
OWNERS
Shareholders of Dr. Martens
plc, be they large institutional
investors, employees, private
individuals or our largest single
investor, IngreLux S.Ã r.L.
All Dr. Martens employees
globally, whether based
in our own stores, offices,
distribution centres or
factories.
Why we engage
• Ourshareholdersarethe
ownersofourCompany.
Engagingwiththemisan
essentialandongoingprocess
fortheBoardandanimportant
meansthroughwhichit
dischargesitsdutyunder
Section172oftheCompanies
Act2006,conductedthrough
arangeofchannels.
• Understandingourinvestors’
prioritiesandensuringwe
maintainclearandopen
dialogueisanimportantpart
ofbeingalistedbusiness.
How the Company engages
• OurInvestorRelations
functionisfocusedonongoing,
openengagementwithour
shareholdersthroughregular
meetingsandinvestor
roadshows,includingone-to-
onemeetingswithourlargest
institutionalshareholders,
investorgroupmeetingsand
meetingswithprospective
investors.
• Managementand,where
appropriate,Non-Executive
Directorsregularlymeetwith
institutionalshareholders
followingresultsandatotherkey
juncturesduringtheyear.
• TheDirectorofInvestor
Relationsisresponsiblefor
investorengagementand
ensuringthattheBoardiskept
apprisedofinvestors’views.
• Regularin-depthfeedbackon
investorviewsprovideddirectly
andbyourcorporatebrokers,
followingresults,meetings,
conferencesandteach-inevents.
• Tradingupdatesannounced
viatheLondonStockExchange
RegulatoryNewsServicein
additiontoourhalfandfull
yearresults.
Metrics
• Atotalof141investormeetings
covering111separatefirmsin
FY24,77ofwhichwere
attendedbyatleastoneofthe
ChiefExecutiveOfficer,Chief
FinancialOfficerorChairman.
• Regularqualitativefeedback
receivedfrominvestors
followingresultsandotherkey
announcements.
• Movementsinourshareregister
andsharepriceanalysis
reportedtotheBoard.
• Majorinstitutionalinvestorsand
proxyadvisoryfirmsconsulted
inrespectoftheCompany’s
draftnewRemunerationPolicy.
Outcomes
• Regulardialoguewithinvestors
throughouttheyearenabled
investorstodiscussquestions
andconcernsdirectly.
• Allresolutionspassedatthe
2023AGMwithatleast91.84%
ofvotesinfavourandover78%
oftotalvotingcapitalinstructed.
• A‘ProductTeach-in’eventheld
toprovideinvestorswiththe
chancetoengagewithour
product,sustainabilityand
marketingteams,givinga
deep-diveinsightintothe
strategyineachareaandlatest
productinnovations.
OUR PEOPLE
Why we engage
• Regular,high-qualityengagement
withourpeopledriveshigh
performanceandawillingnessto
goaboveandbeyondatalllevels
oftheorganisation,startingfrom
theverytop.
• Engagingwithourpeopleallows
thebusiness’sleadershipteamsto
measurethe‘moodmusic’ofthe
organisationthroughconstructive,
two-waydialoguetounderstand
whatisworkingwellandtoidentify
areasforimprovement.
• Touniteourpeople,creatinga
senseofbelongingwhichinturn
promotescollaborationacross
thebusinessandourunique
cultureandvalues.
• Toattractandretainthekey
talentrequiredtohelpusdeliver
ourDOCSstrategy.
How the Company engages
• OurglobalEngagementand
InclusionSurveyisdistributed
toallemployeesannuallyand
providesvaluableinsightinto
theirexperienceofworkingat
Dr. Martens.
• ‘OnBrand’,themonthlyblog
sharedwiththeglobalbusiness
byourCBO,IjeNwokorie,
providesemployeeswithregular
insightsintohisprioritiesand
theactivitiesofourBrand
functions,includinghighlights
fromkeyprojects,inan
engaging,digestibleformat.
• Ourquarterlyemployee
magazine,‘OnAir’,provides
newsfromacrossthebusiness
andisdeliveredbyemailand
inofficetoouremployees.
• GlobalandregionalTownHalls
keepemployeesupdatedon
businessdevelopments,share
insightintokeyinitiativesand
provideopportunitiestoask
questionsoftheGlobal
LeadershipTeam(GLT).
• Teameventsareencouraged
tocreateopportunitiesfor
peopletoconnectandtoshape
individualteamprioritiesand
alignourpeoplebehindthe
widerstrategy.
Metrics
• 92%responseratetothe
FY24Engagementand
InclusionSurvey.
• Atargetscoreforour
EngagementandInclusion
Surveyisastrategicbonus
targetfortheGlobal
ManagementTeamandSenior
ManagementTeam,linking
effectiveengagementwiththe
potentialremunerationofthe
Company’smostseniorleaders.
• 1,584ofourpeople
communicatedwiththe
business’sHRfunctionsusing
Menti,adigitalfeedbacktool.
Outcomes
• RegularGroupTownHalls
establishedinFY24tobring
supportinggroupfunctions
together,mirroringthesetup
ofourregions.
• ‘SpeakUp’policygoverning
internalwhistleblowing
proceduresrefreshedandrolled
outglobally.
• ‘WebinarWednesdays’offer
onlinesessionsonarange
oftopicstoassistourpeople
indevelopingtheirskillsand
knowledge.
• AGroupsocialcommitteewas
established,servingtheLondon
andCobbsLaneofficesinthe
UK.
• Amonthly‘InsideTracks’
newsletterwaslaunchedin
theUSA.
• InAPACleadersconducteda
holisticorganisationassessment
fromwhichseveralhighimpact
actionsweretakentoenhance
people’sengagementincluding
connectionforumsandrobust
communicationcadence.
STRATEGIC REPORT
19DR. MARTENS PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2024