– Corporate governance – Executive Committee
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of the Executive Chair, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, the Division President Services and the Division President Chemtech.
The Board of Directors delegates executive management powers to the Executive Chair. The Executive Chair delegates the appropriate powers to the members of the Executive Committee (EC). The Division Presidents define and attain business targets for their respective divisions in accordance with group-wide goals. The Board of Directors and Organization Regulations govern, among other things, the transfer of responsibilities from the Board of Directors to the Executive Chair and the EC. There are no management contracts with third parties. None of the Executive Committee members has a contract with a notice period exceeding 12 months. The members of the Executive Committee and their CVs can be viewed below. Daniel Bischofberger stepped down from the Executive Committee in February 2022, Jill Lee in May 2022 and Frederic Lalanne in October 20221. Details on the former members of the Executive Committee can be found at www.sulzer.com/former-EC-members.
1) Furthermore, Armand Sohet and Torsten Wintergerste stepped down as members of the Executive Committee in January 2023.
CVs of Executive Committee members
Dr. Suzanne Thoma1
Executive Chair
Chairwoman of the Nomination Committee and the Strategy and Sustainability Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee
Educational background
- Ph.D. in Technical Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
- Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA), Zurich, Switzerland
Binding interests
- Member of the Board of Directors, BayWa r.e., Munich
- Member of the Board of Directors, Swiss Ventures Group, Zurich
- Vice President of the foundation “Avenir Suisse”, Switzerland
Career
Dr. Suzanne Thoma (Switzerland) was elected as member of Sulzer’s Board of Directors in 2021 and as Chairwoman in 2022. In addition, Suzanne Thoma was appointed Executive Chairwoman of Sulzer as of November 1, 2022. From 2013 to 2022, she was CEO of BKW AG, Berne, Switzerland. Prior to being appointed CEO of BKW, she was a member of the Group Executive Committee of BKW, responsible for the Networks division. Before that, she was head of the Automotive division of the WICOR Group, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, and CEO of Rolic Technologies Ltd., Allschwil, Switzerland. Suzanne Thoma also served in various management roles and countries at Ciba Specialty Chemicals Ltd. (now BASF).
1) Appointed as Executive Chair as of November 1, 2022
Thomas Zickler1
Chief Financial Officer
Educational background
- Studies in economics (1988 – 1994), Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Faculty of Economic Science, Frankfurt on Main, Germany
Binding interests
- None
Career
Thomas Zickler (Germany and Switzerland) was appointed Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Committee on May 1, 2022. Thomas Zickler joined Sulzer as Head of Group Treasury in 2015 and was most recently Head of Group Corporate Finance & Shared Services. Since 2016, he has been a Member of the Board of Trustees of Sulzer Vorsorgeeinrichtung (SVE) and Johann Jakob Sulzer-Stiftung (JJS). Before joining Sulzer, he worked as Country Treasurer for ABB Switzerland in Baden (2010-2015). From 2006 until 2009, he was Vice President and Head of External Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Policies Department for ABB Group in Zurich. Prior to this, from 1996 until 2006, he held various positions within Finance (controlling, accounting, treasury, IT consulting) at DaimlerChrysler in Stuttgart and Berlin. In 1995, he started his career in controlling at Sherwood Medical and Metallgesellschaft in Frankfurt on Main. During his studies he worked for Siemens AG in the Central Finance Department and Siemens Capital Corporation, in Munich and New York City, and as an analyst at Georg Hauck & Son Bankiers in the equity research department in Frankfurt on Main.
1) Appointed on May 1, 2022
Armand Sohet1
Chief Human Resources Officer
Chief Sustainability Officer
Educational background
- Diploma in Mathematics and Sociology from Besançon University, France
- Graduate of Institut d’Etudes Politiques Paris, France
Binding interests
- None
Career
Armand Sohet (France) joined the Executive Committee as Chief Human Resources Officer in 2016 and was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer in 2021. He was Human Resources Senior Executive Leader of GE Grid Solutions from 2015 to 2016. Before, he was Head of Human Resources at Alstom Grid (2011–2015). From 2010 to 2011, he served as Group Vice President of Constellium. From 2007 to 2010, he led Human Resources for Thales Defence & Security C4I Systems. He previously held various positions at Novartis in Switzerland and in France, including Head of Human Resources of the Ophtha business unit, Basel, Switzerland (2006–2007), Head of Human Resources of Western and Central Europe, Basel (2004–2006), Head of Human Resources of Novartis France (2000–2004), and Human Resources Manager of Field Forces and Marketing at Novartis Pharma France (1998–2000). Armand Sohet started his career at Peugeot PSA, where he served in various managerial positions in the field of Human Resources (1989–1998).
1) Stepped down as of January 1, 2023
Tim Schulten1
Division President Services
Educational background
- Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich
- Master in Business Administration, Harvard Business School, Boston
Binding interests
- Director of JCB Group Holdings Sàrl
Career
Tim Schulten (Switzerland) joined the Sulzer Executive Committee as Division President Services in 2022. Prior to that he was the Group Head for Marketing, Strategy and Digital. Before joining Sulzer, Tim Schulten was the General Manager and responsible for global Product Support & Marketing for Caterpillar’s Electric Power Business. From 2012 to 2015 he was General Manager for Sales & Distribution for Caterpillar’s global gas engine business, responsible for building and leading the organization during the post-acquisition integration of MWM. From 2007 to 2012, he was a Division Manager responsible for Caterpillar’s Electric Power Retail business in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Prior to that he held various positions in sales, marketing and product support with Caterpillar and he spent several years in California working in technology start-ups. Over the course of his career, he has lived in Zürich, Geneva, Munich, Boston, San Francisco, and Mannheim.
1) Appointed on January 1, 2022
Torsten Wintergerste1
Division President Chemtech
Educational background
- Master of Business Administration (Executive MBA), University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland
- Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Binding interests
- None
Career
Torsten Wintergerste (Switzerland) was announced as Division President Chemtech and member of the Executive Committee in 2016. He has been Head of Chemtech’s business unit Separation Technology for Europe, Middle East, India, Russia, and Africa since 2012. He joined Sulzer in 1998, first within the research and development unit Sulzer Innotec, where he became Head of the groupwide center of excellence for fluid technology. From 2006 to 2012, he worked in various managerial positions within Sulzer’s division Chemtech, amongst others Director Polymer Technology as well as Manager Technology and Business Development of the Sulzer Mixpac business unit. Before joining Sulzer, he was a research associate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich in Switzerland (1994–1998) and at the National Aeronautics and Space Research Center in Germany (1992–1994).
1) Stepped down as of January 6, 2023
Additional mandates of members of the Executive Committee outside the Sulzer Group
No member of the Executive Committee may hold more than five mandates, of which no more than one may be in listed companies (Articles of Association, § 33). Exceptions (e.g. for mandates held at the request of Sulzer or mandates in charity organizations) are defined in the Articles of Association (§ 33, paragraphs a, b and c). All members of the Executive Committee are within the limits for external mandates prescribed by the Company’s Articles of Association.