News

Hera’s Ordinary Shareholders Meeting, chaired by Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, was held this morning in Bologna to approve the 2022 financial statements and the payment of a dividend rising to 12.5 cents per share, in line with what was previously announced during the presentation of the Business Plan to 2026.

2022 financial statements approved with results showing growth

The Assembly approved the 2022 financial statements, which confirmed growth in key operating and financial indicators and in investments.
These figures demonstrate, once again, the validity of the management policies implemented by the Group, which, together with its solid and resilient multi-business industrial model, have proved effective in responding to the complex external scenario, enabling it to guarantee continuity and quality of services and to create value for the company and all stakeholders, while pursuing sustainable development.

Dividends paid rise to 12.5 cents per share

The Shareholders Meeting then approved the Board of Directors’ proposal to distribute a dividend coming to 12.5 cents per share, up 4.2% compared to the last dividend paid.
The ex-dividend date was set at 19 June 2023, with payment as of 21 June 2023. The dividend will be paid to shares recorded on 20 June 2023. The dividend paid, based on the Hera share price at 31/12/2022, corresponds to an annual return of 4.94%.

Sustainability Report: Shared-value Ebitda up sharply to 670.3 million euro

The 2022 Sustainability Report was also presented during the Shareholders Meeting, showing that improvement in operating and financial indicators goes hand in hand with the Group’s focus on sustainability and its attention towards all stakeholders. More specifically, in 2022, shared-value Ebitda, which refers to business activities that also respond to the drivers for sustainable growth and therefore involve operations that help meet the targets on the Global Agenda, rose to 670.3 million euro, up significantly compared to 2021 (+17.5%) and corresponding to 51.8% of overall Ebitda.

Board of Directors and the Board of Statutory Auditors renewed

The Board of Directors and the Board of Statutory Auditors were renewed for the next three years (their mandate expiring on the date of the Shareholders Meeting held to approve the 2025 financial statements).
As an outcome of the vote, the following directors were appointed:

• majority list (representing Hera’s public shareholders agreement): Cristian Fabbri, Orazio Iacono, Gabriele Giacobazzi, Fabio Bacchilega, Gianni Bessi, Grazia Ghermandi, Alessandro Melcarne, Lorenzo Minganti, Milvia Mingozzi, Marina Monassi and Monica Mondardini
• minority lists: Francesco Perrini, Paola Gina Maria Schwizer, Alice Vatta, Bruno Tani.

The CVs of the new directors can be consulted at:
https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng/corporate-governance/board-of-directors

As regards the Board of Statutory Auditors, the following auditors were appointed:

• majority list (representing Hera’s public shareholders agreement): Marianna Girolomini, Antonio Gaiani (standing auditors), Susanna Giuriatti (alternate auditor)
• minority list: Myriam Amato (Chairman), Stefano Gnocchi (alternate auditor).

The CVs of the new auditors can be consulted at:
https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng/corporate-governance/board-of-statutory-auditors

Executive Chairman, Vice Chairman and CEO appointed

The inaugural meeting of Hera’s Board of Directors, appointed in the morning by the Shareholders Meeting, was held this afternoon in Bologna. The Board appointed the Chairman, Vice Chairman and CEO.
Cristian Fabbri, who has been with the company since 2006, was appointed Executive Chairman. Within the Group, he held positions involving increasing responsibilities before becoming Hera’s Central Market Director, CEO of Group subsidiaries Hera Comm and EstEnergy, and a member of the Boards of Directors of other Group companies.
Gabriele Giacobazzi was confirmed as (non-executive) Vice-Chairman, the role he has covered since 2020. President of the Association of Engineers, he has been a professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
Orazio Iacono was confirmed as CEO, the position he has held at Hera since May 2022. He previously worked at RFI and later Trenitalia, eventually acting as CEO and General Manager, a position he held until 2020. In 2021 he was Senior Advisor Oaktree Capital Management/PwC Italy and later became Chief Operating Officer Sustainable Infrastructures at Saipem.

Lastly, the Board of Directors thanked Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, whose term of office came to an end after more than 20 years at the helm of the Hera Group, for his fundamental contribution to the company’s growth.

“I am honored to have been appointed Executive Chairman of Hera and I thank the Shareholders and the Board of Directors for their trust - declared the new Executive Chairman of the Hera Group, Cristian Fabbri -. I have been working in this Group since its constitutive phases in 2002. In 21 years we have achieved ambitious growth and value creation goals by working to eliminate the carbon neutrality of our activities and those of our customers, the regeneration of resources and the resilience of the system of services in the area. Together with the CEO Orazio Iacono, all the management and employees, we will continue in this direction for the benefit of the local ecosystem, future generations, our customers and our shareholders. I take the baton from Dr. Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano who led the Hera group for 21 years in an uninterrupted growth path and who leaves a solid company ready to face new challenges and hit ambitious goals. Special thanks to him."

For further information
Press release
Shareholders’ Meeting 2023
Online Report FY2022
Online Sustainability Report 2022