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Basel, 2 December 2008 – At the end of 2008, ÖKK Basel will become a not-for-profit PLC and be incorporated into the Sympany Foundation, meaning that Sympany will become the holding foundation of the Sympany Group.
At the same time, the members of the Foundation Board – newly elected by the government of Basel-City canton – will assume supreme responsibility for the Group and lay the cornerstone for the efficient management of Sympany as an independent insurance group. Dr. Beat Ochsner will remain in his position as CEO.
With the transfer of the shares of the former ÖKK into the new holding foundation, and the election of a Foundation Board, key objectives of corporate governance will have been implemented, enabling the management of Sympany as an insurance group.
Security and solidity were the decisive factors when it came to choosing the legal form. The foundation was chosen ahead of other legal forms as the model for the holding company because it means a commitment not to various shareholders, but to the customers and the customers alone.
Solid management experience in the areas of finance, information technology, marketing, insurance, along with knowledge of the health care system were key requirements when it came to electing the members of the Foundation Board. Moreover, attention was paid to achieving a balanced board in terms of the age and gender of its members.
The local government has appointed Dr. Ralph Lewin as Chairman. Ralph Lewin was CEO of ÖKK between 1986 and 1997 and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since then.
The following persons have been elected as members of the Foundation Board:
Bruno Dallo, Dr. iur., solicitor: CEO of Scobag Privatbank AG, Basel
Thomas Mall, Dr. med.: Doctor and current Member of the Board of Directors of ÖKK
Regula Meili-Gasser, dipl. Phys. ETH / EMBA/HSG: Head of Online Marketing at NZZ
Martina Saner, Master of Public Health: Current Member of the Board of Directors of ÖKK
Gabrielle Schlittler, Dr. rer. soc.: Freelance consultant for corporate development
Siegfried Walser, Dr. rer. pol.: Business consultant
The Sympany Group provides 188,000 private customers with basic insurance, 556,000 customers with supplementary insurance, and has 6,600 corporate clients. In 2007 the Group generated revenue of CHF 767 million with equity of CHF 219 million and underwriting provisions of CHF 214 million, and employed a staff of 400.
Contact:
Sympany
Hans-Ruedi Huber, Head of Corporate Communication
Tel: + 4161 268 42 68 or +4179 628 04 16