Lonza Publishes Invitation to the 2024 Annual General Meeting and 2023 Annual and Sustainability Reports

Lonza Group AG / Key word(s): Sustainability/Miscellaneous

03-Apr-2024 / 07:00 CET/CEST
Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

• Annual General Meeting will take place on 8 May 2024 at the Congress Center in Basel, Switzerland
• Albert M. Baehny will not stand for re-election as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Jean-Marc Huët proposed as new Chairman of Lonza
• All current Board Members except for Albert M. Baehny proposed for re-election
• Proposed 14% dividend increase from CHF 3.50 to CHF 4.00 per share
• 2023 Annual and Sustainability Reports published
• Lonza’s near-term science-based emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) 

Basel, Switzerland, 3 April 2024 – Lonza today announced the publication of its 2023 Annual and Sustainability Reports, as well as its invitation to the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM). The event will take place on Wednesday, 8 May 2024, at 10:00 a.m. CEST, at the Congress Center Messe Basel, Messeplatz 21, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.

2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Albert M. Baehny, current Chairman of the Board of Directors, will not stand for re-election. The Board of Directors is proposing to shareholders the election of Jean-Marc Huët as new member and Chairman of the Board of Directors for a one-year term until the completion of the AGM 2025. Jean-Marc Huët is the current Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Heineken N.V. and former Chief Financial Officer of Unilever, Bristol-Myers Squibb and the specialized nutrition company Royal Numico N.V.

The Board of Directors also proposes the re-election of the following individuals to the Board of Directors for a further one-year term each, until completion of the AGM 2025:

• Marion Helmes
• Angelica Kohlmann
• Christoph Mäder
• Roger Nitsch
• Barbara Richmond
• Jürgen Steinemann
• Olivier Verscheure

The AGM invitation can be accessed on the AGM webpage.

Further motions include the election of the Compensation Committee, and the approval of the compensation of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

The Board of Directors is proposing a 14% dividend increase from CHF 3.50 to CHF 4.00 per share. Subject to approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting, 50% of the dividend will be paid out of the capital contribution reserve and will therefore be free from Swiss withholding tax. 

All details on the motions can be found in the 2024 AGM invitation. 

2023 Annual and Sustainability Reports

Lonza today published its 2023 online Annual Report and Sustainability Report, which is aligned with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. PDF versions of the reports can be accessed via the Annual Report webpage, which can be found here. 

The 2023 Sustainability Report is Lonza’s sixth sustainability report. The report provides insights into the company’s commitments and performance related to the most relevant sustainability priorities for its business and stakeholders.

Responsible business is both an ethical and a commercial imperative for Lonza. Since 2022, environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics have been incorporated into Lonza’s compensation policy for both management and employees. This ensures that sustainability remains an integral part of every employee’s daily work and sustainability achievements are recognized and rewarded as a core strategic pillar of Lonza’s long-term success. For more information, please visit Lonza’s 2023 Remuneration Report.

Lonza’s near-term science-based emission reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) 

In 2023, as part of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction strategy, Lonza submitted near-term, science-based emissions reduction targets that have now been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a leading carbon footprint reduction initiative. Lonza has committed to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG¹ emissions by 42% by 2030, from a 2021 base year². The company also set a supplier engagement target for Scope 3 emissions, committing that 79% of its suppliers by emissions - covering purchased goods and services, capital goods and upstream transportation and distribution - will have science-based targets by 2028³.

The SBTi’s validation underscores Lonza’s commitment to addressing its environmental impact through concrete and science-based actions, underlining the company’s dedication to sustainable business practices.

About Lonza

Lonza is one of the world’s largest healthcare manufacturing organizations. Working across five continents, our global community of around 18,000 colleagues helps pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition companies to bring their treatments to market. United by our vision to bring any therapy to life, we support our customers with a combination of technological insight, world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise, process excellence and innovation. Our work enables our customers to develop and commercialize their therapeutic discoveries, allowing their patients to benefit from life-saving and life-enhancing treatments.

Our business is structured to meet our customers' complex needs across four divisions: Biologics, Small Molecules, Cell & Gene, and Capsules & Health Ingredients. Our company generated sales of CHF 6.7 billion with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 2.0 billion in Full-Year 2023. Find out more at www.lonza.com

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