Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders
The Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders will be held in accordance with Article 12 ff of the Articles of Association and Article 27 of the Ordinance 3 on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Tuesday May 24, 2022 at 10:00 a.m., in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
In accordance with Article 27 of the Ordinance 3 on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the Board of Directors has decided again to hold the Ordinary General Meeting without the physical presence of the shareholders. The Ordinary General Meeting will be limited to the statutory meeting with a reduced number of executive bodies, employees of the company and the independent voting rights representative. Regarding the possibility to grant powers of attorney and instructions to the independent voting rights representative, please refer to the section "Organizational Notes" in the lower part of this page.
Electronic voting instructions to the independent voting rights representative:
For holders of registered and bearer shares https://swatchgroup.shapp.ch
The electronic voting instructions must be submitted by Sunday, May 22, 2022, 11:59 p.m. (CEST) at the latest.
Agenda
1. Annual Report 2021
1.1 Annual Report of the Board of Directors for 2021
1.2 Financial Statements 2021 (Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Notes) and Consolidated Financial Statements 2021
1.3 Statutory Auditors' Reports
1.4 Approval of the said Reports and the Financial Statements
After reviewing the reports of the Statutory Auditors, the Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves the Annual Report 2021 (Annual Report, Financial Statements and Consolidated Financial Statements).
2. Discharge of the Board of Directors and the Group Management Board
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting discharges all members of the Board of Directors and the Group Management Board for their activities during the business year 2021.
3. Resolution for the appropriation of the available earnings
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting appropriates the available earnings of CHF 510'118'010.42 (net income as of December 31, 2021
- Dividend on share capital of CHF 117'719'775.00 | ||
CHF 1.10 per registered share with a par value of CHF 0.45 | CHF | 128'611'450.00 |
CHF 5.50 per bearer share with a par value of CHF 2.25 | CHF | 159'148'000.00 |
- Allocation to special reserve | CHF | 200'000'000.00 |
- Balance carried forward | CHF | 22'358'560.42 |
Total | CHF | 510'118'010.42 |
The precise total amount of dividend payment depends on the number of shares outstanding and eligible to receive a dividend on May 25, 2022. The group does not pay dividends on shares held by the group.
The dividend will be paid out as from May 31, 2022. The last trading day giving rise to a dividend entitlement is May 25, 2022. As from May 27, 2022, the shares will be traded ex-dividend.
4. Approval of Compensation
4.1 Fixed compensation of the members of the Board of Directors
4.1.1 Compensation for functions of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves a total amount of maximum CHF 1'030'000 (excluding employer’s share of social benefits) as fixed compensation for functions of the members of Board of Directors for the period from the Ordinary General Meeting 2022 until the next Ordinary General Meeting 2023.
4.1.2 Compensation for executive functions of the members of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves a total amount of maximum CHF 2'550'000 (excluding employer’s share of social benefits) as fixed compensation for executive functions of the members of the Board of Directors for the business year 2022.
4.2 Fixed compensation of the members of the Executive Group Management Board and of the Extended Group Management Board for the business year 2022
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves a total amount of maximum CHF 5'700'000 (excluding employer’s share of social benefits) as fixed compensation of the members of the Executive Group Management Board and of the Extended Group Management Board for the business year 2022.
4.3 Variable compensation of the executive members of the Board of Directors for the business year 2021
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves a total amount of CHF 7'187'400 (excluding employer’s share of social benefits) as variable compensation of the executive members of the Board of Directors for the business year 2021.
4.4 Variable compensation of the members of the Executive Group Management Board and the Extended Group Management Board for the business year 2021
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves a total amount of CHF 15'318'975 (excluding employer’s share of social benefits) as variable compensation of the members of the Executive Group Management Board and the Extended Group Management Board for the business year 2021.
5. Election of the members of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting reelects Ms. Nayla Hayek, Mr. Ernst Tanner, Ms. Daniela Aeschlimann, Mr. Georges N. Hayek, Mr. Claude Nicollier and Mr. Jean-Pierre Roth as member of the Board of Directors for another term of office, which will end for all Directors with the closure of the next Ordinary General Meeting. The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting reelects Ms. Nayla Hayek as Chair of the Board of Directors for another term of office, which will end with the closure of the next Ordinary General Meeting.
5.1 Reelection of Ms. Nayla Hayek
5.2 Reelection of Mr. Ernst Tanner
5.3 Reelection of Ms. Daniela Aeschlimann
5.4 Reelection of Mr. Georges N. Hayek
5.5 Reelection of Mr. Claude Nicollier
5.6 Reelection of Mr. Jean-Pierre Roth
5.7 Reelection of Ms. Nayla Hayek as Chair of the Board of Directors
6. Election to the Compensation Committee
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting reelects Ms. Nayla Hayek, Mr. Ernst Tanner, Ms. Daniela Aeschlimann, Mr. Georges N. Hayek, Mr. Claude Nicollier and Mr. Jean-Pierre Roth as member of the Compensation Committee for another term of office, which will end with the closure of the next Ordinary General Meeting.
6.1 Reelection of Ms. Nayla Hayek
6.2 Reelection of Mr. Ernst Tanner
6.3 Reelection of Ms. Daniela Aeschlimann
6.4 Reelection of Mr. Georges N. Hayek
6.5 Reelection of Mr. Claude Nicollier
6.6 Reelection of Mr. Jean-Pierre Roth
7. Election of the Independent Representative
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting elects Mr. Bernhard Lehmann, P.O. Box, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland, as independent voting rights representative for one term of office, which will end with the closure of the next Ordinary General Meeting.
8. Election of the Statutory Auditors
The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting elects PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd as Statutory Auditors for another term of office, which will end with the closure of the next Ordinary General Meeting.
Neuchâtel and Biel/Bienne, April 19, 2022
Sincerely,
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
N. Hayek
Chairwoman
ORGANIZATIONAL NOTES
Electronic designation of and instructions to the independent voting rights representative: Holders of registered and bearer shares may also electronically designate and give proxy voting instructions to the independent voting rights representative. The login-site is www.swatchgroup.com/gm. For the holders of registered shares the individual login data are available on the form “Proxy voting and instructions”. The holders of bearer shares will receive the login data after the submission of the custodian confirmation or bank statement declaring that the shares are blocked directly, or in case the bank does not disclose the names of its clients, indirectly through your custodian bank. The possibility to vote electronically must be executed until Sunday, May 22, 2022, 11:59 p.m. (CEST), at the latest.
Annual Report: The Annual Report 2021 with Financial Statements 2021, the Reports of the Statutory Auditors as well as the Consolidated Financial Statements 2021, the Compensation Report and the Board of Directors' proposal for the appropriation of available earnings will be accessible to the shareholders as from May 3, 2022 at the company’s registered office in Neuchâtel (Address: Swatch Group Pension Fund, Faubourg de l'Hôpital 3, Neuchâtel, Switzerland), at the site of the offices on Faubourg du Lac 6 in Biel/Bienne and on the internet site www.swatchgroup.com/annual_report. The Annual Report 2021 (incl. Compensation Report) together with the Sustainability Report 2021 will be sent to the shareholders upon request. Please tick the corresponding box on form “Proxy voting and voting instructions” if you wish to receive the Annual Report and the Sustainability Report.
Shareholder’s gift: Only shareholders of registered and bearer shares with the right to vote and appointing the independent voting rights representative as proxy in writing or electronically will receive the shareholder’s gift by post to their address in Switzerland after the General Meeting. No shareholder’s gift will be delivered to an address abroad.
(Only the German version is legally binding.)
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