GRENKE AG: GRENKE AG’s ordinary Annual General Meeting 2023 approves all agenda items and appoints new Supervisory Board members

GRENKE AG’s ordinary Annual General Meeting 2023 approves all agenda items and appoints new Supervisory Board members

 Baden-Baden, May 16, 2023: GRENKE AG, a global financing partner for small and medium-sized companies, held its ordinary Annual General Meeting today as an in-person meeting for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began. More than 200 shareholders attended the event on-site at the Kongresshaus in Baden-Baden. Longstanding Chair of the Supervisory Board of GRENKE AG, Prof. Dr Ernst-Moritz Lipp, who retired from the Board at the end of the Annual General Meeting as scheduled, was bid farewell to with generous applause.

In his departing words, Prof. Dr Lipp said: “Today, GRENKE has become a global player and a global sales platform. New business has grown from EUR 300 million annually in 2003 to over EUR 2 billion in 2022. During my tenure, we acquired a bank and made it an important pillar of our refinancing. We have steered the Company through several financial crises and are mastering the energy price and interest rate shocks of 2022. The dip in leasing volumes resulting from the pandemic will be recovered in a period of one to two years by the strong growth in new business generated since the end of 2021. This will enable income, net profit and share price performance to match the levels achieved in previous  years.”

Deputy Chair, Jens Rönnberg, thanked Prof. Lipp on behalf of the Supervisory Board: “Particularly through the support of Professor Lipp, GRENKE has been able to grow continuously over the past two decades – and, what is more, at a double-digit rate. Year after year. This accomplishment is also part of his personal track record. He has played a major role in ensuring that the business model has remained robust and weathered all storms while growing rapidly and expanding internationally.”

Dr Sebastian Hirsch, as CEO, expressed his thanks on behalf of the Board of Directors of GRENKE AG: “Professor Lipp’s departure after two decades as a member of the Supervisory Board, and 18 of these years as Chairman, undoubtedly marks the end of an era. Without him, GRENKE would not be what it is today. This is the foundation for the next generation. GRENKE supports small and medium-sized businesses in financing important investments, while offering secure jobs for nearly 2,000 employees.” 

The Annual General Meeting resolved to distribute a dividend of EUR 0.45 per share (2022: EUR 0.51). All agenda items were approved by a large majority, including the amendment to the Articles of Association authorising the convening of virtual Annual General Meetings in the future.

In addition, Nils Kröber was confirmed as a member of the Supervisory Board for a five-year term until the end of the Annual General Meeting 2028. Moritz Grenke, the son of Wolfgang Grenke, the Company’s founder, and a limited partner of major shareholder Grenke Beteiligung GmbH & Co. KG, was elected to the Supervisory Board for a term of three years.

At the time voting took place, attendance was 78,93 % (2022: 74.80%).

The voting results for all agenda items are available online at https://www.grenke.com/investor-relations/general-meeting/.

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About GRENKE

The GRENKE Group (GRENKE) is a global financing partner for small and medium-sized companies. As a one-stop shop for customers, GRENKE’s products range from flexible small-ticket leasing and demand-driven bank products to convenient factoring. Fast and easy processing and personal contact with customers and partners are at the centre of GRENKE’s activities.

Founded in 1978 in Baden-Baden, the Group operates in 33 countries and employs approximately 2,000 staff (measured in terms of full-time equivalents) worldwide. GRENKE shares are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN DE000A161N30).