Awarded: Läderach "Best Managed Company 2023" in Switzerland

• - Consulting firm Deloitte recognizes exemplary corporate management of the premium chocolate supplier
• - Leadership in four core corporate areas examined
• - Independent jury highlights holistic strategic approach, international growth and innovative spirit

Bilten, June 30, 2023 - The manufacturer of premium chocolate from the canton of Glarus has been selected as one of the five "Best Managed Company 2023" in Switzerland by the consulting firm Deloitte, the Swiss Stock exchange SIX and Bank Julius Baer. According to the independent jury, in addition to Läderach, ATP adhesive systems, ECSA group, Variosystems AG and Vista Group also met all the test criteria. According to Deloitte, all award winners are characterized by a high level of agility, resilience in challenging times and a strong sense of innovation.

The award is preceded by an intensive and multi-stage coaching and evaluation process. The focus is on assessing performance in the four core areas of Strategy, Productivity & Innovation, Culture & Commitment, and Governance & Finance. Participating companies receive an independent and substantive appreciation of how they compare in these core entrepreneurial areas with a global community of over 1,300 exemplary managed companies.

In the case of Läderach, the jury particularly recognized the entrepreneurial courage shown in the international growth process, the innovative spirit with which the company regularly sets creative benchmarks, and the holistic strategy and culture change approach followed by the company. In addition, the transparency and proactivity with which the company takes up and tackles even critical issues, whether it is a matter of ideological issues or a cyber attack, was recognized.

"I am very pleased to receive this exceptional award. In addition to our market success, it is an outstanding confirmation of the path we have taken as a third-generation family business," says Johannes Läderach, CEO of Läderach. "I am particularly pleased for the approximately 1,700 employees from more than 50 countries. They have done an outstanding job in recent years, the fruits of which are becoming increasingly visible. 

"From a business perspective, the past twelve months have not been an easy time: rapidly rising inflation, disrupted supply chains, high energy prices, and labor shortages present a complex set of business risks. What sets this year's winners apart is their agility and resilience - the ability and willingness to persevere in difficult times, position themselves in a volatile market and respond effectively to change," said Andreas Bodenmann, Program Officer and Head of Deloitte Private. "The five winners are at the forefront of their industries and have impressively demonstrated creativity and innovation, managing to maintain their core values while moving into the future with a clear focus on growth."

Switzerland’s Best Managed Companies programme is an awards programme recognizing privately held companies for their organizational success and achievement. The programme provides a distinct framework

for management teams to challenge themselves and benchmark against some of the best private companies in the world. The Best Managed Companies programme was established in 1993 in Canada and has become the most significant business award of its kind. The programme is active in 46 countries in the Americas, Europe and Australasia, and is launching in Israel and Japan. For more information on the awards programme, visit the Switzerland Best Managed Companies website.

On this year's jury, Nadia Lang, CEO of the ZFV-Unternehmungen cooperative, Jens Breu, CEO of SFS Group, Gilles Stuck, Head of Market Switzerland at Julius Baer, Tanja Vainio, Country President of Schneider Electric Switzerland, and Prof. Thomas Straub, Associate Professor at the University of Geneva for Strategic Management and Corporate Strategy, evaluated the participating companies.

Freshness, craftsmanship, Switzerland - that's what the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Läderach - chocolatier suisse stands for. Founded in 1962, the family-owned company has over 1,700 employees from more than 50 countries across the group and is headquartered in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Läderach oversees the entire production process from the cocoa bean to the store counter and produces exclusively in Switzerland. As one of only a few premium suppliers, the company thus guarantees sustainable quality from the cocoa bean to the end product. The handcrafted premium products are offered in over 150 of the company's own chocolateries with sales locations in 18 countries, as well as through franchise partners in the Middle East and Asia. Chocolate lovers can also conveniently order the specialties from Switzerland in the online store (www.laderach.com).

Matthias Goldbeck

Global Head of Corporate Communications

Telephone +41 79 210 51 48

[email protected]