29 May 2019
KUALA LUMPUR – Axiata Group Berhad ("Axiata") concluded its 27th Annual General Meeting ("AGM") today with shareholders expressing strong support towards the Group’s continued transformation into becoming a globally competitive New Generation Digital Champion. All 13 resolutions tabled were also unequivocally approved.
Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid
Axiata Chairman
The Board and I would like to thank our shareholders for their attendance, participation and support at this year’s AGM. Their backing has always been critical in propelling Axiata towards the many milestones we have achieved over the decade as one of the leading telecommunications groups in Asia.
Today, Axiata stands at a new frontier, contemplating a bolder future to compete for growth at the global level against a landscape of innovation, competition and technological advancements, and in the efforts to invest in our people, operations and businesses.
Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim
President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata
Undoubtedly, 2018 has been a very interesting year for Axiata and we had the opportunity to engage with shareholders to understand their expectations as well as articulate our strategy and plans to continue to create long-term growth and value. Our vision to become a globally competitive New Generation Digital Champion remains.
Our shareholders’ support has been integral to Axiata’s evolution over the years and I wish to thank all of them for their active interest and support of our management. We will stay focused on driving the Group’s Triple Core businesses forward with firm sights set on becoming a digital market leader. At the same time, we will continue to pursue the disciplined execution of our short-term profit and cash focus to drive operational momentum over the next two years.
At the AGM, the following were amongst the resolutions tabled and subsequently approved by shareholders:
Re-election, Reappointment and Retirement of Directors
During this AGM, Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid, Chairman of the Board, Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata and Dato’ Mohd Izzaddin Idris, all retiring by rotation, were re-elected as Directors.
Dr Lisa Lim Poh Lin and Ms Khoo Gaik Bee, who were both appointed to the Board to fill casual vacancies on 8 June 2018 and 1 January 2019 respectively, were both officially re-elected by shareholders at this AGM.
As a matter of special business, shareholders also approved resolutions for the continuation of Tan Sri Ghazzali and David Lau Nai Pek as Independent Non-Executive Directors on the Axiata Board expressing their continued confidence in their leadership. Tan Sri Ghazzali and David Lau respectively have served in the role for a cumulative term of more than nine years.
Reappointment of Auditors
Shareholders also approved the reappointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers PLT as the Auditors of the Company for the financial year ending 31 December 2019.
Finally, in terms of dividends for the financial year ended 31 December 2018 (FY18), to recap, Axiata’s Board of Directors had on 22 February 2019 resolved a higher full-year total dividend of 9.5 sen per ordinary share, including the interim dividend of 5 sen per ordinary share declared for the financial period ended 30 June 2018 as a result of the Group’s continued steady underlying performance during the year, normalised PATAMI of RM1.0 billion as well as in line with the commitment made to shareholders to revert to the 2015 dividend payout ratio (“DPR”) by 2018. With this, the total dividend for FY18 translated to an 85% DPR compared to 64% in the financial year ended 31 December 2017.
About Axiata
As one of the leading telecommunications groups in Asia in pursuit of its vision to be the New Generation Digital Champion by 2022, Axiata has transformed itself from a holding entity with a portfolio of pure-play mobile assets into a Triple Core Strategy driven business focusing on Digital Telco, Digital Businesses and Infrastructure.
Within ASEAN and South Asia, the Group has controlling stakes in market-leading mobile and fixed operators in the region including ‘Celcom’ in Malaysia, ‘XL’ in Indonesia, ‘Dialog’ in Sri Lanka, ‘Robi’ in Bangladesh, ‘Smart’ in Cambodia and 'Ncell' in Nepal. Axiata is actively spearheading efforts to transform its mobile-centric operations into digital converged companies.
Axiata’s digital businesses are focused on three verticals namely Digital Financial Services (‘Boost’), Digital Advertising (‘ada’) and Digital Platform (‘APIgate’) in the global market.
‘edotco’, the Group’s infrastructure company, operates in six countries to deliver telecommunications infrastructure services, amassing approximately 27,500 towers. Presently the 12th largest independent tower companies globally, it aims to be one of the top regional telecommunications tower companies and is committed to responsible and sustainable business operations.
As a committed and long-term investor, and in line with its sustainability goals, the Group actively supports and drives young talent development; disaster response and recovery; as well as green initiatives. Axiata’s broader goal of Advancing Asia aims to piece together the best in the region in terms of innovation, connectivity and talent. For further information on Axiata visit www.axiata.com
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