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Unilever PLC AGM 2018 voting results

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Average read time: 2 minutes

London - Unilever PLC shareholders today approved all resolutions put to the 2018 Annual General Meeting in London. Voting was by poll on each resolution and the results are set out below.

Unilever House London, 100VE

Board appointments

The following directors stood for re-election and were duly re-elected by the shareholders of Unilever PLC: Nils Andersen, Laura Cha, Vittorio Colao, Marijn Dekkers, Judith Hartmann, Mary Ma, Strive Masiyiwa, Youngme Moon, Graeme Pitkethly, Paul Polman, John Rishton and Feike Sijbesma.

Andrea Jung was proposed for election for the first time and was duly elected by the shareholders of Unilever PLC.

Ann Fudge will retire as a Non-Executive Director at the close of the Unilever N.V. AGM on 3 May 2018.

Poll results - Annual General Meeting 2 May 2018

Resolution

Total votes for

%

Total votes against

%

Total votes cast

% Of share capital validly cast voted for and against

Votes withheld

1. To receive the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2017

887,672,536

98.89

9,982,912

1.11

897,655,448

72.88%

878,345

2. To approve the Directors’ Remuneration Report

855,085,404

97.19

24,688,545

2.81

879,773,949

71.42%

18,758,929

3. To approve the Directors’ Remuneration Policy**

551,927,886

64.19

307,862,477

35.81

859,790,363

69.80%

38,734,868

4. To re-elect Mr N S Andersen as a Director**

894,480,937

99.63

3,355,647

0.37

897,836,584

72.89%

696,417

5. To re-elect Mrs L M Cha as a Director**

817,407,142

91.04

80,474,585

8.96

897,881,727

72.89%

652,480

6. To re-elect Mr V Colao as a Director**

878,818,163

97.88

19,023,190

2.12

897,841,353

72.89%

691,279

7. To re-elect Dr M Dekkers as a Director**

884,759,585

98.54

13,106,036

1.46

897,865,621

72.89%

669,354

8. To re-elect Dr J Hartmann as a Director**

865,863,848

98.42

13,935,703

1.58

879,799,551

71.43%

18,733,167

9. To re-elect Ms M Ma as a Director**

884,091,699

98.46

13,793,535

1.54

897,885,234

72.89%

648,129

10. To re-elect Mr S Masiyiwa as a Director**

896,434,254

99.84

1,393,359

0.16

897,827,613

72.89%

705,389

11. To re-elect Professor Y Moon as a Director**

896,586,921

99.86

1,258,571

0.14

897,845,492

72.89%

687,972

12. To re-elect Mr G Pitkethly as a Director**

895,310,198

99.71

2,567,264

0.29

897,877,462

72.89%

657,266

13. To re-elect Mr P Polman as a Director**

886,088,405

98.68

11,811,381

1.32

897,899,786

72.90%

640,947

14. To re-elect Mr J Rishton as a Director**

892,290,307

99.38

5,554,783

0.62

897,845,090

72.89%

689,564

15. To re-elect Mr F Sijbesma as a Director**

895,147,042

99.70

2,688,817

0.30

897,835,859

72.89%

698,718

16. To elect Mrs A Jung as a Director**

870,024,161

96.96

27,276,168

3.04

897,300,329

72.85%

1,234,349

17. To reappoint KPMG LLP as Auditors of the Company

894,256,515

99.60

3,617,637

0.40

897,874,152

72.89%

659,219

18. To authorise the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditor

894,430,872

99.62

3,416,046

0.38

897,846,918

72.89%

686,318

19. To authorise Political Donations and Expenditure

886,396,780

99.27

6,517,848

0.73

892,914,628

72.49%

5,600,964

20. To renew the authority to Directors to issue shares

891,101,372

99.23

6,900,539

0.77

898,001,911

72.90%

530,642

21. To renew the authority to Directors to disapply pre-emption rights

895,121,169

99.73

2,401,505

0.27

897,522,674

72.86%

1,012,286

22. To renew the authority to Directors to disapply pre-emption rights for the purposes of acquisitions or capital investments

871,534,944

97.09

26,079,798

2.91

897,614,742

72.87%

920,384

23. To renew the authority to the Company to purchase its own shares

887,092,045

98.80

10,797,719

1.20

897,889,764

72.89%

643,305

24. To shorten the Notice period for General Meetings

825,653,749

92.41

67,821,117

7.59

893,474,866

72.54%

5,060,009

Whilst shareholders approved the new Remuneration Policy at our AGM today, and is subject to being approved at the Unilever N.V. AGM on 3 May 2018, we recognise that a significant minority of shareholders have voted against the proposal.

Our new remuneration policy – which was approved by shareholders last year and subsequently applied to the top 3,000 managers in the company, outside the Executive Directors – is simpler, longer term, and requires greater personal commitment through share ownership to drive reward.

To address concerns about how these changes will work in practice for Executive Directors, the Chairman has confirmed Unilever will take the following four actions:

  • As previously announced, the MCIP 2018-2021 award following the AGM will be capped at 1.5x target.
  • Following Simplification, we will continue to provide shareholders with transparency on remuneration:
    • We will continue to put our Directors’ Remuneration Policy to a binding vote every three years and
    • We will continue to put our Directors’ Remuneration Report to an advisory vote every year
  • In the months ahead, we will consult further with our shareholders. Once completed, we will return to explain how we intend to address possible areas of concern before next year’s AGM.





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