PARIS - (Business Wire) Please replace the release dated Nov. 2, 2009 with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
The corrected release reads:
PERNOD RICARD: DECISIONS OF THE COMBINED GENERAL MEETING AND OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING HELD AT THE END OF THE CGM
Regulatory News:
Combined General Meeting of 2 November 2009
- Cash dividend: € 0.50 per share
- Renewal of terms of office as Directors of Danièle Ricard, Jean-Dominique Comolli, Lord Douro and SA Paul Ricard, represented from this day by Alexandre Ricard
- Appointment of Gérald Frère, Michel Chambaud and Anders Narvinger as new Directors
Decisions of the Board of Directors’ meeting held at the end of the Combined General Meeting of 2 November 2009
- Composition of Board of Directors’ Committees
- Distribution of one free share for every fifty shares held
Press release - Paris, 3 November 2009
Combined General Meeting of 2 November 2009
Cash dividend: € 0.50 per share
Pernod Ricard’s shareholders approved the 2008/09 consolidated and parent company financial statements at 30 June 2009 at the General Meeting and decided to approve the payment of a dividend distribution of € 0.50 per share. Due to the payment of an interim dividend on 8 July 2009, no further dividend will be paid. The return to the usual cash dividend distribution policy of one third of net profit from recurring operations is planned for the 2009/10 financial year.
Renewal of the term of office of four Directors and appointment of three new Directors
The General Meeting decided to renew the terms of office as Directors of Danièle Ricard, Jean-Dominique Comolli, Lord Douro and SA Paul Ricard, represented from this day by Alexandre Ricard. Gérald Frère, Michel Chambaud and Anders Narvinger were appointed as new Directors for a term of four years (see their biographies below).
Decisions of the Board of Directors’ meeting held at the end of the Combined General Meeting of 2 November 2009
Composition of Board of Directors’ Committees
The Board of Directors, meeting yesterday following the General Meeting, reorganised the Committees as follows:
- Audit Committee: Michel Chambaud, Nicole Bouton, Wolfgang Colberg, François Gérard
- Appointments Committee: Jean-Dominique Comolli, Lord Douro, Danièle Ricard
- Remuneration Committee: Jean-Dominique Comolli, Lord Douro, Gérald Frère
Distribution of one free share for every fifty shares held
It was also decided to increase the share capital of the company through the capitalisation of reserves and the allocation of bonus shares, on the basis of one free share for fifty shares held. The Board of Directors set the allocation date for 18 November 2009 and ruled that these new shares will give right to cash dividends decided or paid on or after their date of issue. In application of the authorisation granted by the General Meeting in its 22nd resolution, the fractional shares may neither be traded nor sold. Corresponding cash compensation will be paid on Wednesday 9 December 2009.
BIOGRAPHIES
GERALD FRERE
58 years old, a Belgian national, Gérald FRERE has been a Managing Director of the Bruxelles Lambert Group since 1993. He joined the family business, the Frère-Bourgeois Group in 1972. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Bruxelles Lambert Group since 1982 and the Chairman of its Permanent Committee since 1993.
In addition, he also acts as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille SA (CNP) and TVI SA (RTL Belgium). He is also a Director of Banque Nationale de Belgique, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pargesa Holding SA (Switzerland) and Director of Corporation Financière Power (Canada), Suez-Tractebel SA (Belgium) and Lafarge SA.
Over the past five years, Gérald FRERE also held the following positions: Director of GBL Finance S.A. (Luxembourg), Chairman of Diane S.A. (Switzerland), Director of RTL Group S.A (Luxembourg), Commissioner of N.F. Associated B.V. (Netherlands), member of the Remuneration Committee, member of the Strategic Committee and member of the Supervisory Board of Taittinger S.A Group (France), Director of Cobepa S.A. (Belgium) and Member of the Board of Trustees of Guberna.
MICHEL CHAMBAUD
57 years old, a French national, Michel CHAMBAUD graduated from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in 1973 and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Paris in 1975. He was also awarded a doctorate in fiscal law in 1977. Michel CHAMBAUD was a Strategy Consultant for Arthur D. Little and held various Finance lecturing positions until 1978. From that date and until 1982, he was a consultant for African development banks, under contract from the World Bank, and concurrently founded Surf System (a press group comprising the Surf Session, Body Board Air Force and Surfer’s Journal magazines).
In 1982, he joined the Schlumberger Group, where he successively acted as Chief Financial Officer for France, the US and then Japan.
Since 1987, he has been participating in the development of Pargesa-GBL Group, in the following capacities: until 1996, as Deputy CEO in charge of Parfinance’s equity investments (holding company listed in France and a subsidiary of Pargesa). From 1996 to 2003, he was a member of the Management Board of Imerys, in charge of Finance and Strategy. He was responsible to date for monitoring the equity investments of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL).
Over the past five years, Michel CHAMBAUD also acted as Manager of Nyala Finance Paris.
Anders NARVINGER
61 years old, a Swedish national, Anders NARVINGER, a former Chairman and CEO of ABB Sweden, is the CEO of the Association of Swedish Engineering Industries. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Trelleborg AB (polymer technology), Alfa Laval AB (a Swedish engineering company) and Coor Service Management Group AB (facility management services), and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vin&Sprit from 2007 to 2009. Anders NARVINGER, an Engineering and Economics graduate, is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Volvo Car Corporation, JM AB (construction and building industry) and a Member of the Swedish branch of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Over the past five years, Anders NARVINGER also acted as Chairman of the Swedish Economic Council of the Invest in Sweden Agency, of the Institute of Technology of Lund and of Ireco Holding.
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As for Alexandre RICARD, he has been the Chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers since July 2008.
37 years old, a French national, Alexandre RICARD is a graduate of ESCP and Wharton University of Pennsylvania (MA in International Studies and MBA in Finance Entrepreneurship). He joined the Group in 2003, after spending seven years in consulting and strategy with Accenture and Merger & Acquisitions with Morgan Stanley, to work for the holding company, as part of the Audit and Development department and was appointed Finance and Administration Director of Irish Distillers at end 2004, and subsequently Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Asia Duty Free in September 2006.
About Pernod Ricard
Created by the merger of Pernod and Ricard (1975), the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions. The acquisitions of Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and recently of Vin&Sprit (2008) have made the Group the world’s co-leader in Wines and Spirits with consolidated sales of € 7,203 million in 2008/09. Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: ABSOLUT Premium Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Kahlúa and Malibu liqueurs, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek and Montana wines.
The Group favours a decentralised organisation, with 6 Brand Owners and 70 Distribution Companies established in each key market, and employs a workforce of around 19,000 people. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption of its products.
Pernod Ricard is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is a member of the CAC 40 index.
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