2012 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Wolters Kluwer held today
Alphen aan den Rijn (April 25, 2012) - Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company focused on professionals, announced that the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM), held in Amsterdam earlier today, has adopted the company's 2011 financial statements and has approved the dividend increase to €0.68 per ordinary share. Mr. D.R. Hooft Graafland was appointed as a new member of Wolters Kluwer's Supervisory Board.
In her address to the AGM, Nancy McKinstry, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, shared details about Wolters Kluwer's 2011 financial accomplishments and successful execution on the strategy to drive growth through portfolio changes, globalization, and innovation in the business. The portfolio transformation continues with electronic and services revenues now making up 71% of total revenues.
Ms. McKinstry stated, "Our products fill a vital role, helping our customers navigate an increasing amount of information, legislative change, and regulatory compliance complexity, at a time when all customers are being asked to produce more, with fewer resources."
Decisions by the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
The shareholders of Wolters Kluwer were represented in person, by proxy voting, or by voting instruction, representing a total of 59% of the total issued share capital entitled to vote. All voting items on the agenda were adopted. These items included:
- Shareholders adopted the 2011 financial statements and approved the proposal to distribute a dividend of €0.68 per ordinary share, a 1.5% increase over last year and therefore in line with the progressive dividend policy. As in previous years, shareholders can choose between a distribution in the form of cash or stock.
- Shareholders appointed Mr. D.R. Hooft Graafland as member of the Supervisory Board. Mr. Hooft Graafland is member of the Executive Board and CFO of Heineken N.V. He was nominated by the Supervisory Board in view of his broad international management experience and his financial expertise.
He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Mr. H. Scheffers from the Supervisory Board at the end of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Mr. Scheffers served on the Supervisory Board for a period of eight years.
Details on the agenda items are available on the company's website, www.wolterskluwer.com (http://www.wolterskluwer.com/).
Resources on the company
The AGM presentation of Ms. McKinstry can be found at www.wolterskluwer.com (http://www.wolterskluwer.com/). In addition to that, the 2011 Annual Report (http://reports.wolterskluwer.com/2011/ar/) is available online, in print and as an iPad app (http://itunes.apple.com/lv/app/wolters-kluwer-annual-report/id423037824?mt=8). The 2011 Sustainability Report (http://reports.wolterskluwer.com/2011/sr/) and Wolters Kluwer's Intelligent Solutions Blog (http://solutions.wolterskluwer.com/blog/) provide further insight into how Wolters Kluwer creates value through expertise, champions innovation, and demonstrates leadership.
Dividend calendar
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April 27, 2012 Ex-dividend quotation
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April 27 - May 11, 2012 Choice period stock dividend
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May 2, 2012 Dividend record date
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May 11, 2012 Stock dividend ratio date (after the close of trading)*
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May 15, 2012 Cash distribution payable
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May 22, 2012 ADR Cash distribution payable
* The stock dividend conversion rate will be set on the basis of the volume weighted average share price of the company during the period from May 7 up to and including May 11, 2012.
Calendar
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May 9, 2012 Trading update
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July 25, 2012 Half-Year 2012 results
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November 7, 2012 Trading update
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February 20, 2013 Full-Year 2012 results
Full overview available at www.wolterskluwer.com (http://www.wolterskluwer.com/)
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer (http://www.wolterskluwer.com/) is a market-leading global information services company. Professionals in the areas of legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and healthcare rely on Wolters Kluwer's leading information-enabled tools and software solutions to manage their business efficiently, deliver results to their clients, and succeed in an ever more dynamic world.
Wolters Kluwer had 2011 annual revenues of €3.4 billion, employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices.
Visit our website (http://www.wolterskluwer.com/), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/WoltersKluwerComms), follow @Wolters_Kluwer on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/Wolters_Kluwer), or look up Wolters Kluwer on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/pages/Wolters-Kluwer/39628877505) for more information about our customers, market positions, brands, and organization.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as "expect", "should", "could", "shall", and similar expressions. Wolters Kluwer cautions that such forward-looking statements are qualified by certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from what is contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, general economic conditions; conditions in the markets in which Wolters Kluwer is engaged; behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors; technological developments; the implementation and execution of new ICT systems or outsourcing; and legal, tax, and regulatory rules affecting Wolters Kluwer's businesses, as well as risks related to mergers, acquisitions, and divestments. In addition, financial risks such as currency movements, interest rate fluctuations, liquidity, and credit risks could influence future results. The foregoing list of factors should not be construed as exhaustive.
Wolters Kluwer disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
| Contact: | Media Caroline Wouters + 31 (0)172 641 459 press@wolterskluwer.com (mailto:press@wolterskluwer.com) | Investors/Analysts Jon Teppo +31 (0)172 641 407 ir@wolterskluwer.com (mailto:ir@wolterskluwer.com) |
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(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: Wolters Kluwer NV via Thomson Reuters ONE
