Annual General Meeting 2021 of Barry Callebaut AG

Press Release

Annual General Meeting 2021 of Barry Callebaut AG

Press Release
All motions approved by shareholders
  • Patrick De Maeseneire reelected as Chairman
  • Antoine de Saint-Affrique elected as new Board member
  • All Board members reelected for a term of office of one year
  • Dividend payout of CHF 28.00 per share approved
  • KPMG AG, Zurich, reelected as auditors of the company

The ordinary Annual General Meeting 2021 of Barry Callebaut AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, was held today under the chairmanship of Markus R. Neuhaus, Vice-Chairman of the Board. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual General Meeting could not take place in the usual format. To protect the health of its shareholders and employees, Barry Callebaut decided that voting rights could only be exercised by submitting the voting instructions in writing or electronically to the independent proxy. 5,177 shareholders exercised their votes, representing 4,050,747 shares and equaling 73.8% of the issued share capital.

All motions were adopted as proposed by the Board of Directors, including the reelection of Patrick De Maeseneire as Chairman and the election of Antoine de Saint-Affrique as new Board member.

All Board members, namely Patrick De Maeseneire, Markus R. Neuhaus, Fernando Aguirre, Angela Wei Dong, Nicolas Jacobs, Elio Leoni Sceti, Tim Minges and Yen Yen Tan were reelected for another term of office of one year.

The shareholders also approved the proposed payout of a dividend of CHF 28.00 per share. This represents an increase of +27.3% versus prior year and corresponds to a payout ratio of 40% of the net profit. The dividend will be paid to shareholders on or around January 6, 2022.

KPMG AG, Zurich, was reelected as auditors of the company for fiscal year 2021/22.

Barry Callebaut’s fiscal year 2020/21 closed on August 31, 2021.

Chairman video message (in German)

Patrick De Maeseneire Annual General Meeting Barry Callebaut 2021

CEO video message (in English, with German subtitles)

Peter Boone Barry Callebaut Annual General Meeting 2021

About Barry Callebaut Group:

With annual sales of about CHF 7.2 billion (EUR 6.6 billion / USD 7.9 billion) in fiscal year 2020/21, the Zurich- based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations and compounds. The Group runs more than 60 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of more than 12,500 people.

The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®, Carma® and the decorations specialist Mona Lisa®.

The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025 to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.

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