Changes to the BoD and Confirms Dividend Dates

RNS Number : 6208N

Coca-Cola HBC AG

19 May 2015

 



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Coca-Cola HBC AG

Announces Changes to the Board of Directors and Confirms Dividend Dates

Zug, Switzerland - 19 May 2015 -Coca-Cola HBC AG ("Coca-Cola HBC" or the "Company") today announces that Susan Kilsby and Christos Ioannou have informed the Company of their intention to retire from the board of directors of Coca-Cola HBC (the "Board of Directors") at the conclusion of the Company's annual general meeting ("AGM") on 23 June 2015.

Following the retirements, upon the recommendation of Coca-Cola HBC's Nomination Committee, the Board of Directors has proposed each of Mrs. Olusola (Sola) David-Borha and Mrs. Alexandra Papalexopoulou, both of whom are independent under the UK Corporate Governance Code, for election at the AGM as non-executive members of the Board of Directors, with effect from the same date.

George A. David, Chairman of Coca-Cola HBC, made the following remarks: "On behalf of the Board, I would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere appreciation to Susan and Christos for the significant contributions they have made to the Company over the past years. I would like to offer my gratitude to Susan for the excellent experience and insights she has brought to the Board and the committees on which she has served, and my sincere thanks to Christos for his many years of valuable participation both on the Board and the Audit Committee. The Board of Directors has proposed that Susan and Christos be succeeded on the Board by Olusola (Sola) David-Borha and Alexandra Papalexopoulou, who will contribute to the diversity and enhance the skills and experience of the Board."

Susan Kilsby has served on the Company's Nomination and Remuneration Committees and Christos Ioannou on the Company's Audit Committee. The Board of Directors proposes Mrs. Alexandra Papalexopoulou as a member of Company's Remuneration Committee. The Board of Directors will consider the composition of its other committees at its meeting scheduled for 24 June 2015.

Brief biographies for each of the proposed new non-executive directors are set out below.

Dividend dates

The Board of Directors has proposed a gross dividend of Euro 0.36 on each ordinary registered share with a par value of CHF 6.70 out of the general capital contribution reserve. Subject to approval of the dividend by the Company's shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on 23 June 2015, the Board of Directors currently expects that the dividend will be paid on 28 July 2015 to holders of ordinary shares on the record date of 3 July 2015. The shares are expected to be traded ex-dividend as of 2 July 2015, in which case the last day on which the shares may be traded with entitlement to receive dividends will be 1 July 2015.

 Brief biographies for the proposed new non-executive directors

Olusola (Sola) David-Borha

Mrs. Olusola (Sola) David-Borha is the Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, a full service financial services Group with subsidiaries in Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, Pension and Non-Pension Asset Management and Stockbroking. Stanbic IBTC Holdings is listed on The Nigerian Stock Exchange. Prior to this appointment, Mrs. David-Borha served as Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank from May 2011 to November 2012. She also served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Bank and Head of Investment Banking Coverage Africa (excluding South Africa). Stanbic IBTC Holdings is a member of the Standard Bank group which, in 2007, acquired a leading Investment Bank in Nigeria, IBTC Chartered Bank PLC where Mrs. David-Borha worked as an Executive Director prior to the merger. Between 1984 and 1989, Mrs. David-Borha worked in the Credit and Marketing department of NAL Merchant Bank PLC.

Mrs. David-Borha holds a first degree in Economics, and obtained an MBA degree from Manchester Business School, United Kingdom. Her executive educational experience includes the Advanced Management Programme of the Harvard Business School.  She is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), and serves as non-executive director on the Board of CR Services Credit Bureau PLC and the University of Ibadan Business School, amongst others. She is also the Vice Chairman of the board of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.

Alexandra Papalexopoulou

Mrs. Papalexopoulou serves as an executive director of the Titan Cement Company S.A., and is currently responsible for the group's strategic planning. Titan Cement Company S.A. is a company established in Greece, listed on the Athens Exchange and engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of a range of construction materials. Previously, she worked for the OECD and the consultancy firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton, in Paris. Mrs. Papalexopoulou is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Foundation and a member of the board of directors of National Bank of Greece and the ALBA College of Business Administration Association. From 2003 until February 2015 she served as a member of the board of directors of Frigoglass S.A., and from 2007 to 2009 she served as member of the board of directors of Emporiki Bank.

Mrs. Papalexopoulou studied Economics at the Swarthmore College, USA, and Business Administration (MBA) at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

Enquiries

Coca‑Cola HBC Group Basak Kotler Investor Relations Director	Tel: [phone]  [e-mail]
Eri Tziveli Investor Relations Manager	Tel: [phone]  [e-mail]
Nikos Efstathopoulos Investor Relations Manager	Tel: [phone]   [e-mail]
International media contact: StockWell Communications Rob Morgan Ben Ullmann Anushka Mathew	Tel: [phone]  [e-mail]  [e-mail]  [e-mail]
Greek media contact: V+O Communications Argyro Oikonomou	Tel: [phone]  [e-mail]

About Coca‑Cola HBC

Coca-Cola HBC is the second-largest bottler of the brands of The Coca-Cola Company in terms of volume with sales of more than 2 billion unit cases. It has a broad geographic footprint with operations in 28 countries serving a population of approximately 590 million people. Coca-Cola HBC offers a diverse range of non-alcoholic ready to drink beverages in the sparkling, juice, water, sport, energy, tea and coffee categories. Coca-Cola HBC is committed to promoting sustainable development in order to create value for its business and for society. This includes providing products that meet the beverage needs of consumers, fostering an open and inclusive work environment, conducting its business in ways that protect and preserve the environment and contribute to the socio-economic development of the local communities.

Coca-Cola HBC has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: CCH) and its shares are listed on the Athens Exchange (ATHEX: EEE). Coca-Cola HBC is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good Indexes. For more information, please visit http://www.coca-colahellenic.com.

 

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