British Airways
"It is crucial for BA to demonstrate a pro-active approach to
reform in order to highlight our unwavering commitment to living up
to the expectations of our shareholders.
IML’s electronic keypads modernised our AGM and kept it in-line
with changing times and technology. More importantly, they have
held us and our practices fully accountable and transparent."
Sarah Billington, Manager Shareholder Services
Case StudyOverview
BA wanted to display live voting results to shareholders
immediately.
Solution
IML's AGM Service
Attendees cast their live votes using IML's electronic
Communicator keypads and the IML system calculated all results
instantly. Results were displayed live to attendees immediately
after a vote was closed.
Case study >
The Challenge
BA previously employed a 'Ballot Box' system to poll more than
600 poll cards. Keen to demonstrate a commitment to
shareholder confidence, BA's primary objective was to incorporate a
method of calculating these votes and displaying the live poll
result within seconds to the meeting.
The Solution
Computershare were able to utilise IML's expertise and
technology to develop an interactive solution specifically tailored
to meet with BA’s AGM requirements.
The solution resulted in a simple and effective AGM service that
afforded BA with a number of tangible benefits which included:
Automated registration
Registrars used IML’s automated system to scan delegates’
bar-coded attendance slips on arrival, registering them in
seconds.
Instant identification
All Shareholders were issued with personal Smartcards,
automatically linking them to their voting rights.
Before casting their votes, shareholders simply inserted their
Smartcards into an electronic keypad and selected either For,
Against or Abstain (represented by numbers 1, 2 and 3) on their
electronic keypads.
Rapid results
All votes were immediately calculated by the system, avoiding
time-consuming manual counts. Shareholders could see the outcome of
a vote within seconds and reports were printed instantly, negating
the need for BA to advertise results in the following day’s
broadsheets.
Accurate results
IML’s system is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act and
is proven 100% accurate.
Automated data capture and computerised checks enabled BA to
answer enquiries fully and quickly.
Detailed audit trail
A full audit trail of attendance and voting was made available
as well as a live and proxy vote breakdown, enabling every part of
the voting process to undergo detailed scrutiny.
Certainty
All results were made available on poll, rather than on 'show of
hands’, creating a far more democratic process and removing the
need for contingency arrangements in the event a vote was lost.
Confidence
Once a vote had been received by the system, the Communicator
keypad screen displayed a message confirming to the shareholder
that their vote had been registered.
BA said:
"It is crucial for BA to demonstrate a pro-active approach to
reform in order to highlight our unwavering commitment to living up
to the expectations of our shareholders.
"IML’s electronic keypads modernised our AGM and kept it in-line
with changing times and technology. More importantly, they have
held us and our practices fully accountable and transparent.
"I firmly believe that electronic voting is the future of AGMs
and will become standardised practice at all AGMs, providing
shareholders with a familiar format they can have complete
confidence in."