The FINANCIAL — Roche announced on March 14 that its shareholders approved all proposals of the Board of Directors at its ordinary Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The 855 attending shareholders, representing 86.3% of the total of 160,000,000 shares, approved the Annual Report, the Financial Statements and the Consolidated Financial Statements for 2016, according to Roche.
Christoph Franz was confirmed as Chairman of the Board of Directors with 99.98% of the votes represented. Anita Hauser was elected as a new member of the Board of Directors with 99.92% of the votes represented.
“Our more than 94,000 employees are committed every day to helping people with serious, life-threatening diseases. This commitment has allowed Roche to continue to make significant progress in 2016. I am confident that we are very well positioned to continue to deliver innovative medicines and diagnostics and make them accessible to patients worldwide,” said Christoph Franz, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “I am delighted that Anita Hauser has been elected as a new member of the Board of Directors. She is a dynamic leader who brings extensive experience to the Board. After ten years on the Roche Board, Professor Pius Baschera had decided to not stand for re-election. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank him most sincerely for his valuable contributions to Roche’s success.”
Shareholders also authorised the ratification of the Board of Directors’ actions and approved an increase in the gross dividend for the past financial year to 8.20 Swiss francs (gross) per share and non-voting equity security. This is the 30th consecutive dividend increase.
Shareholders endorsed the total amount of bonuses paid to the Corporate Executive Committee for 2016 with 99.79% of the votes represented, as well as the bonus paid to the Chairman of the Board of Directors for 2016, which was approved by 99.61% of the votes represented. They also approved the maximum total amount of future remuneration of the Board of Directors, which was confirmed by 99.73% of the votes represented, and the maximum total amount of future remuneration for the Corporate Executive Committee until the 2018 ordinary Annual General Meeting by 99.72% of the votes represented.
In addition to Christoph Franz, all other Board members who stood for re-election were confirmed for a term of one year:
André Hoffmann
Professor Sir John Bell
Julie Brown
Paul Bulcke
Professor Richard P. Lifton
Dr Andreas Oeri
Bernard Poussot
Dr Severin Schwan
Dr Claudia Süssmuth Dyckerhoff
Peter R. Voser
The following Board members were elected to the Remuneration Committee:
Dr Christoph Franz
André Hoffmann
Professor Richard P. Lifton
Bernard Poussot
Peter R. Voser
KPMG AG was elected as external auditor for the financial year 2017 and BDO AG was elected as independent voting proxy until the conclusion of the next regular AGM in 2018.
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