Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Our AGM is held in September each year and gives shareholders the opportunity to vote on various company matters, either by attending the meeting and voting in person or by sending in a proxy vote (to be used for a polled vote) in hard copy or electronic form.
If you attend the AGM, you have the opportunity to put questions to the Board of Directors and to speak to individual directors personally after the meeting. If you are unable to attend, or if you have any questions you wish to put to any of the directors during the course of the year, you may write to the company.
As an ordinary shareholder you are entitled to attend, speak and vote at general meetings of the company. As an ADR holder (American Depository Receipt) you are entitled to vote by proxy which is then exercised on your behalf by the depositary bank, Citibank.
Holders of Diageo ADRs will receive voting materials and have the sole right to vote the ordinary shares of Diageo represented by their ADRs, which are held by Citibank. The proxy votes received by the return-by date are then exercised through Citibank. To be eligible to vote, ADR holders must be on the Register on the AGM record date.
The company is required by law to hold a general meeting of shareholders each year. If an important matter requiring shareholder approval cannot wait until the next AGM, the company will call a General Meeting.
2018 AGM
The 2018 AGM of Diageo plc was held at 2.30 pm on Thursday, 20 September 2018 at The Mermaid Conference & Events Centre, Puddle Dock, Blackfriars, London EC4V 3DB.
All resolutions were voted on by way of a poll and were passed. The total number of votes received on each resolution is as follows:
|
VOTES FOR |
% |
VOTES AGAINST |
% |
VOTES WITHHELD |
|
|
1) Report and accounts 2018 |
1,921,702,371 |
99.26 |
14,340,943 |
0.74 |
15,977,824 |
|
2) Directors’ remuneration report 2018 |
1,873,234,182 |
96.54 |
67,057,068 |
3.46 |
11,728,553 |
|
3) Declaration of final dividend |
1,950,731,576 |
99.97 |
532,970 |
0.03 |
756,593 |
|
4) Election of SS Kilsby as a director |
1,896,667,650 |
99.23 |
14,647,558 |
0.77 |
40,705,932 |
|
5) Re-election of Lord Davies as a director |
1,927,087,124 |
98.79 |
23,515,072 |
1.21 |
1,418,548 |
|
6) Re-election of J Ferrán as a director |
1,937,094,077 |
99.29 |
13,936,984 |
0.71 |
988,749 |
|
7) Re-election of Ho KwonPing as a director |
1,787,202,926 |
92.41 |
146,729,564 |
7.59 |
18,088,649 |
|
8) Re-election of NS Mendelsohn as a director |
1,931,185,325 |
98.98 |
19,835,169 |
1.02 |
1,000,646 |
|
9) Re-election of IM Menezes as a director |
1,943,554,110 |
99.62 |
7,471,547 |
0.38 |
995,484 |
|
10) Re-election of KA Mikells as a director |
1,924,991,302 |
98.67 |
26,043,758 |
1.33 |
986,081 |
|
11) Re-election of AJH Stewart as a director |
1,929,694,565 |
99.53 |
9,087,155 |
0.47 |
13,239,024 |
|
12) Re-appointment of auditor |
1,946,977,057 |
99.78 |
4,326,823 |
0.22 |
717,261 |
|
13) Remuneration of auditor |
1,944,541,028 |
99.66 |
6,627,374 |
0.34 |
852,738 |
|
14) Authority to make political donations and/or incur political expenditure |
1,889,327,460 |
97.26 |
53,152,373 |
2.74 |
9,541,307 |
|
15) Authority to allot shares |
1,929,486,704 |
98.91 |
21,177,808 |
1.09 |
1,356,243 |
|
16) Disapplication of pre-emption rights* |
1,943,050,599 |
99.64 |
6,950,565 |
0.36 |
2,015,451 |
|
17) Authority to purchase own shares* |
1,928,899,479 |
98.96 |
20,318,136 |
1.04 |
2,802,790 |
|
18) Adoption of new articles of association* |
1,920,473,056 |
98.95 |
20,463,096 |
1.05 |
11,084,589 |
|
19) Notice of a general meeting* |
1,816,091,673 |
93.46 |
127,123,986 |
6.54 |
8,805,083 |
* Special Resolution.
Download 2018 AGM Docs
General Meeting
The company will call a General Meeting if an important matter requiring shareholder approval cannot wait until the next AGM.
For example, an EGM was held on 2 October 2000 to enable shareholders to vote on the proposed disposal of Pillsbury to General Mills, Inc.
