After the disruption of last year, our preference had been to welcome you in person to this year’s AGM. However, in light of measures put in place by the UK government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are planning to hold the AGM this year as a combined physical and electronic meeting, i.e. in a hybrid format. Practically, this means that we will gather together the number of people required in person at our registered office, with all other shareholders participating via bp’s electronic meeting platform. Please see pages 18 and 19 of this notice for further details on how to attend the meeting via the electronic meeting platform.
We regret that the arrangements this year are again being disrupted and we will reflect carefully on the format of our future shareholder meetings. For this year, however, our overarching concern is the safety and security of our shareholders, whilst enabling your participation in the event. We hope this meets with your support.
In 2020, we welcomed Tushar Morzaria, Karen Richardson and Johannes Teyssen to the board. They each bring the skills, experience and a diverse mindset that are closely aligned to the strategic direction we have set for bp. We also said goodbye to friends who have served bp with distinction over many years – Nils Andersen, Brian Gilvary, Sir Ian Davis, Dame Alison Carnwath and, of course, Bob Dudley. bp has been fortunate to have them, and we will miss them. We will equally miss Professor Dame Ann Dowling and Brendan Nelson, who at the end of the AGM will retire from the board after serving 9 and 11 years, respectively. They have each made a great contribution, and I thank them for all that they have done.
Your votes matter, and I encourage you to exercise your right to vote. Shareholders who attend the AGM via the electronic meeting platform will be able to vote during the meeting. If you are unable to participate in the AGM via the electronic meeting platform on the day, please submit a proxy vote in advance of the AGM. Guidance on the appointment of proxies, corporate representatives and voting can be found on pages 15-17 of this notice.
You may either submit questions in advance of the AGM via the electronic meeting platform or, if you attend the meeting, you may submit your questions during the meeting. Further details can be found on page 17.
The resolutions to be proposed at the AGM are set out on the next few pages of this notice, with explanations provided for each resolution on pages 5-14. The board considers that resolutions 1 to 12 in this notice of meeting are in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. The board therefore recommends that shareholders vote in favour of resolutions 1 to 12.
Resolution 13 has been requisitioned by the shareholder group Follow This, with a supporting statement provided on page 23. The board does not support this resolution and does not consider it to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. Accordingly, the board recommends that shareholders vote against resolution 13. Reasons for this recommendation are set out on pages 24-25.
The results of the voting will be announced through a regulatory information service and will be published on our website at bp.com/agm on 12 May 2021 following the AGM.
On behalf of the board I would like to thank you for your continued support and hope that you will join us online at our AGM.