Purpose and procedures
What is the role of the Annual General Meeting?
The Annual General Meeting of shareholders is the “sovereign body” of Pernod Ricard, as it is for any limited company.It appoints, dismisses or replaces members of the Board of Directors, who in turn name the individuals responsible for carrying out the Group’s management (Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director, assisted as appropriate by Deputy Managing Directors).
The Annual General Meeting:
- names auditors,
- approves or rejects the financial statements,
- decides on the distribution of profits,
- amends the by-laws and rules and announces dissolution of the company.
There are two kinds of General Meeting:
- The Ordinary General Meeting convenes shareholders once a year in order to approve the financial statements of the past financial year and to decide on the dividend sum, among other things. The meeting must be held within 6 months of the close of the financial year. Decisions at the Ordinary General Meeting are taken by majority vote of all shareholders present or represented by proxy.
- An Extraordinary General Meeting convenes when shareholders must take important decisions such as amendment of the by-laws or authorisation of any financial activity that would modify share capital, mergers and demergers. Decisions are generally taken by a two-thirds majority vote of all shareholders present or represented by proxy.
Note: a Combined General Meeting takes place in the event that a company convenes an Ordinary General Meeting and an Extraordinary General Meeting at the same time. The required majority depends on the type of decision taken, which would fall under the mandate of one Meeting or the other.
How will I be informed?
All shareholders, regardless of the number of shares they own, may take part in the Annual General Meeting, subject to compliance with the bylaws and French law.
Before the Annual General Meeting
- 35 days before: notice of meeting
The Board of Directors sets the date when the General Meeting will be held. The Board must notify shareholders at least 35 days before the set date.
The notice of meeting is published in the Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires (BALO). This notice states the Meeting agenda, includes text of the draft resolutions and outlines the terms of participation in the Meeting.
At the same time that the notice of meeting appears in the BALO, Pernod Ricard publishes a press release in national financial newspapers, specifying the date, time and location of the Meeting.
- 15 days before: notice of meeting
The notice of meeting is published in the BALO at least 15 days before the meeting is held, as well as in newspapers authorised to receive legal announcements by the Group Head Office. This notice specifies the date, time and location, as well as the agenda and terms of participation in the Meeting.
Information about the General Meeting is available on the websites of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the BALO and on the Pernod Ricard website.
How to participate in the combined ordinary and extraordinary shareholders meeting of Pernod Ricard of 7 november 2007?
CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE SHAREHOLDERS MEETING
All shareholders have the right to participate in Shareholders Meetings, irrespective of the number of shares they hold.
The shareholder has four alternatives:
• attend the Shareholders Meeting personally;
• give a proxy to the Chairman of the Shareholders Meeting;
• give a proxy to a third party (his or her spouse or another Pernod Ricard shareholder attending the Shareholders Meeting);
• cast a postal vote.
Any shareholder who has already cast a postal vote, sent in a proxy form or applied for an admission card may no longer choose any other method of participation but may however sell all or some of his or her shares at any time.
Prior formalities to be accomplished to participate in the Shareholders Meeting
New legal provisions came into effect as from 1 January 2007. In order to be able to attend this Shareholders Meeting in person, be represented at such meeting or cast a postal vote, your Pernod Ricard shares simply need to be recorded in your name as either registered or bearer shares, on the third business day prior to the Shareholders Meeting at zero hours, Paris time, i.e. in this case on Friday, 2 November 2007 at zero hours, Paris time. Shareholders with bearer shares are therefore no longer required to ask their financial intermediary to prepare a certificate stating that their shares have been blocked.
Whatever the method chosen for participating in the Shareholders Meeting, only shares entered in a securities account at the latest on the 3rd business day prior to the Shareholders Meeting at zero hours Paris time, i.e. in this case at zero hours, Paris time on 2 November 2007, shall entitle their holders to participate in the Shareholders Meeting.
For any sale of shares that takes place prior to such date, the seller’s certificate of participation shall be invalidated with regard to the number of shares sold and the votes corresponding to such shares will not be taken into consideration.
For any sale of shares that takes place after that date, the seller’s certificate of participation shall continue to be valid and the vote shall be taken into account in the seller’s name.
Postal voting or proxy forms may be obtained by a letter sent to, or handed in at, the registered office of Pernod Ricard or sent to Société Générale, "Service des Assemblées", 32, rue du Champs de Tir, BP 81 236, 44312 NANTES CEDEX 03, or to the authorised bank or financial intermediary with whom the shares are registered; the application must be received by the Service des Assemblées at Société Générale or at Pernod Ricard’s registered office at least six days before the date of the Shareholders Meeting.
If you want to attend the Shareholders Meeting
• If you own registered shares:
You must apply for an admission card which will provide you with quicker access to the meeting room, by returning the voting form in the envelope sent to you, after ticking box A at the top of the form.
You can also go directly to the admission desk specially provided for this purpose, and present your identity papers. However, due to the time you will have to wait, it is recommended that you proceed as mentioned above.
• If you own bearer shares:
You have to apply for an admission card which is essential to enable you to be admitted to the Shareholders Meeting and allowed to vote.
- Please tick box A at the top of the voting form.
- You should return this form as soon as possible to the financial intermediary responsible for managing your securities account and this intermediary will pass on your request by preparing a certificate of participation (1).
If you do not want to attend the Shareholders Meeting
1) You should tick box B on the form,
2) Then you should choose from the three alternatives that are offered to you by ticking the corresponding box:
a) Either you cast a postal vote:
In which case, you should tick the box marked "I am casting a postal vote" and, where applicable, you should fill in the boxes corresponding to the resolutions which you do not wish to approve.
b) Or you give a proxy to the Chairman of the Shareholders Meeting:
You should date and sign at the bottom of the form. In this case, the Chairman will vote in favour of adoption of the proposed resolutions and amendments submitted or approved by the Board of Directors, and against the resolutions in all other cases.
c) If you wish to be represented by your spouse or another shareholder:
You should tick the box "I am giving a proxy to" and provide the name and contact details of the person to whom you are giving a proxy to attend the Shareholders Meeting and vote in your place.
3) Finally, in every case, you should date, sign and return the postal voting or proxy form and return it as follows:
- If you own registered shares, to the centralising bank appointed to act on behalf of the company at the following address:
Société Générale
Service des Assemblées
BP 81236
32, rue du Champ-de-Tir
44312 Nantes Cedex 03
- If you own bearer shares, to the financial intermediary responsible for managing your securities account (which will send on the document together with the certificate of participation(1) which it will have previously drawn up).
The postal voting forms will only be taken into account for forms that have been duly filled in and received by Société Générale, at least 3 days prior to the Shareholders Meeting.
As from 22 October 2007, shareholders will be able to obtain the documents with regard to this Shareholders Meeting and in particular those referred to in Article R.225-83 of the French Commercial Code from Shareholder Services at 12, place des Etats-Unis, 75116 Paris.
(1) This is the new system which replaces from this year onwards the "certificate recording the blocking of shares", which was more commonly known as the "share blocking certificate".
- Download the presentation (pdf)
- 2006/2007 Annual Report
- Entreprendre, the Pernod Ricard shareholder magazine
