Representatives of the owner granted the Board of Directors restricted discharge at the General Meeting of Swiss Post Ltd on 26 June 2018. At the request of the Board of Directors, the incidents in connection with unlawful subsidy payments at PostBus are excluded from the discharge. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Urs Schwaller, announced the results of the independent investigation in the middle of June.

Financial statements and management report approved

Swiss Post has fulfilled the strategic goals of the Federal Council for the year 2017. The owner has approved the Swiss Post financial statements, consolidated financial statements and management report. Swiss Post has already made provisions for the repayment of compensatory payments which were unlawfully received for regional passenger transport. Swiss Post will pay back the money it owes in full to the injured parties, under the oversight of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT). From the profit of 457 million Swiss francs that it achieved in 2017, 200 million Swiss francs will in turn be passed back to the Confederation as a dividend. The auditing firm KPMG was re-elected as the statutory auditors for the year 2018. For the 2019 financial year, the statutory auditors will change, as the Federal Council announced on 11 June 2018.

Peter Hug to succeed Andreas Schläpfer

Peter Hug will succeed Andreas Schläpfer, who is stepping down from the Swiss Post Board of Directors on account of his age. Andreas Schläpfer has been on the Board of Directors since 2009 and was previously Vice-Chairman. He chaired the Board of Directors’ Investment, Mergers & Acquisitions Committee (IMAC), which was newly created in 2010. During his chairmanship, numerous strategically important projects for Swiss Post were implemented. The Board of Directors would like to thank Andreas Schläpfer for his valuable work, which contributed significantly to the realignment of Swiss Post. His successor, Peter Hug (born in 1958, from Stein in the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden) is a political scientist and has many years of international experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Hug is currently a member of the global pharmaceutical leadership team at Hoffmann-La Roche.

Adriano Vassalli and Susanne Blank resign

In connection with the publication of the enquiry reports about PostBus, Adriano P. Vassalli and Susanne Blank resigned from their positions at the General Meeting on 26 June 2018. Vassalli had been Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors at Swiss Post Ltd since 2010 and had chaired the Board of Directors' Committee for Audit, Risk & Compliance. Previously, Vassalli had been Member of the Board of Directors at PostFinance Ltd. Susanne Blank was the human resources representative on the Board of Directors at Swiss Post Ltd over a period of ten years. From 2010 until the middle of 2014, she was a member of the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee. Since that time, she had been a member of the Organization, Nomination & Remuneration Committee. By stepping down voluntarily, Susanne Blank wishes to stop the incorrect speculation and enable Swiss Post to make a fresh start. Urs Schwaller, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “I would like to thank Adriano Vassalli and Susanne Blank for their many years of service and their dedication in the interest of the company. I wish both of them all the best for the future.”

New upper limits for remuneration

The General Meeting passed the following upper limits on remuneration for the 2019 financial year:

• The total amount of fees for the Board of Directors (incl. the Chair) may not exceed 1.09 million Swiss francs.
• The total amount of fees for the Chair of the Board of Directors may not exceed 255,000 Swiss francs.
• The total value of remuneration for Executive Management (incl. the CEO) is capped at a maximum of 6.1 million Swiss francs.

The amounts are based on current figures and obligations. The owner would in future like to see greater restraint shown in the remuneration of top management at enterprises affiliated with the Confederation. Even in 2019, at the request of the owner, the agreed ceiling for the remuneration of Executive Management should not be reached.

Information:

Léa Wertheimer, Media Spokesperson, 058 341 08 84, presse@swisspost.ch