Axiata Group Berhad (“Axiata”) concluded its 27th Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) on Wednesday with shareholders expressing strong support towards the Group’s continued transformation into becoming a globally competitive New Generation Digital Champion. All 13 resolutions tabled were also unequivocally approved.
Axiata Chairman, Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid said, “The Board and I would like to thank our shareholders for their attendance, participation and support at this year’s AGM. Their backing has always been critical in propelling Axiata towards the many milestones we have achieved over the decade as one of the leading telecommunications groups in Asia.” “Today, Axiata stands at a new frontier, contemplating a bolder future to compete for growth at the global level against a landscape of innovation, competition and technological advancements, and in the efforts to invest in our people, operations and businesses.”
President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, said, “Undoubtedly, 2018 has been a very interesting year for Axiata and we had the opportunity to engage with shareholders to understand their expectations as well as articulate our strategy and plans to continue to create long-term growth and value. Our vision to become a globally competitive New Generation Digital Champion remains.”
“Our shareholders’ support has been integral to Axiata’s evolution over the years and I wish to thank all of them for their active interest and support of our management. We will stay focused on driving the Group’s Triple Core businesses forward with firm sights set on becoming a digital market leader. At the same time, we will continue to pursue the disciplined execution of our short-term profit and cash focus to drive operational momentum over the next two years.”
At the AGM, the following were amongst the resolutions tabled and subsequently approved by shareholders:
Re-election, Reappointment and Retirement of Directors
During this AGM, Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid, Chairman of the Board, Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata and Dato’ Mohd Izzaddin Idris, all retiring by rotation, were re-elected as Directors.
Dr Lisa Lim Poh Lin and Ms Khoo Gaik Bee, who were both appointed to the Board to fill casual vacancies on 8 June 2018 and 1 January 2019 respectively, were both officially re-elected by shareholders at this AGM.
As a matter of special business, shareholders also approved resolutions for the continuation of Tan Sri Ghazzali and David Lau Nai Pek as Independent Non-Executive Directors on the Axiata Board expressing their continued confidence in their leadership. Tan Sri Ghazzali and
David Lau respectively have served in the role for a cumulative term of more than nine years.
Reappointment of Auditors
Shareholders also approved the reappointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers PLT as the Auditors of the Company for the financial year ending 31 December 2019.
Finally, in terms of dividends for the financial year ended 31 December 2018 (FY18), to recap,
Axiata’s Board of Directors had on 22 February 2019 resolved a higher full-year total dividend of 9.5 sen per ordinary share, including the interim dividend of 5 sen per ordinary share declared for the financial period ended 30 June 2018 as a result of the Group’s continued steady underlying performance during the year, normalised PATAMI of RM1.0 billion as well as in line with the commitment made to shareholders to revert to the 2015 dividend payout ratio (“DPR”) by 2018. With this, the total dividend for FY18 translated to an 85% DPR compared to 64% in the financial year ended 31 December 2017.
The Axiata Integrated Annual Report 2018 Suite can be downloaded from https://axiata.com/investors/integrated–annual–reports/