Corporate Governance

Professional background and education

Prof. Dr. Michael Süss was elected to the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Board at the 2015 Annual General Meeting. From 2015 to 2016, Prof. Dr. Süss held the position of CEO at Georgsmarienhütte Holding, a traditional German steel company. Prior to that, he was a member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of the Siemens Energy Sector. From 2008 to 2011, he served as CEO of the Fossil Power Generation Division of the Energy Sector and was a member of the Group Executive Management of the Siemens AG Power Generation Group from October 2006 to December 2007. From 2001 to 2006, Prof. Dr. Süss was COO at MTU Aero Engines, where he was significantly involved in the initial public offering of the company. Before joining MTU, he worked in the automotive industries, holding various management and Board positions at BMW and Porsche. Prof. Dr. Süss graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, and completed his doctorate in 1994 at the Institute for Industrial Science/ Ergonomics at the University of Kassel (Dr. rer. pol.), Germany. On October 29, 2015, Michael Süss was awarded the honorary professorship of the TU Munich.

Other activities and vested interests

Prof. Dr. Süss is Executive Vice President for Asset Management of Witel AG (former Renova Management AG) and First Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Verbund AG.

Professional background and education

Geoffery Merszei was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2017 Annual General Meeting. He is Chairman and Chief Executive of Zolenza AG, an investment and advisory firm based in Zug, Switzerland. He brings with him over 40 years of experience in corporate governance and finance. For over 30 years, Mr. Merszei served in a number of senior management positions at The Dow Chemical Company, the last being Executive Vice President (EVP) of The Dow Chemical Company, President of Dow EMEA and Chairman of Dow Europe before retiring in 2013. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Merszei left Dow to be the EVP and CFO of Alcan Inc., and returned to Dow in 2005 as EVP, CFO and a Member of the Board of Directors of The Dow Chemical Company. Mr. Merszei previously served as a Board Member of the Chemical Financial Corporation and Chemical Bank and the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Merszei holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Albion College, Michigan, USA.

Other activities and vested interests

Geoffery Merszei is a Board Member of ICL Chemicals Ltd.

Professional background and education

Dr. Jean Botti was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2016 Annual General Meeting. He is currently CEO of VoltAero SA, an aircraft company. From April 2016 through March 2017 he was Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer at Royal Philips. Prior to Philips, Dr. Botti was the Airbus Group’s Chief Technical Officer for ten years. From 1997 to 2006, he served in diverse management roles at Delphi, including in customer solutions, as CTO and as Business Line Executive for the powertrain product line. Before joining Delphi, Dr. Botti held various management positions at General Motors and Renault, mostly in the area of chassis engineering, drivelines and automotive components. Dr. Botti holds 31 patents. He has two master’s degrees: one in Mechanical Engineering from the Institute National des Sciences Appliquées of Toulouse, France, and the other in Science Administration from Central Michigan University, USA, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France. He also completed the Research and Innovation program at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). Dr. Botti is member of the French Academy of Technologies. He is a recipient of the French Legion d’Honneur and also recipient of the French Medal of Aeronautics.

Other activities and vested interests

Dr. Botti is a Board Member of Inventys, an oil and gas company in Canada

Professional background and education

David Metzger was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2016 Annual General Meeting. He serves as Managing Director Investments of Witel AG (former Renova Management AG), Zurich, Switzerland. Since 2011, he has held various positions at Witel, initially as CFO of Venetos, and later as Deputy Managing Director, Strategy and M&A. Prior to Witel, Mr. Metzger worked for Good Energies, a highly renowned renewable energy fund, where he was an investment manager for four years, during which he also served as CFO and a Board Member of several investment companies. Before Good Energies, he was a Senior Manager at Bain & Company, focusing on strategy and private equity. Mr. Metzger holds a Master’s degree in Business Economics from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

Other activities and vested interests

Mr. Metzger is a Board Member of Octo Telematics Ltd.

Professional background and education

Gerhard Pegam was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2010 Annual General Meeting. In 2012, he founded his own consulting firm. From June 2011 until June 2012, he was a Corporate Officer of TDK Corporation, Japan. From 2001 until 2012, he was CEO of EPCOS AG, Germany, and from 2009 until 2012, he additionally served as a board Member of TDKEPC Corp., the parent company of EPCOS AG. From 1982 to 2001, he held several management positions with EPCOS AG, the Siemens Group and Philips. Mr. Pegam graduated from the Technical College, Klagenfurt, Austria, with a diploma in Electrical Engineering.

Other activities and vested interests

Mr. Pegam is a Board Member of Süss MicroTec AG and Schaffner Holding AG.

Professional background and education

Alexey V. Moskov was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2016 Annual General Meeting. In 2004, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Witel AG (former Renova Management AG), Zurich, Switzerland. Prior to Witel, he served on the Board of Directors of NGK Slavneft and worked in diverse managerial positions at Tyumen Oil Company TNK-BP. Mr. Moskov holds a Master’s degree in Engineering and Development from the Moscow State Railway University (Technical Cybernetics Department), Moscow, Russia.