All resolutions were approved at SGS's Annual General Meeting, including the appointment of Calvin Grieder to Chairman of the Board and Sami Atiya and Tobias Hartmann to the Board of Directors.

  • All proposals of the Board of Directors approved
  • Calvin Grieder confirmed as Chairman of the SGS Board of Directors; all other Board members standing for re-election confirmed
  • Sami Atiya and Tobias Hartmann joined the SGS Board
  • Chairman Peter Kalantzis and Luitpold von Finck did not stand for re-election

In view of exceptional circumstances, and in full compliance with the COVID-19 Ordinance 2 of the Swiss Federal Council amended on March 16, our Annual General Meeting took place without the physical attendance of shareholders, who received prior communication to this effect.

The Management Report, the Financial Statements and the Consolidated Financial Statements for 2019 were approved. All proposals for the remuneration report were approved by shareholders.

Shareholders approved the proposed appropriation of available earnings and approved the dividend for the past financial year to CHF 80 per share.

Calvin Grieder was confirmed as Chairman of the Board of Directors. A Swiss national born in the USA, his career spans 40 years during which he held important positions with best-in-class Swiss and German companies in the areas of automation and telecommunication. During the last 15 years, he led the engineering group Bühler and since 2017 is serving as Chairman of the Board at Givaudan in Geneva, the world's largest producer of flavors and fragrance.

Peter Kalantzis, Chairman of SGS's Board of Directors, said: 'With today's nomination of Calvin Grieder, we are delighted to welcome an accomplished industry leader as SGS's new Chairman. Calvin Grieder's wealth of business experience, his impressive leadership record and his winning personality are a great asset for SGS. He is well positioned to lead SGS into a successful future.'

Calvin Grieder told us: 'As a leading player in the TIC industry, SGS plays a pivotal role in providing customers the trust they are seeking in today's complex world. I look forward to working together with the Board and Management team to continue building momentum for the next chapter in the company's rich history.'

Also announced today, the election of two new independent Board members; Sami Atiya is President of ABB's Robotics and Discrete Automation business and a member of ABB's Group Executive Committee. Previously, he held various senior roles at Siemens in Germany and the USA including CEO of the Mobility and Logistics division as well as in other technology and healthcare companies. Sami Atiya is specialized in robotics, sensors and artificial intelligence. Tobias Hartmann, CEO of Scout24, an operator of digital marketplaces, brings more than 20 years of experience in start-up, turnaround, high growth and long-term growth management with focus on digital and e-commerce solutions. As an expert in digital businesses, he has held leadership positions with B2B and B2C companies in the US and Germany and spent several years working for eBay Inc.

All other Board members who stood for re-election were confirmed for a term of one year ending on the date of the 2021 Annual General Meeting:

  • Paul Desmarais, jr.
  • August François von Finck
  • Ian Gallienne
  • Cornelius Grupp
  • Gérard Lamarche
  • Shelby R. du Pasquier
  • Kory Sorenson

Shareholders also approved the 2019 Remuneration Report and, as required by Swiss law on Say on Pay, approved the remuneration of the Board until the next Annual General Meeting, the variable compensation of the Senior Management team in relation to the 2019 performance and granted a maximum envelope for the fixed remuneration of the management team for the year 2021.

For further information, please contact:

Investors: Toby Reeks
Investor Relations
t: +41 79 641 83 02

Media: Daniel Rufenacht
Corporate Communications and Sustainability
t: +41 78 656 94 59

www.sgs.com

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 94,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.

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SGS SA published this content on 24 March 2020 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 24 March 2020 14:07:01 UTC