"I am extremely honored to have been selected to lead Aegon during what continues to be an exciting time for the life insurance and pensions business internationally," said Mr. Wynaendts.
- Alexander Wynaendts takes over as Chairman and CEO
- Jos Streppel comments on financial turmoil
- Gábor Kepecs appointed to Management Board
- Dudley Eustace to remain Chairman of the Supervisory Board until 2010
- Resolutions of the AGM
Alexander R. Wynaendts has officially begun his new role as Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Aegon N.V. following the Group's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM), held today in The Hague. Mr. Wynaendts succeeds Donald J. Shepard, who announced his retirement last November after six years as Chairman, in accordance with the mandatory retirement provisions for Aegon's Executive Board members.
"I am extremely honored to have been selected to lead Aegon during what continues to be an exciting time for the life insurance and pensions business internationally," said Mr. Wynaendts. "Aegon is well-positioned in its established and developing markets, supported by broad capabilities and expertise. I intend to focus on unlocking the benefits of these global capabilities in order to better serve the evolving needs of our customers and ensure Aegon's continued growth."
As Chairman of the Executive Board, Mr. Wynaendts' compensation will be in accordance with Aegon's Remuneration Policy, adopted by shareholders at the AGM in April 2007. On an annual basis, his base salary in 2008 has been set at EUR 950,000. The target short-term incentive compensation has been set at EUR 800,000, payable in 2009. The target long-term incentive compensation consists of conditional shares with a target value of EUR 800,000, also payable in 2009.
Jos Streppel comments on financial turmoil
Discussing Aegon's position in the current turmoil underway in world financial markets, Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Board Jos Streppel again highlighted Aegon's culture of strong and effective risk management. "Over the last few years Aegon has repositioned investments for its general account insurance portfolio, structuring them defensively in order to weather a stressed credit environment," he said.
Mr. Streppel confirmed to shareholders that Aegon does not expect any cash losses on its synthetic Collateralized Debt Obligation program in the United States. Repeating comments made in the Annual Report 2007, Mr. Streppel said: "We value these derivatives mark to market and any change in their value shows up in Aegon's operating earnings. Depending on the credit spread volatility, these assets may cause substantial short-term operating earnings volatility prior to maturity. At maturity dates, however, we do not expect cash losses on these positions and they will not affect underlying earnings."
Mr. Streppel added: "We'll be discussing Aegon's first quarter results on May 7."
Gábor Kepecs appointed to Management Board
Gábor Kepecs, CEO for Central and Eastern Europe, has been appointed to Aegon's Management Board, formed in 2007 to identify and maximize the opportunities for Aegon internationally. The appointment underscores the increasing importance of the Central and Eastern European region to Aegon's future growth. Over the past sixteen years, Aegon has expanded considerably throughout the region and is now active in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. In addition, Aegon announced an agreement in February to buy Ankara Emeklilik, a life insurance and pension company in Turkey.
With the appointment of Mr. Kepecs, Aegon's Management Board comprises the following members:
- Alexander R. Wynaendts
(Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Aegon N.V.) - Joseph B.M. Streppel
(Member of the Executive Board and CFO of Aegon N.V.) - Patrick S. Baird
(President and CEO of Aegon USA) - Otto Thoresen
(CEO of Aegon UK) - Gábor Kepecs
(CEO of Central and Eastern Europe)
Marco B.A. Keim will also join the Management Board at the beginning of June, following his appointment as CEO of Aegon The Netherlands.
Dudley Eustace to remain Chairman of the Supervisory Board until 2010
In view of the fact that there are a number of new Supervisory Board members, Dudley Eustace has been asked by the Supervisory Board to stay on as Chairman for an additional year, beyond his term which expires next year in order to ensure continuity. Mr. Eustace has agreed to this request. As such, a resolution will be put to shareholders for their approval at their annual meeting in April 2009.
Resolutions of the AGM
The decisions taken by the shareholders at the AGM include the following:
Supervisory Board changes in composition
Mr. I.W. Bailey, II was reappointed as a member of the Supervisory Board for a term of four years as of April 23, 2008.
Ms. C. Kempler, Mr. R.J. Routs and Mr. D.P.M. Verbeek were appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board for a term of four years as of April 23, 2008. Mr. B. van der Veer was appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board for a four years term as of October 1, 2008.
Annual accounts
The AGM adopted the annual accounts for the financial year 2007 and the members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board were released from liability for their duties.
Final dividend 2007
The total dividend for the financial year 2007 was fixed at EUR 0.62 per common share of EUR 0.12 par value. Taking into account the interim dividend of EUR 0.30 per common share paid in September 2007, the final dividend amounts to EUR 0.32 per common share and will be paid entirely in cash or entirely in common shares at the option of the shareholder. The stock fraction for the final dividend in common shares will be determined by the Executive Board, based upon the average price of the Aegon share as quoted on Euronext Amsterdam, calculated over the five trading days from May 12, 2008 through May 16, 2008. Aegon will purchase an equivalent amount of stock on the open market to neutralize the effect of stock dividend.
Cancellation of 99,769,902 common shares, repurchased in 2007
The AGM resolved to cancel 99,769,902 common shares, repurchased in 2007 as part of a EUR 1 billion share repurchase program and to neutralize the dilutive effect of the final dividend 2006 and interim dividend 2007 in stock. The paid-in capital will be reduced accordingly.
Authorization Executive Board
The AGM has authorized the Executive Board to issue common shares, to restrict/exclude pre-emptive rights upon issuing common shares, to issue common shares related to incentive plans and to acquire shares in the company.
