Executive Committee

The Executive Committee – the Group’s most senior management below the Board level – is responsible for the operational management of the Comet Group within the powers delegated to it. Markus Portmann, CFO of the Comet Group, left the company at May 31, 2019. In June 2019 it was announced that René Lenggenhager, CEO of the Comet Group and interim President of the EBT division, as well as Prisca Hafner, Chief Human Resources Officer of the Comet Group, were leaving Comet effective June 21, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, the Comet Group’s Executive Committee had the following five members.

Heinz Kundert

(b. 1952, Swiss citizen)

Interim Group CEO & interim President of EBT division since July 21, 2019

Education

Degree in industry management from Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA), Zurich; degree in marketing and general management from University of St. Gallen (HSG)

Professional experience

1981 to 1991: regional director Asia, Balzers AG; 1991 to 1999: division manager, Semiconductor and Data Storage, Balzers AG; 1999 to 2002: COO of Oerlikon-Bührle; 2002 to 2004: CEO of Unaxis AG; 2005 to 2015: VP of SEMI Intl. USA and president of SEMI Europe; 2015 to 2018: CEO of VAT Group

Eric Dubuis

(b. 1964, Swiss citizen) Chief Information Officer since Oct. 17, 2005

Education

Lic. phil. nat. degree in applied mathematics from University of Berne; Dr. phil. nat. doctorate in computer science from University of Berne; Executive MBA from University of Rochester, NY, USA

Professional experience

1998 to 2000: MTS and technical manager, Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs, NJ, USA; previously: various positions in software development; 2000 to 2003: director, Xebeo Communications, Inc., NJ; 2003 to 2005: senior software engineer, Akadia AG, Switzerland

Michael Kammerer

(b. 1961, Swiss citizen) President of Plasma Control Technologies division since  Jan.  1, 2008

Education

Eidg. dipl. Einkäufer degree in procurement, SVME; MBA in strategy and procurement management from University of Birmingham, UK

Professional experience

1997 to 2000: head of purchasing and logistics, Von Roll Betec AG, Switzerland; 2000 to 2002: head of purchasing and logistics, Swisscom Solutions AG, Switzerland; 2002 to 2007: head of purchasing and supplier quality assurance, automotive, Saia-Burgess AG, Switzerland / Johnson Electric, Hong Kong

Stephan Haferl

(b. 1972, Swiss and Norwegian citizen) President of X-Ray Modules division since Jan. 1, 2018

Education

Dr. sc. tech. doctorate in mechanical and process engineering from ETH Zurich; Advanced Management Program, Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA

Professional experience

2002 to 2007: various management positions at the Bartec Group, Switzerland From 2007: various management positions in Comet’s X-Ray Technology business (VP of Supply Chain, VP of R&D, General Manager of Industrial X-Ray Technologies (IXT))

Thomas Wenzel

(b. 1965, German citizen) President of X-Ray Systems division since Dec. 1, 2018

Education

Dipl. Informatiker degree in computer science (University of Erlangen, Germany); Dr. Ing. doctorate in materials science and materials engineering (Saarland University, Germany)

Professional experience

Until 2008 was group leader, development of x-ray inspection systems and, from then until 2015, department head, Process-Integrated Test Systems, Fraunhofer Development Center for X-Ray Technology, Germany; from 2015: at Comet as Technology Scout and Senior CT Expert

Activities and interests outside the Group

Section 27 of the Bylaws, which have been revised for compliance with the OAEC and approved by the Shareholder Meeting, specifies the allowable number of other, external positions that members of the Executive Committee may hold on top management or supervisory bodies, as follows:

  • Members of the Executive Committee may each not hold more than one external position on the top management or supervisory body of an exchange-traded (i.e., listed) company and not more than four such external positions in non-listed companies.
  • Not more than ten such positions may be held in associations, non-profit foundations, family foundations and employee pension funds.
  • Positions in companies controlled by Comet Holding AG, or positions controlled by it, are not subject to restriction.

    • At December 31, 2019, Heinz Kundert held the following positions outside the Comet Group: Board vice chairman, VAT Group, Haag; board member, Variosystems AG, Steinach; advisory board member, Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics, Berlin, Germany.

    At December 31, 2019, Stephan Haferl was also a board member of Belimed AG, Zug. The other members of the Executive Committee did not hold positions outside the Comet Group on management or supervisory bodies of significant Swiss or foreign private sector or public sector companies, institutions or foundations at the balance sheet date. Some members of the Executive Committee held board positions at subsidiaries of the Comet Group.

    Related party transactions

    There were no business transactions with parties related to members of the Executive Committee.

    Interim management contracts

    No interim management contracts existed in the Comet Group.