At its 2026 Annual General Meeting, Givaudan shareholders approved a landmark leadership transition and the company's 25th consecutive dividend increase, signaling robust financial health and a new era of executive governance.
Key structural and financial outcomes from the meeting include:
- Executive Leadership Shift: Gilles Andrier, formerly the company's CEO, was elected as the new chairman of the board of directors. He succeeds Calvin Grieder, who retired alongside board member Tom Knutzen. Christian Stammkoetter has taken the helm as CEO to lead market operations.
- Historic Dividend Increase: The assembly approved a cash dividend of CHF 72.00 per share, a 2.9% increase over the previous year. This marks a quarter-century of uninterrupted dividend growth since the company's Swiss stock exchange listing in 2000.
- Board Expansion and Diversity: Ester Baiget Arnau was elected as a new member of the board of directors. Six remaining members, including Victor Balli, Louie D’Amico and Melanie Maas-Brunner, were re-elected for one-year terms.
- Fiscal and Sustainability Approvals: Shareholders overwhelmingly approved (99.85%) the 2025 financial statements and the consolidated financial report. Additionally, the 2025 Report on Non-Financial Matters received 99.67% approval, underscoring strong investor support for Givaudan's "purpose-led" sustainability initiatives.
Compensation and Audits: The meeting set a maximum aggregate compensation for the Board at CHF 2.7 million through 2027 and approved executive committee short-term variable compensation for 2025 totaling CHF 4.56 million. KPMG AG was re-elected as statutory auditors for the 2026 financial year.
This transition occurs as Givaudan reports over CHF 7.5 billion in sales for 2025, maintaining its position as a global leader in Fragrance & Beauty and Taste & Wellbeing.
