AGM Intervention Planning
Once a year the board of every listed company must face its shareholders and answer their questions. One share gets you into the room. Use it to ask the directors, on the record, about what the company supplies to Israel's military and occupation.
- One share is enough
- Four question scripts
- 8 minute read
Get into the room
Own a share, or be someone's proxy
One share is enough. In the UK you must be on the register by the record date, usually two working days before the meeting. If you hold through an investment platform, ask it to appoint you as proxy or corporate representative so you can attend, speak and vote; many platforms offer this. Any shareholder can appoint you as their proxy (Companies Act 2006, s.324).
For online and hybrid meetings
You will need a log-in or control number. In the US, ask your broker for a legal proxy or control number well before the meeting.
Send your question in advance as well
Most companies accept written questions before the meeting. Shareholders of UK-listed companies have a right to have questions answered at the meeting (s.319A), so a question sent in advance is hard to ignore.
Come with others
Several shareholders asking linked questions are harder to dismiss than one. Agree who asks what, and in which order.
Ask a question they have to answer
Use the meeting's own rules. Wait to be called in the question session, give your name and say you are a shareholder.
Ask, do not speak. One fact, one question, under a minute. A precise question is harder to deflect than a speech.
Name the people. Say who is harmed: Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Then ask about the company.
Question scripts
Fill in the brackets from the company's profile. Address the question to the director whose job it is.
The Chair
Directors' duty to the company's reputation
"A UN Commission of Inquiry found in September 2025 that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. [Company] [describe the relationship, from its profile]. Directors must have regard to the company's reputation for high standards of business conduct. Has the board discussed this relationship, and what did it decide?"
The audit or risk committee chair
Risk oversight and legal advice
"Our risk disclosures do not mention [the relationship]. The International Court of Justice found in January 2024 a real and imminent risk to the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide, and ordered Israel to prevent them, and sanctions now reach serious violations of international humanitarian law. Has the committee taken legal advice on our exposure, and will it share its conclusion with shareholders?"
The Chief Executive
The company's own commitments
"Our human rights policy commits us to the UN Guiding Principles, which expect heightened due diligence where our products may contribute to serious abuses. What due diligence have we carried out on [the relationship], and when will shareholders see the results?"
The Chief Financial Officer
Financial exposure
"What revenue does [the relationship] bring, and have we assessed the cost if export licences are refused, sanctions are applied, or customers and investors end their relationships with us, as [precedent from the profile] did?"
They say
"Thank you. We note your concern. We comply with all applicable laws."
You say
"Thank you, Chair. To be clear for shareholders: has the board taken legal advice on this relationship, yes or no?"
Stay polite and stay seated when the Chair moves on. Stewards can remove anyone who disrupts the meeting, and a removal becomes the story instead of the answer. Follow the Code of Conduct.
Use the answer
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Ask for a written answer
Write to the company secretary the same day, repeat the question, and ask for the board's answer in writing.
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Publish an accurate account
Say what was asked and what was answered, or not. Report it exactly: "The board declined to say whether it has taken legal advice", not a claim the answer does not support.
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Write to the major shareholders
Send the question and the board's answer to the largest investors and ask how they will vote next time. See the investor coalition guide.
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Tell us what happened
Send the board's answer through the report form, so it goes on the company's profile.
Recording is usually banned at annual meetings: check the meeting rules, and never record covertly. Take notes instead, and ask for the minutes or the webcast.
Last updated: October 2026. This is campaign guidance, not legal advice.