The Supervisory Board of Lagardère SCA Co-Opts Valérie Bernis, Rejects the Request to Hold an Extraordinary General Meeting and Engages in Dialogue With the Shareholders

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

The Supervisory Board of Lagardère SCA (Paris:MMB) met on Monday 31 August under the chairmanship of Patrick Valroff.

It noted the resignation of Aline Sylla-Walbaum and Yves Guillemot and placed on record its thanks for their contributions during their terms of office.

To replace Aline Sylla-Walbaum, the Supervisory Board co-opted Valérie Bernis, whose acknowledged experience in major international groups will be a precious asset for the Lagardère group. The Supervisory Board is very pleased to welcome on board Valérie Bernis, who will sit on the Appointments, Remuneration and CSR Committee.

The Supervisory Board has examined the joint request by Amber Capital and Vivendi to call an extraordinary general meeting. It considers that the legal conditions required to diverge from the corporate schedule known to all shareholders are not presently satisfied. It reiterated that it is the guarantor of the Group’s corporate interest, its independence and its integrity. Accordingly, it has a duty to preserve the Group in a particular context where one of the shareholders requesting the meeting is a direct competitor of Lagardère Publishing. It noted that the last general meeting was validly held on 5 May 2020, after several months of intense debate about the Group’s governance, and that there is no legitimate motive to urgently call a further general meeting.

However, in agreement with the Managing Partners, the Supervisory Board has decided to engage in constructive and composed dialogue with the shareholders. That is why the Appointments, Remuneration and CSR Committee has retained the candidacy of Virginie Banet, which it will examine in particular in terms of her independence and the criteria set out in the 2019 Universal Registration Document. In this context, the Managing Partners will reach out to Amber Capital to engage in a similar process of dialogue.

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Created in 1992, Lagardère is an international group with operations in more than 40 countries worldwide. It employs over 30,000 people and generated revenue of €7,211 million in 2019.
In 2018, the Group launched its strategic refocusing around two priority divisions: Lagardère Publishing (Book and e-Publishing, Mobile and Board games) and Lagardère Travel Retail (Travel Essentials, Duty Free & Fashion, Foodservice).
The Group’s operating assets also include Lagardère News and Lagardère Live Entertainment.
Lagardère shares are listed on Euronext Paris.
www.lagardere.com