Last checked at 25 Jun 2019 16:25
FIRSTGROUP PLC - Result of General MeetingFIRSTGROUP PLC - Result of General Meeting
PR Newswire
London, June 25
FIRSTGROUP PLC
RESULT OF GENERAL MEETING
Following the General Meeting held earlier today, the results of the poll are shown in the table below and will also be available on the Company’s website shortly.
The FirstGroup Board is pleased that shareholders voted decisively against Coast Capital’s attempt to take control of the Company by defeating all of the resolutions that were put to today’s meeting, and notes that, on average, other shareholders voted more than 4 to 1 against Coast Capital’s resolutions.
The Board also notes that more than 20% of shareholders voted in favour of several resolutions against the Board’s recommendation. The Board takes seriously its responsibility to understand shareholders’ opinions and will continue to engage with our investors over the coming weeks to discuss any views they may have, as reflected in the votes on those resolutions, as part of its ongoing programme of engagement.
We welcome the support from, and engagement we have had with, our shareholders over recent weeks. The Board is confident that the clear path forward for the business that was announced on 30 May 2019 is the right strategy to deliver enhanced sustainable value to all shareholders. The Board also believes it has the right management to execute this strategy effectively and at pace. This team is committed to unlocking value for shareholders and, under Matthew Gregory’s leadership, is already delivering the operational progress and momentum that will be the foundation for FirstGroup’s future direction.
| Resolution | FOR | AGAINST | TOTAL | WITHHELD | |||
| No. of Votes | % of Votes | No. of Votes | % of Votes | No. of Votes | No. of Votes | ||
| a. | That Wolfhart Gunnar Hauser be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 297,518,781 | 29.33 | 716,798,141 | 70.67 | 1,014,316,922 | 2,210,603 |
| b. | That Matthew Gregory be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 253,698,435 | 25.15 | 755,140,465 | 74.85 | 1,008,838,900 | 7,688,625 |
| c. | That Imelda Mary Walsh be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 316,638,360 | 31.39 | 692,174,521 | 68.61 | 1,008,812,881 | 7,714,644 |
| d. | That Stephen William Lawrence Gunning be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 253,060,305 | 25.09 | 755,651,678 | 74.91 | 1,008,711,983 | 7,815,542 |
| e. | That James Frank Winestock be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 459,649,808 | 45.57 | 549,099,102 | 54.43 | 1,008,748,910 | 7,778,615 |
| f. | That Martha Cecilia Poulter be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 253,057,834 | 25.09 | 755,648,248 | 74.91 | 1,008,706,082 | 7,821,443 |
| g. | That any person appointed as a director of the Company since the date of the requisition (excluding for the avoidance of doubt, Ryan Mangold) of the general meeting of the Company at which this resolution is proposed, and who is not one of the persons referred to in the resolutions numbered (a) to (f) (inclusive) above, be and is with effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. | 154,783,870 | 15.35 | 853,886,788 | 84.65 | 1,008,670,658 | 7,856,867 |
| h. | That Steven John Norris be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | 368,820,591 | 36.36 | 645,417,831 | 63.64 | 1,014,238,422 | 2,289,103 |
| i. | That Bob Vincent Stefanowski be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | 364,142,233 | 35.90 | 650,107,292 | 64.10 | 1,014,249,525 | 2,278,000 |
| j. | That David Robert Martin be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | This resolution was not put to the General Meeting as the Company did not receive confirmation from Mr David Martin of his willingness to be appointed as a director of the Company. Accordingly, Mr Martin was not eligible to be appointed as a director of the Company at the General Meeting | |||||
| k. | That Jim Edward Compton be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | 215,317,265 | 21.23 | 798,956,792 | 78.77 | 1,014,274,057 | 2,253,468 |
| l. | That Elizabeth Jill Filkin be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | 154,613,429 | 15.24 | 859,673,459 | 84.76 | 1,014,286,888 | 2,240,637 |
| m. | That Patricia Carol Barron be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | 162,532,604 | 16.02 | 851,742,620 | 83.98 | 1,014,275,224 | 2,252,301 |
| n. | That Uwe Rolf Doerken be and is hereby appointed as an additional director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). | 364,800,967 | 35.97 | 649,435,293 | 64.03 | 1,014,236,260 | 2,291,265 |
Votes “For” and “Against” are expressed as a percentage of votes received. A “Vote withheld” is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the votes “For” and “Against” a resolution. Votes were cast for a total of 1,016,527,525 ordinary shares of 5 pence per share, representing 83.69% of the total number of votes capable of being cast at the AGM. The Company's issued share capital as at today's date is 1,214,819,144 ordinary shares and the number of votes per share is one. The Company held 157,229 shares in Treasury, which do not carry any voting rights. Each of the resolutions were proposed as ordinary resolutions.
Contacts at FirstGroup:
Faisal Tabbah, Head of Investor Relations
Stuart Butchers, Group Head of Communications
Silvana Glibota-Vigo, Deputy Company Secretary
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7725 3354
Contacts at Brunswick PR:
Andrew Porter / Alison Lea, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
Classification as per DTR 6 Annex 1R: 3.1. Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 549300DEJZCPWA4HKM93.
About FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc (LSE: FGP.L) is a leading provider of transport services in the UK and North America. With £7.1 billion in revenue and around 100,000 employees, we transported 2.2 billion passengers last year. Whether for business, education, health, social or recreation – we get our customers where they want to be, when they want to be there. We create solutions that reduce complexity, making travel smoother and life easier.
We provide easy and convenient mobility, improving quality of life by connecting people and communities.
Each of our five divisions is a leader in its field: In North America, First Student is the largest provider of home-to-school student transportation with a fleet of 42,500 yellow school buses, First Transit is one of the largest providers of outsourced transit management and contracting services, while Greyhound is the only nationwide operator of scheduled intercity coaches. In the UK, First Bus is one of Britain's largest bus companies with 1.6 million passengers a day, and First Rail is one of the country's largest and most experienced rail operators, carrying 345 million passengers last year.
Visit our website at www.firstgroupplc.com and follow us @firstgroupplc on Twitter.