IML Asia > IML in action > Case studies

British Airways

Overview

BA wanted to display live voting results to shareholders immediately.

 

Solution

  • IML's AGM Service  

Attendees cast their live votes using IML's electronic Communicator keypads and the IML system calculated all results instantly. Results were displayed live to attendees immediately after a vote was closed.

Case study >

The Challenge

BA previously employed a 'Ballot Box' system to poll more than 600 poll cards.  Keen to demonstrate a commitment to shareholder confidence, BA's primary objective was to incorporate a method of calculating these votes and displaying the live poll result within seconds to the meeting.

The Solution

Computershare were able to utilize IML's expertise and technology to develop an interactive solution specifically tailored to meet with BA’s AGM requirements.

The solution resulted in a simple and effective AGM service that afforded BA with a number of tangible benefits which included:

Automated registration

Registrars used IML’s automated system to scan delegates’ bar-coded attendance slips on arrival, registering them in seconds.

Instant identification

All Shareholders were issued with personal Smartcards, automatically linking them to their voting rights.

Before casting their votes, shareholders simply inserted their Smartcards into an electronic keypad and selected either For, Against or Abstain (represented by numbers 1, 2 and 3) on their electronic keypads.

Rapid results

All votes were immediately calculated by the system, avoiding time-consuming manual counts. Shareholders could see the outcome of a vote within seconds and reports were printed instantly, negating the need for BA to advertise results in the following day’s broadsheets.

Accurate results

IML’s system is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act and is proven 100% accurate.

Automated data capture and computerized checks enabled BA to answer enquiries fully and quickly.

Detailed audit trail

A full audit trail of attendance and voting was made available as well as a live and proxy vote breakdown, enabling every part of the voting process to undergo detailed scrutiny.

Certainty

All results were made available on poll, rather than on 'show of hands’, creating a far more democratic process and removing the need for contingency arrangements in the event a vote was lost.

Confidence

Once a vote had been received by the system, the Communicator keypad screen displayed a message confirming to the shareholder that their vote had been registered.

BA said:

"It is crucial for BA to demonstrate a pro-active approach to reform in order to highlight our unwavering commitment to living up to the expectations of our shareholders.

 

"IML’s electronic keypads modernized our AGM and kept it in-line with changing times and technology. More importantly, they have held us and our practices fully accountable and transparent.

"I firmly believe that electronic voting is the future of AGMs and will become standardized practice at all AGMs, providing shareholders with a familiar format they can have complete confidence in."