Chairman’s message
"VINCI has never been better poised to build its future"
More than 240,000 individual shareholders (at 31 December 2007) have chosen to support the development of VINCI, the world's leading integrated concession-construction group. This is very gratifying and I thank you for your support.
More than 8,000 individual shareholders also keep abreast of the latest news of our Group as members of our Shareholders' Club. The Club is designed to enable VINCI to build a special long-term relationship with you based on dialogue, sharing, transparency and trust. It also gives me an opportunity to regularly meet with you. I will, moreover, be going to several French cities this year to present the Group at meetings with shareholders.
Our performance in 2007 was very good and the outlook is excellent for all our business lines in 2008. We want to share these results with all those who sustain and support us. For this reason, we have decided to raise the amount of our dividend so as to distribute 50% of the profit this year.
VINCI has never been better poised to build its future – and this despite a less favourable international economic and financial environment. Our Group is now a world benchmark in its business lines. In France, in Europe and in the world as a whole, demand for infrastructure (roads, railroads, inland waterways, energy, etc.) is substantial and increasing. New forms of financing, such as public-private partnerships, are being introduced. Our Group has every reason to be optimistic.
I look forward to meeting you again this year and I wish to again thank you for confidence you have expressed in the VINCI Group
Yves-Thibault de Silguy
Chairman of the Board