def14a
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant þ
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
Accenture Ltd
(Name of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)
None
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and
identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous
filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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William D. Green
Chairman & CEO |
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December 27, 2006 |
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Dear Fellow Shareholder: |
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You are cordially invited to attend the 2007 Annual General
Meeting of Shareholders (the Annual Meeting), which
will be held at 2:30 p.m., local time, on February 7,
2007, at Accenture Ltds New York office, located at 1345
Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, New York
10105, USA. |
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At this years meeting, you will vote on the appointment of
six directors and the re-appointment of KPMG LLP as our
independent auditors and authorization of the Audit Committee of
the Board of Directors (the Board) to determine
their remuneration. In addition, the audited consolidated
financial statements of Accenture Ltd and its subsidiaries for
the fiscal year ended August 31, 2006 will be received at
the Annual Meeting. |
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Our Board has nominated the director nominees and has made the
proposal to re-appoint KPMG LLP. The Board recommends that you
vote for the appointment of each director nominee and for the
re-appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent auditors and
authorization of the Audit Committee of the Board to determine
their remuneration. |
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Your vote is very important to us. We urge you to read the
accompanying materials regarding the matters to be voted on at
the Annual Meeting and to submit your voting instructions by
proxy. You may submit your proxy either by returning the
enclosed proxy card or by submitting your proxy over the
telephone or the Internet. If you submit your proxy before the
meeting but later decide to attend the meeting in person, you
may still vote in person at the meeting. |
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In addition, I strongly encourage you to sign up to receive your
future Accenture shareholder materials electronically, which
will help us to conserve natural resources and reduce our
production and distribution costs. If you wish to receive these
materials electronically next year, please follow the
instructions on the enclosed proxy card. |
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Please let us know whether you plan to attend the Annual
Meeting, as indicated in your proxy instructions. If your shares
are held in a name other than your own (for example, if your
shares are held by a broker in street name), then
you must take certain steps, described in the proxy statement,
to be admitted into the meeting. |
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Thank you for your continued support. |
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WILLIAM D. GREEN |
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Chairman & CEO |
NOTICE OF THE 2007 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
To our Shareholders:
You are hereby notified that the 2007 Annual General Meeting of
Shareholders of Accenture Ltd will be held at 2:30 p.m.,
local time, on February 7, 2007, at our New York office,
located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New
York, New York 10105, USA, to receive the report of our
independent auditors and the financial statements for our fiscal
year ended August 31, 2006, and to vote upon the following
proposals:
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1. to appoint Nobuyuki Idei and Marjorie Magner as
Class II directors, each for a term expiring at our annual
general meeting of shareholders in 2009, and to appoint Dennis
F. Hightower, William L. Kimsey, Robert I. Lipp and Wulf von
Schimmelmann as Class III directors, each for a term
expiring at our annual general meeting of shareholders in 2010; |
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2. to re-appoint KPMG LLP as independent auditors of
Accenture Ltd for a term expiring at our annual general meeting
of shareholders in 2008 and to authorize the Audit Committee of
the Board of Directors to determine their remuneration; and |
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3. to transact any other business that may properly come
before the meeting and any adjournment or postponement of the
meeting. |
The Board of Directors has set December 11, 2006 as the
record date for the meeting. This means that only those persons
who were registered holders of Accenture Ltds Class A
common shares or Class X common shares at the close of
business on that record date will be entitled to receive notice
of the meeting and to attend and vote at the meeting.
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By order of the Board of Directors, |
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DOUGLAS G. SCRIVNER |
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General Counsel and Secretary |
December 27, 2006
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PROXY BY TELEPHONE OR THE INTERNET,
OR BY MARKING, SIGNING, DATING AND RETURNING A PROXY CARD.
We encourage you to permit us to send you shareholder
communications
electronically. You can find more information on receiving
these
communications electronically in the Electronic
Delivery of Shareholder
Communications section on page 33 of the
accompanying proxy statement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PROXY STATEMENT
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Board of Directors (the Board) of Accenture Ltd
is soliciting your proxy for use at the 2007 Annual General
Meeting of Shareholders (the Annual Meeting) to be
held on February 7, 2007. These proxy materials are first
being sent to shareholders beginning on or about
December 27, 2006.
Accenture is one of the worlds leading management
consulting, technology services and outsourcing organizations.
As of August 31, 2006, we had approximately 140,000
employees based in 49 countries and revenues before
reimbursements of more than $16.65 billion for fiscal 2006.
We operate globally with one common brand and business model
designed to enable us to provide clients around the world with
the same high level of service.
Accenture Ltd maintains its registered office in Bermuda at
Canons Court, 22 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM12, Bermuda.
Our telephone number in Bermuda is +1 441-296-8262. You may
contact our Investor Relations Group by telephone in the United
States and Puerto Rico at +1 877-ACN-5659 (+1 877-226-5659)
and outside the United States and Puerto Rico at +1
703-797-1711, or by mail at Accenture, Investor Relations, 1345
Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105, USA.
Our website address is www.accenture.com. We make
available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of
our website (http://investor.accenture.com) our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q, Current
Reports on
Form 8-K and all
amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable
after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC)
pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act).
We also make available through our website other reports filed
with or furnished to the SEC under the Exchange Act, including
our proxy statements and reports filed by officers and directors
under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, as well as our
Code of Business Ethics, our Corporate Governance Guidelines and
the charters of each of the Boards committees. You may
request any of these materials and information in print by
contacting our Investor Relations Group. We do not intend for
information contained in our website to be part of this proxy
statement.
You also may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at
the SECs Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E.,
Washington, DC 20549, USA. You may obtain information on the
operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at +1
800-SEC-0330 (+1 800-732-0330). The SEC maintains an Internet
site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy
and information statements, and other information regarding
issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
We use the terms Accenture, the Company,
we, our and us in this proxy
statement to refer to Accenture Ltd and its subsidiaries. All
references to years, unless otherwise noted, refer
to our fiscal year, which ends on August 31.
1
ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Date, Time and Place of the Annual Meeting
We will hold the Annual Meeting at 2:30 p.m., local time,
on February 7, 2007, at our New York office, located at
1345 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, New York
10105, USA, subject to any adjournments or postponements.
Who Can Vote; Votes Per Share
The Board has set December 11, 2006 as the record date for
the Annual Meeting. All persons who were registered holders of
Accenture Ltds Class A common shares or Class X
common shares at the close of business on that date are
shareholders of record for the purposes of the Annual Meeting
and will be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the
close of business on that date, there were 623,723,309
Class A common shares outstanding (which includes
34,628,739 shares held by subsidiaries of Accenture) and
192,488,100 Class X common shares outstanding. Class A
common shares held by our subsidiaries will be voted in a manner
that will have no impact on the outcome of any vote of the
shareholders of Accenture Ltd.
Each shareholder of record will be entitled to one vote per
Class A common share and one vote per Class X common
share on each matter submitted to a vote of shareholders, as
long as those votes are represented at the Annual Meeting,
either in person or by proxy. Holders of Class A common
shares and Class X common shares will vote together, and
not as separate classes, on all matters being considered at the
Annual Meeting. Your shares will be represented if you attend
and vote at the Annual Meeting or if you submit a proxy.
How to Vote; Submitting Your Proxy; Revoking Your Proxy
You may vote your shares either by voting in person at the
Annual Meeting or by submitting a completed proxy. By submitting
your proxy, you are legally authorizing another person to vote
your shares. The enclosed proxy designates William D. Green,
Pamela J. Craig and Douglas G. Scrivner to vote your shares in
accordance with the voting instructions you indicate in your
proxy.
If you submit your proxy designating William D. Green, Pamela J.
Craig and Douglas G. Scrivner as the individuals authorized to
vote your shares, but you do not indicate how your shares are to
be voted, then your shares will be voted by those individuals in
accordance with the Boards recommendations, which are
described in this proxy statement. In addition, if any other
matters are properly brought up at the Annual Meeting (other
than the proposals contained in this proxy statement), then each
of these individuals will have the authority to vote your shares
on those matters in accordance with his or her discretion and
judgment. The Board currently does not know of any matters to be
raised at the Annual Meeting other than the proposals contained
in this proxy statement.
You may submit your proxy either by mail, by telephone (at the
number set forth in the accompanying proxy materials) or via the
Internet (www.cesvote.com). Please let us know whether you plan
to attend the Annual Meeting by marking the appropriate box on
your proxy card or by following the instructions provided when
you submit your proxy by telephone or via the Internet. In order
for your proxy to be validly submitted and for your shares to be
voted in accordance with your proxy, we must receive your
mailed proxy by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on
February 6, 2007 (February 4, 2007 for Accenture
employees and former employees who are submitting proxies for
shares received through our employee plans and held by Citigroup
Global Markets, Inc. (Citigroup)). If you submit
your proxy by telephone or via the Internet, then you may submit
your voting instructions up until 6:00 a.m., Eastern
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Standard Time, on February 7, 2007 (February 4, 2007
for Accenture employees and former employees who are submitting
proxies for shares received through our employee plans and held
by Citigroup).
Your proxy is revocable. After you have submitted your proxy,
you may revoke it by mail before the Annual Meeting by sending a
written notice to our General Counsel and Secretary at 1661 Page
Mill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. Your notice must be
received no later than one hour prior to the beginning of the
Annual Meeting. If you wish to revoke your submitted proxy card
and submit new voting instructions by mail, then you must sign,
date and mail a new proxy card with your new voting
instructions, which we must receive by 5:00 p.m., Eastern
Standard Time, on February 6, 2007 (February 4, 2007
for Accenture employees and former employees who are submitting
proxies for shares received through our employee plans and held
by Citigroup). If you submitted your proxy by telephone or via
the Internet, you may revoke your submitted proxy and/or submit
new voting instructions by that same method, which must be
received by 6:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, on
February 7, 2007 (February 4, 2007 for Accenture
employees and former employees who are submitting proxies for
shares received through our employee plans and held by
Citigroup). You also may revoke your proxy in person and vote
your shares at the Annual Meeting. Attending the Annual Meeting
without taking one of the actions above will not revoke your
proxy.
Your vote is very important to the Company. If you do not plan
to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to read the
enclosed proxy statement and submit your completed proxy prior
to the Annual Meeting so that your shares will be represented
and voted in accordance with your instructions.
If your shares are not registered in your name but in the
street name of a bank, broker or other holder of
record (a nominee), then your name will not appear
in Accenture Ltds register of shareholders. Those shares
are held in your nominees name, on your behalf, and your
nominee will be entitled to vote your shares. This applies to
our employees who received, through our employee plans, shares
that are held by Citigroup and/or UBS Financial Services Inc. In
order for you to attend the Annual Meeting, you must bring a
letter or account statement showing that you beneficially own
the shares held by the nominee. Note that even if you attend the
Annual Meeting, you cannot vote the shares that are held by your
nominee. Rather, you should submit your proxy, which will
instruct your nominee how to vote those shares on your behalf.
Quorum and Voting Requirements
In order to establish a quorum at the Annual Meeting, there must
be at least two shareholders represented at the meeting, either
in person or by proxy, who have the right to attend and vote at
the meeting, and who together hold shares representing more than
50 percent of the votes that may be cast by all
shareholders of record. For purposes of determining a quorum,
abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as
represented. A non-vote occurs when a nominee (such
as a broker) holding shares for a beneficial owner abstains from
voting on a particular proposal because the nominee does not
have discretionary voting power for that proposal and has not
received instructions from the beneficial owner on how to vote
those shares.
For each of the proposals being considered at the Annual
Meeting, approval of the proposal requires the affirmative vote
of a simple majority of the votes cast. There is no cumulative
voting in the appointment of directors. The appointment of each
director nominee will be considered and voted upon as a separate
proposal. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not
affect the voting results. If the proposal for the appointment
of a director nominee does not receive the required majority of
the votes cast, then the director will not be appointed and the
position on the Board that would have been filled by the
director nominee will become vacant. The Board has the ability
to fill the vacancy upon the recommendation of its
Nominating & Governance Committee, in accordance with
Accentures bye-laws,
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with that director subject to appointment by Accenture
Ltds shareholders at the next following annual general
meeting of shareholders.
Proxy Solicitation
Accenture Ltd will bear the costs of soliciting proxies from the
holders of our Class A common shares and Class X
common shares. We are initially soliciting these proxies by mail
and e-mail, but
solicitation may be made by our directors, officers and selected
other Accenture employees telephonically, electronically or by
other means of communication, and by Innisfree M&A
Incorporated, whom we have hired to assist in the solicitation
and distribution of proxies. Directors, officers and employees
who help us in the solicitation will not be specially
compensated for those services, but they may be reimbursed for
their out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation. Innisfree
M&A Incorporated will receive a fee of $12,500, plus
reasonable expenses, for its services. Brokerage houses,
nominees, fiduciaries and other custodians will be requested to
forward soliciting materials to beneficial owners and will be
reimbursed for their reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in sending proxy materials to beneficial owners.
Corporate Election Services will act as our Inspector of
Election at the Annual Meeting and assist us in tabulating the
votes.
2006 Audited Financial Statements
At the Annual Meeting, we will present the audited consolidated
financial statements for our fiscal year ended August 31,
2006. Copies of these financial statements are included in our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K, which
we are delivering to you with this proxy statement. You may also
access these materials through our website at
http://investor.accenture.com.
4
PROPOSAL NO. 1APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS
The Board currently has 10 members, who are divided into three
classes based upon the cycle of their respective terms in
office. At each annual general meeting of shareholders, the
appointment of the directors constituting one class of Board
membership expires, and the shareholders vote at that meeting to
appoint the directors nominated for these Board positions, each
to hold office for a three-year term.
On February 2, 2006, the Board, in accordance with
Accentures bye-laws and upon the recommendation of the
Nominating & Governance Committee, appointed Nobuyuki
Idei and Marjorie Magner as Class II directors to fill two
vacancies on the Board. These appointments by the Board are
subject to appointment by Accenture Ltds shareholders at
the Annual Meeting. In addition, the terms of our four
Class III directors will expire in 2007.
Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of persons than the
number of nominees named.
Class II and III Directors
Nobuyuki Idei and Marjorie Magner (having been appointed by the
Board as Class II directors) are subject to re-appointment
by our shareholders, and all four Class III directorships
expire at the Annual Meeting. The Board is nominating two
individuals for appointment as Class II directors and four
individuals as Class III directors. Each of the
Class II directors is nominated for a term expiring at the
2009 annual general meeting of shareholders and each of the
Class III directors is nominated for a term expiring at the
2010 annual general meeting of shareholders. All of the director
nominees are current Board members:
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Nobuyuki Idei (Class II) |
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Marjorie Magner (Class II) |
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Dennis F. Hightower (Class III) |
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William L. Kimsey (Class III) |
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Robert I. Lipp (Class III) |
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Wulf von Schimmelmann (Class III) |
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE
APPOINTMENT OF EACH OF THE BOARDS SIX DIRECTOR
NOMINEES.
If you submit your proxy designating William D. Green, Pamela J.
Craig and Douglas G. Scrivner as your proxies but do not
indicate how your shares should be voted, then your shares will
be voted in favor of the appointment of all nominees. If any
nominee is unwilling or unable to serve as a director, then the
Board will propose another person in place of that original
nominee, and the individuals designated as your proxies will
vote to appoint that proposed person, unless the Board decides
to reduce the number of directors constituting the full Board.
All of the nominees have indicated that they will be willing and
able to serve as directors.
5
BOARD AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
Director Biographies
Set forth below are the biographies of our director nominees and
our directors.
Class II Director Nominees
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Nobuyuki Idei
69 years old
Class II Director Nominee
Member, Nominating & Governance Committee |
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Nobuyuki Idei has been a director since February 2006. Since
June 2005, Mr. Idei has been chief corporate advisor to
Sony Corporation. From June 2000 until June 2005, Mr. Idei
was chairman and chief executive officer of
Sony Corporation, and from June 1999 to June 2000, he was
president and chief executive officer of Sony Corporation.
Mr. Idei serves as vice chairman of Nippon Keidanren
(Japanese Business Foundation). |
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Marjorie Magner
57 years old
Class II Director Nominee
Member, Finance Committee
Member, Compensation Committee |
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Marjorie Magner has been a director since February 2006.
Ms. Magner is currently a partner with Brysam Global
Partners, LLC, a private equity firm she co-founded that invests
in financial services, and is the former chairman and chief
executive officer, Global Consumer Group, of Citigroup, Inc.
Ms. Magner previously held various other positions within
Citigroup, including chief operating officer, Global Consumer
Group, from April 2002 to August 2003, and chief administrative
officer and senior executive vice president from January 2000 to
April 2002. She is a director of Gannett Co., Inc. and The
Charles Schwab Corporation. |
Class III Director Nominees
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Dennis F. Hightower
65 years old
Class III Director Nominee
Member, Compensation Committee
Member, Nominating & Governance
Committee |
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Dennis F. Hightower has been a director since November 2003.
From May 2000 until his retirement in March 2001, he was chief
executive officer of Europe Online Networks S.A., a Luxembourg-
based Internet services provider. He is a director of
Dominos Inc., Northwest Airlines Corporation and The TJX
Companies Inc. |
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William L. Kimsey
64 years old
Class III Director Nominee
Member, Audit Committee |
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William L. Kimsey has been a director since November 2003. From
October 1998 until his retirement in September 2002,
Mr. Kimsey was global chief executive officer of
Ernst & Young Global. He is a director of Western
Digital Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and NAVTEQ
Corporation. |
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Robert I. Lipp
68 years old
Class III Director Nominee
Member, Audit Committee |
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Robert I. Lipp has been a director since October 2001. He is a
senior advisor at JPMorgan Chase & Co. From April 2004
to September 2005, he was executive chairman of The St. Paul
Travelers Companies, Inc. From December 2001 to April 2004,
Mr. Lipp was chairman and chief executive officer of its
predecessor company, Travelers Property Casualty Corp.
Mr. Lipp also served as chairman of the board of Travelers
Insurance Group Holdings Inc. from 1996 to 2000 and from January
2001 to October 2001. During 2000 he was a vice-chairman and
member of the office of the chairman of Citigroup. Mr. Lipp
is a director of The St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc. and
JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
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Wulf von Schimmelmann
59 years old
Class III Director Nominee
Chair, Nominating & Governance Committee |
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Wulf von Schimmelmann has been a director since October 2001. He
has been chief executive officer of Deutsche Postbank AG,
Germanys largest independent retail bank, since 1999. He
is also a member of the board of directors of Deutsche Post
World Net Group, Deutsche Telekom AG, Tchibo Holding AG and
Altadis, S.A. |
Other Current DirectorsClass I
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Blythe J. McGarvie
50 years old
Class I Director
Chair, Audit Committee |
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Blythe J. McGarvie has been a director since October 2001. Since
January 2003, she has served as president of Leadership for
International Finance, LLC, a firm that focuses on improving
clients financial positions and providing leadership
seminars for corporate and academic groups. From July 1999 to
December 2002, she was executive vice president and chief
financial officer of BIC Group. She is a member of the
board of directors of The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. and The St.
Paul Travelers Companies, Inc. Ms. McGarvies current
term as director expires at our annual general meeting of
shareholders in 2008. |
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Sir Mark Moody-Stuart
66 years old
Class I Director
Lead Director
Chair, Compensation Committee
Member, Finance Committee |
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Sir Mark Moody-Stuart has been a director since October 2001 and
our lead director since November 2002. Since July 2002, he has
served as chairman of Anglo American plc, and he is the former
chairman of The Shell Transport and Trading Company and former
chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors of the Royal
Dutch/ Shell Group of Companies. From July 1991 to June 2001, he
was managing director of Shell Transport and a managing director
of Royal Dutch/ Shell Group. In addition to Anglo American plc,
Sir Mark has served as director of HSBC Holdings PLC since
March 2001. Sir Marks current term as director expires at
our annual general meeting of shareholders in 2008. |
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Other Current DirectorsClass II
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Dina Dublon
53 years old
Class II Director
Chair, Finance Committee |
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Dina Dublon has been a director since October 2001. From
December 1998 until December 2004, she was chief financial
officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its predecessor
company. Prior to being named its chief financial officer, she
held numerous other positions, including corporate treasurer,
managing director of the Financial Institutions Division and
head of asset liability management. She is a director of
Microsoft Corp., PepsiCo, Inc. and Greenstone Media. She is a
trustee of Carnegie Mellon University, the Global Fund for Women
and the Womens Commission for Refugee Women &
Children. Ms. Dublons current term as director
expires at our annual general meeting of shareholders in 2009. |
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William D. Green
53 years old
Class II Director |
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William D. Green became chairman of the Board on August 31,
2006. He has been a director since June 2001 and our chief
executive officer since September 2004. From March 2003 to
August 2004 he was our chief operating officerClient
Services, and from August 2000 to August 2004 he was our country
managing director, United States. Mr. Green has been with
Accenture for 28 years. Mr. Greens current term
as director expires at our annual general meeting of
shareholders in 2009. |
Communicating with the Board
The Board welcomes your questions and comments. If you would
like to communicate directly with the Board, our non-management
directors as a group or Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, our lead
director, then you may submit your communication to our General
Counsel and Secretary, Accenture Ltd, 1661 Page Mill Road, Palo
Alto, California 94304, USA. Communications and concerns will be
forwarded to the Board, our non-management directors as a group
or our lead director, as appropriate. We also have established
mechanisms for communicating concerns or questions to our
compliance office. You may direct any such concerns by
e-mail to
compliance.program@accenture.com or by calling the Accenture
Ethics Line at +1 312-737-8262. Our Code of Business Ethics and
underlying policies prohibit any retaliation or other adverse
action against anyone for raising a concern. If you wish to
raise your concern in an anonymous manner, then you may do so.
Board Meetings and Committees
The Board expects that its members will rigorously prepare for,
attend and participate in all Board and applicable committee
meetings and each annual general meeting of shareholders.
Directors are also expected to become familiar with
Accentures management team and operations as a basis for
discharging their oversight responsibilities. During fiscal
2006, the Board held seven meetings, four of which were held in
person. Each of our directors attended at least 75% of the
aggregate of Board meetings and meetings of any Board committee
on which he or she served during fiscal 2006. All but two of our
then current Board members attended our annual general meeting
of shareholders in 2006.
Our non-management directors who are not employees of the
Company meet separately at each regularly scheduled Board
meeting. These non-management directors held four meetings
during fiscal
8
2006, each led by Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, the lead director. In
addition, these non-management directors held an executive
session to meet with the other two non-management directors who
were employees of the Company in fiscal 2006 in conformance with
the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange (the
NYSE).
The Board maintains an Audit Committee, a Compensation
Committee, a Nominating & Governance Committee and a
Finance Committee. Each committee operates pursuant to a written
charter that is available in the Corporate Governance section of
our website, accessible through our Investor Relations page at
http://investor.accenture.com. A copy of our Audit
Committee charter, which was revised in April 2006, is also
attached as an appendix to this proxy statement. A copy of our
Corporate Governance Guidelines (including our independence
standards) and our Code of Business Ethics can be found in the
Corporate Governance section of our website. If the Board grants
any waivers from our Code of Business Ethics to any of our
directors or officers, or if we amend our Code of Business
Ethics, we will disclose these matters through the Investor
Relations section of our website. Printed copies of all of these
materials are also available upon written request to our
Investor Relations Group.
Director Independence
The Board has adopted categorical standards designed to assist
the Board in assessing director independence (the
Independence Standards). The Independence Standards
are included in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which can
be found in the Corporate Governance section of our website. The
Corporate Governance Guidelines and the Independence Standards
have been designed to align with the standards required by the
NYSE. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines state that the Board
shall perform an annual review of the independence of all
directors and nominees, and the Board shall affirmatively
determine that to be considered independent, a director must not
have any direct or indirect material relationship with
Accenture. The Independence Standards are as follows:
1. A director will not be independent if, within the prior
three years, he or she:
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Was employed by Accenture (including any affiliate); |
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Was employed by, a partner in or otherwise affiliated with
Accentures independent auditors or any law firm retained
by Accenture; |
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Was an officer or senior employee of a company on whose board of
directors an Accenture executive officer serves; |
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Has been employed as an executive officer of another company
where any of Accentures executive officers at the same
time serves or served on that companys compensation
committee; or |
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Personally provided professional services to Accenture or its
affiliates or any executive officer, or otherwise received
direct compensation from Accenture, if the amount of payments
has exceeded $100,000 during any twelve-month period within the
last three years. |
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Note: Such a position by an immediate family member of the
director shall have the same effect on the directors
independence, except that the Board has concluded that
employment by Accenture of adult children in non- executive
officer roles shall not preclude a determination of independence
of a director. |
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2. |
Relationships of the following types will not be considered to
be material relationships that would impair a directors
independence: |
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The director is a current employee or an immediate family member
is a current executive officer of another company that has made
payments to, or received payments from, |
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Accenture in an amount which,
during any of the companys prior three fiscal years, did
not exceed the greater of 2 percent of the consolidated
gross revenues of the other company or $1 million.
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The director is an officer,
director, trustee (or equivalent) of a charitable or non-profit
organization and, during the companys prior three fiscal
years, the amount of charitable contributions directed by
Accenture or its executive officers (not including those
matching contributions by employees) to that organization did
not exceed the greater of 2 percent of the
organizations consolidated gross revenues or
$1 million.
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3. |
Any director with a relationship that exceeds the financial
guidelines of section 2 above for the periods noted will
not be deemed independent. |
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4. |
The company will explain in its annual proxy statement its
assessment of the independence of each of its outside directors. |
Each year, our directors complete a questionnaire that, among
other things, elicits information to assist the
Nominating & Governance Committee in assessing whether
the director meets the Companys Independence Standards.
Utilizing these responses and other information, the
Nominating & Governance Committee evaluates, with
regard to each director, whether the director currently has or
had any (i) employment or professional relationship that,
in and of itself, would, pursuant to the Companys
independence standards, require a conclusion that the director
is not independent and/or (ii) employment or professional
relationship with any organization with which Accenture has or
had a relationship, where the organization made or received
payments from Accenture. If a director has or had a relationship
with an organization which made or received payments from
Accenture, information regarding the amount of such payments is
provided to the Nominating & Governance Committee. The
Nominating & Governance Committee then determines
whether the amount of any such payments requires, pursuant to
the Independence Standards or otherwise, a conclusion that the
director is not independent. Furthermore, the
Nominating & Governance Committee discusses any other
relevant facts and circumstances regarding the nature of these
relationships to determine whether other factors, regardless of
the Independence Standards, might impede a directors
independence.
Based on its analysis, the Nominating & Governance
Committee has determined that each of our directors who is an
employee of the Company has satisfied the Independence
Standards, as well as the independence requirements of the NYSE.
The Board concurred in these independence determinations. The
following nine of our 10 current directors are independent: Sir
Mark Moody-Stuart (lead director), Dina Dublon, Dennis F.
Hightower, Nobuyuki Idei, William L. Kimsey, Robert I. Lipp,
Marjorie Magner, Blythe J. McGarvie and Wulf von
Schimmelmann.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee was established by the Board for the purpose
of, among other things, overseeing Accentures accounting
and financial reporting processes and audits of our financial
statements, in accordance with Section 10A(m) of the
Exchange Act. The Audit Committee members are Blythe J. McGarvie
(who serves as chair), William L. Kimsey and Robert I. Lipp.
Mr. Lipp joined the committee as of February 2, 2006,
replacing Wulf von Schimmelmann. The Board has determined that
each of these members meets the financial literacy and
independence requirements of the NYSE, and that
Ms. McGarvie and Mr. Kimsey each qualifies as an
audit committee financial expert for purposes of the
rules and regulations of the SEC. The Board does not limit the
number of audit committees on which its Audit Committee members
may serve but monitors and assesses the audit committee
memberships (and other responsibilities) of its Audit Committee
members on a regular basis to confirm their ability to serve
Accenture effectively. Mr. Kimsey simultaneously serves on
the audit committees of
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more than three public companies; however, the Audit Committee,
the Nominating & Governance Committee and the full
Board have all determined that his simultaneous service does not
impair Mr. Kimseys ability to effectively serve on
the Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee held nine meetings in fiscal 2006, four of
which were held in person. The Audit Committees primary
duties and responsibilities are to:
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review and discuss with management and the independent auditors
our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial
statements, including a review of Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations in the Companys
Form 10-K and
Form 10-Q filings,
as well as the Companys earnings press releases and
information related thereto; |
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retain and terminate, subject to shareholder approval,
independent auditors and approve all audit engagement fees and
terms for the Company and its subsidiaries; approve any audit
and any permissible non-audit engagement or relationship with
our independent auditors; review at least annually the
qualifications, performance and independence of our independent
auditors; review with our independent auditors any audit
problems or difficulties and managements response; and set
hiring policies related to employees or former employees of our
independent auditors to ensure independence; |
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review and monitor managements processes in order to
assess the integrity of our internal and external reporting
processes and controls; review the effect of any regulatory and
accounting initiatives and the effects of these initiatives and
any off-balance sheet structures on our financial statements;
establish regular systems of reporting to the committee
regarding any significant judgments made in the preparation of
the financial statements or any significant difficulties
encountered during the course of a review or audit; review any
significant disagreement between management and the independent
or internal auditors with respect to the preparation of the
financial statements; review and discuss with our auditors the
responsibilities, budget and staffing of our internal
quality-control procedures and internal audit function; and from
time to time, hold separate meetings with management,
independent auditors and internal auditors on these matters; |
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review with our counsel any legal matter that could
significantly impact our financial statements or operations;
discuss with management and our independent auditors our risk
assessment and risk management guidelines and policies; oversee
our compliance program and adherence to our Code of Business
Ethics; establish procedures for the receipt, retention and
treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal
accounting controls or auditing matters and for the
confidential, anonymous submission by employees of concerns
regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters; and
oversee the maintenance of an internal audit function; and |
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prepare a report to be included in our proxy statement, provide
other regular reports to the Board and maintain minutes or
records of its meeting and activities. |
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee held seven meetings in fiscal 2006,
four of which were held in person. The Compensation Committee
consists of three independent directors: Sir Mark Moody-Stuart
(who serves as chair), Dennis F. Hightower and Marjorie Magner.
Ms. Magner joined the committee as of
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February 2, 2006 following her appointment as a director,
replacing Dina Dublon. The Compensation Committees primary
duties and responsibilities are to:
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determine our chief executive officers annual
compensation, taking into consideration feedback provided by the
Nominating & Governance Committee based on its review
of the chief executive officers performance and the
recommendation of our chief leadership officer after
consultation with members of our Executive Leadership Team;
review and approve salaries and other matters relating to the
compensation of our executive officers, based in part on the
chief leadership officers recommendation; and review and
determine on an annual basis the appropriateness of compensation
of Board members; |
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review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to our
incentive-compensation and equity-based plans; oversee the
administration of our equity compensation plans; review and
approve all equity compensation plans; and retain outside
compensation and benefits consultants to gather independent
advice about our compensation structure; and |
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prepare a report to be included in our proxy statement, provide
other regular reports to the Board and maintain minutes or
records of its meeting and activities. |
Nominating & Governance Committee
The Nominating & Governance Committee consists of three
independent directors: Wulf von Schimmelmann (who serves as
chair), Dennis F. Hightower and Nobuyuki Idei. Mr. Idei
joined the committee as of February 2, 2006 following his
appointment as a director, replacing Robert I. Lipp. The
Nominating & Governance Committee held six meetings in
fiscal 2006, four of which were held in person. The
Nominating & Governance Committees primary duties
and responsibilities are to:
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oversee Board selection, composition and evaluation, including
the making of recommendations regarding the size and composition
of the Board, the identification of qualified candidates for
Board membership and the annual evaluation of overall Board
effectiveness; |
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manage the committee selection and composition process,
including the making of recommendations to the Board for chairs
of these committees and the establishment, monitoring and making
of recommendations for the purpose, structure and operations of
these committees and the creation or elimination of additional
committees; |
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monitor and oversee corporate governance matters, including
reviews and recommendations regarding our constituent documents
and Corporate Governance Guidelines and monitoring of new
developments in the area of corporate governance; |
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conduct an annual review of our chief executive officer and
develop an effective chief executive officer succession
plan; and |
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provide regular reports to the Board and maintain minutes or
records of its meeting and activities. |
In evaluating candidates for Board membership, the
Nominating & Governance Committee considers whether the
candidate will complement the Boards geographic, age,
gender and ethnic diversity and assesses the contribution that
the candidates skills and expertise will make with respect
to guiding and overseeing Accentures strategy and
operations. The Nominating & Governance Committee seeks
candidates who, at a minimum, have the following characteristics:
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the time, energy and judgment to effectively carry out his or
her responsibilities as a member of the Board; |
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a professional background that would enable the candidate to
develop a deep understanding of our business; |
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a range of skills and expertise sufficient to provide guidance
and oversight with respect to the Companys operations; |
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the ability to exercise judgment and courage in fulfilling his
or her oversight responsibilities; and |
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the ability to embrace Accentures values and culture, and
the possession of the highest levels of integrity. |
The majority of the Boards current non-management
directors have been identified with the assistance of a
professional search firm specializing in the identification and
recruitment of director candidates. Others have been individuals
known to Board members through business or other relationships.
Potential candidates are interviewed by members of the
Nominating & Governance Committee (and, in some
instances, other Board members) and, as appropriate, by members
of our management team. Final consideration of the nominee is
then conducted by the entire Board.
Because our Corporate Governance Guidelines address the
processes by which shareholders may recommend director nominees,
the Nominating & Governance Committee has not adopted a
specific policy regarding the consideration of shareholder
nominees for directors, although its general policy is to
welcome and consider any such recommendations. If you would like
to recommend a future nominee for Board membership, you can
submit a written recommendation with the name and other
pertinent information of the nominee to: Mr. Wulf von
Schimmelmann, chair of the Nominating & Governance
Committee, c/o Accenture, 1661 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto,
California 94304, USA, Attention: General Counsel and Secretary.
Please note that Accenture Ltds bye-laws define certain
time frames and nomination requirements with respect to any such
recommendation. Please contact our General Counsel and Secretary
at the above address for information on these requirements, or
refer to Bye-law 80.1.2 (which can be found on the
Governance Principles page of our website accessible
through http://investor.accenture.com).
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee consists of three directors: Dina Dublon
(who serves as chair), Marjorie Magner and Sir Mark
Moody-Stuart. Ms. Magner joined the committee as of
February 2, 2006 following her appointment as a director,
replacing Robert I. Lipp. In addition, Carlos Vidal ceased being
a member of this committee as of February 1, 2006 upon the
expiration of his term as a director.
The Finance Committee held six meetings in fiscal 2006, four of
which were held in person. The Finance Committees primary
duties and responsibilities are to:
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manage and oversee our capital structure and corporate finance
activities; |
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oversee our treasury function and advise with respect to our
investment activities; |
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review and make recommendations with respect to major
acquisitions that Accenture may decide to undertake; |
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review, evaluate and make decisions with respect to the
management of our pension and 401(k) retirement plans; and |
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oversee our insurance plans and other activities to manage our
financial risks. |
13
REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD
Report of the Audit Committee
Since its creation in 2001, the Audit Committee of the Board has
been composed entirely of non-management directors. In addition,
all of the members of the Audit Committee meet the independence
and experience requirements set forth by the SEC and the NYSE.
The Audit Committee operates under a written charter approved by
the Board, which may be accessed through the Corporate
Governance section of Accentures website, accessible
through the Investor Relations page at
http://investor.accenture.com. A copy of our Audit
Committee charter is also attached as an appendix to this proxy
statement. The charter describes the committees purpose,
which is to assist the Board in its general oversight of:
(1) the quality and integrity of the Companys
accounting and reporting practices and controls and its
financial statements and reports; (2) the Companys
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; (3) the
independent auditors qualifications and independence; and
(4) the performance of the Companys internal audit
function and independent auditors.
The Audit Committee reviews and assesses the adequacy of its
charter on an annual basis. The Audit Committee last reviewed
the charter in April 2006 and, at that time, made changes to
clarify the process of reviewing the qualifications and
independence of the Companys independent auditors. In
addition, the Audit Committee has adopted pre-approval policies
and procedures regarding the retention of the Companys
independent auditor (and certain other independent audit firms)
to provide audit or non-audit services and for the retention of
any firm to provide audit services.
The members of the Audit Committee meet regularly with
management (including the chief executive officer, chief
operating officer, chief financial officer, principal accounting
officer, chief risk officer and the general counsel and
compliance officer) as well as with senior members of the
Companys internal audit, tax, finance, treasury and legal
groups and KPMG LLP, the Companys independent auditors. In
addition, the committee meets regularly in separate sessions
with representatives of KPMG LLP, the Companys chief
financial officer, its general counsel and senior members of the
Companys internal audit group. Based on discussions and
information received during these meetings and otherwise, the
Audit Committee members provide advice, counsel and direction to
management and the auditors using their experience in business,
financial and accounting matters. During fiscal 2006, the Audit
Committee met nine times and routinely reported its activities
to the full Board.
During fiscal 2006, the Audit Committee focused on several
topics, which included the following:
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Reviewing and discussing with management, which has primary
responsibility for the financial statements, and with
Accentures independent auditors the Companys annual
audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements
for fiscal 2006. The committee also reviewed related issues and
disclosure items, including the Companys earnings press
releases, and performed its regular review of critical
accounting policies and the processes by which the
Companys chief executive officer and chief financial
officer certify the information contained in its quarterly and
annual filings. |
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Receiving regular updates on the Companys contract and
other risk management activities from the chief risk officer. |
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Receiving regular updates on the Companys legal and
regulatory compliance activities from the general counsel and
compliance officer, including issues or activities monitored
through the Accenture Ethics and Compliance Program. |
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Discussing and approving significant revisions to the
Companys Code of Business Ethics to align it with the
Companys six Core Values, to provide clear examples of
expected behavior and additional guidance, and to ensure
compliance with rules adopted by the SEC and the NYSE. |
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Discussing with KPMG LLP the materials required to be discussed
by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61,
Communication with Audit Committees. The committee
also discussed with KPMG LLP its written disclosure letter as
required by the Independence Standards Board Standard
No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit
Committees, and discussed its independence and related
issues. Discussions with KPMG LLP also included staffing the
engagement, its litigation matters and the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board reports of inspection of KPMG LLP. |
As part of its oversight role and in reliance upon its reviews
and discussions as outlined above, the Audit Committee reviewed
and discussed with management its assessment and report on the
effectiveness of the Companys internal control over
financial reporting as of August 31, 2006, which was made
using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal
ControlIntegrated Framework. The Audit Committee also
reviewed and discussed with KPMG LLP its attestation report on
managements assessment of internal control over financial
reporting and its review and report on Accentures internal
control over financial reporting. These reports are included in
Accentures Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
year ended August 31, 2006 filed with the SEC on
October 18, 2006.
In addition, in reliance upon its reviews and discussions as
outlined above, the Audit Committee recommended, and the Board
of Directors approved, the inclusion of the Companys
audited financial statements in its Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended August 31, 2006 for filing with the SEC
and presentation to the Companys shareholders. The Audit
Committee also recommended during fiscal 2007 that KPMG LLP be
re-appointed as the Companys independent auditors to serve
until the Companys annual general meeting of shareholders
in 2008, and that the Board submit this appointment to the
Companys shareholders for approval at the Annual Meeting.
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THE AUDIT COMMITTEE |
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Blythe J. McGarvie, Chair |
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William L. Kimsey |
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Robert I. Lipp |
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Report of the Compensation Committee on Executive
Compensation
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Committee
Responsibilities |
The Compensation Committee of the Board establishes the annual
compensation of the chief executive officer and the other
executive officers of the Company; oversees the administration
of the Accenture Ltd 2001 Share Incentive Plan (the
SIP) and the Accenture Ltd 2001 Employee Share
Purchase Plan; and periodically reviews and makes
recommendations regarding the compensation paid to members of
the Board. A complete description of the committees
function may be found in its charter, a copy of which is
available in the Corporate Governance section of
Accentures website, accessible through the Investor
Relations page at http://investor.accenture.com.
Under the Corporate Governance Guidelines and its charter, the
Compensation Committee has the authority to retain outside
advisors to assist it in carrying out its duties and
responsibilities. In accordance with this authority, the
committee obtains advice and insight from Watson Wyatt Worldwide
(Watson Wyatt), an external compensation advisor, on
matters including market place trends in executive compensation,
proposals for compensation programs, and other topics as the
committee deems appropriate.
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Committee Activities in
Fiscal 2006 |
During fiscal 2006, the Compensation Committee held seven
meetings and routinely reported its activities to the full
Board. In addition to its deliberations concerning executive
compensation (discussed more fully below), during the year, the
Compensation Committee reviewed and considered substantive
changes to the method of determining compensation for
senior executives (the more than 4,300 highest-level
employees previously referred to as partners or associate
partners). The committees objective was to continue the
development of a compensation system that would be better suited
for Accenture since its transition to a corporate form, more
consistent with Accentures expansion of its career model
for senior executives, and designed to more closely parallel
local market compensation levels for executives. During the
year, the Compensation Committee additionally: (i) reviewed
and approved the global annual cash bonus; and
(ii) considered and approved the Companys proposed
uses of equity and equity awards in fiscal 2007 in connection
with enhancements made to the Companys compensation
programs for senior executives and other employees. The
Compensation Committee also regularly reviewed the
Companys use of equity it had previously approved for use
in fiscal 2006 with regard to equity-based compensation programs
and addressed a variety of matters related to such plans.
The Compensation Committee also reviewed its charter and
approved revisions changing the review cycle for non-management
director compensation to biennially; expanded the scope of the
committee to cover pension plans as part of the Companys
overall benefit plans; and clarified the committees
ability to retain consultants and advisors and to set their
remuneration.
The Companys evolving compensation model for its
executives intends to preserve the Companys heritage of an
owner-operator culture by aligning the financial
interests of its executives and shareholders and by attracting
and retaining executives key to the Companys success. It
offers competitive base compensation and the opportunity to
receive significant incentive compensation based on both
individual and Company performance, rewarding behavior the
Company expects of its senior executivescollaboration,
leadership, people development and ethical decision making.
In setting the compensation of the Companys executive
officers, the Compensation Committee considered: (i) input
from the Nominating & Governance Committee regarding
the performance of the chief executive officer; (ii) the
chief executive officers assessment of the performance of
the other
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executive officers, including an assessment of each
individuals contribution to the Companys annual
objectives; (iii) feedback from the Companys senior
executive income committee, which is comprised of the chief
executive officer and other senior executives; and (iv) the
results of an evaluation of the Companys compensation
model against a broad range of large global companies conducted
by Watson Wyatt.
The Company has developed policies and programs in furtherance
of its owner-operator philosophy. These include the adoption of
share ownership guidelines (from one to six times base
compensation) to align the interests of Accentures senior
executives with the interests of its shareholders. Under these
guidelines, all senior executives (including the Named Executive
Officers (as defined below)) are required to achieve ownership
of Accenture equity valued at a multiple of their applicable
base compensation determined based on their current level of
responsibility, with our Named Executive Officers required to
hold equity with a value equal to at least six times their base
compensation. Senior executives have five years from reaching
their first senior executive level to meet their equity
ownership requirement for that level and three years upon
promotion to a higher level of responsibility to meet the new
requirement for that new level. Each senior executive who was a
partner at the time of Accentures transition to a
corporate structure in 2001, and who received restricted shares
in connection with the IPO, is subject to two equity ownership
requirements: he or she must hold an amount of equity equal to
the greater of (i) the requirement described above, based
on level of responsibility and (ii) 25% of the equity he or
she received in connection with the IPO for so long as he or she
remains employed by Accenture.
The Company has developed a matching program to further
encourage share ownership among senior executives. Under the
Voluntary Equity Investment Program, senior executives
(including the Named Executive Officers) may, where permitted,
designate a payroll deduction of up to 30% of their monthly base
and performance pay. These amounts are deducted from after-tax
income and used to make monthly purchases of Accenture Ltd
Class A common shares from the Company at fair market
value. Following the end of the program year, participants in
the program, provided they remain employed, will receive a 50%
match, in the form of one restricted share unit for every two
shares that were purchased during the program
year.1
These matching restricted share units will vest after two
continuous years of employment following the date of grant. The
initial awards under this program are expected to be granted in
January 2007 based on share purchases during calendar year 2006.
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Fiscal 2006 Executive
Compensation |
The Company structures its compensation program for senior
executives around a compensation year that begins on
December 1 of a fiscal year and concludes on
November 30 of the following fiscal year. Accordingly, the
compensation paid to the Companys chief executive officer
and its other executive officers in fiscal 2006
(September 1, 2005 through August 31, 2006) contained
terms applicable to the compensation year that concluded on
November 30, 2005, as well as terms applicable to the
compensation year that commenced on December 1, 2005. Such
compensation consisted of the following elements:
Cash compensation consisting of:
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Base compensation paid ratably over the annual pay period and
determined by taking into consideration the individuals
level of responsibility and industry and other comparable pay
levels; |
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the program year beginning January 1, 2007, the Voluntary
Equity Investment Program has been modified so that, for shares
to be eligible for 50% matching, they must have been purchased
during the program year and remain held by the participant at
the end of the program year.
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Individual performance-based compensation paid ratably over the
annual pay period and determined at the beginning of the annual
pay period, based on the individuals job performance
during the prior two-fiscal-year period; |
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A quarterly variable compensation component for the compensation
year from December 1, 2004 to November 30, 2005, paid
to the extent the Company achieved specified quarterly financial
performance objectives; |
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An additional annual variable compensation component, applicable
to the one-year period ended November 30, 2005, but which
was not awarded, as the Company failed to exceed its quarterly
financial performance
objectives1; and |
Equity-based compensation consisting of:
|
|
|
|
|
Grants of key executive performance awards pursuant to the SIP
during fiscal 2006. These awards consisted of performance-based
restricted share units in amounts ranging from 38,793 to 206,896
restricted share units to vest on August 31, 2008, provided
the Company has achieved certain performance targets. Up to 25%
of the award will vest, in whole or in part, based on how the
Companys total return to shareholders compares to the
shareholder returns of a representative group of companies
during the period starting on September 1, 2005 and ending
on August 31, 2008 (the Performance Period).
The remaining 75% will vest, in whole or in part, based on
whether the Company achieves operating income targets during the
Performance Period. Only certain executive officers, as
determined by the Compensation Committee, participate in the Key
Executive Performance Share Program. |
|
|
|
Fiscal 2006 Compensation
of the Chief Executive Officer |
Mr. Greens compensation in fiscal 2006 was comprised
of those components described above and was set taking into
consideration: (i) the results of a survey conducted by
Watson Wyatt to evaluate his compensation against that of chief
executive officers of a broad range of large global companies;
and (ii) his performance against certain financial and
other measures (including but not limited to revenue growth,
earnings per share performance, growth in free cash flow, return
on equity and employee satisfaction).
Mr. Greens base and individual performance-based
compensation for fiscal 2006 is reported in the
Salary column of the Summary Compensation Table on
page 25 of this proxy statement. His quarterly variable
cash compensation, restricted share unit award and options award
are noted in the columns entitled Bonus,
Restricted Share Unit Award(s) and Securities
Underlying Options, respectively. The option grant set out
in the Summary Compensation Table, while approved by the
Compensation Committee and granted in fiscal 2006, was an award
related to Mr. Greens performance in fiscal 2005 that
was erroneously excluded from the option awards made to the
Companys highest performing senior executives in fiscal
2005. This award was made on the same terms and conditions as
those to the other recipients, except that the exercise price of
the award to Mr. Green reflected the fair market value of
Accentures Class A common shares on the date in
fiscal 2006 that the grant was actually made. Mr. Green has
no other deferred compensation, supplemental or post-retirement
benefits with the Company, other than certain provisions
relating to incremental age-based contingent vesting of equity
grants which are standard to all similar key executive
performance-based awards. There are no agreements relating to
any severance benefits payable to Mr. Green upon a change
of control or otherwise, other than certain provisions relating
to incremental vesting of equity grants upon involuntary
termination which are standard to all similar
1 Effective
December 1, 2005, an annual cash bonus plan was adopted to
replace the quarterly and annual variable compensation plans
described above, with an expectation that bonuses would be paid
during fiscal 2007 to the extent the Company achieved specified
performance targets based on fiscal 2006.
18
senior executive equity grants and key executive performance
based awards. The value of all perquisites paid to
Mr. Green in fiscal 2006 was less than $50,000.
|
|
|
Deductibility of Executive
Compensation |
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 places
a limit on the tax deduction for non-performance based
compensation in excess of $1 million paid to certain
U.S. covered employees of a publicly held
corporation (generally the corporations chief executive
officer and its next four most highly compensated executive
officers in the year that the compensation is paid). As a result
of the Companys legal structure, Accenture is not subject
to the tax deduction limitations of Section 162(m).
|
|
|
THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE |
|
|
Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chair |
|
Dennis F. Hightower |
|
Marjorie Magner |
19
Report of the Nominating & Governance Committee
The Nominating & Governance Committee of the Board
operates pursuant to a written charter, which can be accessed
through the Corporate Governance section of Accentures
website, accessible through the Investor Relations page at
http://investor.accenture.com. The purpose of the
Nominating & Governance Committee is to assist the
Board in fulfilling its responsibility to the Company and to its
shareholders, potential shareholders, the investment community
and other stakeholders by: (1) assessing and nominating (or
recommending to the Board for its nomination) strong and capable
candidates to serve on the Board; (2) making
recommendations as to the size, composition, structure,
operations, performance and effectiveness of the Board;
(3) overseeing the Companys chief executive officer
succession planning process; (4) conducting the annual
review of the chief executive officer; (5) developing and
recommending to the Board a set of corporate governance
principles; and (6) taking a leadership role in shaping the
corporate governance of the Company.
The Nominating & Governance Committee met six times
during fiscal 2006 and routinely reported its activities to the
full Board. At these meetings, it:
|
|
|
|
|
reviewed the chief executive officers performance as well
as managements assessment of the Companys
performance, and approved metrics for evaluating the chief
executive officers performance for the 2007 fiscal year; |
|
|
|
considered and proposed to the shareholders that two current
Class II directors be re-appointed at the 2007 Annual
General Meeting of Shareholders to serve a further term; |
|
|
|
identified and recommended to the full Board the appointment of
two additional individuals to serve as members of the Board; |
|
|
|
assessed each non-management directors independence based
upon the Companys independence standards and those of the
NYSE, and made recommendations to the Board regarding each
non-management directors independence; |
|
|
|
discussed and approved the Boards committee structure and
assignments; |
|
|
|
approved the appointment of Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, lead
director, as deputy chairman of the Board when Mr. Green
assumed the role of chairman and vacated the position of deputy
chairman; |
|
|
|
commissioned and considered the results of a review designed to
evaluate the Companys compliance with NYSE and SEC
reporting requirements; |
|
|
|
conducted a survey designed to evaluate (and improve, as needed)
the operation and performance of the Board and each of its
committees and designed and distributed a self-assessment survey
designed to enhance each members participation and role as
a member of the Board, which was reviewed with the member by
either the chair of the committee or the lead director; and |
|
|
|
discussed best practices and evolving developments in the area
of corporate governance, including governance ratings for the
Company, staggered board terms, term limits and retirement age
for directors, and approved an amendment to the Companys
Corporate Governance Guidelines by increasing the retirement age
for directors from 65 to 72. |
20
The Nominating & Governance Committee will continue to
focus on ensuring that the Companys governance model
promotes the efficient and thorough governance of the Company
for its benefit and that of its shareholders.
|
|
|
THE NOMINATING & GOVERNANCE |
|
COMMITTEE |
|
|
Wulf von Schimmelmann, Chair |
|
Dennis F. Hightower |
|
Nobuyuki Idei |
21
Report of the Finance Committee
The Finance Committee of the Board operates pursuant to a
written charter, which may be accessed through the Corporate
Governance section of Accentures website, accessible
through the Investor Relations page at
http://investor.accenture.com. The purpose of the Finance
Committee is to assist the Board by providing guidance and
oversight of the Companys: (1) capital structure,
including corporate finance strategy and activities;
(2) share redemptions and purchases; (3) treasury
function, investment and financial risk management;
(4) pension and 401(k) retirement plan investment planning;
(5) insurance plans; and (6) major acquisitions.
During fiscal 2006, the Finance Committee met six times and
reported its activities to the full Board. During these
meetings, it reviewed and discussed the Companys cash and
capital plans; approved and recommended to the full Board
proposals to repurchase otherwise restricted shares at a
discount via modified Dutch auction procedure and to
authorize other share repurchase activities; discussed the
Companys merger and acquisitions plans and activities;
recommended to the full Board approval of the Companys
annual dividend; reviewed and discussed the Companys
treasury function, insurance programs and pension plans; and
reviewed and approved changes to the Companys credit
facilities.
|
|
|
THE FINANCE COMMITTEE |
|
|
Dina Dublon, Chair |
|
Marjorie Magner |
|
Sir Mark Moody-Stuart |
22
PROPOSAL NO. 2RE-APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT
AUDITORS
Our shareholders have the authority to appoint our independent
auditors and to authorize the Audit Committee of the Board to
determine the auditors remuneration. Upon the Audit
Committees recommendation, the Board has recommended the
re-appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent auditors to audit
our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ending
August 31, 2007. The Board is asking our shareholders to
approve the re-appointment of KPMG LLP as auditors to hold
office until our annual general meeting of shareholders in 2008
and to approve the Audit Committees authority to determine
the auditors remuneration.
We expect that one or more representatives of KPMG LLP will be
present at the Annual Meeting. Each of these representatives
will have the opportunity to make a statement, if he or she
desires, and is expected to be available to respond to any
questions.
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE
RE-APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AND THE AUDIT COMMITTEES
AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE KPMG LLPS REMUNERATION.
23
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS FEES AND OTHER MATTERS
Independent Auditors Fees
In connection with the audit of our financial statements and
internal control over financial reporting for fiscal 2006, the
Company, through the chair of the Audit Committee, entered into
an agreement with KPMG LLP that sets forth the terms by which
KPMG LLP will perform audit services for the Company. That
agreement provides for alternative dispute-resolution procedures
to be followed in lieu of litigation in the case of any dispute
between the parties. Punitive damages may not be awarded in any
procedure submitted to arbitration under the agreement.
The following table describes fees for professional audit
services rendered by KPMG LLP and its affiliates
(KPMG), Accenture Ltds principal accountant,
for the audit of our annual financial statements for the years
ended August 31, 2006 and August 31, 2005 and internal
control over financial reporting, and fees for other services
rendered by KPMG during those periods.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(in thousands) | |
Audit Fees(1)
|
|
$ |
11,600 |
|
|
$ |
10,490 |
|
Audit-Related Fees(2)
|
|
|
171 |
|
|
|
1,004 |
|
Tax Fees(3)
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
26 |
|
All Other Fees(4)
|
|
|
302 |
|
|
|
202 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ |
12,073 |
|
|
$ |
11,722 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Audit Fees, including those for statutory audits, include the
aggregate fees during the fiscal year indicated for professional
services rendered by KPMG for the audit of Accenture Ltds
and Accenture SCAs annual financial statements and review
of financial statements included in Accentures
Forms 10-Q and
Form 10-K. Audit
Fees include fees for the audit of Accentures internal
control over financial reporting. |
|
|
|
(2) |
Audit-Related Fees include the aggregate fees during the fiscal
year indicated for assurance and related services by KPMG that
are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review
of Accenture Ltds and Accenture SCAs financial
statements and not included in Audit Fees. Audit-Related Fees
also include fees for accounting advice and opinions related to
various employee benefit plans and fees for internal control
documentation assistance. |
|
|
|
(3) |
Tax Fees include the aggregate fees during the fiscal year
indicated for professional services rendered by KPMG for tax
compliance, tax advice and tax planning. |
|
|
|
(4) |
All Other Fees include the aggregate fees during the fiscal year
indicated for services provided by KPMG other than the services
reported above, including due diligence reviews. |
|
Procedures For Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and
Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Auditor
Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee of the Board is
responsible for reviewing and approving, in advance, any audit
and any permissible non-audit engagement or relationship between
Accenture and its independent auditors. The Audit Committee has
delegated to its chair the authority to review and pre-approve
any such engagement or relationship, which may be proposed in
between its regular meetings. Any such pre-approval is
subsequently considered and ratified by the Audit Committee at
the next regularly scheduled meeting. KPMG LLPs engagement
to conduct the audit of Accenture Ltd for fiscal 2006 was
approved by the Audit Committee on February 1, 2006.
Additionally, each permissible audit and non-audit engagement or
relationship between Accenture and KPMG LLP entered into since
February 1, 2006 has been reviewed and approved by the
Audit Committee, as provided in its charter.
We have been advised by KPMG LLP that a majority of the work
done in conjunction with its audit of Accenture Ltds
financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year
was performed by permanent full-time employees and partners of
KPMG LLP.
24
COMPENSATION OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth, for fiscal years 2006, 2005 and
2004, the compensation of our chief executive officer and of
each of our four most highly compensated executive officers,
other than the chief executive officer, serving as executive
officers at the end of fiscal 2006. These five persons are
referred to, collectively, as the Named Executive
Officers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Compensation Awards | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Annual Compensation | |
|
Restricted | |
|
Share Unit | |
|
Securities | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Annual | |
|
Award(s) | |
|
Underlying | |
|
All Other | |
|
|
|
|
Salary | |
|
Bonus(6) | |
|
Compensation(9) | |
|
(10)(11)(12)(13) | |
|
Options | |
|
Compensation | |
|
|
Year | |
|
($) | |
|
($) | |
|
($) | |
|
($) | |
|
(#) | |
|
($) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
William D. Green
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
2,340,000 |
|
|
|
272,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,073,268 |
|
|
|
30,720 |
(14) |
|
|
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer(1)
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
2,107,500 |
|
|
|
199,362 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,749,990 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
1,639,500 |
|
|
|
79,282 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael G. McGrath
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
1,913,977 |
|
|
|
1,325,550 |
(7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer(2)
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
1,785,808 |
|
|
|
1,122,929 |
(8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,335 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
1,451,535 |
|
|
|
66,066 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mark Foster
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
2,308,875 |
|
|
|
189,023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,906,206 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group Chief Executive Products(3)
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
2,211,040 |
|
|
|
202,612 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,874,995 |
|
|
|
32,529 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
1,557,748 |
|
|
|
72,350 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Karl-Heinz Flöther
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
3,781,899 |
|
|
|
185,756 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,906,206 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group Chief Executive
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
2,063,106 |
|
|
|
191,609 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,874,995 |
|
|
|
28,975 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technology & Delivery(4)
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
1,482,226 |
|
|
|
71,638 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diego Visconti
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
1,995,154 |
|
|
|
167,180 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,906,206 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group Chief Executive
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
1,648,930 |
|
|
|
166,604 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,874,995 |
|
|
|
25,968 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Communications & High Tech(5)
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
1,302,130 |
|
|
|
80,556 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
On September 1, 2006, Mr. Green also became chairman
of the Board of Accenture Ltd. |
|
(2) |
On October 31, 2006, Mr. McGrath became international
chairman of Accenture. |
|
(3) |
On September 1, 2006, Mr. Foster became group chief
executiveBusiness Consulting & Integrated Markets. |
|
(4) |
On September 1, 2006, Mr. Flöthers title
became group chief executiveSystems Integration,
Technology & Delivery. |
|
(5) |
On September 1, 2006, Mr. Visconti became
international chairman of Accenture. |
|
(6) |
In fiscal 2006, Accenture terminated its variable compensation
plans and replaced them with a new annual cash bonus plan.
Amounts reflect payments under the variable compensation plan or
the annual cash bonus plan, as applicable, except as otherwise
indicated. |
|
(7) |
Includes a cash incentive bonus of $1,170,000 in connection with
Mr. McGraths July 12, 2004 appointment and
continued service as chief financial officer of Accenture Ltd. |
|
(8) |
Includes a cash incentive bonus of $967,500 in connection with
Mr. McGraths July 12, 2004 appointment and
continued service as chief financial officer of Accenture Ltd. |
|
(9) |
The aggregate amount of perquisites and other personal benefits,
securities or property received by any Named Executive Officer
does not exceed $50,000. |
|
|
(10) |
On December 1, 2005, Messrs. Green, Foster,
Flöther and Visconti were each granted a performance-based
award of restricted share units under the Key Executive
Performance Share Program. Mr. Green received an award of
206,896 restricted share units and Messrs. Foster,
Flöther and Visconti each received an award of 64,655
restricted share units. These restricted share units may vest,
in whole or in part, after the end of Accentures fiscal
year ending August 31, 2008. The vesting schedule for each
award is based on the achievement of certain targets for the
period starting on September 1, 2005 and ending on
August 31, 2008 (the 2008 Performance Period)
and vests based on two different sets of performance criteria.
Up to 25% of the award will vest, in whole or in part, based
upon Accentures total shareholder return, as compared to a
group of peer companies during the 2008 Performance Period. The
remaining 75% of the award |
25
|
|
|
will vest, in whole or in part,
based upon the achievement of operating income targets by
Accenture for the 2008 Performance Period.
|
|
(11) |
On March 4, 2005,
Messrs. Green, Foster, Flöther and Visconti were each
granted a performance-based award of restricted share units
under the Key Executive Performance Share Program.
Mr. Green received an award of 147,812 restricted share
units and Messrs. Foster, Flöther and Visconti each
received an award of 73,906 restricted share units. These
restricted share units may vest, in whole or in part, after the
end of Accentures fiscal year ending August 31, 2007.
The vesting schedule for each award is based on the achievement
of certain targets for the period starting on September 1,
2004 and ending on August 31, 2007 (the 2007
Performance Period) and vests based on two different sets
of performance criteria. Up to 50% of the award will vest, in
whole or in part, based upon Accentures total shareholder
return, as compared to a group of peer companies during the 2007
Performance Period. The remaining 50% of the award will vest, in
whole or in part, based upon the achievement of operating income
targets by Accenture for the 2007 Performance Period.
|
|
(12) |
If dividends are declared on
Accenture Ltd Class A common shares, holders of restricted
share units receive automatically pursuant to the award
agreement additional restricted share units designed to reflect
the value of these dividends. Restricted share unit awards for
2006 include additional restricted share units to reflect the
payment of a cash dividend on Accenture Ltd Class A common
shares on November 15, 2005. As a result, on
November 15, 2005, Mr. Green received an award of
1,668 additional restricted share units and Messrs. Foster,
Flöther and Visconti each received an award of
834 additional restricted share units. At August 31,
2006, the value of Mr. Greens award was $49,473, and
the value of each award granted to Messrs. Foster,
Flöther and Visconti was $24,736, based upon the last
reported price of Accenture Ltd Class A common shares on
that date.
|
|
(13) |
At August 31, 2006, based
upon the last reported price of Accenture Ltd Class A
common shares, Mr. Green held 356,376 restricted share
units, the aggregate value of which was $10,570,112, and
Messrs. Foster, Flöther and Visconti each held 139,395
restricted share units, the aggregate value of which was
$4,134,456 per holder.
|
|
(14) |
Indicates the number of Accenture
Ltd Class A common shares underlying options granted to
Mr. Green on October 27, 2005. For more information on
the option grant see Option Grants in Last
Fiscal Year below.
|
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
Our Compensation Committee is comprised solely of independent
directors: Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, who is chair of the committee,
Dennis F. Hightower and Marjorie Magner. Dina Dublon, also an
independent director, served as a member of the committee until
February 2, 2006. No member of our Compensation Committee
during fiscal 2006 was an employee or officer or former employee
or officer of Accenture or had any relationships requiring
disclosure under Item 404 of
Regulation S-K
during fiscal 2006. No executive officer of Accenture has served
on the board of directors or compensation committee of any other
entity that has or has had one or more executive officers who
served as a member of Accentures Board or its Compensation
Committee during fiscal 2006.
Option Grants in Last Fiscal Year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individual Grants | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Percent of | |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Number of | |
|
Total | |
|
|
|
Potential Realizable Value | |
|
|
Securities | |
|
Options/SARs | |
|
Exercise | |
|
|
|
at Assumed Annual Rates of | |
|
|
Underlying | |
|
Granted to | |
|
or Base | |
|
|
|
Stock Price Appreciation | |
|
|
Option/SARs | |
|
Employees in | |
|
Price | |
|
Expiration | |
|
for Options Term($) | |
Name |
|
Granted(#) | |
|
Fiscal Year | |
|
($/share) | |
|
Date | |
|
5% | |
|
10% | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
William D. Green
|
|
|
30,720 |
(1) |
|
|
7.06 |
% |
|
$ |
25.94 |
|
|
|
10/27/2015 |
|
|
$ |
501,152 |
|
|
$ |
1,270,016 |
|
|
|
(1) |
Consists of a stock option granted on October 27, 2005.
One-third of the shares vested on October 27, 2005,
one-third vested on August 31, 2006 and an additional
one-third of the shares will vest on August 31, 2007. |
26
Aggregated Option Exercises in Last Fiscal Year and Fiscal
Year-End Option Values
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|
Shares | |
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|
|
Number of Securities | |
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|
|
Acquired | |
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|
|
Underlying | |
|
Value of Unexercised | |
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|
Upon | |
|
Value | |
|
Unexercised Options at | |
|
In-the-money Options | |
|
|
Exercise(1) | |
|
Realized | |
|
August 31, 2006(#) | |
|
at August 31, 2006($) | |
Name |
|
(#) | |
|
($) | |
|
Exercisable | |
|
Unexercisable | |
|
Exercisable | |
|
Unexercisable | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
William D. Green
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,480 |
|
|
|
10,240 |
|
|
$ |
66,458 |
|
|
$ |
33,229 |
|
Michael G. McGrath
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,335 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
121,777 |
|
|
|
|
|
Mark Foster
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,686 |
|
|
|
10,843 |
|
|
|
96,611 |
|
|
|
48,306 |
|
Karl-Heinz Flöther
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,316 |
|
|
|
9,659 |
|
|
|
86,053 |
|
|
|
43,031 |
|
Diego Visconti
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,968 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
97,271 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
None of the Named Executive Officers exercised any options
during fiscal 2006. |
Compensation of Non-Management Directors
No director who is an Accenture employee receives additional
compensation for serving as a director.
Except as noted below, each non-management director receives the
following compensation:
|
|
|
|
|
upon appointment to the Board, an initial grant of fully vested
restricted share units having, at the time of grant, an
aggregate market value of $150,000; |
|
|
|
an annual grant of fully vested restricted share units having,
at the time of grant, an aggregate market value of
$150,000; and |
|
|
|
except for our lead director, an annual retainer of $70,000,
which the director may elect to receive entirely in the form of
cash, entirely in the form of fully vested restricted share
units or one-half in cash and one-half in fully vested
restricted share units. Our lead director receives an annual
retainer of $125,000 and has the same cash vs. fully vested
restricted share units elections as other non-management
directors. |
Shares underlying restricted share units are delivered three
years after the restricted share unit grant date or, at the
election of the director, over a period of up to ten years
following the restricted share unit grant date.
In addition, certain directors receive additional cash
compensation for their service on committees of the Board:
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|
each member of the Audit Committee receives compensation of
$5,000 each year; and |
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|
|
the chair of each committee of the Board receives compensation
of $5,000 each year, except that the chair of the Audit
Committee receives compensation of $10,000 each year. |
Furthermore, each non-management director must, within three
years of his or her appointment and for the duration of that
directors service, retain ownership of Accenture equity
having a market value equal to three times the value of the
annual equity grants being made to directors at the time at
which the ownership requirement is assessed.
27
Employment Contracts
Our chief executive officer and our Named Executive Officers
have each entered into an annual employment agreement which is
renewed automatically each year. The employment agreements
provide that these executive officers will receive compensation
as determined by Accenture. These agreements are standard
employment contracts in each country for Accentures
highest-level senior executives, a title we apply to
more than 4,300 of our highest-level employees who were
previously referred to as partners or associate partners prior
to the announcement in fiscal 2005 of a new, broader career
model for our highest-level executives. Pursuant to the
employment agreements, each of the executive officers has also
entered into a non-competition agreement whereby each has agreed
that, for a specified period, he or she will not
(1) associate with and engage in competing services for any
competitive enterprise; or (2) solicit or assist any other
entity in soliciting any client or prospective client for the
purposes of providing competing services, perform competing
services for any client or prospective client, or interfere with
or damage any relationship between us and a client or
prospective client. In addition, each of these executive
officers has agreed that for the restricted period he or she
will not solicit or employ any Accenture employee or any former
employee who ceased working for us within an
18-month period before
or after the date on which the executive officers
employment with us or any of our affiliates terminated.
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING
COMPLIANCE
Under the federal securities laws, our directors, executive
officers and beneficial owners of more than 10% of Accenture
Ltds Class A common shares or Class X common
shares are required within a prescribed period of time to report
to the SEC transactions and holdings in Accenture Ltd
Class A common shares and Class X common shares. Our
directors and executive officers are also required to report
transactions and holdings in Accenture SCA Class I common
shares. Based solely on a review of the copies of these forms
received by us and on written representations from certain
reporting persons that no annual corrective filings were
required for those persons, we believe that during fiscal 2006
all these filing requirements were satisfied in a timely manner.
28
PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The performance graph below shows the cumulative total
shareholder return on our Class A common shares for the
period starting on August 31, 2001 and ending on
August 31, 2006, which was the end of fiscal 2006. This is
compared with the cumulative total returns over the same period
of the S&P 500 Index and a peer group index
consisting of Cap Gemini SA, Computer Sciences Corporation,
Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company,
International Business Machines Corporation and BearingPoint,
Inc. The graph assumes that on August 31, 2001, $100 was
invested in our Class A common shares and $100 was invested
in each of the other two indices, with dividends reinvested on
the date of payment without payment of any commissions. The
performance shown in the graph represents past performance and
should not be considered an indication of future performance.
Comparison of Cumulative Total Return
August 31, 2001 to August 31, 2006
Accenture vs. S&P 500 Stock Index and Peer Group Index
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|
Indexed Prices as of August 31, | |
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| |
|
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2006 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Accenture
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
110 |
|
|
$ |
142 |
|
|
$ |
175 |
|
|
$ |
164 |
|
|
$ |
199 |
|
Peer Group
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
75 |
|
|
$ |
69 |
|
|
$ |
68 |
|
|
$ |
71 |
|
|
$ |
80 |
|
S&P 500
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
81 |
|
|
$ |
89 |
|
|
$ |
97 |
|
|
$ |
108 |
|
|
$ |
115 |
|
29
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The following table sets forth, as of December 11, 2006,
information regarding the beneficial ownership of Accenture Ltd
Class A common shares and Class X common shares and of
Accenture SCA Class I common shares held by: (1) each
of our directors, director nominees and Named Executive
Officers; and (2) all of our directors, director nominees
and executive officers as a group. To our knowledge, except as
otherwise indicated, each of the persons or entities listed
below has sole voting and investment power with respect to the
shares beneficially owned by him or her. For purposes of the
table below, beneficial ownership is determined in
accordance with
Rule 13d-3 under
the Exchange Act, pursuant to which a person or group of persons
is deemed to have beneficial ownership of any shares
that such person has the right to acquire within 60 days
after December 11, 2006. For purposes of computing the
percentage of outstanding Accenture Ltd Class A common
shares and/or Class X common shares and/or Accenture SCA
Class I common shares held by each person or group of
persons named below, any shares that such person or persons has
the right to acquire within 60 days after December 11,
2006 are deemed to be outstanding but are not deemed to be
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage
ownership of any other person.
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accenture SCA Class I | |
|
Accenture Ltd Class A | |
|
Accenture Ltd Class X | |
|
Percentage of the | |
|
|
common shares | |
|
common shares | |
|
common shares | |
|
total number of | |
|
|
shares | |
|
% shares | |
|
shares | |
|
% shares | |
|
shares | |
|
% shares | |
|
Class A and Class X | |
|
|
beneficially | |
|
beneficially | |
|
beneficially | |
|
beneficially | |
|
beneficially | |
|
beneficially | |
|
common shares | |
Name(1) |
|
owned | |
|
owned | |
|
owned | |
|
owned | |
|
owned | |
|
owned | |
|
beneficially owned | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
William D. Green(2)(3)
|
|
|
602,031 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
27,607 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
602,031 |
|
|
|
*** |
|
|
|
**** |
|
Dina Dublon(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
68,436 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Dennis F. Hightower
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,135 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Nobuyuki Idei
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
William L. Kimsey(5)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
42,229 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Robert I. Lipp(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
208,445 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Marjorie Magner
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Blythe J. McGarvie(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
65,738 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Mark Moody-Stuart(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
80,954 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Wulf von Schimmelmann(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
56,135 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Karl-Heinz Flöther(6)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
271,504 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Mark Foster(7)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
395,399 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
Michael G. McGrath(2)(8)
|
|
|
523,999 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
27,335 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
523,999 |
|
|
|
*** |
|
|
|
**** |
|
Diego Visconti(2)(9)
|
|
|
480,878 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
25,968 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**** |
|
All directors and executive officers as a group (25 persons)(10)
|
|
|
4,446,199 |
|
|
|
2.0 |
|
|
|
2,106,658 |
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
3,254,071 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
|
|
|
**** |
|
|
|
* |
Less than 1% of Accenture SCAs Class I common shares
outstanding. |
** |
Less than 1% of Accenture Ltds Class A common shares
outstanding. |
*** |
Less than 1% of Accenture Ltds Class X common shares
outstanding. |
**** |
Less than 1% of the total number of Accenture Ltds
Class A common shares and Class X common shares
outstanding. |
(1) |
Address for all persons listed is c/o Accenture, 1661 Page
Mill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. |
(2) |
Subject to the provisions of its Articles of Association,
Accenture SCA is obligated, at the option of the holder of its
shares and at any time, to redeem any outstanding Accenture SCA
Class I common shares held by the holder. The redemption
price per share generally is equal to its current market value
as determined in accordance with Accenture SCAs Articles
of Association. Accenture SCA has the option to pay this
redemption price with cash or by delivering Accenture Ltd
Class A common shares on a one-for-one basis. Each time an
Accenture SCA Class I common share is redeemed from a
holder, Accenture Ltd has the option, and intends to, redeem an
Accenture Ltd Class X common share from that holder, for a
redemption price equal to the par value of the Accenture Ltd
Class X common share, or $.0000225. |
(3) |
Includes 20,480 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(4) |
Includes 55,000 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(5) |
Includes 35,000 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(6) |
Includes 19,316 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(7) |
Includes 21,686 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(8) |
Consists of 27,335 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(9) |
Consists of 25,968 Accenture Ltd Class A common shares that
could be acquired through the exercise of stock options within
60 days from December 11, 2006. |
(10) |
One officer has a spouse with holdings of 7,227 Accenture Ltd
Class A common shares and 8,000 additional Accenture Ltd
Class A common shares that could be acquired through the
exercise of stock options within 60 days from
December 11, 2006. |
30
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Senior Executive Liquidity Arrangements
The Company and the supervisory board of Accenture SCA have
approved the pledge of covered shares to Citigroup to secure
personal loans to Accenture senior executives and former senior
executives (excluding our directors or executive officers) in
amounts agreed by Citigroup and its borrowers. As a condition to
obtaining the right to make these personal loans, Citigroup has
agreed to take all covered shares pledged subject to the
transfer restrictions imposed on pledging senior executives or
former senior executives pursuant to the provisions contained in
Accentures various charter documents. Consequently,
foreclosures by Citigroup on those pledged shares and any
subsequent sales of those shares by Citigroup are restricted to
the same extent they would be in the hands of the pledging
senior executives or former senior executives.
Senior Executive Tax Costs
The Company has informed certain of our senior executives that
if a senior executive reports for tax purposes the transactions
involved in connection with our transition to a corporate
structure, the Company will provide a legal defense to that
individual if his or her reporting position is challenged by the
relevant tax authority. In the event such a defense is
unsuccessful, and the senior executive is then subject to
extraordinary financial disadvantage, the Company will review
such circumstances for that individual and find an appropriate
way to avoid severe financial damage to that individual.
Transactions with Directors and Executive Officers
The Company employs Berthold von Schimmelmann, the son of
non-management director Wulf von Schimmelmann. In fiscal 2006,
Berthold von Schimmelmann received cash compensation of
approximately $72,000. Todd W. Singleton, the spouse of Lisa M.
Mascolo, one of the Companys executive officers, is
employed by the Company as a senior executive in the Outsourcing
growth platform. Mr. Singleton has been an employee of the
Company for 18 years and a senior executive for
8 years. In fiscal 2006, he received cash compensation of
approximately $377,000 and an equity grant of 308 restricted
share units.
31
BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT
OF ANY CLASS OF VOTING SECURITIES
As of December 11, 2006, no person beneficially owned more
than five percent of Accenture Ltds Class X common
shares, and the only persons known by us to be beneficial owners
of more than five percent of Accenture Ltds Class A
common shares were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accenture Ltd Class A | |
|
|
common shares | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
% of | |
|
|
Shares | |
|
Shares | |
Name and Address |
|
beneficially | |
|
beneficially | |
of Beneficial Owner |
|
owned | |
|
owned | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Barclays Global Investors, NA et. al
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45 Fremont Street |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Francisco, California 94105 |
|
|
49,544,505 |
(1) |
|
|
8.4 |
% |
Wellington Management Co. LLP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
75 State Street |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boston, Massachusetts 02109 |
|
|
41,106,748 |
(2) |
|
|
7.0 |
% |
|
|
(1) |
Based on information disclosed in a Form 13F filed with the
SEC on November 14, 2006 by Barclays Global Investors, NA
and certain related entities reporting sole power to vote or
direct the vote over 46,671,025 Class A common shares and
sole power to dispose or direct the disposition of 49,544,505
Class A common shares. |
|
(2) |
Based on information disclosed in a Form 13F filed with the
SEC on November 14, 2006 by Wellington Management Co. LLP
reporting shared power to vote or direct the vote over
18,799,880 Class A common shares and shared power to
dispose or direct the disposition of 41,106,748 Class A
common shares. |
As of December 11, 2006, Accenture SCA and certain wholly
owned subsidiaries of Accenture SCA and Accenture Ltd directly
and indirectly beneficially owned an aggregate of 34,628,739
Accenture Ltd Class A common shares, or 5.6% of the
outstanding Class A common shares (including shares held by
subsidiaries of Accenture). Accenture SCA and these subsidiaries
will exercise their power to vote or direct the vote of the
Class A common shares beneficially owned by them in a
manner that will have no impact on the outcome of any vote of
the shareholders of Accenture Ltd.
SUBMISSION OF FUTURE SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS
Our annual general meeting of shareholders for 2008 is expected
to occur in February 2008. In accordance with the rules
established by the SEC, any shareholder proposal submitted
pursuant to
Rule 14a-8 to be
included in the proxy statement for that meeting must be
received by us by August 29, 2007. If you would like to
submit a shareholder proposal to be included in those proxy
materials, you should send your proposal to our General Counsel
and Secretary at 1661 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California
94304, USA. In order for your proposal to be included in the
proxy statement, the proposal must comply with the requirements
established by the SEC.
Bermuda law provides that shareholders who collectively hold at
least 5% of the total voting rights of the outstanding
Class A common shares and Class X common shares, or
any group comprised of at least 100 or more registered
shareholders, may require a proposal to be submitted to an
annual general meeting of shareholders. Bermuda law generally
requires that notice of such a proposal must be deposited at
Accentures registered office not less than six weeks
before the date of the meeting.
These advance notice provisions of Bermuda law are in addition
to, and separate from, the requirements that a shareholder must
meet in order to have a proposal included in the proxy statement
under the rules of the SEC.
32
A proxy granted by a shareholder will give discretionary
authority to the proxies to vote on any matters introduced
pursuant to the above advance notice provisions of Bermuda law,
subject to applicable rules of the SEC.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
To the extent that this proxy statement is incorporated by
reference into any other filing under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the sections of this
proxy statement entitled Report of the Audit
Committee (to the extent permitted by the rules of the
SEC), Report of the Compensation Committee on Executive
Compensation, Report of the Finance Committee,
Report of the Nominating & Governance
Committee and Performance Graph will not be
deemed incorporated, unless specifically provided otherwise in
that other filing.
SUBMITTING YOUR PROXY BY TELEPHONE OR VIA THE INTERNET
You may submit your proxy either by mail, by telephone or via
the Internet. Please see the proxy card that accompanies this
proxy statement for specific instructions on how to submit your
proxy by any of these methods.
If you submit your proxy by telephone or via the Internet, for
your vote to be counted, your proxy must be received by
6:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, on February 7, 2007
(February 4, 2007 for Accenture employees and former
employees who are submitting proxies for shares received through
our employee plans and held by Citigroup). Even if you submit
your proxy by telephone or via the Internet, you can still vote
your shares in person if you decide to attend the Annual Meeting.
The telephone and Internet proxy submission procedures are
designed to authenticate shareholders identities, to allow
shareholders to give their voting instructions and to confirm
that shareholders instructions have been recorded
properly. We have been advised that the Internet proxy
submission procedures that have been made available to you are
consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you
submit your proxy via the Internet, then you should understand
that there may be costs associated with electronic access, such
as usage charges from Internet access providers and telephone
companies, which you must bear.
ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS
Our shareholder communications are available electronically. You
may elect to receive or access future copies of these materials
electronically as an alternative to receiving printed copies by
mail. By signing up for electronic delivery, you can receive
shareholder communications as soon as they are available without
waiting for them to arrive in the mail. You can also reduce the
number of bulky documents in your personal files, eliminate
duplicate mailings, conserve natural resources and help us
reduce our printing and mailing costs. If you are an employee
shareholder, then you will receive these materials
electronically but will have the right to receive printed copies
by mail. To sign up for electronic delivery, please submit your
proxy via the Internet at www.cesvote.com and, when prompted,
indicate that you agree to receive or access shareholder
communications electronically in future years, or you can check
the box on your proxy card to indicate that you agree to receive
or access these communications electronically. If you are an
employee shareholder who would like to receive printed copies by
mail, or if you would like to revoke your previously provided
consent to electronic delivery, you may write or call our
Investor Relations Group at the following address or phone
number: Accenture, Investor Relations, 1345 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, New York 10105, USA, telephone number
33
+1 877-ACN-5659 (+1 877-226-5659) in the United States and
Puerto Rico and +1 703-797-1711 outside the United States and
Puerto Rico.
HOUSEHOLDING OF SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS
We may send a single set of shareholder documents to any
household at which two or more shareholders reside. This process
is called householding. This reduces the volume of
duplicate information received at your household and helps us to
reduce our costs. Your materials may be househeld based on your
prior express or implied consent. If your materials have been
househeld and you wish to receive separate copies of these
documents, or if you are receiving duplicate copies of these
documents and wish to have the information househeld, you may
write or call our Investor Relations Group at the following
address or phone number: Accenture, Investor Relations, 1345
Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105, USA, telephone
number +1 877-ACN-5659 (+1 877-226-5659) in the United States
and Puerto Rico and +1 703-797-1711 outside the United States
and Puerto Rico.
December 27, 2006
34
Appendix
ACCENTURE LTD
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
The Audit Committee (the Committee) of the Board of
Directors (the Board) of Accenture Ltd (the
Company) shall provide assistance to the Board in
fulfilling its responsibilities to the Company and to its
shareholders, potential shareholders, the investment community
and other stakeholders with respect to its oversight of the
following:
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(i) The quality and integrity of the Companys
accounting and reporting practices and controls, and the
financial statements and reports of the Company; |
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(ii) The Companys compliance with legal and
regulatory requirements; |
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(iii) The independent auditors qualifications and
independence; and |
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(iv) The performance of the Companys internal audit
function and independent auditors. |
The Committee will fulfill these responsibilities primarily by
carrying out the activities enumerated in Section IV of
this Charter.
The Committee shall be comprised of three or more members of the
Board, each of whom shall be determined by the Board to be
independent under the rules of the New York Stock
Exchange and any other applicable listing or legal requirements,
including the more rigorous independence requirements applicable
specifically to audit committee members.
All members of the Committee shall have a working familiarity
with basic finance and accounting practices, and at least one
member of the Committee shall be an audit committee
financial expert as defined by the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Committee members shall have other such qualities as
the Board determines appropriate.
The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board at
the annual organizational meeting of the Board and shall serve
until the next such organizational meeting of the Board or until
their successors shall be duly elected and qualified. The
members of the Committee may be removed, with or without cause,
by a majority vote of the Board.
Unless a Chairperson is elected by the full Board, the members
of the Committee may designate a Chairperson by majority vote of
the full Committee membership. The Chairperson will chair all
regular sessions of the Committee and set the agenda for the
Committee meetings.
The Committee shall meet at least four times annually, or more
frequently as their responsibilities dictate. As part of its job
to foster open communication, the Committee shall, at least
annually, meet separately with management, the director of the
internal audit department and the independent auditors to
discuss any matters that the Committee or any of these groups
believes should be discussed privately. In addition, the
Committee should meet with the independent auditors and
management quarterly to review the Companys financial
statements and reports consistent with Section IV below.
The Committee may meet in person or telephonically at any time.
All members of the Board who are not members of the Committee
may attend meetings of the Committee but may not vote. The
Committee may invite to its meetings any management or other
personnel of the Company, or any third parties, as it deems
appropriate in order to carry out its responsibilities.
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RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES |
The Committee, in discharging its oversight role, is empowered
to study or investigate any matter of interest or concern that
it deems appropriate. The Committee shall have the authority to
retain outside legal, accounting or other advisors for this or
any other purpose, including the authority to approve the fees
payable to such advisors and any other terms of retention.
The Committee shall be given full access to the Companys
internal audit group, management, personnel and independent
auditors as necessary to carry out these responsibilities. While
acting within the scope of its stated purpose, the Committee
shall have all the authority of the Board.
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties the Committee shall:
Documents/ Reports Review
(i) Review with management and the independent auditors,
prior to public dissemination, the Companys annual audited
financial statements and any quarterly financial statements and
reports, including the Companys disclosures under the
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations and a discussion with
the independent accountants of the matters required to be
discussed by Statements of Auditing Standards Nos. 61 and 71, as
applicable; and
(ii) Review and discuss with management and the independent
auditors the Companys earnings press releases as well as
financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts
and rating agencies.
Independent Auditors
(i) Retain (and terminate, as the case may be) the
Companys independent auditors (subject to shareholder
ratification) and approve all audit engagement fees and terms;
(ii) Oversee the work of any registered public accounting
firm employed by the Company to provide audit services (that,
under applicable laws and regulations, is required to be
independent of the Company), including the resolution of any
disagreement between management and the independent auditor
regarding financial reporting, for the purpose of preparing or
issuing an audit report or related work;
(iii) Approve, in advance, any audit and any permissible
non-audit engagement or relationship between the Company and the
independent auditors;
(iv) Review, at least annually, the qualifications,
performance and independence of the independent auditors. In
conducting its review and evaluation, the Committee should:
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a. Obtain and review a report by the Companys
independent auditors describing: (i) the auditing
firms internal quality-control procedures; (ii) any
material issues raised by the most recent internal
quality-control review, or peer review, of the auditing firm, or
by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional
authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or
more independent audits carried out by the auditing firm, and
any steps taken to deal with any such issues; and (iii) all
relationships between the independent auditors and the Company
(so as to enable the assessment of the independent
auditors independence); |
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b. Ensure the rotation of the lead audit partner and
reviewing partner on at least that schedule required by the
Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board or any other applicable authority; |
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c. Take into account the opinions of management and the
Companys internal auditors (or of other personnel
responsible for the internal audit function); and |
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d. Receive from the independent auditors such written
statements as required by Independence Standards Board Statement
No. 1 or any other applicable rules, and recommend to the
Board and/or management such actions it deems appropriate to
ensure the independence of the external auditors; |
(v) Review with the independent auditors any audit problems
or difficulties and managements response; and
(vi) Set clear hiring policies to be implemented by the
Company for employees or former employees of the independent
auditors to ensure independence.
Financial Reporting Process and Controls
(i) Review, in consultation with the independent auditors
and the internal auditors, the integrity of the Companys
internal and external financial reporting processes and
controls. In this regard, the Committee should obtain and
discuss with management and the independent auditors all reports
from management and the independent auditors regarding:
(i) all critical accounting policies and practices to be
used by the Company; (ii) analyses prepared by management
and/or the independent auditors setting forth significant
financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with
the preparation of the financial statements, including all
alternative treatments of financial information within generally
accepted accounting principles that have been discussed with the
Companys management, the ramifications of the use of the
alternative disclosures and treatments, and the treatment
preferred by the independent auditors; (iii) major issues
regarding accounting principles and financial statement
presentations, including any significant changes in the
Companys selection or application of accounting
principles; (iv) major issues as to the adequacy of the
Companys internal controls and any specific audit steps
adopted in light of material control deficiencies; and
(v) any other material written communications between the
independent auditor and the Companys management;
(ii) Review periodically the effect of regulatory and
accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance sheet structures
(if any), on the financial statements of the Company;
(iii) Establish regular systems of reporting to the
Committee by each of management, the independent auditors and
the internal auditors regarding any significant judgments made
in managements preparation of the financial statements and
any significant difficulties encountered during the course of
the review or audit, including any restrictions on the scope of
work or access to requested information;
(iv) Review any significant disagreement between management
and the independent auditors or the internal auditing department
in connection with the preparation of the financial statements
and managements response to such matters; and
(v) Review and discuss with the independent auditors the
responsibilities, budget and staffing of the Companys
internal audit function.
Legal/ Compliance/ General
(i) Review, with the Companys counsel, any legal
matter that could have a significant impact on the
Companys financial statements or operations;
(ii) Discuss with management and the independent auditors
the Companys guidelines and policies with respect to risk
assessment and risk management. The Committee should discuss the
Companys major financial risk exposures and the steps
management has taken to monitor and control such exposures;
(iii) Oversee the Companys compliance program and
adherence to its Code of Business Ethics. This shall include a
review and investigation of any matters pertaining to the
integrity of management, including conflicts of interest;
(iv) Establish procedures for: (i) the receipt,
retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company
regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing
matters; and (ii) the confidential anonymous submission by
employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable
accounting or auditing matters; and
(v) Ensure that the Company maintains (either as an
internal function or as an outsourced service) an internal audit
function.
Reports
(i) Prepare all reports required of it to be included in
the Companys proxy statement, pursuant to and in
accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission;
(ii) Report regularly to the Board:
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a. with respect to any issues that arise regarding the
quality or integrity of the Companys financial statements,
the Companys compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements, the performance and independence of the
Companys independent auditors or the performance of the
internal audit function; |
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b. following all meetings of the Committee; and |
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c. with respect to such other matters that are relevant to
the Committees discharge of its responsibilities; and |
(iii) Maintain minutes or other records of meetings and
activities of the Committee.
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V. |
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION |
The Committee shall perform a review and evaluation, at least
annually, of its performance and its members, including
reviewing the compliance of the Committee with this Charter. In
addition, the Committee shall review and reassess, at least
annually, the adequacy of this Charter and recommend to the
Board any improvements to this Charter that the Committee
considers necessary or valuable.
Updated April 2006
Submit your Proxy by Internet
at http://www.cesvote.com
Have your proxy card available when you access the website at http://www.cesvote.com and follow the
simple instructions to record your proxy.
Submit your Proxy by
Telephone at 1-888-693-8683
Have your proxy card available when you call 1-888-693-8683 using a touch-tone phone and
follow the simple instructions to record your proxy.
Submit your Proxy by Mail
Please mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided
or mail it to: National City Bank, P.O. Box 535600, Pittsburgh, PA 15253.
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Submit Your Proxy
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Submit Your Proxy
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Submit Your Proxy |
by Internet
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by Telephone
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by Mail |
Access the website and
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Call toll-free using a
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Return your |
cast your vote:
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touch-tone phone:
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proxy in the |
http://www.cesvote.com
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1-888-693-8683
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envelope provided |
Submit your proxy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Your telephone or Internet vote must be received by 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
on February 7, 2007 to be counted in the final tabulation.
If you vote by Internet or telephone, please do not mail your proxy card.
Proxy must be signed and dated below.
ê Please fold and detach card at perforation before mailing. ê
This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors for the 2007 Annual General Meeting of
Shareholders.
The undersigned hereby appoints William D. Green, Pamela J. Craig and Douglas G. Scrivner as
proxies, each with full power of substitution, and hereby authorizes each of them to represent and
to vote, as designated on the reverse side, all Class A common shares and Class X common shares of
Accenture Ltd held of record by the undersigned on December 11, 2006, at the 2007 Annual General
Meeting of Shareholders to be held on February 7, 2007, and at any adjournment or postponement
thereof. The undersigned hereby further authorizes such proxies to vote in their discretion upon
such other matters as may properly come before such Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
(including any motion to amend the resolutions proposed at this meeting and any motions to adjourn
this meeting) and at any adjournment or postponement thereof.
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Signature |
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Signature (if held by joint tenants) |
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Date: |
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Please sign this proxy card exactly as your name appears to the
left. Proxies should be dated when signed. When shares are held by
joint tenants, both should sign. When signing as attorney, executor,
administrator, trustee, guardian or other similar capacity, please
give your full title as such. If a corporation, a duly authorized
officer of the corporation should sign on behalf of the corporation,
or the seal of the corporation should be affixed. If a partnership,
a partner should sign in the partnerships name. |
Electronic Access To Future Documents Now Available
You have the option to access our future shareholder communications (e.g., annual reports, proxy
statements, interim communications) over the Internet, instead of receiving those documents in the
mail. Your participation is completely voluntary. If you give your consent, you will receive a
notice by email, informing you that materials are available and providing you with the Internet
location where these materials are available. Our material will be presented in PDF format. There
is no cost to you for this service other than any charges you may incur from your Internet
provider, telephone and/or cable company. Once you give your consent, it will remain in effect
until you inform us otherwise. You may revoke your consent at any time after you give it by sending
a written notice to Accentures Secretary at 1661 Page Mill Rd, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA,
Attn: Corporate Secretary.
To give your consent, please follow the prompts when you vote by telephone or over the Internet or
check the appropriate box located at the bottom of the attached proxy card when you vote by mail.
Your vote is important!
Please submit your proxy via the Internet or by telephone using the instructions on the reverse
side of this proxy card, or mark, sign, date and return this proxy card in the enclosed reply
envelope. In order for your mailed proxy to be counted, your proxy must be received no later than
February 6, 2007 (February 4, 2007 if your shares are held through Citigroup). Submitting your
proxy will not affect your right to vote in person if you decide to attend the Annual General
Meeting of Shareholders.
Proxy must be signed and dated on the reverse side.
ê Please fold and detach card at perforation before mailing. ê
THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED AND DELIVERED, WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED
SHAREHOLDER. IF YOU SIGN AND RETURN THIS PROXY BUT NO DIRECTIONS ARE GIVEN, THEN THIS PROXY WILL BE
VOTED FOR PROPOSALS 1 AND 2 AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE PROXIES UPON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY
PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS.
The Board of Directors of Accenture Ltd recommends that you vote FOR Proposals 1 and 2.
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1. |
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Appointment of the following nominees to the Board of Directors: |
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(1) Nobuyuki Idei:
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o FOR
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o AGAINST
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o ABSTAIN |
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(2) Marjorie Magner:
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o FOR
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o AGAINST
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o ABSTAIN |
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(3) Dennis F. Hightower:
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o FOR
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o AGAINST
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o ABSTAIN |
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(4) William L. Kimsey:
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o FOR
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o AGAINST
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o ABSTAIN |
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(5) Robert I. Lipp:
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o FOR
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o AGAINST
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o ABSTAIN |
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(6) Wulf von Schimmelmann:
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o FOR
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o AGAINST
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o ABSTAIN |
2. |
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Re-appointment of KPMG LLP as independent auditors for the 2007 fiscal year and authorization of the Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors to determine KPMG LLPs remuneration. |
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o FOR |
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o AGAINST |
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o ABSTAIN |
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o
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Please check this box if you plan to attend the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. |
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Please check this box if you consent to access future shareholder communications via the Internet. |
IMPORTANTTHIS PROXY MUST BE SIGNED AND DATED ON THE REVERSE SIDE.