Vodafone Shareholders Re-elect Chairman, Deputy Chairman

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Vodafone Group PLC (VOD.LN) shareholders Tuesday re-elected the mobile group's non-executive chairman, John Bond, and Deputy Chairman John Buchanan at its annual meeting in London, despite opposition by an investor group. Around 93.3% and 93.9% respectively voted in favor of Bond and Buchanan's re-election to the board, based on proxy votes. Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, or OTPP, which holds a 0.42% stake in the world's biggest mobile-network operator, last week called for a revamp of Vodafone's board due to concerns about the group's strategy and track record on acquisitions. They also said they would vote against the re-election of Bond and Buchanan. However, OTPP said it would vote for the re-election of the firm's chief executive, Vittorio Colao, who took the helm in July 2008, as he has started to improve Vodafone's operating performance and competitiveness. Last Friday, Colao said Vodafone would lay out a new strategy in the autumn that will take into account the explosion in wireless data and the growing number of mobile operating systems as the group reported a strong first-quarter performance and two agreements in the U.K. and India. In addition to the two resolutions regarding the reelection of Bond and Buchanan, 22 other resolutions, including the reelection of Colao were passed, based on proxy votes. The final votes will be announced later Tuesday. -By Lilly Vitorovich, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-0-207 842 9290; lilly.vitorovich@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 27, 2010 08:08 ET (12:08 GMT)