Actelion's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held in Basel, Switzerland - All Board proposals approved Freitag, 08. Mai 2015 - 13:23
ALLSCHWIL/BASEL, SWITZERLAND - 08 May 2015 - At today's Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN), held in Basel, Switzerland, shareholders voted in favor of all proposals by the Board of Directors with a significant majority.
The meeting was attended by 249 shareholders. A total of 66'512'248 shares, or 58.28% of the total outstanding shares, was represented.
Led by the Chairman of the Board, Jean-Pierre Garnier, the company presented a review of the 2014 performance. Highlights included the outstanding financial results, the highly successful launch of Opsumit®, the sustained demand for key products such as Tracleer® and Veletri®, the excellent Phase III results for selexipag studies in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, and the progress made with the company's clinical development pipeline. The Chairman highlighted that Actelion - once again - created substantial value in 2014, with a total shareholder return of 55%.
The shareholders approved the Annual Report 2014 as well as the Statutory and the Consolidated Financial Statements 2014.
A proposal by the Board to distribute as dividend out of legal reserve originating from capital contribution in the amount of CHF 1.30 per registered share was passed by shareholders. The ex-dividend date will be 12 May 2015 and the payment will be made on 15 May 2015.
Shareholders endorsed the 2014 compensation report by way of consultative vote.
Shareholders also approved the aggregate maximum compensation for the Board of Directors (Non-Executive Directors) for the term until the AGM 2016 and the aggregate compensation amount for the Actelion Executive Committee (AEC) for the financial year 2016.
Jean-Pierre Garnier, Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented: "2014 was an outstanding year for Actelion. I would like to thank shareholders for their confidence in Actelion and their votes in favor of all the Board's proposals. This was the first time the shareholders were asked to approve Actelion's compensation proposals in accordance to the Articles of Incorporation amended in 2014. I am encouraged by the resounding support that our proposals received."
The shareholders granted discharge to all members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Management and re-elected all members of the Board which stood for election for a term of office until the conclusion of the AGM 2016. Mr. Carl Feldbaum and Mr. Werner Henrich did not stand for re-election.
The shareholders elected Ms. Herna Verhagen and Mr David Stout as new Board members for a term of office until the conclusion of the AGM 2016.
In addition, the shareholders elected Mr. Jean-Pierre Garnier as Chairperson of the Board and Ms. Herna Verhagen, Mr. Jean-Pierre Garnier, and Mr. John J. Greisch (Chair) to the Compensation Committee.
Following the AGM, the Board of Directors of Actelion comprises a total of 10 members: Jean-Pierre Garnier (Chairman), Juhani Anttila, Robert Bertolini, Jean-Paul Clozel, John J. Greisch, Peter Gruss, Michael Jacobi, Jean Malo, David Stout and Herna Verhagen.
Jean-Pierre Garnier, concluded: "During their long service as integral members on the Board of Directors, both Carl Feldbaum and Werner Henrich have supported Actelion to become the successful global player it is today. I would like to thank both gentlemen for their contributions, Actelion has greatly benefitted from the experience they brought to the table. I would also like to welcome Herna Verhagen and David Stout as new members of the Board of Directors. Both bring significant experience to Actelion, and I look forward to working with them."
BDO AG, represented by Mr. Marc Schaffner, was elected as Independent Proxy for a term of office until the conclusion of the AGM 2016.
Ernst & Young was re-elected as the company's statutory auditors for the business year 2015.
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NOTES TO THE EDITOR
ABOUT ACTELION LTD.
Actelion Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
Actelion is a leader in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our portfolio of PAH treatments covers the spectrum of disease, from WHO Functional Class (FC) II through to FC IV, with oral, inhaled and intravenous medications. Although not available in all countries, Actelion has treatments approved by health authorities for a number of specialist diseases including Type 1 Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick type C disease, Digital Ulcers in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, and mycosis fungoides in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Founded in late 1997, with now over 2,400 dedicated professionals covering all key markets around the world including the US, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico, Actelion has its corporate headquarters in Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland.
Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI®). All trademarks are legally protected.
For further information please contact:
Andrew Weiss
Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Gewerbestrasse 16, CH-4123 Allschwil
+41 61 565 62 62
www.actelion.com