Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Asset Management / Sopheon Plc / FY2012 Annual Report

Sopheon Plc
Annual Report 2012

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FY2012 Annual Report · Sopheon Plc
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S O P H E O N  

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A N N U A L   R E P O R T

Where innovation means business™

Sopheon partners with customers to provide complete 

Enterprise Innovation Performance solutions including software, 

expertise, and best practices to achieve exceptional long-term 

revenue growth and profitability. 

Summary Results and Trends ................................. 5

Auditors’ Report .....................................................24

Statement from the Chairman and  
Chief Executive Officer ........................................... 6

Financial and Operating Review ............................ 8

Market and Solution Overview ...........................11

Interest Directors and Advisors ..........................17

Report on Directors’ Remuneration .................18

Directors’ Report ...................................................21

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities ...........23

Consolidated Income Statements .......................26

Consolidated and Company 
Balance Sheets .........................................................27

Consolidated and Company  
Cash Flow Statements ...........................................28

Consolidated and Company Statements 
of Changes in Equity ..............................................29

Notes to the Financial Statements .....................30

Sopheon’s software, expertise, and best practices enables our 
customers to improve innovation and new product development 
performance for sustainable, profitable revenue growth.

Summary Results and Trends

2012 

2011 

2010 

2009 

2008 

2007

Revenue 
EBITDA 
Profit before tax 
Earnings per share 

£'000  12, 663  
 1,803 
£'000 
281  
£'000 
0.19  
pence 

10,276  
1,491  
104  
0.07  

 10,537  
 1,510  
 171  
 0.10  

 8,260  
 (195) 
 (1,494) 
 (1.03) 

 9,304  
 1,120  
 44  
 0.02  

 6,332 
 113 
 (443)
 (0.32)

Pre financing cashflow  £'000 

 1,070 

151  

 1,320  

 (1,276) 

 896  

 (551)

Net assets 
Gross cash 
Working capital 
Long-term liabilities 

£'000 
£'000 
£'000 
£'000 

 3,264 
 3,880 
4,315  
(2,121)  

3,082  
2,941  
3,289  
(1,663) 

 3,008  
 3,358  
 4,145  
 (2,290) 

 2,685  
 1,624  
 2,001  
 (1,222) 

 4,268  
 2,586  
 3,068  
 (1,105) 

 3,310 
 2,053 
 2,140 
 (1,195)

Working capital is calculated as net current assets after adding back deferred income.  

In 2012 we saw a strong return to growth after a relatively flat performance the year before.  
Business from new customers picked up sharply, amounting to 51% of new orders compared 
to 21% the year before.  Customers headquartered in China and the Middle East made a major 
contribution to this.  The balance sheet was also improved with new funds from long-term 
investors to underpin ongoing growth strategies.

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2012

In 2012, we grew our customer base to 203 licensees.

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2012

Recurring

Revenues

Extensions

Annualized average growth since the launch of Accolade remains at 25%.  As the 
business rebalanced towards new customer acquisition, we saw a total of 49 license 
orders in 2012, of which 31 were extensions.  We expect today's new customers 
to drive further extension business in the future.  Average license revenue per 
transaction was up on 2011, as is the maintenance base.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
                  6

STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ST A T E M E N T F R O M  ThE  C hA I R M A N    

                                    A N D  C hI E F  E xE CuT IvE  OF F I C E R

Performance

Last year represented solid progress on a number of fronts and this is particularly evident in our financial performance.  
Revenues were up 23 percent, from £10.3m in 2011 to £12.7m in 2012, and we are also pleased to report improvement 
in profitability.  The EBITDA result was a profit of £1.8m compared to £1.5m in 2011.  We are also very pleased to report 
further improvement to profit after tax, which rose to £0.3m (2011: £0.1m).  Since 2010, we have steadily extended our 
resourcing and investment in key operational areas, as part of our ongoing growth strategy, and it is particularly pleasing to 
see these measures pay off in the context of improving financial performance. 

We entered 2012 with plans to improve our acquisition rate of new clients and are glad to report that revenue from new 
clients generated 51 percent of our 2012 revenue, as compared to 21 percent in 2011.

Total license transactions including extension orders were 49 in 2012 (2011: 54).  License revenues grew by 20 percent 
and reflected a higher average deal size, validating our expectation that smaller initial orders from the previous year 
would generate larger extensions in 2012.  Growth in consulting and implementation services was even more marked and 
approached 50 percent. 

From a geographical standpoint, customers headquartered in new territories such as China and the Middle East made a 
major contribution to the year.  Our core innovation solution, Accolade® Process Manager™, continued to account for the 
majority of revenues at 91 percent compared to 84 percent in 2011. 

At the date of this report, full-year 2013 revenue visibility incorporating booked revenue, contracted services business and 
the run rate of recurring contracts stands at £6.4m, compared to £6.0m at the same time last year.  Revenue visibility is 
more fully defined in Note 4.  

Strategy and Product

We have previously stated that Sopheon’s growth strategies for 2012 and beyond center on three key objectives:

•	

Increase our rate of growth by deploying vertical-specific marketing strategies.  Coming into 2012 we 
realigned sales, product and marketing initiatives around target growth industries.  We revised our marketing approach to 
be a more vertical-specific, integrated mix of tactics including digital, web-based and social media methods as well as more 
traditional approaches such as conferences and direct mail.  Target sectors included consumer goods, food and beverage, 
chemical, high-tech and aerospace and defense.  Although we have seen significant success in the majority of these sectors, 
aerospace and defense has been held back by well publicized uncertainties around government procurement. 

•	 Broaden the use of our solutions within existing accounts.  We continue to expand the range of our innovation 

solutions to enable expansion within our customers.  An example is our recent release of Accolade 8.2, which introduces 
a new module Accolade Innovation Planner™ to assist companies in creating strategic enterprise innovation plans.  As 
reported last year, we also invested in our client growth strategy by focusing account management resources and 
marketing programs on growing within our customer base.

•	 Expand direct and indirect distribution channels to acquire new accounts.  During 2011 we hired new sales 

people to expand our direct distribution channel.  At the start of 2013, we underpinned our position in Germany through 
the acquisition of our reseller partner.  We also continued to build our relationships with consulting partners.  Evidence 

Accolade is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc.
Process Manager and Innovation Planner are trademarks of Sopheon plc.

 
STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

                  7

of progress during 2012 included our first sale into China, through a partner, and the announcement of a joint product 
and service offering with Kalypso, a major consulting firm in the innovation market.  In addition we won our second 
Saudi Arabia based customer and expect to expand into this region going forward.

Our investment in these strategic objectives started in 2011 and as we predicted, commercial results have started to 
come through in 2012.  On the product front, in 2011 we completed a full refresh of the technology platform upon which 
our core software offerings are built to make them Microsoft® .net based.  We also introduced a new Agile development 
methodology designed to build products faster and do a better job of ensuring that they are in step with real customer 
needs.  In 2012, these changes resulted in a number of customer-focused releases, culminating in the landmark release of 
Accolade 8.2 at the start of 2013.  With this release, Sopheon continues to extend the market leadership of the Accolade 
solution with expanded functionality for innovation users and business processes.

As Sopheon grows, our solutions and market position also continue to evolve.  With the recent expansion of our solution 
footprint we have also evolved our market position.  Sopheon partners with customers to provide complete Enterprise 
Innovation Performance solutions including software, expertise, and best practices to achieve exceptional long-term revenue 
growth and profitability.  Sopheon’s Accolade solution provides unique, fully-integrated coverage for the entire innovation 
management and new product development lifecycle.  For the first time, businesses can access a single source of the truth 
across strategic innovation planning, roadmapping, idea and concept development, process and project management, and 
portfolio and in-market management.

Our decision to sustain internal product development investment despite the ongoing economic uncertainty is serving us 
well in the present and will continue to fortify our business performance and potential in the days ahead.  

People

Sopheon is differentiated in the market by its reputation for deep domain expertise in innovation management.  That know-
how is embodied in our people, whose best-practice understanding and experience have been developed through many 
years of helping top businesses achieve innovation success.  We are very proud of the commitment that our people have 
shown in lifting Sopheon to a position of leadership in this area. 

Sopheon continues to recruit, grow and develop our people.  In 2011, as previously communicated, we identified that a 
key barrier to our ability to scale for growth was a lack of formal onboarding and certification training.  During 2012, 
we recruited a dedicated training specialist to close this gap.  We held our first formal training events during the year, 
which enjoyed excellent feedback.  Our goal is to reduce the ramp-up time for new employees, and in turn, improve our 
ability to scale our organization with growth while maintaining customer satisfaction.  This priority continues to have 
high visibility inside our company.  In addition, as part of our Accolade version 8 roll out programs we offered customers 
packaged training classes at Sopheon facilities for the first time.  The feedback and value received from our clients was 
overwhelmingly positive.  We will expand this program in 2013. 

Building on steps taken in 2011 to restructure and strengthen Sopheon’s executive management team, we were pleased to 
round out our executive team with the recruitment of Mike Frichol to spearhead global marketing.  Mike has a great deal 
of experience with emerging high-growth software companies, and has held a number of senior positions in the industry at 
companies such as Great Plains Software, Infor, and Microsoft.

The Sopheon plc board is made up of three executive directors, augmented by three non-executive directors who bring a 
wealth of knowledge and experience to our business.  Details about each board member can be found at the back of this 
report.  

Outlook

We are delighted that revenues and profits for 2012 exceeded market expectations.  In parallel with this positive financial 
performance, Sopheon continued to make strategic advances during the year.  We announced major new product releases 
that further embed our leadership in enterprise innovation management.  We started 2013 with the acquisition of a long-
standing business partner in Germany, a key regional market.  Through 2012 and also coming into 2013, we have continued 
our steady expansion of resources to keep pace with our growth plans.  Nevertheless, market conditions remain hard to 
predict, and we continue to watch the cost base closely. 

On the corporate front, we secured an additional £1.1m of convertible debt finance, giving us the confidence to continue 
execution of our expansion strategy.  We moved our Amsterdam listing to the Alternext exchange, better suited to a 
company of our size.  Separately, we shared our intent to undertake a corporate restructuring to reduce the accumulated 
deficit on the profit and loss account, and to consolidate shares.  Precise details remain under review and we expect to 
request authorities for these changes at our 2013 annual general meeting.

Sopheon enters 2013 having made substantial progress on financial, operational and corporate fronts.  We will continue our 
efforts in all areas and are excited by the opportunities ahead.

Barry Mence 
Executive Chairman 

20 March 2013 

Andy Michuda
Chief Executive Officer

Microsoft is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or in other countries. 

 
 
 
                  8

FINANCIAL AND OPERATING REVIEW

FI N A N C I A L  A N D   OP E R A T I N G  REvI E W

Trading Performance

Sopheon’s consolidated turnover in 2012 was £12.7m, compared to £10.3m in 2011, an increase of 23 percent.  Both 
regions showed good growth.  Much of the EMEA region growth is attributable to substantial business sold into new 
territories in Asia and the Middle East.  The overall shape of the business continues to be approximately one-third Europe 
and two-thirds North America.  Currency effects had limited impact in 2012.

Total license transactions including extension orders were 49 in 2012 compared to 54 in 2011, a reduction of 9 percent.  
however, average revenue per transaction rose, which resulted in higher license revenues overall.  historically, our license 
performance in the fourth quarter has tended to be very strong and to provide a substantial boost to overall annual 
revenues.  In 2012, for the second year running, this fourth quarter spike did not come through and our strongest license 
quarter in the year was the second quarter.   

Business Mix

The annualized average growth of the business since the launch of Accolade remains at 25 percent.  Within this overall 
picture, maintenance revenues were broadly flat but license and services delivered increases of 20 percent and 50 percent 
respectively.  It is particularly satisfying to see a return to license growth after a pause in 2011.  Over the years we have 
frequently referred to the sensitivity of our license results to individual sales events.  In 2011 this was compounded by an 
evolution of buying patterns whereby customers preferred extended validation phases, pilot projects and phased license 
orders as opposed to making substantial up-front orders as in the past.  We expected this buying behavior to result in 
better license performance in 2012 and this came through as customers made extension orders.  however, 2012 also 
saw a welcome improvement in the share of revenues from new customers as compared to existing customers, and this 
is a large part of the growth achieved.  In 2012 just over 50 percent of the value of new business (excluding maintenance 
and hosting renewals) was derived from new customers, compared to 21 percent in 2011, and 38 percent in 2010.  This 
improvement is due in part to rising market interest in our solutions but also to actions taken to reorganize and improve 
the focus on winning new customers, without compromising our existing customer relationships.  We are very conscious 
that we need to continue to focus on both add-on business from existing customers as well as signing new clients; each 
customer represents an extended business opportunity for Sopheon to deliver value and grow revenue. 

Similar to prior years certain customers reorganized and rationalized in reaction to the economic conditions, resulting in 
termination of their maintenance contracts.  We did, however, see overall growth in the base of recurring business, which 
is almost £4.5m coming into 2013 compared to £4.1m coming into 2012, and £3.9m coming into 2011.  This is a more 
substantial rise than in prior years due in part to the additional maintenance revenues brought on with the acquisition of 
our German business partner in January 2013.  The majority of recurring income is represented by maintenance services, 
but also includes hosting services and license rentals.  Overall, in 2012 our business delivered a 28:31:41 ratio of licenses, 
maintenance, and services respectively compared to 29:38:33 in the previous year. 

Overall gross margins have fallen to just over 71 percent (2011: 73 percent), which can be largely attributed to the 
growth in service compared to license revenues and the associated higher costs.  Within this overall picture, we did 
incur approximately £0.45m of third-party software costs (2011: £0.3m).  As we have noted in prior annual reports, we 
anticipated that license margins will be affected by decisions to embed, rather than build, certain third-party components 
or methods of working into our software.  This is expected to continue going forward.  In the services area, the higher 
revenues resulted in a substantial rise in the overall cost of service resources.  While subcontractor costs increased, the 
majority of this rise was due to actual staffing. 

Research and Development Expenditure

We have continued our gradual expansion of investment in product development since 2010.  This policy has resulted in 
actual expenditures in research and development being approximately £0.4m higher in 2012 than in 2011.  In addition, this 
increase was boosted by the effect of providing for bonuses.  The headline R&D reported in the income statement adjusts 
this basic expenditure for the effects of capitalization and amortization of development costs.  The amount of 2012 
research and development expenditure that met the criteria of IAS38 for capitalization was £1.2m (2011: £1.1m) offset by 
amortization charges of £1m (2011: £0.8m).  These capitalized costs are largely attributable to the group’s investment in 
the Accolade 8.0, 8.1 and 8.2 releases. 

FINANCIAL AND OPERATING REVIEW

                  9

As in prior years, the effect of capitalization was not completely offset by amortization, however by only £0.2m in 2012 
compared to £0.3m in 2011.  Accordingly, headline research and development expenditures reported in the income 
statement rose to £2.7m, compared to £2.2m in 2011, an overall net increase of £0.5m.  A further £0.3m of amortization 
and impairment charges relating to acquired intangible assets (2011: £0.2m) has been charged to distribution costs.  
Including these costs, the overall effect of capitalization, amortization and impairment was to increase costs reported in 
the income statement by £0.1m. 

Sopheon remains committed to product leadership, with excellence in research and software development as a critical 
core competency of the group.  Since 2001 Sopheon’s reported research and development costs each year have been at 
least 20 percent of revenues reported in that year.  For 2012, this metric was 21 percent (2011: 21 percent).

Operating Costs

Coming into 2012 Sopheon had 95 staff members.  As noted elsewhere, during the year we steadily expanded resources 
in line with revenue growth, and by the end of the year the total staff count stood at 109.  In addition to the impact of 
expanded staffing, all cost areas were affected by the fact that the improved 2012 performance led to a bonus award 
being made to all members of the company that participate in the corporate bonus scheme.  The corporate bonus 
scheme covers the majority of the group’s executives and employees, with the principal exception of the sales teams for 
whom incentives are tied to individual or territory results.  The costs of the bonus have been allocated to the relevant 
categories of the income statement.  The group’s 2011 performance did not achieve the benchmarks required for bonus 
payment under the corporate scheme.

Detailed comments regarding professional services and research and development costs are noted above.  headline sales 
and marketing costs have risen to £4.2m in 2012 compared to £3.5m in 2011.  As noted above, £0.1m of this increase 
represents higher amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets, leaving an actual spend increase of £0.6m.  
Increase in staffing is responsible for a third of this increase, reflecting the recruitment of staff in both Europe and 
America, and the remaining two thirds from higher commission and bonus costs linked to higher sales. 

headline administration costs have risen by £0.1m.  This follows a fall of £0.1m from 2010 to 2011.  underlying 
administration costs and resourcing have remained broadly constant, as they have since 2007.  The increase last year 
can be attributed to a blend of factors including limited expansion in resources, higher bonus costs and an increase in 
legal and professional fees.  This last area was partly due to the company’s move to the Alternext exchange.  Although 
administration costs will continue to be managed tightly as the group expands operational resources, we do anticipate 
some increase in this area in 2013 as we start to build out the group’s infrastructure to handle growth.   

Results

The combined effect of the revenue and cost performance discussed above has resulted in Sopheon’s EBITDA (Earnings 
before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization) performance for 2012 rising to £1.8m, compared to £1.5m 2011.

In common with other technology businesses, the board believes EBITDA provides a useful indicator of the underlying 
performance of our business by removing the effect on earnings of tax, capital spend and financing.  EBITDA is further 
defined and reconciled to profit before tax in Note 4.  Our calculation of EBITDA is stated after charging (i) share-based 
payments of £38,000 (2011: £39,000); (ii) impairment charges of acquired intangible assets of £175,000 (2011: £66,000); 
and (iii) exchange losses of £36,000 (2011: gains of £55,000 ) but excludes depreciation and amortization charges for the 
year of £1.2m (2011: £1.0m) and net finance costs of £0.3m (2011: £0.4m). 

Including the effect of interest, depreciation and amortization, the group reported a profit before tax for the year of 
£281,000 (2011: £104,000).  No tax has been provided.  The profit per ordinary share was 0.19p (2011: 0.07p).

Balance Sheet and Corporate

Consolidated net assets at the end of the year stood at £3.3m (2011: £3.1m).  Gross cash resources at 31 December 
2012 amounted to £3.9m (2011: £2.9m).  Approximately £1.7m was held in uS Dollars, £1.6m in Euros and £0.6m in 
Sterling. 

Intangible assets stood at £3.5m (2011: £3.7m) at the end of the year.  This includes (i) £2.8m being the net book value of 
capitalized research and development (2011: £2.7m) and (ii) an additional £0.7m (2011: £1.0m) being the net book value 
of Alignent intangible assets acquired in 2007.  The carrying value of the Alignent intangibles has been impacted by both 

                  1 0

FINANCIAL AND OPERATING REVIEW

amortization and impairment charges.  Further details are set forth in Note 14. 

In June 2007, the group entered into a $3.5m, 48-month mezzanine term loan with BlueCrest Capital Finance 
(“BlueCrest”), in connection with its acquisition of Alignent Software Inc.  This term loan was repayable in equal monthly 
installments through to July 2011.  In December 2010 the company signed an agreement with BlueCrest to refresh the 
mezzanine term loan back up to $3.5m, for a new 39-month term, repayable in equal monthly installments of $90,000 
plus interest through March 2014.  The loan bears interest at 13 percent per annum.  No warrants were issued to 
BlueCrest in connection with the transaction. 

In addition to the term loan, for a number of years the group has had access to a revolving line of credit with BlueCrest, 
secured against the trade receivables of Sopheon’s North American business and with a maximum draw capacity of 
$1.25m.  The facility is periodically renewable and the next renewal date is 31 May 2013.  As announced previously, the 
group has been advised that a change in ownership of BlueCrest Capital Finance may lead to uncertainty over future 
renewals of the facility. 

To mitigate this risk, and to underpin the group’s expansion strategy, in October 2009 the company issued £0.85m of 
convertible unsecured loan stock (the “Loan Stock”) to a group of investors including key members of the board and 
senior management team.  On 15 May 2012, the holders of the existing Loan Stock unanimously agreed to extend the 
maturity date of the Loan Stock by two years to 31 January 2015.  This amendment was coupled with modification of the 
conversion price of the Loan Stock to 5p per share.  On 23 August 2012, the investors subscribed for a further £1.15m 
of Loan Stock with the same maturity date of 31 January 2015 and conversion price of 5 pence per share.  In accordance 
with the AIM Rules for Companies, Daniel Metzger, having consulted with the company’s Nominated Adviser, finnCap 
Limited, acted as independent director with respect to the amendment to the terms of the Loan Stock and further 
subscription of Loan Stock and considered that these were fair and reasonable insofar as the company’s shareholders are 
concerned.

Sopheon has an equity line of credit facility with GEM Global Yield Fund Limited ("GEM") was last renewed for a two-
year term expiring on 23 December 2013.  The facility, which has been renewed on a number of previous occasions, has 
been used to raise working capital once, in March 2004.  This leaves approximately 90 percent of the original €10m facility 
available under the extended agreement.  Drawings under the GEM equity line of credit are subject to conditions relating 
inter alia to trading volumes in Sopheon shares.

The principal risks and uncertainties facing the group are further described in the Directors’ Report on pages 21 to 22.  

MARKET AND SOLUTION OVERVIEW

                  1 1

MA R K E T  A N D   S O LuT I O N   O vE R

vI E W

How Sopheon Creates Value for Customers

Sopheon partners with customers to provide complete Enterprise Innovation Performance solutions including 
software, expertise, and best practices to achieve exceptional long-term revenue growth and profitability.

Sopheon’s Accolade solution provides unique, fully-integrated coverage for the entire innovation management 
and new product development lifecycle.  This enables our customers to improve innovation and new product 
development performance for sustainable, profitable revenue growth.

For the first time, businesses can access a single source of the truth across:

•	 Strategic	Innovation	Planning	and	Roadmapping
•	 Idea	and	Concept	Development
•	 Process	and	Project	Management
•	 Portfolio,	Resource	and	In-Market	Management

Sopheon’s solutions have been implemented by over 200 customers with over 60,000 users in over 50 countries.

Research indicates that on average, only 50 percent of new products achieve their desired business objectives.  
We have helped customers implement effective innovation management processes to dramatically increase this success 
rate, with some as high as 85 percent.

A common innovation and new product development challenge companies face is coordinating resources to bring 
products to market.  We help improve throughput efficiency, enabling 15-30 percent more products to be 
brought to market for the same investment.

Companies can increase the value of their portfolios by 75-100 percent or more, by connecting innovation 
planning to business objectives, developing better initiatives in the innovation funnel, more effectively managing processes, 
and optimizing portfolios with our Accolade solution.

Market Trends and Conditions

We see a confluence of several business, economic and market trends that play directly into Sopheon’s market position, 
solutions and investments.  We believe that Sopheon is uniquely positioned to leverage these trends with our proven 
solutions, services, expertise and best practices.  This unique position and belief was recently confirmed in two separate 
briefings with different Gartner analysts.

The following are major trends we are seeing with our customers, in the market, and from research sources where 
businesses are applying innovation beyond traditional product-related initiatives:

•	 Business Transformation – Companies are exploring innovative options to transform their business models 

for increased competitiveness, disruptive operating models, and greater connectedness with customers, and other 
strategic initiatives.  Sopheon provides these companies with solutions to undertake these high-risk/high-reward 
initiatives with structured planning, governance and performance measurement that greatly improve success 
probabilities.

•	 Increased Operating Plan Cadence – Most companies are realizing that the traditional annual operating plan 
(AOP) done in spreadsheets and presentations is not effective and does not systematically drive relevant action, 
results and alignment in innovation initiatives.  Sopheon’s solutions provide companies with the means to increase 
their operating plan cadence to quarterly, with integration that directly drives and connects monthly and daily 
operational activities with a feedback and performance loop.  This condensed cadence enables the customers to 
operate with agility in responding to market conditions faster than the competition.  Companies face increasing 
disruptive and unplanned events from their markets which requires an ability to quickly assess a situation, make fact-
based informed decisions, and then implement appropriate actions and/or initiatives to respond in a timely or speedy 
manner to take advantage of market shifts.  Sopheon’s solutions can be deployed across the enterprise to facilitate 
agility and manage the action plans for optimal results.

                  1 2

MARKET AND SOLUTION OVERVIEW

•	 Increased Rate of Services Innovation – Companies are increasingly turning their attention to services 

innovation for competitive differentiation, product augmentation, additional revenue opportunities and increasing 
profits.  Sopheon’s solutions are designed from the ground up for flexibility to equally support product and/or 
service innovation.

•	 Enterprise Innovation – Customers, prospective buyers and industry analysts see the ‘top-down’ approach across 
the enterprise for driving innovation and managing portfolios that Sopheon has promoted for several years, as a 
key solution requirement to support and connect strategies and initiatives through and across the enterprise.  This 
means that a CEO-level objective can be driven, propagated, managed and tracked through all areas and levels of 
the enterprise by Sopheon’s solutions.  This trend calls for the enterprise to improve innovation process to gain 
productivity, efficiency and performance results.   The flexibility with which Sopheon’s solutions can be applied 
uniquely supports this enterprise process need.

“In an increasingly volatile and uncertain world, competitive advantage is proving elusive. Knowing how to 
manage innovation, where to focus for maximum benefit, and where to develop holistic, forward-looking insight 
into the complex interactions between trends as they coalesce and mature are essential to success.”

— Gartner, 2012

Sopheon’s Solutions

Sopheon made significant investments in our products that paid off in 2012 and will continue to generate increasing 
returns going forward.  In 2011 we completed a multi-year effort to replace our core product platform with Microsoft 
.net technology – a modern software framework with increased design flexibility and an industry standard technology 
platform that brought new levels of efficiency to the software development process.  

In 2011 we also began the journey to transition our product development process to an Agile software development 
methodology, which enables consistent product delivery cycles to meet customer and market needs faster and more 
efficiently.  Our adoption of Agile also drives greater customer interaction and feedback directly into the development 
process.  Our objective with the Agile methodology at that time was to deliver new product releases every four months.  
This objective was achieved in 2012.  Sopheon, like most business software vendors, used to deliver new releases 
every 12-18 months on a particular product.  Another benefit to our clients is that our Accolade 8 platform (see next 
paragraph) offers the flexibility to choose the timing of applying their upgrade cadence, which involves an easier and faster 
upgrade and installation path.

In our 2011 Annual Report we stated “Sopheon expects to introduce three significant new product releases in 2012”.  We 
are pleased to report that we achieved our plan:

1. 

2. 

3. 

In April 2012 we released Accolade 8.0 – the new .net-based platform with several product enhancements including 
Innovation Planning, Accolade Mobile, Microsoft SharePoint® integration, and more.  We also released FEI Optimizer 
based on Accolade Idea Lab™ as a joint solution with our partner, Kalypso for the front end of innovation, targeting 
consumer goods companies.
In July 2012 we released Accolade 8.1 with significant enhancements and additions for integrated innovation across 
all processes in the innovation and new product development lifecycle.
In December 2012 we released Accolade 8.2 with a new Accolade Portfolio Center™ that significantly expands our 
portfolio management, prioritization and optimization capability.  The new Accolade Innovation Planner module for 
strategic enterprise planning and various enhancements to Stage-Gate® automation and other functionality were 
also included.

Feedback from customers on these 2012 releases has been very positive and while our new release cycle cadence 
requires customers to adjust past practices, they view this as a positive change to gain additional value from their 
investments in Sopheon’s solutions.

Idea Lab, Vision Strategist and Portfolio Center are trademarks of Sopheon plc.
SharePoint is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or in other countries.
Stage-Gate is a registered trademark of the Product Development Institute, Inc.

 
 
 
MARKET AND SOLUTION OVERVIEW

                  1 3

Following is the current Accolade suite of offerings as we enter 2013: 

Sopheon’s Accolade solution provides integrated support for innovation planning, roadmapping, idea and concept 
development, process, project, portfolio, resource and in-market management.

"One of Philips central business strategies is to drive profitable growth through meaningful innovation…  
Accolade’s new features have given us the ability to model projects in a very dynamic manner and alter them 
quickly in response to shifts in market opportunities and needs….  We believe that these capabilities will help 
shorten our Idea to Market processes."

— Paul de Wit
Director of Idea-to-Market Processes, Consumer Lifestyle Business
Philips

Growth Initiatives 

We have previously stated that Sopheon’s growth strategies for 2012 and beyond center on three key objectives:

Invest in industry-specific vertical solutions
Introduce new offerings to grow our existing customer base

1. 
2. 
3.  Expand our direct and indirect distribution channels to grow new customer acquisition

1. Invest in industry-specific vertical solutions

Last year we realigned sales, product and marketing initiatives around target growth industries.  We revised our marketing 
approach to be more vertical-specific, and integrated a mix of tactics including digital, web-based and social media methods 
as well as more traditional approaches such as conferences and direct mail.  Target sectors included consumer goods, 
food and beverage, chemical, aerospace & defense, and high-tech.   During the fourth quarter of 2012 we made significant 
changes and investments in our global marketing organization to develop our markets and generate demand for our 
solutions through multiple channels including more focus on digital marketing methods, vertical industry marketing and 
establishing a greater presence for Sopheon in our target markets.

With Accolade release 8.2 we can now offer buyers multiple points of entry, to start in whichever area is of immediate 
concern—e.g. planning, portfolio, ideation, process management—and expand the solution footprint and usage as their 
needs evolve and capabilities mature.  Buyers have additional flexible purchase options to buy only what they need to start, 
and to add user licenses and functionality as the solution usage and adoption expands.

Sopheon offers customers additional purchase and deployment flexibility with software rental options and Accolade Cloud 
hosting services.

2. Introduce new offerings to grow our existing customer base

We continue to expand the range of our innovation solutions to enable expansion within our customers.  With Accolade 
8.2 we can now align our solution with the innovation maturity of our customers, supporting everything from beginner to 
world class innovator.  Accolade is designed so that different modules and functionality can be turned on and off depending 
on the need of the customer.  This allows Sopheon to engage in long-term relationships with our customers as we work 
together to improve their innovation maturity and the corresponding business performance.  

An example of our advancement in this regard is our recent introduction of Accolade Innovation Planner which assists 
companies in creating strategic enterprise innovation plans.  This is a new offering never before available to our customer 
base.  We have also started to create ‘customer only’ marketing programs to inspire cross-learning among our clients.  
Several such marketing events are scheduled for 2013 expanding on the success of our 2012 experience.

 
 
 
                  1 4

MARKET AND SOLUTION OVERVIEW

3. Expand our direct and indirect distribution channels to grow new customer acquisition

During 2012 we hired new salespeople to expand our direct distribution channel in the united States and Europe.  In 
addition, at the start of 2013 we expanded our position in Germany through the acquisition of our reseller partner.  
We also have our first sale into China through a new partner as part of our strategy to expand into Asia.  Further, our 
expansion into Saudi Arabia has resulted in a second direct sale providing for a foundation in that part of the world for us 
to grow.

“Companies [are] making a conscious effort to pursue innovation. A sense that change is all around drives 
an orientation toward innovation in strategy and execution.  This is a belief that surfaced again and again 
throughout the survey and interviews.”

— Research from Forbes Insights and BMO Harris Bank
Harnessing Innovation to Jumpstart Growth
September 2012

Customer and Buyer Business Challenges Addressed by Sopheon Solutions

In September 2011, Sopheon commissioned a research study done by Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) magazine
to determine the common challenges companies face with their innovation and new product development initiatives. 
The results of this research not only validated Sopheon’s approach and value proposition, it has also provided insights 
for constructive consultative engagement with buyers during the sales process and on a continuing basis with customers.  
Some of the key insights from this study are:

•	 Only	50	percent	of	companies	report	that	new	product	launches	meet	profit	objectives.
•	 79	percent	of	companies	launch	products	too	or	late	to	market.
•	 Only	6	percent	of	companies	report	that	there	is	no	gap	in	alignment	between	short-term	product	development	

activities and long-term growth strategies.

•	 74	percent	indicated	that	in	general	their	front-end	innovation	ideas	do	not	support	their	business	strategies.
•	 Ideas	at	82	percent	of	companies	get	stuck	in	development	to	some	moderate	or	greater	degree.
•	 85	percent	of	companies	lack	data	regarding	the	feasibility	and	risk	associated	with	innovation	and	new	product	

development projects.

•	 82	percent	of	companies	can't	tell	whether	their	portfolio	is	aligned	with	strategic	targets.
•	 85	percent	of	companies	make	investment	decisions	based	on	politics	rather	than	data.

Several important overriding themes from this study are apparent, primarily that companies lack the processes, functional 
integration and tools to make decisions and track meaningful performance.  Sopheon’s Accolade solution is designed to 
support integrated decision-making throughout the entire innovation and new product development lifecycle.

How do we get more
from our portfolio?

What plans do we create to 
achieve business objectives?

Is our portfolio achieving
our performance goals?

Which strategies 
will we pursue?

Should this initiative
move forward for launch?

Which ideas/concepts support 
our strategic objectives?

Should this initiative
move into development?

Which ideas/concepts
are viable initiatives?

As illustrated above, Accolade’s integrated support for the entire lifecycle enables critical decision-making at every step to 
help companies achieve significant innovation performance improvements across the enterprise.

 
 
 
MARKET AND SOLUTION OVERVIEW

                  1 5

“Our goal is to translate market trends and ideas from the scientific community into tangible innovations for our 
customers.  Accolade provides us with a flexible backbone for managing our innovation projects, and it allows 
our senior management to have complete visibility of the projects in our innovation portfolio.  Now we can 
prioritize our work more effectively and get our best new products to market faster.”

— Manfred Hauptreif
Manager, Science Relations & Innovation Management
BASF

Services

2012 was a busy year for our services organizations.  We have gone through a major transformation organizationally in 
preparation for the next ‘step change’ in operating level required to support our continued growth plans.  

Client Services

This organization is responsible for the business alignment between the Accolade solution and our customer needs.  They 
deliver and configure the software, and provide rollout and training services for successful customer usage and adoption 
of the solutions.

We have transitioned from a regionally-based organization providing support around the world to a single global service 
delivery organization.  Most of our customers operate globally and expect Sopheon to match their operating models.  We 
now have a single global leader of our Customer Services organization supported by a number of global operating teams.  
These operating teams are customer-facing in their activities, relationships and service delivery.  We have invested in the 
required infrastructure support to speed up the knowledge transfer and develop deep domain knowledge expected by 
our customers.  Onboarding and transfer mentoring/training programs are now in place to expedite this learning process.

Customer Support

This organization provides on-demand customer support under our maintenance program.  Similar to our Client Services 
organization, Customer Support has completed its transition from a regionally-based model with multiple contacts across 
our support organization, to a single global organization with people located across time zones to support local customer 
requests.  The location and service enablement is transparent to our customers no matter where they are located 
providing consistent, high-quality service.

With the introduction of the Accolade 8 platform, our Customer Support organization led, facilitated and managed all 
customer upgrades with customer and Sopheon teams.  Great progress was made with this key initiative in 2012 and we 
expect 2013 to be another very busy year for this team.

Sopheon introduced our first Customer Training Programs in 2012 which offered ongoing live training programs held at 
Sopheon facilities.  With our inaugural year behind us we had a number of customers participate in several sessions and 
our customer surveys show they have been very pleased with the program. We will take customer suggestions to expand 
our customer training programs further in 2013.

Partnerships

Reseller Partners

Our resellers made strategic progress in a few areas in 2012:

•	 New	partnerships	have	opened	the	Asian	market	to	Sopheon	resulting	in	our	first	sale	into	China.		We	are	now	
working with our partner through the deployment and training process.  We expect growth to take time in this 
region but are excited with the foundation we are laying to grow over time.

•	 Our	partner	in	Australasia	continues	to	expand	the	Accolade	presence	with	two	new	customers	signed	in	2012.
•	 Our	UK-based	roadmapping	partner	continues	to	grow	their	market,	signing	new	license	deals	during	the	year	and	

also enjoying strong attendance at their annual conference.

 
 
 
                  1 6

MARKET AND SOLUTION OVERVIEW

Consulting Partners

2012 was a year in which we focused on growing our existing relationships with a core group of consulting services 
organizations, including Arthur D. Little, Deloitte, Accenture, Kalypso, and Stage-Gate International.  We continue to see 
our ecosystem grow through relationships with such partners and have seen a good level of introduction activity.  Our 
partners have expanded their Accolade competency and have in some cases already trained their people on Accolade 8.  
We anticipate we will continue to outsource services work to these partners as part of our scalability and growth plans.

We are also in discussions with a small number of potential new partners with whom we have done some initial work 
in the market and feel there are opportunities to learn and expand from our initial experience.  We expect to sign 
additional consulting partners in 2013.

Sweden

NL

UK

Germany

France

Italy

Minnesota

Colorado

Israel

Korea

Saudi Arabia

India

Sopheon Locations

Resellers

Consulting Partners

Australia

New Zealand

Sopheon provides global coverage through our locations and/or certified Valued Industry Alliance partners.

INTEREST DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS

                  1 7

I N T E R E S T   DI R E C T O R S A N D  AD vI SOR S

Directors   

Barry K. Mence 
Andrew L. Michuda  
Arif Karimjee ACA  
Stuart A. Silcock FCA 
Bernard P. F. Al 
Daniel Metzger 

Executive Chairman 
Chief Executive Officer 
Finance Director
Non-executive Director 
Non-executive Director
Non-executive Director

Secretary   

Arif Karimjee

Registered Office 

Surrey Technology Centre
40 Occam Road, Surrey Research Park
Guildford, Surrey Gu2 7YG

Registered Name and Number  

Sopheon plc.
Registered in England and Wales No. 3217859

Lloyds TSB Bank plc.
77 high Street
Southend-on-Sea
Essex SS1 1hT

Briggs and Morgan
2200 IDS Center, 80 South Eighth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
united States

Auditors 

Principal Bankers and Financiers 

Solicitors and Attorneys 

AIM Nominated Adviser and Broker 

Euronext Paying Agent 

Registrars  

BDO LLP
55 Baker Street 
London W1u 7Eu

Silicon valley Bank   
3003 Tasman Drive  
Santa Clara, CA 95054 
united States 

BlueCrest Capital Finance, LLC
225 West Washington, Suite 200
Chicago, IL 60606 
united States

Squire Sanders 
7 Devonshire Square 
Cutlers Gardens 
London EC2M 4Yh 

Loyens & Loeff
Fred Roeskestraat 100
1076 ED Amsterdam
The Netherlands

finnCap Limited 
60 New Broad Street
London EC2M 1JJ

Kempen & Co.
Beethovenstraat 300
1077 WZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Capita Registrars
Northern house
Woodsome Park
Fenay Bridge
huddersfield hD8 0LA

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  1 8

REPORT ON DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION

RE P O R T O N  DI R E C T O R S’   RE MuN E R A T I O N

The remuneration committee of Sopheon plc is responsible for oversight of the contract terms, remuneration and other 
benefits for executive directors, including performance-related bonus schemes.  The committee comprises all three  
non-executive directors and is chaired by B.P.F. Al.  B.K. Mence would typically attend meetings of the committee as a guest 
by invitation.  The committee makes recommendations to the board, within agreed parameters, on an overall remuneration 
package for executive directors and other senior executives in order to attract, retain and motivate high quality individuals 
capable of achieving the group’s objectives.  The package for each director consists of a basic salary, benefits and pension 
contributions, together with performance-related bonuses and share options on a case-by-case basis.  Consideration is given 
to pay and employment policies elsewhere in the group, especially when considering annual salary increases.  During 2012, 
the board granted a 3 percent pay increase to executive directors as of 1 March 2012.  This was consistent with the pay 
increase granted to the majority of the group’s employees.  From time to time, the remuneration committee may take advice 
from appropriate remuneration consultants or to consult benchmarking data.

Contracts

The service contract between the company and Mr. Michuda is terminable on up to three months’ notice, with an additional 
twelve months’ salary in lieu of notice due by the company in the event of termination without cause.  Service contracts 
between the company and the other executive directors are terminable on six to nine months’ notice.

Fees for Non-executive Directors

The fees for non-executive directors are determined by the board.  The non-executive directors are not involved in any 
discussions or decisions about their own remuneration.

Directors’ Remuneration

Set out below is a summary of the fees and emoluments received by all directors during the year, translated where applicable 
into Sterling at the average rate for the period.  Mr. Mence’s remuneration is largely fee-based and therefore subject to 
fluctuations from period to period.  Mr. Michuda’s remuneration is payable in uS Dollars, the average exchange rate for 
which changes year on year.  Benefits primarily comprise healthcare insurance and similar expenses.  Details of directors’ 
interests in shares and options are set out in the Directors’ Report.

Executive Directors

B.K. Mence 
A.L. Michuda  
A. Karimjee  

Non-executive Directors

S.A. Silcock 
B.P.F. Al 
D. Metzger  

Pay and Fees 
2012 
£ 

132,787 
162,690 
110,879 

Bonus 
2012 
£ 

31,500 
40,672 
20,676 

Benefits 
2012 
£ 

Total 
2012 
£ 

Total
2011
£

5,278 
6,040 
2,287 

169,565 
209,402 
133,842 

141,816 
164,007 
110,150

20,000 
20,000 
20,000 
_______ 
466,356 
_______ 
_______ 

- 
- 
- 
_______ 
92,848 
_______ 
_______ 

- 
- 
- 
_______ 
13,605 
_______ 
_______ 

20,000 
20,000 
20,000 
_______ 
572,809 
_______ 
_______ 

18,000 
18,000 
18,000
_______
469,973 
_______
_______

The remuneration committee establishes the objectives that must be met for each financial year if a cash bonus is to be paid.  
With the principal exception of members of Sopheon’s sales teams, for whom incentives are tied to individual or territory 
results, the committee concluded that the cash incentive should be tied to the financial performance of the group as a whole, 
and in 2011 and 2012 these objectives were set with regard to EBITDA performance.  For 2012, these objectives were set 
such that incentive started to accrue from EBITDA of £1,600,000, after providing for the costs of the bonus itself.  These 
measures were applied to all members of the executive board and management committee of the group, as well as the 
majority of the group’s employees. 

In addition to the amounts disclosed above, pension contributions are made to individual directors’ personal pension 
schemes.  During 2012 contributions of £4,875, £2,245 and £4,800 (2011: £4,875, £3,201 and £4,800) were paid respectively 
to the pension schemes of B.K. Mence, A.L. Michuda and A. Karimjee.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT ON DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION

                  1 9

Performance Graph

The following graph shows the company’s share price performance on AIM since January 2006, compared with the 
performance of the FTSE AIM All Share index, which has been selected for this comparison as it is a broad-based index 
which the directors believe most closely reflects the performance of companies with similar characteristics as the company’s. 

e
u
l
a
v
/
)
p
(

e
c
i
r
P

30

25

20

15

10

5

-

6
0
0
2

7
0
0
2

8
0
0
2

9
0
0
2

0
1
0
2

1
1
0
2

2
1
0
2

3
1
0
2

Sopheon

Aim All-Share (rebased to Sopheon)

Directors’ Interests

The interests of the directors, who held office at the end of the year, in the share capital of the company (all beneficially held 
except those marked with an asterisk(*), which are held as trustee), were as follows:

Share Options   

       Ordinary Shares 

      8%
Convertible
Loan Stock

At 31 December 

2012 

2011 

2012 

2011 

2012 

2011

B.K. Mence 
A.L. Michuda  
A. Karimjee 
S.A. Silcock 
S.A. Silcock* 
B.P.F. Al 
D. Metzger 

484,500 
3,997,594 
1,150,000 
- 
- 
25,000 
- 

462,500 
3,942,932 
1,137,500 
- 
- 
- 
- 

14,430,535 
155,188 
87,667 
950,000 
76,639 
650,000 
100,000 

14,430,535 
155,188 
87,667 
950,000 
76,639 
650,000 
100,000 

£640,000  £200,000
£45,000  £20,000
£27,000  £12,000
£200,000  £100,000
-
- 
£60,000  £40,000
-

- 

Of the 14,430,535 ordinary shares mentioned above B.K. Mence beneficially owns and is the registered holder of 10,129,715 
ordinary shares.  A further 2,300,820 ordinary shares are held by Inkberrow Limited, a company in which B.K. Mence is the 
majority shareholder and in which S.A. Silcock is a minority shareholder.  In addition B.K. Mence is, or his wife or children 
are, potential beneficiaries under trusts holding an aggregate of 2,000,000 ordinary shares. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  2 0

REPORT ON DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION

The following table provides summary information for each of the directors who held office during the year and who held 
options to subscribe for Sopheon ordinary shares.  All options were granted without monetary consideration.

Date of 
Grant 

Exercise 
Price 

At 31 
December 
2011 

Granted 
During 
Year 

Expired 
During 
Year 

B.K. Mence (1) 
B.K. Mence (4) 
B.K. Mence (6) 
B.K. Mence (8) 
B.K. Mence (8) 
B.K. Mence (9) 
A.L. Michuda (2) 
A.L. Michuda (2)(3) 
A.L. Michuda (4) 
A.L. Michuda (6) 
A.L. Michuda (7) 
A.L. Michuda (4)(8) 
A.L. Michuda (4) 
A.L. Michuda (4) 
A.L. Michuda (9) 
A. Karimjee (1) 
A. Karimjee (3)(5) 
A. Karimjee (4) 
A. Karimjee (6) 
A. Karimjee 7) 
A. Karimjee (4)(8) 
A. Karimjee (4) 
A. Karimjee (4) 
A. Karimjee (9) 

 30 April 2002 
15 April 2005 
3 May 2006 
29 June 2007 
1 April 2008 
29 September 2012 
30 April 2002 
5 November 2003 
15 April 2005 
3 May 2006 
29 June 2007 
1 April 2008 
27 June 2008 
27 August 2010 
29 September 2012 
30 April 2002 
5 November 2003 
15 April 2005 
3 May 2006 
29 June 2007 
1 April 2008 
27 June 2008 
27 August 2010 
29 September 2012 

14.75p 
25.25p 
 22p 
19p 
13.25p 
5.25p 
14.75p 
16.25p 
25.25p 
22p 
19p 
13.25p 
14p 
7.5p        

5.25p 
14.75p 
16.25p 
 25.25p 
 22p 
19p 
13.25p 
 14p 
7.5p 
5.25p 

(100,000) 
- 
100,000 
- 
- 
62,500 
- 
- 
100,000 
- 
- 
100,000 
- 
- 
100,000 
- 
122,500 
- 
- 
(487,932) 
487,932 
-  (2,225,000) 
2,225,000 
- 
- 
150,000 
- 
- 
100,000 
- 
- 
250,000 
- 
- 
250,000 
- 
230,000 
- 
- 
250,000                      - 
2,767,594 
- 
(150,000) 
- 
(300,000) 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
462,500 

- 
150,000 
300,000 
62,500 
100,000 
100,000 
175,000 
100,000 
150,000 
- 

At 31
December
2012

-
62,500
100,000
100,000
100,000
122,500
-
-
150,000
100,000
250,000
250,000
230,000
250,000
2,767,594
-
-
62,500
100,000
100,000
175,000
100,000
150,000
462,500

None of the directors exercised any share options during the year.
(1) Exercisable between the third and tenth anniversary of the date of grant.
(2) One third of these options are exercisable from the date of grant, one third from the first anniversary of the date of 
grant and one third from the second anniversary.
(3) vesting of a proportion of these options was subject to performance conditions relating to the achievement of positive 
EBITDA in two successive quarters.  The conditions were met.  These options, which were due to expire in 2013, were 
cancelled on 30 September 2012. 
(4) One third of these options are exercisable from the first anniversary of the date of grant, one third from the second 
anniversary, and the remainder from the third anniversary.
(5) 93,846 of these options are exercisable between the third and tenth anniversary of the date of grant and 206,154 options 
are exercisable as to one third immediately and one third on each of the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant.
(6) vesting of one half of these options was subject to performance conditions based on the achievement of certain financial 
objectives in 2006.  The conditions were met.
(7) vesting of one half of these options was subject to performance conditions based on the achievement of certain financial 
objectives in 2007.  The conditions were met.
(8) vesting of one half of these options was subject to performance conditions based on the achievement of certain financial 
objectives in 2008.  The conditions were met.
(9) These options are replacement options for options which expired in 2011 and 2012 and options due to expire in 2013 
which were cancelled during 2012.  They vest evenly over the three year period following grant.

The mid-market price of Sopheon ordinary shares at 31 December 2012 was 7.21p.  During the financial year the mid-
market price of Sopheon ordinary shares ranged from 5.5p to 8.45p.

Save as disclosed above, no director (or member of his family) or connected persons has any interest, beneficial or non-
beneficial, in the share capital of the company.

Approved by the board on 20 March 2013 and signed on its behalf by:
A. Karimjee 
Director

 
 
 
 
 
 
DIRECTORS’ REPORT

                  2 1

DI R E C T O R S’   RE P O R T

The group’s principal activities during the year continued to focus on the provision of software and services that improve the 
return on investment of product development, within the rapidly emerging product lifecycle management (PLM) market.  A 
review of the development of the business during the year is given in the Statement from the Chairman and Chief Executive 
Officer on page xx and the subsequent Financial and Operating Review.  This also includes reference to the group’s future 
prospects.  An overview of the group’s products and markets incorporating advances in research and development is provided 
on page 6.  The group’s result for the year ended 31 December 2012 is a profit after tax of £281,000 (2011: profit after tax of 
£104,000).  The directors do not intend to declare a dividend.

Corporate Governance

The Sopheon board is committed to high standards of corporate governance and aims to follow appropriate governance 
practice, although as a company incorporated in the uK and listed on AIM and Alternext the company is not subject to 
the requirements of the uK Corporate Governance Code or the Netherlands Tabaksblat Committee.  The board currently 
comprises three executive directors and three independent non-executive directors.  Their biographies appear at the back of 
this annual report, and demonstrate a range of experience and caliber to bring the right level of independent judgment to the 
board.

The board is responsible for the group’s system of internal control and for reviewing its effectiveness.  Such a system can 
only provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance against material misstatement or loss.  The board believes that the group 
has internal control systems in place appropriate to the size and nature of its business.  The board is satisfied that the scale 
of the group’s activities do not warrant the establishment of an internal audit function.  The board is also responsible for 
identifying the major business risks faced by the group and for determining the appropriate course of action to manage those 
risks.  Formal meetings are held quarterly to review strategy, management and performance of the group, with additional 
meetings between those dates convened as necessary.  During 2012, all directors attended all meetings either in person 
or by conference call.  The audit committee, which comprises all of the non-executive directors and is chaired by Stuart 
Silcock, considers and determines actions in respect of any control or financial reporting issues they have identified or that 
are raised by the auditors.  The board has a formal schedule of matters specifically reserved to it for decision.  Details of the 
constitution of the remuneration committee are provided in the Report on Directors’ Remuneration on page 18.

Principal Risk Areas

As with any business at its stage of development, Sopheon faces a number of risks and uncertainties.  The board monitors 
these risks on a regular basis.  The key areas of risk identified by the board are summarized below.

Sopheon’s markets continue to be at a relatively early stage of development and it is possible that Sopheon's products may not sell 
in the quantities or at the prices required to achieve sustained profitability.  The broad market for Sopheon’s software products 
continues to emerge and evolve.  Sopheon has sought to focus its resources on the sub-segments that it believes offer the 
best short-term opportunity for growth, and on developing functionality which its research indicates customers in those 
segments require.  however, determining the potential size, growth rate and needs of a particular market segment remains 
challenging.  This risk has become particularly relevant in view of the economic turmoil that has affected the global economy.  
Sopheon continues to monitor market needs carefully, and has formalized processes for soliciting input to product strategy 
from analysts and customers.

Sopheon’s prospects of achieving sustained profitability are dependent on meeting sales targets.  Sopheon has in past years 
experienced substantial net losses due, in part, to its investment in product development and marketing but also due to the 
fact that the timing and size of individual sales can have a substantial impact on performance in a given period.  Sopheon’s 
ability to continue to finance its activities through to the point that its operations become cash generative on a sustained 
basis is dependent on the group maintaining sales growth alongside its investment strategy, or in the absence of such growth, 
its ability to secure funding through the company's facilities or other sources.  Sopheon management carefully monitors short- 
and medium-term financing requirements and has regularly raised additional funding resources to meet requirements.  Details 
of the resources available to Sopheon and the reasons why management consider that the company is able to continue as a 
going concern are set out in Note 2 to the financial statements.

Some of Sopheon’s competitors and potential competitors have greater financial resources than Sopheon.  Sopheon remains a 
relatively small organization by global standards.  Its resources are dwarfed by those of many larger companies that are 
capable of developing competitive solutions and it is difficult to overcome the marketing engine of a large global firm.  
Sopheon seeks to compete effectively with such companies by keeping its market communications focused, clear and 
consistent with its product and market strategy, and working to deliver first class quality of execution so that referenceability 
of the customer base is maximized.

                  2 2

DIRECTORS' REPORT 

Sopheon is dependent upon skilled personnel, the loss of whom could have a material impact.  While service agreements 
have been entered into with key executives, retention of key members of staff cannot be guaranteed and departure of 
such employees could be damaging in the short term.  In addition the competition for qualified employees continues to 
be difficult and retaining key employees has become accordingly more challenging and expensive.  As a relatively small 
business, Sopheon is more exposed to this risk than some of its larger competitors.  Sopheon management checks staff 
remuneration against recognized benchmarks and other industry sources, and seeks to maintain pay at competitive levels 
appropriate to its business. 

Sopheon will require relationships with partners who are able to market and implement its products.  historically, Sopheon has 
devoted substantial resources to the direct marketing of its products, and its strategy to enter into strategic alliances and 
other collaborative relationships to widen the customer base and create a broad sales and implementation channel for its 
products is not yet mature.  The successful implementation of this strategy is crucial to Sopheon’s prospects and its ability 
to scale effectively.  however, Sopheon cannot be sure that it will select the right partners, or that the partners it does 
select will devote adequate resources to promoting, selling and becoming familiar with Sopheon's products.  Over the years 
Sopheon has built up a network of both resellers and consulting partners, however this has yet to mature and the revenues 
delivered through these relationships remain a relatively small part of the total. 

Sopheon could be subject to claims for damages for errors in its products and services.  Sopheon may be exposed to claims for 
damages from customers in the event that there are errors in its software products or should support and maintenance 
service level agreements fail to meet agreed criteria.  Sopheon has sought to protect itself from such risks through its 
development methodologies, its contract terms and insurance policies, and is not aware of any such claims at this time. 

Share Option Schemes

Details of options granted are shown in Note 28 to the financial statements.

Supplier Payment Policy and Practice

It is the company’s policy that payments to suppliers are made in accordance with those terms and conditions agreed 
between the company and its suppliers, provided that all trading terms and conditions have been complied with.  At 31 
December 2012 the company had approximately 35 days’ purchases outstanding (2011: 21 days).

Charitable and Political Donations

The group has made no charitable or political donations during the year.

Auditors

All of the current directors have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any 
information needed by the company’s auditors for the purposes of their audit and to ensure that the auditors are aware 
of that information.  The directors are not aware of any relevant audit information of which the auditors are unaware.  A 
resolution to reappoint BDO LLP as auditors will be put to the members at the Annual General Meeting.

Financial Instruments

Details of the group’s financial instruments and its policies with regard to financial risk management are given in Note 23 
to the financial statements

Substantial Shareholdings

The directors are aware of the following persons who as at 20 March 2013 were interested directly or indirectly in 3 
percent or more of the company’s issued ordinary shares:

Name
B.K. Mence (director) 
Rivomore Limited 

No. of 
Ordinary Shares 

% Issued
Ordinary Shares

14,430,535 
16,191,260              

9.9
11.1

B.K. Mence’s interest represents direct beneficial holdings as well as those of his family.

Approved by the board on 20 March 2013 and signed on its behalf by:

A. Karimjee 
Director

 
 
STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES 

                  2 3

ST A T E M E N T O F  DI R E C T O R S’   RE S P O N S I B I L I T I E S

I N  RE S P E C T O F 

ThE  FI N A N C I A L  ST A T E M E N T S

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year.  under that law the directors 
have elected to prepare the group and company financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European union.  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 company 
and of the profit or loss of the group for that period.  The directors are also required to prepare financial statements in 
accordance with the rules of the London Stock Exchange for companies trading securities on the Alternative Investment 
Market and the rules of the NYSE Alternext Amsterdam Stock Exchange. 

In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

•	 select	suitable	accounting	policies	and	then	apply	them	consistently;
•	 make	judgments	and	accounting	estimates	that	are	reasonable	and	prudent;
•	 state	whether	they	have	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	IFRSs	as	adopted	by	the	European	Union,	subject	to	any		

material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

•	 prepare	the	financial	statements	on	the	going	concern	basis	unless	it	is	inappropriate	to	presume	that	the	company	

will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the 
company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable 
them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.  They are also 
responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and 
detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Website Publication

The directors are responsible for ensuring the annual report is made available on a website.  Annual reports are 
published on the company's website in accordance with legislation in the united Kingdom governing the preparation and 
dissemination of financial statements, which may vary from legislation in other jurisdictions.  The maintenance and integrity 
of the company's website is the responsibility of the directors.  The directors' responsibility also extends to the ongoing 
integrity of the annual reports contained therein.

 
                  2 4

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SOPHEON PLC

IN D E P E N D E N T  A uD I T O R S’   RE P O R T T O ThE

ME M B E R S O F  SO PhE O N P L C

We have audited the financial statements of Sopheon plc for the year ended 31 December 2012 which comprise the 
consolidated income statement, the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated and company 
balance sheets, the consolidated and company cash flow statements, the consolidated and company statements of changes 
in equity, and the related notes.  The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable 
law and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European union and, as regards the parent 
company financial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006. 

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.

Respective Responsibilities of Directors and Auditors

As explained more fully in the statement of directors’ responsibilities, the directors are responsible for the preparation of 
the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view.  Our responsibility is to audit the financial 
statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on Auditing (uK and Ireland).  Those standards 
require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s (APB’s) Ethical Standards for Auditors.

Scope of the Audit of the Financial Statements

A description of the scope of an audit of financial statements is provided on the APB’s website at www.frc.org.uk/apb/
scope/private.cfm

Opinion on Financial Statements

In our opinion:

•		the	financial	statements	give	a	true	and	fair	view	of	the	state	of	the	group’s	and	the	parent	company’s	affairs	as	at	31	

December 2012 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	IFRSs	as	adopted	by	the	

European union; and

•	 the	financial	statements	have	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	the	requirements	of	the	Companies	Act	2006.

Opinion on Other Matters Prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion the information given in the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are 
prepared is consistent with the financial statements. 

 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SOPHEON PLC

                  2 5

Matters on Which We are Required to Report by Exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where 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	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.

Julian Frost (senior statutory auditor)
For and on behalf of BDO LLP, statutory auditor
55 Baker Street
London W1u 7Eu
united Kingdom

20 March 2013

BDO LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales (with registered number OC305127).

                  2 6

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CO N S O L I D A T E D  IN C O M E  ST A T E M E N T

F O R  ThE  YE A R  EN D E D  3 1   DE C E M B E R  2 0 1 2

Revenue 
Cost of sales 

Gross profit 

Sales and marketing expense 
Research and development expense 
Administrative expense 

Operating profit 

Finance income 
Finance expense 

Profit before tax  

Income tax expense 

Profit for the year 

Earnings per share
Basic and fully diluted (pence) 

Notes 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

3 

12,663 
(3,612) 
_______ 

10,276 
(2,731) 

_______

9,051 

7,545

(4,238) 
(2,696) 
(1,510) 
_______ 

(3,533)
(2,173) 
(1,377) 
_______ 

607 

462 

8 
9 

9 
(335) 
_______ 

8
(366)
_______

281 

104 

     10 

- 
_______ 

-
_______

281 
_______ 

104
_______

12 

0.19p 
_______ 
_______ 

0.07p
_______
_______

C O N S O L I D A T E D   S T A T E M E N T   O F   C O M P R EhE N S IvE 

I N C O M E   F O R   ThE   Y E A R   E N D E D   3 1   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Profit for the year 
Other comprehensive income
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations 

Total comprehensive income for the year 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

281 

104 

(187) 
_______ 

(58) 
_______  

94 
_______ 
_______ 

46
_______
_______

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  2 7

C O N S O L I D A T E D   A N D   C O M P A N Y   B A L A N C E  S hE E TS 

A T  3 1   DE C E M B E R  2 0 1 2

Assets

Non-current Assets

Property, plant and equipment      
Intangible assets 
Investments in subsidiaries 
Other receivable 

Total non-current assets 

Current Assets

Trade and other receivables 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total current assets 

Total assets 

Liabilities

Current Liabilities

Trade and other payables 
Borrowings 
Obligations under finance leases 
Deferred revenue 

Total current liabilities 

Non-current Liabilities

Borrowings 

Total non-current liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Net assets 

Equity

Share capital 
Capital reserves 
Translation reserve 
Retained losses 

Total equity 

Group 

Company 

Notes 

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

13 
14 
15 
16 

17 
18 

19 
20 
21 

20 

24 
25 

197 
3,522 
- 
12 
–––––––– 
3,731 
–––––––– 

3,959 
3,880 
–––––––– 
7,838 
–––––––– 
11,570 

2,386 
1,136 
1 
2,662 
–––––––– 
6,185 
–––––––– 

2,121 
–––––––– 
2,121 
–––––––– 

8,306 
–––––––– 
3,264 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

166 
3,748 
- 
12 
–––––––– 
3,926 
–––––––– 

3,265 
2,941 
–––––––– 
6,206 
–––––––– 
10,132 

1,467 
1,448 
2 
2,470 
–––––––– 
5,387 
–––––––– 

1,663 
–––––––– 
1,663 
–––––––– 

7,050 
–––––––– 
3,082 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
- 
6,119 
- 
–––––––– 
6,119 
–––––––– 

- 
1,455 
–––––––– 
1,455 
–––––––– 
7,574 

363 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
363 
–––––––– 

1,959 
–––––––– 
1,959 
–––––––– 

2,322 
–––––––– 
5,252 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

7,279 
55,619 
175 
(59,809) 
–––––––– 
3,264 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

7,279 
55,803 
362 
(60,362) 
–––––––– 
3,082 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

7,279  
55,619  
-  
(57,646) 
–––––––– 
5,252  
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
-
6,119 
-
––––––––
6,119
––––––––

-
703
––––––––
703 
––––––––
6,822

301
-
-
-
––––––––
301
––––––––

823
––––––––
823 
––––––––

1,124
––––––––
5,698
––––––––
––––––––

7,279
55,803
-
(57,384)
––––––––
5,698
––––––––
––––––––

Approved by the board and authorized for issue on 20 March 2013.

Barry K. Mence 
Director   

Arif Karimjee
Director

  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  2 8

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

C O N S O L I D A T E D   A N D   C O M P A N Y   C A Sh  F L O W 

S T A T E M E N T S   F O R   ThE   Y E A R   E N D E D 

3 1   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Group 

Company 

Notes 

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

Operating Activities

Profit for the year 

Adjustments for:
Finance income 
Finance costs 
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets 
Share-based payment expense 
Intra-group credits and charges 
Provisions against intra-group loans  

Operating cash flows before movements in working capital 
Decrease/(increase) in receivables 
Increase/(decrease) in payables 

Net cash generated from/(used in) operating activities 

Investing Activities

Finance income 
Purchases of property, plant and equipment 
Development costs capitalized 
Intra-group loans 
Repayment of intra-group loans 

Net cash from/(used in) investing activities 

Financing Activities

Issue of convertible loan stock 
Repayment of borrowings 
(Decrease)/increase in lines of credit 
Interest paid 

Net cash from financing activities 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes 

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year  

18 

281 

104 

(534) 

42

(9) 
335 
98 
1,273 
38 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
2,016 
(744) 
1,135 
–––––––– 
2,407 
–––––––– 

(8) 
366 
101 
994 
39 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
1,596 
855 
(1,123) 
–––––––– 
1,328 
–––––––– 

- 
132 
- 
- 
38 
(290) 
115 
–––––––– 
(539) 
- 
62 
–––––––– 
(477) 
–––––––– 

(1)
83
-
-
39
(250)
(270)
––––––––
(357) 
(2)
(134)
––––––––
(493)
––––––––

9 
(136) 
(1,210) 
- 
- 
–––––––– 

8 
(125) 
(1,060) 
- 
- 
–––––––– 

- 
- 
- 
(1,915) 
2,091 
–––––––– 

1
-
-
(803)
1,323
––––––––

(1,337) 
–––––––– 

(1,177) 
–––––––– 

176 
–––––––– 

521
––––––––

1,150 
(681) 
(252) 
(301) 
–––––––– 
(84) 
–––––––– 
986 

2,941 
(47) 
–––––––– 
3,880 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
(673) 
442 
(342) 
–––––––– 
(573) 
–––––––– 
(422) 

3,358 
5 
–––––––– 
2,941 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

1,150 
- 
- 
(97) 
–––––––– 
1,053 
–––––––– 
752 

703 
- 
–––––––– 
1,455 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
-
-
(59)
––––––––
(59)
––––––––

(31) 

734
- 
––––––––
703
––––––––
––––––––

 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  2 9

C O N S O L I D A T E D   A N D   C O M P A N Y   S T A T E M E N T S   O F 

ChA N G E S   I N   E QuI T Y   F O R   ThE   Y E A R   E N D E D 

3 1   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Group 

At 1 January 2011 
Profit for the year      
Exchange differences on translation
   of foreign operations 

Total comprehensive income for the year 

Recognition of share-based payments 
Purchase of shares by Esot (Note 25) 
Transfer of merger reserve to profit and loss
   reserve (see Note 25) 

At 1 January 2012 
Profit for the year      
Exchange differences on translation
   of foreign operations 

Total comprehensive income for the year 

Recognition of share-based payments 
Lapsing or expiry of share options 
Equity element of convertible loan stock issued 

At 31 December 2012 

Share 
Capital 
£’000 

7,279 
- 

Capital 
Reserves 
£’000 

Translation 
Reserve 
£’000 

73,719 
- 

420 
- 

Retained 
Losses 
£’000 

(78,410) 
104 

Total
£’000

3,008
104

- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
- 

- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
39 
(11) 

(58) 
–––––––– 
(58) 
–––––––– 
- 
- 

- 
–––––––– 
104 
–––––––– 
- 
- 

(58)
––––––––
46
––––––––
39
(11)

- 
–––––––– 
7,279 
- 

- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
7,279 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

(17,944) 
–––––––– 
55,803 
- 

- 
–––––––– 
362 
- 

17,944 
–––––––– 
(60,362) 
281 

-
––––––––
3,082
281

- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
38 
(272) 
50 
–––––––– 
55,619 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

(187) 
–––––––– 
(187) 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
175 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
–––––––– 
281 
–––––––– 
- 
272 
- 
–––––––– 
(59,801) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

(187)
––––––––
94
––––––––
38
-
50
––––––––
3,264
––––––––
––––––––

The translation reserve represents accumulated differences on the translation of assets and liabilities of foreign operations.  
Retained losses represent accumulated trading losses, including amortization and impairment charges in respect of goodwill 
and intangible assets arising from past acquisitions.  Details and description of the capital reserves are set out in Note 25.

Company 

At 1 January 2011 
Profit and total comprehensive income for the year  
Recognition of share-based payments 
Purchase of shares by Esot (Note 25) 
Transfer of merger reserve to profit and loss
   reserve (see Note 25) 

At 1 January 2012 
Profit and total comprehensive income for the year  
Recognition of share-based payments 
Lapsing or expiry of share options 
Equity element of convertible loan stock issued 

At 31 December 2012 

Share 
Capital 
£’000 

7,279 
- 
  - 
- 

- 
–––––––– 
7,279 
- 
  - 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
7,279 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Capital 
Reserves 
£’000 

65,954 
- 
39 
(11) 

(10,179) 
–––––––– 
55,803 
- 
38 
(272) 
50 
–––––––– 
55,619 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Retained 
Losses 
£’000 

(67,605) 
42 
- 
- 

10,179 
–––––––– 
(57,384) 
(534) 
- 
272 
- 
–––––––– 
(57,646) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Total
£’000

5,628
42
39
(11)

-
––––––––
5,698
(534) 
38
-
50
––––––––
5,252
––––––––
––––––––

 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
                  3 0

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1 .   G E N E R A L   I N F O R M AT I O N

Sopheon plc ("the company") is a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales.  The address of its registered 
office and principal place of business is set out on page 17.  The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries are 
described in Note 3.  The financial statements have been prepared in Pounds Sterling and rounded to the nearest thousand.

2 .   S I G N I F I C A N T   A C C O U N T I N G   P O L I C I E S

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and 
Interpretations issued by the International Accounting Standards Board as adopted by the European union and those parts of 
the Companies Act 2006 which apply to companies preparing their financial statements under IFRS.  The principal accounting 
policies are set out below.  The policies have been applied consistently to all the years presented.

A number of new standards, amendments and interpretations to existing standards have been adopted by the group, but have 
not been listed, since they have no material impact on the financial statements.  None of the new standards, amendments and 
interpretations in issue but not yet effective are expected to have a material effect on the financial statements.

Going Concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis.  In reaching their assessment, the directors have 
considered a period extending at least 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements.  This assessment 
has included consideration of the forecast performance of the business for the foreseeable future, the cash and financing 
facilities available to the group, and the repayment terms in respect of the group’s borrowings, including the potential of having 
to repay convertible loan stock in January 2015. 

During 2012, the group achieved revenues of £12.7m and a profit before tax of £281,000.  This represents an improvement 
compared to the previous year.  The performance in 2011 was flat over 2010.  Coming into 2013, the group’s sales pipeline 
remains very active, and accordingly, the directors remain positive about the prospects for the business.

In December 2010 the group renegotiated its loan note from BlueCrest Capital Finance (“BlueCrest”) for a new principal 
value of $3.5m, which brought in new working capital of approximately $2.7m.  The principal is repayable in equal monthly 
installments of $90,000, plus interest, through March 2014.  The group also has access to a revolving line of credit with 
BlueCrest which is secured against the trade receivables of Sopheon’s North American business.  This facility is periodically 
renewable, and the current term is to 31 May 2013.  The facility limit is $1,250,000.  At 31 December 2012, $800,000 
(£495,000) was drawn against this revolving facility.  In addition, during 2012 the group extended a convertible loan to key 
investors from £850,000 to £2,000,000.  The loan is repayable or convertible by 31 January 2015.

Notwithstanding the group’s stable funding and trading position, the time-to-close and the order value of individual sales 
continues to vary considerably.  When combined with the relatively low-volume and high-value nature of the group’s business, 
these are factors which constrain the ability to accurately predict revenue performance.  In addition, to meet its strategic 
objectives, the group has expanded its staff levels.  If sales fall short of expectations, there is a risk that the group’s facilities 
may prove insufficient to cover both operating activities and the repayment of its debt facilities, which latter point could 
be due to the regular repayment of the BlueCrest term loan, the possibility of non-renewal of the BlueCrest revolving line 
of credit, or the possibility of having to repay in cash £2,000,000 of convertible loan stock on 31 January 2015.  In such 
circumstances, the group would be obliged to seek additional funding. 

The directors have concluded that the circumstances set forth above represent uncertainties, however they believe that taken 
as a whole, the factors described above enable the group to continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future.  The 
financial statements do not include the adjustments that would be required if the company or group were unable to continue 
as a going concern.

Basis of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the company and entities controlled by the 
company ("subsidiaries").  Control is achieved where the company has the power to govern the financial and operating 
policies of an entity and to obtain benefits from its activities.  All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are 
eliminated on consolidation.

 
 
 
 
  
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  3 1

Business Combinations

The acquisition of subsidiaries is accounted for within the consolidated financial statements using the purchase method, 
as set out within IFRS 3 Business Combinations for acquisitions made on or before 1 January 2010.  The cost of the 
acquisition is measured at the aggregate of the fair values at the date of exchange, of assets given, liabilities incurred 
or assumed, and equity instruments issued by the group in exchange for control of the entity being acquired, together 
with any costs directly attributable to the business combination.  The results of the acquired entities are included in the 
consolidated income statement from the date on which effective control is obtained.  The identifiable assets, liabilities and 
contingent liabilities of the entity being acquired that meet the conditions for recognition are recognized at their fair values 
of the date of acquisition.

Identifiable intangible assets are capitalized at fair value as at the date of acquisition.  The useful lives of these intangible 
assets are assessed and amortization is charged on a straight-line basis, with the expense taken to the income statement 
within sales and marketing expense (in respect of customer relationships) and research and development expense (in 
respect of IPR and technology).  Intangible assets are tested for impairment when a trigger event occurs.  useful lives are 
also examined on an annual basis and adjustments, where applicable, are made on a prospective basis.

Goodwill

Goodwill arising on the acquisition of a subsidiary represents the excess of the cost of acquisition over the group’s interest 
in the net fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities of the subsidiary at the date of acquisition.  
Goodwill is initially recognized at cost and is subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.

For the purposes of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to those cash-generating units of the group expected to 
benefit from the synergies of the business combination.  Cash-generating units to which goodwill has been allocated 
are tested for impairment annually, or more frequently when there is an indication that the unit may be impaired.  If the 
recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit is less than the carrying value of the unit, the impairment loss is allocated 
firstly to reduce the carrying cost of any goodwill allocated to the unit and then to any other assets of the unit pro rata to 
the carrying value of each asset of the unit.  An impairment loss recognized for goodwill is not reversed in a subsequent 
period.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for 
goods and services provided in the normal course of business, net of discounts and sales-related taxes.

Sales of software products are recognized on delivery, provided that no significant obligations remain owing to the 
customer in connection with such product sale.  Such significant obligations could include giving a customer a right to 
return the software product without any preconditions, or if the group has failed to deliver an element of the software 
product by the balance sheet date.  Revenues relating to maintenance and post-contract support agreements are deferred 
and recognized over the period of the agreements.

Revenues from implementation and consultancy services are recognized as the services are performed, or in the case of 
fixed price or milestone-based projects, on a percentage basis as the work is completed and any relevant milestones are 
met, using latest estimates to determine the expected duration and cost of the project.

Leases

Assets held under finance leases are recognized as assets of the group at their fair value at the inception of the lease or, if 
lower, at the net present value of the minimum lease payments.  The corresponding liability to the lessor is included in the 
balance sheet as a finance lease obligation.  Lease payments are apportioned between finance charges and reduction of the 
lease obligation so as to achieve a constant rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.  Finance charges are 
charged to the income statement.

Rentals payable under operating leases are charged to the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the 
relevant lease.

                  3 2

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Interest on Borrowings

All interest on borrowings is recognized in the income statement in the period in which it is incurred.

Retirement Benefit Costs

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit plans are charged as an expense as they fall due.  The group does not 
operate any defined benefit retirement benefit plans.

Foreign Currencies

The individual financial statements of each group entity are presented in the currency of the primary economic 
environment in which the entity operates (its functional currency).  In preparing the financial statements of the individual 
entities, transactions in currencies other than the entity’s functional currency (foreign currencies) are recorded at rates 
approximating to the transaction rates.  At each balance sheet date, monetary items denominated in foreign currencies are 
retranslated at the rates prevailing on the balance sheet date.  Exchange differences arising on the settlement of monetary 
items, and on the retranslation of monetary items, are included in the income statement for the period. 

For the purpose of presenting consolidated financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the group’s foreign operations 
are expressed in Sterling using exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date.  Income and expense items (including 
comparatives) are translated at the average exchange rates for the period.  Exchange differences arising (including exchange 
differences on intra-group loans where there is no intention that these should be settled) are classified as equity and 
transferred to the group’s translation reserve.  Such translation differences are recognized in the income statement in the 
period in which the foreign operation is disposed of.

On disposal of a foreign operation the cumulative exchange differences recognized in the foreign exchange reserve relating 
to that operation up to the date of disposal are transferred to the income statement as part of the profit or loss on disposal.

Deferred Tax

Deferred tax is recognized on differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements 
and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit, and is accounted for using the balance sheet 
liability method.  Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognized for all taxable temporary differences, but deferred tax assets 
are recognized only to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available against which deductible temporary 
differences can be utilized.

Deferred tax is calculated at tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date, and that 
are expected to apply in the period when the liability is settled or the asset realized.  Deferred tax is charged or credited to 
profit or loss, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also 
dealt with in equity.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Computer equipment and fixtures and fittings are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated 
impairment losses.  Depreciation is charged so as to write off the costs of assets over their estimated useful lives, using the 
straight-line method.

Assets held under finance leases are depreciated over their expected useful lives on the same basis as owned assets, or, 
when shorter, over the term of the relevant lease.

The gain or loss arising on the disposal or retirement of an item of property, plant and equipment is determined as the 
difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognized in the income statement.

The following rates are used for the depreciation of property, plant and equipment:

Computer equipment 
Furniture and fittings 

20-33 percent on a straight-line basis
20-25 percent on a straight-line basis

 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  3 3

Investments

Investments in subsidiaries within the company balance sheet are stated at cost less impairment.  Impairment tests are 
undertaken whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable.  
Where the carrying value of an investment exceeds its recoverable amount, the investment is written down accordingly.

Externally Acquired Intangible Assets

Externally acquired intangible assets are initially recognized at their fair values at the date of acquisition and are subsequently 
amortized on a straight-line basis over their useful economic lives.  The amortization expense in respect of externally 
acquired technology and intellectual property (“IPR”) is included in research and development costs in the income 
statement, and the amortization expense in respect of externally acquired customer relationships is included in sales and 
marketing expense.

Internally Generated Intangible Assets (Research and Development Expenditure)

Development expenditure on internally developed software products is capitalized if it can be demonstrated that:

•	it	is	technically	feasible	to	develop	the	product;
•	adequate	resources	are	available	to	complete	the	development;
•	there	is	an	intention	to	complete	and	sell	the	product;
•	the	group	is	able	to	sell	the	product;
•	sales	of	the	product	will	generate	future	economic	benefits;	and
•	expenditure	on	the	product	can	be	measured	reliably.

Capitalized development costs are amortized over the period over which the group expects to benefit from selling 
the product developed.  This has been estimated to be four years from the date of code-finalization of the applicable 
software release.  The amortization expense in respect of internally generated intangible assets is included in research and 
development costs.

Development costs not satisfying the above criteria and expenditure on the research phase of internal projects are 
recognized in the income statement as incurred.

Impairment of  Tangible and Intangible Assets (Excluding Goodwill)

At each balance sheet date, the group reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine 
whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss.  If any such indication exists, the 
recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).  Where it is 
not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the group estimates the recoverable amount of the 
cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Recoverable amount is the higher of the fair value less costs to sell and value in use.  In assessing the value in use, the 
estimated future cash flows are discounted to their net 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.

If the recoverable amount of an asset or cash-generating unit is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying 
amount of the asset or cash-generating unit is reduced to its recoverable amount.  An impairment loss is recognized 
immediately in the administrative expenses line item in the income statement.

Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying value of the asset or cash-generating unit is increased to 
the revised recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount which 
would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognized in prior years.  A reversal of an impairment loss is 
recognized immediately in profit or loss. 

 
 
                  3 4

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Financial Instruments

1. Financial Assets

The group’s financial assets fall into the category of loans and receivables.  The group does not have any financial assets 
in the categories of fair value through profit and loss or available for sale.  The group has not classified any of its financial 
assets as held to maturity. 

unless otherwise indicated, the carrying values of the group’s financial assets are a reasonable approximation of their fair 
values.

Loans and Receivables

These assets are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active 
market.  They arise principally through the provision of goods and services (e.g. trade receivables) but also include cash and 
cash equivalents and other types of contractual monetary asset.  They are initially recognized at fair value plus transaction 
costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition or issue and subsequently carried at amortized cost using the 
effective interest rate method, less provision for impairment.  The effect of discounting on these financial instruments is not 
considered material.

Impairment provisions are recognized when there is objective evidence (such as significant financial difficulties, default or 
significant delay in payment on the part of the counter-party) that the group will be unable to collect all the amounts due 
under the terms of the receivable, the amount of such provision being the difference between the net carrying amount and 
the present value of the future expected cash flows associated with the receivable.  For trade receivables, such provisions 
are recorded in a separate allowance account with the loss being recognized within administrative expenses in the income 
statement.  On confirmation that the trade receivable will not be collectable, the gross carrying value of the asset is 
written off against the associated provision.

2. Financial Liabilities

The group classifies its financial liabilities in the category of financial liabilities at amortized cost. 

Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost include:

•	 Trade	payables	and	other	short-dated	monetary	liabilities,	which	are	initially	recognized	at	fair	value	and	subsequently	

carried at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method.

•	 Bank	and	other	borrowings	(including	the	host	debt	element	of	the	convertible	loan	noted	above),	which	are	initially	
recognized at fair value net of any transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition of the instrument.  Such 
interest-bearing liabilities are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method, which 
ensures that the interest expense over the period to repayment is at a constant rate on the balance of the liability 
carried in the balance sheet.  Interest expense in this context includes initial transaction costs and premiums payable 
on redemption, as well as any interest payable while the liability is outstanding.

unless otherwise indicated, the carrying values of the group’s financial liabilities measured at amortized cost represent a 
reasonable approximation of their fair values.

3. Convertible Loan Stock

The host debt element of convertible loan stock is treated as a financial liability measured at amortized cost as further 
described above.  The equity component of convertible loan stock arising on issue is reclassified from debt to capital 
reserves.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  3 5

4. Share Capital

Financial instruments issued by the group are treated as equity only to the extent that they do not meet the definition of a 
financial liability.  The group’s ordinary shares are classified as equity.  For the purpose of the disclosures given in  
Note 23(f) the group considers its capital to comprise its ordinary share capital, share premium and other capital reserves 
less its accumulated retained loss.

Share-based Payments

The group issues equity-settled share-based payments to certain employees.  Equity-settled share-based payments are 
measured at fair value (excluding the effect of non-market-based vesting conditions) at the date of grant.  The fair value 
determined at the date of grant is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the group’s estimate 
of the shares that will eventually vest and adjusted for the effect of non-market-based vesting conditions.

Fair value is measured by the binomial option-pricing model.  The expected life used in the model had been adjusted, based 
on management’s best estimate, for the effects of non-transferability, exercise restrictions and behavioral considerations.

As set out in Note 24, the group has also issued warrants to certain financing institutions which are also treated as equity-
settled share-based payments.

Significant Accounting Estimates and Judgments

Management is required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities 
that are not readily apparent from other sources.  The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical 
experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant.  Estimates and judgments adopted for property plant and 
equipment, externally acquired intangible assets and internally generated intangible assets are dealt with in the accounting 
policy notes set forth above that relate to these areas.  Actual results may differ from these estimates, and accordingly they 
are reviewed on an ongoing basis.  Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is 
revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both 
current and future periods. 

                  3 6

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

3 .   S E G M E N TA L   A N A LY S I S

All of the group’s revenue in respect of the years ended 31 December 2012 and 2011 is derived from the design, 
development and marketing of software products with associated implementation and consultancy services, as more 
particularly described in the Directors’ Report.  For management purposes, the group is organized geographically across 
two principal operating segments, which can be expressed geographically.  The first segment is North America, and the 
second Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).  Information relating to these two segments is given below. 

The information in the following table relating to external revenues includes analysis both by location of customer and 
by location of operations.  The information relating to other items provides analysis by location of operations only.  Inter-
segment revenues are priced on an arm’s length basis.

Year ended 31 December 2012 

Income Statement
External revenues – by location of operations 
Operating profit before interest and tax 
Finance income 
Finance expense 
Profit before tax 
Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges   
EBITDA 

Balance Sheet 
Fixed asset additions 
Capitalization of internally generated development costs 
Total assets 
Total liabilities 

Year ended 31 December 2011 

Income Statement
External revenues – by location of operations 
Operating profit before interest and tax 
Finance income 
Finance expense 
Profit before tax 
Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges   
EBITDA 

Balance Sheet 
Fixed asset additions 
Capitalization of internally generated development costs 
Total assets 
Total liabilities 

North 
America 
£’000 

7,792 
139 
- 
(202) 
(64) 
(1,191)   
1,330 
–––––––– 

117 
1,211 
7,665 
(4,804) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

North 
America 
£’000 

7,189 
(139) 
- 
(281) 
(420) 
(1,090) 
884 
–––––––– 

100 
1,060 
7,701 
(4,924) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

EMEA 
£’000 

Total
£’000

4,871 
469 
9 
(134) 
345 
(5) 
473 
–––––––– 

19 
- 
3,799 
(3,437) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

12,663
607 
9
(336) 
281 
(1,196)
1,803
––––––––

136 
1,211
11,464
(8,241)
––––––––
––––––––

EMEA 
£’000 

Total
£’000

3,087 
601 
8 
(85) 
524 
(5) 
607 
–––––––– 

25 
- 
2,431 
(2,126) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

10,276
462 
8
(366) 
104 
(1,095) 
1,491
––––––––

125
1,060
10,132 
(7,050)
––––––––
––––––––

One customer accounted for approximately 16 percent of the group’s revenues in 2012.  A different customer accounted 
for approximately 10 percent or more of the group’s sales in 2011.

External revenues in 2012 exclude inter-segmental revenues which amounted to £1,245,000 (2011: £793,000) for North 
America and £215,000 (2011: £192,000) for EMEA.

Revenues attributable to customers in North America in 2012 amounted to £7,084,000 (2011: £6,565,000).  Revenue 
attributable to customers in the Rest of the World amounted to £5,579,000 (2011: £3,711,000) of which £2,920,000  
(2011: £3,546,000) was attributable to customers in the Eu.  The segmental analysis above has been presented using 
information that is readily available to management. 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  3 7

4 .   E B I T D A   A N D   R E V E N U E  V I S I B I L I T Y

EBITDA

The directors consider that EBITDA, which is defined as earnings/(loss) before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, is 
an important measure, since it is widely used by the investment community.  It is calculated as follows:

Profit for the year after tax 

Interest payable 
Interest receivable   
Amortization of intangible assets 
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 
Income tax expense 

EBITDA 

Revenue Visibility

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

281 

104 

335 
(9) 
1,098 
98 
- 
  –––––––– 
1,803 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

366 
(8) 
928 
101 
-
––––––––
1,491
––––––––
––––––––

Another performance indicator used by the group and referred to in narrative descriptions of the group’s performance 
is revenue visibility.  At any point in time it comprises revenue expected from (i) closed license orders, including those 
which are contracted but conditional on acceptance decisions scheduled later in the year; (ii) contracted services business 
delivered or expected to be delivered in the year; and (iii) recurring maintenance, hosting and rental streams.  The visibility 
calculation does not include revenues from new sales opportunities expected to close during the remainder of the year.

5 .   P R O F I T   F O R  T H E  Y E A R

The profit for the year has been arrived at after charging/(crediting): 

Continuing Operations

Net foreign exchange (gains) 
Research and development costs (excluding amortization) 
Amortization of intangible assets 
Impairment of intangible assets 
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 
Operating lease rentals – land and buildings 
Operating lease rentals – other 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

36 
1,698 
1,098 
175 
98 
319 
74 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

(55)
1,363
928
66
101
328 
80
––––––––
––––––––

Net foreign exchange losses or gains arise on the translation of certain cash and trade balances held in Euros and uS 
Dollars and are accordingly included in administration expense.

6 .   A U D I T O R S ’   R E M U N E R AT I O N  

During the year the group obtained the following services from its auditors and associated firms.  Fees for the audit of 
subsidiaries pursuant to legislation are not segregated from those for the group and are included in the amounts disclosed. 

Audit of the financial statements of the group 
Review of interim financial information 
Audit of uS pension plan 
Tax services 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

50 
10 
5 
24 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

50
10
5
35
––––––––
––––––––

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  3 8

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

7 .   S TA F F   C O S T S

Wages and salaries 
Social security costs 
Pension contributions 
Employee benefits expense 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

6,784 
539 
134 
439 
––––––– 
7,896 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

5,662 
453 
123 
509
––––––– 
6,747 
––––––––
––––––––

Included within the above are staff costs capitalized as development expenditure amounting to £1,210,000 (2011: 
£1,060,000).  Included within wages and salaries are bonus and sales commission costs amounting to £833,000 (2011: 
£311,000). 

The average monthly number of employees during the year was made up as follows:

Development and operations 
Sales and management 

2012 
Number 
70 
32 
––––––– 
102 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

2011
Number 
61
31
––––––– 
92 
––––––––
––––––––

 The above staff costs and the numbers of employees during the year include the executive directors.

The remuneration of all directors was as follows:

Fees and emoluments 
Pension contributions 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

573 
12 
  –––––––– 
585 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

470
13
––––––––
483
––––––––
––––––––

No director exercised share options during the year (2011: None).  Pension contributions are to personal defined 
contribution schemes and have been made for three directors (2011: three) who served during the year.

Full details of directors’ remuneration are disclosed in the Report on Directors’ Remuneration on page 18.

8 .   F I N A N C E   I N C O M E

Income on financial assets measured at amortized cost
    Interest income on bank deposits 

9 .   F I N A N C E   E X P E N S E

Interest expense on financial liabilities measured at amortized cost
    Interest on borrowings 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

9 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

8
––––––––
––––––––

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000 

(335) 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

(366)
––––––––
––––––––

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  3 9

1 0 .   I N C O M E  TA X   E X P E N S E

Income tax expense for the year – current tax 

The charge for the year can be reconciled to the accounting profit as follows:

Profit before tax 

Tax (charge) at the uK corporation tax rate of 24.5% (2011: 26.5%) 
Adjustment for differing rates of corporate taxation in overseas jurisdictions    
Tax effect of expenses that are not deductible in determining taxable losses 
Temporary differences arising from the capitalization
   and amortization of internally generated development costs 
utilization of prior year losses 

Income tax expense for the year 

There is no tax arising on other comprehensive income.

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
––––––––
––––––––

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

281 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

104
––––––––
––––––––

(69) 
(12) 
(99) 

(28)
(22) 
(98)

52 
128 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

79
69
––––––––
-
––––––––
––––––––

The group has an unrecognized deferred tax asset arising from its unrelieved trading losses, which has not been recognized 
owing to uncertainty as to the level and timing of taxable profits in the future.  The unrecognized deferred tax asset is 
made up as follows:

Shortfall of tax depreciation compared to book depreciation 
Effect of timing differences arising from capitalization
   of internally generated development costs 
unrelieved trading losses 

unrecognized deferred tax asset 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

165 

165 

(994) 
13,448 
–––––––– 
12,619 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

(1,100)
14,457
––––––––
13,522
––––––––
––––––––

At 31 December 2012, tax losses estimated at £44m were available to carry forward by the Sopheon group, arising from 
historic losses incurred.  These losses represent a potential deferred tax asset of £13.4m, based on the tax rates currently 
applicable in the relevant tax jurisdictions.

Of these tax losses, an aggregate amount of £8.5m (representing £3.0m of the potential deferred tax asset) represents 
pre-acquisition tax losses of Sopheon Corporation (Minnesota) and Alignent Software, Inc.  The future utilization of these 
losses may be restricted under Section 382 of the uS Internal Revenue Code, whereby the ability to utilize net operating 
losses arising prior to a change of ownership is limited to a percentage of the entity value of the corporation at the date of 
change of ownership. 

1 1 .   L O S S   D E A LT  W I T H   I N  T H E   F I N A N C I A L   S TAT E M E N T S   O F  T H E 

PA R E N T   C O M PA N Y

The loss dealt with in the financial statements of the parent company for the year ended 31 December 2012 was £534,000 
(2011: profit of £42,000).  Advantage has been taken of Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 not to present an income 
statement for the parent company.

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  4 0

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1 2 .   E A R N I N G S   P E R   S H A R E

Profit after tax 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for
    the purpose of basic earnings per share 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

281 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

104
––––––––
–––––––– 

’000s 

’000s

145,579 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

145,579 
––––––––
––––––––

The profit attributable to ordinary shareholders and the weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose 
of calculating the diluted earnings per ordinary share are the same as those used for calculating the basic earnings per 
ordinary share in both 2012 and 2011.  This is (i) because the exercise of conversion rights attaching to the convertible 
loan stock (details of which are set out in Note 20), would have the effect in each year of increasing earnings per ordinary 
share (by virtue of the saving of loan stock interest, which would otherwise be payable, and of interest receivable on 
subscription proceeds), and are therefore not dilutive; and (ii) because the warrants to subscribe for 502,790 ordinary 
shares and the 12,739,930 share options to subscribe for ordinary shares (details of which are set out in Notes 24 and 28), 
either have a strike price above the average market price for the year, or have an immaterial impact.

1 3 .   P R O P E R T Y,  P L A N T   A N D   E Q U I P M E N T

Group 

Cost
At 1 January 2011   
Additions 
Exchange differences 
Amounts written off 

At 1 January 2012   
Additions 
Exchange differences 

At 31 December 2012 

Accumulated Depreciation
At 1 January 2011   
Depreciation charge for the year 
Exchange differences 
Amounts written off 

At 1 January 2012   
Depreciation charge for the year 
Exchange differences 

At 31 December 2012 

Carrying Amount 
At 31 December 2012 

At 31 December 2011 

  Computer 
  Equipment 
£’000 

Furniture
& Fittings 
£’000 

2,260 
97 
10 
(1,559) 
  –––––––– 
808 
127 
(35) 
  –––––––– 
900 
  –––––––– 

2,129 
95 
9 
(1,559) 
  –––––––– 
674 
91 
(29) 
  –––––––– 
736 
  –––––––– 

164 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 
134 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

434 
28 
3 
(279) 
–––––––– 
186 
9 
(8) 
–––––––– 
187 
–––––––– 

424 
6 
3 
(279) 
–––––––– 
154 
7 
(7) 
–––––––– 
154 
–––––––– 

33 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 
32 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Total
£’000

2,694
125
13
(1,838)
––––––––
994
136
(43)
––––––––
1,087
––––––––

2,553
101
12
(1,838)
––––––––
828
98
(36)
––––––––
890
––––––––

197
––––––––
––––––––
166
––––––––
––––––––

The net carrying amount of property, plant and equipment includes £1,000 (2011: £2,000) in respect of assets held under 
finance leases.

Company
The company has no property, plant and equipment.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  4 1

1 4 .   I N TA N G I B L E   A S S E T S

Cost
At 1 January 2011   
Additions (internally generated) 
Exchange differences 

At 1 January 2012   
Additions (internally generated) 
Exchange differences 

At 31 December 2012 

Amortization
At 1 January 2011   
Charge for the year 
Exchange differences 

At 1 January 2012   
Charge for the year 
Exchange differences 

At 31 December 2012 

At 1 January 2011   
Impairment losses in year 
Exchange differences 

At 1 January 2012   
Impairment losses in year 
Exchange differences 

At 31 December 2012 

Carrying Amount
At 31 December 2012 

At 31 December 2011 

 Development  Technology 

Customer 
and IPR  Relationships 

Goodwill 

Total

£’000 

£’000 

£’000 

£’000

Costs  

(Internally
  Generated)
£’000 

6,307 
1,060 
121 
  –––––––– 
7,488 
1,210 
(348) 
  –––––––– 
8,350 
  –––––––– 

3,894 
764 
78 
  –––––––– 
4,736 
998 
(224) 
  –––––––– 
5,510 
  –––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
  –––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
  –––––––– 
- 
  –––––––– 

891 
- 
11 
–––––––– 
902 
- 
(40) 
–––––––– 
862 
–––––––– 

575 
46 
10 
–––––––– 
631 
- 
(28) 
–––––––– 
603 
–––––––– 
268 
- 
3 
–––––––– 
271 
- 
(12) 
–––––––– 
259 
–––––––– 

2,840 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 
2,752 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

1,670 
- 
21 
–––––––– 
1,691 
- 
(74) 
–––––––– 
1,617 
–––––––– 

652 
118 
13 
–––––––– 
783 
100 
(35) 
–––––––– 
848 
–––––––– 
473 
66 
8 
–––––––– 
547 
175 
(27) 
–––––––– 
695 
–––––––– 

74 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 
361 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

627 
- 
8 
–––––––– 
635 
- 
(27) 
–––––––– 
608 
–––––––– 

- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 

608 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 
635 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

9,495
1,060
161
––––––––
10,716
1,210
(489)
––––––––
11,437 
––––––––

5,121
928
101
––––––––
6,150
1,098
(287) 

––––––––
6,961
––––––––
741
66
11
––––––––
818
175
(39) 

––––––––
954 
––––––––

3,522
––––––––
–––––––– 
3,748
––––––––
–––––––– 

The amortization period for the internally generated development costs relating to the group’s software products is four 
years.  The amortization periods for (a) technology & IPR and (b) customer relationships, arising from the acquisition of 
Alignent Software, Inc. in June 2007, are four years and eight years respectively.  Goodwill is not amortized.  The residual 
goodwill arising on the acquisition of Alignent is attributable to the enhanced market position of each of the group’s 
operating segments, due to the completeness of the solution that Sopheon can offer the market, in addition to the ability to 
penetrate wholly new markets such as aerospace and defense for the overall product set.  The recoverable amount of the 
goodwill can be underpinned on a value in use basis by the expected performance of each of the group’s operating segments.

The valuation used for this purpose is based on cash-flow projections for the next two years, then extrapolated using a 
pre-tax discount rate of 14.6 percent and an annual growth assumption of 20 percent for four years, and thereafter for an 
indefinite period at a growth assumption of 3 percent.  Sensitivity analysis performed on these projections demonstrates 
significant valuation headroom above the carrying value of goodwill even if the growth rate for the four year period is 
reduced to 5 percent.  The annualized average growth of the business since the launch of the group’s core Accolade solution 
is approximately 25 percent.

The initial valuation of the intangible assets acquired with Alignent relating to technology and IPR, and to customer 
relationships, used an income-based approach.  The recurring income from certain acquired Alignent customer base has or 
is expected to fall, due to a mix of factors including the conversion of certain rental licenses to perpetual, changes in rental 
levels, and cancellations.  The overall reduction exceeds the rate of attrition of such recurring income estimated in the 
original valuation exercise, leading to impairments in the carrying value of the acquired Alignent customer relationships of 
£175,000 (2011: £66,000).

All other assumptions of the original valuation have been retained in the impairment review.  The valuation exercise, and the 
recoverable amount of the intangible assets and goodwill, are based on value in use with a pre-tax discount rate of  
14.6 percent.  The remaining amortization period for the acquired Alignent customer relationships is 3.5 years.

Company
The company has no intangible assets.

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
                  4 2

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1 5 .   I N V E S T M E N T   I N   S U B S I D I A R I E S

At 31 December 2011 and at 31 December 2012

Cost 
Less: Amounts provided 

Carrying amount 

Company
£’000

41,560
(35,441)
––––––––
6,119
––––––––
––––––––

Details of the company’s subsidiaries at 31 December 2012 are set out below.  Companies marked with an asterisk(*) are held 
via Sopheon uK Ltd and those with an obelus(†) are held via Orbital Software holdings plc.  The common stock of Alignent 
Software, Inc. is held by Sopheon Corporation, Delaware, uSA.

Name of Company 
Place of Incorporation 

Sopheon Corporation 
Minnesota, uSA 

Sopheon Corporation 
Delaware, uSA  

Alignent Software, Inc. 
California, uSA

Sopheon Nv 
The Netherlands 

Sopheon uK Ltd 
united Kingdom 

Orbital Software holdings plc 
united Kingdom

Orbital Software Inc.† 
Delaware, uSA 

Sopheon Edinburgh Ltd† 
united Kingdom 

Orbital Software Europe Ltd† 
united Kingdom 

Network Managers (uK) Ltd* 
united Kingdom 

AppliedNet Ltd* 
united Kingdom

Future Tense Ltd* 
united Kingdom

Polydoc Ltd 
united Kingdom

Nature of Ownership 
Interest 

Proportion of 
Voting Rights Held

Nature of Business

Common Stock 

100% 

Software sales and services 

Common Stock 

100% 

Software development and sales

Common Stock 

100% 

Software sales and services

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Software sales and services

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Software sales and services

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

holding company

Common Stock 

100% 

Dormant

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Dormant

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Dormant

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Dormant

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Dormant

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Dormant

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Dormant

Applied Network Technology Ltd* 
united Kingdom 

Ordinary Shares 

100% 

Employee Share Ownership
Trust

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  4 3

1 6 .   O T H E R   R E C E I V A B L E

Other receivable 

  Group 

 Company

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

12 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

12 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
––––––––
––––––––

The other receivable represents a deposit paid in respect of a property leased by the group.

1 7 .  T R A D E   A N D   O T H E R   R E C E I V A B L E S

Trade receivables 
Other receivables   

Total receivables 
Prepayments 
Accrued income 

  Group 

 Company

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000 

3,547 
4 
  –––––––– 
3,551 
290 
118 
  –––––––– 
3,959 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

3,103 
5 
–––––––– 
3,108 
145 
12 
–––––––– 
3,265 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
-
––––––––
-
9
-
––––––––
9
––––––––
––––––––

Trade and other receivables are stated net of allowances totaling £24,000 (2011: £30,000) for estimated irrecoverable 
amounts.  The directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other receivables approximates to their fair value. 

A full provision has been made against amounts totaling £40,015,000 (2011: £40,191,000) owed to the company by 
subsidiary undertakings, which are due after more than one year and are subordinated to the claims of all other creditors.

1 8 .   C A S H   A N D   S H O R T- T E R M   B A N K   D E P O S I T S

Cash at bank 
Short-term bank deposits 

  Group 

 Company

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

3,129 
751 
  –––––––– 
3,880 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

1,824 
1,117 
–––––––– 
2,941 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

1,398 
57 
–––––––– 
1,455 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

133
570
––––––––
703
––––––––
––––––––

Cash and short-term bank deposits comprise cash held by the group, bank current accounts and short-term bank deposit 
accounts with maturities of three months or less and bearing interest at variable rates.  The carrying amount of these 
assets represents a reasonable approximation to their fair value.

Included in cash at bank of the group is an amount of £23,000 (2011: £23,000) held by the group’s employee share 
ownership trust.

  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  4 4

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1 9 .  T R A D E   A N D   O T H E R   PAYA B L E S

Trade payables 
Other payables 
Tax and social security costs 
Accruals 

  Group 

 Company

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

717 
113 
231 
1,325 
  –––––––– 
2,386 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

344 
114 
221 
788 
–––––––– 
1,467 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

29 
107 
- 
227 
–––––––– 
363 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

24
103 
-
174
––––––––
301
––––––––
––––––––

Trade payables principally comprise amounts outstanding for trade purchases and ongoing costs. 

The directors consider that the carrying amounts of trade and other payables represent a reasonable approximation to 
their fair values.

2 0 .   B O R R O W I N G S

Current Loans and Borrowings
Line of credit 

Loan notes (current portion) 

Total current loans and borrowings 

Non-current Loans and Borrowings
Loan notes 
8% convertible loan stock 2015  

Total non-current loans and borrowings 

Total loans and borrowings 

a)  Line of Credit

  Group 

 Company

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

495 

776 

- 

- 

641 
  –––––––– 
1,136 

672 
–––––––– 
1,448 

- 
–––––––– 
- 

-
––––––––
-

162 
1,959 
  –––––––– 
2,121 
  –––––––– 
3,257 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

840 
823 
–––––––– 
1,663 
–––––––– 
3,111 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
1,959 
–––––––– 
1,959 
–––––––– 
1,959 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
823
––––––––
823 
––––––––
823
––––––––
––––––––

The line of credit is denominated in uS Dollars and bears interest at a variable rate currently 10.95 percent.  The 
line of credit is a revolving facility limited to the lesser of $1,250,000 and 75 percent of the eligible trade receivables 
of the group’s uS subsidiaries, which at 31 December 2012 amounted to $3,865,000 (£2,391,000) (2011: $3,483,000 
(£2,252,000)).  At 31 December 2012 $800,000 (£495,000) was drawn down under the line of credit facility  
(2011: $1,200,000 (£776,000)).

b)  Loan Notes

The loan notes are denominated in uS Dollars and represent mezzanine loan finance provided by BlueCrest Capital 
Finance LLC (“BlueCrest”).  The loan notes were issued in June 2007 for an initial principal amount of $3,500,000 repayable 
in equal installments over the four-year period to July 2011 bearing interest at a fixed rate of 11.03 percent. 

On 8 December 2010 the group entered into a new mezzanine loan with BlueCrest, for an amount of $3,500,000, equal to 
the principal amount of the original loan.  Part of the proceeds after expenses were applied in repayment of the remaining 
balance outstanding on the original mezzanine loan, with the balance to provide additional working capital of approximately 
$2.7m for the group.  The new mezzanine loan is repayable in 39 monthly installments of $90,000, together with interest at 
a fixed rate of 13 percent per annum, over the period to March 2014.

 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  4 5

The mezzanine loan and the line of credit, which is also provided by BlueCrest, are secured by a debenture and guarantee 
provided by Sopheon plc.  The company has estimated the risk of this guarantee being called at 5 percent of the carrying 
value of the loan, and in its financial statements has included a provision for this amount within other payables.

The directors consider that the carrying amounts for loan notes, and the line of credit, represent a reasonable 
approximation of the financial instruments’ fair values.

c)  8 Percent Convertible Loan Stock 2015

The convertible loan stock is denominated in Sterling and bears interest at a fixed rate of 8 percent per annum.  The loan 
stock was issued at par in a nominal amount of £850,000 on 1 October 2009 with a maturity date of 30 September 2011.  
The original terms provided that the loan stock was convertible into Sopheon ordinary shares at a conversion price of 10p 
per share, and contained provisions for the amendment of the conversion price in the case of any subsequent equity issues 
by the company at a price per share lower than the conversion price.  

On 8 December 2010, the holders of the loan stock unanimously agreed to extend the maturity date by a further sixteen 
months to 31 January 2013 and to amend the conversion price to 7.75p.  At the same time, the provisions for future 
amendment of the conversion price were removed, and the carrying value of the equity component represented by the 
conversion rights attaching to the loan stock, which amounted at that date to £51,000, was reclassified from debt to equity 
in the financial statements.  On 15 May 2012 the maturity of the loan stock was extended by a further two years to 31 
January 2015 and the conversion price was amended to 5p per share (representing a premium of 0.25p over the closing 
mid-market price of 4.75p for Sopheon shares on 14 May 2012).

On 23 August 2012 the company made a further issue of loan stock in a nominal amount of £1,150,000 bearing the same 
interest rate, and with the same maturity date and conversion price, as the existing loan stock.  The closing mid-market 
price of Sopheon shares on 22 August 2012 was 5p.  Following this issue, the aggregate liability at maturity of the loan 
stock increased from £850,000 to £2,000,000.  This transaction has resulted in an increase of £50,000 in the carrying 
value of the equity component represented by the conversion rights attaching to the loan stock, and this amount has been 
transferred from debt to equity in the financial statements.  As set out below, of the total investment in further issue of 
£1,150,000, members of the board and management or their families subscribed for £665,000.

Barry Mence, Chairman 
Stuart Silcock, Non-executive Director  
Bernard Al, Non-executive Director 
Andrew Michuda, Chief Executive Officer 
Arif Karimjee, Chief Financial Officer 
Other Members of Sopheon Management  
External Investors   

Total 

Initial 
£’000 

Further 
£’000 

Total
£’000

200 
100 
40 
20 
12 
43 
435 
–––––––– 
850 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

440 
100 
20 
25 
15 
65 
485 
–––––––– 
1,150 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

640
200
60
45
27
98
930
––––––––
2,000
––––––––
––––––––

Of the £485,000 of Further Loan Stock being subscribed by external investors, £440,000 was subscribed by Rivomore 
Limited, an existing Significant Shareholder that was also interested in £200,000 of Initial Loan Stock.  holders may convert 
the loan stock into Sopheon ordinary shares at any time up to the extended maturity date of 31 January 2015, and any 
loan stock not converted will be repaid at par on that date.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  4 6

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

2 1 .  O B L I G AT I O N S   U N D E R   F I N A N C E   L E A S E S

The present value of future lease payments is analyzed as:

Current liabilities 
Non-current liabilities 

  Group 

 Company

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

1 
- 
  –––––––– 
1 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

2 
- 
–––––––– 
2 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
-
––––––––
-
––––––––
––––––––

The group leases a telephone system with a net carrying value at 31 December 2012 of £1,000 (2011: £2,000). 

Future lease payments are due as follows:

At 31 December 2012 

Within one year 
Due in one to five years 

At 31 December 2011 

Within one year 
Due in one to five years 

Minimum 
Lease 
Payments 
£’000 

1 
- 
–––––––– 
1 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Minimum
Lease 
Payments 
£’000 

2 
- 
–––––––– 
2 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Interest 
£’000 

- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Interest 
£’000 

- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Present
Value
£’000

1
-
––––––––
1
––––––––
––––––––

Present
Value
£’000

2
- 
––––––––
2
––––––––
––––––––

2 2 .  O P E R AT I N G   L E A S E   A R R A N G E M E N T S

At the balance sheet date the group had outstanding commitments under operating leases in respect of which the total 
future minimum lease payments were due as follows:

Due within one year 
Due after one year and within five years 

Land & 
  Buildings 
2012 
£’000 

337 
74 
  –––––––– 
411 
  –––––––– 
  –––––––– 

Other 
2012 
£’000 

54 
76 
–––––––– 
130 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Land &
Buildings 
2011 
£’000 

345 
279 
–––––––– 
624 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Other
2011
£’000

52
18
––––––––
70
––––––––
––––––––

The group leases its office accommodation in the uS, uK and the Netherlands and has operating leases for office 
equipment and vehicles.

Company
The company has no operating leases.

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  4 7

2 3 .   F I N A N C I A L   I N S T R U M E N T S

Categories of Financial Assets and Liabilities

The following table sets out the categories of financial instruments held by the group.  All of the group’s financial assets are 
in the category of loans and receivables, and all of its financial liabilities are in the category of financial liabilities measured 
at amortized cost.

1. Financial Assets

Current Financial Assets
Trade receivables 
Other receivables   
Accrued income 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Non-current Financial Assets
Other receivable 

Group 

Company 

  Notes 

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000 

17 
17 
17 
18 

3,547 
4 
118 
3,880 
–––––––– 
7,549 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

3,103 
5 
12 
2,941 
–––––––– 
6,061 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
- 
- 
1,455 
–––––––– 
1,455 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
-
-
703
––––––––
703 
––––––––
––––––––

16 

12 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

12 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

-
––––––––
––––––––

The group does not have any financial assets in any other categories.

2. Financial Liabilities

Current Financial Liabilities
Trade payables 
Other payables 
Accruals 
Loans and borrowings 
Obligations under finance lease 

Non-current Financial Liabilities
Loans and borrowings 
8% convertible loan stock 2015 

Group 

Company 

  Notes 

2012 
£’000 

2011 
£’000 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

19 
19 
19 
20 
21 

20 
20 

717 
113 
1,325 
1,136 
1 
–––––––– 
3,292 
–––––––– 

162 
2,000 
–––––––– 
2,162 
–––––––– 
5,454 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

344 
114 
788 
1,448 
2 
–––––––– 
2,696 
–––––––– 

840 
823 
–––––––– 
1,663 
–––––––– 
4,359 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

29 
107 
227 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
363 
–––––––– 

- 
2,000 
–––––––– 
2,000 
–––––––– 
2,363 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

24
103 
174
-
-
––––––––
301
––––––––

-
823
––––––––
823
––––––––
1,124
––––––––
––––––––

The amounts shown in respect of the 8% convertible loan stock 2015 represent the nominal value of the instrument.  
As set out in Note 20 the carrying value of the instrument at the balance sheet date reflects a deduction for the 
reclassification of the fair value of conversion rights into equity.

 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  4 8

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Financial Instrument Risk Exposure and Management

The group is exposed to risks that arise from its use of financial instruments.  This note describes the group’s objectives, 
policies and processes for managing those risks and the methods used to measure them. 

There have been no changes in the group’s exposure to financial instrument risks, its objectives, policies and processes for 
managing those risks or the methods used to measure them from previous periods, unless otherwise disclosed in this note.

Principal Financial Instruments

The principal financial instruments used by the group, from which financial instrument risk arises, are as follows:

•	Trade	and	other	receivables
•	Cash	and	cash	equivalents
•	Trade	and	other	payables
•	Loan	notes
•	Bank	line	of	credit
•	Convertible	loan	stock

General Objectives, Policies and Processes

The board has overall responsibility for the determination of the group’s risk management objectives and policies and, 
whilst retaining ultimate responsibility for them, it has delegated the authority for designing and operating processes that 
ensure the effective implementation of the objectives and policies to the group’s finance function.  The board receives 
quarterly reports from the group finance director through which it reviews the effectiveness of the processes put in place 
and the appropriateness of the objectives and policies it sets.  The group’s risk management procedures are also reviewed 
periodically by the audit committee.

The overall objective of the board is to set policies that seek to reduce risk as far as possible without unduly affecting the 
group’s competitiveness and flexibility.  Further details regarding these policies are set out below:

a) Credit Risk

Credit risk arises principally from the group’s trade receivables, other receivables and accrued income.  It is the risk that 
the counterparty fails to discharge its obligations in respect of the instrument.

The group’s software is principally marketed at major international corporations of good credit standing, and the group’s 
historical bad debt experience is very low.  Due to the potentially large size of certain individual sales, in a particular 
year one customer can account for a substantial proportion of revenues recorded.  however, such concentrations rarely 
persist for multiple years and therefore the directors do not believe that the group is systematically exposed to credit risk 
concentration in respect of particular customers.  In 2012, the largest single customer accounted for 16 percent of group 
revenues (2011:10 percent).

Credit risk also arises from cash and cash equivalents and deposits with banks and financial institutions.  At the year end 
the group was holding a proportion of its deposits and bank balances with each of Lloyds Banking Group plc, Royal Bank of 
Scotland plc, and Silicon valley Bank.

The group does not enter into derivatives to manage credit risk.

The group's customers are major international corporations of high credit standing and therefore the group does not 
typically obtain credit ratings for individual customers.  Nevertheless, current economic conditions have resulted in such 
major corporations slowing down payments and this is reflected in the ageing profile of the group’s receivables.  however, 
impairment of trade receivables is very rare, and in the three years ending 31 December 2012 provisions or write offs 
against customer receivables amounted in total to less than 0.5 percent of revenues.  Such impairments do not arise from 
credit defaults, but principally from disagreements with a very small number of former customers over their responsibility 
for renewal fees for maintenance or hosting contracts.  Sopheon's policy is to pursue collection of such fees but to make 
provision against the applicable receivable if collection is uncertain.

 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  4 9

The following is an analysis of the group’s trade receivables identifying the totals of trade receivables which are current and 
those which are past due but not impaired:

At 31 December 2012 

At 31 December 2011 

Total 
£’000 

Current 
£’000 

Past Due 
+30 Days 
£’000 

Past Due
+60 Days
£’000

3,547 
 ––––––––– 
 ––––––––– 

2,843 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

382 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

322
–––––––––
–––––––––

3,103 
 ––––––––– 
 ––––––––– 

2,726 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

167 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

210
–––––––––
–––––––––

The following is an analysis of the group’s provisions against trade receivables, analyzed between the geographical segments 
in which the group’s operations are located:

2012 

£’000 
Provision 

£’000  
Gross 
Value 

£’000 
Carrying 
Value 

£’000 
Gross 
Value 

2011

£’000 
Provision 

£’000
Carrying
Value

Trade receivables
   North America 
   united Kingdom   
   Rest of Europe 

2,391 
264 
916 
––––––––– 
3,571 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

- 
24 
- 
––––––––– 
24 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

2,391 
240 
916 
––––––––– 
3,547 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

2,282 
463 
388 
––––––––– 
3,133 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

30 
- 
- 
––––––––– 
30 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

2,252 
463 
388
–––––––––
3,103
–––––––––
–––––––––

The group records impairment losses on its trade receivables separately from the gross amounts receivable.  The 
movements on this allowance during the year are summarized below: 

Opening balance 
utilization of provisions 
New provisions 

Closing balance 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

30 
(30) 
24 
––––––––– 
24 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

28
(28)
30
–––––––––
30
–––––––––
–––––––––

The main factors used in assessing the impairment of the group’s trade receivables are the age of the balances and the 
circumstances of the individual customer.

The company provides in full for amounts due from subsidiaries.  The company is exposed to credit risk in respect of its 
cash and cash equivalents, which are held in the form of current account and money market balances with leading uK, uS 
and European banking institutions.

b)  Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk arises from the group’s management of working capital, and more particularly its ability to reach a point 
where its trading is cash generative, together with the finance charges and principal repayments on its debt instruments.  It 
is the risk that the group will encounter difficulties in meeting its financial obligations as they fall due.

The group’s policy is to maintain significant cash balances, short-term bank deposits and facilities with a view to having 
sufficient cash to meet its liabilities when they become due.  The board annually approves budgets including cash flow 
projections for each of the operating companies within the group and receives regular information as to cash balances 
held and progress against budget.  Attention is particularly drawn to the detailed discussion of the factors which enable the 
group to continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future in the section headed “Going Concern” in Note 2 to the 
financial statements.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  5 0

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following table sets out an analysis of the contractual maturity of the group’s and the company’s financial liabilities that 
must be settled gross, based on exchange rates prevailing at the relevant balance sheet date.   

Group

At 31 December 2012 

Trade and other payables 
Line of credit 
Loan notes 
Future interest – loan notes 
Convertible loan stock 
Future interest – convertible loan stock 
Finance lease 

Total financial liabilities 

At 31 December 2011 

Trade and other payables 
Line of credit 
Loan notes 
Future interest – loan notes 
Convertible loan stock 
Future interest – convertible loan stock 
Finance lease 

Total financial liabilities 

Company

At 31 December 2012 

Trade and other payables 
Convertible loan stock 
Future interest – convertible loan stock 

Total financial liabilities 

At 31 December 2011 

Trade and other payables 
Convertible loan stock 
Future interest – convertible loan stock 

Total financial liabilities 

  On Demand
or Within 
Six Months 
£’000 

Within 
 One Year 
£’000 

Within 
Two Years 
£’000 

Within
Five Years 
£’000 

2,386 
495 
333 
45 
- 
80 
1 
––––––––– 
3,340 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

- 
- 
333 
23 
- 
80 
- 
––––––––– 
436 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

- 
- 
166 
4 
- 
160 
- 
––––––––– 
330 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

- 
- 
- 
2,000 
14 
- 
––––––––– 
2,014 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

  On Demand
or Within 
Six Months 
£’000 

Within 
 One Year 
£’000 

Within 
Two Years 
£’000 

Within
Five Years 
£’000 

1,444 
776 
336 
92 
- 
34 
1 
––––––––– 
2,683 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

- 
- 
336 
70 
- 
34 
1 
––––––––– 
441 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

- 
- 
672 
72 
850 
6 
- 
––––––––– 
1,600 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

23 
- 
168 
3 
- 
- 
- 
––––––––– 
194 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Total
£’000

2,386
495
832
72
2,000
334
1
–––––––––
6,120
–––––––––
–––––––––

Total
£’000

1,467
776
1,512
237
850
74
2
–––––––––
4,918
–––––––––
–––––––––

  On Demand
or Within 
Six Months 
£’000 

363 
- 
80 
––––––––– 
443 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

  On Demand
or Within 
Six Months 
£’000 

301 
- 
34 
––––––––– 
335 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Within 
 One Year 
£’000 

- 
- 
80 
––––––––– 
80 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Within 
Two Years 
£’000 

- 
- 
160 
––––––––– 
160 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Within
Five Years 
£’000 

- 
2,000 
14 
––––––––– 
2,014 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Total
£’000

363
2,000
334
–––––––––
2,697
–––––––––
–––––––––

Within 
 One Year 
£’000 

- 
- 
34 
––––––––– 
34 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Within 
Two Years 
£’000 

- 
850 
6 
––––––––– 
856 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Within
Five Years 
£’000 

- 
- 
- 
––––––––– 
- 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Total
£’000

301
850
74
–––––––––
1,225
–––––––––
–––––––––

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  5 1

c) Market Risk

Market risk arises from the group’s use of interest-bearing and foreign currency financial instruments.  It is the risk that the 
future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in interest rates (interest rate risk) or foreign 
exchange rates (currency risk).  The group does not have any financial instruments that are publicly traded securities and is not 
exposed to other price risk associated with changes in the market prices of such securities.

d) Interest Rate Risk

The group’s fixed rate interest bearing liabilities comprise loan notes with a carrying value at 31 December 2012 of £803,000, 
which bear a fixed interest rate of 13 percent, and convertible loan stock with a carrying value of £2,000,000, which bears a 
fixed interest rate of 8 percent.  These liabilities do not give rise to interest rate risk.  The group also has a line of credit, on 
which £495,000 was outstanding at 31 December 2012, and which bears a variable interest rate based on a margin of 1.25 
percent above the lender’s Prime Rate.  Should this rate vary by 1 percent the annualized effect would be to increase or 
reduce finance costs by £5,000. 

The company’s interest bearing liabilities consist of its convertible loan stock which bears a fixed rate of interest of 8 percent, 
which does not give rise to interest rate risk. 

The group invests its surplus cash in bank deposits denominated in uS Dollars, Euros or Sterling, which bear interest based 
on short-term money market rates, and in doing so exposes itself to fluctuations in money market interest rates.  The group’s 
surplus cash held in the form of bank deposits at 31 December 2012 was £737,000.  During 2012 interest rates on money 
market deposits averaged around 0.5 percent in respect of Sterling and uS Dollar deposits and 0.75 percent in respect of Euro 
deposits.  The annualized effect of a movement of 0.5 percent in the average interest rate received on the group’s bank deposits 
at the balance sheet date would result in an increase or decrease in the group’s and the company’s interest income of £4,000. 

The company’s interest bearing deposits at the balance sheet date amounted to £57,000.  The effect of a 0.5 percent changes in 
the rate of interest would be immaterial

e) Currency Risk

The following is an analysis of the group’s financial assets and liabilities, analyzed by the currency in which they are denominated:

At 31 December 2012

Financial Assets
Receivables and accrued income 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total financial assets 

Financial Liabilities
Trade and other payables 
Borrowings 

Total financial liabilities 

At 31 December 2011

Financial Assets
Receivables and accrued income 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Total financial assets 

Financial Liabilities
Trade and other payables 
Borrowings 

Total financial liabilities 

US Dollars 
£’000 

2,402 
1,640 
––––––––– 
4,042 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

1,283 
1,299 
––––––––– 
2,582 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

US Dollars 
£’000 

2,264 
1,777 
––––––––– 
4,041 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

693 
2,290 
––––––––– 
2,983 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

Sterling 
£’000 

Euro 
£’000 

Total
£’000

356 
1,638 
––––––––– 
1,994 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

337 
2,000 
––––––––– 
2,337 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

923 
602 
––––––––– 
1,525 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

535 
- 
––––––––– 
535 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

3681
3,880
–––––––––
7,561
–––––––––
–––––––––

2,155
3,299
–––––––––
5,454
–––––––––
–––––––––

Sterling 
£’000 

Euro 
£’000 

Total
£’000

473 
219 
––––––––– 
692 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

237 
823 
––––––––– 
1,060 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

394 
945 
––––––––– 
1,339 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

316 
- 
––––––––– 
316 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

3,132
2,941
–––––––––
6,073
–––––––––
–––––––––

1,246
3,113
–––––––––
4,359
–––––––––
–––––––––

The amount shown in respect of Sterling borrowings at December 31, 2012 represents the nominal value of the instrument.  
As set out in Note 20 the carrying value of the instrument at the balance sheet date reflects a deduction for the 
reclassification of the fair value of conversion rights into equity. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  5 2

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The group’s policy is, where possible, to allow group entities to settle liabilities denominated in the functional currency 
with cash generated from their own operations in that currency.  The group also maintains cash and bank deposits in the 
currencies which are the functional currencies of its operating entities, which are the uS Dollar, the Euro and Sterling.

The group is exposed to currency risk in respect of foreign currency denominated bank deposits and bank loans.  Taking 
into account the fact that a large proportion of the group’s income and expenditure arise in uS Dollars and, to a lesser 
extent, in Euros, the group’s policy is not to seek to hedge such currency risk.

Foreign currency risk also arises where individual group entities enter into transactions denominated in currencies other 
than their functional currency, with fluctuations in exchange rates giving rise to gains or losses in the income statement.  
Where the foreign currency risk to the group is significant, consideration is given to hedging the risk through the forward 
currency market and, whilst this would be an economic hedge of the cash-flow risk, the group does not employ hedge 
accounting.

The following table shows the effects, all other things being equal, of changes to exchange rates on the group’s profit after 
tax and on the exchange differences on retranslation of the assets and liabilities of foreign operations which is recognized 
directly in equity.  It illustrates the effects if the exchange rates for the uS Dollar and the Euro had been higher or lower 
than those which actually applied during the year and at the year end.

Weakening of uS Dollar by 10c 
Strengthening of uS Dollar by 10c 
Weakening of Euro by 10c 
Strengthening of Euro by 10c 

2012 

2011 

2012 

2011

Increase/ 
(Decrease) 
in Profit 
After Tax 
£’000 

Increase/ 
(Decrease 
in Profit 
After Tax 
£’000 

Effect of 
Exchange Differences 
on Translation of
Assets and Liabilities
of Foreign Operations
£’000 

£’000 

167 
(76) 
(77) 
91 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

(10) 
    3 
   - 
(26) 

(193) 
214 
(5) 
7 
–––––––––  ––––––––– 
–––––––––  ––––––––– 

(118)
134 
(57) 
67
–––––––––
–––––––––

The company holds certain assets, mainly bank deposits, and liabilities denominated in the functional currencies of its 
principal operating subsidiaries, which are the uS Dollar, the Euro and Sterling.  The following table shows the effects, all 
other things being equal, of changes to exchange rates at the year end on the profit after tax of the company.  It is based 
on the company’s assets and liabilities at the relevant balance sheet date.

Weakening of uS Dollar by 10c 
Strengthening of uS Dollar by 10c 
Weakening of Euro by 10c 
Strengthening of Euro by 10c 

f) Capital

2012 
2011
(Increase)/Decrease  
in Profit After Tax 

£’000 

£’000

(18) 
21 
(46) 
54 
––––––––– 
 ––––––––– 

(19) 
22 
(22) 
25
––––––––– 
–––––––––

The group considers its capital to comprise its share capital and share premium and other capital reserves less the 
accumulated retained losses.  The group is not subject to any externally imposed capital requirements.  In managing its 
capital, the group’s primary objective is to support the development of the group’s activities through to the point where 
they are cash generative on a sustained basis.

The group’s capital is all equity capital and is summarized in Note 24. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  5 3

2 4 .   S H A R E   C A P I TA L

Issued and Fully Paid  

Ordinary shares of 5p each 

2012 
  Number 

2012 
£’000 

2011 
Number 

2011
£’000

145,579,027 
 ––––––––– 
 ––––––––– 

7,279  145,579,027 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

––––––––– 
––––––––– 

7,279
–––––––––
–––––––––

The company has one class of ordinary shares, which carry no right to fixed income.

At 31 December 2012 the company had outstanding 502,790 warrants to subscribe for ordinary shares at a price of 20p per 
share, which were issued in June 2007 to BlueCrest Capital Finance LLC in connection with the financing of the acquisition of 
Alignent Software, Inc.  The warrants have a 10 year life. 

2 5 .   C A P I TA L   R E S E R V E S

Group  

Share 
  Premium 
£’000 

Merger 
Reserve 
£’000 

At 1 January 2011   
Recognition of share-based payments 
Purchase of shares by Esot 
Transfer of merger reserve to profit and loss reserve 

At 1 January 2012   
Recognition of share-based payments 
Lapsing or expiry of share options 
Equity component of convertible loan stock 

At 31 December 2012 

Company 

At 1 January 2011   
Recognition of share-based payments 
Purchase of shares by Esot 
Transfer of merger reserve to profit and loss reserve 

At 1 January 2012   
Recognition of share-based payments 
Lapsing or expiry of share options 
Equity component of convertible loan stock 

At 31 December 2012 

Capital 
Redemption 
Reserve 
£’000 

2,884 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
2,884 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
2,884 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Capital 
Redemption 
Reserve 
£’000 

2,884 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
2,884 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
2,884 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Equity 
Reserve 
£’000 

795 
39 
(11) 
- 
–––––––– 
823 
38 
(272) 
50 
–––––––– 
639 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Equity 
Reserve 
£’000 

795 
39 
(11) 
- 
–––––––– 
823 
38 
(272) 
50 
–––––––– 
639 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Total
£’000

73,719
39
(11)
(17,944)
––––––––
55,803
38
(272)
50
––––––––
55,619
––––––––
––––––––

Total
£’000

65,954
39
(11)
(10,179)
––––––––
55,803
38
(272)

50   

–––––––– 
55,619
––––––––
––––––––

52,096 
- 
- 
- 
 –––––––– 
52,096 
- 
- 
- 
 –––––––– 
52,096 
 –––––––– 
 –––––––– 

17,944 
- 
- 
(17,944) 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

Share 
  Premium 
£’000 

Merger 
Reserve 
£’000 

52,096 
- 
- 
- 
 –––––––– 
52,096 
- 
- 
- 
 –––––––– 
52,096 
 –––––––– 
 –––––––– 

10,179 
- 
- 
(10,179) 
–––––––– 
- 
- 
- 
- 
–––––––– 
- 
–––––––– 
–––––––– 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  5 4

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Share premium represents the premium arising on the issue of shares and its use is governed by the provisions of the 
Companies Act 2006. 

The merger reserve is a non-statutory reserve representing the premium on the issue of shares pursuant to certain past 
business combinations which meet specified criteria.  The carrying values of such investments have since been subject to 
impairment charges exceeding the amount of the merger reserve, and accordingly the full amount of the merger reserve 
has been transferred to profit and loss reserve. 

The capital redemption reserve is a non-distributable reserve arising from the cancellation in 2001 of deferred shares.

The equity reserve comprises the deemed value of outstanding share options granted in connection with the acquisition 
of Orbital Software holdings plc in 2001, together with the fair value of share-based payments to employees pursuant to 
the group’s share option schemes, the fair value of warrants to subscribe for Sopheon shares issued to BlueCrest Capital 
Finance LLC, and the equity component of the group’s 8 percent convertible loan stock 2015. 

In addition, investment by the group’s employee share ownership trust (the “Esot”) in the company’s shares is deducted 
from equity in the consolidated balance sheet as if they were treasury shares, by way of deduction from the equity reserve.  
At 31 December 2012, the Esot held 185,244 (2011: 185,244) ordinary shares in the company, which represents 0.1 
percent (2011: 0.1 percent) of the company’s ordinary share capital.  The reserve of £11,000 (2011: £11,000) represents the 
cost of these shares held by the Esot at 31 December 2012. 

The purpose of the Esot is to facilitate the company’s policy of offering participation in the ownership of its shares to 
employees for reward and incentive purposes.  At 31 December 2012 and at 31 December 2011, no shares held by the 
Esot were under option or had been gifted to any employees.  Arrangements for the distribution of benefits to employees 
will be made at the Esot’s discretion in such manner as the Esot considers appropriate.  Administration costs of the Esot 
are accounted for in the profit and loss account of the company as they are incurred. 

2 6 .   R E T I R E M E N T   B E N E F I T   P L A N S

The group operates defined contribution retirement benefit plans which employees are entitled to join.  The total expense 
recognized in the income statement of £134,000 (2011: £123,000) represents contributions paid to such plans at rates 
specified in the rules of the plans.

2 7 .   R E L AT E D   PA R T Y  T R A N S A C T I O N S

Details of transactions between the group and related parties are disclosed below.

Compensation of Key Management Personnel

Details of directors’ remuneration are given in Note 7.  The total remuneration of executive directors and members of the 
group’s operating and executive management committees during the year was as follows:

Emoluments and benefits 
Pension contributions 
Share-based payments 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

1,111 
30 
27 
––––––– 
1,168 
––––––– 
––––––– 

1,006 
30
24
–––––––
1,060
–––––––
–––––––

Subscriptions by members of the board and management to convertible loan stock are disclosed in Note 20.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  5 5

Transactions with Related Parties who are Subsidiaries of the Company

The following is a summary of the transactions of the company with its subsidiaries during the year:

Net amounts repaid by subsidiaries by way of interest-free loans 
Net management charges to subsidiaries 

2012 
£’000 

2011
£’000

176 
290 
––––––– 

521
250
–––––––

The amounts owed by subsidiary companies to the parent company at 31 December 2012 totaled £40,015,000  
(2011: £40,191,000).  A full provision has been made against these amounts, which are unsecured and are subordinated to 
the claims of all other creditors.

During 2012 and 2011 the company granted share options to employees of subsidiary companies.  Details of grants of 
share options are disclosed in Note 28.

Other Related Party Transactions

There were no other related party transactions during the year under review or the previous year.

2 8 .   S H A R E - B A S E D   PAY M E N T S

Equity-settled Share Option Schemes

The group has a number of share option schemes for all employees.  Options are exercisable at a price equal to the 
market price on the date of grant.  The normal vesting periods are as set out below.

Vesting 

Sopheon plc (uSA) stock option plan 
Sopheon uK approved share option scheme 
Sopheon uK unapproved share option scheme 
Sopheon Nv share option scheme 

In three equal tranches between the first and third anniversary of grant
On third anniversary of grant
Immediate or as per uSA plan
Immediate or as per uSA plan 

Details of the share options outstanding during the year are as follows:

Outstanding at the beginning of the year 
Granted during the year 
Lapsed, expired or cancelled during the year   

Outstanding at the end of the year 

Exercisable at the end of the year 

 Number of 
Share 
 Options 
2012 

Weighted 
Average 
Exercise 
Price 
2012 
£ 

Number of 
Share 
 Options 
2011 

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
2011
£

 13,193,054 
0.16 
   5,465,598             0.05 
0.17 
 (6,478,972) 
––––––––– 
 ––––––––– 
0.10 
 12,179,680 
––––––––– 
 ––––––––– 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

12,504,924 
     880,000 
   (191,870) 
––––––––– 
13,193,054 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

  5,815,545 
 ––––––––– 
––––––––– 

0.15 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

10,801,432 
––––––––– 
––––––––– 

0.17 
0.09 
0.63    

–––––––––
0.16
–––––––––
–––––––––

0.17
–––––––––
–––––––––

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  5 6

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

No share options were exercised during the year (2011: Nil).  The options outstanding at the end of the year have a 
weighted average contractual life of 6.8 years (2011: 4.6 years).

During the year share options were granted on 20 April 2012, when the exercise price of options granted was 5p and the 
estimated fair value was 2.96p, and on 29 September 2012, when the exercise price of options granted was 5.25p and the 
estimated fair value was 3.11p.  During 2011, share options were granted on 26 April 2011 and on 28 September 2011, on 
both of which dates the exercise price was 8.75p and the estimated fair value was 5.2p.

The fair values for options granted are calculated using the binomial option-pricing model.  The principal assumptions used 
were:

Date of Grant 

Share price at time of grant 
Exercise price 
Expected volatility   
Risk-free rate 
Expected dividend yield 

September 
2012 

  April 
     2012 

April &
September
2011

5.25p 
5.25p 
40% 
5% 
Nil 

5p 
5p 
40% 
5% 
Nil 

8.75p 
8.75p 
 40% 
5% 
             Nil

The expected contractual life of the options used was either five or ten years depending on the particular scheme rules.  
Expected volatility was determined by reference to the historic volatility of the company’s share price in the period before 
the date of grant.

The group and company recognized total expenses of £38,000 (2011: £39,000) relating to equity-settled share-based 
payments during the year.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
DI R E C T O R S

Barry Mence, Executive Chairman.  Barry Mence has served as executive chairman and as a director 
and substantial shareholder of Sopheon since its inception in 1993 when he was one of the founding 
members.  From 1976 to 1990, Mr. Mence was a major shareholder and group managing director of the 
Rendeck Group of Companies, a software and services group based in the Netherlands. 

Andrew Michuda, Executive Director.  Andrew Michuda was appointed chief executive officer of Sopheon 
in September 2000.  From 1997 to 2000 he served as chief executive officer and an executive director 
of Teltech Resource Network Corporation, which was acquired by Sopheon.  he earlier held senior 
leadership positions at Control Data, including general manager of the business that evolved into 
Decision Data, the world's largest independent computer services provider.

Arif Karimjee,  ACA, Executive Director.  Arif Karimjee has served as chief financial officer of Sopheon 
since February 2000.  Mr. Karimjee was previously an auditor and consultant with Ernst & Young in 
London, Brussels and Reading, from August 1988 until joining Sopheon.

Stuart Silcock,  FCA, Non-executive Director.  Stuart Silcock has served as a director of Sopheon from 
its inception in 1993.  Since 1982, Mr Silcock has been a principal partner of Lawford & Co, chartered 
accountants and until 2010 a director of Lawfords Ltd. also chartered accountants.  Mr. Silcock was a 
non-executive director of Brown & Jackson plc. for four years from June 2001 to July 2005 and currently 
holds a number of other directorships in the united Kingdom.

Bernard Al, Non-executive Director.  Bernard Al was appointed as director of Sopheon in January 2001.  
he is a former chief executive officer of Wolters Kluwer in the Netherlands and has a background in 
science and linguistics.

Daniel Metzger,  Non-executive Director.  Daniel Metzger was until 1998 an executive vice president 
of Lawson Software, a leading ERP provider, where he was responsible for corporate strategy and 
marketing.  Since then he has held similar roles at Parametric Technologies, where he led the business 
strategy and marketing around collaborative product development technologies, and at nQuire Software, 
which was subsequently sold to Siebel.

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