Ackermans & Van Haaren NV (ACKB) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Dear shareholders, a warm welcome from these magnificently renovated offices at Delen Private Bank. I'm extremely proud of the absolute record result of EUR 407 million coming out of the pandemic so strongly. All cylinders are firing strongly as all segments have contributed to this increase of our results. Our 2 banks, Delen Private Bank and Bank Van Breda, remained the biggest profit engine of the group. Thanks to the continued trust of our clients, inflows have amounted to almost EUR 5.6 billion. Total assets under management rose to almost EUR 64 billion. Our banks remain amongst the most focused, the most cost efficient and the best capitalized onshore private banks in Europe. DEME has been able to increase its order book to a record level of EUR 5.9 billion. This performance illustrates the strength of the current cycle, strong marine infrastructure markets worldwide, amongst other, in battling climate change. The offshore wind market has evolved from a European to a worldwide market, whereby DEME has solidified its market leadership by winning the first 2 big U.S. offshore wind projects. Therefore, DEME continues to expand its fleet with the addition of the world's strongest cutter, Spartacus, and the soon-to-be delivered crane vessel, Orion. DEME also believes that its expertise in renewable energy offers a head start to become one of the first producers of green hydrogen. The split of CFE into a separate listing for its construction and real estate activities and for DEME will allow the market to better appreciate the tremendous growth and value creation opportunities for both entities. Same way, the merger of Leasinvest and Extensa into Nextensa creates a strongly capitalized mixed real estate development and investment company with the capacity of generating recurring growing profits from sustainable inner city real estate projects and investments. We want to further grow our investments, promoting a more sustainable food and agriculture environment. SIPEF was able to grow its production of traceable, sustainable and certified palm oil by almost 17%, whereby palm oil prices were on rise throughout the year. Most of our growth capital investments, such as Mediahuis, Manuchar, Turbo's Hoet and OMP also showed strong increase of their operational results. In addition, we continue to invest with a focus on sustainable logistics, life sciences and health care, and further strengthening our presence in India and Southeast Asia. When the sale of Manuchar will be closed in the second quarter of 2022, AvH will have more than EUR 200 million of net cash to continue to invest. We want to be your partner for sustainable growth, with a focus on ESG compliant businesses, battling climate change and contributing to a transition to a low-carbon economy, developing innovative health care solutions, promoting a more sustainable food and agri environment, providing advanced digital solutions and being a prudent wealth manager for our private clients. The strong AvH culture and values, the enthusiasm, dedication and agility of our management teams and our 22,670 colleagues, our strong balance sheets and our focused strategy make me confident that the outlook for 2022 and beyond remains strong. After our May general assembly, I will be passing on the torch as CEO, Chairman of the Executive Committee, to the new co-CEOs, Piet Dejonghe and John-Eric Bertrand. It has been a privilege to work with all these amazing entrepreneurs within the AvH Group for almost 32 years and to lead its transformation for the last 6 years. Whilst the world is facing health, environmental as well as equality challenges, in addition to the more recent geopolitical tensions, I remain profoundly optimistic about the long-term opportunities. Our entrepreneurial spirit is nicely reflected by the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "Go for the moon. If you don't reach it, you'll still be heading for a start. Happiness lies in the joy of achievement, but even more so, the thrill of creative efforts." Thank you. Stay safe, and take care of your loved ones.