Annual General Meeting: Shareholders Approve all Agenda Items

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, held its 26th Annual General Meeting in virtual form today.

The Annual General Meeting approved the actions of the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, for fiscal 2020 by a large majority and approved all of the resolutions on the agenda, including the proposed dividend of € 1.40 per share, an increase of € 0.10 over the previous year.

Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, said farewell to shareholders and passed a symbolic baton to his successor, Belén Garijo, who will become Chair of the Executive Board and CEO on May 1.

Within the scope of the Annual General Meeting, shareholders voted, among other things, on the revised compensation system for members of the Executive Board. The compensation system has been developed further and adapted to the new regulatory framework conditions. It is expected to further strengthen the long-term incentive effect of the compensation and, at the same time, rule out disproportionate discrepancies. Apart from the principles of good corporate governance, the implementation of the company’s sustainability goals is an important element of the system.

More than 1,000 users followed the live transmission of the Annual General Meeting on the Internet. When the resolutions were voted on, around 89.5 million shares were represented, corresponding to 68.25% of the approximately 129.2 million shares issued. The details of the voting results can be found at www.emdgroup.com/agm.