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RNS Number : 8152W
British American Tobacco PLC
19 April 2023
 

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO p.l.c. (the "Company")

RESULTS OF VOTING AT THE 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 

The Annual General Meeting ("the "AGM") of the Company was held at 11.30am on 19 April 2023 at the Hilton London Bankside, 2-8 Great Suffolk St, London, SE1 0UG.

 

The tables below set out the results of the poll on each of the total of 20 Resolutions as stated in the Notice of Meeting dated 6 March 2023. All valid proxy votes (whether submitted electronically or in hard copy form) were included in the poll taken at the Meeting.  Each shareholder, present in person or by proxy, was entitled to one vote per ordinary share of 25p held. 

 

Resolution 1

 

 

Receipt of 2022 Report and Accounts


For - Note (b)

1,675,317,502

Percent of Votes Cast

99.90%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.91%

Against

1,632,861

Percent of Votes Cast

0.10%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.07%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,676,950,363

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.99%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

3,249,716

 

Resolution 2

 

Approval of the 2022 Directors' Remuneration Report


For - Note (b)

1,585,393,499

Percent of Votes Cast

95.18%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

70.89%

Against

80,274,647

Percent of Votes Cast

4.82%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

3.59%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,665,668,146

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.48%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

14,532,234

 

Resolution 3

 

Reappointment of KPMG LLP as Auditors

 

For - Note (b)

1,670,594,556

Percent of Votes Cast

99.55%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.70%

Against

7,518,651

Percent of Votes Cast

0.45%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.34%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,678,113,207

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.04%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,087,332

 

Resolution 4

 

Authority for the Audit Committee to agree the Auditors' remuneration

For - Note (b)

1,676,907,349

Percent of Votes Cast

99.91%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.99%

Against

1,486,493

Percent of Votes Cast

0.09%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.07%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,678,393,842

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.05%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

1,807,138

 

Resolution 5

 

Re-election of Luc Jobin as a Director


For - Note (b)

1,638,501,373

Percent of Votes Cast

97.69%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

73.27%

Against

38,761,881

Percent of Votes Cast

2.31%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

1.73%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,263,254

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,937,726


 

Resolution 6

 

Re-election of Jack Bowles as a Director


For - Note (b)

1,672,115,123

Percent of Votes Cast

99.62%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.77%

Against

6,332,799

Percent of Votes Cast

0.38%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.28%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,678,447,922

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.05%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

1,753,058


 

Resolution 7

 

Re-election of Tadeu Marroco as a Director


For - Note (b)

1,668,047,741

Percent of Votes Cast

99.38%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.59%

Against

10,376,147

Percent of Votes Cast

0.62%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.46%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,678,423,888

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.05%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

1,776,987

 

Resolution 8


Re-election of Kandy Anand as a Director


For - Note (b)

1,671,004,130

Percent of Votes Cast

99.63%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.72%

Against

6,212,043

Percent of Votes Cast

0.37%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.28%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,216,173

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,984,807

 

 

Resolution 9

 

Re-election of Sue Farr as a Director

 

For - Note (b)

1,661,194,864

Percent of Votes Cast

99.04%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.28%

Against

16,094,213

Percent of Votes Cast

0.96%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.72%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,289,077

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,911,903

 

Resolution 10

 

Re-election of Karen Guerra as a Director

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,670,777,703

 

Percent of Votes Cast

99.62%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.71%

 

Against

6,430,340

 

Percent of Votes Cast

0.38%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.29%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,208,043

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,992,937

 

 

Resolution 11

 

Re-election of Holly Keller Koeppel as a Director

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,649,153,526

 

Percent of Votes Cast

98.32%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

73.74%

 

Against

28,102,908

 

Percent of Votes Cast

1.68%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

1.26%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,256,434

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,944,476

 

 

Resolution 12

 

Re-election of Dimitri Panayotopoulos as a Director

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,660,170,624

 

Percent of Votes Cast

98.98%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.24%

 

Against

17,086,288

 

Percent of Votes Cast

1.02%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.76%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,256,912

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,944,068

 

 

Resolution 13

 

Re-election of Darrell Thomas as a Director

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,669,910,679

 

Percent of Votes Cast

99.57%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.67%

 

Against

7,284,659

 

Percent of Votes Cast

0.43%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.33%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,195,338

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.00%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

3,005,642

 

 

Resolution 14

 

 

Election of Véronique Laury as a Director

 

For - Note (b)

1,672,587,461

Percent of Votes Cast

99.74%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.79%

Against

4,314,873

Percent of Votes Cast

0.26%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.19%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,676,902,334

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.98%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

3,298,046

 

Resolution 15

 

Authority to make donations to political organisations and to incur political expenditure

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,545,644,557

 

Percent of Votes Cast

92.21%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

69.12%

 

Against

130,633,984

 

Percent of Votes Cast

7.79%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

5.84%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,676,278,541

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.96%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

3,917,680

 

 

Resolution 16

 

Renewal of Directors' authority to allot shares

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,497,449,119

 

Percent of Votes Cast

89.55%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

66.96%

 

Against

174,774,957

 

Percent of Votes Cast

10.45%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

7.82%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,672,224,076

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.78%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

7,976,904

 

 

Resolution 17 - Note (d)

 

 

Authority for the Directors to allot equity securities for cash

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,511,303,601

 

Percent of Votes Cast

90.43%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

67.58%

 

Against

159,955,821

 

Percent of Votes Cast

9.57%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

7.15%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,671,259,422

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.73%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

8,941,558

 

 

 

Resolution 18 - Note (d)

 

 

Authority for the Company to make market purchases of ordinary shares

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,663,113,521

 

Percent of Votes Cast

99.12%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.37%

 

Against

14,733,588

 

Percent of Votes Cast

0.88%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.66%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,677,847,109

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.03%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,353,871

 

 

 

 

Resolution 19 - Note (d)

Notice period for General Meetings

 

 

For - Note (b)

1,580,393,326

 

Percent of Votes Cast

94.15%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

70.67%

 

Against

98,132,615

 

Percent of Votes Cast

5.85%

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

4.39%

 

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,678,525,941

 

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.06%

 

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

1,675,038

 

 

Resolution 20 - Note (d)


Adoption of new Articles of Association


For - Note (b)

1,675,972,363

Percent of Votes Cast

99.87%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

74.94%

Against

2,222,761

Percent of Votes Cast

0.13%

Percent of Issued Share Capital

0.10%

Total Votes Cast (Excl. Votes Withheld)

1,678,195,124

Percent of Issued Share Capital

75.04%

Votes Withheld - Note (c)

2,005,856

 

     

All resolutions were passed at the Company's AGM today with the requisite majority of votes.

 

Savio Kwan, stepped down from the Board as a Non-Executive Director at the conclusion of the Company's 2023 AGM. Mr Kwan's retirement from the Board follows the Company's announcement on 9 February 2023, as further set out in the Company's 2022 Annual Report and Form 20-F.

 

Notes:

 

(a)           The total number of ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares) at the close of business on Tuesday 18 April 2023 was 2,236,321,754.

 

(b)           Includes discretionary votes.

 

(c)           A vote withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes 'For' or 'Against' a resolution.

(d)           In accordance with Listing Rules 9.6.2R and 9.6.3R, copies of Resolutions 16 to 20 along with the amended Articles of Association will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism as soon as practicable and will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. 

(e)           The amended Articles of Association are also available at www.bat.com.

 

P McCrory

Secretary

British American Tobacco p.l.c.

19 April 2023

 

 

Enquiries:

 

British American Tobacco Media Centre

+44 (0)20 7845 2888 (24 hours) │@BATPlc

 

Investor Relations

Victoria Buxton / Yetunde Ibe / John Harney:

+44 (0)20 7845 2012 / 1095 / 1263

 

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