Executive Board – The Executive Board of Linde AG is responsible for managing the company and conducting its business.
Its actions and decisions are geared towards the best interests of the Group, taking into consideration the concerns of shareholders, employees, customers and other stakeholder groups. Its aim is to create sustainable value for stakeholders. The Executive Board establishes the strategic direction of the Group, agrees it with the Supervisory Board and ensures it is properly implemented. It is also responsible for Group financing, annual and multi-year business plans and the preparation of quarterly, half-yearly, annual and Group financial statements. In addition, the Executive Board ensures that appropriate risk management and risk control systems are in place and provides regular, timely and detailed reports to the Supervisory Board on all relevant Group issues including strategy, medium-term business plans, business trends, the risk situation, risk management and compliance with legal regulations and internal Group guidelines. The Executive Board takes the necessary measures to facilitate compliance in the Group companies. Given the Group’s extensive reach across international markets and industry sectors, the Executive Board is responsible for ensuring that this diversity is reflected at management level. In particular, it is committed to ensuring that women are appropriately represented in management positions. The Group’s HR strategy includes the definition, delivery and continuous evolution of Group-wide talent development programmes. The Group supports intercultural diversity by adopting an international human resources policy and making appointments across national borders. Key Executive Board activities and transactions require the approval of the Supervisory Board. This applies in particular to the annual capital expenditure programme, major acquisitions, divestments, and capital and financial measures. While in office, members of the Executive Board are bound by a detailed restraint clause. Any conflicts of interest must be disclosed immediately to the Supervisory Board, as well as to fellow Board members.
The procedural rules of the Executive Board govern the work it performs, the allocation of responsibilities to individual members, the issues which must be dealt with by the full Executive Board and the majority required for resolutions to be passed by the Executive Board. The Executive Board passes resolutions at meetings held on a regular basis. A simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient for a resolution to be passed, unless a greater majority is prescribed by law. If the vote is tied, the Chairman has the casting vote. Without prejudice to the collective responsibility of all members of the Executive Board, each member of the Executive Board has individual responsibility for the functions assigned to them when the decisions of the Executive Board are being made. It is incumbent upon the Chairman of the Executive Board to assume responsibility not only for the functions assigned to him, but also to coordinate all areas of responsibility entrusted to the Executive Board in a proper manner. He is the main point of contact between the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board and represents the company in public.
No conflicts of interest arose for any member of the Executive Board during the reporting period. Where such conflicts of interest do occur, they must be disclosed immediately to the Supervisory Board. No member of the Executive Board is a member of more than three supervisory boards of listed companies outside The Linde Group or of comparable supervisory bodies of other business entities. Information about memberships held by members of the Executive Board on other German supervisory boards or comparable German and foreign boards of business entities is given in Note [37] of the Notes to the Group financial statements.
The Executive Board has no committees.
The international composition of the Executive Board reflects The Linde Group’s global footprint and its intercultural diversity. Information on the composition of the Executive Board and on individual Board members, including their responsibilities and duties, may be found in the overview on page 004 or on the Linde website. The CVs of Executive Board members are available on the Linde website.
Further Information
The Members of the Executive Board more
Executive Board emoluments more
