As business trips go – Rio in August 2016 is not a bad destination or dateline. Although I know very well that Team Lumi has been working hard out there, I couldn’t help but feel some envy when I saw this photo of them soaking up the atmosphere.
No, they’ve not been competing, but overseeing the adoption of a Lumi e-voting system for a very prestigious body connected with the summer games. It’s a bespoke version of our AGM solution, which includes a smartcard, issued on registration. This assigns each attendee their correct voting rights. It’s secure – and fast, so there’s no delay, which is particularly important if the meeting can’t proceed until the results of voting are known.
This set me thinking how this kind of device is growing in importance in an age where security must be balanced with transparency and auditability, but also flexibility. Although for this particular meeting at this particular time, Rio was the only place in the world to be – this isn’t always the case for a routine gathering or even an AGM. Globalisation is making it increasingly difficult to get busy business people in the same room at the same time.
Jimmy Choo, the British luxury brand specialising in shoes and accessories has recently used our new AGM mobile platform for this very reason – the UK’s first electronic AGM held by a listed company.
Shareholders across the globe were able to take part, asking questions and voting on resolutions using the platform. This could be downloaded onto any smartphone or tablet, or reached via a PC browser, with access protected by a secure authentication process.
This is a long way from the blood, sweat and medals in Brazil, but a timely reminder of the hard work and innovation that goes on behind the scenes of every big show or successful business brand.
Meanwhile, the Lumi team should enjoy their Caipirinhas – in our view they deserve a gold…