Corporate governance

Sonova and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
By adhering to good corporate governance and strictly ethical business practices, Sonova contributes to the SDGs 8 and 16. More information is provided in the corresponding section of this CR Report: Sustainable Development Goals.

Structure

At Sonova, corporate governance is based upon and structured to conform with relevant international standards and practices. The company fulfils its legal duties under the relevant articles of the Swiss Code of Obligations, the SIX Swiss Exchange Directive on Information Relating to Corporate Governance, and the standards defined in the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance. The present chapter describes the principles of corporate governance for the Sonova Group and provides background information with a special focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) issues. Additional information can be accessed at the Corporate Governance chapter of the Annual Report 2018/19 and at the corporate governance section of the Sonova website.

Sonova’s corporate structure includes a two-tier board consisting of the Board of Directors and the Management Board. In accordance with the Sonova Organizational Regulations (OrgR), the Board appoints an Audit Committee and a Nomination and Compensation Committee. In all respects not mentioned in the OrgR, or unless the law or the Articles of Association stipulate otherwise, the policy document ‘Delegation of Authority of Sonova Holding AG’ provides the basis for delegating authorities within the different levels of management in the Group.

Composition of the highest governance body and its committees

The composition of the Board of Directors and its committees is described in detail in the relevant section of the Corporate Governance chapter of the Annual Report.

Diversity is a key topic in any discussion of board composition. The Board’s aspiration is to have a diverse membership in all aspects, including nationality, gender, background and experience, age, tenure, viewpoints, interests, and technical and interpersonal skills.

The Articles of Association of Sonova Holding AG state that the Board of Directors must consist of a minimum of three and a maximum of nine members. The Board of Directors is chaired by Robert F. Spoerry and currently consists of nine non-executive members.

Nomination and selection for the highest governance body and its committees

The processes for determining the composition of the Board of Directors and its committees, as well as the division of responsibility between the Board of Directors and Management Board, are set out in detail in the company’s OrgR and Committee Charters.

The members of the Board of Directors and of the Nomination and Compensation Committee of Sonova Holding AG are elected by the General Shareholders’ Meeting for a term of office until completion of the next ordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting. If a replacement is elected to the Board of Directors during a member’s term, the newly elected member finishes the predecessor’s term. The Audit Committee is elected by the Board of Directors according to Article 2 of the Committee Charters.

The members of the Management Board are proposed by the CEO and appointed by the Board of Directors upon the recommendation of the Nomination and Compensation Committee.

Article 4 of the OrgR governs how Sonova deals with potential conflicts of interest. Cross-board memberships of the Board of Directors and significant shareholders (holding more than 3% of shares) are disclosed in the Corporate Governance chapter of the Annual Report. Related party transactions, if any, are disclosed in the Annual Report under note 29 to the Group Consolidated Financial Statement.

Roles, policy, and strategy

The OrgR and the Committee Charters define the roles and the duties of the highest governance bodies.

The Board of Directors of Sonova Holding AG is responsible for the overall direction of the company, except in matters reserved by law to the General Shareholders’ Meeting. It approves policy and strategy.

The CEO has the duty and authority to link the company’s strategy with its operational management by preparing the corporate strategy documents, policies, and procedures for submission to the Board of Directors’ review and approval. The Management Board supports the CEO in his responsibility to direct the company’s operations by actively participating in directing, planning, and executing the business strategy.

Competencies and performance evaluation

The Board of Directors conducts an annual self-assessment evaluating its efficiency, effectiveness, and internal cooperation. The purpose is to enhance the Board’s understanding of the business and the company, evaluate and define its role, particularly in relation to management, and make best use of the human capital represented in the Board of Directors. More detailed information is available in the Corporate Governance Report.

Consultation between stakeholders and the highest governance body

Sonova actively engages with a broad range of stakeholders on economic, environmental and social topics as described in the “Stakeholder engagement” chapter of this report. Internal reporting procedures ensure consultation between stakeholders and the highest governance body on all topics deemed highly relevant.

Compensation and incentives

The Compensation Report is an integral part of the Annual Report and covers the compensation principles, system and key components, with a focus on the Board of Directors and Management Board as the governing bodies. Sonova complies with the Swiss Ordinance against Excessive Compensation in Stock Exchange Listed Corporations, which amongst other things stipulates annual binding votes on the compensation of the Board of Directors and Management Board.

We are committed to equal pay for equal work and we are taking the necessary steps to ensure a fair compensation system. Thus, based on our grading and position management processes we are certainly committed to equal pay. We are also reviewing compensation in the context of the relevant local legal and regulatory equal pay requirements as they continue to evolve globally.

The variable cash compensation (VCC) of Sonova’s executive members is based on financial KPIs on a group and business unit level and additionally reflects the achievement of individual objectives as defined in the annual performance review process. Individual objectives can also include non-financial targets (e.g. internal leadership recruitment rate, strategic initiatives).

Risk management

The Group has implemented an efficient system to identify and assess strategic, operational, financial, legal, reputational and compliance risks related to the Group’s business activities. The risk management function categorizes risks by impact and likelihood and supports the Management Board in determining the measures necessary to address or mitigate them. In accordance with the Audit Committee Charter, the Audit Committee reviews the company’s risk assessment prepared by Risk Management before it is presented to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors approves the risk assessment and provides guidance from a strategic point of view. To continuously monitor key risks and their mitigation, Risk Management prepares risk status reports which are presented to the Audit Committee on an ad hoc basis. Currently, Sonova’s Group Risk Map consists of 36 risks, of which 14 are designated as key risks.

ESG issues are an integrated part of Sonova’s strategic risk management process. Human rights and environmental risks are evaluated in the regular risk assessment process together with all other business risks. Human rights and environmental risks are currently not considered key risks and are thus not included in the Group Risk Map.

Internal Audit carries out compliance and operational audits and assists the business units in attaining their goals by providing assurance from independent evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control processes. Management is responsible for the control of business risks and for compliance with laws and regulations. The Head of Internal Audit & Risk reports to the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee approves the annual work plans of Internal Audit and ensures that the relevant Group companies are adequately reviewed according to their risk scoring. The Audit Committee also reviews and discusses the reports on completed audits submitted by Internal Audit. Internal Audit together with business controlling monitor the implementation by Group companies of any measures necessary to address findings from previous audits and regularly reports progress to the Audit Committee.

The Group has a comprehensive compliance program in place which is administered by the Head Group Compliance Program and overseen by the Group General Counsel. Quarterly compliance reports are provided to the Audit Committee and an annual compliance report is addressed to the Board of Directors.

Corporate responsibility organization

Our sustainability program aligns closely with our business strategy; its topics and their impacts, risks and opportunities as well as reporting are reviewed both at the highest management level and biannually at meetings of the Board of Directors.

The Corporate Responsibility (CR) function develops the sustainability program and provides expertise and advice to the management board on relevant topics. It implements the strategy approved by the management board and coordinates group-wide initiatives in close collaboration with experts from the CR network.

CR country champions represent one or all Sonova Group companies in a given territory and are responsible for gathering data and implementing CR initiatives locally. CR functional champions are linked to group-wide business functions; they report to the CR function on relevant functional issues.

Association membership and external initiatives

Sonova actively participates in associations to share its specialist knowledge and to ensure highest quality standards for hearing instruments and cochlear implants.

We are a member of the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturing Association (EHIMA), the Hearing Instrument Manufacturers’ Software Association (HIMSA), the Hearing Industries Association (HIA) and the Hearing Instrument Manufacturers’ Patent Partnership (HIMPP). Arnd Kaldowski, CEO of the Sonova Group, is member of EHIMA’s Board of Directors. Founded in 1985, EHIMA represents the six major European hearing instrument manufacturers.

In 2018/19, Sonova contributed around 450,000 CHF in membership fees to trade associations and non-commercial organizations. Amongst the largest contributions are membership fees and contributions to EHIMA, Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and IngCH Engineers Shape our Future.

Since 2016, Sonova is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, an initiative of the United Nations with a focus on corporate citizenship, dialogue with stakeholders, partnerships, and communication. Sonova is part of both the global and local Swiss networks of the UN Global Compact.