Members of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Investis Holding SA consists of the following four members:

All terms expire at the next regular Annual General Meeting. The curricula vitae of the individual Board members can also be found under Investis BoD Portrait.

With the exception of Stéphane Bonvin all members of the Board of Directors are independent directors.

Riccardo Boscardin

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Non-executive member
Member of the Compensation Committee
Member of the Audit Committee
Swiss citizen, born in 1952 and currently residing in Bottmingen

Riccardo Boscardin was Head of the Global Real Estate Switzerland division of UBS from 2002 to 2014, and Head of the Global Customised Client Mandates division of UBS from 2011 until 2014. Before that he was Head of Consulting and Portfolio Management at Serimo AG between 1997 and 2002 and served as Chief Executive Officer of the real estate fund companies Himac AG and Serimo Immobiliendienste AG, both subsidiaries of Schweizerischer Bankverein, from 1988 to 1997. Riccardo Boscardin has been predominantly active in the real estate industry since 1984. He holds a Dr. iur. (doctor of law) degree from the University of Basel.

He joined the Investis Group as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company in 2016. Riccardo Boscardin was a member of the Board of Directors of Privera AG from 26 August 2015 until 25 November 2016. Apart from this, he has not been a member of the management of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the last three financial years, nor does he have any major business relationships with Investis Group.

Albert Baehny

Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors

Non-executive member
Chairman of the Compensation Committee
Swiss citizen, born in 1952 and currently residing in Arlesheim

Albert Baehny has been President of the Board of Directors of Geberit AG since April 2011, and since 2015 Chief Executive Officer of Regent Lighting. From 2005 to 2014, Albert Baehny served as Chief Executive Officer of Geberit Group. Before he moved to Geberit in 2003, Albert Baehny was Senior Vice President of the Specialities division of Wacker Chemie AG. He advanced through numerous management positions in firms including Vantico (2000–2001), Ciba-Geigy/Ciba SC (1994–2000), and Dow Chemicals Europe (1981–1993) after starting his career in the science department of Serono-Hypolab in 1979. Albert Baehny graduated from the University of Freiburg (Switzerland) with a degree in biology.

He joined the Investis Group as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company in 2016. Apart from this, he has not been a member of the management of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the last three financial years nor does he have any major business relationships with Investis Group.

Thomas Vettiger

Member of the Board of Directors

Non-executive member
Chairman of the Audit Committee
Swiss citizen, born in 1965 and currently residing in Russikon

Thomas Vettiger is Managing Partner and Member of the Board of Directors of IFBC, a consulting firm active in the field of corporate finance and financial advisory, which he co-founded in 1997. Since 2015, Thomas Vettiger has been President of the Board of Directors of Adunic AG and a Member of the Swiss Takeover Board. From 2005 to 2015, he was a Member of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee of Clientis AG, where he additionally served as Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Audit Committee from 2013 to 2015. Thomas Vettiger holds a lic. oec. degree from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and a doctoral degree in finance from the University of Zurich.

He joined the Investis Group as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company in 2016. Apart from this, he has not been a member of the management of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the last three financial years, nor does he have any major business relationships with Investis Group.

Stéphane Bonvin

Member of the Board of Directors

Executive member
Chief Executive Officer of Investis Group
Member of the Executive Board of Investis Group
Swiss citizen, born 1967 and currently residing in Lens

Stéphane Bonvin founded Investis Holding AG in 1994. Since then, he has been CEO of the Investis Group and has headed its Properties division. With 30 years of experience in the real estate sector, Stéphane Bonvin’s extensive network of contacts and wide-ranging knowledge of the property market have enabled the gradual enlargement of the Group’s portfolio. He acquired various real estate service companies between 2010 and 2014 in the fields of property management, facility management and construction management. In 2006 he co-founded the Patrimonium Group, where he served as Managing Director until 2015; he continues to sit on its Supervisory Board.

Current positions held outside the Investis Group: Stéphane Bonvin has been a Member of the Supervisory Board of Patrimonium and its subsidiaries since 2006, and of Be Capital and its subsidiaries since 2015.

Other activities and functions

Other than as described above, the members of the Board of Directors do not engage in any other activities or perform any other functions which are significant to the Group.

No member of the Board of Directors holds any official function or political office.

Regulation on the number of additional positions

According to Article 23 of the Articles of Association, no member of the Board of Directors may hold more than ten mandates outside the Investis Group, of which no more than five may be for listed companies.

These limitations do not apply to the following:

• –mandates in companies controlled by Investis or which control Investis;
• –mandates performed by a member of the Board of Directors or the Executive Board on instruction of Investis (no member of the Board of Directors or the Executive Board may perform more than ten such mandates); and
• –mandates in associations, charitable foundations and pension schemes (no member of the Board of Directors or the Executive Board may hold more than ten such mandates).

Mandates as referred to herein are functions in the most senior management and administrative bodies of legal entities required to be entered in the Swiss commercial register or an equivalent foreign register. Mandates in different legal entities under joint control or with the same beneficial ownership are treated as one mandate.

Election and term of office

The Board of Directors consists of at least three members.

As a general rule, the members of the Board of Directors and the Chairman are elected individually in the General Meeting and hold their posts until the conclusion of the next ordinary Annual General Meeting, subject to early resignation or dismissal. Members elected mid-term serve for the remainder of the term of the member they are replacing. Otherwise, the Board of Directors organises itself. It appoints a Vice-Chairman and designates a secretary, who does not have to be a shareholder or a member of the Board of Directors.

The members of the Board of Directors can be re-elected at any time.

The General Meeting elects the members of the Compensation Committee individually for a term of one year ending at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting. Re-election is permitted. The Compensation Committee is composed of at least two members. Only members of the Board of Directors may be elected. The chairman of the Compensation Committee is appointed by the Board of Directors.

The age limit for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is in general the end of the month in which the age of 65 is reached. The Board of Directors may decide differently in individual cases.

Members of the Board of Directors who have turned 70 may not be reappointed if their term of office has expired. The Board of Directors may, however, decide to make an exception and propose to the General Meeting the reappointment of a member after the age of 70 has been reached. In any event, members who turn 75 in the course of their ordinary term of office must resign at the next Annual General Meeting following their 75^th birthday and may not run for another term of office.

Internal organisational structure

The internal organisation of the Board of Directors is based on the Company’s relevant valid Organisational Regulations, which are issued by the Board of Directors and revised regularly. These regulations may be consulted under the Corporate Governance Section. They were resolved upon and entered into force on 16 June 2016.

Allocation of tasks within the Board of Directors
Subject to Article 17 of the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors organises itself. It may designate one Vice-Chairman among its members. It appoints a secretary, who does not necessarily have to be a member of the Board of Directors.

The Chairman monitors the observance of legal requirements, the Articles of Association, regulations and directives by the Company’s management bodies, and submits the requisite motions, requests and proposals to the Board of Directors. The Chairman also ensures, in collaboration with the Executive Board, that information is provided in good time on all major aspects of the Company which are of relevance to the monitoring of its activities and to the corporate decision-making process. Further details of the duties and authorities of the Chairman of the Board are provided in Article 20 of the Organisational Regulations.

Board Committees
The Board of Directors has formed the following two committees to assist it in its work: the Compensation Committee and the Audit Committee.

As a rule, the committees are constituted by the Board of Directors, unless otherwise stated in the Articles of Association or regulations. The chairmen of the committees inform the Board of Directors about their activities at the subsequent ordinary meeting of the Board of Directors, or in urgent cases also immediately. All of these committees have written regulations specifying their tasks and responsibilities.

Compensation Committee
Investis’ Compensation Committee acts as the relevant body in accordance with the Ordinance Against Excessive Compensation in Listed Companies (Ordinance) and the Articles of Association as amended based on this Ordinance.

The General Meeting elects all Compensation Committee members individually. The committee consists of at least two non-executive members of the Board. The term of office of the members of the Compensation Committee ends at the latest with the closing of the General Meeting following their election. Re-election is permitted. The Board of Directors appoints the chairman of the Compensation Committee. In case of vacancies, the Board appoints substitutes from amongst its members for the remaining term of office.

The Compensation Committee assists and advises the Board of Directors in remuneration-related matters, namely by:

• –supporting the Board in proposing motions to the General Meeting so that the General Meeting may vote on the aggregate amounts of remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and the members of the Executive Board, as well as implementing resolutions passed by the General Meeting in this respect;
• –assisting the Board of Directors with the preparation of the compensation report;
• –advising the Board of Directors on setting-up, monitoring and regularly reviewing the compensation policy and guidelines at the highest level of the Company;
• –helping the Board of Directors set the conditions for the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Board in the form of equity securities, conversion rights and option rights as well as assisting and advising the Board of Directors in the review and approval of general compensation and benefit policies, including any long-term incentive compensation or equity plans; and
• –submitting recommendations or motions to the Board of Directors on other remuneration-related matters.

The Compensation Committee is entitled to conduct investigations in all matters within its remit. In particular, it has full access, to the extent required to carry out its duties, to the Executive Board, employees, books and records of Investis Holding SA and its subsidiaries. It may also request the services of independent advisors and experts to the extent required to carry out its duties.

The Compensation Committee performs an annual self-evaluation of its performance and reports the results to the Board of Directors.

The Members of the Compensation Committee are: Albert Baehny (chairman) and Riccardo Boscardin.

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee supports the Board in its supervisory function, in particular with respect to the completeness of the annual closing of accounts and financial statements, compliance with statutory provisions, analysis of the qualification of the external auditors, as well as the performance of the external auditors. The Committee assesses the usefulness and suitability of the financial reporting, the internal control system and the general supervision of business risks. It makes sure that communication between Group companies and the external auditors regarding financial matters and the Group’s course of business is continous, efficient and productive.

The Audit Committee has the following general duties and competencies:

• –evaluating the external auditors with regard to the fulfilment of the necessary qualifications and independence according to the applicable legal provisions, and making proposals for the attention of the Board of Directors concerning the choice of external auditors;
• –assessing the work done by the external auditors in office and approving the budget submitted by the external auditors for the audit work;
• –making proposals to the Board of Directors regarding the appointment of a compliance officer and assessing the work done by the compliance officer;
• –approving the necessary non-audit-specific services provided by the external auditors.

Furthermore, the Audit Committee has the following powers and duties in relation to the internal control system, risk management and compliance:

• –assessing the effectiveness of the internal control systems and of the risk management;
• –questioning the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Compliance Officer and the external auditor about the significant risks, contingent liabilities and other fundamental obligations of Investis, as well as assessing the measures taken to deal with these.

Finally, the Audit Committee has the following powers and duties in relation to the financial statements:

• –examining and submitting proposals to the Board of Directors regarding the approval of the annual and interim accounts of the Company (including significant off balance sheet positions);
• –reviewing the outcome of the annual accounts with the external auditor as well as issuing the necessary applications or recommendations to the Board of Directors;
• –making a summary assessment of the annual business expenses incurred by the members of the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer and any other members of the Executive Board of the Company.

The Audit Committee is entitled to conduct investigations in all matters within its remit. In particular, it has full access, to the extent required for the accomplishment of its duties, to the Executive Board, employees, books and records of Investis Group and its subsidiaries. It may also request the services of independent advisors and experts to the extent required to carry out its duties.

The Audit Committee performs an annual self-evaluation of its performance and reports the results to the Board of Directors.

The Audit Committee is composed of at least two non-executive members of the Board of Directors. At least one member of the Audit Committee has to have recent and relevant financial experience, the others should be familiar with accounting and auditing issues. The members of the Committee are elected for a term of office of one year ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting following their designation.

The Members of the Audit Committee are: Thomas Vettiger (chairman) and Riccardo Boscardin.

Working methods of the Board of Directors and its committees
The Board of Directors and its committees meet as often as business requires, but at least four times a year. Extraordinary meetings are held as needed and decisions may also be made by way of approval of a written circular resolution. The CEO and the CFO are usually invited to attend the meetings of the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity. At every meeting, the Board of Directors must receive information from the CEO regarding the business of the Group, the Company and the other most important Group companies. Each member of the Board of Directors may request information regarding all business of the Group as a whole, the Company or other Group companies, and may request access to corporate documents at any time.

The Chairman decides whether other persons should attend all or part of any meeting of the Board of Directors, and, as the case may be, who shall be invited. These persons do not vote. The Board of Directors passes its resolutions by the majority of votes cast, each Director having one vote. Abstentions are not counted as votes cast. In case of equal votes, the Chairman of the meeting has the casting vote.

Every meeting of the Board of Directors is minuted. The minutes must generally be signed by the Chairman and by the secretary of the Board of Directors. Circular resolutions must be reflected in the minutes of the next meeting of the Board of Directors. The minutes of each meeting of the Board of Directors must be approved at the next meeting of the Board of Directors.

In the second half of 2016, i.e. after the initial public offering (IPO), the Board of Directors held three meetings (12 September 2016, 13 October 2016, 30 November 2016), which each lasted for three hours on average. Various meetings were held in the first half of the year in anticipation of the IPO.

The Audit Committee meets at least three times a year and the Compensation Committee meets at least twice a year. In the second half of fiscal 2016, the Audit Committee met twice after the IPO (2 September 2016, 21 November 2016), with the meetings lasting for 4.5 hours on average. The Compensation Committee did not meet in the second half of 2016 after the IPO. 

Board committee meetings are held at the invitation of the chair. A Board committee meeting may also be demanded by any committee member or the CEO (and an Audit Committee meeting may additionally be demanded by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the CFO or the external auditors). The agenda of the Board committee meetings is compiled by the chair. Any committee member may include an agenda item. The committee members each receive documentation prior to the meetings, which enables them to prepare for discussion of the agenda items concerned. A committee meeting shall be quorate, and empowered to submit proposals to the Board of Directors, if the majority of committee members are present. The meeting votes and passes resolutions by a simple majority, whereby the meeting chair has the casting vote.

In addition to its members, meetings of the Audit Committee are attended by the CFO and the Corporate Controller. In addition to its members, meetings of the Compensation Committee are attended by the CEO. Minutes are kept of all Board committee meetings. Committee resolutions may also be passed by circular written communication provided no member demands that a meeting be convened.

An annual self-assessment procedure has been established to permanently monitor and if possible enhance the performance of the Board of Directors. This evaluates how efficiently the Board and its committees are performing their functions and meeting their responsibilities, whether each Board member participates actively in Board discussions and makes contributions based on independent judgment, and whether an environment of open discussion is maintained at Board meetings.

Areas of responsibility
The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall, high-level management of the Company (which cannot be delegated) and the supervision of the CEO, the CFO and other members (if any) of the Executive Board. The list of duties that cannot be delegated can be found in the Organisational Regulations on the company website. 

With regard to the non-transferability and inalienability of the duties of the Board of Directors, reference is made to Article 716a of the Swiss Code of Obligations and Article 17 of the Articles of Association, and for more detail to Article 16 of the Organisational Regulations.

In addition to the responsibilities and powers of authority set out above, and in the interests of coordinated Group management, the Board of Directors is responsible at Group level for the following tasks in particular (without limitation):

Strategy and business orientation

• –setting the strategy and business policy of the Group;
• –approving the Group’s business plans as proposed by the CEO;
• –approving the model and defining the individual principles of the Group’s business policy;
• –approving the measures and transactions set out in Article 16 of the Organisational Regulations, to the extent they are of fundamental importance to the Group.

Organisation and supervision

• –approving the essential features of the Group’s organisation, management, corporate governance principles and Code of Conduct;
• –approving the organisational principles of the main subsidiaries, including the approval of amendments to parts of the Articles of Association that are of fundamental importance to the Company or the Group;
• –issuing important regulations, instructions and guidelines at the level of the Group, provided the authority to do so is not assigned to the Executive Board;
• –passing resolutions on the Group’s underlying financial, legal and organisational structure;
• –ensuring an internal control system and appropriate risk and compliance management at the Group level and for the main subsidiaries;
• –processing the management’s reporting with respect to the Group;
• –passing resolutions on contracts made by the main Group companies that do not concern their daily business, as well as resolutions on initiating and withdrawing legal actions and administrative proceedings, and on the conclusion of settlements by Group companies, if the amount at stake exceeds CHF 500,000 or if the dispute has a strategic importance.

Accounting, financial controlling and planning

• –approving the annual budget of the Group and of the main Group companies;
• –approving the medium-term revenue plan and the investment budget of the Group;
• –supervising the financial stability (security, liquidity, profitability) of the Group;
• –receiving orientations on the business development of the Group and each of the main Group companies, their quarterly interim accounts as well as on significant business transactions and extraordinary events within the Group.

Human resources

• –giving advance notice about the appointment and dismissal of members of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board and of the management of the main subsidiaries;
• –approving general policy with respect to staff.

Other business of Group companies (other than the Company)

Beyond the responsibilities listed above, the Board of Directors has the power to approve all decisions made by Group companies that are of strategic relevance for the Investis Group.

Unless stated otherwise in the mandatory statutory provisions, the Articles of Association or the Organisational Regulations, the Board of Directors delegates management of the Group (i.e. coordinated management of the Company and all other Group companies) to the CEO. According to Article 32 of the Organisational Regulations, the CEO is mainly responsible for the operational management of Investis Group within the guidelines provided by the Board of Directors, as well as for setting Company targets, preparing and supervising compliance with the principles of general business policy, and periodic reporting to the Board of Directors.

Information and controlling instruments for supervising the Executive Board
The Board of Directors makes sure it is regularly informed about the business of the Company and the other Group companies, and about any developments that may be relevant thereto. It deals with the reports and proposals submitted by the committees of the Board of Directors, the CEO and the CFO.

The Chairman also monitors observance of legal requirements, the Articles of Association, regulations and directives issued by the Company’s management bodies, and submits the requisite motions, requests and proposals to the Board of Directors. The Chairman also ensures, in collaboration with the Executive Board, that information is provided in good time about all major aspects of the Company which are of relevance to the monitoring of its activities and to the corporate decision-making process. Further details of the Chairman’s duties and powers of authority are provided in Article 20 of the Organisational Regulations.

Any member of the Board of Directors may demand to be informed about the Group’s affairs. The CEO is responsible for informing the Board of Directors about the current course of business and important business transactions occurring in the Company and its subsidiaries. The CEO reports to the Chairman at regular intervals. If a specific development with significant business or financial importance occurs in the course of ordinary or extraordinary business, the CEO must also inform the Chairman immediately, and the Chairman will in turn pass such information on to the members of the Board. Members of the Board of Directors may directly contact the CEO, the CFO and other members of the Executive Board or employees of any Group companies subject to the prior consent of the Chairman.

To ensure the full Board of Directors is informed directly, the Executive Board regularly attends meetings of the Board of Directors and its committees, though not if the Board or its committees need to conduct a closed session. The CFO also attends all meetings of the Audit Committee and is present for most agenda items at full Board meetings. Other members of the Executive Board attend Board meetings for particular agenda items as and when required.

In addition, the Company has implemented a management information system (MIS) for the Investis Group which is structured as follows: the financial statements of the individual subsidiaries are prepared on a monthly basis. These figures are aggregated per segment and consolidated for the Group. The figures are compared with the previous year and the budget. The attainability of the budget is assessed on the basis of quarterly reporting and forecasts. The heads of the segments submit written reports on the progress of business to the Executive Board and the Board of Directors. These reports are discussed with the Executive Board at the Board of Directors’ meetings, as are the implementation and observance of Board resolutions and the company’s liquidity levels.

The Company’s risk management function provides an established risk model for identifying, managing and monitoring strategic and operational risks throughout the Group. The Group-wide risk profile consists of the risks identified (adopting the bottom-up approach) and Group-wide strategic risks (adopting the top-down approach). The present risk profile and the current status of risks-reducing measures are regularly monitored and are reported to the Board of Directors.