Annual General Meeting

The weak economic situation is not reflected in remuneration paid to top management for 2024. Very few CEOs have had to tighten their belts – and the 10 million euro level is being exceeded more frequently.

The maximum remuneration for Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges, which the Supervisory Board has raised to 14 million euros, has been criticised by shareholders. Union Investment voted against the remuneration scheme.

Long-suffering Bayer shareholders are being asked to stump up 8 billion euros in a cash call. What looks like a bold move might just be courage born out of desperation.

The AGM season gets underway at the end of the month, with Thyssenkrupp, Tui and Siemens among the early meetings. Whether to meet online-only in future years is up for a vote at many AGMs, and remuneration is likely to be a controversial theme for some companies.

Jeffrey Ubben will be the first shareholder activist to join Bayer's Supervisory Board if the vote goes as expected at the AGM on April 26. The proxy advisors have no objections to his appointment.