bpost Shareholders’ Meetings 2020: Update on attendance and voting instructions
Wednesday 22 April 2020Wednesday, April 22 2020
On 9 April 2020, the Belgian federal government adopted a Royal Decree [1] providing for a number of exceptional measures to ensure the organization and functioning of general meetings of shareholders while limiting the spread of COVID-19.
bpost NV/SA intends to strictly follow the regulations adopted by the Belgian federal government and take all necessary measures to avoid any health or safety risks for its shareholders, service providers and employees at the occasion of the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meetings (together, the “Meetings”) that will be held on Wednesday 13 May 2020 at 10 AM (Belgian time).
As a consequence, the Board of Directors of bpost NV/SA has decided to implement article 6 of the aforementioned Royal Decree as follows:
1. The physical presence of shareholders, proxyholders and other persons otherwise entitled to attend the Meetings will not be allowed: the Meetings will be held behind closed doors at the Company’s registered office (MuntCentrum, 1000 Brussels, Belgium).
2. Voting rights can only be exercised by correspondence, or by proxy to the single proxyholder designated by the Board of Directors (i.e. Mr. François Cornelis, Chairman of the Board of Directors). The updated forms for voting by correspondence or by proxy are available on bpost Group’s website: https://corporate.bpost.be/investors/shareholders-meetings/2020.
Please note that:
- only the single proxyholder designated by the Board of Directors can be appointed as proxyholder;
- the forms for voting by correspondence or by proxy must contain specific voting instructions;
- the votes and abstentions expressed in proxies granted to another person than the aforementioned proxyholder which bpost NV/SA has already received, will nevertheless be taken into account but such other proxyholders will not be allowed to attend the Meetings. However, the shareholders concerned can always notify bpost NV/SA of the withdrawal of their proxies if, for any reason, they do not wish to grant it to the single proxyholder designated by the Board of Directors;
- forms for voting by correspondence and by proxy must be duly completed, dated and signed and must reach Euroclear Belgium by email (ebe.issuer@euroclear.com) by 9 May 2020, 4.00 PM (Belgian time) at the latest.
3. Shareholders will only be allowed to submit their questions in writing and prior to the Meetings: these questions must reach the Company by email (GeneralMeeting@bpost.be) by 9 May 2020, 4.00 PM (Belgian time) at the latest. Questions validly addressed to the Company will be answered orally during the Meetings. A video recording of the Meetings will be available on bpost Group’s website shortly after the Meetings.
4. All other attendance formalities mentioned in the updated convening notice published on bpost Group’s website must be complied with: shareholders will only be allowed to vote in the Meetings with the number of shares they hold on the Registration Date, i.e. 29 April 2020 at 24.00 (midnight – Belgian time), irrespective of the number of shares they hold on the date of the Meetings. In the case of dematerialized shares, shareholders must instruct their financial institution to directly deposit a certificate certifying the number of dematerialized shares held by the shareholder on the Registration Date and for which they have notified their intention to exercise their voting right in the Meetings, with Euroclear Belgium by email (ebe.issuer@euroclear.com) by 9 May 2020, 4.00 PM (Belgian time) at the latest.
bpost NV/SA would like to thank its shareholders for their support and understanding in these exceptional times.
Questions relating to the Meetings can be sent to GeneralMeeting@bpost.be.
For more information:
Press
Website : https://press.bpost.be/en
Barbara Van Speybroeck
T. +32 2 276 32 18
Investor Relations
Website : http://corporate.bpost.be/investors
Saskia Dheedene / Stéphanie Voisin
T. +32 2 276 76 43
[1] Royal Decree n°4 of 9 April 2020 on various provisions on co-ownership and companies and associations law, in the framework of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.