Observations from the Swiss AGM Season 2023: Focus on reputation
Zurich, June 21st, 2023 – In the 2023 Swiss AGM season, boards were again confronted with higher expectations from their stakeholders and faced more criticsm from their shareholders. Also, proxy advisors have started to take a more nuanced view at boards. Consequently, board chairs and board committee chairs were held accountable for issues identified within their respective responsibilities.
Compensation amounts were increasingly scrutinized, not only because of increased executive pay packages, but also due to widening gaps between management and employee pay levels. The inclusion of ESG incentives in management pay plans increased again, but the related targets and resulting payout remained mostly unexplained to external observers.
75% of companies deal with the ESG topic in the full board, while only 25% have formed a specific sustainability committee. ESG efforts are most often reported according to the GRI standard (over 80%), few according to TCFD. Slightly more than half of the SPI100 companies include their non-financial ESG information as part of their annual report and approximately 40% have some form of external verification on it.
The average female representation on boards of the 100 largest Swiss companies has for the first time crossed the 30% threshold.
Previous years
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2022: Newsletter
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2021: Newsletter
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2020: Newsletter
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2019: Newsletter
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2018: Newsletter
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2017: Newsletter
SWIPRA AGM Analysis 2016: Newsletter