772 shareholders with 1’026'132 votes were present at the IWC Arena in Schaffhausen (Switzerland). The independent proxy represented 43'572'688 share votes. This presence corresponds to a total of 73.95% of the shares entered in the share register with voting rights.
The shareholders approved the annual financial statement and the consolidated financial statements 2023. In an advisory vote, shareholders also approved the compensation report and for the first time the Non-financial Reporting 2023. The proposed dividend of CHF 1.30 per share, unchanged from last year's level, was also approved and will be paid on 23 April 2024.
All Board members who were up for election were re-elected for a one-year term. Hubert Achermann, Vice-Chairman and Independent Lead Director retired from the Board upon reaching the regulatory age limit. Roger Michaelis did not stand for re-election due to GF’s 12-year limit on Board tenure. The Shareholder's Meeting elected Annika Paasikivi and Stefan Räbsamen as new members of the eight-member Board of Directors. It also confirmed Yves Serra as Chairman and elected Annika Paasikivi, Eveline Saupper and Michelle Wen as members of the Compensation Committee, with Eveline Saupper taking over as Chairwoman.
Eveline Saupper will also serve as Independent Lead Director and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors. The constitution of the Audit Committee and of the Nomination and Sustainability Committee was determined by the Board of Directors (see separate document).
