VAT Group AG Annual General Meeting 2023: Shareholders approve all Board proposals and 14% dividend increase to CHF 6.25

The shareholders of VAT Group AG approved all motions proposed by the Board of Directors at today’s ordinary Annual General Meeting (AGM), including the payout of a 14% higher dividend of CHF 6.25 per share.

339 shareholders representing 64.63 percent of the company’s share capital were present at the meeting held in St Gallen.

The shareholders re-elected Dr. Martin Komischke as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In addition, Urs Leinhäuser, Karl Schlegel, Hermann Gerlinger, Libo Zhang, Daniel Lippuner and Maria Heriz were confirmed as members of the Board of Directors.  Petra Denk was elected as the eighth member of the Board of Directors.

Urs Leinhäuser, Hermann Gerlinger and Libo Zhang were re-elected to the Nomination and Compensation Committee (NCC).

The shareholders also approved the revision of the Articles of Association, implementing the requirements of the revised Stock Corporation Act and taking into account current best practices in the field of corporate governance. In addition, some language changes were executed, adapting the articles to the new legal terminology.

The shareholders approved a dividend from accumulated gains of CHF 6.25 per registered share of VAT. The last trading day with entitlement to receive a dividend is Wednesday, May 17, 2023, and VAT shares will be traded ex-dividend as of Friday, May 19, 2023. The payment will take place on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

The compensation report 2022 was endorsed by a vast majority of shareholders in an advisory vote. Shareholders also approved in separate binding votes the short-term variable compensation (STI) of the Group Executive Committee for the financial year 2022, the total maximum amount of fixed compensation of the Group Executive Committee for the financial year 2024, the maximum amount of the long-term incentive (LTI) of the Group Executive Committee for the financial year 2024 and the total maximum amount of compensation for the now eight members of the Board covering the next term until the Annual General Meeting 2024.

VAT Group AG
VP Investor Relations & Sustainability
Michel R. Gerber
T +41 81 553 70 13
investors@vat.ch

Financial calendar 2023/2024

We change the world with vacuum solutions – that is our purpose as the world’s leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of high-end vacuum valves. VAT vacuum valves are mission-critical components for advanced production processes of innovative everyday products such as portable devices, flat screen monitors or solar panels. VAT reports in two different segments: Valves and Global Service. Under the latter, we provide our customers with original spare parts, maintenance, technical support and training for various vacuum valve applications. With some 3,000 employees worldwide, representatives in 29 countries, net sales of CHF 1,145 million (2022) and manufacturing sites in Switzerland, Malaysia, Romania, and Taiwan, we are sustainably shaping our highly specialized market.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified in their entirety as there are certain factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates” and similar expressions) should be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the company’s ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behavior of other market participants, the performance, security and reliability of the company’s information technology systems, political, economic and regulatory changes in the countries in which the company operates or in economic or technological trends or conditions. As a result, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Except as otherwise required by law, VAT disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this report.