Report of the statutory auditor to the General Meeting of Sonova Holding AG

Report of the statutory auditor on the financial statements

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Sonova Holding AG, which comprise the statement of financial position as at 31 March 2023 and the statement of income for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies.

In our opinion, the financial statements comply with Swiss law and the Companyʼs articles of incorporation.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with Swiss law and Swiss Standards on Auditing (SA-CH). Our responsibilities under those provisions and standards are further described in the “Auditorʼs responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements” section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the provisions of Swiss law and the requirements of the Swiss audit profession, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Key audit matters

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. For each matter below, our description of how our audit addressed the matter is provided in that context.

We have fulfilled the responsibilities described in the “Auditorʼs responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements” section of our report, including in relation to these matters. Accordingly, our audit included the performance of procedures designed to respond to our assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements. The results of our audit procedures, including the procedures performed to address the matters below, provide the basis for our audit opinion on the financial statements.

Valuation of investments in subsidiaries

 

 

 

Area of focus

 

Our audit response

As of 31 March 2023, investments in subsidiaries of the Company amounted to CHF 498.4 million and represent 24 % of total assets. Investments in subsidiaries are valued at historical cost less any impairment of value. The Company values investments in subsidiaries individually (single-asset-valuation principle). Refer to note 2.3 (Investments) in the financial statements for further details.

 

Our audit procedures included understanding the Company’s investment in subsidiaries impairment testing process and the determination of key assumptions. We evaluated the Company’s impairment testing model and key assumptions. We further corroborated the Company’s key assumptions applied based on internally and externally available evidence and underlying data. Our audit procedures did not lead to any reservations relating to the valuation of investments in subsidiaries.

Board of Directorsʼ responsibilities for the financial statements

The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the provisions of Swiss law and the Companyʼs articles of incorporation, and for such internal control as the Board of Directors determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Board of Directors is responsible for assessing the Companyʼs ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern, and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Board of Directors either intends to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditorʼs responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditorʼs report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Swiss law and SA-CH will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on EXPERTsuisseʼs website at: https://www.expertsuisse.ch/en/audit-report. This description forms an integral part of our report.

Report on other legal and regulatory requirements

In accordance with Art. 728a para. 1 item 3 CO and PS-CH 890, we confirm that an internal control system exists, which has been designed for the preparation of the financial statements according to the instructions of the Board of Directors.

Furthermore, we confirm that the proposed appropriation of available earnings complies with Swiss law and the Companyʼs articles of incorporation. We recommend that the financial statements submitted to you be approved.

Zurich, 10 May 2023

Ernst & Young Ltd

Martin Mattes
Licensed audit expert
(Auditor in charge)

Pascal Solèr
Licensed audit expert