Shareholders and participation rights

Significant shareholders

Changes of control

The company’s Articles of Incorporation contain an opting-up clause which stipulates that, in the event that the threshold at which an offer is required in accordance with the provisions of the Swiss Stock Exchange Act is exceeded, it shall be set at 49%. No clauses exist regulating a change of control in favour of members of the Board of Directors or Management Board.

Limitations on transferability of shares/voting rights and nominee registrations

Registration with voting rights is limited to 5% of the share capital. This limit applies both to individual investors and groups of shareholders, with the exception of the Canton of Zurich (limit = 49%) and the City of Zurich (limit = 10%). Other statutory registration limits apply to guarantee proof of Swiss control, should such proof be required by a special law or double taxation agreement. Nominees are exclusively registered as shareholders without voting rights. Exceptions to these registration limits may be granted by the Board of Directors at its discretion, specifically in association with contributions in kind, shareholdings, mergers and easing of tradability of shares on the stock market. No exceptions were granted during the reporting period. Limitations on transferability are set forth in Article 6 of the company’s Articles of Incorporation. They can be amended by a resolution of the General Meeting of Shareholders by a two-thirds majority of represented votes.

Participation rights at the General Meeting of Shareholders

Entries in the Share Register are normally made up to one week before the General Meeting of Shareholders. With respect to the convening of the General Meeting of Shareholders and the inclusion of items on the agenda, no rules in the Articles of Incorporation deviate from the statutory provisions. In accordance with Article 699 para. 3 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, shareholders representing shares with a par value of CHF 1.0 million may request that items be included on the agenda. In accordance with Article 12 para. 3 of the company’s Articles of Incorporation, the relevant requests must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors of the company together with proof of entitlement, an exact description of the requested item and a specifically formulated resolution proposal. Only requests that are received by the company in good time, i.e. at least 60 days before the General Meeting, can be considered.

In accordance with the company’s Articles of Incorporation, any shareholder may arrange to be represented at the General Meeting by another shareholder entered in the Share Register, who shall present a written power of attorney, or by an independent proxy. Members of the Board of Directors and Management Board may represent other shareholders provided this does not constitute institutionalised representation. In accordance with Article 14 para. 3 of the company’s Articles of Incorporation, the Board of Directors may draw up rules of procedure covering participation in and representation at the General Meeting of Shareholders and, in particular, make detailed provision for the issue of instructions to independent proxies. It shall ensure that the shareholders are also able to issue electronic powers of attorney and instructions to the independent proxy.

In accordance with the rules set out in the Articles of Incorporation, resolutions of the General Meeting of Shareholders are generally passed by a majority of the votes cast. In addition to those defined in Article 704 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, a qualified majority as defined in the code is required for the following cases: