AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, April 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Annual General Meeting of Shareholders Wolters Kluwer. Wolters Kluwer, one of the world's leading publishers and providers of information products and services, announced today that the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM), held in Amsterdam, approved the financial statements for 2004, the proposed dividend, and the Supervisory Board appointments. At the Meeting in the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, Ms. Nancy McKinstry, Chairman of the Executive Board, addressed the shareholders with a presentation on the results for 2004, her view on the first full year of implementation of the three-year strategy, and Wolters Kluwer's vision to be The Professional's First Choice. Nancy McKinstry commented in her presentation: "In 2004, we made progress on all fronts in the transformation of Wolters Kluwer. Importantly, top line revenue growth was restored to the Company, reversing the negative revenue trend of prior years. This momentum will set the stage for stronger growth in 2005, the second year of our three-year strategy, and we will deliver stronger organic growth."
The presentation by the Chairman of the Executive Board to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders is available on www.wolterskluwer.com.
Dividend Wolters Kluwer will pay a dividend of Eur0.55 (2003: Eur0.55) per ordinary share in cash. Shareholders and depositary receipt holders can also choose to take their dividend in the form of ordinary shares or depositary receipts for ordinary shares. The stock dividend will be determined on April 25, 2005 (after the close of trading). The dividend will be made payable as from April 27, 2005. For more information see www.wolterskluwer.com.
Supervisory Board Ms. A.J. Frost (1957, British), member of the Supervisory Board of Wolters Kluwer nv, has been reappointed at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.
Mr. P.N. Wakkie has been appointed as a new member of the Supervisory Board of Wolters Kluwer nv, at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Mr. Wakkie (1948, Dutch) is Chief Corporate Governance Counsel and member of the Executive Board of Royal Ahold nv since November 2003. Mr. Wakkie has broad expertise in the fields of Dutch and international legal matters, corporate governance and regulations, as well as knowledge of, and experience with, many Wolters Kluwer products.
A report on the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders will shortly be available on www.wolterskluwer.com.
The Wolters Kluwer 2004 Annual Report is available online (English), on CD-ROM (English), and in print (English and Dutch). Please visit www.wolterskluwer.com/2004annualreport or order a copy at info@wolterskluwer.com.
About Wolters Kluwer: Wolters Kluwer is a leading multinational publisher and information services company. The Company's core markets are spread across the health, corporate services, finance, tax, accounting, law, regulation, and education sectors. Wolters Kluwer has annual revenues (2004) of Eur3.3 billion, employs approximately 18,400 people worldwide and maintains operations across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its depositary receipts of shares are quoted on the Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices.
Media Caroline Wouters Vice President, Corporate Communications t + 31 (0)20 60 70 459 press@wolterskluwer.com
Investors/Analysts Oya Yavuz Vice President, Investor Relations t + 31 (0)20 6070 407 ir@wolterskluwer.com