Hello, and welcome to the Celanese Corporation 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. I would now like to introduce your presenter, Chair of the Celanese Board, Ed Galante.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Celanese Corporation. I am Edward Galante, Chairman of the Board, and I'll be presiding over this virtual annual meeting. Thank you for joining us. I now call the meeting to order. Let me introduce our CEO, President, and Fellow Director, Scott Richardson.
Hello, and thank you for attending our annual meeting. It's a great honor to be here today, and we appreciate your interest in our company. The other director nominees on the phone for the meeting are Bruce Chinn , Kathryn Hill , Deborah Kissire , Michael Koenig , Christopher Kuehn , Ganesh Moorthy , and Kim Rucker . Chris Hughes, Matthew Glenn, and Katie Marsh, representatives of KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, are also participating this afternoon. They will be available to respond to questions germane to their representation of the company. Our Board of Directors has appointed Bob Johnson of the Coratio Group to act as the Inspector of Election. Ashley Duffie, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, will serve as Secretary of this meeting. Bill Cunningham, Vice President of Investor Relations, will moderate the question and answer portion of the meeting.
I will turn it back to the Chair of the Board, Ed Galante.
Thank you, Scott. Chuck Kyrish , Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Ashley Duffie, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, were appointed by the Board as the proxy holders for this meeting. The agenda and rules of conduct for the meeting appear on the virtual shareholder meeting platform. In advance of this meeting, shareholders had the opportunity to submit questions or comments in writing in accordance with the rules of conduct and in the place indicated on the virtual shareholder meeting platform. We will take up questions following the conclusion of the formal meeting. No one attending the webcast is permitted to use any audio recording device. A replay of the meeting will be available after 24 hours on the virtual meeting site. I turn it over to Ashley to provide the Secretary's report.
Thank you, Ed. The Board of Directors fixed February 23rd, 2026, as the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at this meeting and any adjournment thereof. Proxy materials were sent to our shareholders. Based on the Inspector's report and the company's bylaws, I declare that shareholders holding the majority of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote are present or represented by proxy at this meeting, which constitutes a quorum, and we may carry out the business of the meeting at this time.
Thank you, Ashley. In the interest of time, we will waive a reading of the minutes of the last annual meeting. The items of business to be conducted today are described more fully in your proxy statement. The election of nine directors for a one-year term ending at the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2026, and the advisory approval of our executive compensation. The company has not received notice from any of the shareholders as required under the bylaws of any other matter to be considered at today's meeting. Therefore, no proposals other than those set forth in the proxy statement may be properly introduced by shareholders at this meeting. These matters are now before us. It is now 1:03 PM, and the polls are now open for voting.
We would like to remind shareholders that if they have previously voted their shares on the internet, by phone, or by submitting a proxy via the mail, then there is no need to vote again during this meeting. Shareholders who have not voted or wish to change their vote may do so by following the instructions on the virtual shareholder meeting platform. A list of the registered shareholders of our common stock is available for review on the virtual shareholder meeting platform during this meeting. Please complete your voting on the virtual meeting. It is now 1:04 PM, and I hereby declare the polls are closed for voting. Based on the Inspector's preliminary report of the voting, I declare that the nine director nominees have been elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the actual votes cast for election.
The appointment of KPMG LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for 2026 has been ratified by a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote. The advisory vote to approve executive compensation has been approved by a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote. Ashley, please file the proxies, the report of the Inspector of Elections, the affidavits and certified list of shareholders as part of the records of this meeting. In accordance with the federal securities laws, the results of the meeting will be reported on a Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days after the meeting. This concludes the formal portion of our 2026 Annual Shareholders Meeting. I declare that the formal meeting is adjourned. We will now transition to the questions and answer section of the meeting. Bill, I turn it over to you.
Thank you, Ed. Before we begin the Q and A, I would like to remind our shareholders that answers may refer to forward-looking information, unaudited quarterly financial results, and non-GAAP measures. You can find definitions of non-GAAP measures as well as reconciliations to the comparable GAAP measures on our investor relations website. Management will now answer questions that were submitted on the virtual shareholder meeting platform. We will attempt to answer as many questions as time allows, but only questions that are germane to the meeting or our business will be answered. Any questions that are not answered during the meeting and which are germane to the meeting or our business will be addressed following the meeting on our investor relations website under news and events, annual meeting. There are no questions at this time. Ed, I turn the call back to you.
Thank you. This concludes our annual meeting, and thank you for your interest in Celanese Corporation.
Thank you. The Celanese Corporation 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders has now come to an end. Thank you for attending. You may now disconnect.