Henriette Wendt elected to the CKW Board of Directors
Due to the pandemic, the CKW General Assembly had to be held again in written form. The shareholders approved all agenda items. They elected Henriette Wendt to the Board of Directors, approved the consolidated and annual financial statements and agreed to an increase in the dividend and a special dividend.
Due to the measures to combat Covid-19, the 128th CKW General Assembly on January 28, 2022 was held in a small group. The shareholders exercised their voting and election rights in writing to the attention of the independent proxy. They approved the annual report, the consolidated financial statements and the annual financial statements for the 2020/21 financial year. The CKW Group closed the past financial year very successfully with an operating profit of CHF 174.5 million.
Dividend increase and special dividend
The net financial assets of the CKW Group increased by a further CHF 35 million to CHF 574 million compared to the previous year. This initial situation and the financial planning for the coming years allow the ordinary dividend to be increased from CHF 3 to CHF 6. In addition, with the conclusion of the energy tariff proceedings and the subsequent compensation for the former transmission grid in the past financial year, CKW has obtained legal certainty in two long-term proceedings. The Board of Directors has therefore decided to propose an additional one-off special dividend of CHF 15 per share to the Annual General Meeting. The shareholders followed the suggestion and approved the dividend increase as well as the special dividend.
New name: CKW AG instead of Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG
They also elected Henriette Wendt, Chief Operating Officer and member of the Executive Board of the Axpo Group, as the new member of the Board of Directors. She succeeds Michael Schmid, who has resigned from the Board of Directors. As COO of Axpo, Henriette Wendt plays an important role in the strategic and cultural development of the Axpo Group nationally and internationally. Before joining Axpo, Wendt worked for Microsoft Switzerland, where she held the role of Chief Marketing & Operations Officer.
The General Assembly approved the actions of the members of the Board of Directors and confirmed President Christoph Brand, the government councilors Marcel Schwerzmann (Lucerne) and Dimitri Moretti (Uri), Anita Eckardt, Joris Gröflin and Hansueli Sallenbach for another one-year term as members of the Board of Directors. KPMG AG, Lucerne, was elected as auditor for another year.
CKW has been operating under this name as a uniform brand on the market for around 5 years and enjoys the trust of customers in and outside of Central Switzerland. This strategy is now continued in the official company name. Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG becomes CKW AG. The AGM approved the application in terms of simplification and as a sign of modernization.
The next General Assembly will take place on Friday, January 27, 2023.