The Board of Directors bears responsibility for the medium- to long-term strategic orientation of VP Bank Group. It is responsible for the overall management, supervision and control of the company.

Liechtenstein legislation provides for a clear separation of the overall management, supervision and control duties performed by the Board of Directors and the duties performed by operational management. Accordingly, the Board of Directors of VP Bank consists exclusively of non-executive Members (i.e. Members not actively involved in management).

The Board of Directors of VP Bank consists of eight Members. No Member of the Board of Directors has belonged to Group Executive Management, the Executive Board of VP Bank or the Executive Board of any subsidiary company during the past three financial years.

As a bank, VP Bank maintains business relationships with numerous domestic and foreign companies. This is also true for the Members of the Board of Directors as well as for individuals or legal entities that are closely related to the Members of the Board of Directors.

The list (→ table below) provides information on the names, ages, positions, joining dates and remaining terms of office of the Members of the Board of Directors.

At the annual general meeting of 28 April 2023, Dr Beat Graf and Katja Rosenplänter-Marxer were re-elected for a term of office of three years.

Michael Riesen declared his intention not to seek re-election and stepped down from his position on the Board of Directors after nine years in office.

Stefan Amstad and Stephan Zimmermann were elected to the Board of Directors for a term of three years.

Additional changes on the Board of Directors:

The Liechtenstein home market plays a key role in the ongoing success of VP Bank. The Board of Directors underscored its significance by appointing Dr Mauro Pedrazzini as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. He serves as Vice Chairman alongside Ursula Lang.

The implementation of sustainability issues is of strategic significance for VP Bank. Katja Rosenplänter-Marxer was appointed to the newly created position of Sustainability Officer on the Board of Directors. She operates as an interface between the Board of Directors and Group Executive Management in relation to this important issue.

Following a total of six years in office and having served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2020, at the annual general meeting held on 26 April 2024, Dr Thomas R. Meier decided not to stand for re-election. The early announcement should ensure a seamless passing of the baton.

1. Chairperson

The other activities of the members of the Board of Directors and any interests can be found in the biographies on the previous pages.

VP Bank has not issued any statutory rules concerning the number of authorised activities. 

Details concerning the election and terms of office of the current members of the Board of Directors can be found in the analysis shown in section 3.1. Pursuant to Art. 16 of the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors must comprise at least five members who are elected for a term of three years. The members of the Board of Directors are elected individually (re-election is permitted). The Board of Directors elects the Chairman and Vice Chairman from among its members for a term of three years (re-election is permitted).

The internal organisation and modus operandi of the Board of Directors are set out in the Articles of Association (Art. 17 to 19) and in the Organisation and Business Rules (OBR, sections 2 to 4).4

In collaboration with the Executive Board / Group Execu- tive Management, the Board of Directors annually reviews the Group’s strategy in keeping with the provisions of the ­Articles of Association and the OBR and establishes the medium- and long-term objectives as well as the management guidelines of VP Bank Group. The Board of Directors decides on the annual budget proposed by the Executive Board / Group Executive Management for the head office and Group, on strategically important projects, on consolidated and individual company financial statements, as well as on important personnel-related issues.

The Chairman – or, in their absence, the Vice Chairman – conduct, in the name of the Board of Directors, the direct supervision and control of the Executive Board and Group Executive Management. To be able to fulfil its duties in an optimum manner, the Board of Directors is supported by four committees: the Nomination & Compensation ­Committee, the Audit Committee, the Risk Committee and the Strategy & Digitalisation Committee.

The tasks, powers of authority, rights and obligations of the various committees are laid down in the Organisation and Business Rules. In addition, the functions of the committees of the Board of Directors are governed by way of separate business regulations.

Minutes are kept on the meetings and the matters dealt with by the committees at their respective meetings and submitted to the Board of Directors. In addition, the ­committee chairmen inform the Board of Directors at the following Board meeting about all important matters as part of a standard agenda item.

The Nomination & Compensation Committee comprises the members Philipp Elkuch (Chairman), Dr Thomas R. Meier, Ursula Lang and Dr Beat Graf. Pursuant to section 3.2 OBR, the committee is primarily responsible for the following tasks:

assisting the Chairman of the Board of Directors in the fulfilment of their management and coordination duties, as well as the entire Board of Directors on matters of corporate governance, organisation (Articles of Association, regulations) and monitoring of business developments;

defining the criteria for the election of members of the Board of Directors for the attention of the Board of ­Directors; performing the evaluation and submitting the related motions to the Board of Directors;

submitting motions to the Board of Directors on the composition of the committees of the Board of Directors;

preparing and submitting motions for the appointment/dismissal of the Chief Executive Officer and, in cooperation with the Chief Executive Officer, the other members of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management and the holders of key functions;

evaluating the structure, size, composition and performance of the Board of Directors and Executive Board / Group Executive Management annually and recommending changes if necessary;

assessing the knowledge, skills and experience of the individual members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board / Group Executive Management as well as of the respective governing body as a whole and communicating the assessment to the Board of Directors and Executive Board / Group Executive Management annually; assessing the knowledge, skills and experience of the holders of key functions annually;

reviewing the progress of the Board of Directors in the selection and appointment of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management and making recommen­dations to the Board of Directors;

ensuring that the decision-making of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management and the Board of Directors is not influenced by any individual or group in a way that is detrimental to the interests of the bank;

developing the compensation policy regulations;

submitting motions to the Board with regard to the compensation paid to the Chairman and other members of the Board of Directors;

submitting proposals to the Board of Directors to determine the compensation of the members of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management and the heads of Risk Management and Compliance;

dealing with fundamental issues concerning personnel policy (such as salary and equity-participation systems, management development and succession planning, leadership principles, management culture and management development, staff welfare benefits and further development of the diversity policy) for the attention of the Board of Directors.

The Audit Committee comprises Stefan Amstad (Chairman), Dr Beat Graf and Stephan Zimmermann. The Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling the duties assigned to it under the Banking Act with regard to the overall management, supervision and control of the head office and of VP Bank Group. Pursuant to section 3.3 OBR, the Audit Committee is responsible in particular for the following tasks:

receiving and dealing with the reports of Group Internal Audit and the Banking-Law Auditors as well as assessing the appropriateness of the procedures deployed to remedy the pending matters arising from the audit;

critically assessing financial reporting and changes to principles of financial statement reporting as well as discussion thereof with the CFO, the Head of Group Internal Audit and representatives of the Banking-Law Auditors;

deciding whether the individual company and consoli­dated financial statements can be recommended to the Board of Directors for submission to the annual general meeting;

assessing the implementation of the bank’s tax strategy;

assessing the functional capability of the internal control system;

assessing the measures taken designed to ensure compliance with and observance of legal (e.g. compliance with capital adequacy, liquidity and risk-diversification provisions) and internal provisions (compliance);

taking note of significant interactions with the respective supervisory authorities and assessing the measures taken to implement the conditions imposed as well as assessing the appropriateness of the procedures implemented to ensure compliance with regulatory conditions imposed and of remedial action taken;

assessing the methodology and quality (efficacy) of the external auditing firm (external auditors and Group Auditor under banking legislation) as well as cooperation between the internal and external auditors, in particular by examining the reports of the external auditors under banking legislation for the Board of Directors and discussing the planning of the audit by the group auditor and the external auditors under banking legislation;

monitoring and assessing efficacy, independence and performance, in particular by examining the reports of Group Internal Audit and assessing and approving the audit plan and multi-year planning of Group Internal Audit;

assessing the performance, fees paid to and independence of the external auditors, especially in terms of the compatibility of their auditing activities with any advisory mandates they may have;

advising the Board of Directors on the appointment and removal of external auditors;

submitting motions to the Board of Directors for the appointment and removal of the Head of Group Internal Audit;

advising the Board of Directors on the appointment and removal of the Chief Financial Officer.

Ursula Lang (Chairwoman), Dr Mauro Pedrazzini, Stefan Amstad and Katja Rosenplänter-Marxer belong to the Risk Committee. The Risk Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling the tasks assigned to it under the Banking Act regarding the overall management, supervision and control of the head office and of VP Bank Group. Pursuant to section 3.4 OBR, the Risk Committee is responsible in particular for the following tasks:

advising the Board of Directors concerning the bank’s current and future overall risk appetite and strategy and supporting the Board of Directors in monitoring the implementation of the risk strategy by the Executive Board / Group Executive Management;

receiving and dealing with the risk reports as well as assessing the appropriateness of procedures deployed to measure, manage and monitor risks;

assessing significant risks for the bank and discussing them with the Chief Risk Officer and the competent experts;

assessing the functional capability of risk management and monitoring as well as of the internal control system;

assessing the functional capability of the measures taken designed to ensure compliance with and observance of legal (e.g. compliance with capital adequacy, liquidity and risk-diversification provisions) and internal provisions (compliance);

receiving and dealing with reports from the areas and departments answerable to the Chief Risk Officer;

assessing the quality (effectiveness) of risk governance as well as the cooperation between Risk Management, Risk Monitoring, the Executive Board / Group Executive Management, the Risk Committee and the Board of Directors;

reviewing whether the pricing of the offered liabilities and assets takes adequate account of the bank’s business model and risk strategy and, should this not be the case, requiring a plan with corrective measures;

evaluating whether the incentives offered as part of the system of compensation take into account the risk, equity, liquidity as well as the probability and timing of revenues;

advising the Board of Directors on the appointment or removal of the Chief Risk Officer.

Dr Thomas R. Meier (Chairman), Philipp Elkuch, Dr Mauro Pedrazzini and Stephan Zimmermann belong to the Strategy & Digitalisation Committee. The Strategy & Digitalisation Committee assists and advises the Board of Directors on strategic issues and projects. Pursuant to section 3.5 OBR, the following tasks, in particular, are incumbent on it:

preparing strategic issues for the attention of the Board of Directors;

handling strategic issues on an in-depth basis (e.g. digitisation in banking);

ensuring ongoing steering and management processes in the area of strategy;

reviewing strategy periodically and on an ad hoc basis (strategy review);

reviewing the implementation of strategic measures (strategy controlling);

ensuring that strategy is well embedded within the bank;

examining the strategic fit of mergers, acquisitions, ­cooperation and partnerships, business cases, etc.;

raising the outward and market orientation as well as the innovative capacity of the bank.

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Board of Directors normally meets seven to ten times per year as well as for one strategy meeting in camera and an innovation day. In principle, the meetings consist of three parts:

a Board-internal part;

a consultative part during which members of the Executive Board and Group Executive Management are also in attendance to present their proposals and exchange information;

a decision-taking part during which the Board of Directors arrives at its decisions. In order to be informed at first hand, the CEO is also present during the decision-taking part of Board meetings.

Specific topics addressed by the Board of Directors and its committees can require, if needed, that further individuals can be called upon to attend (executives of VP Bank Group, representatives of the Banking-Law Auditors, as well as internal or external specialists and advisors). During 2023, the Board of Directors held seven ordinary meetings and three extraordinary meetings. In addition, together with the Executive Board / Group Executive Management, the Board of Directors held two all-day workshops concerning strategy and innovation.

The Nomination & Compensation Committee (NCC) usually meets six to ten times per annum. In case of need, the CEO participates in the meetings of the NCC in an advisory capacity. During 2023, the NCC met on a total of seven occasions.

The Audit Committee usually meets on five to eight occasions per annum, with the meeting dates being set to accommodate the needs arising from specific tasks (closing of accounts, financial reporting, Auditors’ reports, etc.). The CFO, the Chief Risk Officer and the Head of Group Internal Audit attend the meetings. For the purpose of addressing audit-specific topics, representatives of the external auditing firm (as a general rule, the Auditor-in-Charge) attend the meetings. Last year, the Audit Committee convened for six ordinary meetings. At one joint meeting with the Risk Committee, an exchange of information took place with the Executive Board / Group Executive Management regarding the quality of the internal control system and other matters.

The Risk Committee usually meets on five to eight occasions per annum. The Chief Risk Officer and the Head of Group Internal Audit attend the meetings. Last year, the Risk Committee convened for six ordinary meetings.

At one joint meeting with the Audit Committee, an exchange of information took place with the Executive Board / Group Executive Management regarding the quality of the internal control system and other matters.

The Strategy & Digitalisation Committee usually meets on six to eight occasions per annum. The CEO and other representatives of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management attend the meetings. During 2023, the Strategy & Digitalisation Committee met on a total of eight occasions. 

Fürstlicher Kommerzienrat Dr Heinz Batliner, Vaduz, has been Chairman Emeritus of VP Bank since 1996. The Board of Directors bestowed this honorary title upon him for his services to VP Bank. From 1961 to 1990, Dr Heinz Batliner was Manager / General Manager and Chairman of the Executive Board, and from 1990 to 1996, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors is the corporate body in charge of overall management, supervision and control of the Executive Board. It bears ultimate responsibility for the strategic direction of VP Bank Group. The powers and duties of the Board of Directors are laid down in detail in Art. 17 of the Articles of Association as well as in sections 2.2 to 2.4 OBR. The tasks and competencies of the four Board committees are described in section 3 OBR.

The Board of Directors has delegated to the Executive Board / Group Executive Management the responsibility for the operational management of VP Bank Group as well as the overall management, supervision and control of the subsidiary companies of VP Bank Group. The tasks and competencies of the Executive Board are laid down in the Articles of Association (Art. 21) and in the OBR. The OBR contains more detailed provisions regarding the Executive Board / Group Executive Management in section 5 thereof.

The segregation of functions between the Board of Directors and the Executive Board / Group Executive Management is also evident in the organisational chart (→ page 40).

The Board of Directors and its committees have at their disposal various informational and control tools for managing and supervising the activities of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management. Among those tools are the strategy process, medium-term planning, the budgeting process and reporting.

The members of the Board of Directors regularly receive various reports: monthly financial reports (individual ­company and Group basis), risk-controlling reports, as well as periodic reports on the semi-annual and annual financial statements (consolidated and individual company accounts). The latter also include qualitative information, as well as budget variances, period-specific and multi-year comparisons, key performance indicators and risk analyses, all of which cover the head office, the subsidiaries and the Group in aggregate. These reports enable the Board of Directors at all times to gain a picture of significant developments and the risk situation. Those reports that lie within the scope of tasks of the Audit or Risk Committees are dealt with by the respective committee, and corresponding motions are forwarded to the Board of Directors for approval. The most recent reports undergo a comprehensive review at each Board meeting.

The Board of Directors reviews twice a year the implementation of business strategies and strategy controlling on the basis of the reporting by the Executive Board / Group Executive Management.

A further important instrument to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its supervisory and control function is Group Internal Audit, which conducts its activities in compliance with the internationally recognised standards of the Swiss Institute of Internal Auditing and the Institute  of Internal Auditors (IIA). The duties and powers of Group Internal Audit are laid down in specific regulations.

As an independent body, it examines in particular the ­internal control system, management processes and risk management.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors receives all minutes of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management meetings. In addition, this person also exchanges information with the CEO on a weekly basis and on an ad hoc basis with the other members of the Executive Board / Group Executive Management.