UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant ☐ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☒
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| ☐ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
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| ☒ | Soliciting material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
William A. Ackman
Veronica M. Hagen
V. Paul Unruh
Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P.
PS Management GP, LLC
Pershing Square, L.P.
Pershing Square II, L.P.
Pershing Square International, Ltd.
Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.
Pershing Square VI Master, L.P.
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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On August 24, 2017, William A. Ackman sent the following letter to Carlos Rodriguez, President and CEO of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (“ADP”) and John P. Jones, Non-Executive Chairman of ADP:
August 24, 2017
Gentlemen,
As often happens in these types of situations, it appears that there have been misunderstandings over the past few weeks which unfortunately have clouded what should have been a productive relationship from the start. That was certainly our goal from the beginning. I am sure that you would agree that it would serve all stakeholders if we can put these issues behind us and focus on what is in the long-term best interests of ADP.
To that end, we look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and the rest of the board on Tuesday, September 5th and engaging in a productive and substantive discussion. In order to use the time efficiently, it would be helpful if you would identify any specific areas of interest the Board would like us to address in the meeting. We assume that the board will have already viewed our presentation. We look forward to addressing in detail any questions or concerns that the Board may have in order to facilitate a meaningful dialogue at and after our September 5th discussion.
We look forward to seeing you and the rest of the ADP Board on September 5th.
Sincerely,
/s/ William A. Ackman
William A. Ackman
CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS
Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P. (“Pershing Square”) and certain of its affiliated funds have filed a preliminary proxy statement and an accompanying proxy card with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) to be used to solicit proxies in connection with the upcoming annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (the “Company”) and the election of a slate of director nominees at the Annual Meeting (the “Solicitation”). Prior to the Annual Meeting, Pershing Square and certain of its affiliated funds intend to file with the SEC, and furnish to stockholders of the Company, a definitive proxy statement and accompany proxy card.
PERSHING SQUARE STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT, THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO SUCH PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS RELATED TO THE SOLICITATION WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING INFORMATION RELATING TO THE PERSONS WHO MAY BE DEEMED PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC’S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROXY SOLICITATION WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS WITHOUT CHARGE, WHEN AVAILABLE, UPON REQUEST. REQUESTS FOR COPIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE PARTICIPANTS’ PROXY SOLICITOR, D.F. KING & CO., INC., 48 WALL STREET, 22ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10005 (CALL COLLECT: (212) 269-5550; CALL TOLL FREE: (866) 342-1635) OR EMAIL: ADP@DFKING.COM.
William A. Ackman, Veronica M. Hagen, V. Paul Unruh, Pershing Square, PS Management GP, LLC, Pershing Square, L.P., Pershing Square II, L.P., Pershing Square International, Ltd., Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. and Pershing Square VI Master, L.P. may be deemed “participants” under SEC rules in the Solicitation. William A. Ackman, Pershing Square and PS Management may be deemed to beneficially own the equity securities of the Company described in Pershing Square’s statement on Schedule 13D initially filed with the SEC on August 7, 2017 (the “Schedule 13D”), as it may be amended from time to time. Except as described in the Schedule 13D, none of the individuals listed above has a direct or indirect interest, by security holdings or otherwise, in the Company or the matters to be acted upon, if any, in connection with the Annual Meeting.