ZURICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DKSH (SIX:DKSH), the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia, announced today that its 82nd Ordinary General Meeting voted in favor of all Board of Directors’ proposals. In total 234 shareholders (76.0% of share capital) were present at the meeting.
The shareholders approved the Annual Report, the Annual Financial Statements and the Consolidated Financial Statements for the financial year 2014 as well as the use and allocation of balance sheet profit of last year.
Shareholders approved the payout of dividends in line with DKSH’s policy of paying out 30–50% of profit after tax. For an ordinary dividend of CHF 1.15 per registered share, CHF 74.8 million are released from legal reserves from capital contribution. The distribution of dividend, which is tax-exempt for Swiss-domiciled private shareholders, starts as of April 8, 2015.
The shareholders granted discharge from liability to each member of the Board of Directors and Executive Board for the financial year 2014.
Furthermore, shareholders accepted the revision of DKSH’s Articles of Association in line with current best practices. These were adopted to implement the Swiss Federal Ordinance Against Excessive Compensation in Public Corporations (OAEC) and other changes of Swiss corporate law amendments.
All the Directors of the Board of DKSH Holding Ltd. – namely, Adrian T. Keller (Chairman), Rainer-Marc Frey, Dr. Frank Ch. Gulich, David Kamenetzky,
Andreas W. Keller, Robert Peugeot, Dr. Theo Siegert, Dr. Hans Christoph
Tanner and Dr. Joerg Wolle (President & CEO) – were reelected for a term of office until completion of the next Ordinary General Meeting. Adrian T. Keller was reelected as Chairman of the Board for the same time period.
Ernst & Young Ltd. Zurich was reappointed as DKSH’s Statutory Auditors for the financial year 2015.
As proposed by the Board of Directors, Andreas W. Keller, Dr. Frank Ch. Gulich and Robert Peugeot were reelected as members of the Nomination and Compensation Committee and Ernst A. Widmer was reelected as independent proxy until completion of the next Ordinary General Meeting.
DKSH Chairman Adrian T. Keller said: “Despite the more challenging than expected market conditions in Asia in 2014, we continued to grow and gained market share in our core markets. This is another proof of the resilience and attractiveness of our business model. We wish to thank our shareholders for their trust and look forward to celebrating our 150th anniversary together with them in 2015. We are convinced that DKSH is set to continue its course of sustainable, profitable growth.”
About DKSH Group
DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia. As the term "Market Expansion Services" suggests, DKSH helps other companies and brands to grow their business in new or existing markets.
Publicly listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since March 2012, DKSH is a global company headquartered in Zurich. With 750 business locations in 35 countries – 720 of them in Asia – and 27,600 specialized staff, DKSH generated net sales of CHF 9.8 billion in 2014.
The company offers a tailor-made, integrated portfolio of sourcing, marketing, sales, distribution and after-sales services. It provides business partners with expertise as well as on-the-ground logistics based on a comprehensive network of unique size and depth. Business activities are organized into four specialized Business Units that mirror DKSH fields of expertise: Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Performance Materials and Technology.
In 2015, DKSH celebrates its 150th anniversary. With strong Swiss heritage, the company has a long tradition of doing business in and with Asia, and is deeply rooted in communities and businesses across Asia Pacific.