If the annual (or any interim) balance sheet shows that half or more of the share capital has been lost, the managing directors must call a shareholders' meeting without any undue delay. STEAG GmbH was the central management company of the STEAG Group until the end of 2022. Management board definition: The board of a company or organization is the group of people who control it and direct. Born 1961 Andreas Reichel has been Labor Director and member of the Management Board of STEAG GmbH since August 2020 and its Chairman since January 2022, as well as Chairman of the Management Board of STEAG Power GmbH since December 1, 2022, and of Iqony GmbH since January 2023. Appointment of the auditor of the financial statements. The powers in an AG are split between the management board, the supervisory board and the shareholders' meeting. The company's accounts must be audited by an independent auditor annually. The main recent corporate governance trends in Germany are: Establishment of the option to hold virtual annual general meetings in the German Stock Corporation Act (, Risk and compliance management systems will be extended to cover third party risks and to decrease reliance on raw materials, and in particular single source dependencies. Criminal penalties in general must be borne by the board member personally. Non-executive members are not allowed to do so and are only entitled to supervise the executive directors (ie, the managing directors) within the internal relationship. He succeeds Christian Mäder, who as communicated in December 2022 will leave the company as of April 30, 2023. More than half of the shareholders' representatives must be independent of the company and the management board. The application must be filed without undue delay, but no later than three weeks (in the case of illiquidity) or after six weeks (in the case of over-indebtedness) after the event of insolvency. In June 2022 a revised version of the DCGK came into force and introduced several recommendations relating to ESG policy and internal control (ICS) and risk management systems (RMS). In addition, in supervising the management board of an AG or SE, the supervisory board has to follow this principle. In our role as managers, we have many years of experience and bring our full enthusiasm to each project we take on. Decisions within each department are made by the responsible member of the management board unless a material decision requires a resolution of the entire board. Find out more about Lexology or get in touch by visiting our About page. If stipulated by the articles and by unanimous resolution, the management board can adopt its own rules of procedure. ING. Boards are generally continuing to strengthen their oversight of social, environmental and ethical issues. The following type of companies must report on environmental and ethical issues as part of a "non-financial declaration" (section 289b, Commercial Code (, issued shares or financial instruments that are admitted to trading on a regulated market limited by shares (, more than 500 employees on an annual average; and, either a balance sheet total of more than EUR20 million or a turnover of more than EUR40 million. The members of the management board and supervisory board must observe the enterprise's best interests. There are no restrictions as to nationality. How regularly are such evaluations conducted and by whom? Violations of laws regarding market manipulation and insider trading can occur especially during or immediately before the buyback of shares by a company. Dr. Toralf Haag is Member of the Board of Directors of Fr. A leader in designing and building highly-innovative production and automation systems for 95 years. In addition, management board members cannot become a member of the company's supervisory board within two years after their appointment ends, unless they were elected on the proposal of shareholders holding more than 25% of the company's voting rights. Born 1966 Ralf Schiele has been a member of the Management Board of STEAG GmbH since October 2020 and a member of the Management Board of STEAG Power GmbH since December 1, 2022 and of Iqony GmbH since January 2023. The power of the management board is restricted by the existing law, the articles and the rules of procedure. The Supervisory Board supervises and advises the Board of Management in performing its Group management tasks. Instead, it generally assumes a separation between management and supervision. Depending on the company's articles, shareholders must register for the shareholders' meeting. Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3. The controlling entity compensates the controlled entity by the end of the financial year. Representative of the Mining, Chemicals and Energy Industrial Labor Union (IG BCE). Remuneration of the management board and the supervisory board. A managing director must be a natural person and contractually capable without any restriction, i.e. The employee representatives are elected and removed according to the applicable co-determination act. From 1995 to 2006, he was responsible for communications at the former Ruhrkohle AG and Ruhrgas AG. The report must also contain aspects relating to ecological sustainability as well as ethical and social responsibility. If the GmbH has more than 500 employees, a third of the members of the supervisory board must be employee representative. Thus, these members’ duties differ from the other members’ duties. In the remuneration report, the management board and the supervisory board must also explain how the last vote of the shareholders' meeting on the remuneration report has been considered. Typically, a GmbH only has managing directors forming the management board. Please feel free to contact us. Contact Us. When proposing individuals as possible members of the supervisory board for election to the general meeting, the independence of the individuals from controlling shareholders, the management board and other groups (eg, competitors) is one of the factors to be considered by the supervisory board. Based on the implemented Shareholder Rights Directive II (SRD II), the supervisory board of a listed company had to adopt a transparent and comprehensive remuneration policy (. The maximum term for members of the supervisory board is also about five years (depending on the date of the shareholders' meeting). The managing directors may delegate tasks to proxy holders, but retain overall responsibility for the company's operations and management. He gained further experience in management teams at internationally active, medium-sized companies and joined DB in 2013. In August 2022, she took on the role of DB Engineering & Consulting Managing Director for the German Market. The total remuneration granted to all members of the management board must be contained in the notes to the financial statements. Joined RIB: 2021. Having held various management positions in business development at DB ProjektBau GmbH, DB International GmbH and DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH with a focus on business model and organizational development and operationalization of strategy implementation, Andrea assumed the role of Chief Technology Officer between 2019 and 2023. Our local business models are based on a unique understanding of the customer and help us to put our customers first and be the catalyst for their success. Supervisory boards of listed companies are statutorily required to hold at least four meetings a year. Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 on sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector (SFDR or Disclosure Regulation) came into force and has applied since 10 March 2021. Continental regarding its group reorganisation and the IPO of the Powertrain business (2018-2021), the semiconductor supply shortage (2020/21, ongoing), and the acquisition of Veyance Technologies (USA) (2015). Please fill in the form below and we will respond to your inquiry. STEAG Power also operates one large power plant in Turkey. More Definitions of Management Board. A person who is not formally appointed as a management board member can only be liable as a management board member if they both: Act as a management board member with the knowledge of the supervisory board. Therefore, they have a right to be informed by other board members and a duty to inquire and conduct random examinations. Railways for the world of tomorrow – they keep us going. Such corporate body is particularly common in private equity contexts. They can have a supervisory board or an advisory board, resulting in a two-tier structure. Supervisory board members, who may be delegated or elected from a certain shareholder majority, are not allowed to pass on any information received in their function as members of the supervisory board to the respective shareholder. To what extent do the duties of individual members of the board differ? Proxy advisors (such as ISS and Glass Lewis, but also large funds) have recently issued voting guidelines on independence of members which are generally considered by nomination committees when making their proposals to the shareholders' meeting. MAHLE GmbH Pragstraße 26-46 D-70376 Stuttgart. However, a managing director cannot participate in any decision relating to their own discharge or which would give rise to a conflict of interest such as the release of such managing director from a liability. TE Connectivity on the public takeover offer to the shareholders of First Sensor AG and on the domination and profit and loss pooling agreement with First Sensor (2019/2020). Request that items are put on the agenda of a shareholders' meeting and announced (minimum shareholding: 5% of the registered share capital or nominally EUR500,000). The managing directors are generally appointed by a resolution of the shareholders’ meeting, either by a formal meeting or by a resolution in text form (including email). We are sticking to our strategy of phasing out hard coal-fired power generation in the long term. STADA Arzneimittel AG regarding the takeover (2017) and management of claims of activist shareholders (2016), as well as refinancing and delisting (2018). Under the DCGK a similar deductible must be agreed in any D&O policy for the supervisory board. The overarching focus of both our Executive and Supervisory Board is to drive the Symrise Group's sustainable, long-term success. How is the size of the board determined? TOBIAS HAMACHER - CFO. Transactions that are subject to supervisory board approval must be publicly announced. Specific restrictions apply for supervisory board positions in banks and insurance companies, for example, a managing director of a bank can only be a member of the supervisory boards of two other companies (section 25d (3) Banking Act (, Within each board, members have the same rights and duties. Organisational structure or cost-controlling, relating to management positions with influence on accounting matters. Group, where DB E&C and DB IO make up the two key pillars of business. Transactions affecting the legal structure of the company, for example mergers or spin-offs. Dragan Radanovic is responsible for QLP . For the disclosure requirements of remuneration and "say on pay" resolutions, see, There are no legal restrictions or requirements regarding the ownership of shares in a company. Request that a shareholders' meeting is convened (minimum shareholding: 5% of the registered share capital). STADA Arzneimittel AG regarding the bidder contest and the public takeover offer by the PE consortium of Bain Capital/Cinven (2016/17), as well as refinancing and delisting (2018). Under the AktG, transactions between a listed company and its directors (related party transactions) that exceed certain thresholds require the prior approval of the supervisory board. Our company is led by an experienced management team with a strong track record. A managing director manages the affairs of the company and represents it towards third parties. But this is an unfortunate translation. A loan to a board member by his company must be authorised in advance by a supervisory board resolution and is subject to additional limitations. Is there any law, regulation, listing requirement or practice that requires evaluation of the board, its committees or individual directors? What are the board’s primary legal responsibilities? This resource is periodically updated for necessary changes due to legal, market, or practice developments. Participation in decisions of the company. Stuttgart, Germany - Uwe Raschke (63) and Dr. Michael Bolle (59) will be leaving the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH on June 30, 2021, following decades of successful work for the company. The supervisory board requires the management board to ask for prior consent on certain important business matters. An AG's shareholders' meeting must occur in the first eight months of the financial year, and an SE's shareholder's meeting must occur in the first six months of the financial year. In general, managing directors owe their duties to the company itself. In addition, the annual auditor must be independent of the company. A shareholders' meeting must be convened if shareholders having an aggregate shareholding of at least 5% of the registered share capital file a written request stating the purpose and the reasons for the request. A breach of these duties leads to personal and joint liability of the members of the management board towards the company. Completes 1st. The DCGK is based on the "comply or explain" principle. Chief Operating Officer Operations, Management Board TK Elevator GmbH Jeremy L. Rainwater CEO Americas Jürgen Böhler CEO BU Asia Pacific Bora Gülan CEO BU Europe Africa Sylwia Raczynska Chief Transformation Officer Susan Poon Chief Information Officer Philipp Cramer Head of Global Field Business Luca Nick Chief of Staff However, in the light of the global pandemic, German legislators passed an act in 2020 (. Under case law, the supervisory board must enforce the liability of former management board members and the management board must enforce the liability of former supervisory board members. Niko Warbanoff. No such evaluations are provided for either statutorily or according to regulation or listing requirements. From mid-2004 to the beginning of 2008, he took over the position of Head of Sales and Marketing at STEAG KETEK IT GmbH and in 2008 moved to Evonik Industries AG to join the Group Development and Portfolio Management department. From 1 January 2023, under the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains (. There is no objection by minority shareholders that jointly hold a minimum of 10% of the registered share capital. The Commercial Code and the AktG conclusively set out situations in which an auditor will not be independent, for example in case of a conflict of interest or if the auditor has shares or other relevant financial interests in the company to be audited. Born 1967 Ralf Schmitz has been a member of the Management Board of STEAG GmbH since July 2021 and a member of the Management Board of STEAG Power GmbH since December 1, 2022 and of Iqony GmbH since January 2023. After graduation he worked for Daimler for ten years, where he gained experience in a variety of management positions around the globe, before starting his career with Deutsche Bahn in 2009. However, the DCGK recommends an age limit for the members of each of these corporate bodies, which should be chosen freely by the company. In addition, any dealings with shares of the company (and related derivatives) must be disclosed to the public (. When contracts are entered into with management board members of listed companies, the DCGK recommends that payments (including fringe benefits) made to a member due to early termination of their contract do not exceed twice the annual remuneration (severance caps) and do not constitute remuneration for more than the remaining term of the employment contract. Deutsche Telekom AG on its sale of its tower business (2022). A public discussion on how board work can be reorganised in times of digitalisation, disruption and sustainability transformation (for example: smaller and more diverse boards combined with the establishment of group executive committees; staggered board terms of office with a refreshment option every two years). Furthermore, corporations that need to fulfil the aforementioned gender criteria for their boards must include a declaration on corporate governance in their management report. Failure to do so may result in severe civil and criminal liability. Where more than one managing director has been appointed, the shareholders' meeting should allocate specific fields of responsibility. For credit institutions, special requirements apply under the Banking Act (. The board members can get insurance coverage for that deductible on their own cost. After this period the auditor cannot be re-appointed for four years (cooling-off period). Stock options are often offered as part of a director's remuneration. Phone: +49 711 501-0 Contact: © by MAHLE GmbH, Stuttgart 2023 As Bosch Group CFO, his responsibilities include finance and accounting, controlling, planning, mergers and acquisitions, taxes, and performance management. fin. The DCGK recommends creating committees to increase the effectiveness of the supervisory board's work. In the case of statutory co-determination, the number of members must be divisible by three. Her academic career was followed by six years in various functions at Bertelsmann AG. Initially responsible for special tasks for the CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG, Warbanoff joined the Board of Managing Directors of DB International GmbH in 2010 and was appointed Chairman a year later. The general rule is that in case of more than one managing director, the managing directors represent the company jointly. Since 2012 he has been member of the Management Board (CFO) of KTM AG and since December 2019 member of the Management Board of PIERER Mobility AG. Under the revised AktG, the shareholders' meeting can (on request by a minority shareholder) reduce the cap on the management board remuneration that was determined by the supervisory board. The company usually pays for the insurance premium. Is there a minimum number of ‘non-executive’ or ‘independent’ directors required by law, regulation or listing requirement? However, this does not limit an individual board member's responsibility as they remain responsible and accountable for the management of the entire business of the company. In certain cases, the adoption of resolutions can also be delegated to committees. Board Member. However, there are no formal requirements or guidelines specifying the form or substance of an internal risk management system. Ralph Dommermuth laid the foundation for today's United Internet AG with the formation in 1988 of 1&1 Marketing GmbH. The criminal provisions of the Criminal Code (. Management Board means the Management Board of the Company. In the case of a one-tier system, within an SE, the CEO and chair of the board may be the same person without any separation requirement. Despite this fundamental distinction, the influence of U.S. culture and contact with its business world often leads some entrepreneurs, especially young ones, to wish to install a U.S.-style board for their German company. Would you like to talk to us about them? Management board members of an AG and an SE are, conversely, entitled to manage the company at their own discretion. The management board must file for insolvency without undue delay (and in any case not later than three weeks) if either of the following events occurs: The company becomes unable to make payments when due. Our management at Symrise. In cases of co-determination, a supervisory board is compulsory in a GmbH. Within these limits, the management board of an AG and an SE with a two-tier board structure acts independently (in particular, it cannot be instructed by shareholders, unless a domination agreement is in place). New rules regarding the remuneration of board members in listed companies have been implemented and came into effect in 2021 (see above. Meetings of the management board (and supervisory board) must be convened and chaired by the respective chairperson. Reappointment is possible for both management and supervisory board members. Sauter AG. However, the articles of association may stipulate or allow that a managing director has sole power of representation or that, for example, two managing directors represent the company jointly or that one managing director does so jointly with a registered proxy holder (Prokurist). If the management consists of more than one person, this management is often translated into English as "Management Board" or "Board of Directors". Significant developments affecting this resource will be described below. Furthermore, Martin Klöti (50) will become the new CFO of the Artemis Group and member of the Management Board from November 1, 2023. Stricter requirements for corporate governance under stock corporation law, especially for auditing, as a result of the Act to Strengthen the Integrity of the Financial Market (Financial Market Integrity Strengthening Act) (, Most private companies are companies with limited liability (, Most public or listed companies are AGs or European companies (, In addition, listed companies can also have the legal form of partnerships limited by shares (, The AktG is the main law regarding the corporate governance of a stock corporation (, The primary regulation for SE is the SE Regulation ((EC) 2157/2001), the SE Implementation Act (. This is part of the sustainability transformation process of business operating models and in anticipation of a new Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains (. The Management Board focuses on the strategic development and overarching management of Thieme: A particular focus of its activities is on driving forward the digital transformation in the globally active company. The Supervisory Board of STEAG GmbH has 20 members. by integrating. Since November 2017, she has been part of the Management Board as Managing Director Finance/Controlling at DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH. Supervisory board members are considered independent from the controlling shareholder if they, or a close family member: Are neither a controlling shareholder nor a member of the executive governing body of the controlling shareholder. in the articles of association or rules of procedure such as consent provisos in favour of the shareholders’ meeting or a supervisory board), unless there is a case of abuse of such power of representation (Missbrauch der Vertretungsmacht), meaning that a third party is aware of or, under specific circumstances, should have been aware of such misuse. Nachbarrecht: Darf der Baukran des Nachbarn über mein Grundstück schwenken? This duty arises from the extensive competences of the managing director and their access to the share capital of the company. With respect to those shareholders' meetings, the management board, with the approval of the supervisory board, could call shareholders' meetings without physical presence, even if this was not authorised by the articles. He is already a Member of the Management Board of Boerse Stuttgart GmbH since 1 October 2017. There are no legal requirements on the nationality of members of the management board and the supervisory board. The supervisory board determines the remuneration for members of the management board. Country or Region *. Since July 2022, the AktG has allowed annual shareholder meetings to take place virtually (. Together with our 5,900 employees, we create sustainable mobility solutions to make railways strong across Germany and around the world. Increasing sustainability reporting obligations. Are there criteria that individual directors or the board as a whole must fulfil? In order to qualify as a German tax resident for double taxation purposes, the place of effective management of the GmbH needs to be in Germany. The Management Board is composed of two members: The articles of association may, however, require a higher minimum number and/or specify a maximum. Therefore, in German companies, the management board or managing directors manage the business of the company they lead. © Copyright 2006 - 2023 Law Business Research. The shareholders' meeting passes a resolution that consents to the waiver or settlement of liability. The Management Board. For companies that are not of public interest, the auditor is generally not permitted to participate in accounting or internal revisions or to provide management, financial or rating-related services, except if those participations or services are of minor relevance. Uwe Raschke will be retiring, while Dr. Michael Bolle is stepping down in order to pursue opportunities in the high-tech and startup sectors. Management board members are subject to comprehensive non-compete clauses throughout the duration of their appointment. The articles or, more commonly, the management board's rules of procedure can assign different areas of responsibility or business sectors to individual management board members.