1.Principles
1.1 General principles
ABB is committed to the highest international standards of
corporate governance, and supports the general principles
as set forth in the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate
Governance, as well as those of the capital markets where
its shares are listed and traded.
In addition to the provisions of the Swiss Code of Obligations,
ABB’s key principles and rules on corporate governance
are laid down in ABB’s Articles of Incorporation, the
ABB Ltd Board Regulations & Corporate Governance Guidelines
(which includes the regulations of ABB’s board committees
and the ABB Ltd Related Party Transaction Policy),
and the ABB Code of Conduct and the Addendum to the
ABB Code of Conduct for Members of the Board of Directors
and the Executive Committee. It is the duty of ABB’s Board
of Directors (the Board) to review and amend or propose
amendments to those documents from time to time to reflect
the most recent developments and practices, as well as
to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
This section of the Annual Report is based on the Directive
on Information Relating to Corporate Governance published
by the SIX Swiss Exchange. Where an item listed in the
directive is not addressed in this report, it is either inapplicable
to or immaterial for ABB.
According to the New York Stock Exchange’s corporate
governance standards (the Standards), ABB is required to
disclose significant ways in which its corporate governance
practices differ from the Standards. ABB has reviewed the
Standards and concluded that its corporate governance practices
are generally consistent with the Standards, with the
following significant exceptions:
– Swiss law requires that the external auditors be elected
by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting rather
than by the finance and audit committee or the board of
directors.
– The Standards require that all equity compensation plans
and material revisions thereto be approved by the shareholders.
Consistent with Swiss law such matters are decided
by our Board. However, the shareholders decide about the
creation of new share capital that can be used in connection
with equity compensation plans.
1.2 Duties of directors and officers
The directors and officers of a Swiss corporation are bound,
as specified in the Swiss Code of Obligations, to perform
their duties with all due care, to safeguard the interests of the
corporation in good faith and to extend equal treatment to
shareholders in like circumstances.
The Swiss Code of Obligations does not specify what
standard of due care is required of the directors of a corporate
board. However, it is generally held by Swiss legal scholars
and jurisprudence that the directors must have the requisite
capability and skill to fulfill their function, and must devote
the necessary time to the discharge of their duties. Moreover,
the directors must exercise all due care that a prudent and
diligent director would have taken in like circumstances. Finally,
the directors are required to take actions in the best interests
of the corporation and may not take any actions that may be
harmful to the corporation.
Exercise of powers
Directors, as well as other persons authorized to act on behalf
of a Swiss corporation, may perform all legal acts on
behalf of the corporation which the business purpose, as set
forth in the articles of incorporation of the corporation, may
entail. Pursuant to court practice, such directors and officers
can take any action that is not explicitly excluded by the
business purpose of the corporation. In so doing, however,
the directors and officers must still pursue the duty of due
care and the duty of loyalty described above and must extend
equal treatment to the corporation’s shareholders in like circumstances.
ABB’s Articles of Incorporation do not contain
provisions concerning a director’s power, in the absence
of an independent quorum, to vote on the compensation to
themselves or any members of their body.
Conflicts of interest
Swiss law does not have a general provision on conflicts of
interest and our Articles of Incorporation do not limit our
directors’ power to vote on a proposal, arrangement or contract
in which the director or officer is materially interested.
However, the Swiss Code of Obligations requires directors and
officers to safeguard the interests of the corporation and,
in this connection, imposes a duty of care and loyalty on directors
and officers. This rule is generally understood and
so recommended by the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate
Governance as disqualifying directors and officers
from participating in decisions, other than in the shareholders’
meeting, that directly affect them.