REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Speaking to shareholders at Microsoft Corp.'s annual meeting on Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella outlined Microsoft's opportunity and responsibility: to help its customers and partners thrive in a world where every company is a technology company and to create technology that benefits everyone on the planet, including the planet itself.

"I am proud of how we are helping organizations across industries innovate and thrive using our platforms and tools," Nadella said. "Every day, we work alongside our customers to help them build their own digital capability — innovating with them, creating new businesses with them, and earning their trust."

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Amy Hood, reported that Microsoft executed well in fiscal year 2019 and reported a strong start to the current fiscal year. Hood noted that Microsoft's innovation road map and ability to capture expanding market opportunities position the company well for continued growth and to deliver shareholder value.

The following proposals were acted on by the company's shareholders at the meeting:

• Re-elected 12 directors and elected one new director: Emma Walmsley, chief executive officer of GSK, to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders. All director nominees received a vote of over 86 percent of votes cast.
• Approved, on a nonbinding advisory basis, the company's named executive officer compensation. The advisory measure received more than 76 percent of votes cast.
• Ratified the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the company's independent auditor for fiscal year 2020, with over 96 percent of votes cast.
• Rejected a shareholder proposal submitted by NorthStar Asset Management, to prepare a report on employee representation on the board of directors; the proposal received less than 5 percent of votes cast.
• Rejected a shareholder proposal submitted by Arjuna Capital, to report on gender pay gap; the proposal received approximately less than 30 percent of votes cast.

Microsoft's board of directors consists of John W. Thompson, Microsoft independent board chair; William H. Gates III, Microsoft co-founder and technology advisor; Reid G. Hoffman, partner at Greylock Partners; Hugh F. Johnston, vice chairman and chief financial officer of PepsiCo; Teri L. List-Stoll, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Gap Inc.; Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft; Sandra E. Peterson, operating partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice; Penny S. Pritzker, founder and chairman of PSP Partners; Charles W. Scharf, president and chief executive officer of Wells Fargo & Company; Arne M. Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International Inc.; John W. Stanton, chairman of Trilogy Partnerships; Emma N. Walmsley, chief executive officer of GlaxoSmithKline; and Padmasree Warrior, founder, president and CEO, Fable Group Inc.

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.