18.1
4.4
1.2
(4.6)
(2.0)
(6.6)

–
0.2
(18.9)
(6.5)
–
–
0.7
(24.5)
(31.1)

4.3
53.5
(4.4)
–
(25.7)
(0.5)
27.2
(3.9)
15.2
–
11.3

12.2
–
(0.9)
11.3

9.4
21.9
3.3
13.3
21.0
(16.5)
(6.2)
(80.5)
(13.5)
9.3
2.2
−
−
−
−
(0.8)
73.5
(10.1)
63.4

3.0
55.8
(19.9)
(4.8)
5.0
(1.1)
–
38.0
101.4

2.0
(67.0)
(5.4)
(1.0)
(25.4)
(0.4)
(97.2)
4.2
11.2
(0.2)
15.2

15.2
0.3
(0.3)
15.2

15
15

22

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Accounting policies

109

Reporting entity
De La Rue plc (the Company) is a public 
limited company incorporated and domiciled 
in the United Kingdom. The address of its 
registered office is disclosed on page 158 of 
this Annual Report. The consolidated financial 
statements of the Company for the period 
ended 30 March 2019 comprise the Company 
and its subsidiaries (together referred to as 
the Group). The principal activities of the 
Group are described in note 1. 

Statement of compliance
European Union (EU) law (IAS Regulation 
EC 1606/2002) requires that the consolidated 
financial statements, for the period ended 
30 March 2019, be prepared in accordance 
with international financial reporting standards 
(IFRS) as adopted by the EU. These 
consolidated financial statements have 
been approved by the Directors and 
prepared in accordance with IFRS including 
interpretations issued by the International 
Accounting Standards Board.

Basis of preparation
The consolidated financial statements have 
been prepared under the historical cost 
convention with the exception of certain 
items which are measured at fair value 
as disclosed in the accounting policies 
below. The financial statements have been 
prepared as at 30 March 2019, being the 
last Saturday in March. The comparatives 
for the 2017/18 financial period are for the 
period ended 31 March 2018.

The Company has elected to prepare its 
entity only financial statements in accordance 
with FRS 102 Financial Reporting Standard 
applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland. 
They are set out on pages 149 and 150 
and the accounting policies in respect 
of the Company financial statements 
are set out on page 151.

The principal accounting policies adopted 
in the preparation of these consolidated 
financial statements are set out below or 
have been incorporated with the relevant 
notes to the accounts where appropriate. 
These policies have been consistently 
applied to all the periods presented, 
unless otherwise stated.

Going concern
The Group’s business activities, together with 
the factors likely to affect its future development, 
performance and position are set out on 
pages 2 to 49 of the Strategic report. In 
addition, pages 36 to 40 include the Group’s 
objectives, policies and processes for financial 
risk management, details of its financial 
instruments and hedging activities and 
its exposure to credit risk, liquidity risk 
and commodity pricing risk. 

The financial position of the Group, its 
cash flows, liquidity position and borrowing 
facilities are described on page 32 of the 
Strategic report. 

The Group meets its funding requirements 
through cash generated from operations 
and a revolving credit facility which expires 
in December 2021. The Group’s forecasts 
and projections, which cover a period of 
more than 12 months, taking into account 
reasonably possible changes in normal 
trading performance, show that the Group 
should be able to operate within its currently 
available facilities. The Group has sufficient 
financial resources together with assets that 
are expected to generate cash flow in the 
normal course of business. 

As a consequence and notwithstanding 
the net liability position being reported in 
the consolidated balance sheet, which has 
primarily arisen due to the value of the deficit 
in the retirement benefit obligations, the 
Directors have a reasonable expectation that 
the Company and the Group are well-placed 
to manage their business risks and to 
continue in operational existence for the 
foreseeable future. Accordingly, the Directors 
continue to adopt the going concern basis 
in preparing the Annual Report and Accounts.

Adoption of new and amended 
International Reporting Standards 
adopted by the Group
In the current period, the following new 
and amended IFRSs became effective 
for the Group:

• IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’
• IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from contracts

with customers’

• Annual Improvements to IFRSs

2014-2015 Cycle

• IFRIC 22 ‘Foreign currency transactions

and advance consideration’

• Amendments to IFRS 2, ‘Share-based

payments’, on clarifying how to account
for certain types of share-based
payment transactions

The impact of the adoption of IFRS 9 and 
IFRS 15 is set out below. The main effect 
of applying these standards has been:

• IFRS 15 – earlier recognition of revenue
from the currency segment contracts

• IFRS 9 – an increase in impairment

losses recognised on financial assets

The other amendments have not had an 
impact on the amounts recognised in the 
current or prior periods and are not expected 
to significantly impact future periods. There 
are no other standards or amendments 
in addition to those listed above that are 
likely to impact the Group on adoption. 

Adoption of IFRS 9 ‘Financial 
Instruments’ during the period
IFRS 9 financial Instruments were issued 
by the IASB in July 2014. IFRS 9 introduces 
new requirements for the classification 
and measurement of financial assets and 
financial liabilities, derecognition of financial 
instruments, impairment of financial assets 
and hedge accounting. 

Classification and measurements –  
IFRS 9 includes three measurement basis: 
Amortised cost, fair value through profit 
and loss (FVPL) and fair value through other 
comprehensive income (FVOCI). Under IAS 39 
the Group classified certain assets as ‘held to 
maturity’. The ‘held to maturity’ investments 
related to Loan Notes, Preference Shares and 
Ordinary Shares received as part consideration 
for the disposal of the Portals De La Rue paper 
business. The Group has reviewed the terms 
and nature of preference shares and loan note 
instruments and concluded that the objective 
is to receive solely principle and interest on 
specified dates (SPPI). Therefore, as the option 
is not being taken to designate these as 
fair value through the profit and loss account, 
they will be accounted for on an amortised 
cost basis and presented as ‘other financial 
assets’. Consequently, whilst the category of 
classification will change, there is no impact on 
the measurement of amounts recorded on the 
balance sheet as at 1 April 2018. The Group 
does not hold assets classified as ‘available for 
sale’. Ordinary shares are fair value through 
profit and loss and the fair value has not 
changed in the period.

• Derivative and hedging – as permitted
by IFRS 9, the Group has continued to
apply the requirements of IAS 39 at the
current time

• Impairment of financial assets –

IFRS 9 introduces an ‘expected loss’ model
for the accounting for credit losses. The
Group is following the simplified approach
in calculating Expected Credit Loss (ECL)
as its trade receivables arise from contracts
under the scope of IFRS 15 without a
significant financing component

The Group has calculated the ECL by 
segmenting and sub-segmenting its 
Accounts Receivable balances into different 
segments. This allows for the segmentation 
of the total Accounts Receivable balance into 
groupings with a similar risk of a credit loss 
being incurred and the ECL is calculated 
by applying the expected loss rate to each 
segment. The rate applied is based on 
the Group’s historical experience of credit 
losses, in addition to available knowledge 
of potential future credit risk and is based 
on available data such as country credit 
ratings, and historic payment experiences 
with particular customer profiles.

Accounts110

Accounting policies continued

The total accounts receivable balance is segmented as follows:

• Firstly: by Banks and Government Departments (group 1) or Non Bank/Government Departments (group 2); then
• Secondly: For each of the above groups by age of receivables; and
• Thirdly: For government departments (Group 1) by sovereign country credit rating; For non-bank/government departments (group 2)

by absence or presence of a defined written payment agreement.

At March 2019 an amount of £1m has been calculated for the ECL (in addition to any specific ECL amounts recorded) with the equivalent 
number for March 2018 being £0.8m. The Group has chosen to apply the ‘modified retrospective’ approach to adoption and as such the 
FY18 amount was adjusted through opening reserves (as a cumulative catch up) such that the P&L impact of IFRS 9 in the FY19 accounts 
is £0.2m. Comparatives have not been restated.

Adoption of IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ during the period
IFRS 15 establishes a comprehensive framework for determining whether, how much and when revenue is recognised. It replaces IAS 18 
Revenue and IAS 11 Construction Contracts and related interpretations. Under IFRS 15, revenue is recognised when a customer obtains 
control of the goods or services. Determining the timing of the transfer of control – at a point in time or over time – requires judgement. 
It also requires identifying the performance obligations in the contract and allocating a transaction price to those obligations. The new 
standard introduces a five-step model to account for revenue and it provides additional guidance in areas where the previous IFRS did 
not provide specific guidance. 

Step 1 – Identify the contract(s)

Step 2 – Identify the separate performance obligations in the contract

Step 3 – Determine the transaction price

Step 4 – Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations

Step 5 – Recognise revenue when (or as) each performance obligation is satisfied

The Group has adopted IFRS 15 using the cumulative effect method, with the effect of initially applying this standard recognised at the date 
of initial application (1 April 2018). Accordingly, the information presented for FY18 has not been restated and is presented, as previously 
reported, under IAS 18, IAS 11 and related interpretations. Additionally, the disclosure requirements in IFRS 15 have not generally been 
applied to comparative information. The cumulative impact of adoption of IFRS 15 has been recognised as an increase/decrease to 
retained earnings with a corresponding decrease/increase in net assets at 1 April 2018 as detailed in the table below:

The impact on the balance sheet as previously reported at 1 April 2018 is shown below:

Inventory
Contract assets
Total impact on net assets
Impact on retained earnings:
Banknote contracts with enforceable right to payment
IDS contracts with multiple performance obligations
Total impact on retained earnings

As at 
1 April 2018 
£m
37.0
–

As at 
April 2018 as
restated for
IFRS 15
£m
34.1
3.2

Impact of
IFRS 15
£m
(2.9)
3.2
0.3

0.4
(0.1)
0.3

The £3.2m of contract assets recognised on the adoption of IFRS 15 has now converted to trade receivables in accordance with the 
contract terms. All contract liabilities (presented as deferred income in FY18) have been released to revenue in the year. The following 
summarises the impacts of adopting IFRS 15 on the Group’s balance sheet as at 30 March 2019 and its statement of comprehensive 
income for the period then ended for each of the line items affected. There was no material impact on the Group’s statement of cash 
flows for the year ended 30 March 2019.

The impact on the income statement for the period to 30 March 2019

Revenue
Operating expenses – ordinary
IFRS operating profit
Adjusted operating profit
IFRS basic and diluted EPS
Adjusted basic and diluted EPS

Pre the impact 
of IFRS 15
£m
552.6
(500.1)
24.5
53.2

As reported 
post-adoption 
of IFRS 15
£m
564.8
(505.4)
31.5
60.1

Impact of 
IFRS 15
£m
12.2
(5.3)
6.9
6.9
5.0 pence
5.0 pence

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019111

Under IAS 18, revenue for the currency segment was recognised on final delivery of the goods, which was taken to be the point in time 
at which the customer accepted the goods and the related risks and rewards of ownership transferred. Revenue was recognised at that 
point provided that the revenue and costs could be measured reliably, the recovery of the consideration was probable and there was no 
continuing managerial involvement with the goods. 

Under IFRS 15, revenue for the currency segment is recognised over time for contract where the product is bespoke and has no alternative 
use and an enforceable right to payment exists. This means on certain contracts revenue will be recognised before the goods are delivered. 
Therefore, on certain contracts, revenue in the currency segment is recognised sooner under IFRS 15 than under IAS 18. The impacts of 
these changes in FY19 for the currency segment are:

•  An increase in revenue by £11.9m 
•  Associated increase in operating costs by £5.3m
•  An increase in trade and other receivables by £11.6m
•  A decrease in inventories by £5.3m

The impact on the IDS segment was not material, with an increase in revenue of £0.3m reflecting the recognition of revenue over time, 
using the input method with revenue recognised based on costs incurred to date as a proportion of total costs. 

Based on the current customer contracts in the PA&T segment, no adjustments were required for revenue on application of IFRS 15. 
The following table provides information for the current period (under IFRS 15) about the nature and timing of the satisfaction of 
performance obligations in contracts with customers and the related revenue recognition policies.

Type of product/ 
service/segment

Nature and timing of satisfaction 
of performance obligations

Revenue recognition  
under IFRS 15 

Revenue recognition  
under IAS 18

Currency segment: 
Supply of banknotes

Currency segment: 
Supply of 
banknotes along 
with other services

The Group has determined that for 
certain banknote contracts (given 
the highly bespoke nature of the 
products) with enforceable right 
to payment, the customer controls 
all of the work in progress as the 
products are being manufactured.

This is because under those 
contracts, currency products are 
made to a customer’s specification 
and if a contract is terminated by 
the customer, then the Group is 
entitled to reimbursement of the 
costs incurred to date, including 
a reasonable margin.

For other banknote contracts, where 
customers do not take control of the 
goods until they are completed or 
delivered (based on contract terms), 
revenue is recognised at the point 
in time when control transfers to 
the customer.

If the Group has recognised 
revenue, but not issued an invoice, 
then the entitlement to consideration 
is recognised as a contract asset 
(previously accrued income). 
The contract asset is transferred to 
receivables when the entitlement to 
payment becomes unconditional.

In addition to the supply of 
banknotes, which is a separate 
performance obligation (see 
above), additional and separate 
performance obligations such as 
design and storage services have 
been identified in such contracts.

Revenue for certain banknote 
contracts with enforceable right 
to payment will be recognised 
over time for banknotes produced 
to date and ahead of delivery 
to the customer. 

Revenue is recognised progressively 
based on the input method based 
on costs incurred to date as a 
proportion of total costs.

Revenue for other banknote 
contracts, where customers do not 
take control of the goods until they 
are completed is recognised based 
on contractual terms which will 
determine when control has passed 
to the customer. This might include 
recognition of revenue on inventory 
placed into storage (bill and hold) 
for the customer so long as it is 
demonstrated that control of 
the product has passed to the 
customer. This is a case where 
an enforceable right to payment 
under the contract cannot 
be demonstrated.

The transaction price attributable to 
the additional performance obligations 
is deemed to be immaterial. 
Accordingly, no separate transaction 
price will be attributed to these 
performance obligations; instead, 
the consideration in the contract 
will be entirely allocated to the 
single performance obligation 
of supplying currency.

Revenue was recognised when 
the banknotes were dispatched 
from the Group’s warehouse, 
or when they were delivered to 
the customer’s specified location 
(depending on contractual delivery 
terms) or when the product is 
placed into storage (meeting the 
bill and hold criteria for revenue 
recognition) which was taken to 
be the point in time at which the 
customer accepted the goods 
and the related risks and rewards 
of ownership transferred.

Revenue was recognised at that 
point provided that the revenue and 
costs could be measured reliably, 
the recovery of the consideration 
was probable and there was no 
continuing managerial involvement 
with the goods.

No transaction price was attributed 
to the satisfaction of the additional 
performance obligations.

Accounts112

Accounting policies continued

Type of product/ 
service/segment

Nature and timing of satisfaction 
of performance obligations

Revenue recognition  
under IFRS 15 

Revenue recognition  
under IAS 18

Revenue will be allocated to the 
performance obligations identified 
and revenue will be recognised 
over time as control of the 
contract deliverables is 
passed to the customer.

Revenue is recognised progressively 
based on the cost to cost method.

Revenue for other IDS contracts, 
where customers do not take 
control of the goods until they are 
completed is recognised on formal 
acceptance by the customer.

Revenue was recognised when the 
products were dispatched from the 
Group’s warehouse, or when they 
were delivered to the customer’s 
specified location (depending on 
contractual delivery terms) or on 
completion of milestones, which 
was taken to be the point in time 
at which the customer accepted 
the goods and the related risks and 
rewards of ownership transferred.

Revenue was recognised at that 
point provided that the revenue and 
costs could be measured reliably, 
the recovery of the consideration 
was probable and there was no 
continuing managerial involvement 
with the goods.

IDS segment: IDS 
contracts including 
supply of passports, 
hardware and software 
and other services.

Multiple performance obligations have 
been identified in some IDS contracts 
including supply of passports, 
hardware and software services. 
For contracts where an enforceable 
right to payment exists, the customer 
is considered to control all of the 
work in progress as the products 
are being manufactured or installed 
and as services are delivered.

Hence, these performance 
obligations meet the over time 
criteria for revenue recognition.

For other IDS contracts, where 
customers do not take control of 
the goods until they are completed 
or delivered, revenue is recognised 
at the point in time when control 
transfers to the customer.

In addition to the above, additional 
and separate performance obligations 
such as design, training and shipping 
and consultancy services have been 
identified in such contracts which 
also meet the over time criteria.

If the Group has recognised 
revenue, but not issued a bill, then 
the entitlement to consideration 
is recognised as a contract asset. 
The contract asset is transferred 
to receivables when the entitlement 
to payment becomes unconditional.

The following table sets out the treatment of costs to obtain a contract with a customer as well as costs of fulfilment incurred in satisfaction 
of the performance obligations.

Type of costs

Revenue recognition under IFRS 15 

Revenue recognition under IAS 18 

Costs to obtain 
a contract: sales 
commissions.

Management expects that incremental commission fees paid to intermediaries 
and employees as a result of obtaining long term sales contracts are recoverable. 
The Group therefore capitalises them as contract costs. 

Costs to obtain a contract such 
as commission fees were expensed 
when they were incurred.

Capitalised commission fees are amortised when the related revenues 
are recognised. 

The Group applies the practical expedient in paragraph 94 of IFRS 15 and 
therefore recognises the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an 
expense when incurred if the amortisation period of the assets that the 
Group otherwise would have recognised is one year or less. All commissions 
included at 1 April 2018 and at 30 March 2019 have been determined to 
have an amortisation period of less than one year.

International Financial Reporting Standards issued but not yet effective
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’
IFRS 16 Leases (‘IFRS 16’) was issued by the IASB in January 2016 and it is applicable for the Group for the financial year starting 
31 March 2019. IFRS 16 replaces existing leases guidance, including IAS 17 Leases (‘IAS 17’), IFRIC 4 Determining whether an 
Arrangement contains a lease (‘IFRIC 4’), SIC – 15 Operating Leases – Incentives (‘SIC – 15’), and SIC – 27 Evaluating the Substance 
of Transactions in the Legal Form of a Lease (‘SIC – 27’).

IFRS 16 introduces a single, on balance sheet, lease accounting model for lessees. The Group will recognise a right of use (‘ROU’) asset 
representing its right to use the underlying asset and a lease liability representing its obligation to make lease payments. This will result in 
a substantial number of leases being recorded on the balance sheet, as the distinction between operating and finance leases is removed. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019113

There are exemptions for short term leases 
and leases of low value items which permit 
such leases to be excluded from the balance 
sheet and the lease payments to be recognised 
as an expense on a straight line basis over 
the term of the lease.

Previously, the Group recognised operating 
lease payments as an expense on a straight 
line basis over the term of the lease, and 
recognised assets and liabilities only to the 
extent that there was a timing difference 
between actual lease payments and the 
expense recognised. As noted above, the 
Group will now recognise new assets and 
liabilities for its operating leases. The nature 
of expenses will now change because the 
Group will recognise a depreciation charge 
for ROU assets and interest expense on 
lease liabilities. The interest expense will 
be front loaded, resulting in a higher total 
charge to the income statement in the 
initial years of a lease.

In addition, the Group will no longer 
recognise provisions for operating leases 
that it assesses to be onerous. Instead, the 
Group will include the payments due under 
the lease in its lease liability and the onerous 
nature of any leases will be recognised by 
impairing the associated ROU asset.

The Group plans to adopt IFRS 16 using 
the modified retrospective (with the asset 
recalculated) method. Under this method, 
the ROU asset will be measured as if the 
Group had always followed IFRS 16 but 
using the discount rate as at the transition 
date (1 April 2019). The lease liability will 
be calculated based on the present value 
of the remaining lease payments. 

The cumulative effect of adopting IFRS 16 
will be recognised as an adjustment to 
retained earnings as at 1 April 2019, with 
no restatement of comparative information.

The Group plans to apply the practical 
expedient to grandfather the definition 
of a lease on transition. This means that it 
will apply IFRS 16 to all contracts entered 
into before 1 April 2019 and identified 
as leases in accordance with IAS 17 
and IFRIC 4.

The Group is currently undertaking a detailed 
assessment of the impact of IFRS 16 on 
the income statement and balance sheet.

Basis of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements 
incorporate the financial statements 
of the Company and entities controlled 
by the Company (its subsidiaries) up to 
30 March 2019. Subsidiaries are entities 
controlled by the Group. 

The Group is considered to control an 
entity when it is exposed to, or has rights 
to, variable returns from its involvement with 
an entity and has the ability to affect those 
returns through exerting control over the 
entity. The results of subsidiaries acquired 
or disposed of during the period are included 
in the consolidated financial statements 
from the date that control commences 
or until the date that control ceases. 
Intra-group balances and transactions are 
eliminated on consolidation. The majority 
of the subsidiaries prepare their financial 
statements up to 30 March. The results of 
subsidiaries where the financial statements 
are not prepared to 30 March are still included 
in the consolidation as at 30 March with 
the income statement and other financial 
information being also prepared for the 
year ended 30 March 2019.

Business combinations
Acquisitions of subsidiaries and businesses 
are accounted for using the acquisition 
method of accounting. The Consideration 
transferred in the acquisition is measured 
at fair value as are the identifiable assets 
and liabilities acquired.

The excess of the fair value of consideration 
transferred over the fair value of net assets 
acquired is accounted for as goodwill. 
Any goodwill that arises is tested annually 
for impairment. 

Transaction costs are expensed as incurred. 

Significant accounting policies
The significant accounting policies adopted 
in the preparation of these consolidated 
financial statements have been incorporated 
into the relevant notes where possible. 
General accounting policies which are not 
specific to an accounting are set out below.

Foreign currency
Foreign currency transactions
These financial statements are presented 
in sterling, which is the functional and 
presentational currency of the Company. 
The functional currency of Group entities 
is principally determined by the primary 
economic environment in which the 
respective entity operates. 

Transactions in foreign currencies entered 
into by Group entities are translated into 
the functional currencies of those entities 
at the rates of exchange at the date of the 
transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities 
denominated in foreign currencies at 
the balance sheet date are translated at 
the rate of exchange ruling at that date. 
Foreign exchange differences arising 
on translation are recognised in the 
income statement.

Foreign currency non-monetary items 
measured in terms of historical cost 
are translated at the rate of exchange 
at the date of the transaction. Exchange 
differences on non-monetary items 
measured at fair value are recognised 
in line with whether the gain or loss on 
the non-monetary item itself is recognised 
in the income statement or in equity.

In order to hedge its exposure to certain 
foreign exchange risks, the Group enters 
into forward contracts. Refer to note 14 
for details of the Group’s accounting 
policies in respect of such derivative 
financial instruments.

Translation of foreign operations 
on consolidation
Assets and liabilities of foreign operations, 
including goodwill and intangible assets, 
are translated into GBP (the presentational 
currency of the Group) at the exchange 
rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. 
Income and expenses are translated at 
average exchange rates (which approximate 
to actual rates). Exchange differences 
arising on re-translation are recognised 
in the Group’s currency translation reserve, 
which is a component of equity. When 
a foreign operation is sold, exchange 
differences that were recorded in equity 
are recognised in the income statement 
as part of the gain or loss on sale.

Net investment in foreign operations
Foreign currency differences arising on the 
re-translation of a financial liability designated 
as a hedge of a net investment in foreign 
operations are recognised in the currency 
translation reserve to the extent the hedge 
is effective. To the extent that the hedge is 
ineffective, such differences are recognised 
as finance income or costs in the income 
statement. When a foreign operation is sold, 
exchange differences that were recorded 
in equity are recognised in the income 
statement as part of the gain or loss on sale.

Amortised cost investments
As part of the consideration received for 
the disposal of the Portals De La Rue paper 
business, the Group has received loan notes, 
preference shares and ordinary shares in 
Mooreco Limited, a parent company of the 
purchaser. As these instruments relating 
to the loan notes and preference shares are 
being held solely to collect principal and 
interest payments on specified dates (SPPI) 
and the Group has not chosen to fair value 
these through the income statement, they are 
accounted for on an amortised cost basis. 
The ordinary shares are accounted for as 
fair value through profit and loss (FVPL). 
See note 5 for further details. 

Accounts114

Accounting policies continued

Revenue recognition 
The Group accounts for revenue under IFRS 15. IFRS 15 provides a single, five-step principles-based model to be applied to all contracts 
with customers which requires identification of the contract for accounting purposes, the separate performance obligations within the 
contract, the transaction price for the contract and the allocation of this to each performance obligation. 

The following table provides information for the current period (under IFRS 15) about the nature and timing of the satisfaction of 
performance obligations in contracts with customers, including significant payment terms, and the related revenue recognition policies.

Type of product/ 
service/segment

Currency segment: 
Supply of banknotes

Nature and timing of satisfaction of performance obligations

Revenue recognition under IFRS 15 

The Group has determined that for certain banknote contracts 
(given the highly bespoke nature of the products) with 
enforceable right to payment, the customer controls all of the 
work in progress as the products are being manufactured.

Revenue for certain banknote contracts with 
enforceable right to payment will be recognised 
over time for banknotes produced to date and 
ahead of delivery to the customer. 

This is because under those contracts, currency products 
are made to a customer’s specification and if a contract is 
terminated by the customer, then the Group is entitled to 
reimbursement of the costs incurred to date, including 
a reasonable margin.

For other banknote contracts, where customers do not take 
control of the goods until they are completed or delivered, 
revenue is recognised at the point in time when control 
transfers to the customer.

If the Group has recognised revenue, but not issued a bill, then 
the entitlement to consideration is recognised as a contract 
asset. The contract asset is transferred to receivables when 
the entitlement to payment becomes unconditional.

Revenue is recognised progressively based 
on the cost to cost method.

Revenue for other banknote contracts, where 
customers do not take control of the goods 
until they are completed is recognised based 
on contractual terms which will determine when 
control has passed to the customer. This might 
include recognition of revenue on inventory placed 
into storage for the customer so long as it is 
demonstrated that control of the product has 
passed to the customer. This is case where an 
enforceable right to payment under the contract 
cannot be demonstrated.

The value attributable to the additional 
performance obligations is deemed to be 
immaterial. Accordingly, no separate value will 
be attributed to these performance obligations; 
instead, the consideration in the contract will 
be entirely allocated to the single performance 
obligation of supplying currency.

Revenue will be allocated to the performance 
obligations identified and revenue will be 
recognised over time as control of the contract 
deliverables is passed to the customer.

Revenue is recognised progressively based 
on the cost to cost method.

Revenue for other IDS contracts, where customers 
do not take control of the goods until they are 
completed is recognised on formal acceptance 
by the customer.

Currency segment: 
Supply of banknotes 
along with other 
services

In addition to the supply of banknotes, which is a separate 
performance obligation (see above), additional and separate 
performance obligations such as design and storage services 
have been identified in such contracts which meet the over 
time criteria.

IDS segment: IDS 
contracts including 
supply of passports, 
hardware and 
software and 
other services

Multiple performance obligations are included in some 
IDS contracts including supply of passports, hardware and 
software services. For contracts where an enforceable right 
to payment exists, the customer is considered to control all of 
the work in progress as the products are being manufactured 
or installed and the services as they are delivered.

Hence, these performance obligations meet the over time 
criteria for revenue recognition.

For other IDS contracts, where customers do not take control 
of the goods until they are completed or delivered, revenue 
is recognised at the point in time when control transfers 
to the customer.

In addition to the above, additional and separate performance 
obligations such as design, training and shipping and 
consultancy services have been identified in such contracts 
which also meet the over time criteria.

If the Group has recognised revenue, but not issued a bill, then 
the entitlement to consideration is recognised as a contract 
asset. The contract asset is transferred to receivables when 
the entitlement to payment becomes unconditional.

PA&T segment

Multiple performance obligations are included in some 
PA&T contracts. Where multiple performance obligations 
exist, the transaction price for the contract is allocated to 
each separately to each identified. Performance obligations 
include access to systems, build of systems and the 
provision of authentication products such as tax stamps. 

Revenue on the sale of authenticity products, 
including tax stamps, is recognised when control 
passes to the customer based on the standalone 
selling price of the product. Control generally 
passes on delivery of the physical product to the 
customer or the issuance of a digital security key. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019115

Costs to obtain contracts: 
Sales commissions:
Management expects that incremental 
commission fees paid to intermediaries and 
employees as a result of obtaining long term 
sales contracts are recoverable. The Group 
therefore capitalises them as contract costs. 
Capitalised commission fees are amortised 
when the related revenues are recognised. 
The Group applies the practical expedient 
in paragraph 94 of IFRS 15 and therefore 
recognises the incremental costs of 
obtaining contracts as an expense when 
incurred if the amortisation period of the 
assets that the Group otherwise would 
have recognised is one year or less.

Bill and hold revenue
Certain customers require the Group to 
store completed inventory for them ahead 
of them taking delivery once they require 
it. Revenue is recognised on a bill and 
hold basis when:

1)  It can first be demonstrated that 

control of the product has passed to 
the customer – principally because the 
customer now has risk for the product 
transferred to them and the Group has 
an enforceable right to payment; and

2)  It can be demonstrated that the 
arrangement is substantive. 

Warranties:
All warranties are considered to be of a 
standard nature and as such are accounted 
for under IAS 37 rather than IFRS 15.

Critical accounting 
judgements and key sources 
of estimation uncertainty
Management has discussed with the 
Audit Committee the development, 
selection and disclosure of the Group’s 
critical accounting policies and estimates 
and the application of these policies 
and estimates. Management is required 
to exercise significant judgement in the 
application of these policies. Estimates 
are made in many areas and the outcome 
may differ from that calculated. The key 
assumptions concerning the future 
and other key sources of estimation 
uncertainty at the balance sheet date 
that have a significant risk of causing 
a material adjustment to the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities within 
the next financial year are set out below.

Critical accounting judgements
Revenue recognition and cut-off 
Customer contracts will often include 
specific terms that impact the timing 
of revenue recognition. The timing of the 
transfer of control varies depending on the 
individual terms of the sales agreement. 

For sales of products the transfer usually 
occurs on loading the goods onto the 
relevant carrier, however the point at which 
control passes may be later if the contract 
includes customer acceptance clauses, 
control passes on arrival at the customer 
location. Specific consideration is needed 
at year end to ensure revenue is recorded 
within the appropriate financial year.

Revenue recognition and 
determination of whether an 
enforceable right to payment exists
For certain customer contracts, revenue 
is recognised over time in accordance with 
IFRS 15, as the Group has an enforceable 
right to payment. Determination of whether 
the Group had an enforceable right to 
payment requires careful analysis of the 
legal terms and conditions included within 
the customer contract and consideration 
of applicable laws and customary legal 
practice in the territory under which 
contract is enforceable. External legal 
advice has been obtained if considered 
necessary to allow management to 
make this assessment.

Accounting treatment for sales 
to Portals
The Group provides Security Features 
to Portals for inclusion in the paper which 
they manufacture and which the Group 
subsequently purchases back. The Group 
has carefully considered the nature of this 
arrangement and considers it appropriate to 
record the Security Features sales to Portals 
as revenue since Portals is not an associate 
of the Group and does not constitute a 
related party and the relationship is that 
of a third party with full control of the 
product passing to Portals upon sale.

Accounting for the credit loss and 
revenue recognition associated 
with a customer in Venezuela
During the period a credit loss of £18.1m 
was recognised for a customer in Venezuela. 
Due to the material size of the credit loss 
and its one off nature and the fact that the 
customer is unable to pay due to non-UK 
sanctions it has been concluded that it is 
appropriate for the item to be classified as 
exceptional. It has also been considered 
that Revenue and associated margin 
should remain in IFRS and adjusted 
operating profit as, at the time of the 
revenue recognition, the risk to payment 
had not fully materialised and because the 
Group had fully met its obligations under 
the customer contract with control passing 
to the customer. Furthermore, there is 
no dispute or disagreement with the 
customer, rather the ability to pay is 
impacted by non-UK sanctions.

Classification of exceptional items
The Directors consider items of income 
and expenditure which are both material by 
size and/or by nature and not representative 
of normal business activities should be 
disclosed separately in the financial 
statements so as to help provide an 
indication of the Group’s underlying 
business performance. The Directors 
label these items collectively as ‘exceptional 
items’. Determining which transactions 
are to be considered exceptional in nature 
is often a subjective matter. 

However, circumstances that the Directors 
believe would give rise to exceptional items 
for separate disclosure would include: gains 
or losses on the disposal of businesses, 
curtailments on defined benefit pension 
arrangements or changes to the pension 
scheme liability which are considered to be 
of a permanent nature such as the change 
in indexation or the Guaranteed Minimum 
Payments, and non-recurring fees relating 
to the management of historical scheme 
issues, restructuring of businesses, asset 
impairments and costs associated with 
the acquisition and integration of business 
combinations. All exceptional items are 
included in the appropriate income statement 
category to which they relate. Refer to note 4 
on page 119 for further details.

Critical accounting estimates
Post-retirement benefit obligations
Pension costs within the income statement 
and the pension obligations as stated in the 
balance sheet are both dependent upon 
a number of assumptions chosen by 
management. These include the rate used 
to discount future liabilities, the expected 
longevity for current and future pensioners 
and estimates of future rates of inflation.

The discount rate is the interest rate that 
should be used to determine the present 
value of estimated future cash outflows 
expected to be required to settle the 
pension obligations. In determining the 
appropriate discount rate, the Group 
considers the interest rates of high quality 
corporate bonds that are denominated 
in the currency in which the benefits will 
be paid, and that have terms to maturity 
approximating to the terms of the related 
pension liability. The Group engages 
the services of professional actuaries to 
assist with calculating the pension liability. 
See page 144 for detail of the relative 
sensitivity of the value of the scheme 
liabilities to changes in the discount 
and inflation rates. 

Accounts116

Accounting policies continued

Tax
The Group is subject to income taxes 
in numerous jurisdictions and significant 
judgement is required in determining 
the worldwide provision for those taxes. 
The level of current and deferred tax 
recognised is dependent on subjective 
judgements as to the outcome of decisions 
to be made by the tax authorities in the 
various tax jurisdictions around the world 
in which the Group operates. It is necessary 
to consider which deferred tax assets 
should be recognised based on an 
assessment of the extent to which they 
are regarded as recoverable, which 
involves assessment of the future trading 
prospects of individual statutory entities. 

The actual outcome may vary from that 
anticipated. Where the final tax outcomes 
differ from the amounts initially recorded, 
there will be impacts upon income tax 
and deferred tax provisions and on the 
income statement in the period in which 
such determination is made.

The Group has current tax provisions 
recorded within Current tax liabilities, 
in respect of uncertain tax positions. 
Provisions are recognised where there 
are specific uncertainties identified and 
it is considered probable that there will 
be a future outflow of funds to a taxing 
authority, and are measured based on 
management’s best estimate of the likely 
outcome. The Group currently has certain 
ongoing taxation assessments which are 
provided for where the Company considers 
it probable that an outflow of economic 
benefits will occur and the amount can be 
reliability measured. Where the Company 
considers that the chance of an outflow 
is remote no provision is recorded and 
no disclosure is given.

Valuation of inventory
At any point in time, the Group has 
significant levels of inventory, including 
work in progress. Manufacturing is a 
complex process and the final product 
is required to be made to exacting 
specifications and tolerance levels. 
In valuing the work in progress at the 
balance sheet date, assessments are 
made over the level of waste contained 
within the product based on the 
production performance to date 
and past experience. 

In assessing the recoverability of finished 
stock assessments are made to validate 
that inventory is correctly stated at the 
lower of cost and net realisable value 
and that obsolete inventory, including 
inventory in excess of requirements, 
is provided against.

Estimation of warranty provisions
The Group measures warranty provisions 
at the Directors’ best estimate of the 
amount required to settle the obligation 
at the balance sheet date, discounted 
where the time value of money is considered 
material. These estimates take account of 
available information, historical experience 
and the likelihood of different possible 
outcomes. Both the amount and the 
maturity of these liabilities could be 
different from those estimated. Refer to 
note 19 on page 138 for further details. 

Impairment of disposal group 
held for sale
During the prior period the Group disposed 
of the Portals De La Rue paper business. 
Judgement was applied by the Directors 
in assessing when criteria for recognising 
a disposal group as held for sale were met, 
and the paper business was not treated as 
a discontinued operation. Further judgement 
was required in estimating fair value less costs 
to sell when determining the remeasurement 
of assets and liabilities within the disposal 
group based on the lower of the carrying 
amount and fair value less costs to sell. 
The estimation of fair value included forming 
an expectation of amounts payable in 
relation to the recompense clause, an 
updated estimate of which has been made 
in the current year. Refer to note 5 and 
note 19 on pages 120 and 138 respectively 
for further details.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Notes to the accounts

117

1 Segmental analysis
The continuing operations of the Group have three main operating units: Currency, Identity Solutions and Product Authentication and 
Traceability. The Board, which is the Group’s Chief Operating Decision Maker, monitors the performance of the Group at this level and there 
are therefore three reportable segments. The principal financial information reviewed by the Board is revenue and adjusted operating profit.

The Group’s segments are:

• Currency – provides printed banknotes, polymer substrates and banknote security components
• Identity Solutions – involved in the provision of passport, ePassport, national ID and eID, driving licence and voter registration schemes
• Product Authentication and Traceability – produces security documents, including authentication labels, brand licensing products,

government documents, cheques and postage stamps

Inter-segmental transactions are eliminated upon consolidation. 

On 29 March 2018, the Group disposed of the Portals De La Rue paper business. The results of the paper business are included within 
the currency segment until the date of disposal in the prior period.

2019
Total revenue from contracts with customers
Less: inter-segment revenue
Revenue from contracts with customers
Timing of revenue recognition:
Point in time
Over time
Operating profit
Interest expense 
Interest income
Retirement benefit obligations net finance expense 
Profit before taxation 
Segment assets
Segment liabilities
Capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment
Capital expenditure on intangible assets
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Amortisation of intangible assets

Currency  
£m
447.5
(0.4)
447.1

Identity 
Solutions 
£m
78.4
–
78.4

Product 
Authentication 
and Traceability 
£m
39.3
–
39.3

Unallocated 
£m
–
–
–

Total of 
Continuing 
operations 
£m
565.2
(0.4)
564.8

435.2
11.9
21.0
(0.7)
0.6
–
20.9
195.0
(84.3)
11.2
1.4
10.4
2.2

78.1
0.3
12.2
–
–
–
12.2
59.1
(47.1)
−
2.9
3.8
0.5

39.3
−
3.4
–
–
–
3.4
34.0
(7.2)
4.2
2.0
0.9
0.5

–
−
(5.1)
(3.8)
–
(2.1)
(11.0)
87.2
(265.9)
3.5
0.2
1.6
–

552.6
12.2
31.5
(4.5)
0.6
(2.1)
25.5
375.3
(404.5)
18.9
6.5
16.7
3.2

Unallocated assets principally comprise deferred tax assets of £17.4m (FY18: £19.8m), cash and cash equivalents of £12.2m (FY18: £15.5m) 
which are used as part of the Group’s financing offset arrangements and derivative financial instrument assets of £4.2m (FY18: £3.6m) as 
well as current tax assets, associates and centrally managed property, plant and equipment.

Unallocated liabilities principally comprise retirement benefit obligations of £78.6m (FY18: £89.7m), borrowings of £118.7m (FY18: £63.9m), 
current tax liabilities of £11.7m (FY18: £13.3m) and derivative financial instrument liabilities of £6.9m (FY18: £4.5m) as well as deferred tax 
liabilities and centrally held accruals and provisions.

Accounts118

Notes to the accounts continued

1 Segmental analysis continued

2018
Total revenue
Less: inter-segment revenue
Revenue
Adjusted operating profit
Amortisation of acquired intangible assets
Exceptional items – operating (notes 4 and 2) 
Operating profit
Net interest expense 
Retirement benefit obligations net finance expense 
Profit before taxation 
Segment assets
Segment liabilities
Capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment
Capital expenditure on intangible assets
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Amortisation of intangible assets
Impairment of disposal group

Geographic analysis of revenue by destination

Middle East and Africa 
Asia 
UK
The Americas
Rest of Europe
Rest of world

Geographic analysis of non-current assets

UK 
Malta 
USA
Sri Lanka 
Other countries 

Currency  
£m
372.0
(0.2)
371.8
45.1
–
(14.4)
30.7
–
–
30.7
160.8
(89.4)
6.2
1.5
13.7
2.3
9.3

Identity 
Solutions 
£m
82.0
–
82.0
8.3
(0.6)
(0.2)
7.5
–
–
7.5
58.4
(41.1)
1.4
0.4
5.0
0.6
–

Product 
Authentication 
and Traceability 
£m
40.1
–
40.1
9.4
(0.1)
(1.6)
7.7
–
–
7.7
25.4
(7.6)
7.2
1.0
1.5
0.1
–

Unallocated 
£m
–
–
–
–
–
77.1
77.1
(3.8)
(5.6)
67.7
84.0
(211.3)
5.1
1.9
1.7
0.3
–

2019 
£m
154.1
83.7
149.2
153.6
20.1
4.1
564.8

2019 
£m
96.4
21.7
17.0
15.2
5.3
155.6

Total of 
Continuing 
operations 
£m
494.1
(0.2)
493.9
62.8
(0.7)
60.9
123.0
(3.8)
(5.6)
113.6
328.6
(349.3)
19.9
4.8
21.9
3.3
9.3

2018 
£m
166.8
121.7
103.3
70.7
27.8
3.6
493.9

2018 
£m
94.3
19.6
16.4
15.7
2.9
148.9

Deferred tax assets and derivative financial instruments are excluded from the analysis shown above. 

Major customers
The Group had one major customer from which it derived total revenues of £101.0m, which equates to 17.9% of the Group total revenues 
on a reported basis (FY18: £55.4m and 11.2%). 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019119

2 Discontinued operations
The Group completed the sale of the entire issued share capital of Cash Processing Solutions Limited and related subsidiaries (together ‘CPS’) 
to CPS Topco Limited, a company owned by Privet Capital on 22 May 2016.

The loss on discontinued operations in the period, of £2.4m (comprising net charges of £2.8m and £0.4m associated to tax credits), relates 
to costs associated with a loss-making CPS contract that was not novated post-disposal and other costs associated with the winding down 
of remaining activity related to CPS (net of associated tax credits). In addition, receivables due from CPS totalling £1.4m have been provided 
for in the year as these are now not expected to be received.

In addition, during the year there has been a £0.6m release of a historical provision for post-retirement benefits (net of associated tax credits), 
following an updated valuation. The release of this provision has been recorded in reserves rather than discontinued operations in the income 
statement as the release is considered to be consistent with that of an actuarial gain. 

3 Expenses by nature 

Cost of inventories recognised as an expense 
Impairment of inventories 
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Impairment of disposal group
Amortisation of intangibles 
Operating leases: 
 – Hire of plant and equipment
 – Hire of property
Amounts payable to EY and its associates
 – Audit of these consolidated financial statements
 – Audit of the financial statements of subsidiaries pursuant to legislation
 – Non-Audit Services
 – Taxation services
Research and non-capitalised development expense
Employee costs (including Directors’ emoluments) (note 25)
Foreign exchange loss/(gains)

4 Exceptional items

2019 
£m
403.6
1.7
16.7
–
3.2

−
3.0

0.3
0.4
−
−
12.4
126.4
5.0

2018 
£m
244.5
(0.8)
21.4
9.3
3.3

0.3
2.2

0.4
0.3
0.3
–
11.8
151.8
(7.8)

Accounting policies 
Exceptional items are disclosed separately in the financial statements to provide readers with an increased insight into the underlying 
performance of the Group.

Site relocation and restructuring
Costs associated with disposal of subsidiary
Impairment of disposal group
Loss on disposal net of transaction costs
Acquisition related
Guaranteed minimum pension adjustment
Gain on revaluation of measurement of pension scheme deficit
Pension underpin costs
Venezuela expected credit loss provision
Costs associated with the indexation change on the pension scheme
Exceptional items in operating profit 
Tax (charge)/credit on exceptional items 

2019 
£m
(4.8)
−
−
(2.6)
(0.2)
(1.7)
−
(0.5)
(18.1)
−
(27.9)
4.2

2018 
£m
(4.0)
(5.1)
(9.3)
–
(0.2)
–
80.5
−
−
(1.0)
60.9
(9.7)

Accounts120

Notes to the accounts continued

4 Exceptional items continued
Site relocation and restructuring costs
Site relocation and restructuring costs in FY19 included: Net charges of £1.9m relating to the final stages of the manufacturing footprint 
review announced in December 2015 comprising staff compensation payments, ‘dual running’ costs for the period in FY19 when the Group 
was running both the new PA&T manufacturing facility in Malta and the old facility in Gateshead and the impairment of certain assets which 
are no longer expected to be used for their original useful lives. This restructuring programme is expected to be completed in FY20.

£1.3m (FY18: £2.2m) relating to the final stages of the upgrade of our finance systems and processes which included staff compensation 
payments, personnel costs for individuals solely employed to work on the project and consultancy fees. This will be completed in FY20.

£1.6m of staff compensation payments was incurred in relation to the review of our cost base which was announced HY19. 

Impairment of disposal group and loss on disposal
In December 2017 the Group committed to a plan to sell the Group’s Paper business, and accordingly presented the Paper business’ assets 
and liabilities as a disposal group held for sale. In accordance with IFRS 5, prior to sale the disposal group’s carrying value was compared 
to its fair value less costs to sell the resulting Impairment loss of £9.3m.

In the current period an additional loss on disposal of £2.6m net of transaction costs has been recorded due to finalisation of the disposal 
accounting post-year end on confirmation of the final working capital adjustment and update of the estimated liability under the recompense clause. 

Acquisition costs
Additional costs of £0.2m were incurred in the period relating to staff retention payments fell due relating to the acquisition of De La Rue 
Authentication Solutions Inc.

Pension underpin costs
Legal fees of £0.5m have been incurred in the rectification of certain discrepancies identified in the Scheme’s rules. The Directors do not 
consider this to have an impact on the UK defined benefit pension liability at the current time but they are continuing to assess this. 

Costs associated with disposal of subsidiary
In FY18 costs of £5.1m were incurred on the disposal of the Paper business. 

Guaranteed minimum payment adjustment
On 26 October 2018, a landmark pension case involving the Lloyds Banking Group’s defined benefit pension schemes was handed down 
by the High Court. The judgement brings some clarity to defined benefit pension schemes in general and requires schemes to equalise 
pension benefits between men and women relating to Guaranteed Minimum Pensions (or ‘GMP’). This has resulted in an increase of £1.7m 
to our obligation in the period which is accounted for in the income statement as a past service cost but presented within exceptional items. 
The estimate was performed based on method C2 (under the terminology of the High Court Judgement), which compares each member’s 
accumulated benefits, with interest, to the same benefits if the member were the ‘opposite sex’ and ensuring the higher of the two 
accumulated amounts has been paid in each year.

Gain on revaluation of pension scheme deficit
In November 2017 the Trustee of the Defined Benefit Scheme decided to change indexation of future increases to the Defined Benefit 
Scheme benefits from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), effective from April 2018. The decision was made 
following a request from the Company and a detailed legal review upon which the Trustee concluded that CPI is currently a more suitable 
index for the calculation of annual increases in the Scheme. This change led to a past service credit of £80.5m which was recorded within 
exceptional items in the prior period. The Directors continue to assess any residual impact from this change.

Venezuela credit loss provision
£18.1m credit loss associated with the outstanding accounts receivable of a customer in Venezuela currently unable to transfer funds due 
to non-UK related sanctions. In accordance with the Group’s policy, the credit loss relating to the customer in Venezuela has been recorded 
in exceptional items due to its size and non-recurring nature.

Taxation relating to exceptional items
Tax charges relating to exceptional items arising in the period were £4.2m (FY18: tax credit of £9.7m).

5 Disposal of paper business
On 26 March 2018 prior to the external sale, the Group transferred the trade and assets of the paper business into a newly created wholly-
owned subsidiary Portals De La Rue Limited. The Group completed the sale of Portals De La Rue Limited to EPIRIS Fund II on 29 March 
2018. Under the terms of the agreement De La Rue received £60.3m cash upon completion of the transaction plus £6.6m in loan notes 
issued by the purchaser. Of the £6.6m of loan notes received, £2.6m was immediately converted to a preference share holding and £0.2m 
to an ordinary share holding of 10% in Mooreco Limited, a parent company of the purchasers. An additional £3.0m was estimated as being 
receivable relating to a closing working capital adjustment. The interest earned in FY19 has not been paid and has been accrued and added 
to the value of the loan note and preference share instruments held and is included in the total value presented on the balance sheet (as an 
other financial asset) at 30 March 2019 of £7.3m. 

The carrying amounts of assets and liabilities as at the date of sale (29 March 2018) post-impairment of disposal group (referred to in note 4 
above) totalled £67.9m.

The Group’s paper business did not meet the IFRS 5 definition of a discontinued operation and as such its results have been included within 
continuing operations. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019121

5 Disposal of paper business continued
Disposal consideration included an estimate for total amounts payable under the recompense contract provision of £2.0m. As part of the sale of 
the paper business the Company agreed to compensate the buyer, within certain limits, in the event of certain commercial outcomes arising which 
were prejudicial to the buyer. An amount of £2.0m was recognised in the 31 March 2018 balance sheet date to reflect the risk weighted exposure to 
the Company from within the overall range of possible outcomes. In the current period, an additional loss on disposal of £3.0m has been recorded 
due to the finalisation of the disposal accounting as the final amount received under the working capital adjustment is now known in addition to the 
impact of the update to the estimate of the recompense liability. The provision for recompense liability is included within other provisions in note 19.

6 Interest income and expense

Accounting policies 
Interest income/expense is accrued on a time basis, by reference to the principal outstanding and at the effective interest rate applicable, 
which is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash flows through the expected life of the financial asset/liability to the net 
carrying amount of that asset/liability.

Recognised in the income statement 
Interest income:
 – Interest on loan notes and preference shares
 – Cash and cash equivalents

Interest expense:
 – Bank loans
 – Other, including amortisation of finance arrangement fees
Total interest expense calculated using the effective interest method
Retirement benefit obligation net finance expense (note 24)

2019  
£m

2018  
£m

0.5
0.1
0.6

(3.4)
(1.1)
(4.5)
(2.1)

−
–
0

(4.2)
0.4
(3.8)
(5.6)

All finance income and expense arises in respect of assets and liabilities not restated to fair value through the income statement.

Interest due on the loan notes and preference shares relates to interests held in Mooreco Limited (obtained as part of the considered for the 
Portals paper disposal). The loan notes and preference shares are included in the balance sheet as Other Financial Assets. In accordance 
with the terms of the instruments, the interest has not been paid in the year but accrued and added to the value of the Other Financial Asset.

The gain to the income statement in respect of the ineffective portion of derivative financial instruments was £nil (FY18: £nil).

7 Taxation

Accounting policies 
The tax expense included in the income statement comprises current and deferred tax. Current tax is the expected tax payable on the 
taxable income for the year, including adjustments in respect of prior periods, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted by the 
balance sheet date. Tax is recognised in the income statement except to the extent that it relates to items recognised directly in equity, 
in which case it is recognised in equity.

Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences arising between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting 
purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. Deferred tax is measured using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively 
enacted by the balance sheet date and that are expected to apply when the asset is realised or the liability is settled.

Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent 
that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the temporary difference can be utilised. Such assets and 
liabilities are not recognised if the temporary difference arises from goodwill not deductible for tax purposes, or result from the initial 
recognition (other than in a business combination) of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the taxable profit 
nor the accounting profit.

Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures, except where 
the Group is able to control the timing of the reversal of the temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will 
not reverse in the foreseeable future.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each balance sheet date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer 
probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.

Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are only offset to the extent that there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax 
assets and current tax liabilities, they relate to taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the Group intends to settle its current 
tax assets and liabilities on a net basis or to realise an asset and settle a liability simultaneously.

Accounts122

Notes to the accounts continued

7 Taxation continued

Consolidated income statement
Current tax
UK corporation tax:
 – Current tax
 – Adjustment in respect of prior years

Overseas tax charges:
 – Current year
 – Adjustment in respect of prior years

Total current income tax charge
Deferred tax:
 – Origination and reversal of temporary differences, UK
 – Origination and reversal of temporary differences, overseas
Total deferred tax charge/(credit)
Income tax expense reported in the consolidated income statement in respect of continuing operations
Income tax expense/(credit) in respect of discontinued operations (note 2)
Total income tax charge in the consolidated income statement
Tax on continuing operations attributable to:
 – Ordinary activities
 – Amortisation of acquired intangible assets
 – Exceptional items
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income:
 – On remeasurement of net defined benefit liability
 – On cash flow hedges
 – On foreign exchange on quasi-equity balances
Income tax (credit)/charge reported within other comprehensive income
Consolidated statement of changes in equity:
 – On share options
Income tax charge reported within equity

The tax on the Group’s consolidated profit before tax differs from the UK tax rate of 19% as follows:

2019 
£m

2018
£m

3.8
(0.3)
3.5

2.2
(0.3)
1.9
5.4

(1.6)
0.6
(1.0)
4.8
(0.4)
4.4

8.7
0.3
(4.2)

(1.5)
(0.2)
(0.5)
(2.2)

0.3
0.3

6.8
(1.7)
5.1

2.9
(1.4)
1.5
6.6

10.6
(1.6)
9.0
16.8
(1.2)
15.6

8.3
(1.2)
9.7

10.4
(0.5)
0.1
10.0

0.2
0.2

Profit before tax
Tax calculated at UK tax rate of 19% 
(FY18: 19%)
Effects of overseas taxation
(Credits)/charges not allowable 
for tax purposes
(Utilisation)/increase in unrecognised 
tax losses
Adjustments in respect of prior years
Change in UK and overseas tax rate
Tax charge/(credit)

2019

2018

Before 
exceptional 
items  
£m
54.2

Exceptional 
items  
£m
(27.9)

Movement 
on acquired 
intangibles 
£m
(0.7)

10.3
(1.1)

(5.3)
–

(0.1)
–

Total  
£m
25.6

4.9
(1.1)

(0.6)

1.6

–

1.0

–
–
0.1
8.7

–
(1.1)
0.6
(4.2)

–
0.4
–
0.3

–
(0.7)
0.7
4.8

Before 
exceptional 
items  
£m
53.4

Exceptional 
items  
£m
60.9

Movement 
on acquired
intangibles
£m
(0.7)

Total  
£m
113.6

10.1
0.5

(0.1)

(0.5)
(1.8)
0.1
8.3

11.6
–

0.7

(0.8)
(0.3)
(1.5)
9.7

(0.1)
−

21.6
0.5

−

0.6

−
−
(1.1)
(1.2)

(1.3)
(2.1)
(2.5)
16.8

The underlying effective tax rate was 16.1% (FY18: 15.5%.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019123

8 Earnings per share

Accounting policies 
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity shareholders by the weighted average number 
of ordinary shares outstanding during the year, excluding those held in the employee share trust which are treated as cancelled.

For diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue is adjusted for the impact of the dilutive effect 
of share options. 

The Directors are of the opinion that the publication of the adjusted earnings per share excluding paper, before exceptional items, 
is useful to readers of the accounts as it gives an indication of underlying business performance. 

IFRS earnings per share
Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share 
Adjusted earnings per share – excluding paper
Basic earnings per share

2019  
Continuing 
operations 
pence per  
share

2019 
Discontinued 
operations 
pence per  
share

2019  
Total  
pence per  
share

2018  
Continuing 
operations 
pence per  
share

2018 
Discontinued 
operations 
pence per  
share

2018  
Total  
pence per  
share

18.8
18.8

42.9

(2.3)
(2.3)

n/a

16.5
16.5

n/a

93.7
92.8

38.2

(1.8)
(1.8)

n/a

91.9
91.0

n/a

Reconciliations of the earnings and weighted average number of shares used in the calculations are set out below:

Earnings

Earnings for basic and diluted earnings per share
Amortisation of acquired intangible assets
Exceptional items
Less: tax on amortisation of acquired intangibles
Less: tax on exceptional items
Earnings for adjusted earnings per share

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

For basic earnings per share
Dilutive effect of share options
For diluted earnings per share

2019  
Continuing 
operations  
£m
19.4
0.7
27.9
0.3
(4.2)
44.1

2018  
Continuing 
operations  
£m
95.4
0.7
(60.9)
(1.2)
9.7
43.7

2019 
Number  
m
102.9
0.3
103.2

2018 
Number  
m
101.9
0.9
102.8

9 Equity dividends
Final dividends proposed by the Board of Directors and unpaid at the year end are not recognised in the financial statements until they have 
been approved by the shareholders at the annual general meeting. Interim dividends are recognised in the period that they are paid.

Final dividend for the period ended 25 March 2017 of 16.7p paid on 30 June 2017
Interim dividend for the period ended 31 September 2017 of 8.3p paid on 3 January 2018
Final dividend for the period ended 31 March 2018 of 16.7p paid on 3 August 2018
Interim dividend for the period ended 29 September 2018 of 8.3p paid on 3 January 2019

2019  
£m
–
–
17.1
8.6
25.7

2018  
£m
17.0
8.4
–
–
25.4

A final dividend per equity share of 16.7p has been proposed for the period ended 30 March 2019. If approved by shareholders the dividend 
will be paid on 3 August 2019 to ordinary shareholders on the register at 6 July 2019.

Accounts124

Notes to the accounts continued

10 Property, plant and equipment

Accounting policies 
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated provision for impairment in value. 
Assets in the course of construction are included in property, plant and equipment on the basis of expenditure incurred at the balance 
sheet date.

No depreciation is provided on freehold land. Freehold and long leasehold buildings are depreciated over their estimated useful economic 
lives of 50 years. Other leasehold interests are depreciated over the lease term.

Plant and machinery are depreciated over their estimated useful lives which typically range from 10 to 20 years. Fixtures and fittings and 
motor vehicles are depreciated over their estimated useful lives which typically range from two to 15 years. No depreciation is provided 
for assets in the course of construction until they are ready for use.

Depreciation methods, residual values and useful lives are reviewed at least at each financial year end, taking into account commercial and 
technical obsolescence as well as normal wear and tear, provision being made where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount. 

Cost
At 25 March 2017
Exchange differences 
Additions 
Transfers from assets in the course of construction
Reclassification
Disposals 
Disposal of subsidiary
At 31 March 2018
Exchange differences 
Additions 
Transfers from assets in the course of construction
Disposals 
At 30 March 2019
Accumulated depreciation 
At 25 March 2017
Exchange differences 
Depreciation charge for the year 
Reclassification
Disposals 
Disposal of subsidiary
At 31 March 2018
Exchange differences 
Depreciation charge for the year 
Disposals 
Impairments
At 30 March 2019
Net book value at 30 March 2019
Net book value at 31 March 2018
Net book value at 25 March 2017

Land and 
buildings  
£m

Plant and 
machinery  
£m

Fixtures and 
fittings and 
Motor Vehicles  
£m

In course of 
construction  
£m

64.2
–
0.2
1.7
4.0
–
(21.0)
49.1
(0.2)
1.1
0.1
−
50.1

28.7
–
1.9
1.6
–
(5.7)
26.5
(0.2)
1.8
−
−
28.1
22.0
22.6
35.5

381.3
(0.1)
1.0
16.4
(17.9)
(2.5)
(135.8)
242.4
(2.1)
9.7
10.2
(17.2)
243.0

277.1
(0.3)
12.7
(5.5)
(2.0)
(109.5)
172.5
(1.8)
13.2
(17.0)
0.7
167.6
75.4
69.9
104.2

23.9
–
0.1
1.6
4.9
(0.1)
(3.1)
27.3
(0.1)
1.0
0.8
(0.3)
28.7

16.1
–
7.3
(2.0)
(0.1)
(2.9)
18.4
−
1.7
(0.3)
−
19.8
8.9
8.9
7.8

19.7
–
12.9
(19.7)
3.1
(0.9)
(3.7)
11.4
−
8.5
(11.1)
−
8.8

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
−
−
−
−
−
8.8
11.4
19.7

Total  
£m

489.1
(0.1)
14.2
–
(5.9)
(3.5)
(163.6)
330.2
(2.4)
20.3
−
(17.5)
330.6

321.9
(0.3)
21.9
(5.9)
(2.1)
(118.1)
217.4
(2.0)
16.7
(17.3)
0.7
215.5
115.1
112.8
167.2

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019125

11 Intangible assets

Other intangible assets
Intangible assets purchased separately, such as software licences that do not form an integral part of related hardware, are capitalised 
at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. Software intangibles are amortised on a straight line basis over the 
shorter of their useful economic life or their licence period at rates which vary between three and five years. 

Expenditure incurred in the development of products or enhancements to existing product ranges is capitalised as an intangible asset if the 
recognition criteria in IAS 38 ‘Intangible Assets’ have been met. Development costs not meeting these criteria are expensed in the income 
statement as incurred. Capitalised development costs are amortised on a straight line basis over their estimated useful economic lives, which 
vary between five and 10 years, once the product or enhancement is available for use. Product research costs are written off as incurred.

Distribution rights are capitalised at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses and are amortised over their useful 
economic lives as determined by the life of the products to which they relate.

Intangible assets purchased through a business combination are recognised separately from goodwill and are initially recognised 
at their fair value at the acquisition date (which is regarded as their cost). Subsequent to initial acquisition, intangible assets acquired 
through a business combination are reported at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. 

Intellectual property recorded on the balance sheet relates to the acquisition of De La Rue Authentication Solutions Inc. and is amortised 
over its expected life of 15 years. Customer relationships, relating to those acquired in the acquisition of De La Rue Authentication Solutions 
Inc. are amortised over their expected lives of 10 to 15 years. Trade names relating to the acquisition of De La Rue Authentication Solutions 
Inc. are amortised over their expected lives of 15 years.

Assets in course of construction relates to internally generated software which is not yet completed. 

Goodwill relates to the acquisition in FY17 of De La Rue Authentication Inc. (previously DuPont Authentication Inc). The goodwill has been tested 
for impairment during the year as IAS 36 requires annual testing for assets with an indefinite life. For the purposes of impairment testing the Cash 
Generating Unit (CGU) for the Goodwill has been determined as the De La Rue Authentication entity as a whole. This is consistent with the fact 
that the entity is not fully integrated into the Group and the integrated nature of the Intellectual Property and other assets which collectively 
generate cash flows. The key sensitivities in the impairment test are discount rate, future growth in revenue and the level of profit margin 
generated by De La Rue Authentication. Based on the impairment test performed no impairment of the goodwill is considered necessary.

Cost
At 25 March 2017
Exchange differences 
Reclassification
Additions 
Disposal of subsidiary
At 31 March 2018
Exchange differences 
Additions 
Reclassification
At 30 March 2019
Accumulated amortisation
At 25 March 2017 
Reclassification
Exchange differences 
Amortisation for the year
Disposal of subsidiary
At 31 March 2018
Exchange differences 
Amortisation for the year
Impairment
At 30 March 2019
Carrying value at 30 March 2019
Carrying value at 31 March 2018 
Carrying value at 25 March 2017 

Goodwill  
£m

Development 
costs  
£m

Software 
assets  
£m

Distribution 
rights  
£m

Intellectual 
property 
£m

Customer 
relationships 
£m

Trade 
names 
£m

In course of 
construction
£m

8.8
(0.8)
–
–
–
8.0
0.6
–
–
8.6

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
8.6
8.0
8.8

23.2
–
(3.9)
3.6
(1.3)
21.6
–
–
(3.5)
18.1

12.8
(3.7)
–
1.8
(0.9)
10.0
–
1.6
0.4
12.0
6.1
11.6
10.4

10.0
–
(1.7)
1.2
–
9.5
–
0.7
0.3
10.5

6.0
(1.0)
–
0.8
–
5.8
–
1.0
–
6.8
3.7
3.7
4.0

0.1
–
–
–
–
0.1
–
–
–
0.1

0.1
–
–
–
–
0.1
–
–
–
0.1
–
–
–

3.6
(0.5)
–
–
–
3.1
0.1
–
–
3.2

0.1
–
–
0.2
–
0.3
–
0.2
–
0.5
2.7
2.8
3.5

4.4
(0.7)
–
–
–
3.7
0.1
–
–
3.8

–
–
–
0.5
–
0.5
–
0.4
–
0.9
2.9
3.2
4.4

0.2
–
–
–
–
0.2
–
–
–
0.2

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
0.2
0.2
0.2

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
6.7
3.2
9.9

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
0.8
0.8
9.1
–
−

Total  
£m

50.3
(2.0)
(5.6)
4.8
(1.3)
46.2
0.8
7.4
–
54.4

19.0
(4.8)
–
3.3
(0.9)
16.7
–
3.2
1.2
21.1
33.3
29.5
31.3

Accounts126

Notes to the accounts continued

11 Intangible assets continued

Accounting policies 
Impairment of intangible assets
Intangible assets that are subject to amortisation are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying 
value may not be recoverable. In addition, goodwill is tested at least annually for impairment. Impairment tests are performed for all Cash 
Generating Units (CGUs) to which goodwill has been allocated at the balance sheet date or whenever there is indication of impairment. 

An impairment loss is recognised immediately in the income statement for the amount by which the asset’s carrying value exceeds its 
recoverable amount, the latter being the higher of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the 
estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments 
of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset.

In testing intangible assets for impairment, a number of assumptions must be made when calculating future cash flows. These assumptions 
include growth in customer numbers, market size and sales prices and volumes, all of which will determine the future cash flows. 

12 Inventories

Accounting policies 
Inventories and work in progress are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost is determined on a weighted average 
cost basis and comprises directly attributable purchase and conversion costs, including direct labour and an allocation of production 
overheads based on normal operating capacity that have been incurred in bringing those inventories to their present location and 
condition. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less estimated costs of completion and selling costs.

Raw materials 
Work in progress 
Finished goods 

2019 
£m
18.7
12.9
10.7
42.3

2018 
£m
17.4
9.8
9.8
37.0

The replacement cost of inventories is not materially different from original cost.

An income statement charge in respect of the recognition of inventory provisions of £1.7m was recognised in operating expenses – ordinary 
in FY19 (FY18: £0.8m). 

13 Trade and other receivables 

Accounting policies 
Trade receivables that do not contain a significant financing component are recognised at the transaction price and other receivables are 
measured at amortised cost. Trade and other receivables are recognised net of allowance for ECL. In accordance with IFRS 9, the Group 
calculates an allowance for potentially uncollectable accounts receivable balances using the ECL model and follows the simplified approach. 
The Group has calculated the ECL by segmenting its accounts receivable balances into different segments representing the risk levels 
applying to those customer groupings and thus allowing for the calculation of the ECL by applying the expected loss rate to each segment. 
The loss rates applied to each segment are based on the Group historical experience of credit losses in addition to available knowledge of 
potential future credit risk based on available data such as country credit ratings. For further details on the adoption of IFRS 9, please see 
page 109. This has been calculated using the methodology set out in note 1. The Group reviews the account receivable ledger on a monthly 
basis to identify if there are any collectability issues which might require the recognition of an expected credit loss allowance (ie a specific 
bad debt provision) in addition to the expected credit loss allowance calculated based on historical experience. The Group’s policy for 
managing credit risk is set out in note 14.

Trade receivables 
Provision for impairment 
Net trade receivables 
Other receivables 
Prepayments and accrued income1

Note: 
1 

In 2019 accrued income is presented on the face of the balance sheet as ‘contract assets’ as required by IFRS 15.

2019  
£m
119.2
(25.3)
93.9
17.1
3.4
114.4

2018 
£m
68.8
(5.5)
63.3
22.3
13.5
99.1

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019127

13 Trade and other receivables continued 
The Group has three customers that account for approximately 28% of the trade receivables at 30 March 2019.

The ageing of trade and other receivables (excluding prepayments) at the reporting date was:

Not past due 
Past due 0-30 days 
Past due 31-120 days 
Past due more than 120 days 

*  Determined under IAS 37.

Gross  
2019 
£m
77.5
16.7
20.5
21.6
136.3

ECL 
allowance 
2019 
£m
(0.3)
(1.0)
(11.0)
(13.0)
(25.3)

Gross  
2018 
£m
31.0
32.3
7.3
15.2
85.8

Provision* 
2018 
£m
–
–
–
(5.5)
(5.5)

The provision for impairment in respect of trade receivables is used to record losses unless the Group is satisfied that no recovery of 
the amount owing is possible; at that point the amounts considered irrecoverable are written off against the financial asset directly.

The movement in the allowance for impairment in respect of trade receivables during the year was as follows:

Balance at beginning of year 
Impairment losses recognised
Impairment losses reversed 
Balance at end of year

2019  
£m
(5.5)
(24.2)
4.4
(25.3)

2018  
£m
(3.0)
(2.5)
–
(5.5)

Impairment losses recognised in the period include £18.1m related to Venezuela as referred to in the front half of this Annual Report and Accounts.

There is no expected credit loss on contract assets.

14 Financial risk
Financial risk management
Overview
The Group’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks, the most significant of which are liquidity risk, market risk and credit risk.

The Group’s financial risk management policies are established and reviewed regularly to identify and analyse the risks faced by the Group, 
to set appropriate risk limits and controls, and to monitor risks and adherence to limits. The use of financial derivatives is governed by the 
Group’s risk management policies approved by the Board of Directors, which provide written principles on the use of financial derivatives 
consistent with the Group’s risk management strategy. The Group’s treasury department is responsible for the management of these 
financial risks faced by the Group.

Group treasury identifies, evaluates and in certain cases hedges financial risks in close cooperation with the Group’s operating units. 
Group treasury provides written principles for overall financial risk management as well as policies covering specific areas, such as 
foreign exchange risk, interest rate risk, use of derivative financial instruments and the investment of excess liquidity.

Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The Group’s approach to managing 
liquidity is to ensure, as far as possible, that it will always have sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities where due, under both normal and 
stressed conditions, without incurring unacceptable losses or risking damage to the Group’s reputation.

The Group manages this risk by ensuring that it maintains sufficient levels of committed borrowing facilities and cash and cash equivalents. 
The level of headroom needed is reviewed annually as part of the Group’s planning process. 

A maturity analysis of the carrying amount of the Group’s borrowings is shown below in the reporting of financial risk section together 
with associated fair values.

Market risk
Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as foreign exchange rates and interest rates, will affect the Group’s income 
or the value of its holdings of financial instruments. The Group uses a range of derivative instruments, including forward contracts and 
swaps to hedge its risk to changes in foreign exchange rates and interest rates with the objective of controlling market risk exposures 
within acceptable parameters, while optimising the return. Derivative financial instruments are only used for hedging purposes.

(a) Currency risk
The Group operates internationally and is exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from various currency exposures, primarily with
respect to the US dollar and the euro. Foreign exchange risk arises from future commercial transactions, recognised assets and liabilities,
unrecognised firm commitments and investments in foreign operations.

Accounts128

Notes to the accounts continued

14 Financial risk continued
To manage their foreign exchange risk arising from future commercial transactions and recognised assets and liabilities, entities in the Group 
use forward contracts, transacted with Group treasury. Foreign exchange risk arises when future commercial transactions or recognised 
assets or liabilities are denominated in a currency that is not the entity’s functional currency. Group treasury is responsible for managing 
the net position in each currency via foreign exchange contracts transacted with financial institutions.

The Group’s risk management policy aims to hedge firm commitments in full, and between 60% and 100% of forecast exposures in each 
major currency for the subsequent 12 months to the extent that forecast transactions are highly probable.

The Group has certain investments in foreign operations, whose net assets are exposed to foreign currency translation risk. The Group’s 
policy is to manage the currency exposure arising from the net assets of the Group’s foreign operations primarily through borrowings 
denominated in the relevant foreign currencies and through foreign currency swaps.

The Group’s policy is not to hedge net investments in subsidiaries or the translation of profits or losses generated in overseas subsidiaries.

(b) Interest rate risk
All material financial assets and liabilities are maintained at floating rates of interest. Where the Group has forecast average levels of net
debt above £50.0m on a continuing basis, the policy is to use floating to fixed interest rate swaps to fix the interest rate on a minimum
of 50% of the Group’s forecast average levels of net debt for a period of at least 12 months.

Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Group if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual 
obligations, and arises principally from the Group’s receivables from customers and investment securities.

The Group’s exposure to credit risk is influenced by various factors, largely pertaining to the profile of the customer as acknowledged 
in our IFRS 9 Receivables segmentation, in particular the customer’s status as a Government or Banking institution as compared to that 
of a private or publicly owned entity. Due to the large make up of Government or central banks at around 80% of the Group’s revenues, 
measuring credit risk is largely driven by factors including the country’s sovereign rating, historic knowledge, local market insights, and 
political factors in country and industry credit risk is not an influencing factor. The Group’s long standing historic trade with Government and 
central bank institutions guides strongly towards the lower credit or doubtful debt risk that these customers represent. Where private or 
publicly owned Business Trade applies, the Business adopts a conventional and in depth trading entity credit review. Where appropriate, 
letters of credit are used to reduce the credit risk for the Business and where possible advanced payments are also requested.

All credit assignment risk is mitigated through a threshold based sign-off matrix, where larger value credit exposures require multiple and 
more senior Business sign-off. The Group has processes in place to ensure appropriate credit limits are set for customers and for ensuring 
appropriate approval is given for the release of products to customers where any perceived risk has been highlighted.

Financial instruments
Derivative financial instruments are recognised at fair value at the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently remeasured 
to their fair value at each balance sheet date. The gain or loss on subsequent fair value measurement is recognised in the income statement 
unless the derivative qualifies for hedge accounting when recognition of any resultant gain or loss depends on the nature of the item being hedged. 

Cash flow hedges 
Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments that are designated and are effective as hedges of future cash flows are 
recognised directly in equity and the ineffective portion is recognised immediately in the income statement. Amounts accumulated in equity 
are recycled to the income statement in the period in which the hedged item also affects the income statement. However, if the hedged item 
results in the recognition of a non-financial asset or liability, the amounts accumulated in equity on the hedging instrument are transferred 
from equity and included in the initial measurement of the cost of the asset or liability. Hedge accounting is discontinued when the hedging 
instrument expires or is sold, terminated, exercised, or no longer qualifies for hedge accounting. At that time, for forecast transactions, 
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. 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.

Fair value hedges 
For an effective hedge of an exposure to changes in fair value of a recognised asset or liability or an unrecognised firm commitment, 
the hedged item is adjusted for changes in fair value attributable to the risk being hedged with the corresponding entry in net income. 
Gains or losses from remeasuring the derivative or, for non-derivatives, the foreign currency component of its carrying value, are 
recognised in net income.

Embedded derivatives
Derivatives embedded in other financial liability instruments or other non-financial host contracts are treated as separate derivatives when 
their risks and characteristics are not closely related to those of the host contracts and the host contracts are not carried at fair value. 
Any unrealised gains or losses on such separated derivatives are reported in the income statement within revenue or operating expenses, 
in line with the host contract.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019129

14 Financial risk continued
Fair values
The fair value of financial assets and liabilities, together with the carrying amounts shown in the balance sheet, are as follows:

Fair value 
measurement 
basis

Total fair  
value 
2019 
£m

Carrying  
amount 
2019 
£m

Total fair  
value 
2018 
£m

Carrying  
amount 
2018 
£m

Financial assets
Trade and other receivables1
Contract assets
Other financial assets2
Cash and cash equivalents
Derivative financial instruments: 
 – Forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges 
 – Short duration swap contracts designated as fair value hedges
 – Foreign exchange fair value hedges – other economic hedges 
 – Embedded derivatives 
 – Interest rate swaps 
Total financial assets
Financial liabilities
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts3 
Trade and other payables4
Derivative financial instruments:
 – Forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges
 – Short duration swap contracts designated as fair value hedges
 – Foreign exchange fair value hedges – other economic hedges
 – Embedded derivatives
 – Interest rate swaps
Total financial liabilities

114.4
24.9
7.1
12.2

2.0
–
1.2
1.0
–
162.8

(119.7)
(170.3)

(4.7)
(0.5)
(0.8)
(0.8)
(0.1)
(296.9)

114.4
24.9
7.1
12.2

2.0
−
1.2
1.0
−
162.8

(119.7)
(170.3)

(4.7)
(0.5)
(0.8)
(0.8)
(0.1)
(296.9)

85.8
−
6.4
15.5

1.8
0.1
1.3
0.4
–
111.3

(65.4)
(151.9)

(3.2)
(0.2)
(0.4)
(0.6)
–
(221.7)

Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2

Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2

Notes: 
1  Excluding prepayments.
2  Excludes ordinary shares of £0.2m which are accounted for as fair value through profit and loss. 
3  The unsecured bank loans and overdrafts above is presented excluding unamortised pre-paid borrowing.
4  Excluding contract liabilities/deferred income and taxes. The prior period comparatives have been restated to include accrued expenses and payments received on account.

All derivatives
Hedge of the Group’s functional cash flows
Asset b/f
Fair/value (losses)/gains recognised in equity
Fair/value (losses)/gains recognised in income statement 
Cash settlement on maturity of cash flow hedges
Asset c/f

2019 
£m

0.2
(0.2)
0.2

0.2

85.8
—
6.4
15.5

1.8
0.1
1.3
0.4
–
111.3

(65.4)
(151.9)

(3.2)
(0.2)
(0.4)
(0.6)
–
(221.7)

2018 
£m

0.6
0.2
(0.6)

0.2

Fair value measurement basis for derivative financial instruments
Fair value is calculated based on the present value of future principal and interest cash flows, discounted at the market rate of interest at 
the reporting date. The valuation bases are classified according to the degree of estimation required in arriving at the fair values. Level 1 
valuations are derived from unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets, level 2 valuations use observable 
inputs for the assets or liabilities other than quoted prices, while level 3 valuations are not based on observable market data and are 
subject to management estimates. There has been no movement between levels during the current or prior periods.

Forward exchange contracts used for hedging
The fair value of forward exchange contracts has been determined using quoted forward exchange rates at the balance sheet date.

Interest rate swaps
Interest rate swaps are measured by reference to third party bank confirmations and discounted cash flows using the yield curves 
in effect at the balance sheet date.

Embedded derivatives
The fair value of embedded derivatives is calculated based on the present value of forecast future exposures on relevant sales 
and purchase contracts and using quoted forward foreign exchange rates at the balance sheet date.

Accounts130

Notes to the accounts continued

14 Financial risk continued 
Determination of fair values of non-derivative financial assets and liabilities
Non-derivative financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are measured at fair value and changes therein, including any interest, 
are recognised in profit or loss. Directly attributable transaction costs are recognised in profit or loss as incurred. 

Non-derivative financial liabilities are initially recognised at fair value less any directly attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial 
recognition, these liabilities are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. 

Hedge reserves
The hedge reserve balance on 30 March 2019 was (£2.5m), (31 March 2018: (£0.5m)). Net movements in the hedge reserve are shown in the 
Group statement of changes in equity. Comprehensive income after tax was £2.0m comprising a gain of £2.6m of fair value movements on 
new and continuing cash flow hedges, a loss of £nil on maturing cash flow hedges for capital expenditure and a £0.5m loss to the income 
statement to match the recognition of the related cash flows in effective cash flow hedge relationships. Deferred tax on the net gain of 
£2.3m amounted to £0.3m. Hedge reserve movements in the income statement were as follows:

30 March 2019
 – Maturing cash flow hedges
 – Ineffectiveness on de-recognition of cash flow hedges

31 March 2018
 – Maturing cash flow hedges
 – Ineffectiveness on de-recognition of cash flow hedges

Revenue  
£m

Operating 
expense  
£m

Interest  
expense  
£m

(0.3)
0.1
(0.2)

(0.4)
−
(0.4)

(0.2)
–
(0.2)

2.2
−
2.2

–
–
–

–
−
–

Total  
£m

(0.5)
0.1
(0.4)

1.8
−
1.8

The ineffective portion of fair value hedges that was recognised in the income statement amounted to nil (FY18: £nil). The ineffective portion 
of cash flow hedges that was recognised in the income statement within sales was a £0.1m gain (FY18: loss of £0.9m).

Liquidity risk
The following are the contractual undiscounted cash flow maturities of financial liabilities, including contractual interest payments and 
excluding the impact of netting agreements.

30 March 2019
Non-derivative financial liabilities 
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts 
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liabilities 
Gross amount payable from currency derivatives:
 – Forward exchange contracts designated

as cash flow hedges

 – Short duration swap contracts designated

as fair value hedges

 – Fair value hedges – other economic hedges
Interest rate swaps

Due within  
1 year  
£m

Due between  
1 and 2 years 
£m

Due between  
2 and 5 years 
£m

Total 
undiscounted 
cash flows  
£m

Impact of 
discounting 
and netting  
£m

Carrying 
amount  
£m

119.7
170.3

156.7

70.3
62.1
0.1
579.2

−
−

–

–
0.1
–
0.1

−
−

–

–
15.8
–
15.8

119.7
170.3

−
−

119.7
170.3

156.7

(152.0)

4.7

70.3
78.0
0.1
595.1

(69.8)
(77.2)
–
(299)

0.5
0.8
0.1
296.1

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019131

14 Financial risk continued
Liquidity risk continued

31 March 2018
Non-derivative financial liabilities 
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts 
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liabilities 
Gross amount payable from currency derivatives:
 – Forward exchange contracts designated

as cash flow hedges

 – Short duration swap contracts designated

as fair value hedges

 – Fair value hedges – other economic hedges
Interest rate swaps

Due within  
1 year  
£m

Due between  
1 and 2 years 
£m

Due between  
2 and 5 years 
£m

Total 
undiscounted 
cash flows  
£m

Impact of 
discounting 
and netting  
£m

Carrying 
amount  
£m

65.4
151.9

144.9

40.3
61.6

464.1

–
−

0.4

–
–

0.4

–
−

–

–
–

–

65.4
151.9

–
−

65.4
151.9

145.3

(142.1)

40.3
61.6

(40.1)
(61.2)

3.2

0.2
0.4

464.5

(243.4)

221.1

The following are the contractual undiscounted cash flow maturities of financial assets, including contractual interest receipts and excluding 
the impact of netting agreements.

30 March 2019
Non-derivative financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables
Contract assets
Other financial assets1
Derivative financial assets 
Gross amount receivable from currency derivatives:
 – Forward exchange contracts designated

as cash flow hedges

 – Short duration swap contracts designated

as fair value hedges

 – Fair value hedges – other economic hedges
Interest rate swaps

Due within  
1 year  
£m

Due between  
1 and 2 years 
£m

Due between  
2 and 5 years 
£m

Due after 
5 years
£m

Total 
undiscounted 
cash flows  
£m

Impact of 
discounting 
and netting  
£m

Carrying 
amount  
£m

12.2
135.9
24.9
−

79.5

17.0
90.6

360.1

–
−
−
−

1.6

–
23.4

25.0

–
−
−
−

–

–
3.4

3.4

–
–
–
7.1

–

–
–

12.2
135.9
24.9
–

–
−
−
−

12.2
135.9
24.9
7.1

81.1

(79.1)

17.0
117.4

(17.0)
(116.2)

2.0

–
1.2

7.1

388.5

(212.3)

183.3

Note: 
1  Excludes ordinary shares of £0.2m which are accounted for as fair value through profit and loss.

31 March 2018
Non-derivative financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents 
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets 
Gross amount receivable from currency derivatives:
 – Forward exchange contracts designated

as cash flow hedges

 – Short duration swap contracts designated

as fair value hedges

 – Fair value hedges – other economic hedges
Interest rate swaps

Due within  
1 year  
£m

Due between  
1 and 2 years 
£m

Due between  
2 and 5 years 
£m

Total 
undiscounted 
cash flows  
£m

Impact of 
discounting 
and netting  
£m

Carrying 
amount  
£m

15.5
85.2

119.2

37.2
69.3

326.4

–
–

7.3

−
0.7

8.0

–
–

–

–
–

–

15.5
85.2

–
–

15.5
85.2

126.5

(124.7)

37.2
70.0

(37.1)
(68.7)

1.8

0.1
1.3

334.4

(230.5)

103.9

Accounts132

Notes to the accounts continued

14 Financial risk continued
Liquidity risk continued
The fair value of a hedging derivative is classified as a non-current asset or liability if the remaining maturity of the hedged instrument 
is more than 12 months and as a current asset or liability if the maturity of the hedged instrument is less than 12 months.

Cash and cash equivalents, trade and other current receivables, bank loans and overdrafts, trade payables and other current liabilities 
have fair values that approximate to their carrying amounts due to their short term nature.

As at 30 March 2019, the Group has a total of undrawn committed borrowing facilities, all maturing in more than one year, of £156.5m 
(31 March 2018: £210.0m in more than one year). The amount of loans drawn on the £275.0m facility is £118.5m (31 March 2018: £65.0m). 
Guarantees of £nil (31 March 2018: £nil) have been drawn using the facility.

The financial covenants require that the ratio of EBIT to net interest payable be greater than four times and the net debt to EBITDA ratio 
be less than three times. At the period end the specific covenant tests were as follows: EBIT/net interest payable of 12.9 times, net debt/
EBITDA of 1.46 times.

Forward foreign exchange contracts
The net principal amounts of the outstanding forward foreign exchange contracts at 30 March 2019 are US dollar 125.6m, euro 35.5m, 
Swiss franc 32.2m, Japanese yen 53.0m, Canadian dollar 0.5m, Hong Kong dollar 8.5m, Singapore dollar 4.2m, Australian dollar 0.1m 
and Swedish krona 16.6m.

The net principal amounts outstanding under forward contracts with maturities greater than 12 months are euro 3.9m, US dollar 53.9m 
and Swiss franc 0.8m. These forward contracts are designated as cash flow hedges or fair value hedges as appropriate. 

Gains and losses recognised in the hedging reserve in equity on forward foreign exchange contracts at 30 March 2019 will be released 
to the income statement at various dates between one month and 24 months from the balance sheet date. 

As at March 2019
Forward exchange forward contracts
USD
EUR
CHF
31 March 2018
Forward exchange forward contracts
USD
EUR
CHF

Notes: 
Hedges vs GBP shown only.
Forward sales shown as positive and purchases shown as negative.

Notional 
amount in 
currency

Notional 
amount in 
£m

Maturity

Average 
forward 
rate

126.4
(39)
(29)

34.3
24.3
(28.5)

(94.9)
35.2
22.8

(23.9)
(21.6)
22.2

2022
2021
2020

2019
2019
2019

1.3314
1.1059
1.2687

1.4341
1.1231
1.2855

Short duration swap contracts
(i) Cash management swaps
The Group uses short duration currency swaps to manage the level of borrowings in foreign currencies. The fair value of cash management
currency swaps at 30 March 2019 was £nil (FY18: £nil). Gains and losses on cash management swaps are included in the consolidated
income statement.

The principal amounts outstanding under cash management currency swaps at 30 March 2019 are US dollar 11.6m, euro 1.8m, 
Swiss franc 1.2m, Japanese yen 53.6m, Canadian dollar 0.5m, Hong Kong dollar 1.9m, Mexican peso 2.6m, United Arab Emirates 
dirham 2.5m, Singapore dollar 0.4m and Swedish krona 0.3m.

(ii) Balance sheet swaps
The Group uses short duration currency swaps to manage the translational exposure of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in
foreign currencies. The fair value of balance sheet swaps as at 30 March 2019 was (£0.5m) (FY18: loss £0.1m). Gains and losses on balance
sheet swaps are included in the consolidated income statement.

The principal amounts outstanding under balance sheet swaps at 30 March 2019 are US dollar 45.5m, euro 31.4m, Swiss franc 15.2m, 
South African rand 19.8m.

Embedded derivatives
Embedded derivatives relate to sales and purchase contracts denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the customer/
supplier, or a currency that is not deemed to be a commonly used currency of the country in which the customer/supplier is based. The net 
fair value of embedded derivatives at 30 March 2019 was £0.2m (FY18: (£0.2m)).

Gains and losses on fair value hedges
The gains and losses recognised in the year on the Group’s fair value hedges were (£0.3m) relating to balance sheet hedges (FY18: loss 
£0.1m), (£1.6m) relating to other fair value hedges (FY18: loss £8.9m), and £nil relating to cash management hedges (FY18: £nil). 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019133

14 Financial risk continued
Market risk: Currency risk
Exposure to currency risk
The following significant exchange rates applied during the year:

US dollar
Euro

Average rate

Reporting date spot rate

2019
1.32
1.13

2018
1.33
1.13

2019
1.31
1.17

2018
1.41
1.14

Interest rate risk
At the reporting date the interest rate profile of the Group’s interest bearing financial instruments was:

Variable rate instruments 
Financial assets 
Financial liabilities 

Carrying amount

2019 
£m

12.2
(119.7)
(107.5)

2018  
£m

15.5
(65.4)
(49.9)

At the year ending 31 March 2019 the Group had £35m of floating to fixed interest rate swaps with financial institutions and with a maturity of 
November 2019, and £30m of floating to fixed interest rate swaps with financial institutions and with maturities of October and November 2020.

Sensitivity analysis
A change of 100 basis points in interest rates at the reporting date would have increased/(decreased) equity and profit and loss by the 
amounts shown below. The analysis assumes that all other variables, in particular foreign currency rates, remain constant. 

Variable rate instruments cash flow sensitivity (net)
30 March 2019
25 March 2018

Profit and loss

100bp 
increase  
£m

100bp  
decrease  
£m

Equity

100bp  
increase  
£m

100bp  
decrease  
£m

(0.3)
(0.8)

0.7
0.9

–
−

–
−

Credit risk
Exposure to credit risk
The carrying amount of financial assets represents the credit exposure at the reporting date. The exposure to credit risk at the reporting 
date was:

Trade and other receivables (excluding prepayments) 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Forward exchange contracts used for hedging
Embedded derivatives 
Interest rate swaps

Notes
13
15

Carrying amount

2019 
£m
111.0
12.2
3.2
1.0
–
127.4

The maximum exposure to credit risk for trade and other receivables (excluding prepayments) by geographic region was:

UK 
Rest of Europe 
The Americas 
Rest of world 

Carrying amount

2019 
£m
27.3
17.1
9.0
57.6
111.0

2018  
£m
85.8
15.5
3.2
0.4
–
104.9

2018  
£m
17.2
4.7
15.5
48.4
85.8

Accounts134

Notes to the accounts continued

14 Financial risk continued
Credit risk continued
The maximum exposure to credit risk for trade and other receivables (excluding prepayments) by type of customer was:

Banks and financial institutions 
Government institutions 
Other

Carrying amount

2019 
£m
66.7
34.7
34.9
136.3

2018  
£m
60.3
22.4
3.1
85.8

Fair value adjustment to credit risk on derivative contracts
The impact of credit related adjustments being made to the carrying amount of derivatives measured at fair value and used for hedging 
currency and interest rate risk has been assessed and considered to be immaterial. These derivatives are transacted with investment grade 
financial institutions. Similarly, the impact of the credit risk of the Group on the valuation of its financial liabilities has been assessed and 
considered to be immaterial.

Capital management
The Board’s policy is to maintain a strong capital base in order to maintain investor, creditor and market confidence and to sustain future 
development of the business. 

The Group finances its operations through a mixture of equity funding and debt financing, which represent the Group’s definition of capital 
for this purpose.

Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company
Add back long term pension deficit liability
Adjusted equity attributable to shareholders of the Company
Net debt
Group capital

Note

22

2019 
£m
(39.1)
78.6
39.5
107.5
147.0

2018 
£m
(43.9)
89.6
45.7
49.9
95.6

The long term pension deficit has been removed as a separate agreement is in place regarding the funding for this deficit which is paid 
out of cash flows from continuing operations. The Group’s debt financing is also analysed in notes 18 and 22. 

Included within the Group’s net debt are certain cash and cash equivalent balances that are not readily available for use by the Group. 
These balances are not significant, and are not readily available due to restrictions within some of the countries in which we operate.

Earnings per share and dividend payments are the two measures which, in the Board’s view, summarise best whether the Group’s 
objectives regarding equity management are being met. The Group’s earnings and dividends per share and relative rates of growth 
illustrate the extent to which equity attributable to shareholders has changed. Both measures are disclosed and discussed within the 
strategic report and notes 8 and 9.

The Group’s objective is to maximise sustainable long term growth of the earnings per share. 

De La Rue’s dividend policy is to provide shareholders with a competitive return on their investment, while assuring sufficient reinvestment 
of profits to enable the Group to achieve its strategy. During the period, the Group invested £40.1m in ongoing research and development 
expenditure and total capital expenditure. The proposed total dividend for the year is covered 1.7 times. The ratio is calculated as total 
adjusted earning as per note 8 over the dividend for the year.

The decision to pay dividends, and the amount of the dividends, will depend on, among other things, the earnings, financial position, 
capital requirements, general business conditions, cash flows, net debt levels and share buyback plans. 

There were no changes to the Group’s approach to capital management during the year.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019135

15 Cash and cash equivalents 

Accounting policies 
Cash and cash equivalents comprise bank balances and cash held by the Group and short term deposits with an original maturity 
of three months or less. Bank overdrafts that are repayable on demand and form part of the Group’s cash management are included 
as a component of cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the cash flow statement.

Cash at bank and in hand
Short term bank deposits

2019 
£m
12.2
–
12.2

2018 
£m
15.2
0.3
15.5

An analysis of cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts is shown in the Group cash flow statement.

Certain cash and deposits are of a floating rate nature and are recoverable within three months.

The Group’s exposure to interest rate risk and a sensitivity analysis for financial assets and liabilities are disclosed in note 14.

16 Deferred taxation
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax assets against current tax 
liabilities and when the deferred income taxes relate to the same fiscal authority. The offset amounts are as follows:

Deferred tax assets
Deferred tax liabilities

The gross movement on the deferred income tax account is as follows:

Beginning of the year
Exchange differences
Income statement credit/(charge)
Tax credit/(charge) to OCI and equity
End of the year

2019 
£m
18.4
(3.4)
15.0

2019 
£m
16.8
(0.3)
1.0
(2.5)
15.0

2018 
£m
19.8
(3.0)
16.8

2018 
£m
38.4
0.4
(9.0)
(13.0)
16.8

Accounts136

Notes to the accounts continued

16 Deferred taxation continued
The movement in deferred tax assets and liabilities during the period, without taking into consideration the offsetting of balances within the 
same tax jurisdiction, is as follows:

Liabilities
At 25 March 2017
Recognised in the income statement
Recognised in OCI and equity
Exchange differences
At 31 March 2018
Recognised in the income statement
Recognised in OCI and equity
Exchange differences
At 30 March 2019

Assets
At 25 March 2017
Recognised in the income statement
Recognised in OCI and equity
Exchange differences
At 31 March 2018
Recognised in the income statement
Recognised in OCI and equity
Exchange differences
At 30 March 2019

Property,  
plant and 
equipment  
£m

Fair value  
gains 
(restated)
£m

Development 
costs  
£m

(7.8)
4.2
–
–
(3.6)
1.5
–
–
(2.1)

(2.9)
1.2
–
0.3
(1.4)
(0.4)
–
–
(1.8)

(1.7)
0.1
–
–
(1.6)
0.5
–
–
(1.1)

Other  
£m

(0.4)
–
0.4
–
–
(0.1)
–
–
(0.1)

Share  
options  
£m

Retirement 
benefits  
£m

Tax losses  
£m

Other  
£m

1.6
0.2
(0.6)
–
1.2
(0.2)
(0.3)
–
0.7

41.0
(12.8)
(12.9)
–
15.3
0.6
(2.4)
(0.1)
13.4

0.4
(0.2)
–
–
0.2
(0.1)
–
–
0.1

8.2
(1.7)
0.1
0.1
6.7
(0.8)
0.2
(0.2)
5.9

Total  
£m

(12.8)
5.5
0.4
0.3
(6.6)
1.5
–
–
(5.1)

Total  
£m

51.2
(14.5)
(13.4)
0.1
23.4
(0.5)
(2.5)
(0.3)
20.1

Other deferred assets and liabilities include tax associated with provisions of £0.6m (FY18: £0.9m) and in respect of overseas tax credits 
£5.3m (FY18: £5.9m).

Deferred tax assets are recognised for tax losses available to carry forward to the extent that the realisation of the related tax benefit 
through future taxable profits is probable.

The Group has not recognised deferred tax assets of £6.8m (FY18: £7.2m) in respect of losses amounting to £25.5m (FY18: £26.7m) that 
can be carried forward against future taxable income. Similarly, the Group has not recognised deferred tax assets of £6.4m (FY18: £8.9m) 
in respect of overseas tax credits that are carried forward for utilisation in future periods.

Unremitted foreign earnings totalled £168.8m at 30 March 2019 (FY18: £151.3m). Deferred tax liabilities have not been recognised for the 
withholding tax and other taxes that would be payable on the unremitted earnings of certain subsidiaries where the timing of the reversal 
can be controlled and it was considered unlikely that dividends would be paid from those subsidiaries.

UK capital losses of £318.0m are carried forward at 30 March 2019 (FY18: £307m). No deferred tax asset has been recognised in respect 
of these losses.

US tax rate
A reduction in the US federal tax rate from 35% to 21% (effective from January 2018) was substantively enacted on 22 December 2017. 
This will reduce the US Group’s future current tax charge accordingly. The US deferred tax assets and liabilities at 31 March 2019 have 
been calculated based on the blended federal and state tax rate of 26% based on the substantively enacted rate at the balance sheet date. 

UK tax rate
A reduction in the main rate of UK corporation tax from 19% to 17% (effective from April 2020) was substantively enacted on 6 September 
2016. This will reduce the UK Group’s future current tax charge accordingly. The UK deferred tax assets and liabilities at 30 March 2019 
have been calculated based on the rate of 17% (31 March 2017: 17%) substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 201917 Trade and other payables 

Accounting policies 
Trade and other payables are measured at carrying value which approximates to fair value.

Current liabilities
Payments received on account 
Trade payables 
Social security and other taxation 
Deferred income 
Accrued expenses 
Other payables 

137

2019 
£m

46.7
56.6
4.7
−
54.4
12.6
175.0

2018 
£m

29.7
59.6
1.0
14.1
58.2
4.5
167.1

Payments received on account relate to monies received from customers under contract prior to commencement of production of goods 
or delivery of services.

The Group’s exposure to currency and liquidity risk related to trade and other payables is disclosed in note 14.

18 Borrowings 

Accounting policies 
Borrowings are recognised at amortised cost. 

For more information about the Group’s exposure to interest rate, foreign currency and liquidity risk, see note 14.

Current liabilities 
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts
Unsecured bank loans and overdrafts
Total interest bearing liabilities

Currency

EUR
GBP
USD
Other

Nominal  
interest  
rate

–
2.25%
–
–

Year of  
maturity

2019
2019
2019
2019

Face  
value  
2019  
£m

Carrying 
amount  
2019  
£m

−
119.1
−
0.6
119.7

−
119.1
−
0.6
119.7

Face  
value  
2018  
£m

–
65.0
–
0.4
65.4

Carrying 
amount  
2018  
£m

–
65.0
–
0.4
65.4

The total interest bearing liabilities above is presented excluding unamortised pre-paid borrowing fees of £1.0m.

As at 30 March 2019, bank overdrafts of £182.8m (FY18: £223.1m) were offset for interest purposes against bank accounts in a credit 
balance position. Overdrafts are presented net in the balance sheet where there is a right of offset against a cash balance. 

As at 30 March 2019, the Group has committed borrowing facilities, all maturing in more than one year, of £275m. Up to £100m of the 
£275m facility can be utilised for either loans or guarantees.

As the draw downs on these loans are typically rolled over on terms of between one and three months subject to conditions, the borrowings 
are disclosed as a current liability. This is notwithstanding the long term nature of this facility which expires in December 2021.

Accounts138

Notes to the accounts continued

19 Provisions for liabilities and charges

Accounting policies 
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation in respect of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of resources 
will be required to settle the obligation, and where the amount can be reliably estimated. Provisions are measured at the Directors’ best 
estimate of the amount required to settle the obligation at the balance sheet date and are discounted where the time value of money is 
considered material.

At 31 March 2018
Exchange differences
Charge for the year
Utilised in year
Released in year
At 30 March 2019
Expected to be utilised within 1 year
Expected to be utilised after 1 year

Restructuring  
£m
0.5
–
1.5
(2.0)
–
–
−
−

Warranty  
£m
1.7
–
1.3
(0.9)
(1.6)
0.5
0.5
−

Other  
£m
5.8
0.1
1.6
(2.0)
(1.8)
3.7
2.7
1.0

Total  
£m
8.0
0.1
4.4
(4.9)
(3.4)
4.2
3.2
1.0

Restructuring provisions
Restructuring provisions principally related to the manufacturing footprint review announced in December 2015 and the upgrade of 
our finance systems and processes. A provision was created at the half year for review of our cost base which was reported in HY19. 
No provisions are held at 30 March 2019 as no balances remain payable under these programmes as they have now completed.

Warranty provisions
Warranty provisions relate to present obligations for defective products and include known claims as well as anticipated claims that had 
not been reported at the balance sheet date. The provisions are management judgements based on information currently available, past 
history and experience of the products sold. However, it is inherent in the nature of the business that the actual liabilities may differ from 
the provisions. The precise timing of the utilisation of these provisions is uncertain but is generally expected to fall within one year. 

Other provisions
Other provisions comprise a number of liabilities with varying expected utilisation rates. An amount of £1.3m has been released upon the 
updated valuation of the recompense clause relating to the paper disposal which has been accounted for as part of the additional loss 
on disposal recorded within exceptional items in FY19. In addition, an amount of £0.6m has been released from a historical provision 
for post-retirement benefits following an updated valuation, the impact of which has been recorded within reserves as it is considered 
to represent an actuarial gain. Charges in the year primarily relate to the recognition of onerous contract provisions for loss-making 
customer contracts. With the exception of the post-retirement benefit all other provisions are expected to be utilised within one year.

20 Share capital

Issued and fully paid
103,796,134 ordinary shares of 4452⁄175pp each (2017/18: 102,389,688 ordinary shares of 4452⁄175p each)
111,673,300 deferred shares of 1p each (2017/18: 111,673,300 deferred shares of 1p each)

2019

2018  
£m

46.0
1.1
47.1

2019  
£m

46.6
1.1
47.7

2018

Allotments during the year
Shares in issue at 31 March 2018/25 March 2017
Issued under Savings Related Share Option Scheme
Issued under Annual Bonus Plan
Issued under Performance Share Plan
Shares in issue at 30 March 2019/31 March 2018

Ordinary shares 
’000

Deferred shares 
’000

Ordinary shares
’000

Deferred shares
’000 

102,390
1,178
149
79
103,796

111,673
–
–
–
111,673

101,767
439
160
24
102,390

111,673
–
–
–
111,673

The deferred shares carry limited economic rights and no voting rights. They are unlisted and are not transferable except in accordance with 
the articles.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019139

21 Share based payments 

Accounting policies 
The Group operates various equity settled and cash settled option schemes. For equity settled share options, the services received 
from employees are measured by reference to the fair value of the share options. The fair value is calculated at grant date and recognised 
in the consolidated income statement, together with a corresponding increase in shareholders’ equity, on a straight line basis over the 
vesting period, based on the numbers of shares that are actually expected to vest, taking into account non-market vesting conditions 
(including service conditions). Vesting conditions, other than non-market based conditions, are taken into account when estimating the 
fair value.

For cash settled share options, the services received from employees are measured at the fair value of the liability for options 
outstanding and recognised in the consolidated income statement on a straight line basis over the vesting period. The fair value of the 
liability is remeasured at each reporting date and at the date of settlement with changes in fair value recognised in the consolidated 
income statement. 

At 30 March 2019, the Group has a number of share based payment plans, which are described below. The compensation cost and related 
liability that have been recognised for the Group’s share based plans are set out in the table below:

Annual Bonus Plan
Performance Share Plan
Savings Related Share Option Scheme

Expense recognised for the year

2019 
£m
0.1
0.4
0.2
0.7

2018  
£m
0.7
0.3
1.2
2.2

The fair value of share options is estimated at the date of grant using a lattice based option valuation model. The significant assumptions 
used in the valuation model are disclosed below:

Arrangement
Dates of current year grants
Number of options granted
Exercise price
Contractual life (years)
Settlement 
Vesting period (years)
Dividend yield
Risk free interest rate
Share price volatility
Fair value per option at grant date

Performance 
Share Plan
27 June 2018
789,161
n/a
9
Share
3 or 4
n/a
n/a
n/a
551.0

Performance 
Share Plan
28 August 2018
66,265
n/a
9
Shares
3 or 4 
n/a
n/a
n/a
498.0

Annual Bonus 
Plan
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Savings Related 
Share Option Scheme
7 January 2019
848,773
n/a
3
Shares
3
25p pa
0.77% pa
30% pa
0.86

For the Savings Related Share Option Scheme (SAYE) an expected volatility rate of 30% (FY18: 30%) has been used for grants in the period. 
This rate is based on historical volatility over the last three years to 7 January 2018. The expected life is the average expected period to 
exercise. The risk free rate of return is the yield on zero coupon UK government bonds of a term consistent with the assumed option life. 
The rate applied during the year was 0.77% per annum for a period of three years (FY18: 0.51%).

Accounts140

Notes to the accounts continued

21 Share based payments continued
Reconciliations of option movements over the period to 31 March 2019 for each class of share awards are shown below:

Annual Bonus Plan
For details of the Annual Bonus Plan, refer to the Directors’ remuneration report on pages 74 to 93.

Share awards outstanding at start of year
Granted
Forfeited 
Vested
Expired
Outstanding at end of year

During the period the weighted average share price on share awards exercised in the period was 487.04p.

Performance Share Plan
For details of the Performance Share Plan, refer to the Directors’ remuneration report on pages 74 to 93.

Share awards outstanding at start of year
Granted
Forfeited 
Vested
Expired
Outstanding at end of year

2019 
Number of  
awards  
’000
160
–
(6)
(127)
–
27

2019  
Number of  
awards  
’000
1,946
854
(790)
(68)
–
1,942

2018 
Number of  
awards  
’000
243
72
(9)
(146)
–
160

2018  
Number of  
awards 
’000
1,722
684
(290)
(20)
(150)
1,946

During the period the weighted average share price on share awards exercised in the period was 517.93p.

The awards have been allocated based on a share price of 892.90p for the 4 December 2013 grants, 830.00p for the 27 June 2014 grants, 
541.00p for the 29 June 2015 grants, 476.95p for the 23 September 2015 grants, 520.85p for the 27 June 2016 grants, 680.10p for the 
27 June 2017 grants, 551.00p for the 27 June 2018 grants and 498.00p for the August 2018 grants.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019141

21 Share based payments continued
Savings Related Share Option Scheme
The scheme is open to all UK employees. Options are granted at the prevailing market price at the time of the grant (with a discretionary 
discount to the market price) to employees who agree to save between £5 and the maximum savings amount offered per month over 
a period of three or five years. 

There are no performance conditions attaching to the options. After the three or five year term has expired, employees normally have six 
months in which to decide whether or not to exercise their options. A pre-vesting forfeiture rate of 10% has been assumed on new options 
granted in the year based on historic experience.

Options outstanding at start of year
Granted
Forfeited
Exercised
Expired
Outstanding at end of year

2019

2018

Weighted 
average  
exercise  
price pence  
per share
410.18
372.67
391.94
357.96
–
404.76

Number of 
options  
’000
2,856
849
(761)
(1,153)
–
1,791

Weighted 
average  
exercise  
price pence  
per share
395.63
520.26
382.74
435.60
513.30
410.18

Number of 
options  
’000
2,944
654
(86)
(464)
(192)
2,856

The range of exercise prices for the share options outstanding at the end of the year is 372.67p–705.7p (2018: 344.40p–775.34p). 
The weighted average remaining contractual life of the outstanding share options is 1.92 years (2018: 1.62 years). 

During the period the weighted average share price on options exercised in the period was 414.00p.

Market share purchase of shares by Trustee De La Rue Employee Share Ownership Trust 
The De La Rue Employee Share Ownership Trust (Trust) is a separately administered trust established to administer shares granted to 
Executive Directors and senior employees under the various discretionary share option plans established by the Company. Liabilities of the 
Trust are guaranteed by the Company and the assets of the Trust mainly comprise shares in the Company. Equiom (Guernsey) Limited is the 
Trustee. The own shares held by the Trust are shown as a reduction in shareholders’ funds. The shares will be held at historical rates until 
such time as they are disposed of. Any profit or loss on the disposal of own shares is treated as a movement in reserves rather than as an 
income statement item. 

The Trustee held no shares at 30 March 2019 (31 March 2018: nil)

22 Analysis of net debt

Cash at bank and in hand
Short term bank deposits
Bank overdrafts
Total cash and cash equivalents
Borrowings due within one year
Net debt

Net debt above is presented excluding unamortised pre-paid borrowing fees of £1.0m (FY18: £1.5m).

2019  
£m
12.2
–
(0.9)
11.3
(118.8)
(107.5)

2018  
£m
15.2
0.3
(0.3)
15.2
(65.1)
(49.9)

Accounts142

Notes to the accounts continued

23 Operating leases

Accounting policies 
A lease is defined as an agreement whereby the lessor conveys to the lessee the right to use a specific asset for an agreed period of time 
in return for a payment or a series of payments.

Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the 
lessee. All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Rentals payable under operating leases are charged to the income statement on a straight line basis over the lease term. Benefits 
received and receivable as an incentive to enter into an operating lease are also spread on a straight line basis over the lease term.

Total commitments due:
 – Within one year
 – Between one and five years
 – Over five years

24 Retirement benefit obligations

2019 
Property  
£m

2018 
Property  
£m

2.4
6.8
25.6
34.8

3.0
7.6
25.5
36.1

Accounting policies 
The Group operates retirement benefit schemes, devised in accordance with local conditions and practices in the country concerned, 
covering the majority of employees. The assets of the Group’s schemes are generally held in separately administered trusts or are 
insured. The major schemes are defined benefit pension schemes with assets held separately from the Group. The cost of providing 
benefits under each scheme is determined using the projected unit credit actuarial valuation method. The major defined benefit pension 
scheme is based in the UK and is now largely closed to future accrual. The current service cost and gains and losses on settlements and 
curtailments are included in operating costs in the Group income statement. The interest income on the plan assets of funded defined 
benefit pension schemes and the imputed interest on pension scheme liabilities are disclosed as retirement benefit obligation net finance 
expense respectively in the income statement.

Return on plan assets excluding assumed interest income on the assets, changes in the retirement benefit obligation due to experience 
and changes in actuarial assumptions are included in the statement of comprehensive income in full in the period in which they arise.

The liability recognised in respect of defined benefit pension schemes is the present value of the defined benefit obligation less the fair 
value of the scheme assets, as determined by actuarial valuations carried out at the balance sheet date.

The Group’s contributions to defined contribution plans are charged to the income statement in the period to which the contributions relate.

A trustee board has been appointed to operate the UK defined benefit scheme in accordance with its governing documents and pensions law. 
The scheme meets the legal requirement for member nominated trustees representation on the trustee board and a professional independent 
trustee has been appointed as chair of the Board. The members of the trustee board undertake regular training to ensure they are able to 
fulfil their function as trustees and have appointed professional advisers to give them specialist expertise where required.

The Group has calculated the value of the minimum funding commitments to its schemes and determined that no additional liability under 
IFRIC 14 is required at 30 March 2019 as the Group has an unconditional right to any surplus. No significant judgements were involved in 
making this determination.

The Group’s formal triennial valuation of the UK defined benefit scheme (the ‘Scheme’) was finalised in June 2016. The underlying funding 
deficit was valued at £252m. The Group agreed a revised funding plan with the Trustee to eliminate the deficit over a period of 12 years from 
31 March 2016. A new triennial review of the Scheme’s valuation is due as at 5 April 2018. The review is ongoing and the Company is engaging 
with the Trustees on funding arrangements. The existing funding plan agreed in June 2016 will remain in place until the review is concluded. 

The cash contributions to the Scheme of £20.5m (FY18: £13.5m) (in addition to the regular contributions outside of the revised funding plan) 
have been made in the year. From 2019 to 2022 cash contributions will rise from £20.5m by 4% per annum. They will be frozen at £23.0m 
per year between 2023 and 2028. The Group will continue to pay annual fees of around £1.6m for managing the Scheme in addition to the 
cash contributions. 

In November 2017 the Trustee of the Scheme decided to change indexation of future increases to the Scheme benefits from the RPI to 
the CPI, effective from April 2018. The decision was made following a request from the Company and a detailed legal review upon which the 
Trustee concluded that CPI is currently a more suitable index for the calculation of annual increases in the Scheme. This change led to a past 
service credit of £80.5m reported in the 31 March 2018 full year results which was recorded within exceptional items. The Directors continue 
to assess any residual impact from this change.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019143

24 Retirement benefit obligations continued
On 26 October 2018, a landmark pension case involving the Lloyds Banking Group’s defined benefit pension schemes was handed down by 
the High Court. The judgement brings some clarity to defined benefit pension schemes in general and requires schemes to equalise pension 
benefits between men and women relating to GMPs. We estimate the impact of this in relation to the Scheme is £1.7m and this charge has 
been recorded within exceptional items. The estimate was performed based on method C2 (under the terminology of the High Court Judgement), 
which compares each member’s accumulated benefits, with interest, to the same benefits if the member were the ‘opposite sex’ and 
ensuring the higher of the two accumulated amounts has been paid in each year.

In addition during FY19 legal fees of £0.5m have been incurred in the rectification of certain discrepancies identified in the Scheme’s rules. The 
Directors do not consider this to have an impact on the UK defined benefit pension liability at the current time but they are continuing to assess this.

(a) Defined benefit pension schemes
Amounts recognised in the consolidated balance sheet:

Equities
Bonds
Diversified Growth Fund
Liability Driven Investment Fund
Multi Asset Credit
Other
Fair value of scheme assets
Present value of funded obligations
Funded defined benefit pension schemes
Present value of unfunded obligations
Net liability

2019 
UK  
£m
101.8
194.4
185.9
440.9
74.2
7.6
1,004.8
(1,076.4)
(71.6)
(5.2)
(76.8)

2019 
Overseas  
£m
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
(1.8)
(1.8)

2019 
Total  
£m
101.8
194.4
185.9
440.9
74.2
7.6
1,004.8
(1,076.4)
(71.6)
(7.0)
(78.6)

2018 
UK  
£m
199.9
273.9
208.6
230.1
52.2
15.3
980.0
(1,061.1)
(81.1)
(6.5)
(87.6)

2018 
Overseas  
£m
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
(2.0)
(2.0)

2018 
Total  
£m
199.9
273.9
208.6
230.1
52.2
15.3
980.0
(1,061.1)
(81.1)
(8.5)
(89.6)

Amounts recognised in the consolidated income statement: 

2019 
UK  
£m

2019 
Overseas  
£m

Included in employee benefits expense:
 – Current service cost
 – Past service cost1
 – Administrative expenses and taxes
Included in interest on retirement benefit obligation net finance expense:
 – Interest income on scheme assets
 – Interest cost on liabilities
Retirement benefit obligation net finance expense 
Total recognised in the consolidated income statement
Return on scheme assets excluding assumed interest income
Remeasurement (losses)/gains on defined benefit pension obligations
Amounts recognised in other comprehensive income

–
(1.7)
(2.7)

25.6
(27.7)
(2.1)
6.5
26.5
(31.5)
(5.0)

Note: 
1  Past service cost in FY19 relates to GMP adjustment, FY18 relates to change in CPI indexation methodology.

Major categories of scheme assets as a percentage of total scheme assets:

–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
0.2
0.2

Equities
Bonds
Diversified Growth Fund
Liability Driven Investment Fund
Multi Asset Credit
Other

2019  
UK  
%
10
19
18
44
8
1

2019 
Overseas  
%
–
–
–
–
–
–

2019 
Total  
£m

–
(1.7)
(2.7)

25.6
(27.7)
(2.1)
6.5
26.5
(31.3)
(4.8)

2019 
Total  
%
10
19
18
44
8
1

2018 
UK  
£m

2018 
Overseas  
£m

–
80.5
(2.3) 

26.7
(32.3)
(5.6)
72.6
21.1
40.4
61.5

(0.5)
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
0.1
0.1

2018  
UK  
%
20.0
28.0
21.0
24.0
5.0
2.0

2018 
Overseas  
%
–
–
–
–
–
–

2018 
Total  
£m

(0.5)
80.5
(2.3)

26.7
(32.3)
(5.6)
72.6
21.1
40.5
61.6

2018 
Total  
%
20.0
28.0
21.0
24.0
5.0
2.0

Accounts144

Notes to the accounts continued

24 Retirement benefit obligations continued
(a) Defined benefit pension schemes continued
The Diversified Growth Fund is a diversified asset portfolio which includes investments in equities, emerging market bonds, property, high yield 
credit and structured finance and smaller holdings in other asset classes. The Liability Driven Investment (LDI) fund consists of fixed interest 
bond holdings (approximately 49%), index linked bond holdings (approximately 37%) and cash (approximately 14%). Interest rate swaps 
and floating rate notes are employed to complement the role of the LDI fund for liability risk management. Derivatives have been valued 
on a mark to market basis. The LDI is designed to proportionally counterbalance the effect/impact of a decrease/increase in interest rates/
inflation on 50% of the funded obligations. The Multi Asset Credit Fund invests in a variety of debt instruments. 

Multi Asset Credit, Diversified Growth Funds and LDI asset categories include certain assets which are not quoted in an active market 
and are stated at fair value estimates provided by the manager of the investment fund.

Other UK assets comprise cash, interest rate swaps and floating rate notes.

Principal actuarial assumptions:

Discount rate
CPI inflation rate
RPI inflation rate

2019 
UK  
%
2.40
2.05
3.15

2019 
Overseas  
%
–
–
–

2018 
UK  
%
2.65
2.00
3.10

2018 
Overseas  
%
–
–
–

The financial assumptions adopted as at 30 March 2019 reflect the duration of the scheme liabilities which has been estimated to be 
16 years assuming CPI linked benefits.

At 30 March 2019 mortality assumptions were based on tables issued by Club Vita, with future improvements in line with the CMI 
model, CMI_2018 (2018: CMI_2017) with a smoothing parameter of 7.5 and a long term future improvement trend of 1.25% per annum 
(2017/18: long term rate of 1.25% per annum). The resulting life expectancies within retirement are as follows:

Aged 65 retiring immediately (current pensioner)

Aged 50 retiring in 17 years (future pensioner)

Male
Female
Male
Female

2019
22.0
23.3
22.9
24.6

2018
22.4
23.8
22.8
24.9

The defined benefit pension schemes expose the Group to the following main risks:

Mortality risk – An increase in the life expectancy of members will increase the liabilities of the schemes. The mortality assumptions are 
reviewed regularly, and are considered appropriate.

Interest rate risk – A decrease in bond yields will increase the liabilities of the scheme. Liability driven investment strategies are used 
to hedge part of this risk.

Investment risk – The value of pension scheme assets vary with changes in interest rates, inflation expectations, credit spreads, exchange 
rates, and equity and property prices. There is a risk that asset returns are volatile and that the value of pension scheme assets may not 
move in line with changes in pension scheme liabilities. To mitigate against investment risk the pension scheme invests in derivatives which 
aim to hedge a proportion of the movements in assets and liabilities. The pension scheme invests in a wide range of assets to provide 
diversification in order to reduce the risk that a single investment or type of asset class could have a materially adverse impact on total 
scheme assets. The investment strategy and performance of investment funds are reviewed regularly to ensure the asset strategy of the 
pension schemes continues to be appropriate.

Inflation risk – The liabilities of the scheme are linked to inflation. An increase in inflation will result in an increase in liabilities. There are 
caps in place for UK scheme benefits to mitigate the risk of extreme increases in inflation. Liability driven investment strategies are used 
to hedge part of this risk. Any increase in the retirement benefit obligation could lead to additional funding obligations in future years. 

The table below provides the sensitivity of the liability in the scheme to changes in various assumptions:

Assumption change
0.25% decrease in discount rate
0.25% increase in CPI inflation rate
Increasing life expectancy by one year

Approximate impact on liability
Increase in liability of c£43m
Increase in liability of c£18m
Increase in liability of c£49m

The liability sensitivities have been derived using projected cash flows for the Scheme valued using the membership profile as at 5 April 2015 
and assumptions chosen for the 2019 year end. The sensitivity analysis does not allow for changes in scheme membership since the 2015 
actuarial valuation or the impact of the Scheme or Group’s risk management activities in respect of interest rate and inflation risk on the 
valuation of the Scheme assets.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019145

24 Retirement benefit obligations continued
(a) Defined benefit pension schemes continued
The largest defined benefit pension scheme operated by the Group is in the UK. The Group’s formal triennial funding valuation of the 
UK defined benefit pension scheme was finalised in June 2016. The underlying funding deficit as at 5 April 2015 was valued at £252m. 

Changes in the fair value of UK scheme assets:

At 31 March 2018/25 March 2017
Assumed interest income on scheme assets
Scheme administration expenses
Return on scheme assets less interest income
Employer contributions and other income
Benefits paid (including transfers)
At 30 March 2019/25 March 2018

Changes in the fair value of UK defined benefit pension obligations:

At 31 March 2018/25 March 2017
Interest cost on liabilities
Past service cost 
Effect of changes in financial assumptions
Effect of changes in demographic assumptions
Effect of experience items on liabilities
Benefits paid (including transfers)
At 30 March 2019/25 March 2018

2019 
£m
980.0
25.6
(2.7)
26.5
22.5
(47.1)
1,004.8

2019 
£m
(1,067.6)
(27.7)
(1.7)
(46.4)
15.2
(0.6)
47.1
(1,081.6)

2018 
£m
974.5
26.7
(2.3)
21.1
15.3
(55.3)
980.0

2018 
£m
(1,211.5)
(32.3)
80.5
11.9
24.1
4.4
55.3
(1,067.6)

(b) Defined contribution pension plans
The Group operates a number of defined contribution plans for which the charge in the consolidated income statement for the year was 
£7.8m (FY18: £8.9m).

25 Employee information

Average number of employees 
United Kingdom and Ireland 
Rest of Europe 
The Americas 
Rest of world 

Employee costs (including Directors’ emoluments) 
Wages and salaries 
Social security costs 
Share incentive schemes 
Sharesave schemes 
Pension costs 

2019 
number

2018 
number

1,628
504
63
645
2,840

2019 
£m

107.2
10.4
0.6
0.4
7.8
126.4

2,041
450
59
638
3,188

2018 
£m

128.3
12.4
1.0
1.2
8.9
151.8

More detailed information regarding the Directors’ remuneration, shareholdings, pension entitlement, share options and other long term 
incentive plans is shown in the Directors’ remuneration report on pages 74 to 91.

Accounts146

Notes to the accounts continued

26 Capital commitments

The following commitments existed at the balance sheet date: 
Contracted but not provided for in the accounts 

2019  
£m

2018  
£m

582.3

630.4

Included in the table above is an amount in relation to the sale of Portals De La Rue Limited to EPIRIS Fund II on 29 March 2018.

As part of the transaction Portals De La Rue Limited will supply security paper to meet the Group’s anticipated internal requirements 
with pre-agreed volumes and price mechanisms for the next 10 years. Based on the terms of the agreement the Group has a capital 
commitment of approximately £626.9m over the next 10 years. The contract is assessed to be at market rates.

27 Contingent liabilities
De La Rue has extensive international operations and is subject to various legal and regulatory regimes, including those covering taxation 
matters from which, in the ordinary course of business, contingent liabilities can arise. De La Rue currently has certain ongoing taxation 
assessments which are provided for where the Company considers it probable that an outflow of economic benefits will occur and 
the amount can be reliably measured. Specifically there is one tax assessment where no provision has been made on the basis that 
management does not consider that the chance of an outflow of economic benefits is probable. In the possible event that there was 
an adverse outcome this could result in a material outflow.

As part of the sale of the CPS business the Company gave certain warranties which were usual for a transaction of this nature. In February 
2018 the buyer made a claim under the warranties, which De La Rue has been defending. The parties are in constructive discussions 
concerning a settlement, which is anticipated to be finalised in the coming months. No amount has been provided for this claim but 
outstanding amounts from CPS have been written down as detailed in note 3.

During 2017 an employee at the Paper Mill in Bathford suffered a serious injury. The investigation by the enforcing authorities is ongoing. 
At the date of the statement of financial position no amounts have been provided in respect of this matter. It is not practicable to provide 
an estimate of the financial effect and there is uncertainty relating to the amount or timing of any outflow. 

The Group also provides guarantees and performance bonds which are issued in the ordinary course of business. In the event that a 
guarantee or performance bond is called, provision may be required subject to the particular circumstances including an assessment 
of its recoverability.

28 Related party transactions
During the year the Group traded on an arms length basis with the associated company Fidink S.A. (33.3% owned). The Group’s trading 
activities with this company included £17.6m (FY18: £24.6m) for the purchase of security ink and other consumables. At the balance sheet 
date there were creditor balances of £4.1m (FY18: £0.7m) with Fidink S.A.

Intra-group transactions between the Parent and the fully consolidated subsidiaries or between fully consolidated subsidiaries are 
eliminated on consolidation.

Key management compensation

Salaries and other short term employee benefits 
Retirement benefits: 
 – Defined contribution
Share based payments
Dividends received

2019  
£m
2.7

0.4
–
–
3.1

2018  
£m
3.0

0.1
0.1
–
3.2

Key management comprises members of the Board (including the fees of Non-executive Directors) and the ELT. Termination benefits include 
compensation for loss of office, ex gratia payments, redundancy payments, enhanced retirement benefits and any related benefits in kind 
connected with a person leaving office or employment.

29 Subsequent events
On 30 May 2019, it was announced that the Chief Executive Officer will be stepping down.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019147

30 Subsidiaries and associated companies as at 30 March 2019 
A full list of subsidiary and associated undertakings is below. Unless otherwise stated all Group owned shares are ordinary.

Country of incorporation and operation
Europe
United Kingdom

DLR (No.1) Limited
DLR (No.2) Limited*
De La Rue Holdings Limited

De La Rue International Limited
De La Rue Overseas Limited
De La Rue Finance Limited
De La Rue Investments Limited
Portals Group Limited
Bradbury Wilkinson Holdings Limited (in liquidation)
De La Rue Consulting Services Limited
De La Rue Healthcare Trustee Limited
De La Rue Pension Trustee Limited
De La Rue Scandinavia Limited
Harrison & Sons Limiteda
Portals Holdings Limited
Portals Property Limited
De La Rue House, Jays Close, Viables, Basingstoke, Hampshire  
RG22 4BS, United Kingdom
The Burnhill Insurance Company Limited
Level 5, Mill Court, La Charroterie, St Peter Port, GY1 1EJ, Guernsey
De La Rue (Guernsey) Limited
PO Box 142, The Beehive, Rohais, St Peter Port, GY1 3HT, Guernsey
Thomas De La Rue and Company (Ireland) Limited
Suite 3, One Earlsfort Centre, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
De La Rue Currency and Security Print Limited
De La Rue Services Limited
B40/43 Industrial Estate, Bulebel, Zejtun, Malta
De La Rue BV
Hoogoorddreef 15, 1101 BA, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Harrison & Sons Sp. Z o.o
Mokotowska 24, 00-561, Warsaw, Poland
De La Rue (Sverige) AB
Box 14055, 104 40, Stockholm, Sweden
Thomas De La Rue A.G.
Rue de Morat 11, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland

De La Rue North America Holdings Inc.b
8333 N.W. 53rd Street, Suite 502, Doral, Florida 33166, USA
De La Rue Authentication Solutions Inc.
1750 North 800 West, Logan, Utah 84321, USA
De La Rue Canada One Limited
1400-340 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON KIR 0AS, Canada

De La Rue Cash Systems Industrias Limitadac
De La Rue Cash Systems Limitadac
Rua Boa Vista, 254, 13th Floor, Suite 41, Centro,  
Sao Paulo, 01014-907, Brazil
De La Rue Caribbean Limited
Meridan Place, Choc Estate, Castries, Saint Lucia

De La Rue Currency and Security Print Limited
De La Rue Kenya EPZ Limited
De La Rue Kenya Limited
ABC Towers, 6th Floor, ABC Place, Waiyaki Way, Nairobi, Kenya
De La Rue Angola Limitada
Rua Engrácia Fragoso 60, Edifcio Kalunga Atrium, Escritòrio 104,  
Letra D, Distrito Urbano da Ingombota, Luanda, Angola
De La Rue Commercial Services Limited
7th Floor, Marble House, 1 Kingsway Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria

Channel Islands

Ireland

Malta

The Netherlands

Poland

Sweden

Switzerland

North America
USA

Canada

South America
Brazil

Saint Lucia

Africa
Kenya

Angola

Nigeria

Activities

De La Rue interest %

Holding company
Holding company
Holding and general  
commercial activities
Trading
Holding company
Internal financing
Holding company
Holding company
(in liquidation)
Trading
Dormant
Dormant
Holding company
Non-trading
Dormant
Trading

Insurance

Non-trading

Dormant

Trading
Trading

Trading

Dormant

Non-trading

Holding company

Holding company

Trading

Trading

Non-trading
Trading

Trading

Trading
Trading
Trading

Trading

Trading

100
100 
100

100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100

100

100

100

100
100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100
100

100

100
100
100

100

100

Accounts148

Notes to the accounts continued

30 Subsidiaries and associated companies as at 30 March 2019 continued

Country of incorporation and operation
Senegal

South Africa

De La Rue West Africa SARL
VDN Keur Gorgui Imm Hermes 1, 2e Etage No 16 Dakar-Liberte,  
BP 10700, Senegal
De La Rue Global Services (SA) (Pty) Limited
3rd Floor, 54 Melrose Boulevard, Melrose Arch, Gauteng,  
2196, South Africa

Australia and Oceania
Australia

De La Rue Australia Pty Limited
Level 22, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

Far East and Asia
China

Hong Kong

Sri Lanka

India

Singapore

De La Rue Security Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd
1011, 10F Office Building No.1 Guanghua Road Chaoyang District,  
Beijing, China
Thomas De La Rue (Hong Kong) Limited
Suite 1106-8, 11/F Tai Yau Building, No 181 Johnson Road, 
Wanchai, Hong Kong
De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print 
(Private) Limited
No 9/5 Thambiah Avenue, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka

De La Rue India Private Limited
1404, 14 Floor, Tower B, Signature Towers, South City 1, 
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
De La Rue Currency and Security Print Pte Ltd 
80 Raffles Place, #32-01, UOB Plaza, 048624, Singapore

United Arab Emirates De La Rue FZCO

Saudi Arabia

Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority, Building 6 West Wing A,  
Office #820, PO Box 371683, Dubai
De La Rue Communication and Information 
Technology Limited
Akaria Plaza, Gate “D”, Level 6, Olaya Main St, Riyadh,  
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Associates
Switzerland

Fidink S.A.

*  Ordinary shares held directly by De La Rue plc.
a  Ordinary shares, cumulative preference shares and deferred shares.
b  Common stock.
c  Quotas.

Activities
Trading

Non-trading

Trading

Trading

Trading

Trading

Trading

Non-trading

Trading

Trading

Trading

De La Rue interest %
100

100

100

100

100

60

100

100

100

100

33

31 Non-controlling interest
The Group’s only subsidiary with a material non-controlling interest is De La Rue Lanka Currency and Security Print (Private) Limited, whose 
country of incorporation and operation is Sri Lanka. The accumulated non-controlling interest of the subsidiary at the end of the reporting period 
is shown on the Group balance sheet. The following table summarises key information relating to this subsidiary, before intra-group eliminations:

Non-current assets
Current assets
Non-current liabilities
Current liabilities
Net assets (100%)
Revenue 
Profit for the year
Non-controlling interest percentage
Profit allocated to non-controlling interest
Dividends paid to non-controlling interest
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash flows from investment activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

2019  
£m
15.2
16.9
(0.4)
(7.0)
24.6
4.8
3.4
40%
1.4
0.5
1.1
(0.7)
(0.5)
(0.1)

2018  
£m
15.7
16.2
(0.4)
(8.9)
22.6
37.5
3.5
40%
1.4
0.3
1.7
(1.9)
0.3
0.1

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Company balance sheet
at 30 March 2019

Fixed assets
Investments in subsidiaries

Current assets
Debtors receivable within one year
Cash at bank and in hand

Creditors:
Amounts falling due within one year

Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Net assets

Capital and reserves
Share capital
Share premium account
Capital redemption reserve
Retained earnings
Total shareholders’ funds

The profit for the year of the Company was £0.8m (FY18: £0.8m).

Approved by the Board on 30 May 2019.

Philip Rogerson 
Chairman  

Helen Willis
Chief Financial Officer 

149

Notes

2019  
£m

2018  
£m

4a

5a

6a

7a

155.0
155.0

40.5
1.7
42.2

(6.4)
(6.4)
35.8
190.8
190.8

47.7
42.1
5.9
95.1
190.8

154.5
154.5

52.1
4.7
56.8

(0.8)
(0.8)
56.0
210.5
210.5

47.1
38.4
5.9
119.1
210.5

Accounts150

Company statement of changes in equity
for the period ended 30 March 2019

Balance at 25 March 2017
Share capital issued 
Profit for the financial year 
Dividends paid 
Other movements
Employee share scheme: 
 – value of services provided
Balance at 31 March 2018
Share capital issued 
Profit for the financial year 
Dividends paid 
Other movements
Employee share scheme: 
 – value of services provided
Balance at 30 March 2019

Share  
capital  
£m
46.8
0.3
–
–
–

–
47.1
0.6
–
–
–

–
47.7

Share  
premium  
account  
£m
36.7
1.7
–
–
–

Capital 
redemption 
reserve  
£m
5.9
–
–
–
–

–
38.4
3.7
–
–
–

–
42.1

–
5.9
–
–
–
–

–
5.9

Retained  
earnings  
£m
141.1
–
0.8
(25.4)
0.4

2.2
119.1
–
0.8
(25.7)
–

0.9
95.1

Total  
equity  
£m
230.5
2.0
0.8
(25.4)
0.4

2.2
210.5
4.3
0.8
(25.7)
–

0.9
190.8

Share premium account
This reserve arises from the issuance of shares for consideration in excess of their nominal value.

Capital redemption reserve
This reserve represents the nominal value of shares redeemed by the Company.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Accounting policies – Company

151

Basis of preparation
The financial statements of De La Rue plc 
(the Company) have been prepared in 
accordance with Financial Reporting 
Standard 102 The Financial Reporting 
Standard applicable in the UK and 
Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). The 
presentation and functional currency 
of these financial statements is GBP. 

Under section s408 of the Companies 
Act 2006 the Company is exempt from 
the requirement to present its own 
profit and loss account. 

In accordance with FRS 102, the Company 
meets the definition of a qualifying entity 
and has therefore taken advantage of the 
exemptions from the following disclosure 
requirements listed below:

• Disclosures in respect of transactions

with wholly owned subsidiaries

• Cash Flow Statement and related notes
• Key Management Personnel

compensation

As the consolidated financial statements 
of the Company include the equivalent 
disclosures, the Company has also taken 
the exemptions under FRS 102 available 
in respect of the following disclosures:

• Share based payment – share based
payment expense charged to profit
or loss, reconciliation of opening and
closing number and weighted average
exercise price of share options, how
the fair value of options granted was
measured, measurement and carrying
amount of liabilities for cash settled
share based payments, explanation
of modifications to arrangements

• The disclosures required by FRS 102.11
Basic Financial Instruments and FRS
102.12 Other Financial Instrument Issues
in respect of financial instruments not
falling within the fair value accounting
rules of Paragraph 36(4) of Schedule 1

• The Company proposes to continue
to adopt FRS 102 with the above
disclosure exemptions in its next
financial statements

Judgements made by the Directors, in the 
application of these accounting policies 
that have significant effect on the financial 
statements and estimates with a significant 
risk of material adjustment in the next year 
are discussed on page 113.

The accounts have been prepared as at 
30 March 2019, being the last Saturday in 
March. The comparatives for the 2017/18 
financial period are for the period ended 
31 March 2018.

The following accounting policies have 
been applied consistently to all periods 
presented in these financial statements. 

Measurement convention
The financial statements are prepared 
on the historical cost basis.

Foreign currencies
Amounts receivable from overseas 
subsidiaries which are denominated 
in foreign currencies are translated into 
sterling at the appropriate period end rates 
of exchange. Exchange gains and losses 
on translating foreign currency amounts are 
included within the interest section of the 
profit and loss account except for exchange 
gains and losses associated with hedging 
loans that are taken to reserves.

Transactions in foreign currencies are 
translated into the functional currency at 
the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates 
of the individual transactions. Monetary 
assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
currencies are subsequently retranslated 
at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance 
sheet date. Such exchange differences 
are taken to the profit and loss account.

Dividends
Under FRS 102, final ordinary dividends 
payable to the shareholders of the Company 
are recognised in the period that they are 
approved by the shareholders. Interim 
ordinary dividends are recognised in the 
period that they are paid.

Investments in subsidiaries
These are separate financial statements of 
the Company. In the transition to FRS 102 
the Company took the first time adoption 
exemption for separate financial instruments 
and as such the carrying amount of the 
Company’s cost of investment in subsidiaries 
is its deemed cost at transition date, 
30 March 2014.

Employee benefits
Defined benefit plans
The pension rights of the Company’s 
employees are dealt with through a self 
administered scheme, the assets of which 
are held independently of the Group’s 
finances. The scheme is a defined benefit 
scheme and is largely closed to future 
accrual. The Group agrees deficit funding 
with the scheme Trustees and Pension 
Regulator. The Company is a participating 
employer but the Group has adopted a 
policy whereby the scheme funding and 
deficit are recorded in the main UK trading 
subsidiary of the Company, De La Rue 
International Limited, which pays all 
contributions to the scheme and hence 
these are not shown in the Company 
accounts. Full details of the scheme 
and its deficit (measured on an IAS 19R 
basis) can be found in note 24 to the 
consolidated financial statements.

Share based payment transactions
Full details of the share based 
payments Schemes operated by the 
Group are found in note 21 to the 
consolidated financial statements.

Taxation
The charge for taxation is based on 
the result for the period and takes into 
account taxation deferred because 
of timing differences between the 
treatment of certain items for taxation 
and accounting purposes.

Deferred tax is recognised, without 
discounting, in respect of all timing 
differences between the treatment 
of certain items for taxation and 
accounting purposes which have 
arisen but not reversed by the 
balance sheet date, except as 
otherwise required by FRS 102.

Financial guarantee contracts
Where the Company enters into financial 
guarantee contracts to guarantee the 
indebtedness of other companies within 
the Group, the Company considers 
these to be insurance arrangements and 
accounts for them as such. In this respect, 
the Company treats the guarantee contract 
as a contingent liability until such time as 
it becomes probable that the Company 
will be required to make a payment 
under the guarantee.

Accounts152

Notes to the accounts – Company

1a Employee costs and numbers
Employee costs are borne by De La Rue Holdings Limited. For details of Directors’ remuneration, refer to disclosures in the Directors’ remuneration 
report on pages 74 to 91.

Average employee numbers 

2019  
Number
4

2018  
Number
4

2a Auditor’s remuneration
Auditor’s remuneration is borne by De La Rue Holdings Limited. For details of auditor’s remuneration, see note 3 to the consolidated financial statements.

3a Equity dividends
For details of equity dividends, see note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.

4a Investments
Investments are stated at deemed cost in the balance sheet, less provision for impairment.

Investments comprise:
Investments in subsidiaries 
Cost at 30 March 2019 and 31 March 2018
Additions
Cost at 30 March 2019 and 31 March 2018

2019  
£m

2018  
£m

154.5
154.5
0.5
155.0

154.5
152.4
2.1
154.5

Where the Company grants share options over its own shares to the employees of its subsidiary undertakings these awards are accounted for 
by the Company, as an additional investment in its subsidiary. The costs are determined in accordance with FRS 102. Any payments made by 
the subsidiary undertaking in respect of these arrangements are treated as a return of this investment.
Share based payments prior to the period ended 31 March 2018 were recharged to subsidiaries and recorded via the intercompany loan account. 
For details of investments in Group companies, refer to the list of subsidiary and associated undertakings on pages 147 and 148.

5a Debtors
Other receivables are measured at amortised cost, which approximates to fair value. Trade and other receivables are discounted when the time 
value of money is considered material.

Amounts due within one year 
Amounts owed by Group undertakings 

6a Other creditors

Amounts falling due within one year 
Bank overdrafts 
Accruals and deferred income 
Other creditors 

2019  
£m

2018  
£m

40.5

52.1

2019  
£m

6.0
0.4
6.4

2018  
£m

–
0.8
0.8

7a Share capital
For details of share capital, see note 20 to the consolidated financial statements.

8a Share based payments
The Company operates various equity and cash settled option schemes although the majority of plans are settled by the issue of shares. The services 
received from employees are measured by reference to the fair value of the share options. The fair value is calculated at grant date and recognised in 
the profit and loss account, together with a corresponding increase in shareholders’ funds, on a straight line basis over the vesting period, based on an 
estimate of the number of shares that will eventually vest. Vesting conditions, other than market conditions, are not taken into account when estimating 
the fair value. FRS 102 has been applied to share settled share options granted after 7 November 2002.
Where the Company grants options over its own shares to the employees of its subsidiary undertakings these awards are accounted for by the 
Company, as an additional investment in its subsidiary. The costs are determined in accordance with FRS 102. Any payments made by the subsidiary 
undertaking in respect of these arrangements are treated as a return of this investment.
For details of share based payments, see note 21 to the consolidated financial statements and the Directors’ remuneration report on pages 74 to 91.
9a Related party transactions
The Company has no transactions with or amounts due to or from subsidiary undertakings that are not 100% owned either directly 
by the Company or by its subsidiaries. For details of key management compensation, see note 27 to the consolidated financial statements.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Non-IFRS measures

153

De La Rue plc publishes certain additional information in a non-statutory format in order to provide readers with an increased insight into 
the underlying performance of the business. These non-statutory measures are prepared on a basis excluding the impact of exceptional 
items and amortisation of acquired intangibles. Exceptional items are excluded as they are not considered to be representative of underlying 
business performance. Amortisation of acquired intangible assets is a non-cash item and by excluding this from the adjusted operating 
profit metrics this is deemed to be a more meaningful metric of the contribution from the underlying business. The measures the Group 
uses along with appropriate reconciliations to the equivalent IFRS measures where applicable are shown in the following tables. 
2017 has not been restated to exclude the impact of the disposal of the paper business. 

The Group’s policy on classification of exceptional items is also set out below:

The Directors consider items of income and expenditure which are both material by size and/or by nature and not representative of 
normal business activities should be disclosed separately in the financial statements so as to help provide an indication of the Group’s 
underlying business performance. The Directors label these items collectively as ‘exceptional items’. Determining which transactions are 
to be considered exceptional in nature is often a subjective matter. However, circumstances that the Directors believe would give rise to 
exceptional items for separate disclosure would include: gains or losses on the disposal of businesses, curtailments on defined benefit 
pension arrangements or changes to the pension scheme liability which are considered to be of a permanent nature such as the change 
in indexation or the GMPs, and non-recurring fees relating to the management of historical scheme issues, restructuring of businesses, 
asset impairments and costs associated with the acquisition and integration of business combinations. All exceptional items are included 
in the appropriate income statement category to which they relate. Adjusted measures are also presented on an excluding paper basis. 
The Directors considered that this provides a more meaningful presentation of the underlying financial performance of the business 
during the period. 

On 29 March 2018 the Group disposed of the Paper business to Epiris (referred to as ‘Portals’ elsewhere in this report).

Previously the Paper business supplied paper to and purchased security features from other companies within the Group (the results 
of which were eliminated on consolidation) and also sold paper directly to third parties, generating external revenue and margin in our 
currency and ID businesses.

Post the disposal, certain of these third party paper contracts were not able to novate to Portals and the Group now maintains the sale 
to the customer but purchases the paper from Portals at nil margin.

Separately, the Group supplies thread to Portals (generating external revenue and margin), who use this to manufacture bank note 
paper, some of which is sold to De La Rue, with the Group using this in the manufacture of currency bank notes then sold to third parties.

Reported figures included in this release include the paper business results in FY18 as originally reported and in FY19 they include 
£48.2m of revenue on non-novated contracts with nil profit margin.

Figures reported on the ‘excluding paper’ basis have been adjusted to exclude revenue from non-novated contracts in FY19.

FY18 ‘excluding paper’ figures exclude the results of the paper business (being external revenue and margin on paper sales to third parties). 
In addition, Security Features sales of £35.0m, which would have previously been treated as internal, have been added back to present the 
comparative numbers in FY18 on a basis consistent with the IFRS accounting treatment applied in FY19. The FY18 security features sales 
of £35m is a calculated number based on FY18 volumes sold intercompany to the paper division approximated to the value of the pricing 
in the Portals relationship agreement.

This is a change in presentation of FY18 results in this release compared to those previously reported in the FY18 release in May 2018. 
This change has been made to provide a more meaningful presentation of the financial performance of the business during the period.

Accounts154

Non-IFRS measures continued

FY18/19

FY17/18

Currency

ID

PA&T

Un- 
allocated

Portals 
Pass
Through

Group

Currency

ID

PA&T

Un- 
allocated

Revenue
Reported
Paper
Portals Pass Through
Revenue Security 
Features Sales 
(previously internal)
Revenue 
excluding paper
Operating Profit
IFRS Operating 
Profit
Less Exceptional Item
Add Amortisation of 
acquired Intangibles
Adjusted 
Operating Profit 
Including Paper
Paper Operating Profit
Adjusted 
Operating Profit 
Excluding Paper

398.8
–
–

78.4
–
–

39.3
–
–

–

–

–

398.9

78.4

39.3

21.0
20.7

12.2
–

–

0.5

41.7
–

12.7
–

3.4
2.1

0.2

5.7
–

41.7

12.7

5.7

–
–
–

–

–

(5.1)
5.1

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–

–
–

–

48.2
–
(48.2)

564.8
–
(48.2)

371.8
(59.8)
–

82.0
(5.6)
–

40.1
(2.1)
–

–

32.1

2.5

0.4

516.6

344.1

78.9

38.4

Group

493.9
(67.5)
–

35.0

461.4

–
–
–

–

–

31.5
27.9

0.7

60.1
–

30.7
14.4

–

7.5
0.2

0.6

45.1
(4.6)

8.3
(1.3)

7.7
1.6

0.1

9.4
–

60.1

40.5

7.0

9.4

77.1
(77.1)

123.0
(60.9)

–

–
–

–

0.7

62.8
(5.9)

56.9

Adjusted operating profit
Adjusted operating profit represents earnings from continuing operations adjusted to exclude exceptional items and amortisation of acquired 
intangible assets.

Operating profit from continuing operations on an IFRS basis 
 – Amortisation of acquired intangible assets
 – Exceptional items (Gain)/Loss
Adjusted operating profit from continuing operations

2017 
£m
70.2
0.1
0.4
70.7

2018 
£m
123.0
0.7
(60.9)
62.8

20181
Excluding 
paper
£m
131.5
0.7
(75.3)
56.9

2019 
£m
31.5
0.7
27.9
60.1

Note: 
1  2018 excluding paper removes £14.4m of exceptional cost in relation to the Portals paper disposal and removes the operating profit made from the paper business in 2018 of £5.9m.

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019155

Adjusted basic earnings per share
Adjusted earnings per share are the earnings attributable to equity shareholders, excluding exceptional items and amortisation of acquired 
intangible assets and discontinued operations divided by the weighted average basic number of ordinary shares in issue. It has been 
calculated by dividing the De La Rue plc’s adjusted operating profit from continuing operations for the period by the weighted average 
basic number of ordinary shares in issue excluding shares held in the employee share trust.

Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company from continuing 
operations on an IFRS basis
 – Exceptional items 
 – Amortisation of acquired intangibles
 – Tax on amortisation of acquired intangibles
 – Tax on exceptional items 
Adjusted profit attributable to equity shareholders  
of the Company from continuing operations 
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for basic earnings 

Basic earnings per ordinary share continuing operations on an IFRS basis 
Basic adjusted earnings per ordinary share for continuing operations

2017 
£m

47.9
0.4
0.1
–
(0.6)

47.8
101.6

2018 
£m

95.4
(60.9)
0.7
(1.2)
9.7

43.7
101.9

2017 
pence per  
share
47.2
47.1

2018 
pence per  
share
93.7
42.9

2018
excluding  
paper
£m

101.8
(75.3)
0.7
(1.2)
12.9

38.9
101.9

2018 
pence per  
share
excluding  
paper
n/a
38.2

2019 
£m

19.4
27.9
0.7
0.3
(4.2)

44.1
102.9

2019 
pence per  
share
18.8
42.9

Accounts156

Non-IFRS measures continued

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin
Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings from continuing operations before the deduction of interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and 
exceptional items. The adjusted EBITDA margin percentage takes the applicable EBITDA figure and divides this by the continuing revenue 
in the period of £516.6m which excludes the Portal pass through revenue of £48.2m in 2019 (FY18: £461.4m). The EBITDA margin on an 
IFRS basis is a percentage against the reported revenue of £564.8m (FY18: £493.9m). 

Profit before interest and taxation from continuing operations on an IFRS basis 
 – Depreciation
 – Amortisation
EBITDA on an IFRS basis
 – Exceptional items (Gain)/Loss
Adjusted EBITDA 
EBITDA margin on an IFRS basis
Adjusted EBITDA margin 

Note:
1  Adjusted EBITDA margin is a percentage against the pro-forma revenue of £461.4m.

2017 
£m
70.2
24.3
2.5
97.0
0.4
97.4
21.0%
21.1%

2018 
£m
123.0
21.9
3.3
148.2
(60.9)
87.3
30.0%
17.7%

20181
excluding  
paper
£m
131.5
18.9
3.3
153.7
(75.3)
78.4
n/a
17.0%

2019 
£m
31.5
16.7
3.2
51.4
27.9
79.3
9.1%
15.4%

Return on capital employed (ROCE)
ROCE is the ratio of the operating profit before exceptional items and adjusting items over capital employed, where capital employed equals 
net assets, excluding pensions, tax interest and long term liabilities. 

Cash conversion
Cash conversion is the ratio of adjusted operating cash flow divided by the adjusted operating profit. 

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019Five year record

Income statement

Revenue
Operating profit 
 – Adjusted operating profit
 – Amortisation of acquired intangible assets
 – Exceptional items – operating
Total 
Share of profits of associated companies 
Exceptional items – non-operating 
Profit before interest 
Interest expense
Interest income
Retirement benefit obligation net finance expense
Profit before taxation
Taxation
Profit after taxation from continuing operations
Profit/(loss) from discontinued operations
Equity non-controlling interests 
Profit for the year attributable to equity shareholders
Dividends
Retained (loss)/profit for the period 

Basic earnings per ordinary share continuing operations
Basic earnings per ordinary share discontinued operations
Diluted earnings per share continuing operations
Diluted earnings per share discontinued operations
Adjusted earnings per ordinary share continuing operations
Adjusted earnings per ordinary share discontinued operations
Dividends per ordinary share2 
Adjusted profit before taxation

Balance sheet

Non-current assets 
Net current liabilities3
Net debt 
Non-current liabilities 
Equity non-controlling interests 
Total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company

157

2019  
£m
564.8

60.1
(0.7)
(27.9)
31.5
−
−
31.5
(4.5)
0.6
(2.1)
25.5
(4.8)
20.7
(2.4)
(1.3)
17.0
(25.7)
(8.7)

18.8
(2.3)
18.8
(2.3)
42.9
n/a
25.0p
54.1

£m
174.2
(13.0)
(107.5)
(82.9)
(9.9)
(23.4)

2015 
£m
422.8

2016  
£m
454.5

(restated)
2017  
£m
461.7

69.1
–
(16.9)
52.2
–
–
52.2
(4.6)
–
(7.0)
40.6
(7.7)
32.9
2.2
(0.8)
34.3
(36.8)
(2.5)

31.8p
2.2.p
31.3p
2.1p
46.1p
(0.8p)
25.0p
57.5

£m
244.0
(30.7)
(111.0)
(249.2)
(5.7)
(152.6)

70.4
–
(3.6)
66.8
–
–
66.8
(4.8)
–
(7.1)
54.9
(6.3)
48.6
(31.0)
(1.2)
16.4
(25.3)
(8.9)

46.8p
(30.6p)
46.2p
(30.2p)
48.1p
(7.1p)
25.0p
58.5

£m
226.5
(35.0)
(106.1)
(231.0)
(6.6)
(152.2)

70.7
(0.1)
(0.4)
70.2
–
–
70.2
(4.6)
–
(7.4)
58.2
(8.7)
49.5
(6.4)
(1.6)
41.5
(25.4)
16.1

47.2
(6.3)
46.6
(6.2)
47.1
n/a
25.0p
58.7

£m
242.9
(16.2)
(120.9)
(248.6)
(7.9)
(150.7)

2018  
£m
493.9

62.8
(0.7)
60.9
123.0
–
–
123.0
(3.8)
–
(5.6)
113.6
(16.8)
96.8
(1.8)
(1.4)
93.6
(25.4)
68.2

93.7
(1.8)
92.8
(1.8)
42.9
n/a
25.0p
53.4

£m
169.0
(43.2)
(49.9)
(96.6)
(8.9)
(29.6)

Notes:
1  Not restated in respect of discontinued operations.
2 
3  Excludes amounts included in net debt.

Includes proposed final dividend which, in accordance with IFRS accounting requirements, has not been accrued.

Accounts158

Shareholders’ information

Warning to shareholders 
– investment fraud
We are aware that some of our shareholders 
have received unsolicited telephone calls or 
correspondence, offering to buy or sell their 
shares at very favourable terms. The callers 
can be very persuasive and extremely 
persistent and often have professional 
websites and telephone numbers to support 
their activities. These callers will sometimes 
imply a connection to De La Rue and provide 
incorrect or misleading information. This type 
of call should be treated as an investment 
scam – the safest thing to do is hang up.

You should always check that any firm calling 
you about potential investment opportunities 
is properly authorised by the FCA. If you deal 
with an unauthorised firm you will not be 
eligible for compensation under the Financial 
Services Compensation Scheme. You can 
find out more about protecting yourself from 
investment scams by visiting the FCA’s 
website www.fca.org.uk/consumers, or by 
calling the FCA’s helpline on 0800 111 6768.

If you have already paid money to 
share fraudsters contact Action Fraud 
immediately on 0300 123 2040 
(www.actionfraud.police.uk).

Registered office
De La Rue House 
Jays Close, Viables, 
Basingstoke,  
Hampshire RG22 4BS

Telephone: +44 (0)1256 605000 
Fax: +44 (0)1256 605336

Registered number: 3834125 
Company Secretary: Mr E H D Peppiatt

Registrar
Computershare Investor Services PLC 
The Pavilions 
Bridgwater Road 
Bristol BS99 6ZZ 

Telephone: +44 (0)370 703 6375 
Fax: +44 (0)370 703 6101

Annual general meeting
The AGM will be held at 10:30 on 25 July 
2019 at De La Rue House, Jays Close, Viables, 
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG22 4BS. Each 
shareholder is entitled to attend and vote 
at the AGM, the arrangements for which are 
described in a separate notice to shareholders. 
The notice of AGM can also be found in the 
investors section on the Group’s website.

Electronic shareholder 
communications
Shareholders can register online at 
www.investorcentre.co.uk/ecomms to receive 
statutory communications electronically rather 
than through the post. Shareholders who 
choose this option will receive an email 

notification each time the Group publishes 
new shareholder documents on its website. 
Shareholders will need to have their shareholder 
reference number (SRN) available when they 
first log in. This 11 character number (which 
starts with the letter C or G) can be found on 
share certificates and dividend tax confirmations. 
Shareholders who subscribe for electronic 
communications can revert to postal 
communications or request a paper copy 
of any shareholder document at any time 
in the future.

Electronic voting
All shareholders can submit proxies 
for the AGM electronically by logging 
onto Computershare’s website at 
www.investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy

Shareholder enquiries 
Enquiries regarding shareholdings or 
dividends should, in the first instance, 
be addressed to Computershare Investor 
Services PLC. Details of shareholdings 
and how to make amendments to 
personal details can be viewed online 
at www.investorcentre.co.uk 

Shareholder helpline telephone: 
+44 (0)370 703 6375

Dividends
Shareholders are encouraged to have dividends 
paid directly into their bank accounts to ensure 
an efficient payment method on the payment 
date. Shareholders selecting this payment 
method will receive a dividend confirmation 
in respect of each dividend payment.

Consolidation of shares 
Where registered shareholdings are represented 
by several individual share certificates, 
shareholders may wish to have these replaced 
by one consolidated certificate. The Company 
will meet the cost for this service. Share 
certificates should be sent to the Company’s 
registrar together with a letter of instruction.

Financial calendar

Ex-dividend date for 2018/19 final dividend
Record date for final dividend
Payment of 2018/19 final dividend

Internet
The Group has a wide range of information 
that is available on its website 
www.delarue.com including:

• Finance information – annual and interim

reports, financial news and events

• Share price information
• Shareholder services information
• Press releases both current and historical

Capital gains tax
March 1982 valuation
The price per share on 31 March 1982 
was 617.5p.

Shareholders are advised to refer to their 
brokers/financial advisers for detailed advice 
on individual capital gains tax calculations.

Share dealing facilities
Computershare Investor 
Services PLC
Computershare, the Company’s registrar, 
provides a simple way to sell or purchase 
De La Rue plc shares.

Internet share dealing 
Available 24 hours a day/seven days a 
week with real time pricing in market hours. 
Commission is charged at 1%, subject to 
a minimum charge of £30, with no set-up 
or annual management fees. Further 
information can be obtained by logging 
on to: www.computershare.trade

Telephone share dealing 
Commission is charged at 1% plus £35, 
with no set-up or annual management fees. 
The telephone share dealing service is 
available from 08:00 to 16:30 Monday 
to Friday, excluding bank holidays, on 
telephone number: +44 (0)370 703 0084

4 July 2019
5 July 2019
2 August 2019

Analysis of shareholders at 30 March 2019

By range of holdings
0 – 1,000
1,001 – 5,000
5,001 – 10,000
10,001 – 100,000
100,001 – 500,000
500,001 and above
Total

Shareholders

Shares

Number
4,003 
1,062 
109 
156 
71 
34 
5,435 

%
73.65%
19.54%
2.01%
2.87%
1.31%
0.63%

Number
1,299,901 
2,165,775 
782,388 
6,494,059 
16,080,785 
76,973,226 
100.00% 103,796,134 

%
1.25%
2.09%
0.75%
6.26%
15.49%
74.16%
100.00%

De La Rue Annual Report and Accounts 2019INNOVATION EVERYDAY

De La Rue is a registered trademark 
of De La Rue Holdings Limited.

DLR Analytics™, DLR Certify™, 
and PureImage™ are trademarks 
of De La Rue International Limited.

Safeguard®, Ignite®, Enigma®, Izon®, 
Traceology® are registered trademarks 
of De La Rue International Limited.

This report is printed on Magno Satin 
paper. This paper has been independently 
certified as meeting the standards of 
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®), 
and was manufactured at a mill that is 
certified to the ISO14001 and EMAS 
environmental standards.

Designed and produced by 
Radley Yeldar 
www.ry.com

Printed at
CPI Colour Printing Company which 
is ISO14001 certified, CarbonNeutral®, 
Alcohol Free Printer, FSC and PEFC 
chain of custody certified. The inks 
used are all vegetable oil based.

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De La Rue plc
De La Rue House 
Jays Close 
Viables 
Basingstoke 
Hampshire 
RG22 4BS

T +44 (0)1256 605000 
F +44 (0)1256 605004

www.delarue.com

Visit us online 
www.delarue.com