Results of AGM & Board Changes

abrdn PLC
11 May 2023
 

abrdn plc

Results of Annual General Meeting

and Board Changes

 

 

 

Results of AGM

The Board of abrdn plc ('the Company') is pleased to announce that all the resolutions put to its Annual General Meeting ('AGM') held on Wednesday 10 May 2023 were duly passed.

 

 

The results of the polls were as follows:

 


For

% For

Against

 

Total Votes Validly Cast

Votes Withheld

Resolution 1:

To receive and consider the Annual report and accounts 2022

901,800,327

99.93

663,121

902,463,448

2,586,550

Resolution 2:

To declare a final dividend for 2022

897,008,747

99.15

7,694,712

904,703,459

346,539

Resolution 3:

To re-appoint KPMG LLP as auditors

895,004,041

99.03

8,806,687

903,810,728

1,238,971

Resolution 4:

To authorise the audit committee to set the auditors' fees

901,863,076

99.76

2,149,979

904,013,055

1,036,943

Resolution 5:

To approve the Directors' remuneration report, excluding the remuneration policy

666,444,586

93.76

44,325,192

710,769,778

194,280,220

Resolution 6:

To approve the Directors' remuneration policy

675,020,934

94.29

40,860,480

715,881,414

189,168,584

Resolution 7A:

To re-elect Sir Douglas Flint CBE as a Director

864,730,808

95.71

38,765,528

903,496,336

1,553,662

Resolution 7B:

To re-elect Jonathan Asquith as a Director

857,314,326

94.91

45,935,182

903,249,508

1,800,052

Resolution 7C:

To re-elect Stephen Bird as a Director

892,448,135

98.79

10,887,965

903,336,100

1,713,898

Resolution 7D:

To re-elect Catherine Bradley CBE as a Director

685,597,487

75.89

217,802,103

903,399,590

1,650,408

Resolution 7E:

To re-elect John Devine as a Director

883,780,921

97.84

19,499,595

903,280,516

1,769,482

Resolution 7F:

To re-elect Hannah Grove as a Director

881,749,637

97.61

21,586,196

903,335,833

1,714,165

Resolution 7G:

To re-elect Pam Kaur as a Director

873,349,307

96.68

29,964,436

903,313,743

1,735,599

Resolution 7H:

To re-elect Michael O'Brien as a Director

898,169,540

99.43

5,103,986

903,273,526

1,770,955

Resolution 7I:

To re-elect Cathleen Raffaeli as a Director

895,976,182

99.19

7,338,632

903,314,814

1,734,528

Resolution 8:

To provide limited authority to the Company and its subsidiaries to make political donations and to incur political expenditure

702,879,570

98.15

13,217,663

716,097,233

188,952,109

Resolution 9:

To authorise the Directors to issue further shares

688,446,785

76.67

209,437,804

897,884,589

7,149,867

Resolution 10 (Special):

To disapply share pre-emption rights

701,244,927

78.21

195,353,328

896,598,255

8,445,726

Resolution 11 (Special):

To give authority for the Company to buy back up to 14.99% of its issued ordinary shares

681,456,209

75.41

222,224,649

903,680,858

1,368,484

Resolution 12:

To authorise the Directors to allot shares in relation to the issuance of Convertible Bonds

703,864,038

78.05

197,997,170

901,861,208

3,188,134

Resolution 13 (Special):

To disapply pre-emption rights in respect of allotments of equity securities in relation to the issuance of Convertible Bonds

887,614,472

98.46

13,895,509

901,509,981

3,539,361

Resolution 14 (Special):

To allow the Company to call general meetings on 14 days' notice

855,342,231

94.61

48,737,281

904,079,512

969,830

 

 

 

 

Resolutions 7D, 9, 10, 11 and 12

The Board is pleased that Resolution 7D, Resolution 9, Resolution 10, Resolution 11 and Resolution 12 were passed by a significant majority of the shareholders who voted, but notes the votes against these resolutions.

 

In the coming months, we will engage with the major voters against the resolutions to understand the reasons behind their voting.  In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, we will publish an update on that engagement within six months of the AGM.

 

Board changes and CFO exit remuneration arrangements

As announced on 28 February 2023 and 9 March 2023 respectively, we confirm that Brian McBride and Stephanie Bruce did not seek re-election and retired from the Board at the conclusion of the meeting.

 

As required by section 430(2B) of the Companies Act 2006, details of the remuneration payments and related exit terms made to or to be made to Ms Bruce in accordance with her employment contract are set out in the attached Appendix.

 

Other matters

The total number of shares in issue at 6pm on Tuesday 9 May 2023 was 2,001,892,537 ordinary shares of 1361/63 pence each.

 

Votes withheld are not a vote in law and have not been counted in the calculation of the votes for and against each resolution, the total votes validly cast or the calculation of the proportion of issued share capital voted.

 

Copies of all resolutions are available for inspection in the AGM Guide previously submitted to the National Storage Mechanism at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

 

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.2, copies of the resolutions that do not constitute ordinary business at an annual general meeting will also be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

 

The AGM Guide and the voting results are also available on the abrdn plc website at www.abrdn.com

 

 

11 May 2023

 

 

Enquiries:

 

Group Secretariat

Paul McKenna

 

+44 (0) 7736 853 801

 



Media Relations

Andrea Ward

 

 

+44 (0) 7876 178 696

 

Investor Relations

Catherine Nash

 

 

+44 (0) 7798 518 657

 

 

LEI: OTMBS544NMO7GLCE7H90

Classification: 3.1. Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of the United Kingdom



 

Appendix - CFO Exit Remuneration Arrangements

 

Further to our RNS announcement on 9 March 2023, Stephanie Bruce has stepped down as Chief Financial Officer and as a Director of abrdn plc ('abrdn' or 'the Company') following the conclusion of the 2023 AGM.  As required by section 430(2B) of the Companies Act 2006, details of the remuneration payments and related exit terms (together referred to as 'the Terms') made to or to be made to Ms Bruce are set out below.

 

The following Terms agreed with Ms Bruce were the subject of careful consideration by the Remuneration Committee and are in line with the Company's Directors' Remuneration Policy ('Policy') which was approved by shareholders at the 2020 AGM.  The Terms are also consistent with the Policy presented and approved at the 2023 AGM:

 

Salary and benefits

·       12-month notice period commenced on 8 March 2023.

·       Garden leave with effect from 11 May 2023 to 31 December 2023. During this period, salary and contractual benefits are payable.

·       At the end of this period, the Company will make a payment in lieu of notice of basic salary, pension entitlement and contractual benefits, in monthly instalments (subject to mitigation) over the remainder of the contract (being three months and eight days).

·       Employment will, therefore, terminate on 31 December 2023 (the 'Termination Date').

 

Annual Bonus

·       Eligible for a pro-rated Annual Bonus in respect of the 2023 financial year to reflect the portion of the year prior to the commencement of garden leave (1 January 2023 to 10 May 2023).

·       The Annual Bonus will be determined per the normal timetable and subject to Policy requirements including deferral and the application of malus and clawback.

 

Share Awards

·       Treated as a good leaver under the abrdn plc Annual Bonus Deferred Share Plan and Long-Term Incentive Plan in accordance with the plan rules, including the application of malus and clawback.

·       Unvested LTIP awards will continue to vest on normal vesting dates and will remain subject to the satisfaction of the relevant performance conditions (measured over the full performance period) and holding periods. All awards will be prorated based on the proportion of the performance period completed to the Termination Date.

·       The Company's post-cessation shareholding requirements apply for a two-year period from the Termination Date.

 

Other payments

·       Entitled to a capped contribution towards legal fees incurred in connection with these arrangements.

 

Further information

·       Other than the amounts disclosed above, Ms Bruce is not eligible for any remuneration payments or payments for loss of office.

 

In accordance with section 430(2B) of the Companies Act 2006, the information contained in this document will be made available on the Company's website until its next Directors' Remuneration Report is made available.

 

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