Good morning, and welcome all. My name is Helen Kurincic, the Board Chair of McMillan Shakespeare Limited. I'm delighted to be able to extend a very warm welcome to all our shareholders and guests to our 2023 annual general meeting. Joining us in person, and great to see so many people here, in person, and also welcome to everybody that's joining us online. Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands across Australia, recognize their cultures and continuing connection to land. I'm speaking from Melbourne, which is the traditional country of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, and I pay my respect to their elders, past and present. I'm advised that in accordance with Clause 16.4 of the company's constitution, a quorum of members is present, and accordingly, I declare the annual general meeting open.
The notice of meeting was distributed to all shareholders on the 22nd of September, 2023, and I'll take the notice of meeting as read. All attendees can watch and listen to the live cast of the meeting. In addition, shareholders and proxies have the ability to ask questions and submit votes. Questions can be submitted at any time. To ask a question, select the Q&A icon. Select the topic your question relates to, type your question into the chat box at the bottom of the screen, and press Send. Please note that you can submit questions anytime from now, and I will address them at the relevant time of the meeting. Please also note that your questions may be moderated or if we receive multiple questions on one topic, amalgamated together.
For those shareholders who wish to ask a verbal question, an audio questions facility is available during this meeting. To use this service, please follow the instructions on the virtual meeting platform. Voting today will be conducted by way of a poll on all items of business. In order to provide you with enough time to vote, I will shortly be opening the voting for all resolutions. At that time, if you are eligible to vote at this meeting, a new polling icon will appear. Selecting this icon will bring up a list of resolutions and present you with voting item options. To cast your vote, simply select one of the options. There's no need to hit a submit or enter button, as your vote is automatically recorded, and you can change your vote up until the time I declare voting closed.
I now declare voting open on all items of business. The polling icon will soon appear. Please submit your votes at any time, and I'll provide you with a warning before voting will be closed. The proxies received in advance of the meeting are held by the company share registry and are available for inspection upon receipt of a written request. I'd like to introduce you now to the directors of the company who are attending the meeting today and who are on the live webcast. We have non-executive directors, Kathy Parsons, Chair of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, Bruce Akhurst, the Chair of the People, Culture, and Remuneration Committee, Arlene Tansey, John Bennetts, and Ross Chessari. We're also joined by Managing Director and CEO, Rob De Luca, and our CFO and Company Secretary, Ashley Conn.
I also note the presence of Brett Kallio, representing the audit firm of Ernst & Young, and thank Brett for his attendance today, to respond to any questions you may have. I'll now turn to the chair address. MMS is proud to be making a difference to people's lives. The services we provide, salary packaging, novated leasing, asset management, disability plan management, and support coordination, are essential to helping customers now more than ever, given increasing cost of living pressures. This importance continues to be reflected in our strategy, our clear customer focus, and in turn, our financial performance. Today, I'll be providing you with an overview of our FY 2023 results, capital management and business simplification, progress on our group's sustainability, strategy, and governance overall.
Our Group Managing Director and CEO, Rob De Luca, will provide an overview of each segment's financial and operational performance for FY 2023, highlight our strategic priorities, and provide an update on our first quarter FY 2024 trading performance. In FY 2023, we delivered growth in our normalized financial and operating performance as the group focused on the customer, a set of clear priorities, and simplifying our portfolio of businesses. The focus enabled the group to cement its market leadership position in both salary packaging and novated leasing during the period, while helping to position our more focused portfolio for future growth. Our performance in FY 2023 saw the achievement of customer growth in all three of our segments.
In FY 2023, your company delivered normalized underlying net profit after tax of AUD 86.2 million, up 3%, normalized earnings per share of AUD 1.196, up 10.5%, and strong normalized return on capital employed of 40%, up a further 1.4 percentage points. Normalized refers to adjustments made for the negative earnings impact during the transitional period for the implementation of our funding warehouse, Onboard Finance. Importantly, our strategic rationale for Onboard Finance remains unchanged. It secures and diversifies our funding source. It increases annuity-based income, which is also a new source of income, and captures a greater share of the value of transactions that we complete. This warehouse funding initiative, launched in FY 2022, achieved our target of 20% of monthly volume leases financed in June 2023.
Our capital allocation framework has a key priority of reinvesting in the business in order to deliver sustainable growth, after which we'll fund any strategic acquisitions, deleverage as appropriate, before returning capital to shareholders as fully franked dividends in the first instance. Consistent with this capital allocation framework, during FY 2023, we completed a 10% off-market share buyback at AUD 11.66 a share, which incorporated a significant franked dividend component. We are pleased to have delivered a fully franked dividend of AUD 1.24 per share for the year, inclusive of the final dividend of AUD 0.66 per share. This represents 100% of normalized NPATA, in line with our previous stated policy of paying between 70%-100% of NPATA.
We've simplified our business portfolio through the divestment of our aggregation business, which completed on the 31st of July, 2023. In relation to our U.K. businesses, we've completed the sale of Maxxia U.K. on the 30th of September, 2023, with agreements also in place for the sale of Anglo Scottish Asset Finance, which we expect to complete during the first half of FY 2024. Turning now to the continued delivery of our sustainability strategy. Now, in its third year, the strategy is driving positive environmental and social outcomes across our business and the businesses of our customers. As a leading provider of novated leases and fleet management services, promoting the uptake of electric vehicles and supporting our customers to transition to a low carbon future is a key focus of the group.
During FY 2023, 35% of our own Australian and New Zealand fleet was transitioned to electric vehicles. 21.4% of our customers' novated lease orders in June 2023 were for an electric vehicle, up from 1% in June 2022. Having already committed to reducing our own operational carbon footprint to net zero by 2030, during FY 2023, we also developed a climate change action plan, which brings together, in a clear framework, our proposed actions to respond to climate-related risks and opportunities over the next three years. As a provider of disability plan management and support coordination services, the group is committed to removing barriers for and improving the lives of people with disabilities. During the financial year, we implemented a range of initiatives through our accessibility and inclusion plan to make our own products, services, and workplaces more inclusive.
I also volunteered my own time to mentor a New South Wales leader with a disability as part of the Australian Network on Disability Directing Change Mentoring program, which aims to advance the governance knowledge of leaders with a disability while building disability-confident boardrooms. MMS also continued the implementation of our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan during FY 2023, including further developing our own cultural awareness and joining Supply Nation, which facilitates procurement through Indigenous businesses to help strengthen economic opportunities for First Nations communities. We are proud that our Morgan Stanley Capital International environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, rating, increased from BBB to A during FY 2023. Turning to board governance.
During FY 2023, we welcomed Arlene Tansey, who joined the board as an independent non-executive director on the 7th of November 2022, in a smooth succession from Tim Poole, who we thank for his tremendous contribution to the MMS board as former Chair and Non-Executive Director. Arlene is a highly experienced director of ASX companies, high-growth businesses, and government entities with a financial services background in commercial and investment banking. She's a member of our Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and our People, Culture and Remuneration Committee. I also take this opportunity to formally thanking all of my fellow non-executive directors for their commitment and contribution to the group over the past year. We have a high caliber and diverse skills and experience mix on our board.
The board has set a clear, focused, and ambitious strategy to achieve our vision: to be the trusted partner, providing solutions in making complex matters simple. Our performance is achieved through the work and commitment of every single one of our MMS people, led by our CEO and MD, Rob De Luca, and his executive team. On behalf of the board, thank you. We enter FY 2024 with positions in large and growing markets, and with businesses well positioned to meet the challenges and capture the opportunities we see for MMS. Thank you to all our customers and clients who entrust us as their partner, as we continue to focus on enhancing the quality and access to the important services we provide, given the current macro environment. Thank you also to our shareholders for your support of our company. I'll now pass over to our CEO, Rob De Luca.
Thank you, Helen. Good morning, and welcome everyone. It's a privilege to be here today as MMS CEO and Managing Director, as we enter an exciting period for the company. In my presentation this morning, I will provide you with an overview of each of our continuing operations segments, financial and operating performance during FY 2023, provide an update on our first quarter FY 2024 performance, and highlight our strategic priorities and outlook. Firstly, by placing our customers at the core of our focus, we have achieved some strong metrics. Our group remuneration services segment achieved total normalized revenue of AUD 232.8 million for FY 2023, reflecting growth of 12.7%, while normalized NPATA grew by 8.5% to AUD 52.5 million.
Revenue growth was driven by a 13.3% increase in novated lease sales, an additional 23,300 salary packages, and an uplift in interest received from salary packaging funds administered. As Helen mentioned, as the cost of living continues to rise, our services take on increased relevance for our customers as they seek to maximize their after-tax income, with employers seeing the true value of salary packaging and novated leasing when it comes to creating a strong employee value proposition amidst the ongoing labor market dynamics. During H2 FY 2023, electric vehicles comprised 18.2% of our total novated lease orders, up from just 1.7% in H2 FY 2022.
We saw interest in electric vehicles gain momentum as the year progressed, driven by our increased focus on supporting customers through the transition and the Federal Government's Treasury Laws Amendment Electric Car Discount Act, legislated in December 2022. This legislation, which relates to employer-provided low and zero emissions vehicles, intends to remove one of the key barriers that may prevent consumers from transitioning to an electric vehicle, which is their higher average price when compared to similar vehicles with an internal combustion engine. Asset Management Services, which refers specifically to our AMS, Australian, New Zealand business continuing operations, benefit from a 4.1% increase in net amount financed and sustained remarketing yields, achieving revenue of AUD 187.4 million, an increase of 9.9%, while NPATA rose 4% to AUD 18.7 million.
Our Plan and Support Services segment, which supports participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, achieved 21.3% growth in normalized NPATA during the year, which increased to AUD 8 million. This result was largely attributable to strong customer growth of 22.8% and margin expansion, resulting from our continued investment in execution of a scalable platform. Importantly, last year, we also announced and began implementing our new set of clear strategic priorities, focused at delivering sustainable growth and helping us achieve our vision. Our strategic ambition has clear intent to deliver increased productivity, continuing to drive customer advocacy through strong net promoter scores, and generating high return on capital employed and earnings per share growth. In support of our strategy, we initiated our Simply Stronger program during the year, which has three areas of focus across FY 2023 to FY 2025 years.
Namely, excelling in customer experience through digital and insights-led experiences, driving simplicity and technology enablement to increase productivity, and leveraging our culture and competency-led solutions to extend and enhance value. While early in the program, Simply Stronger FY 2023 initiatives included the design of new mobile apps and web portals to facilitate greater digital self-service for our customers, commencement of the modernization and simplification of our technology infrastructure, digitizing some of our existing manual processes, and leveraging and extending our ecosystem of relationships to extend our market and offering, particularly regarding to electric vehicles. Now, moving to the next slide. I'd firstly like to mention that the new vehicle sales in the Australian market have been at high levels for each of the months of July, August, and September in the first quarter of FY 2024, as reported by VFACTS, up 16.2% on PCP.
This unprecedented sales activity level, together with the ongoing vehicle supply dynamic and continued strong upwards momentum in demand for the purchase of electric vehicles via novated lease, is generating material benefit to our business, with group normalized revenue from continuing operations up 15% in the first quarter of FY 2024 versus the previous corresponding period. In the first quarter of FY 2024, within our GRS segment, our novated lease orders were up 12.3% on PCP. This continued growth in order activity further stems from client growth and increasing customer demand and contribution from electric vehicles, as mentioned. Novated lease unit sales in the first quarter of FY 2024 were up 27.6% on PCP, well in advance of that experience in the broader new vehicle market.
This activity was underpinned by strong activity levels, particularly towards the back end of the FY 2023 period, with the increasing electric vehicles uptake. To demonstrate the strength of this increasing uptake for electric vehicles via our channel, that is our novated lease arrangement, in quarter one, FY 2024, 36.3% of our new novated lease sales were from an electric vehicle, up from only 4.3% in the prior corresponding period. This performance also compares favorably with the volume of electric vehicles being sold as a percentage of all new passenger and SUV car sales in the Australian market, which sat at 10.8% in the quarter one, FY 2024, as reported by VFACTS.
We remain pleased with this activity and continue to work hard on capturing this momentum and, in particular, helping our customers in their consideration and transition to low and zero emissions vehicles. During the quarter, we continued to grow our customer base across all AMS segments, and for the remainder of the year, we will continue to respond to market conditions and focus on our three strategic priorities. Turning to the next slide. I'd like to now touch on our outlook and priorities for FY 2024. In relation to our GRS segment, the value of our carryover, which is expected to benefit future periods, remains at similar levels to that reported at the FY 2023 results. This is consistent with an auto supply dynamic we expect to remain, with increasing demand and uptake for electric vehicles to continue.
From a broader environment perspective, we expect labor market, interest rate, and inflationary pressures to remain. In relation to our PSS segment, we're pleased with the fundamentals of our business, which, as a plan manager, plays an integral role in helping to address challenges being experienced by the NDIS, including helping to detect and mitigate fraudulent behaviors, and in doing so, supporting the scheme integrity, sustainability, and improved participant outcomes. As the scheme and plan management continues to grow and mature, together with our continued focus on the customer experience and leveraging our scalable platform, we look forward to achieving further participant growth. We also note that the government agency administering the scheme, the NDIA, is rolling out a new technology platform called PACE, which is a customer relationship management system designed to improve participant and provider experience.
While we expect some teething issues during the rollout of the new platform, our own PSS technology platform and business model is concurrently being updated in order to best align with the required pace changes, aiming to enable us to continue to transact and support our customers in a timely manner. Additionally, while we remain in regular dialogue with policymakers and the NDIA, we note that the findings and recommendations of the NDIS independent review are due for release shortly. We have made a submission to the review, outlining where we believe further scheme improvements are possible. We await the findings of the review and will work accordingly in response, should there be any matters arising relevant to our PSS business and its services. At an operational level, we will continue to invest in our Simply Stronger program, with FY 2024 CapEx spend forecast to be around AUD 23 million.
We are also continuing to focus on key client renewals and pursuing new tender opportunities to underpin organic growth. Our funding warehouse Onboard Finance will continue to evolve as an important plank in our business strategy, aiming to continue to represent approximately 20% of our novated lease volume. Based on our growth in novated leases, we currently expect the warehouse normalization adjustment for FY 2024 to increase to approximately AUD 15 million. Finally, while the strength of our balance sheet allows us to make important CapEx commitments, like the Simply Stronger program, to enhance the customer experience, help drive organic growth, and generate efficiencies, it also provides us with the flexibility to consider and pursue appropriate non-organic growth opportunities, which we will continue to do, particularly within the PSS segment. We are optimistic about the future and opportunities for the long-term sustainable growth.
Before I close, I'd like to thank our loyal customers, our people, our shareholders, and our board of directors for their ongoing support and commitment. Thank you.
Thanks, Rob. We now come to the formal business of the meeting. Each item of business will be discussed in turn, and shareholders will have the opportunity to ask questions on that item of business. Questions which relate to the General Business of the company will be collected and addressed at the conclusion of the meeting. You can submit a question by clicking on the Q&A icon. If you're having any difficulties in asking a question, please refer to the user guide, which can be accessed through the platform. The first item of business listed in the notice of meeting is to receive and consider the financial report, directors' report, and the independent audit report of the company and its controlled entities for the financial year ended 30 June 2023. In accordance with the Corporations Act, there is no vote on this item.
This item of business provides shareholders with the opportunity to ask questions about the reports and management of the company generally. Are there any questions?
Chair.
Actually, I'll... You go.
Chair, there are several questions from online. A question from the Australian Shareholders' Association. For years, MMS has been reporting underlying profit, including the determination of remuneration, making it difficult for a normal shareholder to tell what is happening as you continue to write off impairments. The impression is that no one is accountable.
Okay. Thank you for the question. I think we make it very clear in our financial reporting, and inclusive of our, investor presentations, our statutory profit, as well as our underlying, profit in those financial results. If there are any impairments or adjustments, we also, to net profit after tax, we also make that very clear. Shareholders would be aware that if you look at our investor presentation, we provide a full reconciliation as well from NPAT to NPATA, and also to normalize NPATA, which, just as a reminder, is the, the warehouse adjustment, and so that's set out fully in the appendix in our investor presentation. So I think there's very good disclosure in terms of, in terms of those items. In terms of the second part of that question, the accountability is full and real.
So in regards to impairments, that's included in our assessment of, of all remuneration outcomes, so management are fully accountable for them, and so that there is no receipt of any, any inappropriate benefit as a result.
There are two other questions, Chair. First, first one is, Did any of the five proxy advisors, ACSI, Ownership Matters, Glass Lewis, ISS, and ASA, recommend a vote against any of the-- any of today's resolutions? If so, what reasons did they give? Which of the proxy advisors are covering us, and please describe the engagement we had with them before today's AGM. Will you disclose the proxy votes before the debate on each resolution, so shareholders can ask questions about the reasons, if there, if there have been any protest votes? And, why not disclose the proxy position to the ASX with the formal address, addresses to offer a more timely disclosure to the market? Many other issuers do this now.
I think that's five questions. So I'll do my best to answer each one, and Ashley, I'm sure you'll let me know if I haven't. So in terms of the main proxy advisors, no, we're not aware of any recommendation against any of the resolutions that have been put to this meeting. So that's a no. So no reasons to explain there. In fact, we understand that they've been very supportive. In terms of describing the engagement, so prior to the AGM, each year, myself and Bruce Akhurst, as the Chair of the People, Remuneration and Culture Committee, do engage with some of the proxy advisors. And again, that's a really, you know, positive engagement, and we welcome their feedback, and no material issues have been raised in that.
In terms of disclosing their proxy positions, I think was the next key question in that group. So what we, what we do, and as you'll see during the course of this, this meeting, as soon as the resolution is put forward, that we then provide fully the results of those proxy positions, so that can inform all questions and any questions that shareholders may have during the course of the meeting.
Why not disclose the proxy position to the ASX with the formal address to offer a more timely disclosure to the market? Many other issuers do this now.
Yep. I think what we do is in line with standard practice, and it does still give all shareholders the opportunity to see the proxy votes well in advance of people actually finalizing their own votes. We prepare all the final proxy positions of the morning of the AGM, so we believe that's really good disclosure for our shareholders to inform their voting.
... just to be clear, those questions were from Stephen Mayne.
Thank you, Stephen.
Thank you. Another question, Chair, but directed to the CEO. I note that you have successfully transitioned 35% of MMS's own Australia and New Zealand fleet to battery electric vehicles. Are these vehicles recharged by our coal power stations or by solar energy?
Thank you, Ashley. Yes, pleasing, we have transitioned 35% of our own fleet to battery electric vehicles. Each of our drivers who are assigned these vehicles have charging stations installed at their homes, and given their needs will change based on their own circumstances, based on their travel and locations, it's difficult to actually tell what they utilize on a day-to-day basis. Having said that, as a guide, a recent report by the Electric Vehicle Council highlighted that people surveyed, around half of the respondents reported using home solar to charge their electric vehicles, and a further 25% reported using green energy or offsets. So I think that's a good indication.
There are no further questions on that resolution.
There's a further question in the room.
Yeah, good morning. My name is Michael Munsie from the Australian Shareholders' Association, and we've got a pretty full room here, so I think maybe next year you might need a bigger room to accommodate everyone. My question is to the CEO. In your last slide, you presented a number of priorities in your outlook. You presented a number of priorities on your outlook, and my question is: What do you see as the single biggest opportunity ahead for McMillan Shakespeare? And what do you see as the single biggest risk for McMillan Shakespeare ahead?
Thank you, Michael. Great question. Firstly, if it was only one thing, it would be an easier job than the various priorities that we have on our agenda. I think the hugest opportunity for our business really is realizing the potential in each of our businesses. And I think that's also the biggest challenge, which is the capacity also to take advantage of those opportunities. As outlined in my presentation, I think in the short term, we're seeing a significant opportunity with electric vehicles transition. And taking advantage of that, I think presents a fantastic opportunity for our business and for our shareholders. And so that's something that we spend a lot of time as a management team and a board discussing in terms of our ability to execute on that opportunity and deliver great value for our shareholders.
Can I follow up on that?
Of course.
On electric vehicles, is the opportunity just that there is a greater volume because of the interest in electric vehicles and there's a greater volume of sales? Or is there something intrinsic with electric vehicles that's advantageous for the company? For example, they might be more expensive, or there may be something related to electric vehicles that's different.
Yeah. I think, to, to that question, Michael, I think the first one, which is we're going through a transition period, and therefore, there is a great opportunity from a volume perspective as we go through that transition. Firstly, for our novated lease business, but I think also in terms of our asset management to leasing businesses, corporates and organizations transition their fleets. I think from an economic perspective, as you alluded to and outlined in our presentation, the price point for electric vehicles is higher than generally the internal combustion engines, and therefore, we generate a better return on that.
No further questions online. Thank you.
Thank you. If there's no further questions, I will proceed with the resolutions to be considered. I appoint David Squires of Computershare Investor Services as the Returning Officer for the purposes of conducting the poll on each resolution. As I mentioned at the start of the meeting, voting on the resolution is currently open, and you can vote at any time until I declare the voting closed. Results will be released to the ASX after the conclusion of the meeting. Please note that only shareholders, proxy holders, or authorized shareholder representatives may vote. Any directed proxies given to you by a shareholder will automatically be cast as directed when the poll is closed. The voting icon is available within the navigation bar. Once you click on this, the resolutions will appear on your screen, along with the for, against, and abstain voting options.
Simply select one of these options to cast your vote. When voting is closed, your final voting selection will be recorded. If you have any difficulties, please refer to the user guide, which can be accessed through the platform. Okay, let's go to the adoption of the remuneration report. Item two, and it relates to the adoption of the remuneration report of the company for the financial year ended 30 June 2023, and it's set out on pages 20 to 35 of the 2023 annual report. The remuneration report sets out the company's remuneration policy for its executives, employees, and directors. The company strives to ensure that the remuneration report is clear, transparent, and demonstrates your board's objectives of ensuring the alignment of executive reward-...
With the correct creation of shareholder value, and the current market practices have been duly considered in terms of both quantum and structure of the company's remuneration framework. The resolution before the meeting is, that for the purposes of Section 250R(2) of the Corporations Act, and for all other purposes, the remuneration report for the financial year ended 30 June 2023, as contained in the directors' report, be adopted. The board unanimously recommends that shareholders vote in favor of adopting the remuneration report. I'll now put the resolution to the meeting. A summary of the votes received before the meeting is up there on the screen. Are there any questions in regards to the remuneration report?
There are no questions online from the ASA about the remuneration report, Chair.
There's no questions in the room. If there are no questions on the remuneration report, we'll just note that the company will disregard any votes cast on item two by all key management personnel and their closely related parties, except where that vote is cast by them as a proxy for a person who is entitled to vote. Item three, the re-election of Ross Chessari as a director of the company. Details of Ross's background, qualifications, and experience are set out in the notice of meeting. A summary of the proxy votes received before the meeting is on the screen. I would now like to invite Ross to say a few words.
Thank you, Helen. As some of you know, I'm a founding director and shareholder of the group, as is John Bennetts. I'm very pleased with the group's performance since listing in March 2004, although it's probably time to update the photo in the annual report, which is about that year. During the period, the group has consistently grown its relevance to the customer base and deepened its staff engagement. We've expanded and diversified our operations and refocused as required. This morning, you've heard Helen Kurincic describe some of these changes. All the while, the group has consistently grown and delivered earnings to shareholders. I'm also very pleased with the group's prospects.
Rob De Luca is a welcome appointment, who has helped sharpen the group's strategy and is navigating initiatives which target improvements in productivity and growth, that we expect will benefit shareholders in the near future. It's been a privilege to sit on the group's board with many talented and committed members, and I look forward to continuing to do so at the shareholders' meeting.
Thank you, Ross. Are there any questions in relation to this resolution?
My question's not specifically to Mr. Chessari, but more generally. The ASA likes to see a director skills matrix published in the annual report. We are asking shareholders to vote on various directors today, and having a skills matrix would tremendously assist shareholders in making their assessments on how to vote. You don't have a skills matrix in the annual report, so we'd request, perhaps you could consider doing that next year. Also, there is a so-called skills matrix in the governance statement, which most shareholders wouldn't be aware of. We would ask that that skills matrix we think could be better done, and we have some suggestions, if you are interested, on how to do a better job on that. And we'd like to see that published in the annual report next year. Thank you.
Okay, Michael. Thanks. I'll note the request. I think in terms of the board skills matrix, that we do publish, fully in our corporate governance statement, that shareholders can all see and read. I think one of the things we do do actually well, compared to many that I've looked at, is we actually define each of the areas in terms of the board skills matrix, and then we do a pretty robust assessment in terms of each director against those skills that are listed. And we provide then the transparency in regards to that assessment across the board. So happy to speak to you afterwards in terms of any other examples that you've seen in the market that you'd like us to consider.
We update our, obviously, our corporate governance statement, and look at our board skills matrix every single year ahead of the publication in terms of how we do that, and we also then take on board feedback in regards to that as well. The board skills matrix is really important to us from a governance perspective. And certainly has been a major tool in terms of how we look at our link with both strategy and performance of the company, and also then thinking about how we use that when we come to recruiting new directors as well, and our succession planning. Are there any other questions?
There are no other questions online, Chair.
Thank you. The board, excluding Ross, as this resolution is for his re-election, recommends that shareholders vote in favor of this resolution. The resolution before the meeting is that Mr. Ross Chessari, a director retiring from office in accordance with Clause 20.2 of the Constitution, being eligible, is re-elected as a director of the company. I will now put the resolution to the meeting. Item four is the re-election of Kathy Parsons as a director of the company. Details of Kathy's background, qualifications, and experience are set out in the notice of meeting. A summary of the proxy votes received before the meeting is on the screen. I'd now like to invite Kathy to say a few words.
Thank you, Helen. Good morning, everyone. I'm very pleased to be here to seek re-election as an independent, non-executive director today. It's been my privilege to serve as a non-executive director for the last three years, and in that time, we've seen a number of significant changes, including a new CEO and chair, as well as the simplification of our business. My background in finance, governance, and risk management has enabled me to contribute strongly to the strategic thinking and good governance of MMS during this period. As chair of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, I have a strong commitment to working closely with management, with a focus on continuous improvement and a culture of working collaboratively with management to drive quality throughout the organization.
I look forward to continuing to work with management and my fellow directors in achieving MMS's vision of being the trusted partners, providing solutions, and making complex matters simple. I appreciate your support for my re-election and your time today.
Thanks, Kathy. Are there any questions in relation to this resolution?
Chair, there is a question from online from Mr. Stephen Mayne. When disclosing the outcome of voting on all resolutions today, including the re-election of Kathy Parsons, would you please advise the ASX how many shareholders voted for and against each item, similar to what happens with a scheme of arrangement? This will provide a better gauge of retail shareholder sentiment on all resolutions, and was a voluntary disclosure initiative adopted by the likes of Metcash, Altium, AUI, Dexus, Webjet, Tabcorp, and Myer over the past two years. The ASX itself did it for the first time last week. Does Kathy support this move?
Thanks. I'll take that question. That's a board matter and not at all related to Kathy's re-election. In terms of it, we review how we disclose and what we disclose every year, and obviously in accordance with the Corporations Act and listing rules. We have no plan to alter the current disclosure, which is in accordance with both the Act and the listing rules. Are there any further questions?
There are no further questions online, Chair.
The board, excluding Kathy, as this resolution is for her re-election, recommends that shareholders vote in favor of this resolution. The resolution before the meeting is that Kathy Parsons, a director retiring from office in accordance with Clause 20.2 of the Constitution, being eligible, is re-elected as a director of the company. I will now put the resolution to the meeting. Item five is the election of Arlene Tansey as a director of the company. Details of Arlene's background, qualifications, and experience are set out in the notice of meeting. A summary of the proxy votes received before the meeting is on the screen. I'd now like to invite Arlene to speak to her election as a new member of the board.
Thank you, Helen. Can I do this without a mic? Can everybody hear me? For online. Okay, I'll use the mic. Good morning, everyone, and welcome. Last November, I became a non-executive director of McMillan Shakespeare. Today, I ask for your support for a further term to represent you and MMS as a non-executive director. McMillan Shakespeare has continued to succeed and grow while refining our culture, simplifying our structure, and further evolving our technology solutions to better and more efficiently serve our clients and customers. Over the past year, we've become more aware of the critical role we play in supporting our customers' most important and often very personal needs. Today, we remain truly devoted to fully serving our customers and leading in our industry through the provision of salary packaging, disability plan and support services, novated leasing, and related financial services.
We work collaboratively with governments and clients every day to enhance the lives of their employees and all users of our services. As a member of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, the People, Culture, and Remuneration Committee, and the Nominations Committee, I bring to bear my long-standing experience in the financial services industry and broad experience as a non-executive director across government services, healthcare, technology, and governance. Now is an exciting time for the company as we embrace the many opportunities to add value in our Australian community. It's been my privilege to serve with my fellow directors, and if re-elected today, I would be proud to continue to represent you, the shareholders of McMillan Shakespeare Group. Thank you for your time today.
Thanks, Arlene. Are there any questions in relation to this resolution?
Yes, Chair. There are a couple of questions. So first of all, from Mr. Stephen Mayne. Could new director, Arlene Tansey, and the Chair comment on the recruitment process that led to her appointment to the board? Was a headhunter involved? Did the full board interview Arlene, and did they interview any other candidates? Did Arlene know of any, of any of our directors before engaging with the recruitment process? Did the social damage caused by Aristocrat Leisure's addictive gambling products come up in any of the discussions about Arlene's suitability to serve on this board?
Hey, thank you. I'll take that question as Chair of the board. So firstly, in terms of the process, so again, there's multiple questions in there, so I'll just make sure I've been able to address each one. So if I start at the top in terms of how we go about the recruitment process. So as I referred to earlier, we use the board skills matrix, pegged on where we think the organization is going and the skills that's required, not just for now, but the organization of the future. And so based on that, we actually then set, as a board, and agree as a board, what the key criteria is. The harder and tighter you get that criteria, I think the more effective the recruitment process is.
Then we engaged an external search firm to find someone that actually matched that criteria. Yes, we interviewed a number of candidates as part of that process, and yes, the whole of the board. So every single director was involved in the interview process with Arlene, and we were delighted, not just with her being able to fulfill the exact criteria that we're looking for in a director, and what she's actually already contributed to the board since she joined us. So it's been terrific to have her there. And she really does add diversity in terms of her skill set to the board, and complements the rest of us. Probably would've forgotten something along there.
In terms of her other board positions, I guess positively, one of the really important things and skill sets that Arlene brings is her listed company experience. And on a board, you really benefit from people's experience on other companies, and the insights that they have there to bring to this board. So we really value that. And secondly, her exposure to technology in global markets is significant. And so again, thinking about the importance of technology in a company like McMillan Shakespeare, again, is very valuable. Thank you.
The only other part of that question was, did Arlene know of any of our directors before engaging with the recruitment process?
No, we did not know Arlene beforehand, and so delighted to have met her for the first time through the process. And so, no, no one on the board knew Arlene beforehand.
Another question from Mr. Stephen Mayne. Thank you for offering shareholders a hybrid AGM this year, and will you commit to doing this in the future years to maximize shareholder participation? Could Arlene Tansey please comment on why Aristocrat Leisure and TPG Telecom, where she serves on both boards, both banned online voting and questions at this year's AGM? Shouldn't independent directors thump the table and stand up for maximum transparency at all boards where they serve?
Thanks, Stephen. You love throwing multiple questions in one question. Anyway, I'll attempt to remember, I think, those three questions. So firstly, I don't believe in thumping tables as appropriate behavior. Secondly, in terms of the question in regards to her other directorships, I think they're matters that, Stephen, you can put to each of those boards. That's not a matter for this board and the resolutions before shareholders this morning. Thirdly, in terms of hybrid AGMs, our board is very supportive of hybrids. It's absolutely delightful to see so many people here in the room, but also have people being able to join us online. And to me, that's a major step forward in terms of accessibility of AGMs to all of our shareholders, and we'll continue to support that approach.
There are no other questions, Chair.
Thank you. The board, excluding Arlene, as this resolution is for her re-election, her election, recommends that shareholders vote in favor of this resolution. The resolution before the meeting is that Arlene Tansey, a director appointed to fill a casual vacancy, retiring from office, in accordance with Clause 19.4 of the Constitution, being eligible, is elected as a director of the Company. I will now put the resolution to the meeting. Item 6 relates to the issue of rights to the Managing Director. A summary of the proxy votes received before the meeting is on the screen.
The resolution before the meeting is that, for the purposes of ASX Listing Rule 10.14, and all other purposes, approval be given for the issue to the Managing Director, Rob De Luca, of 58,970 performance rights under the company's executive incentive plan, and for the issue of shares on the exercise of those performance rights. Are there any questions in regards to this resolution?
Yes, Chair. There's one question from online, from Mr. Stephen Mayne. Could the CEO summarize his past LTIP grants as to whether they have vested or lapsed? Also, have you ever sold any ordinary shares in the company or bought any on market without relying on an incentive scheme to build up his equity position in the company? Please do not say, "Look it up in the annual report," and through ASX announcements. It's complicated, and the CEO should actually summarize the situation in 60 seconds.
I'll take that question. Just in terms of our CEO. So our CEO commenced in May 2022. Feels longer, but that was just only over a year ago that we welcomed Rob, and his first LTI grant occurred in FY 2023, following shareholder approval. At this stage, obviously, none of these LTI grants have vested. He hasn't acquired or sold any MMS shares since joining. Rob would certainly be aware of our minimum shareholding policy. And so for reference, that means that holding 50% of one year's fixed remuneration by the later of five years from commencement with MMS. Are there any further questions?
There are no further questions, Chair.
The company will disregard any votes cast on item six by Mr. De Luca and his closely related parties, except where that vote is cast by them as a proxy for a person who is entitled to vote. I will now put the resolution to the meeting. That concludes the business of the meeting. I would like to advise that shortly, the voting on all resolutions will close. Can all shareholders voting online, please now ensure that they've submitted their votes. We will take a few moments now to allow you to finish voting. Voting will close automatically in a few minutes' time. While the voting is being finalized, we've got a little gift for you.
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It's a question in relation to general business from Mr. Stephen Mayne. Back in 2013, our company donated AUD 250,000 to the Salary Packaging Industry Association to campaign against the then Labor government's tax hit on the salary packaging industry. Our bet worked after the Coalition took power and reversed the decision. A decade later, what are the prospects of another tax hit from this new Labor government? And what is our current policy on making political donations or politically campaigning through peak bodies?
Thank you. Firstly, to be very clear, we don't make any political donations, number one. Number two, we are members of peak body associations such as NALSPA, which does an excellent job, as a peak body in terms of working with government, including in terms of helping to form the current legislation in regards to promotion of electric vehicles, which has been terrific work. We're not aware of any changes to the FBT arrangements from the government, so there's no new news there at all. I think the last time it was probably mentioned was back in 2016, where the federal ALP at that time gave a written commitment to the industry in terms of maintaining the FBT arrangements. Are there any other questions?
No further questions.
There being no further questions, I declare the poll closed. The staff of Computershare will now process the poll, and the final results will be notified to the ASX in accordance with the Corporations Act, and will also be placed on the company's website as soon as they become available. As there's no further business, I warmly thank you for all your attendance and declare the meeting closed. Thank you. Join us for some refreshments. Well done.