Merck held its 29th Annual General Meeting in virtual form today. All resolutions on the agenda were approved.
Merck, a leading science and technology company, held its 29th Annual General Meeting in virtual form today. All resolutions on the agenda, including the proposed dividend of € 2.20 per share, were approved by a large majority. In addition, the Annual General Meeting elected six new shareholder representatives to the Supervisory Board.
In her address to the shareholders, Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck, summarized the developments of the previous fiscal year and provided an outlook for the future: “2023 was a transition year in which we proved our resilience, keeping our dividend at the same level as 2022, illustrating our confidence in the future. In 2024, we will gradually return to growth. Moreover, we are well positioned to achieve long-term growth, driven by strong megatrends in all our key markets.”
In the Supervisory Board elections, which took place this year as scheduled, the Annual General Meeting elected the new members, including four women. Specifically, the following members will represent the shareholders in the new Supervisory Board : Michael Kleinemeier (Chair), Katja Garcia Vila, Dr. Carla Kriwet, Barbara Lambert, Prof. Dr. Stefan Palzer, and Dr. Susanne Schaffert. The new representatives of the Merck family appointed to the Supervisory Board by E. Merck Beteiligungen KG are Dr. Daniel Thelen and Professor Simon Thelen. In the future, employees will be represented in the Supervisory Board by Sascha Held (Vice Chair), Birgit Biermann, Anne Lange, Dietmar Oeter, Alexander Putz, Christian Raabe, Michael Reinhart, and Sandra Schwebke. In its constitutive meeting after the Annual General Meeting, the Supervisory Board elected Michael Kleinemeier as Chair. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2019 and has served as Chair since early 2024.
“I am grateful to have been elected as Chair of the Supervisory Board and am looking forward to the task of accompanying Merck on its further growth path,” said Michael Kleinemeier after his election today. “I would also like to thank the Supervisory Board members retiring today for the trustful and positive collaboration within this important Board. In addition, I am looking forward to an equally constructive collaboration with all remaining members as well as those who were newly elected today.”
When the resolutions were voted on, around 92.7 million of the approximately 129.2 million shares issued were represented, corresponding to 71.78% of the share capital.
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