The new man at the helm of Roth Gerüste can draw on many years of management experience at a major Swiss construction company for his post: for 18 years, Philippe Wingeier held various management positions at the Frutiger Group, most recently as a member of the Executive Board. "I consider myself fortunate to be able to be at the forefront of a new trade and environment and to face the challenges that lie ahead," says the new CEO. In doing so, he says he wants to build on what has already been achieved, but also set targeted accents to lead the company into the future. He sees particular potential in the areas of digitization, logistics, and process optimization, says the passionate recreational athlete.

Reaching and inspiring young people

Philippe Wingeier considers the most acute challenges to be the highly competitive market, falling market prices and margins, and the shortage of skilled workers, which has long since affected the construction industry. In the area of human resources in particular, he says the strategy pursued to date is still the right one. "We invest a lot in our employees: progressive working conditions and a wide range of career opportunities are a matter of course for us," emphasizes Wingeier, who completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter and later trained as a wood and industrial engineer FH. The 65-year-old company is also well positioned in terms of equality, with two women in top management.

Although the company currently trains 25 apprentices in various professions at several locations, there is a need to catch up in terms of new recruits. Training in scaffolding is still little known among young people and demand is correspondingly low. Wrongly so: "Once you've got a foot in scaffolding, you can't shake off your passion for this versatile profession," says Philippe Wingeier with conviction.

At work with passion

Walter Fankhauser, CEO for 26 years and now Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, also attaches a central role to the employees. "We give everyone a chance who really wants it," he says. A commitment that was also recognized by the consulting firm EY with the prestigious "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 2009. Despite cost pressure, Roth Gerüste AG invests a lot of time and money in the training and further education of its employees, the jury noted at the award ceremony.

Walter Fankhauser, who joined the company in 1996, has accompanied the company's constant growth and led Roth Gerüste into the profit zone. The company has grown organically; with its own people and its own values, he said. "We have always aligned ourselves with the clientele and their needs," says the long-standing CEO and co-owner, outlining the strategy of the last three decades. Walter Fankhauser, who will reach retirement age in April 2023 and therefore hand over the management of the company to new hands, can look back on 10,000-plus projects that he has realized together with 700 employees at last count. Although each of these projects was quite different in scope and planning, there was always one common denominator: "100 percent passion went into every single job," says Walter Fankhauser.

Source and further information

To advance topics around the successful interaction of the genders, PostFinance launched a new event series on January 26, 2023. "With the RealTalk series, we want to stimulate a discussion so that genders are equally heard, seen, respected and valued," says Bernadette Koch, member of the Board of Directors of PostFinance, explaining the launch of the new event series. This is in line with the values and corporate goals of PostFinance, which promotes diversity in all facets and with a focus on gender equality. At the events, which will take place three times a year in different parts of the country, exciting personalities will give an insight into how they live teamwork in their private lives and in their work, what the challenges are and what significance money has for achieving gender equality.

The courage to demand money for experience and skills

The event kicked off with a discussion on the taboo topic of wages. "It still happens that women systematically and across the board earn less than men," said actress Susanne Kunz last Thursday evening at the first "RealTalk" on the topic "Wage gap - why money makes the difference". She speaks from her own experience and of wage differences in show business of up to 50 percent. "The taboo subject of wages must be broken," she emphasizes. Her recipe is open discussion among teammates and the courage to demand money for one's experience and skills. "We need to talk about our wages within projects and negotiate better."

In the band of stress a woman receives the highest salary

Her podium partner Andres Andrekson, aka Stress, also has zero understanding of wage inequality. As the employer of his band, it's clear to him: "It's not about whether it's a woman or a man. It's about me filling the jobs with the best." In his band, which counts 5 musicians with him, for example, one of the two women receives the highest salary. Even though he himself cannot identify any wage differences between women and men in his environment, he considers it important that wage inequality is addressed - as well as the division of roles between women and men. "Switzerland is a very rich country, but very conservative. That amazes me."

Things are moving too little fast

Openly and honestly, the two talk guests at Labor5 in Zurich, moderated by Viola Tami, exchanged their experiences with wages and wage differences in show business. What they all agree on is the fact that too little progress is being made quickly on the issue of equal rights and equal pay. According to the 2020 Swiss wage structure survey, the wage gap between men and women in Switzerland is 13.8 percent.

Close last gaps

PostFinance is also committed to fair wages and therefore regularly reviews wage equality. Even if the current equal pay analysis based on salary data from October 2020 shows that the inexplicable pay gap between men and women at PostFinance is rather small at only 2.3 percent to the detriment of women, PostFinance wants to close the gap further with targeted measures. Because as Ron Schneider, Head of Human Resources at PostFinance writes in his assessment of the analysis: "Every unexplained wage percentage is one too many."

The next RealTalk dates:
Lausanne, June 15, 2023, Topic: Wage gap - why money makes the difference (in French)
Bern, October 26, 2023: Topic: Housewives and househusbands: provision, earnings and prejudices.

Source: Postfinance

Solid-state batteries are considered the next generation of lithium-ion batteries, offering many advantages over liquid electrolyte batteries. However, they are not very common due to the cost of current manufacturing standards.

Cost-efficient coating technology

eightinks' novel multilayer curtain coating technology simplifies battery cell manufacturing. The cost-effective, high-throughput production method reduces production costs by up to 30% compared to current methods and is compatible with existing production infrastructure, paving the way for widespread adoption of solid-state lithium-ion batteries.

Given the projected growth of the electric vehicle market, eightinks is responding to rising global demand for lithium-ion batteries, which is expected to increase by 10% in this decade alone. The startup's technology, patented by ETH Zurich, also enables cell recycling and increases charging speed. While liquid electrolytes are flammable, solid-state electrolytes are not and thus also offer a significant safety advantage.

Investment in scalability

The startup will invest the CHF 150,000 awarded by Venture Kick in building its own facilities and expanding its team to scale its technology and accelerate business development.

The founding team consists of Dr. Paul Baade (CEO), who developed the technology as part of his PhD thesis as a Pioneer Fellow at ETH Zurich, Leon Baade (CBO), who has extensive experience in developing engineered products and working with automotive manufacturers, and Dr. Christina Sauter (CTO) and Dr. Karl-Philipp Schlichting (COO), who specialize in battery technology and nanoscience for energy technology, respectively. "The Venture Kick program was a great experience that helped us sharpen our strategic focus and develop our go-to-market in detail," says eightinks CEO Paul Baade. "With their insights into several deep tech ventures, they were able to identify critical issues very quickly."

Sources: Venture Kick / eightinks

For the Global Blueprint for Inclusion and Diversity study, more than 3100 HR leaders and C-level representatives with responsibility for D&I initiatives were surveyed at the end of 2022 about their motivations, activities and progress in the areas of diversity, inclusion and belonging. The survey, conducted by Workday and Sapio Research study was implemented in 23 countries - including Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Diversity: also a question of technology

The results show that positive progress has been made on diversity. However, areas with significant room for improvement also emerged, including the need to measure business impact and use data to track progress more effectively. The following points can be noted as key findings from the survey:

• Technology is becoming increasingly important for D&I initiatives. In Germany and Austria, 33 % of respondents additionally use software solutions to increase employee engagement, while in Switzerland, 39 % rely on e-learning offerings.
• More needs to be done to value diversity. Overall, more than a third (36 %) of the participants are convinced that diversity is recognized, valued and promoted in their company. In Germany, 34 % share this view, in Austria 32 % and in Switzerland 25 %.

Lack of data slows down D&I initiatives

Although a majority of companies already have a strategic D&I approach, this is not yet the case for as many as 39 %. Accordingly, it is difficult for these companies to define and achieve D&I goals. Particularly striking in this regard is the Asia-Pacific economic region (APJ), where 52 % of respondents reported having only a rudimentary or nascent D&I strategy. The comparative picture is better in Australia and New Zealand (35 %), Europe (39 %), North America (34 %) and South Africa (22 %).

In Switzerland, 12 % of the participants indicated that they appreciate a strategic approach to the D&I topic. 37 % do not have a clearly outlined strategy and have not taken steps to develop one (Germany: 17 % and 46 % respectively, Austria: 15 % and 50 % respectively). Around a third of respondents (32 %) said that moving forward would require a clear commitment on the part of top management, as well as the commitment and willingness of employees. This view is shared by respondents in Germany and Austria, who, with 33 and 26 % respectively, would also like to see more committed employees leading relevant initiatives.

31 % of respondents from Switzerland see more effective data use and analysis as the most important measure to move forward with their D&I initiatives. Weaknesses in data collection and reporting are another reason : Globally, 60 % indicated that measuring success is a challenge and that new systems and software are needed to effectively support D&I strategies and implementation. In Switzerland, 73 %s describe collecting the necessary data as difficult, followed by 63 %s in Austria and 60 %s in Germany.

Source: Workday

The KMU Swiss Symposium will take place on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Trafo in Baden - in halls 36/37. The event deals in the broadest sense with perceptions and realities in business, society and politics. Is what we see and hear true? Do we reach the limits of perception? How important is trust? Questions about questions, which should be partially answered at the symposium. This also includes the actualities of the world-political tensions coming up to us and the continuous, negative reports of the last years.

Family atmosphere and an entrepreneurial award

The Swiss Entrepreneur Award will be presented for the first time at the symposium. This was initiated by the publishing house Editorial AG in collaboration with KMU Swiss. A jury of executives from various industries have selected a manager with excellent entrepreneurial qualities. This person will be awarded a prize during the symposium.

Between 300 and 500 participants are expected with illustrious personalities from business and politics. "In addition to the informal atmosphere, the participants appreciate the high practical relevance of the presentations," says Armin Baumann, initiator of KMU Swiss. The symposium allows some exhibitors to present themselves during the networking breaks.

Power of trust or: manipulation versus trust?

In B2B business as in personal everyday life, trust is one of the most important factors for building a sustainable relationship. Trust is often exploited to harm or manipulate others. In everyday life, this requires checking the accuracy of information on an ongoing basis so that decisions can be made. Among others, topics such as cybercrime, leadership, intelligence, communication will be presented by renowned speakers.

Based on trust, business and relationships can lead to faster and thus more flexible action. Therefore, the secret of success is also trust. In communications, information is used purposefully to achieve trust and credibility. Unfortunately, such information is also used to manipulate people.

Renowned speakers from business and politics

The presenters on March 23, 2023 are:

• KKdT Thomas Süssli, Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces
• Ivano Somaini, Security Analyst Compass Security Schweiz AG
• Andreas Seonbuchner, CEO Citizen Talk
• David Fiorucci, CEO LP3 AG
• Monique Bourquin, Multi-Administrator and President of Promarca Association
• Thierry Burkart, Member of the Council of States for Aargau and President of the FDP Liberals
• Christof Moser, Co-Founder Republic

Once again, Hugo Bigi will be the moderator.

Tickets and more information: www.kmuswiss.ch/symposium

Over the past year, companies around the world have faced many challenges - including economic uncertainties, geopolitical conflicts, supply chain disruptions, and skills shortages. Audit and advisory firm Deloitte surveyed more than 2,000 chief operating officers (CxOs) in 24 countries, including Switzerland, in 2022 about their perceptions of climate change and their companies' responses to it.

In Switzerland, climate change ranked third among the challenges: 40% of respondents named it as one of the top three priorities within a year, compared to 42% of global respondents. On their list of priorities, Swiss CxOs ranked only supply chain issues (44%) and economic uncertainties (44%) higher than climate change.

Investments for the climate increased

When it comes to investment decisions, however, climate change appears to be an important factor for Swiss companies: Overall, 75% of companies (the same as globally) have increased their investments in sustainability. 28% (globally 19%) even say their investments in this regard have increased significantly (i.e., over 20%) (see chart 1). Climate change has had a negative impact on the company in question for almost all respondents in the past year. Swiss companies feel the scarcity of resources, the costs of mitigating climate change, the regulation of emissions, and pressure from shareholders and civil society more strongly than the global average.

"There continues to be a big gap between what companies do and what they end up achieving. When it comes to embedding sustainability into the core of their strategy, products and services, operations and culture, Swiss companies are still too slow," criticizes Liza Engel, Chief Sustainability Officer and member of the Executive Board of Deloitte Switzerland. "In Switzerland, many executives are skeptical about whether society can avert the climate crisis. For far too long, they have focused on making existing business more sustainable instead of completely turning business models upside down, fully embracing sustainability and thus benefiting from the opportunities that are currently still great. Whoever succeeds in doing that owns the future."

Executives doubt seriousness

When asked about the seriousness with which the private sector is addressing climate change, only 12% of Swiss executives answered "very seriously" - globally, the figure was 29%. And in this country, only 20% rated the actions of government agencies as "very serious" - globally, the figure was 28% [see chart 2]. Similarly, on the questions of whether the worst impacts of climate change can be prevented and whether economic growth and achieving climate goals are compatible, the affirmative responses from Switzerland were significantly lower than globally. While Swiss companies feel pressure from a wide range of stakeholders to do something about climate change - the scores are lower than globally in all categories. The stakeholder groups identified by Swiss companies as most influential are the authorities, civil society and their own board of directors.

Swiss executives perceive much less pressure from activist employees or from banks than international respondents. "Companies should not underestimate the importance of the financial sector for the transition to net zero: Banks, insurance companies and asset managers are increasingly required to report in detail how many greenhouse gas emissions are associated with their financial products. These obligations increase the pressure on companies in the real economy," explains Reto Savoia, CEO of Deloitte Switzerland. "In addition, companies also rely on loans and need stringent business plans to manage the transition."

Combating mistrust and leveraging technology

When asked about the measures they have already taken, Swiss companies most frequently stated that they use energy-efficient machines (63%), generally increase energy efficiency (59%), train employees on the subject of climate change (53%) and reduce air travel (53%). Liza Engel advises companies to invest specifically in technological solutions: "Climate technology of all kinds will play a crucial role in the future. Companies need to continuously evaluate which technologies they invest in and how to use them effectively. The longer companies wait to make appropriate investments, the more expensive it will be for them in the end."

Organizations can also do something about the widespread mistrust and often expressed suspicion of greenwashing. "Companies need to ensure that relevant and reliable data is published on the measures they are taking - and that they are always up to date on regulatory requirements. Public support for policies on climate change and enforcement mechanisms against greenwashing and fraud also builds trust with customers and the public," explains Liza Engel. She further recommends involving the board of directors and ensuring that its members acquire the necessary expertise. In addition, Engel advises executives to "Influence and empower all your internal and external stakeholders. This includes, not least, suppliers."

Concern and fatalism as a wake-up call

"The concern of executives about climate change and the fatalism sometimes noted are a wake-up call for me. We must consistently continue on the path we have taken and incorporate sustainability considerations into all corporate decisions at all levels. I am convinced that the Swiss private sector has the necessary knowledge as well as the technical and financial capabilities. Thanks to our strong and innovative economy, excellent Swiss educational and research institutions, and international networking, we are ideally positioned to do so," says Reto Savoia.

Source: Deloitte

Since 2013, New Work SE, the parent company of the XING job network among others, has been honoring groundbreaking ideas and projects on the future of work with the New Work Award. A top-class jury of leading figures from society, business and research, led by patron Thomas Sattelberger, and a subsequent public online vote decide on the winners. "It makes us proud that back in 2013, when the term 'New Work' was still in its infancy, we launched an award that we have been able to establish over the past 10 years as one of the most prestigious awards in the New Work scene," says Petra von Strombeck, CEO of New Work SE.

New Work Award 2023: The categories

This year, individuals and companies have a total of three different categories to choose from for award submissions:

1. New Work - Better Work: Awards are given to individuals or teams in start-ups, companies, organizations or institutions whose activities and actions contribute to a better working world, with the aim of improving the future of work.
2. New Work - New Business: The award honors companies, organizations and individuals that are not only committed to a new work culture, but also realign their work and contribute to the emergence of new business models. New Work is not an end in itself, but an innovation driver for new business models.
3. New Work - New Society: Awards are given to companies, organizations and individuals who understand New Work as a vision of new framework conditions and modes of action for work. New social and sociopolitical forms and processes of work become possible through their initiative, collaboration, research and visionary concepts.

Renewal and innovation as drivers

The focus of the New Work Award 2023 is to promote public discourse on new economic models and future societies with the aim of shaping the future of work. "The future has become the task of the present. Therefore, with NWX23 and this year's tenth New Work Award, we are pursuing the goal of focusing on the power of innovation through new work models," says Petra von Strombeck.

Award ceremony at the New Work Experience on June 14 

The award ceremony for the New Work Award 2023 will take place on June 14, 2023 in Hamburg at the New Work Experience (NWX)the leading event for work and the future in the German-speaking world. Under the motto "Work Forward," this unique festival with conference format will bring together talents, designers and thought leaders. The focus will be on the major challenges facing the economy and society and their impact on the working world of the future. Visitors to NWX23 can look forward to a diverse program consisting of varied master classes, exciting sessions and inspiring workshops by and with renowned speakers.

More information about the New Work Award 2023 and application procedures are available here: www.nwx.new-work.se/award 

Venture Kick looks back on a remarkable 2022 in its just-published annual report: the philanthropic initiative received 712 applications and supported 89 new projects from universities across Switzerland with a total of CHF 6.11 million, and Venture Kick alumni raised over CHF 1.6 billion from investors around the world. Despite the unstable economic environment, startups continued to impress with large funding rounds, institutional partnerships, world records and awards. In addition, 52 Venture Kick Alumni are among the TOP 100 Swiss Startups of 2022. "It is amazing to see that Venture Kick startups continue to raise record amounts from investors, grow their companies and create skilled jobs - despite the difficult times we are experiencing globally," comments Beat Schillig, Co-Managing Director of Venture Kick.

Venture Kick leads 15 years of Swiss startups to success

Since its launch, Venture Kick has received nearly 6,000 applications. For every CHF 1 in seed funding awarded by Venture Kick, other investors followed with an average of CHF 150. The survival rate of Venture Kick-backed startups is an impressive 86%. The startups that won the third phase of Venture Kick and received the maximum funding amount raised a total of CHF 3.5 billion in follow-on funding, raising an average of CHF 17.46 million. This contribution to the continued growth of Swiss innovation has been in november with a special anniversary event and the publication of a Anniversary publication celebrated.

Looking to the future with ambition

For 2023, Venture Kick has increased its budget to CHF 6.3 million and plans to support more than 90 new spin-off projects from Swiss universities. Pascale Vonmont, Delegate of the Venture Kick Strategy Board, has a strong vision for the future: "In 2027, we want to celebrate 20 years of Venture Kick together with 1,000 active Venture Kick startups - including several unicorns and global market leaders - and their 20,000 employees."

More information can be found in the Venture Kick Annual Report 2022: www.venturekick.ch/AnnualReport2022

There are huge differences between groups, committees and teams: Teams multiply their forceswhile groups just add them up. 10x10x10 is a different number than 10+10+10. True winning teams even manage to multiply their forces.

When teams are in fact groups...

Almost everywhere, however, there are more groups than teams. Everyone works on their own tasks instead of on common goals. I encounter this most often in management. This often consists of a collection of lone fighters instead of a real team. And since the management automatically has a role model function, this usually continues throughout the entire company.

Even if these companies have been reasonably successful so far, they could certainly achieve significantly more with more fun if they thought and acted more like a winning team in the future. Here are three ideas on how you can become significantly more successful by creating true teams:

Idea No. 1: Joint commitment to common goals

This is the most important characteristic of a team as opposed to a group: teams work together to achieve common goals. In a group, on the other hand, everyone fights for their own goals alone (see a team in sports versus a group of runners).

Of course, this requires that you define common goals in the first place. In my observation, however, this is precisely what is often lacking, especially in executive management. And even if there are common goals, individual goals often take priority.

Tip: Have everyone on your team (or in your group) write down their top three team goals individually and then compare them. This almost always results in a colorful mix of goals. Then determine the top three team goals together.

Idea No. 2: You can fully rely on each other

To what extent do the others step into the breach when I don't make progress? To what extent do we support each other, even without being asked? Conversely, of course, this also means that everyone in the team does "their job" and doesn't just switch because it occurs to them.

Because you can fully rely on each other, you can then also dare much more as a team. You can take greater risks and strive for greater success, which is precisely one of the reasons why teams can achieve much more than groups.

Idea #3: Mutual Challenge

You really only find this characteristic in true winning teams. There, people have no trouble challenging each other and also addressing deficits immediately if someone is not "doing their job.

Of course, this requires a certain self-confidence among the team members and the clarity of common goals, as well as strong trust. Interestingly, this mutual challenging leads to greater openness and more fun - in addition to better results.

Conclusion: We need more teams in this world, because together we can achieve much more. And you can contribute to this.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

FernUni Switzerland is a university institute accredited under the Higher Education Promotion and Coordination Act (HFKG). It was founded in 1992 and recognized by the federal government in 2004. The Bachelor's and Master's degree programs as well as the continuing education programs in the faculties of law, economics, mathematics and computer science, history and psychology are recognized beyond Switzerland and internationally supported. More than 2,300 German-, French-, and English-speaking students complete their studies parallel to their professional, sports, or family life, thanks to the flexibility of distance learning.

Master program in English language

Now FernUni Switzerland is launching several new programs, including the new "Master of Science in Economics, Business and Data Analytics". This is distinguished by its focus on modern, data-driven applications of economics, according to the statement. Students receive in-depth training in the methods of modern econometrics and data analytics (such as machine learning) and apply these methods to analyze and solve current issues in economics ("Economics") or business ("Business"). This combination guarantees a university-based degree program that is theoretically sound while ideally preparing students for a variety of exciting and challenging jobs in their professional lives. "With this new Master's program, which is offered in English, the Faculty of Business at FernUni Switzerland is offering a comprehensive study program. This is a strategically important step for our institution," explains Dr. Damien Carron, Director of Academic Services. This new degree program will start in the fall semester of 2023, and registrations are already open.

More new CAS and continuing education courses

Furthermore, a "CAS Business Psychology - New Trends" is newly offered. This continuing education program focuses on the latest trends in work and organizational psychology. The core topics are the digitalization of the world of work, cyberpsychology, new work and newer concepts such as social sustainability, social change, new forms of employee coaching and branding as well as resilience at work and for health. Not only the latest empirical knowledge and approaches of the developments in the world of work are conveyed, but also how they can be successfully established in a company. Another "CAS Agile Transformation and Innovation" provides knowledge about the concepts and theories of agile transformations as well as concrete application skills for the design and management of concrete strategies and implementations for agile transformation.

FernUni Switzerland is offering two new continuing education courses in the areas of "Sport" and "Nutrition": The course "Sport Management & Ethics" systematically introduces the subject area of value and responsibility management in sport. And the continuing education course "La Nutrition au Féminin" is dedicated to the specifics of nutrition for women against the background of the menstrual cycle or menopause.

Source and further information

Despite the gloomy economic situation, the number of company mergers and acquisitions with Swiss participation reached a new record high in 2022 - there have not been so many mergers and acquisitions in over ten years, as the auditing firm KPMG notes. According to KPMG's analysis, 2022 even surpasses the previous record year of 2021: back then, there were 604 mergers and acquisitions with a volume of just under USD 170 billion. "The brisk activity on the Swiss M&A market shows that mergers and acquisitions are sustainably an integral part of many growth-oriented corporate strategies. The fact that private equity companies are in turn involved in around a third of all deals is also a sign of solid capital availability in the market," explains Timo Knak, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at KPMG. He also expects active M&A business in 2023: "Investor sentiment remains thoroughly positive despite ongoing supply chain problems, the Ukraine war, and rising interest rates."

Largest M&A activity in the technology sector

Almost half of all transactions were in the telecommunications and technology sector (TMT), industry, pharmaceuticals and life sciences. With 124 transactions and a deal volume of more than USD 14.5 billion, the TMT sector was the most active M&A market, followed by the industrial sector with 89 deals and a volume of USD 6.5 billion. In the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector, 82 deals were completed with a value of just under USD 13 billion.

Swiss companies again bought up significantly more foreign companies in 2022 than vice versa: 283 acquisitions compared with 152 disposals. National transactions (Switzerland/Switzerland) accounted for around one-fifth of all mergers and acquisitions with Swiss participation (127 deals). Around 13% of all transactions were attributable to foreign transactions with Swiss sellers (85 deals).

Two major company mergers in the chemical and consumer goods sectors

The ten largest mergers and acquisitions accounted for just under 60% of the total volume in 2022, at around USD 81.5 billion. The largest transaction with a value of just under USD 21 billion is the acquisition of the fragrance manufacturer Firmenich SA by the Dutch Royal DSM, a leading global supplier of food additives. With a transaction volume of around USD 19 billion, this is followed by the acquisition of Swedish match and tobacco producer Swedish Match AB by Swiss tobacco group Philip Morris International.

Sustainability increasingly important decision criterion for acquisitions

According to a KPMG survey (the company interviewed 151 M&A specialists, mainly in Europe, 38 of them from Switzerland, on the topic of sustainability in the M&A business), 82% of market participants incorporate sustainability considerations into mergers and acquisitions. Thus, 40% of the respondents already regularly conduct ESG due diligence - compared to 28% of the companies surveyed that currently do not do so at all. Based on the survey, KPMG expects this figure to fall to 5% in the future.

"Sustainability considerations also affect the effective transaction price," says Florian Bornhauser, due diligence expert at KPMG. For example, half of the respondents are willing to pay a sustainability premium of 1-5%, 15% of the respondents would pay 5-10% more, and 3% of the respondents would even pay a premium of more than 10% if ESG criteria are met. "On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that buying companies are increasingly aware of ESG risks and their potential financial implications. On the other hand, there are also more and more investors who have realized that positive ESG performance is an indicator of professional management and thus has a direct impact on company value."

At the same time, there are still significant challenges in practice when conducting ESG due diligence. In particular, defining an appropriate scope of review, obtaining reliable data from the target company, and quantifying the results pose challenges for investors. In this context, the survey results also revealed how the most advanced investors - especially international financial investors - are proceeding in this regard to address these challenges.

Source: KPMG