Transparency plays an important role and the company always aims to provide shareholders and the public with comprehensive, consistent and up-to-date information. Linde makes extensive use of the Internet as a reporting tool.
To keep shareholders and the general public informed about key dates and publications, the company publishes a financial calendar which appears in its annual report, in its interim and half-year financial reports and on the Linde website. Linde AG publishes ad-hoc announcements, press releases and notifiable securities transactions (directors’ dealings) in the media specified by the law and on its website. The articles of association are also on the website. Four times in the financial year, Linde reports to its shareholders on its business performance, the net assets, financial position and results of operations of the Group, and any related risks. Linde provides information to the capital market and to the public every quarter through analysts’ conferences and press conferences or in the form of teleconferences. These coincide with the publication of quarterly, half-year and annual results. Regular events where the CEO and CFO meet institutional investors and financial analysts also ensure a regular exchange of information with the financial markets. The dates and locations of roadshows and investors’ conferences are published on the Linde website. The presentations given at these events are also available to view on the website, as well as video and audio recordings of major events.
Linde considers not only the interests of its shareholders but also the concerns of its stakeholders, who are a key element in the Group’s success. As far as possible, all stakeholders are included in corporate communications. Linde’s stakeholders include all its employees, customers and suppliers, as well as trade associations and government bodies.
Consequential loss and liability insurance
The company has taken out consequential loss and directors and officers liability insurance (D & O) for the members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board. For members of the Executive Board, the retention in accordance with legal rules is 10 percent of the claim, up to a figure of one and a half times the fixed annual emoluments of the Board member in question. An appropriate retention has been agreed for members of the Supervisory Board in accordance with the recommendation set out in the German Corporate Governance Code.
Directors´ dealings
Linde AG publishes without delay as stipulated by law transactions subject to notification under § 15a of the German Securities Trading Law (WpHG) which have been executed by the persons named therein, in particular transactions carried out by members of the executive bodies of the company and related parties involving shares in the company or related financial instruments. The transactions disclosed by Linde AG in the past financial year can be accessed in the annual document pursuant to § 10 of the German Securities Prospectus Law (WpPG) on the company’s website.
Interests in share capital
The total holdings of all the members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board in Linde AG shares or related financial instruments during the financial year did not exceed 1 percent of the shares issued by the company. On 31 December 2011, Executive Board members held a total of 420,000 shares and share options in Linde AG (0.245 percent of shares issued), while Supervisory Board members held a total of 4,500 shares and share options in Linde AG (0.003 percent of shares issued).
