Conflicts of interest
The members of the Board of Directors, the CEO and the members of Group Management are obliged to inform the Chairman of the Board of Directors or, in the case of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the whole Board of Directors, or, in the case of members of Group Management, the CEO, respectively, immediately if any business arises that affects or could affect their own interests or the interests of individual persons or legal entities related to them. The Chairman of the Board of Directors or the CEO, respectively, or the whole Board of Directors, decides on appropriate measures, including deliberations in absence of the concerned person. As a rule, however, the concerned members of the Board of Directors and members of Group Management are entitled to present their view to the relevant body. The relevant rules are reflected in the Organizational Regulations of Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG.
As Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Ernst Tanner supports, advises and guides the Board of Directors and in particular the CEO of the Lindt & Sprüngli Group. Due to his long-term engagement of over 29 years within the Group and thus his in-depth knowledge of the FMCG market, Mr. Tanner represents the Group on key strategic decisions. He therefore works in an executive capacity and is directly employed by the Group. Due to this executive function, particular attention is paid to any potential conflicts of interest. The Board of Directors decided in the reporting year to reintroduce the function of Lead Independent Director in addition to the function of the Vice-Chair. The Board of Directors has not yet appointed a Lead Independent Director in the reporting year.