In this edition

Welcome to 2022! It continues to amaze me how well our teams and our clients have navigated a hugely challenging year in 2021! With the pandemic affecting many aspects of our personal and professional lives during 2021, it was incredible to observe how focused our teams were on supporting our clients to engage with their stakeholders and deliver their meetings – safely, securely and responsibly.

During the year we saw many drivers of change, including legislative reforms, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and the perennial topic of remuneration that continues to encourage shareholders to participate in client AGMs. In our latest report, we examine the insights that have emerged from the season and observe some new voting patterns and trends.

Across the globe, we managed more than 2,000 virtual and hybrid meetings in 2021, a significant increase on the prior year and exceeding our own expectations of the rapid adoption of our virtual meeting technology. We’re incredibly grateful to all our clients in Australia, New Zealand and around the globe for trusting us to deliver a seamless experience to their members and shareholders.

We were honoured to win the ‘Digital Platform of the Year’ award at the Financial Standard’s 2021 Marketing and Sales Excellence Awards as the only global provider of a customised meeting platform and integrated webcasting capabilities. Client feedback is actively sought and welcomed at Link, and in this edition we are delighted to share the experiences and views of a range of clients who embraced the changes resulting from recent legislative amendments.

Connecting shareholders to their assets is core to our business at Link. We hope you enjoy the insights that our team has compiled and we look forward to supporting you with all your meeting needs in the year ahead.

Lysa McKenna
CEO Corporate Markets, APAC
Link Group

Voting Voting Read more   Since the inception of online voting, volumes have progressively increased year on year. Polling and Attendance Polling and Attendance Read more   As a result of the 280 virtual AGMs held for listed entities, polling was again high across all indices - 100% in the S&P/ASX 100 & 200 and 97.92% in the S&P/ASX201+. Remuneration Resolution Remuneration Resolution Read more   This year we looked at the spread of the 'For' vote for the Remuneration Resolution. Companies in the S&P/ASX 100 had the most support from their holder base with 90.32% receiving a 'For' vote of over 90%. Shareholder Interaction Shareholder Interaction Read more   The number of clients offering submission of questions before the meeting increased in all indices. These questions give our clients an insight into the topics that may be raised at the AGM and give them a chance to prepare. AGM Meeting Format Shareholder Interaction Read more   In this report we explore the AGM meeting formats used by companies across ASX indices and states. Virtual Meetings Virtual Meetings Read more   Link Group managed a total of 382 virtual meetings and 57 hybrid meetings in Australia in 2021 continuing to support evolving landscape since 2020. These included annual general meetings, scheme and extraordinary meetings, annual member meetings and employee town halls. Member Meetings Member meetings Read more   2021 was another busy year for Link Group with 75 meetings and 20 ballots held for a range of member organisations including Dairy Australia, Regional Australia Bank, Australian Institute of Company Directors, NRMA, RACQ, RACV and CPA Australia. AGM Season Wrap AGM Season Wrap Read more   A wrap up of the 2021 AGM meeting season that saw legislation changes and continued use of technology to facilitate meetings, along with insights from the Australian Shareholder Association and proxy advisors. International Landscape International Landscape Read more   This year we put a spotlight on the AGM landscape in the New Zealand, UK and Ireland, Germany, and India. Client Voice Client Voice Read more   At Link Group, we are focused on delivering the most innovative technology solutions for our clients. We are committed to improving and innovating our products to remain the service provider of choice for all your registry and meeting services’ needs. Venue List Venue List Read more   The full list of available national venues are shown here. Organise a venue in your state and join in the conversation, you can even participate online through our virtual meeting platform.