8-K/AShareholder Matters

Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. 8-K/A Report, Shareholder Vote Results (Mar 21, 2011)

Filed March 21, 2011For Securities:APD

Summary

This 8-K/A filing from Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. is an amendment to a previous filing on January 28, 2011, specifically clarifying Item 5.07 regarding the results of their Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on January 27, 2011. The amendment mainly serves to add a clarifying sentence to the original filing. The core of the report details the final voting results on several key shareholder proposals, including the election of directors, ratification of independent auditors, advisory votes on executive compensation and its frequency, and the approval of the Annual Incentive Plan. For investors, the strong majority support for director elections and auditor ratification, alongside the overwhelming preference for an annual advisory vote on executive compensation, indicates shareholder confidence in the company's governance and management alignment.

Key Highlights

  • 1Amendment to a prior 8-K filing, clarifying Item 5.07 without altering the substance of the original disclosure.
  • 2All director nominees were overwhelmingly elected, with substantial 'For' votes and relatively low 'Withheld Authority' and 'Broker Non-Votes'.
  • 3KPMG LLP was ratified as the independent auditor for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, with a very high percentage of shareholder approval.
  • 4Shareholders approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of executive officers with a significant majority.
  • 5An overwhelming majority of shareholders voted in favor of holding an advisory vote on executive compensation every year.
  • 6The Board of Directors will hold an advisory vote on executive compensation annually until the next vote on frequency, expected by 2017.
  • 7The company's Annual Incentive Plan was approved by shareholders with strong support.

Frequently Asked Questions

This filing is an amendment (8-K/A) to a previous 8-K report filed on January 28, 2011. Its main purpose is to add a clarifying sentence to Item 5.07 concerning the results of Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.'s Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on January 27, 2011. The amendment does not change the reported voting results or other information from the original filing.

The meeting saw the election of all director nominees with high approval, ratification of KPMG LLP as independent auditors with strong support, and approval of executive officer compensation on an advisory basis. Importantly, shareholders also overwhelmingly voted to have an advisory vote on executive compensation every year.

Shareholders strongly favored an annual advisory vote on executive compensation. The results showed 101,280,517 votes for '1 Year', significantly outnumbering the votes for '2 Years' and '3 Years'. As a result, the Board of Directors has determined that the company will hold such a vote every year.

While all proposals received strong majority support, there were notable 'Against' and 'Abstain' votes on the advisory vote for executive officer compensation. Approximately 24.2 million shares voted against and 4.5 million abstained. The 'Broker Non-Votes' also represent a block of shares not directly cast by beneficial owners on certain proposals.