Why Hybrid Meetings Are Now the Governance Standard

For ASX-listed companies, the format of the Annual General Meeting is no longer a neutral operational choice. The regulatory environment has evolved, shareholder expectations have shifted, and hybrid meetings have moved from being a pandemic workaround to a mainstream governance standard. 

Today, the question is no longer whether hybrid AGMs are permitted, but whether issuers are meeting the expectations of regulators, industry bodies and shareholders by adopting them thoughtfully and effectively. 

The regulatory landscape has changed permanently 

Following permanent amendments to the Corporations Act, hybrid meetings are now an explicitly permitted and enduring format for listed companies. This clarity removed the temporary reliance on emergency relief and confirmed that hybrid AGMs are a legitimate long-term option, not a stopgap. 

ASIC has been equally clear on intent. The use of technology should enhance, not diminish shareholder participation, ensuring members can: 

• Attend in real time 
• Ask questions 
• Vote on resolutions 
• Engage meaningfully, regardless of location 

ASIC Chair Joe Longo has described hybrid AGMs as “a valuable opportunity to make member engagement more inclusive, efficient and flexible.” That framing is important: hybrid meetings are not about convenience for issuers; they are about fairness and accessibility for shareholders.  

Source: AGMs using technology. Joint guidance – June 2025 

Industry bodies and shareholders are aligned 

Support for hybrid AGMs is not limited to regulators. The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Governance Institute of Australia both recognise that well-designed hybrid meetings can materially improve engagement, provided they support genuine interaction rather than passive viewing. 

Similarly, the Australian Shareholders’ Association has noted that hybrid AGMs are increasingly expected, not exceptional. Shareholders are looking for: 

• Equitable treatment of in-person and online attendees 
• Transparent and timely voting outcomes 
• Effective chairing and well-managed Q&A 
• Evidence that engagement is prioritised over formality 

In this environment, credibility increasingly flows to issuers that demonstrate they are adapting governance practices to reflect how shareholders actually participate. 

The limits of physical-only meetings 

While physical AGMs remain familiar, they are showing their limitations in a modern shareholder environment. In practice, physical-only meetings often: 

• Restrict participation for geographically dispersed shareholders 
• Fall short of accessibility and inclusion expectations 
• Create avoidable reputational and engagement risk 
• Concentrate participation among a narrow cohort 

As shareholder bases become more diverse and digitally engaged, these constraints are becoming harder to justify. 

What hybrid meetings do better 

When delivered properly, hybrid meetings address these challenges while maintaining full governance rigour. 

Key benefits include: 

• Broader, more representative participation: Shareholders can engage regardless of geography, mobility or schedule. 
• Real-time equivalence: where online participants can vote and ask questions on the same basis as those in the room. 
• Stronger alignment with ESG and inclusion principles: Accessibility, fairness and transparency are increasingly viewed as core governance attributes. 
• Greater resilience: Hybrid formats reduce reliance on a single physical venue or set of logistics. 

Importantly, hybrid meetings do not replace in-person engagement, they extend it. 

Addressing the real concerns: control, complexity and confidence 

Despite regulatory clarity, hesitation around hybrid AGMs is common. In our experience, concerns are rarely about compliance. They are about: 

• Loss of control on the day 
• Managing live questions fairly 
• Increased operational complexity 
• The risk of something going wrong in public 

These are legitimate concerns, but they are not inherent to hybrid meetings. They are symptoms of fragmented delivery. 

How Automic supports confident hybrid AGMs 

Automic delivers end-to-end hybrid AGMs through a single, secure platform embedded within the investor portal. This integrated approach allows shareholders to do the following in one platform: 

• Watch the meeting live 
• Vote in real time 
• Access meeting materials 
• Submit questions 

For Company Secretaries and Chairs, this means: 

• Simplicity: one provider, one workflow, one point of accountability 
• Control: structured and moderated Q&A, clear visibility throughout the meeting 
• Predictability: fewer moving parts, clearer roles and proven processes 

The feedback we hear most often after hybrid AGMs is not about technology, it’s reassurance: 

“It ran smoothly.” 
“The Chair felt in control.” 
“We knew exactly what was happening at every stage.” 

Hybrid AGMs are no longer optional 

Hybrid meetings are now widely regarded as part of modern governance practice. They reflect how shareholders engage today and how regulators expect issuers to operate tomorrow. 

For listed companies, the question has shifted from “Should we run a hybrid AGM?” to “How do we run one well?”