Corporate Governance
The Company maintains regular contact with major shareholders to communicate clearly the Group’s objectives and monitors movements in significant shareholdings. The Company recognises the importance of communicating with its shareholders and does this through its Annual and Interim Reports, Interim Management Statements and at the Annual General Meeting and through the processes described below.
Most shareholder contact is with the Chief Executive Officer and Group Finance Director and presentations are made on the operating and financial performance of the Group and its longer term strategy. The slide presentations made to representatives of the investment community following the announcement of the Preliminary and Interim results are made available on the Company’s website at www.diplomaplc.com
The non-Executive Directors are given regular updates as to the views of institutional shareholders and an independent insight is sought through research carried out twice a year by the Company’s advisors.
Through these processes, the Board is kept abreast of key issues. The opportunity for shareholders to meet the Chairman or Senior Independent Director, separately from the Executive Directors, is available on request.
Notice of the Annual General Meeting is sent to shareholders at least twenty working days prior to the meeting and includes a separate resolution on each substantially separate issue. In the absence of a poll being called, proxy votes cast are declared after each resolution has been dealt with on a show of hands.
The Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary generally deal with questions from individual shareholders. All shareholders have the opportunity to put questions at the Company’s Annual General Meeting when the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer give a statement on the Group’s performance during the year, together with a statement on current trading conditions. The Chairman of the Board and of the Remuneration and Audit Committees will normally be available to answer questions at the meeting.