Governance

 

The actions of Evotec SE’s management and oversight bodies are determined by the principles of good and responsible Corporate Governance. An effective Corporate Governance is crucial for the Company’s business affairs as well as for capital market communication. This has always been of utmost significance to Evotec. With our commitment to complying with highest Corporate Governance standards we demonstrate our dedication to well-balanced and transparent rules to the market participants and internally emphasise the importance of our clearly defined management tools and responsibilities.

For further information and documents concerning the Evotec Corporate Governance regarding Environmental Social Government (ESG) please refer to the ESG section on our website.

Our definition of good Corporate Governance

Due to our shares’ listings on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ and in respect of our international stakeholder base, Evotec recognises both German and international Corporate Governance standards. Good and transparent Corporate Governance ensures that the Company is managed and controlled in a responsible manner, with the objective of sustainable creation of value. The Management Board and Supervisory Board are convinced that compliance with high standards of Corporate Governance is a key factor of success. This also includes integrity in our dealings with employees, partners, shareholders and the public, which is demonstrated by the exemplary conduct of the Company’s management and controlling bodies. As a service provider and collaboration partner, we depend on our ability to win and retain the trust of our partners and customers through impeccable behaviour. Our objective is to be credible, solid and reliable and act accordingly. Evotec's Corporate Governance is therefore regularly reviewed and enhanced by the Management Board and the Supervisory Board.

As part of the management strategy, we define and communicate specific goals on an annual basis. To accomplish these targets, we rely on the enterprise and initiative of our managers and employees. We achieve consensus on clearly defined objectives, and we regularly monitor how well we are meeting them. These agreements on targets are a key element of our leadership philosophy and an integral part of our remuneration system. To strengthen the governance of a sustainable business, a number of ESG measures are part of our Management Board’s short-term incentive plans (STI).

To further improve our sustainability governance, the Supervisory Board implemented a dedicated sub-committee for ESG topics in June 2022. This committee is composed of three Supervisory Board members, and is led by its Chairperson Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort, who has a strong background in governance. In addition, the CEO, the Global Head of HR and the Head of Global ESG at Evotec are regular participants in the committee’s meeting, which are held every two months. The Chairperson and the Head of Global IR & ESG are in regular contact between meetings.

Please find the current Declaration of Coporate Management below.

Declaration of Compliance by the Management Board and Supervisory Board with the German Corporate Governance Code for the year 2022 

The German Corporate Governance Code in its current version as of 28 April 2022 (the ‘Code’) contains principles, recommendations and suggestions for the Management Board and the Supervisory Board that are intended to ensure that the company is managed in its best interests. The Code highlights the obligation of Management Boards and Supervisory Boards – in line with the principles of the social market economy – to take into account the interests of the shareholders, the enterprise’s workforce and the other groups related to the enterprise (stakeholders) to ensure the continued existence of the enterprise and its sustainable value creation (the enterprise’s best interests). 

With the following exceptions, Evotec complies with all recommendations of the Code and the majority of the Code’s suggestions. In December 2022, Evotec’s Management Board and Supervisory Board declared in accordance with Section 161 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG):

“Evotec SE has complied in 2022 with the recommendations of the Governmental Commission on the German Corporate Governance Code (the “Code”) as published in the official section of the Federal Gazette and intends to comply in the future with the recommendations of the Code, with the following exception:

  • Notwithstanding Section C.5 of the Code, Prof. Dr. med. Löw-Friedrich, Chief Medical Officer of UCB SA and Chairperson of Evotec‘s Supervisory Board, has also a seat in the Supervisory Board of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA.  In exercising her mandate as Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE, Prof. Dr. med. Iris Löw-Friedrich always had devoted sufficient time to perform her function to the extent required. Prof. Dr. med. Löw-Friedrich has plausibly demonstrated that this will also be the case in the future.

 

Hamburg, December 2022

 

Management Board                 Supervisory Board

 

 

 

German Corporate Governance Code

The German Corporate Governance Code (the “Code”) presents essential statutory regulations for the management and supervision (governance) of German listed companies and contains internationally and nationally recognised standards for good and responsible governance. The Code aims at making the German Corporate Governance system transparent and understandable. Its purpose is to promote the trust of international and national investors, customers, employees and the general public in the management and supervision of listed German stock corporations.

Articles of Association

Please find below the latest Articles of Association of Evotec SE as of 5 July 2023.

Information on the time of service to date of the proposed auditing firm and the signatory auditors

Please find below the information on the time of service to date of the proposed auditing firm and the signatory auditors.

Two-tier management and control system: Management Board and Supervisory Board 

A basic feature of the corporate governance structure at Evotec SE is its two-tier system, with a clear distinction between management by the Management Board and supervision by the Supervisory Board. The Management Board is responsible for leading the Company and represents it externally. The Supervisory Board’s task is to appoint and dismiss the members of the Management Board and monitor their activities. Under German law the Supervisory Board may not take any operational management decisions. Both decision-making bodies work together closely for the good of the Company, however, and have as their joint objective long-term sustainable growth prospects for its shareholders. The General Meeting is one of the Company’s decision-making bodies and represents the interests of shareholders.

Two-tier management and control system: Management Board and Supervisory Board 

A basic feature of the corporate governance structure at Evotec SE is its two-tier system, with a clear distinction between management by the Management Board and supervision by the Supervisory Board. The Management Board is responsible for leading the Company and represents it externally. The Supervisory Board’s task is to appoint and dismiss the members of the Management Board and monitor their activities. Under German law the Supervisory Board may not take any operational management decisions. Both decision-making bodies work together closely for the good of the Company, however, and have as their joint objective long-term sustainable growth prospects for its shareholders. The General Meeting is one of the Company’s decision-making bodies and represents the interests of shareholders.

Management Board   

The Management Board reports to the Supervisory Board in writing and orally on an ongoing basis and provides it with detailed information about the status of the Company. This includes monthly reports by the Management Board, in which it presents the financial results for the previous month in writing, along with detailed comments and explanations. The Management Board also presents the budget for the coming financial year and the medium-term planning to the Supervisory Board. In addition, the Management Board is obliged to notify the Supervisory Board in good time of all transactions that could have a significant impact on the Company’s profitability or liquidity. This enables the Supervisory Board to make comments on such transactions before they are executed.

Above and beyond this exchange of information and the discussions between the Supervisory Board and the Management Board, the Supervisory Board Chair and the Chair of the Management Board (CEO), as well as other Management Board members, discuss current and ongoing topics whenever this is appropriate.

 

Dr Werner Lanthaler Chief Executive Officer

Dr Werner Lanthaler (born in 1968, Austrian citizen) was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Evotec on 06 March 2009. From March 2000 to March 2009 he was Chief Financial Officer at Intercell AG. During his tenure, Intercell developed from a venture-backed biotechnology company into a global vaccine player. Dr Lanthaler played a pivotal role in many of the company's major corporate milestones including the product approval of Intercell's Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine, the company's acquisitions and strategic pharma partnerships, as well as the company's Initial Public Offering in 2005. Previously, from 1998 to 2000 Dr Lanthaler served as Director of the Federation of Austrian Industry, and from 1995 to 1998 as Senior Management Consultant at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. He holds a doctorate in economics from Vienna University, earned his Master’s degree from Harvard University and holds a degree in Psychology. Further, Dr Werner Lanthaler serves in the Board of Directors of AC Immune SA (since July 2018). 

Dr Cord Dohrmann Chief Scientific Officer

Dr Cord Dohrmann (born in 1964, German citizen) joined Evotec as Chief Scientific Officer and Member of the Management Board in 2010. Dr Dohrmann has spent over 25 years in biomedical research at leading academic institutions and in the biotech industry. He started his academic career in 1983 studying Biology at Tübingen University in Germany and conducting research as a DAAD scholar at Duke University, Durham, USA. Dr Dohrmann completed his MA thesis at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen and subsequently enrolled at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, where he received his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology in 1996. Dr Dohrmann continued his career as a Shiseido research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston before joining a Max Planck Institute spin-off company, DeveloGen, in 1999. During his ten-year tenure, he served the company in various management positions including CEO, leading DeveloGen from a start-up to an internationally recognised metabolic disease company. Dr Cord Dohrmann is a member of the Supervisory Boards of Eternygen and Breakpoint Therapeutics, a Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors of Facio Therapies and a Board Observer of Immunitas Inc. He has been advising the European Commission, the Max Planck Institute as well as various venture capital firms. In February 2021, Dr Dohrmann was appointed to the German Council of Science and Humanities.

Dr Matthias Evers Chief Business Officer

Matthias (born in 1973, German citizen) was appointed as Chief Business Officer of Evotec on 01 May 2022. Matthias is responsible for business development, digital technology, and strategy across the entire company. Prior to joining Evotec, Matthias accumulated 20 years of experience as Senior Partner with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company where he co-led R&D in Life Sciences globally and served on the Firm’s most senior Knowledge and People Committees, respectively. He also spearheaded venture-type, company building efforts for biotech and health tech companies in Europe. Matthias gained significant exposure to the U.S., China, India, and Europe, where he helped R&D organisations to excel at innovation through large-scale performance transformations, innovation programmes, and novel approaches for maximising value from new assets, capabilities, and technologies. His areas of expertise include convergence of biology and technology, which he published widely around “The Bio Revolution”, as well as creating patient benefits from ecosystem-wide, cross-industry collaboration (e.g., in the context of public-private partnerships or industry fora he helped create like in Medical Affairs or Regulatory Affairs). Further, Matthias has served as advisor and speaker at high-profile science events, including the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings and Global Biotech Revolution’s GapSummit for young researchers.

Matthias was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH) and holds a Ph.D. based on his work in molecular biology and bioinformatics from the University of Bochum (Germany) where he also earned his MSc in Biochemistry. He is founding member of the Competence Center Biointelligence e.V. and has led the jury of the Science4Life e.V. startup competition for many years. 

Dr Craig Johnstone Chief Operating Officer

Dr Craig Johnstone (born in 1970, British citizen) was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Management Board of Evotec on 01 January 2019. Dr Johnstone joined Evotec in May 2012 as SVP Drug Discovery and Innovation Efficiency. From April 2015, Dr Johnstone was Directeur General and Site Head, Evotec (France) SAS, and from January 2017, he was appointed Global Head, Integrated Drug Discovery. Dr Johnstone is a successful drug discovery leader with over 20 years’ experience particularly in the areas of diabetes, inflammation and oncology. Between 1994 and 2012, Dr Johnstone served in a number of project, function, matrix and leadership roles at AstraZeneca, Prosidion and Rapier Research where he led teams and groups, which discovered numerous candidate drugs for clinical development including AZD1656, which reached PhIIb for Type II Diabetes. During this time, Dr Johnstone also developed expertise in LEAN-inspired process excellence in drug discovery and developed a keen interest in the interface between creativity, innovation and process improvement to deliver the highest performance drug discovery, advising teams and implementing multi-site, international change initiatives to drive performance. Dr Johnstone is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chartered Chemist (FRSC CChem) and holds BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in organic and organometallic synthesis and is an accredited LEAN Sigma Black Belt. He has published more than 70 patents and papers in drug discovery, medicinal and synthetic chemistry, innovation and LEAN methods applied to the inventive processes of drug discovery. Dr Johnstone does not hold any memberships in supervisory bodies.

Laetitia Rouxel Chief Financial Officer

Laetitia Rouxel (born in 1973, French citizen) joined Evotec as Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Management Board on 01 April 2023. Rouxel has more than 25 years of finance experience in various sectors such as Life Sciences, Food, Cosmetics and Building industry. A graduate of the French Business school ISG, she started her career with finance and commercial roles in the Pharma industry at Pfizer and J&J. She went on to work for the French multinational food-products corporation Danone, where she covered various leading Finance positions in multiple regions for R&D, Medical and Baby Nutrition based in France and in the Netherlands. She then joined the beauty company Coty in Switzerland, where she became divisional CFO. Before joining Evotec, she was Global CFO of Wavin, a solutions leader for the building and infrastructure industry.

 

Last updated: April 2023

 


Responsibilities of the Management Board

The Management Board of Evotec SE manages the Company on its own responsibility and represents Evotec SE in transactions with third parties. The Management Board develops the Company strategy, agrees it with the Supervisory Board and ensures its implementation. The Management Board’s actions and decisions are guided by the Company’s interests. It is committed to the target of sustainably increasing enterprise value, while taking the interests of shareholders, employees and other stakeholders into account. The members of the Management Board are jointly responsible for the entire management of the Company and decide on fundamental questions of Company policy and strategy, as well as on the annual and long-term planning. 

Members of the Management Board

In addition to the Chair, the Management Board of Evotec SE consists of four further members. The Chair coordinates the work of the Management Board members. New Management Board members are appointed for a maximum term of three years, in accordance with recommendation B.3 of the Code. Contracts may be renewed for up to five years, however, as currently agreed with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Scientific Officer and since January 2022 with the Chief Operating Officer. The contract with Dr Craig Johnstone, Chief Operating Officer, was extended with effect from 1 January 2022 for a further five years until 31 December 2026. Dr Matthias Evers was appointed as the new Chief Business Officer for three years with effect from 1 May 2022. This Management Board position was created to reflect the Company’s growth. The contract with Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer, was also extended early with effect from 1 September 2022 for a further five years until 31 August 2027. Members of the Management Board may be re-elected or dismissed early for good reason. The members of the Evotec SE Management Board do not hold more than three Supervisory Board seats in publicly listed companies outside the Group or on supervisory boards that make comparable demands. Information about the individual board seats and professional responsibilities of the Management Board members can be found on page 142f of the Annual Report 2022. 

Please find further information to all Management Board Members under this link.

Diversity within the Management Board

With regard to the diversity of the Management Board it should be borne in mind that the Supervisory Board selects the Management Board members on the basis of their qualifications and professional background (“thought diversity”), also in view of the seven diversity dimensions defined in the Diversity Charta that Evotec has signed. In accordance with Section 111 (5) AktG the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE defined a quota of female members of the Management Board for the first time in 2015. Given that the four Management Board members with ongoing contracts were all male at the time, this quota was set at 0%. This quota was confirmed in 2017 in view of the terms of the contracts with the current active Management Board members, because no changes in the composition of the Management Board were planned. When deciding whether to renew the contracts with existing Management Board members and to expand the Management Board, the Supervisory Board considered increasing the quota defined for female members, but reserved the right to make its decision based solely on qualifications and performance. The Supervisory Board has now appointed Laetitia Rouxel to succeed Enno Spillner as the new Chief Financial Officer as of 1 April 2023. The Supervisory Board will deal with an increase in the target for the proportion of women on the Executive Board in one of its next meetings. Three of the five current Management Board members do not come from Germany.

An age limit has been set for Management Board members in accordance with recommendation B.5 of the Code. Pursuant to Section 1 (4) of the Rules of Procedure for the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE, the Supervisory Board ensures that no member of the Management Board is older than 65 years of age when appointed. 

Responsibilities within the Management Board

Responsibilities within the Management Board in 2022 were divided according to functional criteria, on the basis of Rules of Procedure. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for coordinating the Management Board and for Investor Relations, ESG and Public Relations, Corporate Communications, Human Resources, Academic Bridges and the Infectious Diseases Strategy. The Chief Business Officer is responsible for Corporate Development and Strategic Planning, Global Business Development, Global Strategic Alliances and Partnerships, Global Information Technology and Security, Global Research Technology and Strategic Marketing. The Chief Financial Officer is in charge of Finance, Controlling, Taxes, Legal & Compliance, Insurance, Risk Management and Internal Audit, and the Export Compliance Office, and exercises the function of the Chief Export Control Officer (CECO). The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the Drug Discovery and Development segment, Global Biologics, Gene Therapy, Clinical Development, Environment, Health & Safety, Quality Management, and Supply Chains, including purchasing, logistics, facility management and technology. The Chief Scientific Officer is responsible for the Research & Development segment, Cell Therapies, EVOgnostics, Innovative Developments and Joint Strategies, EVT Equity and Operational Venture Capital and Intellectual Property/Patents (EVT Innovate). 

As a rule, each individual Management Board member is responsible for managing their own area of responsibility autonomously. Activities and transactions in any single area of responsibility that are of exceptional importance for the Company or which entail an exceptional risk require the prior approval of the entire Management Board. Further details are defined in the Rules of Procedure for the Management Board. 

Management Board meetings

Management Board meetings are convened by the Chair of the Management Board (CEO). Each Management Board member can require an extraordinary Management Board meeting to be convened, in addition to the regular Management Board meetings. The Chair of the Management Board (CEO) chairs the Management Board meetings and coordinates the work of the individual members. Individuals who are not Management Board members may be invited to advise at a Management Board meeting by resolution of the Management Board.

Brief minutes are to be taken of key negotiations and resolutions. Management Board resolutions are generally taken in meetings. However, they may also be taken without a meeting; in writing, by electronic means or by phone. The Management Board is quorate when the majority of its members vote on the resolution. As a rule, Management Board resolutions are passed by a simple majority. If the vote is tied, the Chair has the casting vote. 

Succession Plan for Management Board Members

The Supervisory Board and the Management Board have taken care of long-term succession planning. It reflects the requirements of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) and the Code, as well as the diversity concept for the composition of the Management Board adopted by the Supervisory Board. Taking the concrete qualification requirements and the criteria mentioned into account, the Nomination Committee of the Supervisory Board prepares an ideal profile on the basis of which the Nomination Committee draws up a short list of available candidates. Interviews are held with these candidates. A recommendation is then made to the Supervisory Board for resolution. If necessary, the Supervisory Board and/or the Nomination Committee are supported by external advisers to develop the requirement profile and select the candidates.

Supervisory Board   

As stipulated in the current articles of association of Evotec SE, the Company’s Supervisory Board consists of six members, who are elected by simple majority voting by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting. The Supervisory Board members are elected for five years and may be re-elected for a maximum of two full terms of office. As of the next election, a shortening of the five-year term of office is planned, as well as a staggering of the terms of office and a limitation of the total time in years instead of terms of office. The term of office of all the Supervisory Board members ends at the close of the Annual General Meeting 2024 that passes a resolution on discharging the Supervisory Board members of liability for the Company’s 2023 financial year. 

 

Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich Chief Medical Officer of UCB S.A., Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE

Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (born in 1960, German citizen) was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board on 17 June 2014 and was re-elected as Member of the Supervisory Board by the Annual General Meeting 2019 on 19 June 2019 for a term of five years. Since 15 June 2021 she has been serving as chairwoman of the Supervisory Board. Her current term will expire at the end of the Annual General Meeting held in the year 2024.

Since March 2008, Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich is serving as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President Development and Medical Practices of UCB S.A., Brussels (Belgium).

From 2001 to 2009, Prof. Dr Löw-Friedrich was a member of the Executive Board of Schwarz Pharma AG, Monheim am Rhein, with global responsibility for research and development. From 2000 to 2001, she served as Vice President Global Projects at BASF Pharma, Ludwigshafen.

From 1992 to 2000, Prof. Dr Löw-Friedrich held various positions in the area of drug development at Hoechst AG, Frankfurt am Main, lastly as Vice President Clinical Development at Hoechst Marion Roussel/Aventis, Bridgewater, NJ, USA.

Since April 2014, she has been Member of the Board of Directors at TransCelerate BioPharma Inc (Chairman of the Board of Directors from September 2015 until September 2017). TransCelerate BioPharma Inc is a non-profit organisation with membership of 20 major life science companies, including UCB. Since April 2019, she is also a member of the Board of Directors of PhRMA Foundation in Washington DC (US).

Since May 2016, Prof. Dr Löw-Friedrich has been serving as Member of the Supervisory Board of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA. Prof. Dr Löw-Friedrich began her career in 1985 as a physician in the field of internal medicine at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Medical School, where she has also been a clinical professor for internal medicine since 2000.

She studied medicine at the University of Frankfurt/Main, receiving her doctorate from this university in 1985.

Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich is independent in the opinion of the Company. Her position on the Executive Board of UCB S.A., which has a business relationship with Evotec SE, does not constitute dependency. Business relationships constitute a material and prolonged conflict of interest only in exceptional cases. The Supervisory Board has no influence on the volume of orders or the continuation or expansion of business relationships. This is the responsibility of the Management Board of Evotec SE, which not only represents the Company (section 78 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG)), but also makes decisions on these matters under its own responsibility (section 76, paragraph 1 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG)). There is also no intersecting executive body position.

 

Latest update: June 2022

Roland Sackers Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of QIAGEN N.V., Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE

Mr Roland Sackers (born in 1968, German citizen) was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board on 19 June 2019 for a term of five years. Since 15 June 2021 he is Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board. His current term will expire at the end of the Annual General Meeting held in the year 2024.

Mr Sackers has been serving as Chief Financial Officer of QIAGEN N.V. since January 2004. In this position, he is responsible for developing and executing the long-term financial planning, which is the foundation for the company’s accelerated growth strategy.

Prior to joining QIAGEN in 1999, Mr Sackers served as Auditor at the auditing company Arthur Andersen.

Mr Sackers received his master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Münster.

He represents QIAGEN as board member of BIO Deutschland e.V. Mr Roland Sackers (CFO of Qiagen N.V.) is independent. Qiagen N.V. has no significant business relationship with Evotec SE, and no other circumstances leading to dependency are apparent.

 

Latest update: June 2021

Camilla Macapili Languille Head of Life Sciences, Mubadala Investment Company

Mrs Camilla Macapili Languille (born 1983, Canadian citizen) was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board on 22 June 2022. 

Camilla Macapili Languille is an investment expert with some 20 years of experience in business development, asset management and M&A in Europe, North America and Middle East and North Africa (MENA). She has worked in various areas of corporate finance and principal investment, with a focus on healthcare, technology and industrial companies.

Camilla Macapili Languille leads the Life Sciences investments team at Mubadala Investment Company ("MIC"), a sovereign wealth fund based in Abu Dhabi with total assets of some USD 280 billion. This team invests in the international healthcare industry in the fields of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, life science tools and diagnostics, healthcare IT, and services across various assets with a focus on private equity. She is currently a member of the Direct Investments Committee of Mubadala and serves on the boards of PCI Pharma, Envirotainer, Norstella and Evotec. She has previously served on the boards of Envision Pharma Group, Rodenstock, and Outset Medical.

Before founding the Life Sciences investment team, Camilla Macapili Languille managed MIC’s investments in Advanced Micro Devices (“AMD”) and Globalfoundries and was responsible for business development in the technology sector. She also led MIC’s investments in two power plants in Oman and Algeria, a goldmine in Colombia and a district cooling plant, Tabreed, and was responsible for business development for MIC in the field of conventional energy.

Before joining Mubadala, Camilla Macapili Languille worked in M&A for Daiwa Capital and Société Générale in Paris, France, where she specialised in cross-border transactions in various sectors. She also worked as an investment manager at the London headquarters of the Virgin Group, where she managed the special situations portfolio, was involved in the establishment of Virgin Healthcare, and was a director of several companies

Camilla Macapili Languille began her career in healthcare M&A at JPMorgan in New York and London, where she focused on pharma, medtech and biotech.

Camilla Macapili Languille holds a Bachelor of Economics & Political Science degree from Columbia University, which she completed summa cum laude in 2004. She grew up in an international environment and has lived in 14 countries on four continents. She speaks fluent English and French.

Her long-standing, wide-ranging experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors mean she has extensive knowledge of the industry. Her particular investment expertise makes Ms Macapili Languille an ideal addition to the range of competences represented on the potential Supervisory Board of Evotec SE.

 

Latest update: April 2023

Dr Mario Polywka Consultant

Dr Mario Polywka (born in 1963, British citizen) was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board on 19 June 2019 for a term of five years. His current term will expire at the end of the Annual General Meeting held in the year 2024.

Dr Polywka retired from the Management Board of Evotec AG effective 31 December 2018. Until then, he served as member of the Management Board and Chief Operating Officer of Evotec AG since 28 November 2007.

In 1991, he was a founding chemist of Oxford Asymmetry International plc (OAI), became Director of Chemistry in 1993 and a Board Director in 1996. In 1999, Dr Polywka was appointed Chief Operating Officer and in 2000 Chief Executive Officer of OAI. Following the merger of EVOTEC BioSystems AG with OAI in 2000 he was Chief Operating Officer until 2002. Between 2002 and 2004, Dr Polywka ran a number of spin-out companies from Oxford and Southampton Universities.

Dr Polywka received his Bachelor’s degree from Hertford College, Oxford University and his Doctorate from the University of Oxford in mechanistic organometallic chemistry with Professor Steve Davies and continued at Oxford with post-doctoral studies on the biosynthesis of Penicillin with Professor Sir Jack Baldwin. He held a number of college teaching posts at Oxford University between 1988 and 1994.

Dr Polywka is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and has a number of publications and patents mainly in the field of asymmetric synthesis.

In May 2017, Dr Mario Polywka became a member of the Board of Directors of Forge Therapeutics, Inc. and in September 2017, Dr Mario Polywka also joined the Board of Directors of Exscientia Ltd. In September 2019, Dr Polywka was appointed Non-Executive Director at the UK biotech company Orbit Discovery, and has accepted a position as Senior Advisor with MCF Corporate Finance. He has served as Non-Executive Director at UK based company C4X Discovery Holdings PLC since December 2021.

Dr Mario Polywka, who served as COO of Evotec until 31 December 2018 and who was elected to the Supervisory Board on the recommendations of a group of shareholders who together hold more than 25% of the total number of voting rights in the Company, is regarded as not independent.

 

Latest update: June 2022

Dr Elaine Sullivan Non-Executive Director at the IP Group plc, hVIVO plc and Nykode Therapeutics ASA

Dr Elaine Sullivan (born in 1961, British citizen) was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board on 09 June 2015 and was re-elected as Member of the Supervisory Board by the Annual General Meeting 2019 on 19 June 2019 for a term of five years. Her current term will expire at the end of the Annual General Meeting held in the year 2024.

Elaine is a Non-Executive Director at the IP Group plc, hVIVO plc and Nykode Therapeutics ASA and chair of the R&D committee. She has over 25 years of international experience working in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. She co-founded and was CEO of Carrick Therapeutics, a European oncology company, which raised € 95 m in Series A funding. Elaine was the CEO of Keltic Pharma Therapeutics, a company with a focus on severe asthma, neuropsychiatric disorders, and malaria. 

Elaine has worked as part of the most senior R&D management teams at Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca. She served as Vice President Global External Research and Development at Eli Lilly & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, USA, where she led a global workforce delivering access to business-critical external innovation. She was a member of the investment committees of Lilly Ventures and Lilly Asian Ventures and the steering committees of Lilly’s Capital Fund partners. 

Prior to joining Eli Lilly, Elaine was Vice President R&D, New Opportunities at AstraZeneca. In this role, she led the virtual therapy disease function which pinpointed new disease areas and created new therapeutic applications for multiple molecular entities and advanced them into the clinic. As Vice-President, Science & Technology at AstraZeneca, Elaine was focused on acquiring new technologies. She has successfully delivered over 250 collaborations and transactions including spinouts, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and acquisitions. 

Elaine holds a doctorate in Molecular Biology and Virology from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Glasgow, UK.

Dr Elaine Sullivan (the former CEO of Carrick Therapeutics Ltd) is independent. Evotec SE holds approximately 4.5% of the shares in Carrick Therapeutics Ltd., and it is not a significant partner of Carrick Therapeutics Ltd. at present.

Therefore, for two reasons there is no conflict of interest that could hinder the position of independence:

  1. Evotec SE's participation rights in Carrick Therapeutics Ltd. are exercised by the Management Board of Evotec SE on its own responsibility pursuant to section 76 paragraph 1 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG). In particular, a member of the Supervisory Board has no influence on the voting on the resolutions of the shareholders of Carrick Therapeutics Ltd. (e.g. on any formal approval).
  2. There is also no intersecting executive body position, nor are there any other significant connections to members of the company's Management Board through their involvement in other companies or organisations.

 

Latest update: June 2023

Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort Partner of the law firm Peters, Schönberger & Partner (PSP München)

Dr Ulmer-Eilfort (born in 1962, German citizen) has more than twenty years’ experience in advising high-tech, pharmaceutical and media companies on the protection and marketing of their intellectual property rights. As a Partner with PSP München, she advises on a wide range of agreements, including cooperation and licensing agreements, R&D agreements and agreements with academic institutions. 

Previously, Dr Ulmer-Eilfort was a Partner with the international law firm Baker McKenzie where she was also a member of the Global Executive, chairing the Global Financial Committee and overseeing the budgeting process and budget controls worldwide.

Dr Ulmer-Eilfort’s leadership roles in both management and supervisory functions as well as her specialisation in the protection and marketing of intellectual property and corporate governance are an ideal qualification for her membership of the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE.

Dr Ulmer-Eilfort is to be considered as independent as she has no business relationship with Evotec SE and no other circumstances leading to dependency are apparent. She is chairwoman of the advisory committee of S4DX GmbH. Since June 2023 she is member of the supervisory board of Affimed N.V. 

Otherwise she is not a member of any further statutory supervisory boards or similar domestic or foreign supervisory boards of commercial entities in accordance with Sec. 125 para. 1 sentence 5 AktG and recommendation C.14 of the German Corporate Governance Code as amended on 16 December 2019.

 

Latest update: June 2023

Please find more information about all current Supervisory Board members under this link.

 

Tenure and committee membership on the Supervisory Board 

as of June 2023

Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
End of tenure
 
Audit and Compliance Committee
Renumeration and Nomination Committee
ESG Committee
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board)
2014
2024
X (Chair)
Roland Sackers (Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board)
2019
2024
X (Chair)
X
Camilla Macapili Languille1)
2022
2024
X
Dr Mario Polywka
2019
2024
X
Dr Elaine Sullivan
2015
2024
X
X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
2021
2024
X
X (Chair)
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board)  
Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
2014
End of tenure
 
2024
Audit and Compliance Committee
Renumeration and Nomination Committee X (Chair)
ESG Committee
Roland Sackers (Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board)  
Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
2019
End of tenure
 
2024
Audit and Compliance Committee X (Chair)
Renumeration and Nomination Committee X
ESG Committee
Camilla Macapili Languille1)  
Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
2022
End of tenure
 
2024
Audit and Compliance Committee
Renumeration and Nomination Committee
ESG Committee X
Dr Mario Polywka  
Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
2019
End of tenure
 
2024
Audit and Compliance Committee X
Renumeration and Nomination Committee
ESG Committee
Dr Elaine Sullivan  
Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
2015
End of tenure
 
2024
Audit and Compliance Committee
Renumeration and Nomination Committee X
ESG Committee X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort  
Initial appointment to the Supervisory Board
 
2021
End of tenure
 
2024
Audit and Compliance Committee X
Renumeration and Nomination Committee
ESG Committee X (Chair)

Composition of the Supervisory Board: Diversity and independency criteria fullfilled

In accordance with the recommendations of the Code, the members of the Evotec Supervisory Board were selected regardless of their gender, nationality and age, according to their qualifications, professional experience, ability and independence. It should be noted, however, that the Supervisory Board has set an age limit and determined that potential candidates may not be older than 72 years of age when they are proposed for election. In addition, the Supervisory Board currently has defined two full periods of office as the regular limit for membership of the Supervisory Board but plans to adjust this as well with the planned shortening of terms of office at the 2024 Annual General Meeting.

An appropriate proportion of women is also required. To this end the Supervisory Board has set a gender quota requiring a respective proportion of women and men of at least 30%.  

The Supervisory Board has also set concrete targets for its composition and competences and drawn up a Competence and Specialist Knowledge Profile that reflects the Company’s specific situation. Taking the company-specific situation into account, these targets and competence profiles require a majority of the Supervisory Board members to have national and international experience in (i) research and development, (ii) finance, capital markets, law, corporate governance, (iii) marketing, sales and operations, (iv) (public) healthcare and (v) expertise in sustainability topics that are relevant to the Company. Potential conflicts of interest should also be averted by examining potential candidates for the Supervisory Board very closely when they are selected. Furthermore, the Supervisory Board should be composed in such a way that the majority of its members are independent and collectively have the knowledge, skills and functional experience to carry out their tasks properly.

The composition of the Supervisory Board currently meets these targets and competence profiles: From their work in various international companies, all the members have an extensive international professional background. All the members are considered to be independent in accordance with the two-dimensional evaluation criteria of the German Corporate Governance Code, three different nationalities are represented and four members are female. Evotec strives for diversity of opinion, which is ensured by the composition of an internationally experienced Supervisory Board with a broad range of skills.

The current composition of the Supervisory Board conforms to the competence profile as described and last confirmed in 2022 when re-elections to the Supervisory Board were held.

Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair)
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair)
Camilla Macapili Languille
Dr Mario Polywka
Dr Elaine Sullivan
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
Independent Supervisory Board members
X1)
X
X2)
X3)
X
X
Research and development
X
-
-
X
-
X
Finance and financial markets
-
X4)
X
X5)
X
-
Legal and compliance
-
X
-
-
X
-
ESG and sustainability
X
X
X
-
X
-
Marketing, sales and operations
X
-
-
X
-
X
Healthcare and public health
X
-
X
-
-
X
Age of Supervisory Board candidate does not exceed 72 years at the time of proposal
X
(1960)
X
(1968)
X
(1983)
X
(1963)
X
(1962)
X
(1961)
Regional experience
EU, USA, Asia
EU, USA
EU, USA, MENA
EU, USA
EU
EU, USA, Asia
Female Supervisory Board members
X
-
X
-
X
X
Terms of office starts (max. 2 full terms of office)
X
(2014)
X
(2019)
X
(2022)
X
(2019)
X
(2021)
X
(2015)
Independent Supervisory Board members
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X1)
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) X
Camilla Macapili Languille X2)
Dr Mario Polywka X3)
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
Research and development
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) -
Camilla Macapili Languille -
Dr Mario Polywka X
Dr Elaine Sullivan -
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
Finance and financial markets
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) -
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) X4)
Camilla Macapili Languille X
Dr Mario Polywka X5)
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort -
Legal and compliance
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) -
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) X
Camilla Macapili Languille -
Dr Mario Polywka -
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort -
ESG and sustainability
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) X
Camilla Macapili Languille X
Dr Mario Polywka -
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort -
Marketing, sales and operations
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) -
Camilla Macapili Languille -
Dr Mario Polywka X
Dr Elaine Sullivan -
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
Healthcare and public health
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) -
Camilla Macapili Languille X
Dr Mario Polywka -
Dr Elaine Sullivan -
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
Age of Supervisory Board candidate does not exceed 72 years at the time of proposal
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
(1960)
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) X
(1968)
Camilla Macapili Languille X
(1983)
Dr Mario Polywka X
(1963)
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
(1962)
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
(1961)
Regional experience
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) EU, USA, Asia
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) EU, USA
Camilla Macapili Languille EU, USA, MENA
Dr Mario Polywka EU, USA
Dr Elaine Sullivan EU
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort EU, USA, Asia
Female Supervisory Board members
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) -
Camilla Macapili Languille X
Dr Mario Polywka -
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
Terms of office starts (max. 2 full terms of office)
Prof Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair) X
(2014)
Roland Sackers (Deputy Chair) X
(2019)
Camilla Macapili Languille X
(2022)
Dr Mario Polywka X
(2019)
Dr Elaine Sullivan X
(2021)
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort X
(2015)

1) Management Board member of UCB: the commercial relationship with UCB as a customer of Evotec is considered to be immaterial (approx. 0.5% of Group revenue in 2022)

2) Head of Life Sciences at Mubadala Investment Company: Mubadala Investment Company holds some 7% of the shares in Evotec, but does not exercise control within the meaning of C.9 GCGC

3) The cooling-off period defined in C.7 DCGK ended at the close of 2020

4) Experience of auditing and accounting

5) Experience of accounting

 

The members of the Supervisory Board attend any training courses necessary for the performance of their duties of their own accord.

 

Election of Supervisory Board Members

The Supervisory Board Chair coordinates the work of the Supervisory Board and represents the Supervisory Board externally. The Supervisory Board Chair is available to shareholders to discuss topics specific to the Supervisory Board. 

The Supervisory Board appoints and dismisses the members of the Management Board and advises and supervises the Management Board on the management of the Company. Frank discussions take place between the Management Board and Supervisory Board, which both parties ensure remain confidential. The Supervisory Board, in particular the Supervisory Board Chair, are in regular contact with the Management Board. The Management Board reported to the Supervisory Board in numerous conference calls, which were arranged as needed, and provided ongoing written and oral reports and information in the form of detailed analysis of the Company’s operating business and other topics such as strategy, planning, risk management and compliance management systems.

In line with recommendation D.7 of the Code, the Supervisory Board met regularly for the scheduled Supervisory Board meetings without the Management Board.

More information about the Supervisory Board can be found in the Declaration of Corporate Management as well as in the Supervisory Board Report. Please find the respective documents for Download below.

 

Supervisory Board meetings

The articles of association provide for Supervisory Board resolutions to be adopted in meetings as a rule. However, meetings may be held and resolutions adopted in writing, by phone, or by means of electronic or other communications technologies, if the Supervisory Board Chair so decides in any specific case. The articles of association also stipulate that the Supervisory Board is quorate when more than half its members take part in the resolution in person or by voting in writing or any other permissible form. Otherwise, the Supervisory Board is to be convened again, with a period of two weeks between the date of the invitation and the meeting. The Supervisory Board is then quorate when at least three members take part in the resolution. Absent members can take part in the Supervisory Board resolution by casting their vote in writing. Supervisory Board resolutions are passed by a simple majority of votes cast. The Supervisory Board has also adopted Rules of Procedure (see www.evotec.com; heading IR & ESG). 

It is ensured that every Supervisory Board member has sufficient time for the exercise of their duties. None of the Supervisory Board members has a seat on more than five supervisory boards of publicly listed entities outside the Group. Equally, none of the Supervisory Board members with a seat on the management board of a publicly listed entity holds more than two supervisory board seats on publicly listed entities within the Group or has comparable functions, nor chairs the supervisory board of any publicly listed entity outside the Group. 

The Supervisory Board was not aware of any conflicts of interests affecting its members in 2022. 

The Supervisory Board has its own internal rules of procedure. Please find below the Rules of Procedure of the Supervisory Board for Download.

 

Supervisory Board committees

(as of June 2023)

Audit and Compliance Committee
Remuneration and Nomination Committee
ESG 
Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chairperson)
X (Chair)
Roland Sackers (Vice Chairman)
X (Chair)
X
Camilla Macapili Languille
X
Dr Mario Polywka
X
Dr Elaine Sullivan
X
X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
X
X (Chair)
Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chairperson)  
Audit and Compliance Committee
Remuneration and Nomination Committee X (Chair)
ESG 
Roland Sackers (Vice Chairman)  
Audit and Compliance Committee X (Chair)
Remuneration and Nomination Committee X
ESG 
Camilla Macapili Languille  
Audit and Compliance Committee
Remuneration and Nomination Committee
ESG  X
Dr Mario Polywka  
Audit and Compliance Committee X
Remuneration and Nomination Committee
ESG 
Dr Elaine Sullivan  
Audit and Compliance Committee
Remuneration and Nomination Committee X
ESG  X
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort  
Audit and Compliance Committee X
Remuneration and Nomination Committee
ESG  X (Chair)

The activities of the Supervisory Board comply with the Corporate Governance Code

An important part of the Supervisory Board work takes place in committees. In accordance with the requirements of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) and the recommendations of the Code, the Supervisory Board of Evotec SE has formed an Audit and Compliance Committee, a Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and for the first time in 2022 an ESG Committee. The committees are staffed in accordance with the Code.

 

The Audit and Compliance Commitee

The three-member Audit and Compliance Committee supports the Supervisory Board with its independent supervision of financial reporting and its audit as well as non-financial reporting. The Audit and Compliance Committee particularly reviews the financial reporting processes, the effectiveness of the internal control system and the audit of the financial statements. This includes discussing with the Management Board the interim and half-year reports and the risk management and compliance management systems, including IT and cyber security. The Audit and Compliance Committee also reviews any transactions with related parties. In addition, the Audit and Compliance Committee discusses with the appointed auditors the individual audit stages and procedures in the context of the audit engagement assigned by the Supervisory Board, including the independence and quality of the auditors, any additional services provided by the auditors, the appointment of the auditors, the definition of the focal points of the audit, the fee agreement and compliance topics. In the context of preparing and carrying out the audit the Audit and Compliance Committee communicates regularly with the auditors without the involvement of the Management Board.

Please find below the Audit Committee’s charter for download.

The Remuneration and Nomination Committee

The Remuneration and Nomination Committee is primarily responsible for preparing the appointment of Management Board members and preparing the remuneration system for the Management Board, including the Share Performance Plan. Resolutions on these topics are taken by the full Supervisory Board. 

Please find below the charter of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee for download.:

The ESG Committee

In view of the increasing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects, the Supervisory Board formed an ESG Committee in 2022. It is made up of three Supervisory Board members, who are supported by the CEO, the Global Head of HR and the Head of Global Investor Relations & ESG. Alongside the Management Board the ESG Committee defines on an ongoing basis which priorities Evotec sets in terms of environmental, social and governance policy, and advises on and monitors their implementation.

Please find below the charter of the ESG Committee:

 
Attendance at meetings of the Supervisory Board and its Comittees 2022

 

Supervisory Board member
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings
Attendance
Presence*
Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair)
5+4**
5+4
100%
Roland Sackers
(Vice Chair)1)
5+6+4
5+6+4
100%
Kasim Kutay2)
3+1
1+0
25%
Camilla Macapili Languille1)
2+3
2+3
100%
Dr Mario Polywka
5+6
5+6
100%
Dr. Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
5+6+3
5+6+3
100%
Dr Elaine Sullivan
5+4+3
5+4+2
75%
Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich (Chair)  
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 5+4**
Attendance 5+4
Presence* 100%
Roland Sackers
(Vice Chair)1)
 
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 5+6+4
Attendance 5+6+4
Presence* 100%
Kasim Kutay2)  
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 3+1
Attendance 1+0
Presence* 25%
Camilla Macapili Languille1)  
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 2+3
Attendance 2+3
Presence* 100%
Dr Mario Polywka  
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 5+6
Attendance 5+6
Presence* 100%
Dr. Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort  
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 5+6+3
Attendance 5+6+3
Presence* 100%
Dr Elaine Sullivan  
Number of Supervisory Board and committee meetings 5+4+3
Attendance 5+4+2
Presence* 75%

   * Commercially rounded
 ** SB meetings + Committee meetings
1) since AGM in June 2022
2) until AGM in June 2022

Remuneration of Management and Supervisory Board 2022

Disclosure of Management Transactions (Directors' Dealings)

Notification about Directors’ Dealings under article 19 European Market Abuse Regulation (MAR)

  • Information about the transaction with duty of notification
  • Description of the financial instrument: Share
  • ISIN of the financial instrument: DE0005664809
 

Directors' Shareholdings

as of 30 June 2023

Shares
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's
Granted unvested SPA's (total)
Management Board
Dr Werner Lanthaler
1,540,906
-
241,824
Dr Cord Dohrmann
195,079
-
115,201
Dr Matthias Evers
-
-
39,353
Dr Craig Johnstone
20,161
-
108,197
Laetitia Rouxel
51,655
-
42,488
Supervisory Board
Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich
-
-
-
Roland Sackers
-
-
-
Camilla Macapili Languille
Dr Mario Polywka
11,938
-
-
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
-
-
-
Dr Elaine Sullivan
-
-
-
Management Board  
Shares
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's
Granted unvested SPA's (total)
Dr Werner Lanthaler  
Shares 1,540,906
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) 241,824
Dr Cord Dohrmann  
Shares 195,079
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) 115,201
Dr Matthias Evers  
Shares -
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) 39,353
Dr Craig Johnstone  
Shares 20,161
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) 108,197
Laetitia Rouxel  
Shares 51,655
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) 42,488
 
Shares
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's
Granted unvested SPA's (total)
 
Shares
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's
Granted unvested SPA's (total)
Supervisory Board  
Shares
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's
Granted unvested SPA's (total)
Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich  
Shares -
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) -
Roland Sackers  
Shares -
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) -
Camilla Macapili Languille  
Shares
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's
Granted unvested SPA's (total)
Dr Mario Polywka  
Shares 11,938
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) -
Dr Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort  
Shares -
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) -
Dr Elaine Sullivan  
Shares -
Outstanding Shares from vested SPA's -
Granted unvested SPA's (total) -

For a detailed description of the stock option plans and Share Performance Awards for the directors and employees of Evotec Group, please refer to the latest financial reports.

Share Performance Plan

To incentivise executives via variable long-term incentive compensation, the 2012, 2015 and 2017 Annual General Meetings approved the contingent capital necessary to support the so-called Share Performance Plans (SPP 2012, SPP 2015 and SPP 2017). SPP 2017 is replacing SPP 2012 and SPP 2015. However, this does not affect subscription rights issued before 14 June 2017.

The concrete design of the Share Performance Plans 2012, 2015 and 2017 lean on the concept of a share performance programme. They are characterised by the fact that participating executives are entitled to a variable remuneration in shares, when attaining a demanding target. In contrast to a common stock option programme, when attaining a target, shares are not issued in an amount that at least corresponds to the market rate of the company stock at the time of granting the subscription rights, but at the respectively lowest issue amount of currently € 1.00. The essential reason for this lies in the fact that in a Share Performance Programme, the value of the respective stock takes the place of cash compensation, so that stocks ideally should be issued without counter performance. A special economic advantage, compared to a common stock option programme, does not result for the participants as at the time the subscription rights are granted, and therefore at the outset, it is taken into consideration that the participants receive the total value of the shares (minus the respectively lowest issue amount of currently € 1.00), and not only, as in regular stock option plans, the difference between the market rate when granting subscription rights and the market rate at issue of the shares. The determination of an issue amount of currently € 1.00 is imperative from a corporate law perspective, as the issue of new shares under the respective pro-rata amount of the share capital is not permitted.

Under these plans, Share Performance Awards may be granted to a level that may result in in a total of up to 13,000,000 (4,000,000 for SPP 2012, 3,000,000 for SPP 2015 and 6,000,000 for SPP 2017) bearer shares of the Company being issued at maturity to members of the Management Board and other key employees. During the fourth quarter of 2016, a total of 793,903 SPAs (2015: 796,617 awards) were granted to the Management Board and key employees. These awards could result in a maximum of 1,587,806 bearer shares (2015: 1,593,234) being issued at maturity. This is because each Share Performance Award grants up to two subscription rights to Company shares, each of which in turn entitle the holder to the subscription of one Company share. Previous awards can be found the respective annual financial reports. The holder has to contribute € 1.00 per share at the date of issue. Share Performance Awards can only be exercised, if, when and to the extent that key performance indicators are achieved. Key performance indicators of SPP 2012 and 2015 are “Group Revenues”, “Operating Income Before Impairments”, “Net Cash Generated by Operating Activities” and “Share Price” upon which the Supervisory Board had to determine at least two per grant and define their weighting. SPP 2015 also includes the key performance indicator of “Total Shareholder Return”. Equally weighted key performance indicators of SPP 2017 are only “Share Price” and “Total Shareholder Return”.

Key parameters of the Company’s Share Performance Plan 2017 are depicted in the graphic below.

Detailed information on the Company’s current SPP 2017 as well as previous Share Performance Plans 2012 and 2015 can be found below.

Expiration of stock option schemes

SPP 2012, SPP 2015 and SPP 2017 were implemented to replace the stock option programme as the Company’s long-term incentive compensation scheme for executives. Stock options issued in existing stock option schemes I to VII remain valid.

Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting
Programme
07 June 1999
Programme I
26 June 2000
Programme II
18 June 2001
Programme III
07 June 2005
Programme IV
30 May 2007
Programme V
28 August 2008
Programme VI
16 June 2011
Programme VII
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 07 June 1999
Programme Programme I
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 26 June 2000
Programme Programme II
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 18 June 2001
Programme Programme III
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 07 June 2005
Programme Programme IV
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 30 May 2007
Programme Programme V
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 28 August 2008
Programme Programme VI
Date of the Ordinary Annual General Meeting 16 June 2011
Programme Programme VII

Detailed information duration of the Company’s previous stock option programmes and exercising of options can be found below.

Compliance and Code of Conduct

The Management Board ensures the observance of legal requirements and internal corporate guidelines, working to achieve compliance throughout the Group. Evotec’s corporate culture is committed to the highest standards of openness, integrity and accountability. Compliance is a key element of integrity, which means adherence to applicable laws and the Company’s internal policies. Evotec’s commitment to a compliance-oriented culture is reflected in the Company’s Code of Conduct, which stipulates fundamental ethical principles that apply to board members and other employees alike, such as integrity and professionalism.

 

The Code of Conduct mainly sets standards for:

  • Accounting and the permissible use of the Company’s funds and assets
  • Anti-money laundering principles
  • Compliance with insider trading laws and prevention of conflicts of interest
  • Compliance with antitrust legislation
  • Compliance with anti-corruption laws and associated internal guidelines
  • A work environment free of any form of discrimination and harassment
  • Occupational health & safety and environmental aspects
  • Animal welfare
  • Non-disclosure and protection of intellectual property and business secrets
  • Data protection and the use of personal data
  • Global trade
  • The duty to report upon the suspicion of an infringement of the Code of Conduct (whistle-blowing)

Evotec does not tolerate any violation of applicable laws or internal policies.


The Code of Conduct was revised in 2019, and a Supplier Code of Conduct (“SCoC”) was added in 2022. The Code of Conduct in Evotec's corporate languages as well as the English SCoC can be found below:

Code of Conduct

Further legal documents

Reporting Compliance Concerns

The Evotec Group provides employees and external stakeholders with EVOwhistle as a channel to report compliance-related concerns such as suspected or observed misconduct, violations of the Evotec Code of Conduct or other legal violations. EVOwhistle is Evotec Group´s dedicated and secure website hosted outside the Evotec Group´s network. It aims to create a trusted system with protection for a Whistleblower and the person, which may be subject of an addressed concern. To access the platform, click the following link: EVOwhistle

 

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