Organization & Management

The Articles of Association of MCH Group Ltd. were approved by the shareholders of the then Schweizer Mustermesse AG on 14.05.2001, with a view to the merger of Schweizer Mustermesse AG and Messe Zürich AG for international trade fairs and special exhibitions.

At the General Meeting of 08.05.2009, §1 of the Articles of Association was modified for purposes of changing the name of MCH Swiss Exhibition (Holding) Ltd. to MCH Group Ltd. In addition, the Articles of Association were modified at the General Meeting of 17.05.2010 through §3a “Approved Share Capital”. In line with this decision taken by the General Meeting, the share capital of MCH Group Ltd. was increased to CHF 60 065 750 in May 2011.

On 22.05.2014, the General Meeting approved a partial revision of the Articles of Association taking in not only the changes required by the "Ordinance against abusive remuneration in listed companies" (VegüV) but also additional amendments which included the updating of the purpose clause and the deletion of the above-mentioned §3a “Approved Share Capital”.

On 27.11.2020, the Extraordinary General Meeting approved the following amendments to the Articles of Association: introduction of a formally selective opting up clause for Lupa Systems LLC (§5); a changed composition for the Board of Directors with a maximum of nine members, two of whom are delegated by the government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and one of whom by the government of the Canton of Zurich and the Zurich City Council (§8 and §22); the lifting of the restrictions on voting rights and the amendment of the registration restrictions (§3 and §5). These amendments to the Articles of Association became legally effective with the completion of the capital increases and the entry in the Commercial Register on 21.12.2020.

The Articles of Association (in German and English) and the Organizational Regulations and the Regulations governing the specialist committees (in German) are posted on the MCH Group website under “Investors” | “Governance”.
– Link: https://www.mch-group.com/en/investors/governance/

Under the terms of §22 of the Articles of Association of 21.12.2020, the Board of Directors comprises a maximum of nine members. It is made up of three representatives of the public-sector entities and three representatives of Lupa Systems, as well as three additional, independent members. In accordance with the Articles of Association, two members are appointed by the government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and one member is appointed jointly by the government of the Canton of Zurich and the Zurich City Council. The remaining members are elected by the General Meeting.

The members of the Board of Directors are generally non-executive members, as per the SIX Swiss Exchange Directive. From 03.08.2018 to 04.09.2018, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Ulrich Vischer, was responsible for operational management of the company as the delegate of the Board of Directors. From 04.09.2018 to 31.07.2019, Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard was interim CEO of MCH Group. With the exception of these two transitional arrangements for limited periods, the members of the Board of Directors have never belonged to the operational management of MCH Group and have no significant business relationships with it. The relations between the representatives of the public sector entities and the company are based on the institutional relationship that exists between these entities and MCH Group.

The Board of Directors constitutes itself unless the General Meeting has the power to constitute the Board (election of the Chairperson and the members of the Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee (GNCC)).

The Board of Directors’ meetings are generally also attended by all the members of the Executive Board – without the right to vote – and, if required for individual transactions, by other members of the management and external experts.

The Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee (GNCC) is a specialist committee that advises the Board of Directors on the execution of its duties in the fields of corporate governance, human resources planning at Board of Directors and Executive Board level, and the remuneration policy and remuneration to be paid to the Board of Directors and the Executive Board. The GNCC has no decision-making powers of its own. It regularly informs the Board of Directors about its activities and submits the corresponding recommendations and proposals. Apart from the members of the Board of Directors elected by the Annual General Meeting, the GNCC meetings are also attended, if necessary, by the Group CEO, the Group CFO and the Head of Corporate Human Resources.

The Audit Committee (AC) is a specialist committee which supports the Board of Directors in supervising the financial and accounting systems, the financial reporting, the auditors and also the risk management and internal control system. The AC has no decision-making powers of its own. It regularly informs the Board of Directors about its activities and submits the corresponding recommendations and proposals. The AC meetings are attended by the Group CEO and Group CFO and also, as a rule, by the representative of the statutory auditor, as well as by the auditor's representatives when auditing topics are treated.

In spring 2019, the Board of Directors set up a Strategy Committee (SC) to deal in depth with all strategic issues. In 2021, it also carried out the review and further development of the strategy and submitted the results to the Board of Directors. The SC has no decision-making powers of its own. It regularly informs the Board of Directors about its activities and submits the corresponding recommendations and proposals. As a rule, the meetings of the SC are also attended by the members of the Executive Board and, if required, by other members of the management.

The duties and competences of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board are governed by the Articles of Association, the Organizational Regulations and the Regulations of the specialist committees. Data on the current and expected course of business is continuously recorded in a controlling, planning and information system. The Executive Board draws up regular business reports for submission to the Board of Directors on the basis of this underlying data. In addition, the Executive Board compiles a written monthly report for the Board of Directors on the current course of business in the different divisions. If exceptional events occur, the Board of Directors is notified without delay. The Chairman of the Board of Directors maintains constant intensive contact with the Group CEO and Group CFO.

Following the emergence of the Covid pandemic, contingency plans were immediately drawn up for all business areas in March 2020. Various scenarios were calculated for the development of the business environment and business activities as well as for the corresponding impact on the company’s financial situation. This contingency planning has been taken forward in the 2021 financial year, and has been updated several times and deliberated on by the Board of Directors.

MCH Group has a corporate risk management function. Corporate risk management acts as an advisory unit on behalf of the Audit Committee and the Executive Board and supports the group in risk management, in the further development of the internal control system (ICS) and the further building up of the compliance management system. Over the past business year, corporate risk management has conducted various strategic, financial, operational and regulatory examinations.

The MCH Group’s ICS takes in all the processes, methods and measures prescribed by the Board of Directors and Executive Board and constitutes an integral part of risk management and a key element of corporate governance for the MCH Group. It is aimed first and foremost at ensuring the prompt and correct accounting of all business processes and the periodical availability of reliable data on the company’s financial position. The key processes and controls, together with their implementation, are verified and documented on a systematic and readily comprehensible basis to this end. When acquisitions are made, we aim to bring the internal control procedures of the acquired entities into line with those of the MCH Group as rapidly as possible.

The MCH Group continually aligns its ICS to the effectiveness of its business processes and to compliance with laws and regulations. The weak points identified in this way are rectified by means of selective actions. The Audit Committee of the MCH Group monitors the ICS.

The MCH Group’s risk management deals with strategic, financial, operational and also regulatory risks. In the reporting year, the different business risks were identified in group workshops and individual interviews and assessed in terms of their potential level of impact and the probability of their occurrence. During subsequent consolidation, the most important risks for the group are identified and evaluated. These risks are then reduced to an acceptable level through targeted management measures and, where addressable, are integrated in the company’s strategy and operating business. The risk assessment was verified by the Audit Committee (AC) and adopted by the Board of Directors.

In the reporting year, numerous additional risk assessments were performed in addition to the regular risk management process, which is repeated at least once a year. Particular weight was attached to risk management in the decisions taken regarding events. Risk management was actively included in the preparations and ongoing situation analyses on a permanent basis.

The most important risks for the MCH Group are described below for the individual risk categories. The MCH Group continues to regard the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business activities as one of the key risks for the group. MCH recognizes the overarching interaction with other identified risks, which could also affect the group’s course of business in the near future.

The opportunities identified include the consolidation and growth of internationally leading exhibitions and platforms, as well as the ongoing strong development in the area of digitalization. MCH Group is assuming that the ongoing implementation of its corporate strategy will be decisive in countering the risks arising from developments such as these. By integrating risk management in its strategic projects, the company is endeavoring to optimise the sustainability and value retention of the investments made.

The at times far-reaching impact of the various measures imposed by the authorities to contain the pandemic will continue to determine business performance at MCH Group for the near future. As its business activity increases in the course of the year, MCH Group expects a positive effect on its business performance once again.

The economic situation in general and the development of the respective industries, in particular, has a direct influence on customers' financial standing, the level of investments made in marketing and foreign currency fluctuations. Appropriate risk management measures have been initiated at MCH Group at a strategic, financial and operational level.

MCH Group remains ready to implement any new measures introduced to combat the pandemic, on the one hand, while still pursuing the objective of guaranteeing operational excellence in all matters, on the other hand, especially when it comes to achieving maximum safety and satisfaction for its customers. With the ongoing implementation of its corporate strategy, MCH Group is aligning itself to the ever more rapidly changing market conditions. This implementation is also actively contributing to continuous improvements in the external conditions.

The increasing regulatory requirements and framework conditions, together with the international development of MCH Group and its products, are increasing both the complexity of the different issues and the group’s exposure. MCH Group is thus continually adapting its organization and processes to this end so as to ensure that potential regulatory risks can be identified at an early stage and the required measures triggered in good time.

MCH Group wishes to further strengthen governance of the company and, to this end, reinforced Corporate Risk & Compliance with the addition of a further post in the first half of 2021. The Corporate Compliance Officer supports the management and the company in ensuring compliance with the regulations and guidelines. In implementing the Compliance Framework over the next few years, the regulations and guidelines will be updated and targeted training provided. Employees who detect violations of the applicable regulations and guidelines can contact Risk Management & Compliance in confidence.

In 2021, the Board of Directors also approved the establishment of an internal audit unit. The internal audit unit provides independent and objective audit services, thus ensuring that MCH complies with both the applicable laws and its internal policies and procedures. The internal audit unit reports to the Audit Committee.

To coordinate the setting up of this unit, an audit schedule was compiled in cooperation with Ernst & Young and approved by the Audit Committee. In the past financial year, two internal audits were conducted as pilots in the areas of “Project Management” and “Compliance Management”. In 2022, further internal audits will be conducted throughout the group for the attention of the Board of Directors.

The internal audit unit informs the competent members of the group management and the Audit Committee of its main findings and recommendations on a regular basis.

MCH Group pursues a policy of open and objective communication as a matter of principle. It complies with the rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange as far as its information practice is concerned. It maintains regular contact with the investors and the media, including via investor conference calls and media talks on important topics such as the annual and half-year financial statements. The invitation to the General Meeting and the documents are sent out by letter. All the key information may be found on the MCH Group website:

MCH Group has set out the regulations governing blackout periods in its Insider & Ad hoc Regulations. The following blackout periods apply for all members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board as well as for other permanent insiders (employees in the areas of Corporate Finance, Corporate Communications, Management Office, etc.) and, where appropriate, for insiders working on special projects:

In the 2021 business year, blackout periods applied for the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board together with the other insiders from 15.01.2021 to 25.03.2021 and from 15.07.2021 to 03.09.2021. There were no additional blackout periods in the 2021 financial year.