Management Structure
The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Belimo consider Corporate Governance as being an integral part of its corporate leadership. Transparency and clear-cut responsibilities are the main pillars of our Corporate Governance principles in accordance with principles and regulations of the Swiss stock exchange SIX Swiss Exchange, in particular the Directive Corporate Governance and the Swiss Code of Best Practice published by economiesuisse.
More detailed information on Corporate Governance is available below or in the Annual Report.
- Executive Committee
- Board of Directors
- Group Structure
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee manages the operations and deals with all transactions that are of significant importance to the Group. The Executive Committee consists of the following members:
Lars van der Haegen, Chief Executive Officer
Lars van der Haegen (1968, Swiss citizen) was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Executive Committee in July 2015.
Prior to that, he held various management positions at Belimo: Head of Product Management Air Volume Control Europe from 2000 to 2002, Head of Product Management and Marketing at Belimo Americas in Danbury (Connecticut, USA) from 2003 to 2006, Managing Director of Belimo Italy from 2007 to 2010, and Head of Group Division Americas and member of the Executive Committee from 2011 to June 2015. Lars van der Haegen is a Building Technology Designer and holds in addition a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School in New York (USA) and an MBA from London Business School (Great Britain).
Other significant mandates
He is a member of the Board of Directors of Schweiter Technologies AG*, Steinhausen (Switzerland), since 2020. He is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) since 2011, a member of the Doing Business in the USA chapter of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, Zurich (Switzerland), since 2015, a member of CEO4Climate, an initiative of swisscleantech since 2022, and a member of the advisory board of the foundation >>venture>>, Zurich (Switzerland), since 2023.
* Listed company.
Dr. Elena Cortona, Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Elena Cortona (1970, Swiss and Italian citizen) was appointed Chief Technology Officer, Head of Group Division Innovation, as well as member of the Executive Committee in October 2020, effective June 2021.
She has worked for the Schindler Group, Ebikon (Switzerland), in various positions since 2001; recently as Senior Vice President, Head of Digital Transformation in the CTO Division. Since October 2022, Dr. Elena Cortona is a member of the Innovation Council of Innosuisse, the innovation agency of the Swiss Confederation. She graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy) and the RWTH Aachen (Germany). From 1996 to 2000, she completed her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Institute of Energy Technology (IET) at ETH Zurich (Switzerland).
Other significant mandates
Dr. Elena Cortona has been a member of the Board of Directors of INTERROLL HOLDING AG*, Sant’ Antonino (Switzerland), since 2019, and a member of the Innovation Council of Innosuisse, Bern (Switzerland), since 2022.
* Listed company.
Gary Economides, Head of Asia Pacific
Gary Economides (1970, Australian citizen) was appointed Head of Group Division Asia Pacific and member of the Executive Committee in November 2012.
Prior to that, he was a product manager at Staefa Control System in Sydney (Australia) from 1994 to 1997, served in various management roles at Siemens Building Technologies in Hong Kong (China) from 1998 to 2005, and was Managing Director of Carel Asia in Hong Kong (China) from 2005 to 2009, and CEO of Carel Electronic in Suzhou (China) from 2009 to 2012. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology Sydney (Australia) and an MBA from the University of New South Wales, Australian Graduate School of Management in Hong Kong (China).
James W. Furlong, Head of Americas
James W. Furlong (1960, American citizen) was appointed Head of Group Division Americas and member of the Executive Committee in March 2016.
Prior to that, he held management positions with the building equipment provider York International from 1991 to 1999 and with Baltimore Aircoil Company from 1999 to 2008. From 2008 to 2016, he was Vice President of Industrial Refrigeration at Johnson Controls. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College (New York, USA), an MBA from Loyola University (Maryland, USA), and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Connecticut (USA).
Louis Scheidegger, Head of Production
Louis Scheidegger (1966, Swiss citizen) has been Head of the Group Division Production since 2008 and was appointed member of the Executive Committee in March 2019.
He joined Belimo in 1991 and studied electrical engineering at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Winterthur (Switzerland). From 2001 to 2002, he attended the International Senior Management Program at the St. Gallen Business School (Switzerland) and from 2015 to 2016 the Asia Executive Certificate Program at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).
Dr. Markus Schürch, Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Markus Schürch (1971, Swiss citizen) was appointed member of the Executive Committee in September 2018 and Head of Group Division Finance and Business Services as well as Chief Financial Officer in January 2019.
Prior to that, he worked at Landis+Gyr in Zug (Switzerland) in various positions from 2004 to 2018. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President & CFO for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region of the company from 2012 to 2018. Before joining Landis+Gyr, he was engaged as a consultant and project manager at McKinsey in Zurich (Switzerland) from 1999 to 2004. Dr. Markus Schürch holds a doctorate and a master's degree in Chemical Engineering from ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Dr. sc. tech. ETH.
Other significant mandates
Dr. Markus Schürch has been chairman of the Board of Trustees of the pension fund of BELIMO Automation AG, Hinwil (Switzerland), since 2019, and a member of the Board of Directors of Mobimo Holding AG*, Lucerne (Switzerland), since 2024.
* Listed company.
Dr. Adrian Staufer, Head of EMEA
Dr. Adrian Staufer (1968, Swiss citizen) was appointed Head of Group Division EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and member of the Executive Committee in July 2021. On January 1, 2022, he took over the position from Lukas Eigenmann. He has worked for Belimo since November 1, 2016, initially as Business Development Manager Sensors. On January 1, 2019, he was appointed Head of Strategy and Brand Management and a member of the extended Executive Committee.
From 1998 to 2011, he worked at Siemens Building Technologies in various positions, including leading the global Business Segment “OEM Air Conditioning & Refrigeration.” From 2011 to 2016, he worked for Schindler Elevators in Ebikon (Switzerland), most recently as Vice President in Internet of Elevators & Escalators and Remote Services. Dr. Adrian Staufer holds degrees in Electrical Engineering (Bachelor's) and Industrial Engineering & Management (Master's) from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) as well as in Advanced Manufacturing Systems (Master) from Brunel University in London (United Kingdom). In addition, he completed his PhD in Innovation Management at ETH Zurich (Switzerland).
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the most senior management body in the Group. It is empowered to make decisions in respect of all matters that are not reserved for the annual general meeting by law or in accordance with the articles of incorporation, or that the Board has not delegated to another body by regulation or resolution.
The Board of Directors consists of the following members:
Patrick Burkhalter, Chairman
Patrick Burkhalter (1962, Swiss citizen) was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2014 Annual General Meeting and was named Chairman of the Board at the 2019 Annual General Meeting. He is a member of the Audit Committee and of the Strategy Committee.
From 1988 to 2018, Patrick Burkhalter held several positions at Ergon Informatik AG, Zurich (Switzerland). After starting his career as a software developer, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of the company in 1992. From 2016 to 2018, he led the company as its Chairman. He holds a degree in business administration and computer science (lic. oec. publ.).
Throughout his career, Patrick Burkhalter has accumulated relevant knowledge and expertise in IT, entrepreneurship, strategic development, and corporate governance.
Other significant mandates
Since 2019, he is a member of the Board of Directors of BELIMO Automation AG, Hinwil (Switzerland), a subsidiary of BELIMO Holding AG, Hinwil (Switzerland).
Dr. Martin Zwyssig, Deputy Chairman
Dr. Martin Zwyssig (1965, Swiss citizen) was first elected to the Board of Directors at the 2011 AGM. He is Deputy Chairman of the Board and a Member of the Audit Committee (Lead).
Dr. Martin Zwyssig was Divisional Controller at Sarna Kunststoff Holding AG, Sarnen (Switzerland) before becoming Senior Vice President Finance & Controlling of the EMS-EFTEC Group in Romanshorn (Switzerland) in 2001. From 2003 to 2008, he was Group CFO of Schaffner Holding AG, Luterbach (Switzerland) and subsequently Group CFO of Ascom Holding AG, Baar (Switzerland). In 2014, Dr. Martin Zwyssig became Group CFO and Member of the Executive Board of Autoneum Holding AG, Winterthur (Switzerland). From April 2020 until June 2023, he was Chief Financial Officer of the REHAU Group with headquarters in Muri bei Bern (Switzerland). As of July 2023, Dr. Martin Zwyssig took over as CFO of the BKW Group, Bern (Switzerland), and as a member of the Group Executive Board. Dr. Martin Zwyssig holds a master’s degree in Accounting & Finance and a doctorate in business administration from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).
His areas of expertise are financial management, accounting, tax, and corporate governance.
Other significant mandates
He is a member of the Group Executive Board of BKW AG*, Bern (Switzerland), since 2023.
* Listed company.
Prof. Adrian Altenburger, Member
Prof. Adrian Altenburger (1963, Swiss citizen) was first elected to the Board of Directors at the 2015 Annual General Meeting. He is a member of the Strategy Committee (Lead).
From 1999 to 2015, he was Partner, a member of the Group Executive Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors of the engineering company Amstein + Walthert AG, Zurich (Switzerland). In 2015, he was appointed Professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering & Architecture, and Head of the Institute of Building Technology and Energy, Lucerne (Switzerland). From 2009 to 2022, he has served as Vice President and member of the Board of the SIA Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (Zurich). He graduated as an HVAC engineer HTL and holds a master’s degree in architecture from ETH Zurich (MAS Arch. ETH).
His field of expertise lies in energy and building technology engineering.
Other significant mandates
He is a member of the Board of Directors at Jobst Willers Engineering AG, Rheinfelden (Switzerland), since 2018, of the Energie Wasser Bern, Bern (Switzerland), since 2018, of the EKT Energiestiftung, Arbon (Switzerland), since 2022, of the SDEA Swiss Datacenter Efficiency Association, Bern (Switzerland), since 2020. Since 2021, he is Chairman of the SNV Swiss Association for Standardization, Winterthur (Switzerland) and since 2023 member of the DIN Presidial Board, Berlin (Germany).
Sandra Emme, Member
Sandra Emme (1972, Swiss and German citizen) was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2018 Annual General Meeting. She is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee (Lead).
Since 2011, she has held various positions at Google Switzerland GmbH, Zurich, most recently as Industry Leader for Cloud Enterprise in Global Business Development. She is a lecturer in Leading Digital Business Transformation at the IMD Business School, Lausanne (Switzerland). She holds a Master of Arts in business and international management from the University of Applied Sciences Bremen (Germany) and completed part of her studies at the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce, Marseilles (France). In 2015, she earned an advanced degree in Leading Digital Business Transformation from the IMD Business School. In 2023, she completed the ESG Designation Certificate for Board Members, a program designed by and for board members to achieve the highest standard of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) education.
Her fields of expertise are digital transformation strategy, international business development, and entrepreneurship.
Other significant mandates
She is a member of the Board of Directors of Zehnder Group*, Gränichen (Switzerland), since 2022. Since January 2021, she is a member of the Steering Committee of the digital innovation initiative digitalswitzerland.
* Listed company.
Urban Linsi, Member
Urban Linsi (1974, Swiss citizen) was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2019 Annual General Meeting. He is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee.
Between 2009 and 2014, Urban Linsi worked for the architecture firm Linsi Delco, Uetikon am See (Switzerland) before joining Braune Roth AG, Ingenieurbüro für Akustik, Bauphysik und Lärmbekämpfung, Rorschacherberg (Switzerland) as a project manager. Urban Linsi completed an apprenticeship as a bricklayer and subsequently as a carpenter. Furthermore, he is a Technician TS-Holzbau and has completed various training programs in the field of energy and sustainable construction. Urban Linsi is a member of the anchor shareholder Group Linsi. As such, he acts as the representative of the Linsi family.
His field of expertise lies in energy and building technology engineering.
Other significant mandates
Urban Linsi has been Chairman and Head of the Executive Committee of the U.W. Linsi Foundation, Staefa (Switzerland), since 2021.
Ines Pöschel, Member
Ines Pöschel (1968, Swiss citizen) was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2023 AGM. She is a member of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration and Nomination Committee.
Since 2007, Ines Pöschel has been a lawyer and partner at Kellerhals Carrard in Zurich. From 2002 to 2007, she was a Senior Associate at Baer & Karrer AG in Zurich and from 1999 to 2002 a Senior Manager at Andersen Legal LLC in Zürich (Switzerland). Ines Pöschel holds a degree in law from the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and was admitted to the bar in the canton of Zürich in 1996. In 2023, she completed the ESG Designation Certificate for Board Members, a program designed by and for board members to achieve the highest standard of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) education.
She is specialized in capital markets law and regulations, and corporate law, with a focus on governance-related areas and business transactions.
Other significant mandates
She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Alcon Inc.*, Fribourg (Switzerland), since 2019, of the dormakaba International Holding AG*, Rümlang (Switzerland), since 2023, and of the Graubündner Kantonalbank*, Chur (Switzerland), since 2018. She has been deputy chairman in the Lotti Latrous Foundation, Zurich (Switzerland), since 2014 and a member of the Swiss Federal Expert Commission for the Commercial Register, Bern (Switzerland), since 2016.
* Listed company.
Stefan Ranstrand, Member
Stefan Ranstrand (1960, Swiss and Swedish citizen) was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2020 Annual General Meeting. He is a member of the Strategy Committee and of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee. Between 2009 and 2021, he was President and CEO of Tomra Systems ASA, Asker (Norway), which specializes in recycling solutions. During this time, Tomra became the market leader in food sorting and grading, following a dedicated mergers and acquisitions strategy, and the company’s market capitalization grew from NOK 3.5 billion to NOK 76 billion. Prior to that, he worked in various executive positions for ABB Ltd. in China, Japan, Malaysia, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. He holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial and Management Engineering from the University of Technology Darmstadt (Germany) and Linköping University (Sweden).
His fields of expertise lie in leading a globally active listed industrial company and in matters relating to Asia Pacific. He is impact oriented with a focus on sustainable business and was awarded European CEO of the Year for Sustainable Businesses in 2018.
Other significant mandates
He is an advisor to the EQT AB Group*, Stockholm (Sweden), since 2022 and a member of the Board of Directors of Trescal S.A., Paris (France), since 2023.
* Listed company.
The Board of Directors has established three permanent committees:
- The Audit Committee, which reviews adherence to regulations and instructions and proposes the persons or firms to be appointed as statutory auditors.
- The Remuneration and Nomination Committee, which develops proposals on the remuneration of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and submits these to the Board of Directors and the Annual General Meeting. The Remuneration Committee shall also serve as the Nomination Committee if required.
- The Strategy Committee, which assists the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee in providing insights and guidance relating to strategy matters.
The duties of the three Committees primarily comprise evaluation, advisory and supervisory functions for the Board of Directors. The committees have no decision-making powers. They meet periodically or when required. The Board of Directors elects the members of the Audit and Strategy Committee and the Annual General Meeting the members of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee yearly.
Group Structure
The Belimo Group is organized into Markets (Americas, EMEA, Asia Pacific), Innovation, Finance & Business Services, Production, Logistics/Customization. The operational Group structure is shown in the organizational chart below.
Statutory Auditors
Period of Appointment and Period of Office of the Auditor in Charge
Ernst & Young AG has been the Group auditor of the Belimo Group and the statutory auditor of BELIMO Holding AG as of 2023. The statutory auditors are elected by the Annual General Meeting for one financial year. The auditor in charge since 2023 is Marco Casal.