Sascha Zahnd proposed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Valora

The Valora Board of Directors will propose its current Vice-Chairman Sascha Zahnd for election as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting on 6 April 2022. Sascha Zahnd is to succeed Franz Julen, who will not stand for re-election after 15 years on the Board of Directors, five of which as Chairman. 

The Board of Directors of Valora Holding AG will propose that Sascha Zahnd be elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting on 6 April 2022. Sascha Zahnd has been a member of the Board since 2019 and has served as Vice-Chairman since 2020. The 46-year-old Swiss citizen is also currently a member of the board of directors of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V., the NYSE listed parent company of Mytheresa, an online retailer for luxury fashion. He is also president of the digitalswitzerland initiative that aims to strengthen Switzerland as a leading global location for digital innovation. 

During his career, Sascha Zahnd held various international management positions: The roles he held at IKEA led him from Switzerland to Sweden, Mexico, the US and China. During this time, he worked both in the retail and supply chain areas. At ETA SA / Swatch Group, he was responsible for the global supply chain and the component production plants as a member of the Executive Board. Most recently, Sascha Zahnd was on the leadership team of Tesla, California. There he was responsible for the global supply chain and for the EMEA region, where, among other duties, he built up the retail business. He also played an active role in shaping future global topics such as mobility, energy, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0.

Sascha Zahnd is to succeed Franz Julen, the current Chairman of Valora's Board of Directors. After 15 years on the Valora Board of Directors, of which the last five years as Chairman, Franz Julen has decided not to stand for re-election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. The native of Zermatt wants to devote himself to the development of the cross-border Matterhorn / Cervino World Cup Races, for which he serves as chairman of the organising committee, and to his further engagements outside Valora. Franz Julen says: 'Valora has come through the COVID-19 crisis well so far and our business is on the way to recovery. This was clearly visible in the profitability last autumn with the easing of official restrictions and the progress of vaccinations. We are confident that the 2021 results will be in line with our guidance. This is the right time for me to pass on the baton.' 

Continuity ensured with proven leadership 
Franz Julen adds: 'Especially with regard to my successor, we've made various personnel changes on the Board of Directors in recent years. I'm delighted that we'll be able to present to Valora shareholders Sascha Zahnd, a proven leader from within our own ranks, for election as Chairman. Sascha Zahnd boasts a strong track record in the fields of retail, production and supply chain at globally leading companies. He also embodies the digital pioneer, innovation and transformation spirit that's synonymous with Silicon Valley. As a member of the Board of Directors, he has already provided key impetus for the strategic development of the company, particularly in areas such as digitalisation and transformation.' 

Sascha Zahnd says: 'I'm delighted by the nomination for election as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Valora. Together with the Board of Directors and Group Executive Management, Franz Julen has developed Valora into a well-positioned foodvenience provider with a solid financial basis, a clear strategy and high value creation potential. I'm convinced that this will unfold to its full extent once the COVID-19 crisis has been overcome. Going forward, I would very much like to reinforce these efforts. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Franz Julen most sincerely for his formative achievements over the past few years.'

The other members of the Board of Directors are standing for re-election 
All other members of the Board of Directors of Valora Holding AG will stand for re-election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting for a term of office of one year. These are Markus Bernhard, Insa Klasing, Michael Kliger, Karin Schwab and Felix Stinson. 

This ad hoc announcement is available online at www.valora.com/newsroom.

About Valora
Each and every day, around 15,000 employees in the Valora network work to brighten up their customers' journey with a comprehensive foodvenience offering - nearby, quick, convenient and fresh. The around 2,700 small-scale points of sale of Valora are located at highly frequented locations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The company includes, among others, k kiosk, Brezelkönig, BackWerk, Ditsch, Press & Books, avec, Caffè Spettacolo and the popular own brand ok.- as well as a continuously growing range of digital services. Valora is also one of the world's leading producers of pretzels and benefits from a well-integrated value chain in the area of baked goods. In 2020, Valora generated annual external sales of CHF 2.2 billion. The Group's registered office is in Muttenz, Switzerland. The registered shares of Valora Holding AG (VALN) are traded on SIX Swiss Exchange AG.

More information is available at www.valora.com.

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