The Swiss laundry provider Calida Holding AG is facing a change at the top of the board of directors. The parent company of the brands Calida, Aubade and Cosabella stated in an ad hoc announcement on Wednesday that Chairman of the Board of Directors Felix Sulzberger will not stand for re-election to the board at the upcoming general meeting on April 15th.
A potential successor has already been found: The board of directors will propose to the general meeting “the election of CEO Thomas Stöcklin as chairman of the board,” the company announced. The committee is convinced “that the election proposal contributes to continuity on the board of directors and is expedient with regard to solid and orderly succession planning.” With a view to “strong corporate governance,” the board of directors also plans to “appoint a lead independent director.”
With Sulzberger, the Calida Group is losing a proven leader. He led the group as CEO from 2001 to 2016 and returned as Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2023. In this role, Sulzberger “significantly shaped the successful strategic realignment of the group,” according to a statement. “Under his leadership, the operational efficiency of the group was sustainably improved and a solid foundation was created for the further successful development of the Calida Group to the benefit of all shareholders.”
The company explained that his now announced resignation was “in the spirit of a gradual renewal of the Board of Directors”. The Calida Group had already nominated the two Swiss entrepreneurs Caroline Forster and Nicole Loeb as new candidates for the board of directors in December. They will stand for election to shareholders at the upcoming general meeting.