External Audit
External audit forms an integral part of the Group’s corporate governance framework and plays a key role by providing an independent assessment of our operations and internal controls. The Group retains a single global audit firm as its principal external auditor to perform both the statutory (financial) audit and the regulatory audit work mandated by FINMA. The AGM elects the statutory auditor annually, while the Board is responsible for the appointment of the regulatory auditor. Our principal external auditor is PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, Zurich, Switzerland. The mandate was first given to PwC for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. The Group is not subject to mandatory external audit firm rotation requirements; however, the lead audit partners are subject to periodic rotation requirements. Audit partner rotation is key to ensuring the highest level of audit quality.
For the 2020 AGM, the Board had proposed PwC for election as the new statutory auditor, effective for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 and had also appointed PwC as the new regulatory auditor. PwC therefore replaced KPMG as the Group’s principal external auditor, effective for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020.
In addition, we have mandated BDO AG, Fabrikstrasse 50, 8031 Zurich, Switzerland, as special auditor for the purposes of issuing the legally required report for capital increases in accordance with Article 652f of the Swiss Code of Obligations, mainly relating to the valuation of companies in consideration of the qualified capital increases involving contributions in kind. BDO AG did not provide any such services in 2019 and 2018.
The Audit Committee is responsible for the oversight of the external auditor. The external auditor reports directly to the Audit Committee and the Board with respect to its audit of the Group’s financial statements and is ultimately accountable to the shareholders. The Audit Committee pre-approves the retention of, and fees paid to, the external auditor for all audit and non-audit services.