COLOMBES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
The combined annual general meeting of Arkema’s (Paris:AKE) shareholders was held on 19 May 2022 at Palais Brongniart in Paris under the chairmanship of Thierry Le Hénaff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Representing a quorum of 77.90%, shareholders widely approved all the resolutions recommended by the Board of Directors, including among others:
- the approval of the 2021 financial statements and the distribution of a dividend of €3 per share, which will be paid as from 25 May 2022;
- the ratification of the co-optation of Philippe Sauquet as director,
- the renewal as directors, for a four-year term, of Marie-Ange Debon, the Fonds Stratégique de Participations and Philippe Sauquet;
- the appointment as director representing shareholder employees, for a four-year term, of Nicolas Patalano;
- the compensation policy of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, as well as the components of compensation due or awarded to him for the year ended 31 December 2021;
- the compensation policy of non-executive directors, other than the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and the information relating to the compensation of directors in 2021;
- the delegation of authority granted to the Board of Directors to award free shares in the Company subject to performance conditions for a 38 month period; and
- several financial authorizations.
This annual general meeting provided an opportunity for the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer to review the evolution and performance of the Group during the year 2021 in an operationally demanding global environment, with in particular excellent financial results and the continued refocusing of the business portfolio toward Specialty Materials. The very good first quarter 2022 and the very strong outlook for the full year were also highlighted by Marie-José Donsion, Chief Financial Officer, during the presentation of the section related to financial achievements.
The general meeting also provided an opportunity to review the roll-out of the Group's strategy in line with its ambition to become a leader in Specialty Materials. The two major industrial start-ups expected in the summer of 2022 and several other investments in progress were mentioned and the new ranges of bio-based, recyclable or more environmentally friendly products highlighted, as well as, more broadly, the innovation dynamic on sustainable megatrends. Armand Ajdari, Chief Technology Officer, thus presented some key innovations, regarding in particular the fields of clean mobility and composite materials, and Virginie Delcroix, Vice-President Sustainable Development, commented on the Group's approach regarding Corporate Social Responsibility.
Finally, Thierry Pilenko, Chairman of the Nominating, Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee, presented the main elements of the Company's governance policy.
The complete results of the votes and the broadcast of the annual general meeting will be available in the coming days on the Company's website www.arkema.com in the Investors/Annual general meeting section.
Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials. With the ambition to become in 2024 a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into 3 complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials -Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions- accounting for some 85.5% of Group sales in 2021, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group reported sales of around €9.5 billion in 2021, and operates in some 55 countries with 20,200 employees worldwide.