AGMs

1998: attended 24 AGMs as Tele business editor

By Stephen Mayne
March 25, 2009

Our shareholder activism started way back in 1998 when we produced a 14-part series for The Daily Telegraph on life as an active shareholder.

The series won the 1999 Walkley for business journalism and you can read the 14 pieces - 7 previews of each week published on a Monday and 7 weekly reviews of all the action published each Saturday - here.

Terry McCrann wrote this column in The Weekend Australian summarising the impact of the exercise.

The AGMs we attended and individual reports unfolded as follows:

ERA Sydney, Oct 15, 1998
First time asking questions at an AGM - see Daily Telegraph.

Austrim Melbourne, Oct 21, 1998
Alan Jackson lost his cool when asked about selling shares - see Daily Telegraph.

Australian Infrastructure Fund Melbourne, Oct 21, 1998
Mike Fitzpatrick defends management fees - see Daily Telegraph.

Centaur Mining Melbourne, Oct 21, 1998
Twenty questions for Joe Gutnick - see Daily Telegraph.

Seven Network Melbourne, Oct 23, 1998
Julian Mounter fell off the stage - see package of highlights.

Foster's Brewing, Melbourne, Oct 26, 1998
Raised questions about pokies - see Daily Telegraph.

Tabcorp Melbourne, Oct 27, 1998
Was berated by an old digger for asking too many questions - see package of highlights.

Commonwealth Bank Melbourne, Oct 29, 1998
Q
uestions on infrastructure losses made front page of The AFR - see two stories in The Daily Telegraph, plus Terry McCrann column.

Australian Hospital Care Melbourne, Oct 29, 1998
Chairman Laurie Willett struggles, met Rich List lawyer Allan Myers QC.

Pasminco Melbourne, Oct 28, 1998
Chairman Mark Rayner droned on - see Daily Telegraph.

Pacific Dunlop Melbourne, Nov 4, 1998
Chairman John Ralph was still hanging in there

John Fairfax Sydney, Nov 6, 1998
Jack Tilburn went bananas and chairman Brian Powers very combative - see package of highlights.

Aristocrat Leisure, Sydney, Nov 10, 1998
Chairman Frank Burke promised to take Las Vegas - see Daily Telegraph.

Mirvac Sydney, Nov 11, 1998
Performance of Mirvac has turned around since then - see Daily Telegraph.

Westfield Holdings
Sydney, Nov 12, 1998
Frank Lowy launched blistering attack - see package of highlights.

Goodman Fielder
, Sydney, Nov 13, 1998
Plenty of foodies on the board but not much performance - see Daily Telegraph.

Infrastructure Trust of Australia (now Macquarie Infrastructure Group) Sydney, Nov 13, 1998
A voluntary information meeting - see Daily Telegraph.

FAI Insurance
Sydney, Nov 18, 1998
Last meeting before HIH takeover - see Daily Telegraph.

Hoyts Sydney, Nov 18, 1998
Chance to quiz chairman David Gonski - see Daily Telegraph.

GIO Sydney Nov 17, 1998
Some of the questions I asked were sent through by AMP spinners - see Daily Telegraph.

Amalgamated Holdings
Sydney, Nov 19, 1998
Rich Lister Alan Rydge was very friendly - see Daily Telegraph.

Davids Holdings Sydney, Nov 23, 1998
The South Africans were a bit tetchy - see Daily Telegraph.

David Jones Sydney, Nov 23, 1998
Chairman wrote letter about bad food - see Daily Telegraph.

Beyond International Sydney, Nov 27, 1998
Arguably the smallest, most low key meeting I've ever attended