SWIPRA Corporate Governance Survey 2021

A sustainable and profitable future - Can boards of directors meet all expectations?

Zurich, December 8, 2021 - The results of the 9th SWIPRA Corporate Governance Survey confirm the central role of corporate governance in meaningfully integrating sustainability into corporate strategy. The survey shows that Swiss boards of directors are overall well positioned: Institutional shareholders place a high and even increased level of trust in Swiss boards. However, from the shareholders' point of view, boards still take insufficient responsibility for social (“S”) and environmental (“E”) topics. In their view, it often remains unclear to what extent E&S considerations are incorporated into strategic decisions – from the business model, to compensation, to leadership and the associated board composition or to capital allocation, for example investments in new technologies.

A majority of companies is in the process of comprehensively assessing and, if needed, adjusting existing business models, internal structures and responsibilities, as well as comprehensively revising ESG-disclosure. In Switzerland, starting 2024, this sustainability-reporting will become subject to a shareholder vote at the annual general meeting (AGM), and an overwhelming majority of survey participants prefer a consultative say-on-sustainability vote.

Therefore, it is important to understand, internally as well as externally, what opportunities and threats arise from E&S factors and which strategic adjustments, if any, should be made. This is necessary to ensure that not only trust in governance remains high in the future, but also that the understanding of the E&S integration in business models is better understood.

The survey further provides insights on topics such as ESG reporting standards, the content of non-financial reporting (NFR), E&S in compensation plans, shareholder dialogue and the future format of AGMs.