Keeping a record of your Annual General Meeting

Why having a transcript at your event is a must. 

Here at FSTL, we have been busy transcribing Annual General Meetings and General Meetings for a number of clients.  

But what is an AGM and why do companies have them?! 

An AGM is a formal meeting that generally happens once a year involving the general membership of an organisation.   

AGMs are a legal requirement for most companies – these include both public companies and private companies that are traded. It is the annual forum where the audited accounts are presented and approved, any new directors are elected, and if necessary auditors for the new accounting term are appointed.  It’s also provides an opportunity for shareholders to ask the Board of a company questions about the business and to vote on a number of issues including compensation of officers and payments of dividends. Generally, there should be no more than 15 months between two AGMs, and a minimum 21-day’s written notice of its date is required to be given to the stockholders.  

There are a number of elements that are expected to form part of the content of the AGM – even before it begins. The notice itself should contain the following: 

• Date, time and venue of the meeting 
• An agenda 
• The minutes from the last AGM 
• A list of the current committee members and their roles 
• Biographies of any candidates standing for the committee (including any that were co-opted during the year) 
• Financial report 

The final two points don’t necessarily need to be circulated prior to the meeting, they can be presented on the day.  

You can see with all the information required that an AGM is much more than a “turn up and begin” event!  

Given the importance of the meeting and the detail involved, having a written record is a must for any business. The written record becomes a useful account of the issues raised at the AGM and any outcomes that may need to be addressed as a result. Having an accurate transcript of the AGM produced in a timely manner is an essential document for any Board. It is also an incredibly useful tool to refer to the following year in preparation for the next AGM. 

The team at FSTL can take care of your written record of the AGM by producing a transcript from the audio recording of the meeting. Don’t worry if you haven’t arranged for your meeting to be recorded, we can even attend and record it for you, using our state of the art, high quality recording equipment! Our team will then produce a transcript of the meeting within your timescale.    

By getting the FSTL team involved your Board will then have an accurate record of exactly who said what at the AGM, meaning they can easily use it to refer to any point that may require further action. Total peace of mind to cover the whole process. 

AGMs are a key event of the corporate calendar and having a transcript is a must. Get in touch at alex@fionashipley.com and book us for your next AGM!