FIRSTGROUP PLC
RESULT OF GENERAL MEETING
Following the General Meeting held earlier today, the results of
the poll are shown in the table below and will also be available on
the Company’s website shortly.
The FirstGroup Board is pleased that shareholders voted
decisively against Coast Capital’s attempt to take control of the
Company by defeating all of the resolutions that were put to
today’s meeting, and notes that, on average, other shareholders
voted more than 4 to 1 against Coast Capital’s resolutions.
The Board also notes that more than 20% of shareholders voted in
favour of several resolutions against the Board’s recommendation.
The Board takes seriously its responsibility to understand
shareholders’ opinions and will continue to engage with our
investors over the coming weeks to discuss any views they may have,
as reflected in the votes on those resolutions, as part of its
ongoing programme of engagement.
We welcome the support from, and engagement we have had with,
our shareholders over recent weeks. The Board is confident that the
clear path forward for the business that was announced on
30 May 2019 is the right strategy to
deliver enhanced sustainable value to all shareholders. The Board
also believes it has the right management to execute this strategy
effectively and at pace. This team is committed to unlocking value
for shareholders and, under Matthew Gregory’s leadership, is
already delivering the operational progress and momentum that will
be the foundation for FirstGroup’s future direction.
Resolution |
FOR |
AGAINST |
TOTAL |
WITHHELD |
|
No.
of Votes |
% of
Votes |
No.
of Votes |
%
of Votes |
No.
of Votes |
No.
of Votes |
a. |
That
Wolfhart Gunnar Hauser be and is with effect from the end of the
meeting removed as a director of the Company. |
297,518,781 |
29.33 |
716,798,141 |
70.67 |
1,014,316,922 |
2,210,603 |
b. |
That
Matthew Gregory be and is with effect from the end of the meeting
removed as a director of the Company. |
253,698,435 |
25.15 |
755,140,465 |
74.85 |
1,008,838,900 |
7,688,625 |
c. |
That
Imelda Mary Walsh be and is with effect from the end of the meeting
removed as a director of the Company. |
316,638,360 |
31.39 |
692,174,521 |
68.61 |
1,008,812,881 |
7,714,644 |
d. |
That
Stephen William Lawrence Gunning be and is with effect from the end
of the meeting removed as a director of the Company. |
253,060,305 |
25.09 |
755,651,678 |
74.91 |
1,008,711,983 |
7,815,542 |
e. |
That
James Frank Winestock be and is with effect from the end of the
meeting removed as a director of the Company. |
459,649,808 |
45.57 |
549,099,102 |
54.43 |
1,008,748,910 |
7,778,615 |
f. |
That
Martha Cecilia Poulter be and is with effect from the end of the
meeting removed as a director of the Company. |
253,057,834 |
25.09 |
755,648,248 |
74.91 |
1,008,706,082 |
7,821,443 |
g. |
That any
person appointed as a director of the Company since the date of the
requisition (excluding for the avoidance of doubt, Ryan Mangold) of
the general meeting of the Company at which this resolution is
proposed, and who is not one of the persons referred to in the
resolutions numbered (a) to (f) (inclusive) above, be and is with
effect from the end of the meeting removed as a director of the
Company. |
154,783,870 |
15.35 |
853,886,788 |
84.65 |
1,008,670,658 |
7,856,867 |
h. |
That
Steven John Norris be and is hereby appointed as an additional
director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the
Company be increased to the extent necessary for such
purpose). |
368,820,591 |
36.36 |
645,417,831 |
63.64 |
1,014,238,422 |
2,289,103 |
i. |
That Bob
Vincent Stefanowski be and is hereby appointed as an additional
director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the
Company be increased to the extent necessary for such
purpose). |
364,142,233 |
35.90 |
650,107,292 |
64.10 |
1,014,249,525 |
2,278,000 |
j. |
That
David Robert Martin be and is hereby appointed as an additional
director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the
Company be increased to the extent necessary for such
purpose). |
This resolution was not put to the General Meeting
as the Company did
not receive confirmation from Mr David Martin of his willingness
to be appointed as a director of the Company. Accordingly, Mr
Martin was not eligible to be appointed as a director of the
Company at the General
Meeting |
k. |
That Jim
Edward Compton be and is hereby appointed as an additional director
of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company
be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). |
215,317,265 |
21.23 |
798,956,792 |
78.77 |
1,014,274,057 |
2,253,468 |
l. |
That
Elizabeth Jill Filkin be and is hereby appointed as an additional
director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the
Company be increased to the extent necessary for such
purpose). |
154,613,429 |
15.24 |
859,673,459 |
84.76 |
1,014,286,888 |
2,240,637 |
m. |
That
Patricia Carol Barron be and is hereby appointed as an additional
director of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the
Company be increased to the extent necessary for such
purpose). |
162,532,604 |
16.02 |
851,742,620 |
83.98 |
1,014,275,224 |
2,252,301 |
n. |
That Uwe
Rolf Doerken be and is hereby appointed as an additional director
of the Company (and the maximum number of directors of the Company
be increased to the extent necessary for such purpose). |
364,800,967 |
35.97 |
649,435,293 |
64.03 |
1,014,236,260 |
2,291,265 |
Votes “For” and “Against” are expressed as a percentage of votes
received. A “Vote withheld” is not a vote in law and is not counted
in the calculation of the votes “For” and “Against” a resolution.
Votes were cast for a total of 1,016,527,525 ordinary shares of
5 pence per share, representing
83.69% of the total number of votes capable of being cast at the
AGM. The Company's issued share capital as at today's date is
1,214,819,144 ordinary shares and the number of votes per share is
one. The Company held 157,229 shares in Treasury, which do not
carry any voting rights. Each of the resolutions were proposed as
ordinary resolutions.
Contacts at
FirstGroup:
Faisal
Tabbah, Head of Investor Relations
Stuart Butchers, Group Head of
Communications
Silvana
Glibota-Vigo, Deputy Company Secretary
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7725 3354
Contacts at
Brunswick PR:
Andrew
Porter / Alison Lea, Tel: +44
(0) 20 7404 5959
Classification as per DTR 6 Annex 1R:
3.1. Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 549300DEJZCPWA4HKM93.
About
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc (LSE: FGP.L) is a leading provider of
transport services in the UK and North
America. With £7.1 billion in revenue and around
100,000 employees, we transported 2.2 billion passengers last year.
Whether for business, education, health, social or recreation – we
get our customers where they want to be, when they want to be
there. We create solutions that reduce complexity, making travel
smoother and life easier.
We provide easy
and convenient mobility, improving quality of life by connecting
people and communities.
Each of our five divisions is a
leader in its field: In North America, First Student is the largest
provider of home-to-school student transportation with a fleet of
42,500 yellow school buses, First Transit is one of the largest
providers of outsourced transit management and contracting
services, while Greyhound is the only nationwide operator of
scheduled intercity coaches. In the UK, First Bus is one of
Britain's largest bus companies
with 1.6 million passengers a day, and First Rail is one of the
country's largest and most experienced rail operators, carrying 345
million passengers last year.
Visit our website at
www.firstgroupplc.com and follow us @firstgroupplc on Twitter.