The Board of Directors of Straumann Holding AG comprises eight non-executive members. Except for Marco Gadola and Petra Rumpf, no other Director has been a member of the company’s Executive Management during the past three years.
Independence of the Board of Directors
The Board strongly believes that its independence is important and in the best interest of all stakeholders. Having Board members with industry experience, who are familiar with stakeholder engagement, is an important ingredient for Straumann Group’s success. Being a predictable operator and a reliable business partner is key.
Straumann Board of Directors – Memberships on other boards
Board of Director – competence matrix
Executive experience | Finance, audit, risk management | Compliance, regulatory, legal | Capital Markets, M&A | Core industry experience (dental) | Transferable expertise in related industries | International business experience | Digitalization, technology | Strategy, business transfor-mation | HR, compensation | Board governance | Sustainability | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gilbert Achermann | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
Beat Lüthi | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||
Marco Gadola | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
Juan José Gonzalez | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||
Petra Rumpf | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
Thomas Straumann | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||
Nadia Tarolli Schmidt | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||
Regula Wallimann | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Board and committee meetings 2021
Meetings | Board (incl. 2 Board resolutions) | Audit & Risk Committee2 | Human Ressources & Compensation Committee2 |
Technology & Innovation Committee |
---|---|---|---|---|
G. Achermann | 8 (81) | 5 | 5 | 3 |
T. Straumann | 7 (81) | - | - | 3 |
M. Bourquin (until April 2021) | 1 (11) | 1 | 1 | - |
S. Burckhardt | 8 (81) | 5 | - | - |
M. Gadola | 8 (81) | - | - | 3 |
J.J. Gonzalez | 8 (81) | 4 | 4 | 1 |
B. Lüthi | 8 (81) | - | 5 | 3 |
R. Wallimann | 8 (81) | 5 | 5 | - |
P. Rumpf (since April 2021) | 7 (71) | 2 |
1 Meetings held during individual’s term of office
2 100% attendance of all Committee meetings by all Board members
Other activities and vested interests
Unless stated in their CVs or in the table above, none of the Directors:
- Performed any activities in governing or supervisory bodies of significant foreign or domestic organizations, institutions or foundations under private or public law
- Held any permanent management or consultancy position for significant domestic or foreign interest groups
- Held any official function or political post.
Permitted mandates outside Straumann (pursuant to Art. 12 OAEC)
Art. 4.4 of Straumann’s Articles of Association states that no member of the Board of Directors may perform more than 15 additional mandates (i.e. mandates in the highest-level governing body of a legal entity required to be registered in the Commercial Register or in a corresponding foreign register) in commercial enterprises, of which no more than five may be in listed companies.
The following are exempt from these restrictions:
- Mandates in enterprises that are controlled by the Group
- Mandates in enterprises that are performed at the instruction of the Group
- Mandates in associations, organizations and legal entities with a public or charitable purpose, and in foundations, trusts, and employee pension funds; no member of the Board of Directors may perform more than ten such mandates.
Mandates in several legal entities under common control or under the same economic authority are deemed as one mandate.
Working methods and allocation of tasks
The Board of Directors meets for one-day meetings at least five times a year and as often as business requires. In 2021, the full Board held eight meetings including two Board resolutions. The Audit and Risk Committee held five meetings, the Human Resources and Compensation Committee met five times and the Technology and Innovation Committee met three times. The CEO and CFO generally participate in Board meetings and are occasionally supported by other members of the Executive Management Board (EMB). Dr Andreas Meier, Chief Legal Officer of the Group, is responsible for the minutes. The Board of Directors consults external experts on specific topics where necessary.
Each Board of Directors meeting that took place in 2021 lasted seven hours on average. Each Board committee meeting that took place in 2021 lasted three hours on average. These figures indicate the actual length of meetings and do not include the Directors’ extensive pre-meeting preparations and post-meeting follow-up activities. The participation rate for meetings of the Board of Directors in 2021 was 98%. For Committee Meetings in 2021 it was 100%.
The Board of Directors usually also participates in workshops, conferences and trade shows, co-travel and site visits to have first-hand insights into the business and interact or meet with customers. However, in 2021 such activities were limited due to COVID-19. The Chairman of the Board regularly represents the Straumann Group as a speaker at conferences for customers and the financial community.
The Board conducts an annual self-evaluation as well as an evaluation of the performance of the EMB. It also provides mentoring to the EMB, with the aim of providing executives with an experienced sparring partner, coach and sounding board for testing ideas and seeking qualified independent opinions.
The Board of Directors has a quorum if a majority of its members is present. This does not apply to resolutions that require public notarization. Valid resolutions require a majority of the votes cast. In the event of a tie, the Chairman of the meeting has the decisive vote. The Board is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Group and its management, the supervision of the EMB and financial control. It reviews the company’s objectives and identifies opportunities and risks. In addition, it appoints and dismisses the CEO and members of the EMB. The tasks and duties of the Board, as well as those of the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, are listed in sections 4.2 and 4.3 of the Organizational Regulations.
Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors has an Audit & Risk Committee, a Human Resources & Compensation Committee, and a Technology & Innovation Committee, each consisting of no fewer than three Board members with relevant background and experience.
The members of the Human Resources & Compensation Committee are elected by the General Meeting for a term of one year. In the event of a vacancy in the Human Resources & Compensation Committee, the Board of Directors appoints the replacement from among its own members for the remaining term of office. The members and the chairpersons of both the Audit & Risk Committee and the Technology & Innovation Committee are appointed by the Board of Directors. The Human Resources & Compensation Committee constitutes itself.
The tasks of each of these committees are listed in their respective charters, which are attached to the Organizational Regulations. The Board of Directors may establish further committees or appoint individual members for specific tasks.
In addition to the above committees, the Board has established an Environmental, Social Corporate Governance (ESG) Task Force under the leadership of Petra Rumpf with members of the Board of Directors and Executive Management Board, as well as employees (see p. 40 of the Annual Report 2021 for details). The Sustainability Accelerator Taskforce will continue to be in place for 2022.
Additionally, the Audit and Risk Committee and the Human Resources and Compensation Committee (with focus on Social) will oversee ESG topics going forward.
Audit & Risk Committee
Members: Regula Wallimann (Chair), Nadia Tarolli Schmidt, Juan José Gonzalez
Human Resources & Compensation Committee
Members: Dr Beat Lüthi (Chair), Juan José Gonzalez, Nadia Tarolli Schmidt, Regula Wallimann
Technology & Innovation Committee
Members: Marco Gadola (Chair), Petra Rumpf, Dr h.c. Thomas Straumann
Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance (ESG) Task Force
Members: Petra Rumpf (Chair), Gilbert Achermann, Regula Wallimann
Assignment of responsibilities to the Executive Management Board
The Board of Directors has delegated responsibility for the operational management and sustainable development of the Group to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the other members of the EMB. For their specific responsibilities, see the operational structure and section 5 of the Organizational Regulations. The Board may revoke delegated duties at any time.
The Board of Directors has not delegated any management tasks to companies or persons outside the Group.