Sartorius Stedim Biotech to hold its Annual Shareholders' Meeting on June 24, 2020
Aubagne, May 13, 2020
Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. will convene a video-based combined Annual Shareholders’ Meeting (ASM) for Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. The Board of Directors decided at its meeting on May 13, 2020, that the ASM will be held without the personal attendance of shareholders and be fully live-streamed on the company’s website at www.sartorius.com instead. This complies with French Ordinance No. 2020-321 of March 25, 2020, that has adapted the rules for shareholder meetings and conferences. The ASM initially scheduled for March 24 had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictions imposed on travel and in-person meetings.
The Board of Directors also resolved at its meeting to submit an adjusted proposal to the ASM to pay a dividend for fiscal 2019 of €0.34 per share. The initial proposal was for a dividend of €0.68, after €0.57 paid for fiscal 2018. "We need to be prepared for significant uncertainties and risks that will last for a longer period. At the same time, we believe that the current situation may also offer additional opportunities to further strengthen our portfolio through innovative technologies. In addition, we will also make considerable efforts to support people and institutions that have been particularly hit by the pandemic crisis or that play an important role in coping with it. Within the context of these three aspects, we adjusted our dividend proposal," said Dr. Joachim Kreuzburg, Chairman of the Board and CEO.
Procedure of the ASM
Shareholders or any other person entitled to attend the ASM will not be present in person or by telephone or audiovisual conferencing. Therefore, it will not be possible to ask questions or to submit draft amendments or new resolutions during the meeting. In accordance with the procedure outlined below, shareholders are invited to exercise their right to vote prior to the ASM.
Voting on the secure Internet platform1 (recommended)
Shareholders who wish to vote online can go to the secure platform VOTACCESS prior to the ASM. This platform is available via Planetshares or through their financial intermediary’s website. The platform will be open from June 4th, 2020, to June 23rd, 2020 at 3:00 p.m (local time). In order to avoid overloading the platform, it is recommended not to wait until the day before the ASM to vote.
Postal voting
Shareholders also have the option of voting by mail using the company’s paper voting form.
- Registered shareholders must use the voting form attached to their notice of meeting;
- Bearer shareholders will need to request the voting form and a shareholder certificate from the financial intermediary that manages their securities.
The form is available on the company’s website at https://www.sartorius.com/en/company/investor-relations/sartorius-stedim-biotech-sa-investor-relations/shareholders-meeting.
Once completed and signed, the voting form accompanied by the shareholder certificate for bearer shareholders must be returned to BNP Paribas Securities Services, CTO Assemblées- Les Grands Moulins de Pantin- 9, rue du Débarcadère- 93761 Pantin Cedex. Under no circumstances may the voting form be returned directly to Sartorius Stedim Biotech. In order for the voting form to be considered validly submitted, it must be received by BNP Paribas Securities Services no later than June 20, 2020 (midnight). In light of the coronavirus pandemic, which may increase postal delays, it is recommended that the voting form be returned as soon as possible.
Due to measures restricting gatherings and travel, it will not be possible to apply for an admission card or to designate a third party as a proxy to the ASM.
As shareholders will not be attending in person, they will not have the opportunity to ask questions during the ASM. However, shareholders do have the right to send in written questions to which the Chairman of the Board will respond during the ASM. These written questions are to be sent by email to procurations-AG@sartorius-stedim.com by the fourth workday prior to the date of the Shareholders’ Meeting, i.e., Thursday, June 18, 2020. This inquiry by email needs to be accompanied by a certificate of registration either in the registered share accounts maintained by the company or in the accounts of bearer share maintained by an intermediary as defined in Article L. 211-3 of the French Monetary and Financial Code. Given the current situation, written questions received up to the first workday preceding the date of the ASM, i.e. Tuesday June 23, 2020, will be considered valid.
1 Holders of registered shares who wish to vote over the Internet can access the VOTACCESS website via the Planetshares website at https://planetshares.bnpparibas.com. Holders of bearer shares are required to find out whether his or her authorized intermediary is connected to the VOTACCESS service and, if so, whether such access is subject to specific conditions of use. If the intermediary holding the shareholder’s securities account is connected to VOTACCESS, the shareholder needs to connect to the intermediary’s website using his or her usual login identifiers.
