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.
Effective September 1, 2020, Kevin Crofton assumed operational leadership of the Comet Group as CEO. And on October 1, 2020, Elisabeth Pataki became CFO, responsible for the financial management of the Comet Group.
As of December 31, 2020, the Comet Group’s Executive Committee had the following seven members.
Kevin Crofton
(b. 1961, US & UK citizen) Chief Executive Officer since Sep. 1, 2020
Education
MBA in International Business, American University, Washington, DC, USA; Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Virginia Tech University, VA, USA
Professional experience
2009 to 2020: President/CEO of SPTS Technologies, UK; 2006 to 2009: President and COO of Aviza Technology UK (a precursor to SPTS Technologies); 1994 to 2006: various executive management and divisional leadership positions at Newport Corporation, NEXX Systems and Lam Research Corporation, USA
Elisabeth Pataki
(b. 1981, US citizen) Chief Financial Officer since Oct. 1, 2020
Education
Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Spanish, Boston College, Mass., USA; Master of Business Administration, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA
Professional experience
2015 to 2020: Global Head of Internal Audit, Switzerland, at EF Education First, and before that CFO North America, USA, at EF; 2008 to 2015: various senior management positions at Raytheon Company in USA and Europe, including CFO for NATO Business Line, France, part of a joint venture between Raytheon and Thales Group
Keighley Peters
(b. 1971, UK citizen) Chief Information Officer since Dec. 28, 2020
Education
Master of Sciences in Information Technologies, University of Liverpool, UK
Professional experience
2011 to 2020: Senior Director Global IT, SPTS Technologies, UK; previously CIO in interim functions, IT Services Associate Director, Global IT, Cenduit Ltd and IT Consultant for the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the insurance and IT services sectors
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, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 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, 2020, 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, 2020, 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 between members of the Executive Committee and related parties.
Interim management contracts
No interim management contracts existed in the Comet Group.