3 Principles of Compensation
Compensation of the Executive Committee is awarded on a performance- and results-related basis. Alongside a fixed base salary, the compensation also comprises a variable annual performance-related component in cash (STI) and a long-term, share-based component (LTI) aligned to long-term corporate goals, thus covering the interests of shareholders and management:
- Compensation must be appropriate for and in line with the company’s values. These values foster a balanced approach to risk and opportunity with regard to the short- and long-term success of the company.
- Total compensation levels should be attractive and in line with market practice for comparable positions in similar companies.
- Compensation is based on the responsibilities of the role, the skill set required to be successful in the role and on the individual profile of the executive.
- A portion of compensation is linked to ambitious business performance and to the achievement of individual targets.
When determining the target compensation of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee, the level of compensation paid by other international industrial companies based in Switzerland is taken into consideration, insofar as these companies are comparable in terms of complexity, size (market capitalization, revenue, number of employees) and geographical reach.
For this purpose, the compensation of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee is periodically reviewed on the basis of compensation studies conducted by third party providers, or publicly available data such as the compensation disclosure in the annual reports of the relevant companies.
The financial performance of the company and the relevant businesses, as well as the achievement of individual objectives determined within the annual goal-setting process, influence the compensation effectively paid out to the Group CEO and the other members of the Executive Committee in a given year. In addition, the Board of Directors considers the overall economic and market environment and their impact on business performance, and any special factors as well as additional aspects relevant to individuals.
The compensation awarded to the Board of Directors is aligned to the market situation and the specific responsibilities. In order to guarantee independent supervision, the compensation awarded to Board members does not contain a performance-related component. However, approximately 50% of the compensation is awarded in the form of restricted shares.