Born 1973. After business studies at Vienna University of Economics and Business, worked in auditing among other areas. In 2001 moved to Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG in Korneuburg, Austria, and in 2004 became CEO of its subsidiary Ybbstaler Fruit Austria GmbH in Kröllendorf/Allhartsberg, Austria. Has been with the AGRANA Group since 2012, including as CEO of AUSTRIA JUICE GmbH, Kröllendorf/Allhartsberg, Austria. Joined the Management Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG on 1 November 2014. Became CFO on 1 January 2015. Since 1 January 2024 additionally is Chief Executive Officer. Since 4 December 2023 also member of the Management Board of Südzucker AG, Mannheim, Germany.
Responsibilities
Finance
Compliance
Information Technology & Organisation
Purchasing
Corporate Secretariat (line authority)
Investor Relations
Mergers & Acquisitions
Public Relations
Human Resources
Legal
Strategy & Business Policy
Sales, and Fruit Segment
Born 1973. Studied chemistry and chemical technology at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. Began his career with the AGRANA Group in the Starch segment in 2005 as head of the quality control and quality management department at the Aschach site in Austria. In 2009 joined the production management of the plant in Gmünd, Austria, where he was plant manager from 2014 to 2016. Then plant manager in Aschach until June 2019. Member of management of the Starch segment since the end of 2018. On 1 September 2019 additionally became the Group’s Chief Technology Officer on the Management Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG.
Responsibilities
Production & Investment
Raw Materials
Research and Development
Sustainability
Quality Management
Starch Segment
and Sugar Segment
Born 1970. After studying business administration at the University of Mannheim and at ESSEC, Cergy-Pontoise, France, worked at ABB Structured Finance GmbH, Mannheim, Germany, from 1996 to 2000. Received his doctorate in 1999 at the University of Mannheim’s Chair of Logistics. Joined the Südzucker Group in November 2006 and held several positions as finance manager. CFO of CropEnergies AG, Mannheim, Germany, from April 2015 to February 2024 and additionally CEO from July 2020 to February 2024. Member of the Management Board of Südzucker AG since December 2023.
Responsibilities
Internal Audit
AGRANA is committed to the provisions of the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance. In the 2023|24 financial year, AGRANA applied the ACCG in the version of January 2023. At its meetings on 8 November 2023 and 15 February 2024, the Supervisory Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG discussed matters of corporate governance and unanimously adopted the statement of compliance with the ACCG.
Under rule 62 of the ACCG, the implementation of and compliance with the individual rules of the ACCG must be externally evaluated on a regular basis and at least every three years. This was done for the 2023|24 financial year by KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, based on the questionnaire (January 2023 edition) issued by the Austrian Working Group for Corporate Governance for the purpose of assessing compliance with the ACCG. The report on this external evaluation is available at www.agrana.com/en/ir/corporate-governance. A renewed evaluation of compliance with the rules of the ACCG will be performed in the 2026|27 financial year.
In the 2023|24 financial year, AGRANA adhered to all C rules of the ACCG except as explained in the following:
To safeguard open and transparent communication with all capital market participants and the interested public, information provided to investors during conference calls and road shows is simultaneously made available to all other shareholders through the Group website at www.agrana.com/en/ir/overview.
At 29 February 2024 the Management Board had the following members:
| Name | Year of birth | Date first appointed | End of term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephan Büttner Chief Executive Officer | 1973 | 1 Nov 2014 | 31 Oct 2028 |
| Norbert Harringer | 1973 | 01 Sept 2019 | 31 Aug 2027 |
| Thomas Kölbl | 1962 | 04 Dec 20231 | 29 Feb 2024 |
With effect from 1 January 2024, Stephan Büttner was appointed Chief Executive Officer, following the departure of Markus Mühleisen from the Management Board at his own request as of 31 December 2023. In a change on the Management Board on 4 December 2023, Thomas Kölbl succeeded Ingrid-Helen Arnold, who left the AGRANA Group on the same date. Effective 1 March 2024, Stephan Meeder succeeded Thomas Kölbl on the AGRANA Management Board.
Members of the Management Board held supervisory board or similar positions in the following domestic and foreign companies not included in the consolidated financial statements:
1 Thomas Kölbl had been a member of the Management Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG once before, from 8 July 2005 to 31 May 2021.
2 Appointed as a member of the Management Board of Südzucker AG, Mannheim, Germany, due to the syndicate agreement between Südzucker AG and Zucker-Beteiligungsgesellschaft m.b.h, Vienna.
The corporate culture of the AGRANA Group is marked by open and constructive teamwork between the Management Board and Supervisory Board. The two boards, and especially their chairmen, are engaged in ongoing dialogue regarding the Group’s performance and strategic direction, both at and between the meetings of the Supervisory Board.
The Management Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG is responsible for managing the Company independently in such a way as is required by the purpose and for the good of the Company, taking into account the interests of the shareholders and employees as well as the public interest. It manages the Company’s business in accordance with the legal requirements – in particular the provisions of stock corporation, stock exchange and company law – and with the provisions of the Articles of Association, the Management Board’s terms of reference adopted by the Supervisory Board, and the ACCG. The members of the Management Board are in ongoing communication with each other and, in weekly Management Board meetings, discuss the current course of business and make the necessary informal and formal decisions. The Group is managed on the basis of the open sharing of information and of regular meetings with the segments’ executive and other senior management.
The terms of reference set out the division of responsibilities and the cooperation within the Management Board and its duties in respect of communication and reporting, and list the types of actions that require the approval of the Supervisory Board.
The remits of the Management Board members are as follows:
| Name | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Stephan Büttner | Finance, Compliance, Information Technology & Organisation, Purchasing Coordination, Corporate Secretariat (line authority), Investor Relations, Mergers and Acquisitions/Equity Investments, Public Relations, Human Resources, Legal, Strategy and Business Policy, Sales Coordination, and Fruit Segment |
| Norbert Harringer | Production Coordination and Investment, Raw Materials, Research and Development, Sustainability, Quality Management, and Starch Segment and Sugar Segment |
| Thomas Kölbl | Internal Audit |
The Supervisory Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG has twelve members, of whom eight are shareholder representatives elected by the Annual General Meeting and four are employee representatives from the staff council. The shareholder representatives on the Supervisory Board were elected by the 2022 Annual General Meeting for a term ending at the conclusion of the AGM that will consider the results of the 2026|27 financial year. The Second Vice-Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board, Veronika Haslinger, stepped down at the end of the Annual General Meeting on 7 July 2023. In her place, Claudia Süssenbacher was elected by the Annual General Meeting as a member of the Supervisory Board for a term ending at the 40th AGM in 2027. In the reporting period the Supervisory Board convened for six meetings.
| Name | Year of birth | Date first appointed | End of term |
|---|---|---|---|
| and supervisory board positions in listed domestic and foreign companies | |||
| Erwin Hameseder, Mühldorf, Austria, independent Chairman of the Supervisory Board
| 1956 | 23 Mar 1994 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Niels Pörksen, Mannheim, Germany, independent First Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board
| 1963 | 8 Jul 2022 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Claudia Süssenbacher, Vienna, independent Second Vice-Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board
| 1963 | 8 Jul 2022 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Helmut Friedl, Egling an der Paar, Germany, independent Member of the Supervisory Board
| 1965 | 7 Jul 2017 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Andrea Gritsch, Vienna, independent Member of the Supervisory Board | 1981 | 3 Jul 2020 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Ernst Karpfinger, Baumgarten/March, Austria, independent Member of the Supervisory Board | 1968 | 14 Jul 2006 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Josef Pröll, Vienna, independent Member of the Supervisory Board | 1968 | 2 Jul 2012 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Stefan Streng, Uffenheim, Germany, independent Member of the Supervisory Board
| 1968 | 8 Jul 2022 | 40th AGM (2027) |
Veronika Haslinger, Vienna, independent Second Vice-Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board
| 1972 | 8 Jul 2022 | 40th AGM (2027) |
| Employee representatives | Year of birth | Date first appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Buder, Tulln, Austria Chairman of the Group Staff Council and Central Staff Council | 1970 | 1 Aug 2006 |
| Andrea Benischek, Gmünd, Austria | 1974 | 1 June 2023 |
| Andreas Klamler, Gleisdorf, Austria | 1970 | 10 Nov 2016 |
| Stephan Savic, Vienna | 1970 | 1 June 20231 |
1 Stephan Savic had been an employee member of the Supervisory Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG once before, from 22 October 2009 to 24 February 2021.
For AGRANA, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements is fundamental to good corporate governance and is part of Group strategy.
The AGRANA Compliance Management Policy sets out the compliance management system and the compliance organisation of the whole Group. The basis of the compliance management system is an internal risk analysis that is regularly revised and optimised. The risk analysis is based on widely recognised indices that rate the country-specific compliance risks. In addition, the concrete Group-specific risks are evaluated. This risk analysis is continually reviewed, updated, enhanced and coordinated with the Group risk management function.
The AGRANA Group maintains a Compliance Office that has central responsibility for the compliance activities and reports directly to the CEO, who is responsible for compliance. Additionally, the CFOs of the business segments and subsidiaries act as compliance officers in order to implement relevant Group requirements efficiently. The most important tasks of the Compliance Office include the implementation and further development of the AGRANA Group’s compliance management system. The aim is to fulfil the organisational and supervisory obligations of the Group's management under the law and impart a clear understanding of the behaviours that the Group expects from all its stakeholders.
The Compliance Office is responsible for producing, communicating and training internal policies, providing support in compliance matters, documenting cases of non-compliance, and issuing recommendations. In addition to the Compliance Office there is a Compliance Board, which deliberates at least once a year on fundamental questions in matters of compliance.
For more and more people, the compatibility of work and family life ranks high on the list of expectations for the workplace and is a major element of job satisfaction. Especially for women, it is frequently a critical career factor.
Offering good conditions for reconciling work and family commitments for as many employees as possible – particularly women, who still do most of the family work – is a key task in human resources management due to the increasing challenges of finding and retaining suitable employees. To create an attractive working environment, AGRANA offers flexible work hours and, for administrative staff, the option of working remotely up to 50% of hours.
The existing internal company amenities continued to be provided, such as the use of a company kindergarten at the headquarters site in Vienna, and weeks of summer holiday care – organised and financially supported by the company – offered for employees’ children at the site in Aschach, Austria. Additionally, in Austria and Germany, AGRANA provides financial assistance for the day care of small children up to the age of three.
Since the 2023|24 financial year, AGRANA has an affinity group of employees known as WIN@AGRANA that specifically endeavours to support and develop women, including by offering special mentoring programmes and resource group events.