Corporate structure and shareholders

Sulzer Ltd is subject to the laws of Switzerland, in particular Swiss corporation and stock exchange law. The company also applies the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance. The rigorous application of sound corporate governance helps to consolidate and strengthen trust in the company. Sulzer has had a single share class and has separated the functions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO for many years. Since the Annual General Meeting of April 8, 2009, only individuals who have never held executive positions at Sulzer have been members of the Board of Directors. Unless otherwise indicated, the following information refers to the situation on December 31, 2018. Further information on corporate governance is published at www.sulzer.com/governance. The information in the following section is set out in the order defined by the SIX Swiss Exchange directive on information relating to corporate governance (RLCG), with subsections summarized as far as possible. Sulzer’s consolidated financial statements comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and in certain sections readers are referred to the Financial Reporting section in the Sulzer Annual Report 2018. Sulzer reports about the compensation of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee in the Compensation Report.

Corporate structure

The operational corporate structure is shown in the graphic in the chapter “Board of Directors” of this Corporate Governance report and under note 3 to the “Consolidated financial statements” in the Financial Reporting section. Sulzer Ltd is the only Sulzer company listed on a stock exchange. It is based in Winterthur, Switzerland. Its shares are listed and traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (Securities No. 3838891/ISIN CH0038388911). On December 31, 2018, the market capitalization of all registered shares was CHF 2’674’177’979. Information on the major subsidiaries included in the consolidation can be found under note 36 to the “Consolidated financial statements.” The list comprises all consolidated direct subsidiaries of Sulzer Ltd as well as all further consolidated subsidiaries that are strategically relevant. 

Significant shareholders

According to notifications of Sulzer shareholders, one shareholder held more than 3% of Sulzer Ltd’s share capital on December 31, 2018. As published on the SIX disclosure platform on May 29, 2018, Viktor Vekselberg held 48.82% of Sulzer shares. The shares are directly held by Tiwel Holding AG. For information on shareholders of Sulzer Ltd that have reported shareholdings of over 3% or a reduction of shareholdings below 3% in the financial year 2018, please refer to the website of the Disclosure Office of the SIX Swiss Exchange www.six-exchange-regulation.com/en/home/publications/significant-shareholders.html. For the positions held by Sulzer and information on shareholders, see note 23 to the “Consolidated financial statements.” There are no cross-shareholdings where the capital or voting stakes on either side exceed the threshold of 3%.