Gazprom commends its investor and shareholder efforts

It was previously noted that strengthening and developing long term and constructive co-operation with the Gazprom investment community was essential for several reasons. Reasons included: boosting the company’s investment attractiveness, increasing its market capitalisation, and lowering the cost of its borrowings.

Gazprom continues its efforts for greater openness and transparency though actions such as arranging regular conference calls for investors and shareholders and holding meetings both in Russia and countries where many of its existing and potential investors are based.

The company also engages by organising study visits to its industrial and infrastructure facilities. During a visit to the Chayandinskoye field and the Power of Siberia gas pipeline site in 2016, the company expanded the format of co-operation by holding a thematic roundtable that involved Gazprom’s executives and professionals, independent international experts and over 60 investors and analysts.

The number of meetings involving Gazprom’s representatives and investors continues to grow. The number of meetings of this kind increased by 25% in 2016 compared to 2015.

Thanks to direct and systematic communication, the company has been able to promptly furnish financial market participants with relevant and correct information regarding important developments about Gazprom’s businesses. The success of this practice is demonstrated by the fact that investors and shareholders show persistent interest in meeting with Gazprom’s executives and give optimistic estimates of the prospects for investing in the company’s securities.

The Investor Day is one of Gazprom’s key annual events. In 2017, it was the second time that the Investor Day was held successfully in Singapore and Hong Kong. The aforementioned venues were chosen in view of Gazprom’s extensive efforts at diversifying its investor pool and financing sources in the Asia Pacific region.

Gazprom is paying great attention to improving its corporate governance practices. In 2016, as resolved by the board of directors, the company created a Corporate Secretary unit, established a Nomination and Remuneration Committee, and elected a new Audit Committee chaired by an independent director. Independent directors hold two of the three seats in both committees.

In January 2017, the Moscow Exchange confirmed that Gazprom had fulfilled all of the quality requirements for corporate governance to retain its position on the top tier quotation list.

Gazprom is committed to promoting efficient dialogue with the investment community. The company will continue to strengthen its co-operation with investors in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, and other regions, as well as with participants of international debt markets, to explore the ways of improving its dividend policy, and to increase the transparency and quality of its corporate governance practices.