Chairman of the Board Ásthildur Otharsdóttir addressed the meeting on behalf of the board. CEO Árni Oddur Thórdarson reported the Company’s 2017 consolidated financial statements and gave an extensive overview of the Company’s business activities.
Chairman Ásthildur Otharsdóttir’s statement
“We are proud of the achievements of the Marel team in 2017. It was a great year with strong financial results. Significant investments were made in strengthening Marel's foundation and important progress made towards our growth targets, benefitting both customers and shareholders.
“This year, Marel celebrated the 25th anniversary of its listing on NASDAQ Iceland and 2018 will mark the 35th anniversary of its founding. Marel has created excellent value for its shareholders since its listing in 1992 and progressed from a startup to a leading global provider of advanced food processing systems for poultry, meat and fish.
“The listing on Nasdaq Iceland has served Marel well but we have growing concerns about the relative size of the company on the Icelandic stock market. To further advance the global vision and drive continued shareholder returns Marel has engaged STJ Advisors, a leading independent capital markets advisory firm, to evaluate potential listing alternatives. We are committed to responsible growth and long-term value creation for Marel and all of our shareholders.“
CEO Árni Oddur Thórdarson’s report:
“Marel is a global leader in a dynamic growth industry with over EUR 1 billion in revenues. Revenues are up by 6% year-on-year and we have now been operating at an EBIT level of around 15% for eight consecutive quarters. In transforming the way food is processed, we have also been growing and advancing Marel as a company.
“Our revenues are well balanced geographically, consisting of a healthy mix of greenfield projects, modernization and extension projects with steady recurring revenues coming from our maintenance business. With an innovative portfolio and continued good partnerships with our customers, orders received were a record EUR 1,144 million in 2017, up 13% over last year.
“The outlook is promising and in 2017 we introduced an ambitious growth plan for the next ten years with a target of 12% average annual growth, both organic and acquired. United under one vision and one set of values, our dedicated team of 5,400 employees is firmly committed to delivering increased value to our society, customers and shareholders by enhancing safe and sustainable food processing.“
Results of the AGM
The following were re-elected to the board of directors:
- Ólafur Steinn Gudmundsson
- Ástvaldur Jóhannsson
- Margrét Jónsdóttir
- Helgi Magnússon
- Arnar Thór Másson
- Ásthildur Margrét Otharsdóttir
- Ann Elisabeth Savage
The new board of directors has convened and assigned roles and responsibilities. Ásthildur Margrét Otharsdóttir will continue as Chairman of the Board and Arnar Thór Másson, as the Vice-Chairman of the Board.
All proposals presented by the board were approved by the meeting.
The AGM approved a dividend payment of EUR 4.19 cents per share, corresponding to 30% of net profits for 2017, be paid to shareholders.
The AGM approved the board of directors’ proposal to authorize the Company to acquire up to 10% of its own shares and that this authorization will be in effect for the next 18 months following approval.
The Remuneration Policy for the year 2017 was approved un-amended for the year 2018 and remuneration to Board members was decided as well. KPMG hf. will remain the company’s external auditing firm until the next AGM.
Annual Report 2017
Marel published its 2017 annual report on 27 February 2018. The report is digital, complete with interesting videos, interactive graphs and tables. This is the fifth consecutive year that Marel publishes a web version of its annual report, accessible on both marel.com and on the 2017 annual report web.
AGM web
All relevant information and documents in relation to the annual general meeting is available and archived on marel.com/agm.