AMSTERDAM – Airbus SE shareholders passed all resolutions at its 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM), including the appointment of Guillaume Faury as an Executive Member of the Board of Directors for three years.
At a Board Meeting immediately following the AGM, Guillaume Faury was formally appointed
Airbus Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing outgoing CEO Tom Enders whose Board Mandate expired at the close of the AGM. Airbus announced last October that its Board of Directors had selected Faury, previously President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, as its next CEO.
The proposed 2018 gross dividend of €1.65 per share was approved at the AGM and will be paid on Wednesday (April 17). It represents a 10% increase over the 2017 payment.
“I’m pleased to welcome Guillaume Faury to the Board and am confident that as CEO he will successfully guide Airbus into the next decade,” said Denis Ranque, Chairman of the Airbus Board of Directors.
“Guillaume has exactly the right skill set and experience needed to take
Airbus forward. Separately, I would like to thank Tom Enders for all his achievements during
his time as CEO, including particularly the value created for our shareholders and the
development of our Company to the benefit of all employees and the supply chain.”
Guillaume Faury said: “It’s a real privilege to take over as Airbus CEO and lead this
outstanding company into the 2020s. I would like to thank the Board and shareholders
for their trust. I look forward to working with our great teams and shaping the Airbus of
tomorrow, to better serve our customers, increase our competitiveness, and grow in a
sustainable way.”
Shareholders also approved the re-election of Non-Executive Board Members Catherine
Guillouard, Claudia Nemat and Carlos Tavares for a period of three years. Hermann-Josef
Lamberti informed the Board of Directors that he doesn’t wish to seek a renewal of his Board
mandate at the 2020 AGM after 12 years as a Board Member and 11 years as Chairman of
the Audit Committee. At the Board Meeting, it was decided that Catherine Guillouard will
replace Hermann-Josef Lamberti as Chair of the Audit Committee while Jean-Pierre
Clamadieu will join the Ethics and Compliance Committee with immediate effect.
Upon the recommendation of the Remuneration, Nomination and Governance Committee
(RNGC), the Board has selected René Obermann to succeed Denis Ranque as Chairman of
the Airbus Board of Directors when his current mandate expires at the close of the 2020
AGM. This succession was diligently prepared with the support of an external independent
head hunter and the Board reached a decision after a thorough examination of all potential
external and internal candidates. The Board, supported by the RNGC, has delivered – and
will continue to deliver – a smooth succession at Board and Management levels.
The successor to Denis Ranque would be formally appointed as new Chairman at the
post-AGM Board of Directors meeting in 2020. Airbus has previously said that Denis Ranque
had requested to leave the Board to pursue other interests upon the end of his current
mandate in 2020, when he will have served for seven years as Chairman.
“After a thorough review, the Board has selected a very capable successor to take over when
I step down as Chairman next year,” said Denis Ranque. “Through his current role as a
Board Member, René Obermann already knows Airbus well, while his entrepreneurial
background and executive experience leading senior management teams brings the right
competences and mindset. René’s expertise will also prove invaluable for Airbus’ strong
technology focus and his appointment also maintains international diversity at Board level.”
René Obermann has been an independent non-executive Member of the Airbus Board of
Directors since April 2018. He has served as a Managing Director of private equity house
Warburg Pincus since 2015 and is also a Member of the Boards of Telenor ASA and Allianz
Deutschland AG. Between 2006 and 2013, René Obermann was Chief Executive Officer of
Deutsche Telekom AG. — SG
