Pernod Ricard: Combined Shareholders’ Meeting of 27 November 2020

  • All resolutions have been adopted
  • Annual dividend: €2.66 per share
  • Renewal of the directorships of Messrs Alexandre Ricard, César Giron and Wolfgang Colberg and appointment of Ms Virginie Fauvel as Director
  • Approval of the components of the compensation paid or granted to Mr Alexandre Ricard,
    Chairman & CEO for the 2019/20 financial year
  • Approval of the compensation policy items applicable to Mr Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO for the 2020/21 financial year
  • Approval of the components of the compensation paid or granted to the Directors for the 2019/20 financial year
  • Approval of the compensation policy items applicable to the Directors for the 2020/21 financial year
  • Appointments of members of the Board Committees (following the Shareholders’ Meeting)

PARIS--()--Regulatory News:

Press release – 27 November 2020

Pernod Ricard’s (Paris:RI) shareholders held their Combined Shareholders’ Meeting (ordinary and extraordinary) today, chaired by Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO, to approve the 2019/20 consolidated and parent company financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2020 and to vote on the resolutions submitted for their approval.

Annual dividend: €2.66 per share

The shareholders set the cash dividend at €2.66 per share for the 2019/20 financial year. An interim dividend of €1.18 per share having been paid on 10 July 2020, the balance of €1.48 per share will be detached on 9 December 2020 (with a record date of 10 December 2020) and paid on 11 December 2020.

Composition of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders’ Meeting renewed for a term of 4 years the directorships of Messrs Alexandre Ricard, César Giron and Wolfgang Colberg and appointed Ms Virginie Fauvel as Director for a term of 4 years. Their respective biographies are attached to this press release. In addition, Gilles Samyn's resignation from his position as Director took effect at the end of the Shareholders' Meeting.

Approval of the compensation items paid or granted to Mr Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO for the 2019/20 financial year

Pernod Ricard’s shareholders approved the compensation items paid or granted to Mr Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO for the 2019/20 financial year.

Approval of the compensation policy items applicable to Mr Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO for the 2020/21 financial year

The Shareholders’ Meeting approved the compensation policy items applicable to Mr Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & CEO for the 2020/21 financial year.

Approval of the compensation items paid or granted to the Directors for the 2019/20 financial year

Pernod Ricard’s shareholders approved the compensation items paid or granted to the Directors for the 2019/20 financial year.

Approval of the compensation policy items applicable to the Directors for the 2020/21 financial year

The Shareholders’ Meeting approved the compensation policy items applicable to the Directors for the 2020/21 financial year.

Board of Directors held on 27 November 2020 (following the Shareholders’ Meeting)

On the recommendation of the Nominations and Governance Committee, the Board of Directors decided to change the composition of the Board Committees as follows:

  • Creation of a "Corporate Social Responsibility Committee" dedicated exclusively to the Group's CSR issues, whose members will be Ms Patricia Barbizet (Chairwoman), Ms Veronica Vargas and Ms Esther Berrozpe Galindo.
  • Appointment of Mr. Philippe Petitcolin as Chairman of the Audit Committee, replacing Mr. Wolfgang Colberg, who will however retain a seat on this Committee.
  • Appointment of Ms Anne Lange as member of the Nominations and Governance Committee, replacing Mr. Wolfgang Colberg.
  • Appointment of Mr. Philippe Petitcolin and Paul Ricard SA (represented by Paul-Charles Ricard) as members of the Strategic Committee, and departure of Mr. César Giron from this Committee.
  • Mr. Philippe Petitcolin left the Compensation Committee

A table summarizing the composition of the Board Committees at the end of our Shareholders' Meeting is appended to this press release.

Biographies

Alexandre Ricard

Mr Alexandre Ricard is a graduate of ESCP Europe, the Wharton School of Business (MBA majoring in finance and entrepreneurship) and the University of Pennsylvania (MA in International Studies). After working for seven years outside the Group, for Accenture (Strategy and Consulting) and Morgan Stanley (Mergers and Acquisitions Consulting), he joined the Pernod Ricard Group in 2003 in the Audit and Development Department at the Headquarters. At the end of 2004, he became the Chief Financial and Administration Officer of Irish Distillers Group, and then Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard Asia Duty Free in September 2006. In July 2008, Mr Alexandre Ricard was appointed as Chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers Group and became a member of Pernod Ricard’s Executive Committee. In September 2011, he joined the Group General Management as Managing Director in charge of the Distribution Network and became a member of the Executive Board. Mr Alexandre Ricard was the permanent representative of Société Paul Ricard (Director of Pernod Ricard) from 2 November 2009 until 29 August 2012, date on which he was co-opted as Director of Pernod Ricard and appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Operating Officer. On 11 February 2015, he was then appointed Chairman and CEO of the Group by the Board of Directors.

Mr Alexandre Ricard is the grandson of Mr Paul Ricard, the founder of Société Ricard.

César Giron

After graduating from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Lyon, Mr César Giron joined the Pernod Ricard Group in 1987, where he has spent his entire career. In 2000, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard Swiss SA before becoming Chairman and CEO of Wyborowa SA in Poland in December 2003.

From July 2009, Mr César Giron acted as Chairman and CEO of Pernod until his appointment, on 1 July 2015, as Chairman and CEO of Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët.

Mr César Giron is Chairman of the Management Board of Société Paul Ricard.

Mr César Giron is a grandson of Mr Paul Ricard, the founder of Société Ricard.

Mr César Giron has been a Director of Pernod Ricard since 2008.

Wolfgang Colberg

Mr Wolfgang Colberg holds a PhD in Political Science (in addition to qualifications in Business Administration and Business Informatics). He has spent his entire career with the Robert Bosch Group and the BSH Group. After joining the Robert Bosch group in 1988, he became Business Analyst (Headquarters), and then went on to become Head of Business Administration at the Göttingen production site (1990-93), then Head of the Business Analyst Team and Economic Planning (Headquarters) (1993-94), before being appointed as General Manager for the Group’s Turkey and Central Asia affiliate. In 1996, he was appointed Senior Vice Chairman – Central Purchasing and Logistics (Headquarters).

Between 2001 and 2009, Mr Wolfgang Colberg was Chief Financial Officer at BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH and a member of the Executive Committee. He was then Chief Financial Officer of Evonik Industries AG as well as a member of the Executive Committee between 2009 and 2013. From 2013 to 2019 he was Industrial Partner of CVC Capital Partners, and since 2020 he has been Industrial Partner of Deutsche Invest Capital Partners.

Mr Wolfgang Colberg has been a Director of Pernod Ricard since 2008.

Virginie Fauvel

Virginie Fauvel is an engineer from the Ecole des Mines de Nancy. She started her career in 1997 working for Cetelem as Group CRM and Risks analytics Director prior to becoming Group Digital Officer in 2004 and to be in charge of the e-Business French BU. She then joined BNP Paribas's French retail bank in 2009 to manage and develop online banking before joining BNP Paribas’ Online Banking Europe BU in 2012 where she launched "HelloBank!", the first 100% mobile European bank in Italy, France, Belgium and Germany in 2013. In July 2013, she joined Allianz France as member of the French Executive Committee in charge of Digital Transformation, Big Data, Communication and Market Management. She largely contributed to the company's transformation by placing digital innovation at the heart of its strategy. She subsequently became a member of the Management Board of Euler Hermes in January 2018, in charge of the Americas region and of the Group's transformation. In September 2020, she became Chief Executive Officer of Harvest SA, a software publisher specializing in financial and wealth management consulting.

COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD COMMITTEES AS OF 27 NOVEMBER 2020

 

Name

Function

Independence

 

CSR Committee

 

Ms Patricia BARBIZET

Chairwoman

Independent

Ms Esther BERROZPE GALINDO

Member

Independent

Ms Veronica VARGAS

Member

Non-Independent

 

Independence: 67%

 

Audit Committee

 

Mr Philippe PETITCOLIN

Chairman

Independent

Ms Kory SORENSON

Member

Independent

Mr Wolfgang COLBERG

Member

Non-Independent

 

Independence: 67%

 

Nominations and Governance Committee

 

Ms Patricia BARBIZET

Chairwoman

Independent

Ms Anne LANGE

Member

Independent

Mr César GIRON

Member

Non-Independent

 

Independence: 67%

 

Compensation Committee

 

Ms Kory SORENSON

Chairwoman

Independent

Ms Patricia BARBIZET

Member

Independent

Mr Ian GALLIENNE

Member

Independent

Mr Stéphane EMERY

Member (representing the employees)

N/A

 

Independence: 100%

 

Strategic Committee

 

Mr Alexandre RICARD

Chairman

Non-Independent

Mr Philippe PETITCOLIN

Member

Independent

Mr Ian GALLIENNE

Member

Independent

SA Paul Ricard

Member

Non-Independent

Ms Anne LANGE

Member

Independent

 

Independence: 60%

The Combined Shareholders’ Meeting was broadcasted live and can now be viewed in both French and English on the http://pernod-ricard.com website.

Shareholders’ agenda:

Tuesday 1 December 2020 – EMEA-LATAM call – 3:00pm CET

Thursday 11 February 2021 - Half-year 2020/21 Sales & Results

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s No 2 in wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €8,448 million in FY20. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard’s brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group’s decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of “Créateurs de Convivialité.” As reaffirmed by the Group’s strategic plan, “Transform and Accelerate,” deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard’s strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics, as illustrated by the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “Good times from a good place.” In recognition of Pernod Ricard’s strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nations’ Global Compact LEAD company.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

Contacts

Pernod Ricard Contacts
Julia Massies / VP, Financial Communications & Investor Relations +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 03
Charly Montet / Investor Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13
Emmanuel Vouin / Head of External Engagement +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34
Alison Donohoe / Press Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 23

Contacts

Pernod Ricard Contacts
Julia Massies / VP, Financial Communications & Investor Relations +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 03
Charly Montet / Investor Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13
Emmanuel Vouin / Head of External Engagement +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34
Alison Donohoe / Press Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 23