Air Liquide SA

05/04/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/04/2021 11:29

Combined General Meeting of Shareholders May 4, 2021

Air Liquide's General Meeting of Shareholders, chaired by Benoît Potier, Chairman and CEO, was held today at the Group's Campus Innovation Paris. In order to protect the health and safety of employees and shareholders in the context of the covid-19 epidemic, the General Meeting was held behind closed doors and broadcast live on the airliquide.com website. As the Meeting was not open to shareholders in person, all votes were cast by post. The 113,729 shareholders who voted, representing 271,316,445 shares, i.e. 57.49% of the voting rights, approved all the resolutions that were submitted. In addition, as in 2020, it has been decided to donate the amount of attendance fees usually paid to shareholders attending the General Meeting to the Air Liquide Foundation for covid-19-related research projects.

The theme of this year's General Meeting was 'Acting in the interest of all and Inventing the future'. Benoît Potier highlighted the extraordinary mobilization of employees in the health context, as well as the Group's growth opportunities in the energy transition markets, in particular with the development of hydrogen, health and technologies. He also mentioned the Group's performance, noting in particular the strength and resilience of its business model. Holding the Meeting at the Campus Innovation Paris also made it possible to emphasize the Group's capacity for innovation. More than 40 minutes were devoted to answering live questions that were submitted by shareholders on the Company's website as well as spontaneous incoming questions via a video system designed and developed especially for the event.

The proposed dividend, which will be ex-dividend on May 17, 2021 and payable on May 19, 2021, was approved: it will be 2.75 euros per share (and 3.02 euros for shares eligible for the loyalty bonus).

The General Meeting renewed, for a period of four years, the term of office of Mr. Xavier Huillard as Director. Mr. Pierre Breber, Mr. Aiman Ezzat and Mr. Bertrand Dumazy joined the Board as independent Directors. As Mr. Thierry Peugeot's term of office ended at the close of the General Meeting, the Board renewed its warm thanks to him for his contribution to the work of the Board of Directors, of which he had been a member since 2005, and to the work of the Audit and Accounts Committee, of which he had been a member since 2012. As a result, the Board of Directors is now composed of 15 members: 13 elected members, the vast majority of whom are independent (i.e. 92% independent Directors), including 6 women (i.e. 46%) and 7 members of foreign nationality, as well as 2 Directors representing the employees. The composition of the Board offers a complementary of experience, nationalities and cultures, and reflects the diversity policy set out by the Board of Directors.

Furthermore, the General Meeting voted in favour of the Chairman and CEO's remuneration paid during or awarded in respect of 2020. The General Meeting also approved the information on the remuneration of corporate officers contained in the Report on Corporate Governance as well as the remuneration policy for corporate officers.

Finally, on the recommendation of the Appointments and Governance Committee, the Board met today and determined the composition of the Committees as follows:

  • Audit and Accounts Committee: Ms. Siân Herbert-Jones (Chair), Ms. Sin Leng Low, Mr. Brian Gilvary;
  • Appointments and Governance Committee: Mr. Jean-Paul Agon (Chair), Ms. Annette Winkler, Mr. Xavier Huillard;
  • Remuneration Committee: Mr. Xavier Huillard (Chair), Mr. Jean-Paul Agon, Mr. Brian Gilvary;
  • Environment and Society Committee: Ms. Annette Winkler (Chair), Ms. Geneviève Berger, Mr. Philippe Dubrulle.

The full broadcast of the General Meeting is available onwww.airliquide.com