Annual General Meeting approves all motions

The 11th Ordinary Annual General Meeting was attended by 63 shareholders, representing 74.61 percent of the company's total share capital.

The shareholders approved the annual report, the annual accounts and consolidated financial statements for 2015 and, in an advisory vote, the remuneration report for 2015. In addition, the Annual General Meeting also decided on the distribution of a total of CHF 2.00 per registered share. CHF 1.73 of this will be paid as a dividend from the capital contribution reserves. For the remaining CHF 0.27 per registered share, the meeting approved a capital reduction for purposes of nominal value repayment. The dividend payout ratio thus totals 32 percent of consolidated profit.

All the members of the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Management were granted discharge. Dr. Rudolf Huber was re-elected for a one-year term of office as a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Similarly confirmed in office and re-elected for a term of one year were Rudolf Hadorn, Marcella Looser-Paardekooper, Thomas Lozser, Dr. Christian Wenger and Paul Zumbühl.

Paul Zumbühl and Marcella Looser-Paardekooper were elected as members of the Remuneration Committee. The Annual General Meeting elected Dr. Matthias Forster, LLM, Partner, Lawyer and Public Notary, St. Gallen, as the independent proxy. The auditor, KPMG AG, St. Gallen, was confirmed for a further one year in office.

Similarly approved was the renewal of the authorised capital for two years up until 30 April 2018. Finally, the Annual General Meeting approved the maximum remuneration for the Board of Directors and Group Executive Management for the 2016 financial year.