EQS Group AG: Annual General Meeting 2023 adopts all proposed resolutions

EQS Group AG: Annual General Meeting 2023 adopts all proposed resolutions

• Rony Vogel recognized for his outstanding contribution
• Stephan Ritter new to the Supervisory Board
• Catharina van Delden and Laurenz Nienaber confirmed in office for 3 years
• Shareholders eagerly anticipate the German Whistleblower Protection Act, scheduled to come into force in just 2 days.

It was the fourth fully virtual Annual General Meeting for EQS Group AG, but nonetheless a first: it was the first time that the online shareholder meeting for the Munich-based reg-tech company had taken place on the basis of a permanent amendment to the German Stock Corporation Act, which replaced the special regulations of the Corona period. While EQS managers and shareholders excitedly anticipated the upcoming whistleblower protection laws in Germany, Italy, Austria, and Spain, there was also a hint of sadness as the AGM marked the end of an era with the departure of Rony Vogel who has been with EQS Group since its founding. Stephan Ritter, former Board Member at Arcadis, was elected to the Board in his place.

The virtual Annual General Meeting for EQS Group AG adopted all proposed resolutions with a large majority. Participants at the shareholders' meeting could also, as usual, exercise all rights online and address questions to the Board of Directors during the general debate. Two days before the German Whistleblower Protection Act comes into force (2 July), many of the contributions revolved around the national regulations that will soon also oblige companies in Italy, Austria and Spain with 50 or more employees to set up internal channels for the reporting of illegal and unethical behavior. As the leading provider of digital whistleblowing systems in Europe, EQS Group expects this to result in steadily increasing sales and earnings figures in the coming quarters.

Supervisory Board changes: Ritter succeeds Vogel

During the virtual Annual General Meeting, the shareholders elected Stephan Ritter to the Supervisory Board. The business graduate from Bergisch Gladbach, who most recently worked as Chief Innovation Officer at Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy organization for natural and built assets, succeeds Rony Vogel, who is leaving the board as planned at the end of his term of office.

This marks the end of an era. The qualified engineer accompanied EQS Group AG in various functions since its foundation in 2000, at that time called EquityStory.com. "Rony Vogel was not only Chairman of the Supervisory Board for many years, co-founder and early investor, but has also been a reliable partner and friend. Together we have experienced many highs, but also mastered crises and challenges such as the bursting of the internet bubble, the financial crisis in 2008 and most recently the Corona pandemic. We would like to express our sincere thanks for Rony's tireless efforts. We are also delighted to welcome Stephan Ritter as his very competent successor," says Achim Weick. The Founder and CEO of EQS Group further emphasizes that this personnel change complies with the duration of terms of office requirements outlined in the German Corporate Governance Code.

The Annual General Meeting also re-elected Catharina van Delden and Laurenz Nienaber for three years. Thus, the EQS Group AG Supervisory Board will be composed of Chairman Robert Wirth, his Deputy Laurenz Nienaber, Catharina van Delden, Prof. Dr. Kerstin Lopatta and Stephan Ritter over the coming twelve months.

More information:

EQS Group is a leading international cloud provider in the fields of corporate compliance, investor relations and ESG.

Working with EQS Group, more than 9,000 companies worldwide inspire trust by fulfilling complex regulatory requirements in a reliable and secure manner, minimizing risks and communicating their business success and its impact on society and the climate transparently to stakeholders.

EQS Group’s products are pooled in the cloud-based software EQS COCKPIT. This platform ensures the professional handling of compliance workflows in the fields of whistleblower protection and case management, policy management, business approvals, third party management, insider list management and disclosure obligations.

Listed companies benefit from a global newswire, investor targeting and contact management, IR websites, digital reports and webcasts for efficient and secure investor communications.

In addition, EQS Group develops software for the management of ESG (environment, social, governance) data, the fulfilment of human rights due diligence obligations along corporate supply chains and for rule-compliant sustainability reporting.

EQS Group was founded in 2000 in Munich, Germany. Today the group employs around 600 professionals and has offices in the world’s key financial markets.

Contact:

André Marques

CFO

Tel.: +49 89-444430033

Mobile: +49 175-5250009

Email.: andre.marques@eqs.com