All motions were adopted as proposed by the Board of Directors, including the election of Patrick De Maeseneire as new Chairman. The Board of Directors honored the legacy of Andreas Jacobs, who had decided to step down after 13 years on the Board, of which 11 years as Chairman, and thanked him warmly for his long and successful tenure. All other Board members, namely Patrick De Maeseneire, Fernando Aguirre, Jakob Baer, James L. Donald, Nicolas Jacobs, Wai Ling Liu, Tim E. Minges, Andreas Schmid and Juergen B. Steinemann were reelected for another term of office of one year.

The shareholders also approved the proposed payout of CHF 15.50 per share. The payout will be effected through a dividend payment partly from reserves from capital contributions (CHF 4.19 per share) and partly in the form of a capital repayment by way of a par value reduction (CHF 11.31 per share). The payout to shareholders is expected to be executed on March 2, 2017 (“ex-date”: February 28, 2017; “record date”: March 1, 2017). The distribution of these funds to shareholders will not be subject to withholding tax and – for individuals residing in Switzerland and holding the shares as private property – income tax.

KPMG AG, Zurich, was re-elected as auditors of the company for fiscal year 2016/17.

Barry Callebaut’s fiscal year 2015/16 closed on August 31, 2016.

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About Barry Callebaut Group:
With annual sales of about CHF 6.7 billion (EUR 6.1 billion / USD 6.8 billion) in fiscal year 2015/16, 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 50 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of close to 10.000 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 two global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut^® and Cacao Barry^®.
The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to sustainable cocoa production 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.