Principles

Principles

In performing their activities, the Board of Directors and Group Executive Board of ­Swisscom are guided by the objective of long-term and sustainable corporate governance. They incorporate in their decisions the legitimate interests of ­Swisscom shareholders, customers, employees and other interest groups. To this end, the Board of Directors practices effective and transparent corporate governance, which is characterised by clearly assigned responsibilities and based on recognised standards. In particular, ­Swisscom complies with

  • the recommendations of the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance 2014 issued by economiesuisse, the umbrella organisation representing Swiss business.
  • the Corporate Governance Directive issued by the SIX Swiss Exchange of 1 September 2014, which also forms the basis of this report.
  • the requirements of the Ordinance Against Excessive Compensation in Listed Stock Companies (OaEC) of 20 November 2013, which entered into force on 1 January 2014.
  • legal requirements pursuant to the Swiss Code of Obligations.

The exchange of insights and information with investors, proxy advisors and other stakeholder groups by the respective specialist divisions allows the Board of Directors to identify new standards at an early stage and to adjust its corporate governance activities to new requirements. ­Swisscom’s principles and rules on corporate governance are set out primarily in the company’s Articles of Incorporation, Organisational Rules and the Rules of Procedure of the Board of Directors’ committees. Of particular importance is the Code of Conduct approved by the Board of Directors. It contains a declaration by ­Swisscom of its commitment to absolute integrity as well as compliance with the law and all other external and internal rules and regulations. ­Swisscom expects its employees to take responsibility for their actions, show consideration for people, society and the environment, comply with applicable rules, demonstrate integrity and report any violations of the Code of Conduct. The latest version of these documents as well as revised or superseded versions can be viewed online on the ­Swisscom website under “Basic principles”.