Suominen Corporation’s stock exchange release on December 19, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EET
Proposal on the number of the members, on the composition, and on the Chair of the Board of Directors
The Nomination Board of Suominen Corporation’s shareholders proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of Board members remains unchanged and would be six (6).
The Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Andreas Ahlström, Aaron Barsness, Björn Borgman, Nina Linander and Laura Remes would be re-elected as members of the Board of Directors and that Charles Héaulmé would be elected as a new member of the Board of Directors.
Jaakko Eskola, the current Chair of the Board of Directors, has informed that he is not available for re-election to the Board of Directors.
Charles Héaulmé (born 1966, B. Sc. (Business Administration), French citizen) currently works as the President and CEO of Huhtamäki Oyj. Prior to that he has held a number of executive positions at Tetra Pak in Europe and Americas. Charles Héaulmé’s CV is attached to this stock exchange release. The proposed current members of the Board of Directors are presented on the company website www.suominen.fi.
All candidates have given their consent to the election. All candidates are independent of the company. The candidates are also independent of Suominen’s significant shareholders, with the exception of Andreas Ahlström who acts currently as Investment Director at A. Ahlström Corporation. The largest shareholder of Suominen Corporation, Ahlstrom Capital B.V. is a group company of A. Ahlström Corporation.
The Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Charles Héaulmé would be elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
With regard to the selection procedure for the members of the Board of Directors, the Nomination Board recommends that shareholders take a position on the proposal as a whole at the Annual General Meeting. In preparing its proposals the Nomination Board, in addition to ensuring that individual nominees for membership of the Board of Directors possess the required competences, has determined that the proposed Board of Directors as a whole also has the best possible expertise for the company and that the composition of the Board of Directors meets other requirements of the Finnish Corporate Governance Code for listed companies.
Proposal on the Board remuneration
The Nomination Board proposes that the remuneration of the Board of Directors would be as follows: the Chair would be paid an annual fee of EUR 74,000 (2023: EUR 70,000), the Deputy Chair an annual fee of EUR 45,000 (2023: 33,000) and other Board members an annual fee of EUR 35,000 (2023: EUR 33,000). The Nomination Board also proposes that the additional fee paid to the Chair of the Audit Committee would remain unchanged and be EUR 10,000.
Further, the Nomination Board proposes that the fees payable for each Board and Committee meeting would remain unchanged and be as follows: EUR 500 for each meeting held in the home country of the respective member, EUR 1,000 for each meeting held elsewhere than in the home country of the respective member and EUR 500 for each meeting attended by telephone or other electronic means. No fee is paid for decisions made without convening a meeting.
75% of the annual fees is paid in cash and 25% in Suominen Corporation’s shares. The shares will be transferred out of the own shares held by the company by the decision of the Board of Directors within two weeks from the date on which the interim report of January-March 2024 of the company is published.
Compensation for expenses will be paid in accordance with the company’s valid travel policy.
The composition of the Nomination Board
The members of the Nomination Board are, as of September 4, 2023, Lasse Heinonen, as a member appointed by Ahlstrom Capital B.V. and Mikael Etola, CEO of Etola-Yhtiöt, as a member appointed by both Etola Group Oy and Oy Etra Invest Ab. Jaakko Eskola, Chair of Suominen’s Board of Directors, serves as the third member of the Nomination Board. Lasse Heinonen acts as the Chair of the Nomination Board. The Nomination Board decided to invite Peter Seligson, Chair of the Board of Directors of A. Ahlström Corporation, to attend the Nomination Board’s meetings as an advisor.
All of the proposals made by the Nomination Board were unanimous.
The Board of Directors of Suominen Corporation will include the proposals submitted by the Nomination Board to the Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Suominen which will be published at a later date. The Annual General Meeting of Suominen Corporation is scheduled to be held on April 4, 2024.
SUOMINEN CORPORATION
Tommi Björnman, President & CEO
For additional information please contact Lasse Heinonen, Chair of the Nomination Board of Suominen Corporation, tel. +358 10 888 4450
Suominen manufactures nonwovens as roll goods for wipes and other applications. Our vision is to be the frontrunner for nonwovens innovation and sustainability. The end products made of Suominen’s nonwovens are present in people’s daily life worldwide. Suominen’s net sales in 2022 were EUR 493.3 million and we have around 700 professionals working in Europe and in the Americas. Suominen’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. Read more at www.suominen.fi.
Distribution:
Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.
Key media
www.suominen.fi
- Picture – Charles Heaulme
- CV – Charles Heaulme ENG