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Baloise-Holding AG
Annual Report 2010

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FY2010 Annual Report · Baloise-Holding AG
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Well prepared.
Safety fosters excellence.

Annual Report 2010

Baloise key figures

in CHF million

Business volume

Gross premiums written nonlife

Gross premiums written life

Subtotal of IFRS gross premiums written 1

Investment-type premiums

Total business volume

Business result

Profit / loss for the period before borrowing costs and taxes

Nonlife

Life 5

Banking

Other activities

Profit for the period

Balance sheet

Investments including investment-type life insurances 2

Technical reserves

Equity

Ratios in percent

Return on equity (RoE)

Combined ratio nonlife (gross)

Combined ratio nonlife (net)

New business margin life

Investment performance

Embedded value life insurance

Embedded value (MCEV)

APE (annual premium equivalent)

Value of new business

Key share figures

Shares issued in units

Consolidated profit per share basic 3 in CHF

Consolidated profit per share diluted 3 in CHF

Equity per share 3  in CHF

Closing price in CHF 

Market capitalisation in CHF million

Dividend per share 4 in CHF

1   Premiums written and policy fees gross.
2   Including assets for the account and at the risk of life insurance policyholders.
3   Calculation is based on the consolidated profit and equity before minority interests respectively.
4   2010 based on the proposal to the Annual General Meeting.
5   Of which latency calculation effects from other business segments:  

31 December 2009 CHF 6.9 million / 31 December 2010 CHF – 10.4 million.

2009

2010

Change in % 

3,136.4

3,723.4

6,859.8

2,905.6

9,765.4

382.6

151.0

61.0

– 32.5

421.0

3,044.9

3,814.9

6,859.8

2,681.6

9,541.4

380.3

182.7

67.9

– 23.7

436.7

62,356.4

45,344.2

4,510.0

61,170.0

43,445.7

4,133.5

10.3

91.2

94.4

9.3

4.9

10.4

92.2

95.2

11.8

3.5

2,625.8

2,573.5

504.6

46.9

498.4

58.9

50,000,000

50,000,000

8.64

8.57

90.1

86.05

4,302.5

4.50

9.14

8.89

86.5

91.00

4,550.0

4.50

– 2.9

2.5

0.0

– 7.7

– 2.3

– 0.6

21.0

11.3

– 27.1

3.7

– 1.9

– 4.2

– 8.3

–

–

–

–

–

– 2.0

– 1.2

25.7

0.0

5.8

3.7

– 4.0

5.8

5.8

0.0

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At a glance

Who WE ARE:
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Baloise Group is a European provider of insurance and pension solutions. 
In Switzerland Baloise operates as a focused financial services provider, combining insurance and banking. 
Its other markets are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Croatia and Serbia. Its sales 
network  includes  its  own  sales  organisation,  brokers  and  other  partners.  Its  innovative  pension  product  
business for private customers throughout Europe is driven by the Baloise competence centres in Luxembourg 
and Liechtenstein. Bâloise Holding Ltd shares are quoted in the main segment of the SIX Swiss Exchange. 
Baloise Group has approximately 8,800 employees.

WhAT WE STAnd FoR: 
We want people to feel safe. To play our part in this respect, we created the “Safety World.” Everything we do 
is aimed at safety. As such, we consciously go further than other insurance companies: we combine insur-
ance with smart prevention. In this way, we help to ensure that losses do not occur in the first place. Should 
something happen nevertheless, then we’re right there. Fast and capable as always.

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WhAT WE AChIEvEd In 2010:
Profit of CHF 436.7 million (previous year: CHF 421.0 million), a plus of 3.7 %
Return on equity of 10.4 % (previous year: 10.3 %)
Excellent solvency of 224 % (previous year 230 %)
Equity amounting to CHF 4,133.5 million (previous year: CHF 4,510.0 million)
Business volume growth in local currencies of 1.7 % to a total of CHF 9,541.4 million
Dividend per share of CHF 4.50 unchanged over the previous year, equating 
to a dividend return of 4.9 % on the price at year-end of CHF 91.00
Combined ratio (net) of 95.2 % (previous year: 94.4 %)
Embedded value (MCEV) of CHF 2,573.5 million (previous year: CHF 2,625.8 million); 
new business margin of 11.8 % (previous year: 9.3 %) 
Baloise Bank SoBa: 6.6 % or CHF 280.1 million more in customer deposits; 
total portfolio of CHF 4,515.9 million

WhAT WE WAnT To AChIEvE By 2012:
Building on our efficient and profitable core business we aim – as before – to achieve a return on equity over the  
insurance cycle of 15 % and to continue to steadily increase earnings per share. In the nonlife business, we aim 
to continue to keep the combined ratio appreciably below 100 %. We want to sustainably increase profitability 
by CHF 200 million by 2012 by means of our strategic programme “Baloise 2012.”  

FInAnCIAl InFoRmATIon
Consolidated income statement   ..................................... .. . ..  85
Consolidated balance sheet  ............................................... . . . .  87
Business volume, premiums and combined ratio  ........ . . .. .  88
Technical income statement  ............................................ . .. . .  90
Gross premiums by sector  ................................................ . . . . .  91
Bank activities  .................................................................... . . . ..  92
Investment performance  ................................................. . .. . . .  93

BâloISE holdInG
Income statement Bâloise Holding  .................................. . .. .  96
Balance sheet Bâloise Holding ......................................... .. . ..  97
Notes Bâloise Holding  ...................................................... . . . . .  98
Appropriation of retained earnings as 
proposed by the Board of Directors ................................ ..  105

GloSSARy  ............................................................................ . .  106

AddRESSES  ......................................................................... . .  110

InFoRmATIon on BAloISE GRoup  .................................. . .  111

KEy dATES And ConTACTS  ...............................................  Cover

Content

BAloISE 
Baloise key figures  .............................. ........ ........ .... . ... . . ....  Cover
At a glance  . . .. . . . . . . . . ...................... ........ ......... . . ... . .. . .. .. . .. .. . ....  Cover

REpoRTS “WEll pREpAREd”  .............................. ........ ..............  1

ShAREholdER InFoRmATIon
Letter to the shareholders “Strategic continuity  
generates safety”  . ................................... ........ ..... . .. .. . .. .. . .........  22
Baloise share gains significantly 
compared to reference indices  ........ ............................ ..........  24
Our markets  . . .. . . . . . . ........................... ........ ...... . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . .........  26
Brand and strategy  ............................... ........ ........ .. . ... . . . .........  28

BuSInESS dEvElopmEnT
Group: higher profit and solid growth  ................................  29
Switzerland: high growth dynamics  ......................... .. .........  33
Germany: separation making progress  ...............................  34
Belgium and Luxembourg:  
strong growth dynamics  .................................. ........ ..... .........  35
Other units and Group business  ..........................................  36

SuSTAInABlE BuSInESS mAnAGEmEnT
Human Resources: the employees form the basis of  
our success. We are preparing them for the future. ..........  38
Ecology: long-term protection of the environment  ..........  42
Risk management: our risk management counts 
among the best 15 percent in Europe.  ............ .....................  44

CoRpoRATE GovERnAnCE
Group and shareholder structure  ........................................  48
Capital structure  ................................... ........ ....... . . ... . . .. . .........  49
Board of Directors  ................................ ........ ........ ... . . ... . .........  50
Corporate Executive Committee and  
management structure  ................................... ........ ....... .........  56 
Compensation Report  ................................ ........ ........ ... .........  59
Shareholder participation rights  ..........................................  80
Change of control and defensive action  ..............................  81
Auditors  .. . . . .......................... ........ ........ .. . ... . . ... . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .........  81
Information policy  ............................... ........ ........ .. . ... . . . .........  82

Well prepared. You can only deliver exceptional performance if you prepare carefully. 
Three exceptional experts speak about their own very personal preparation methods.  
They talk about the discipline they muster and the many important details they pay attention to.  
About the things that are necessary in the build-up in order to achieve excellence.

Good preparation minimises risk and increases safety. Baloise is also guided by this insight.  
We want people to feel safe. We think ahead and provide our customers with essential  
information and solutions. So that they are optimally prepared to shape their lives successfully.

Ueli Steck, alpinist, Interlaken, Switzerland
An extreme mountaineer who climbs the world’s mountains in record time. Thanks to  
his comprehensive and meticulous preparation, he safely achieves the seemingly impossible.

Heidi Bächli, neurosurgeon, Heidelberg, Germany
A woman in the fast lane. She loves complex challenges, which she faces in great safety – not least  
because she can rely wholeheartedly on an experienced team.

Mihovil Španja, competitive swimmer, Dubrovnik, Croatia
A top athlete who became a professional swimmer due to an early illness.  
For him, good preparation means success through safety in both sport and life.

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“Goodpreparation
ismylifeinsurance.”

UeliSteck,alpinist

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“ Fear is extremely important. If you lose  
your fear, you no longer have respect and 
you overestimate yourself.”

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“ The preparation phase is actually the  
most interesting part. The hike itself  
is after all just the realisation of your plan.  
For me, the goal is not the summit – the  
goal is trying to reach it.”

What do you think good preparation has to do with safety?

What role does the thrill of anticipation play?

Well, the safety thing… Lots of people think that what I do is 
extreme, crazy, because the danger is clearly obvious. I will 
fall if I make a mistake while climbing without a rope. It is 
incomprehensible to many that someone would take the risk 
at all. But if you work on it, you will find solutions so that it 
is no longer dangerous. That allows you to push the limits so 
far in the end.

Have you ever dived into a project unprepared?

No, I can’t do that. I don’t have the nerves for it. You could 
perhaps see that as a handicap, typically Swiss. Everything has 
to be prepared carefully. Otherwise I don’t risk it. You don’t 
just climb into a wall unsecured, at least I don’t. I know what 
can happen if something goes wrong. I never start a climb if 
I’m not 100% convinced that it will work and I’ll be back home 
in the evening. But to get to that point is extremely difficult. 
It takes time and calls for perfect preparation.

You get into a state of flow when you climb a mountain.  
Does that sometimes happen in the preparation phase as well?
Yes. When you’re fit and doing a fast training session, you 
see only the route at some point and it just flows. You notice 
how your legs push… That’s an awesome feeling. It is even 
more intense afterwards when you’re climbing, this flow state, 
because you have to concentrate even harder. Your thoughts 
don’t stray for even a second; there is nothing but the next 
hold. You see it and you’re sure, I won’t let it go, nothing will 
happen. That is beautiful.
You train nearly every day.

Yes, in the climbing hall, jogging, cross-country skiing in 
winter – that’s somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 hours of 
straight training time per year.
Do you sometimes lack motivation?

Sure. You have to get fit during the winter. To get up and run 
at 5:30 in the morning is not something that comes easily even 
to me. Sometimes I have to tell myself: It’s time to go now. But 
afterwards I’m happy.

How do you prepare mentally?

The real mental preparation, that only happens to me through 
the physical preparation. Your head’s straight only when you 
feel that you’re physically fit.

How fast and how light can you go is the theme of your 
speed climbing. Is that also true for the preparation time?

That’s important. It’s got to be fun. I’ve been preparing for a 
big project for a year now. I’d love to fly right now! That’s really 
positive. If you don’t look forward to the climb you’ll never 
get on top of the mountain.

Routine is important to you. What are your daily rituals?

My two morning coffees are actually the most important ritual. 
And it’s important that the day always has some tranquil peri-
ods. My daily routine is pretty tight, so I have to create some 
free space, otherwise I get bogged down.

What do you think shortly before you start out?

When you start climbing you concentrate on the next action. 
There’s nothing else. Beforehand thousands of thoughts go 
through your mind: What is there up there? How will I do that? 
Before you start out you have to try to focus on one thing: now 
comes the first hold. Nothing else. The rest comes afterwards. 
When I start out at the bottom of the Eiger, I don’t need to 
think about what to expect 1,700 metres higher up. That’s not 
important at that point in time. I’m prepared for that. Then you 
have to have the confidence to say: The moment has arrived, 
I know what I have to do and I will be able to solve anything 
I come up against.

Is that a feeling of freedom?

Yes. I can do it. That’s it. There is a solution. That’s great.

Do you see it as a failure if you have to turn back?

No, quite the contrary. You have to be able to do that. I’ve 
done that a couple of times. It’s important to analyse why 
you turned back afterwards. Then you suddenly realise that 
it was the right decision. If I had continued I would probably 
not have come back…

Reflection is really preparation.

Yes, for the next time. When you arrive at the foot of the moun-
tain, look at it and say: Hey, it’s just not possible now – then 
it’s just not possible. Then you know that is the right decision 
for sure.

How important is it to think the almost impossible  
to be able to achieve it?

That is extremely important. You have to have dreams. I have 
so many ideas that I might never realise, that are at present 
not realistic at all. Goals that I might never achieve myself. 
But perhaps someone else will – because of what I have done.

Because you pave the way.

Yes. I try things that no one has done before, techniques that 
some might say won’t work out. You don’t really run wearing 
crampons. But when you do train like this, you notice that it 
does actually work very well. There are many things that I try 
to optimise, also regarding equipment.

Yes. If someone had said five years ago that I would climb the 
north face of the Eiger in less than three hours, no one would 
have thought it possible. Now we know it’s possible. The way 
is paved for everyone else. Now I’m trying to do that in the 
Himalaya range.

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“ At first you think it’s impossible. Then you start  
to train and slowly a structure emerges, until you’re  
up to the challenge somewhere down the line.”

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uElI STECK

The Swiss national Ueli Steck is one of the best climbers in the world.  
He has solo-climbed the three big north faces in the Alps in record time.

2009 

 Ascent of Makalu, Nepal

 Ascent of Gasherbrum II (8,035 m) 
in the Karakorum range, Pakistan

 “Golden Gate” route on El Capitan, USA

 Winner of the “Piolet d’Or”

 Speed record Matterhorn, Switzerland:  
1 hour 56 minutes

2008 

 Speed record Grandes Jorasses, France: 
2 hours 21 minutes

 First ascent of the north face of Tengkampoche (6,500 m), Nepal

 New Eiger speed record:  
2 hours 47 minutes

 Speed ascent Eiger, Switzerland: 
3 hours 54 minutes

 Solo ascent of the north face of the Cholatse (6,400 m) 
and the east face of the Tawoche (6,505 m), Nepal

2007 

2005 

2002 

 First ascent of Mount Dickey, Alaska

 
 
 
 
 
 
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“Ifyoulovechallenges,youhave
tobereadyforanything.”

AssociateprofessorDrHeidiBächli,neurosurgeon

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“ You always have to be ready for action as a neurosurgeon.  
In an emergency situation, there’s no time for long discussions.  
You have to have your knowledge at the ready.”

Iam in the hospital at 7:15 a.m. at the latest. First 

I go into the office and put on my white coat. 
Sometimes I get a call immediately and need to go 
somewhere. So I have to be ready. I check my e-mails 
and then it’s usually time for the morning meeting 
where we talk about the night before. Afterwards we 
call up the surgery plan and I might go directly to 
the operating theatre. Or I do whatever else has to 
be done, dictating letters for example. Besides that  
I always have consultation time on Tuesdays.

Originally I studied sport and biology and wanted 
to be a teacher. I completed that degree. But when  
I was sitting my state exams there was a surplus of 
teachers, and so I began to study medicine on the 
side as it were. That’s really typical for me; I love do-
ing several things at the same time. While studying 
medicine I actually wanted to do neurology. But when 
I came across neurosurgery as part of an internship,  
I liked it so much that I stuck with it. Later I specialised 
in paediatric surgery.

I’m not a creature of habit. I try to avoid that. 
Only then do you have the necessary respect for the 
job you do. If it becomes a routine you could become 
careless. The only thing I do routinely is have a good 
breakfast – because I never know when I’ll get to eat 
something again during the day. During an opera-
tion I sometimes work eight to ten hours at a stretch. 

I’m concentrating so hard that I don’t feel hungry or 
thirsty. It takes training to bear up to that physically. 
Sometimes I am a bit tired afterwards. But when I then 
see how grateful the children are because they could 
be relieved of their suffering – then I know what I do 
it all for.

“ Neurology is a very tough field. You  
have very high attendance times and  
occasionally operate all through the  
night. You have to have your heart in  
it, otherwise you couldn’t cope.”

  The preparation always depends on the kind of 
operation. When the operation is elective I can plan 
it. I scarcely have to prepare for routine surgery. The 
main work beforehand is always with the parents. We 
have to discuss why the operation is necessary, what 
we want to achieve, and explain the risks. And then of 
course it depends on the type of illness the child has. 
If it is a rare tumour, for example, or a complicated 
brain operation, then I might also consult colleagues 
from other specialist fields – in very rare cases even 
in the USA. It goes without saying that there are 
no long discussions in emergency situations. I look 
at the images, make a diagnosis and then it’s off 

 
 
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11

into the operating theatre relatively quickly. There 
I can completely rely on my team that performs the 
anaesthesia. The disinfecting of the instruments is 
a job done by the theatre nurse. But I usually wash 
and cover the patient myself when I have the leading 
position. Then I know that everything is just as I want 
it to be. Good preparation is very important. After all, 
complications can occur even during straightforward 
operations – when a blood vessel bursts, for example. 
You need to be prepared for every eventuality. But that 
is also the fascinating thing about my job, that it is so 
complex and intricate.

“I really enjoy tricky operations.”

For me it always has to be a proper challenge –  
I really like that. It’s probably in my nature. I am 
very impulsive and need a certain hustle and bustle. 
At the same time you have to be very patient when 
performing neurological surgery. It might be that you 
find yourself sitting in front of a giant microscope for 
hours making preparations in millimetre steps. And 
that’s only possible if you enjoy it. My former boss 
once said that I wouldn’t like it if it was too easy. He 
was probably right. That’s perhaps why I chose the 
most difficult of all fields.

 
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ASSoCIATE pRoFESSoR dR hEIdI BäChlI

Heidi Bächli has headed the paediatric neurosurgery unit at  
the renowned University Clinic Heidelberg, Germany, since the  
middle of March 2010. She specialises in spasticity operations  
on children with cerebral palsy. Before that she worked for  
15 years at the University Children’s Hospital in Basel where  
she was able to develop the paediatric neurosurgery unit.  
She continues to provide consultant support there and  
commutes to Switzerland twice a month for this purpose.

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“IfIamwell-prepared,there
isnoriskofswimmingbadly.”

MihovilŠpanja,competitiveswimmer

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Dubrovnik. Water everywhere. It has been raining for 20 days; the sea seems to 
have washed over the city. We meet Mihovil Španja in the Hotel Ivka. Together we 
drive to the Gradski Bazen, Dubrovnik’s municipal swimming pool and home 
to the water polo club Jug. Mihovil Španja trains here for several hours every day. 
They all train here. There are 30 water polo teams in the small coastal town alone.

Mihovil Španja swims in lane number 8. A 

small man with a massive torso on thin legs. 
He hardly uses them when he swims – he 
pushes himself out of the water almost completely with 
the strength in his arms and back. He stops briefly at 
the end of each stretch, tilts his head once to the left and 
once to the right, smiles. He exudes strength and serenity.  
A wet piece of paper with his training units sticks to his 
starting block.

  Mihovil Španja was just six months old when he 
contracted polio. In the course of his rehabilitation, he 
finally began swimming and won seven medals directly 
at his first competition outside Croatia. And he took it 
from there.

Later when we are sitting at the dining table at his 
home, he tells us he was a hyperactive child. After his 
swimming lesson, he used to stay in the pool for the 
water polo training and afterwards stood in the goal on 
the football pitch just to finally feel tired. Other people 
with polio are in wheelchairs. Mihovil Španja was spared 
this fate because he started swimming so early on.

Each day is planned in Mihovil Španja’s life, in sport 
as well as in his spare time. And he records it meticu-
lously. His diary also says when he bought his boat with 
which he goes out fishing on the sea now and then.

“ It’s all in the mind. If there is enough  
will to get from A to B, we are ready  
for our life. This journey might take  
me two or three minutes longer – but  
I always get to where I want.”

Then he shows us his treasures: there’s hardly 
enough wall space for all the medals and certificates in 
the small room. That’s maybe why he carries his Olympic 
success in Athens as a circular tattoo on his left upper 
arm. We arrange for him to send us a list with all the 
prizes he has won up to now – that’s around 300 awards 
from all over the world, from his participation in the 
world championships, European championships and 
the Paralympic Games. These experiences give him the 
strength to go calmly into competitions, appear strong 
and believe in himself.

“ Details are very important when you want  
to optimise athletic performance. It  
costs too much not to be well prepared.”

 
 
 
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His concentration is at its peak in the changing room 
shortly before the competition starts. Still he remains 
quite relaxed. He counts the stars while even the older 
swimmers seem nervous. It’s better for him this way. 
Polako. That means easy in Croatian. We will try to 
remember that and ask him what safety means to him. 
“To be a professional athlete and not feel safe in every 
situation is very risky,” he replies with a meaningful 
expression. His trainer controls everything; he is in daily 
contact with him via e-mail or text. It’s all in his hands. 
He also decides on the resting phases. A kind of sport 
god? “Yes.” Mihovil Španja laughs – as he often does.

“ When you win an Olympic medal, you  
cry because you’re so happy and think:  
It was worth it – all the effort. It was just  
the preparation for this kick.”

Mihovil Španja gets out an advertisement from the Para-
lympic Committee. It shows him in a calm, strong pose. 
He translates the text for us. The message is: He was told 
that it would take hard work and discipline to become a 
professional athlete – no one told him his handicap could 
be a problem. Then the punchline: “What we don’t have 
makes us stronger.” His illness was not just the trigger for 
his career, it is still a strong driver. Mihovil Španja likes 
to demonstrate what you can achieve with discipline 
and the right attitude: Currently he is preparing for the 
European championship in Berlin and the Paralympics 
in London in the summer of 2012. If he wins the gold 
medal there, he wants to end his professional career. 
  We don’t have a lot of time left in Dubrovnik. We 
take a quick spin on the city wall. At last the sun comes 
through.

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mIhovIl ŠpAnjA 

Mihovil Španja is one of the most successful Croatian athletes. 
His achievements include breaking thirteen world records.

2010 

2009 

2008 

2006 

2004 

2002 

2001 

2000 

1999 

 Double world champion in 400 m freestyle and 
100 m breaststroke, as well as twice runner-up in 
100 m backstroke and 200 m medley at the world  
championship, Eindhoven, Netherlands

 Double world champion in 200 m medley and 
100 m backstroke, as well as double world champion  
in 100 m breaststroke and 100 m medley,  
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 Double European champion in 200 m medley and  
100 m breaststroke, as well as twice runner-up in 
400 m freestyle and 100 m backstroke at the European 
championship, Reykjavik, Iceland

 Three A finals in 100 m backstroke, 200 m medley 
and 100 m breaststroke at the Paralympic Games, 
Beijing, China

 Bronze at the world championship in 100 m 
backstroke, Durban, South Africa

 Three-times bronze in 100 m backstroke, 200 m 
medley and 400 m freestyle at the Paralympic Games,  
Athens, Greece

 Runner-up in 100 m backstroke and bronze 
in 400 m freestyle at the world championship,  
Mar del Plata, Argentina

 European champion in 400 m freestyle, 
Stockholm, Sweden

 Three A finals at the Paralympic Games, 
Sydney, Australia

 Runner-up in the European championship in 400 m 
freestyle, Braunschweig, Germany

 
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21

Shareholder
information

PAGES 22 – 36

“  Year-on-year we are keen to satisfy the 
high expectations of our customers 
and shareholders. Higher earning  
power, attractive growth and improved  
financial targets confirm our success.”

22

Shareholder information
Letter to shareholders

“Strategic continuity generates safety”

Dr rolf Schäuble, Chairman of the Board of Directors (right),
and Dr Martin Strobel, CEo of Baloise Group (left)

DEAr ShArEholDErS

We can present you a good result for Baloise Group’s 2010 
fiscal year. Consolidated profit for the period increased by 
3.7 % to CHF 436.7 million compared to the previous year.  
Profits before tax, which best reflect the success of our core 
business, rose by 8.0 % to CHF 607.2 million. The second pil-
lar,  on  which  our  good  performance  is  based,  is  business 
growth.  In  Switzerland,  our  domestic  market,  and  in  the  
majority of our foreign markets, our good positioning and 
convincing solutions for our customers enabled us to grow 
faster than the market average. Moreover, thanks to our pru-
dent and systematic risk management, we have a strong and 
flexible balance sheet. All this is not to be taken for granted 
in times of record-low interest rates and unfavourable foreign 

exchange rates, to which our business reacts nervously. Our 
result sees us on track to reach our strategic goal of becoming 
one of the most profitable and fastest growing insurers in 
Europe by 2012.

Year after year, the Board of Directors and the Corporate 
Executive Committee strive to meet shareholders’ high ex-
pectations. We are therefore pleased that we were able to 
outperform important Baloise financial targets in 2010. As 
such, the return on equity increased to 10.4 %, whilst earnings 
per share rose by 3.7 % to CHF 8.89. Thanks to our good result 
and sound condition, we are able to propose a continued at-
tractive gross dividend of CHF 4.50 to the Annual General 
Meeting.

Shareholder information
Letter to shareholders

23

We thank our employees for their special dedication, their 
loyalty and their sense of responsibility. However, our sincere 
thanks also go to you, the owners of Baloise, and to our cus-
tomers for their trust and loyalty.

Based on our almost 150 years of Swiss tradition, we stand 
for value-creating continuity. We are fully aware that, as such, 
we are not the most exciting company but probably one of the 
safest. For generations we have been successfully cultivating 
this core belief, and we are of the opinion that it will con-
tinue to be extremely viable in the future seen against the 
backdrop of the currently unstable environment. 

In 2010, continuity was again our guiding principle. Two 
years ago we launched the programme “Baloise 2012” with 
the intention of enhancing growth and profitability at Baloise 
in the long term. Since then we have been working pain- 
stakingly to achieve this. We have improved the company’s 
efficiency  with  numerous  measures.  The  contribution  
to earnings from this programme already amounted to CHF 
92 million last year. 

Our value-creating continuity  
is viable for the future.

We want people to feel safe. In our view it is our most 
important task to contribute to this. Our promise to custom-
ers, employees and shareholders is therefore “Making you 
safer.”

With a combination of targeted prevention and classic 
insurance, we offer our customers additional value above and 
beyond that offered by the conventional insurance business. 
We delight in the many positive benefits: the significantly 
higher product density per client, the greater readiness to 
recommend Baloise to others, the above-average increase in 
new customers. Here again, we are providing continuity: we 
will continue to hone our safety profile in a rigorous manner.

Safety  is  offered  to  our  shareholders  not  only  via  the  
profitability of the capital they entrust to us or by way of a 
reliable dividend, but also because of the way we push ahead 
and expand the company. At the forefront is organic growth, 
be it through innovations such the variable pensions offered 
by Baloise Life or the enhancement of existing insurance 
products with prevention components. Acquisitions of com-
panies or portfolios are only options for us if they harmonise 
with our business model, create value in the medium term 
and fit in with the Baloise culture. Recently we underwent 
cautious expansion: at the beginning of 2010 in Luxembourg 
with Fortis Luxemburg IARD and at the start of 2011 in 
Belgium with Avéro. In Germany we can quickly push ahead 
with the separation of Deutscher Ring companies following 
the conclusion of the framework agreement with the staff 
representatives. Thus we can lay the foundations for further 
growth in this important market with a more efficient unit.
In the coming years as well, we anticipate volatile financial 
markets and uncertain economic development. Our forecasts 
are therefore conservative. 

Building on our efficient and profitable core business we 
aim – as before – to achieve a return on equity over the insur-
ance cycle of 15 % and to continue to steadily increase earn-
ings per share. In the nonlife business, we aim to continue to 
keep the combined ratio appreciably below 100 %. We want 
to sustainably increase profitability by CHF 200 million by 
2012 by means of our strategic programme “Baloise 2012.”

Basel, March 2011 

Dr rolf Schäuble 

Dr Martin Strobel

Chairman of the Board of Directors 

Group Chief Executive Officer

 
24

Shareholder information
Baloise share

Baloise share gains significantly compared to  
reference indices

Closing at CHF 91.00 the Baloise share * achieved a performance of 5.8 % in 2010.  
Thus significantly outperforming the reference indices. The dividend yield proposed  
to the General Annual Meeting amounts to 4.9 %. Baloise thus remains a shareholder-
friendly investment.

The tense economic situation and low interest rates, as well 
as high market uncertainties, put financial stocks under pres-
sure, mainly in the second quarter of 2010. The Baloise share 
was also unable to evade this trend and closed at CHF 75.55 
on 30 June 2010, 12.2 % lower than at the start of the year. In 
the same period the Swiss Market Index lost 6.4 % in value 
and also the European Insurance Industry Index was quoted 
7.7 % lower after the first half-year. 

The Baloise share recorded strong growth of 20.5 % in the 
second  half  of  the  year  and  outperformed  both  the  Swiss  
Market Index (+ 5.0 %) and the European Insurance Industry 
Index (+ 10.1 %). 

 Above all, the Baloise share more than compensated for 
the deficit of the first half-year by regaining value so strong-
ly in the last quarter in comparison to the reference indices 
and closed the stock market year 2010 at CHF 91.00. This 
resulted in a price performance of 5.8 % seen over the whole 
year. This was significantly above that of the Swiss Market 
Index, which lost 1.7 % compared to the previous year and 
above the European Insurance Industry Index, which gained 
1.6 %.

The Baloise share is included in the Swiss Leader Index 
(SLI) due to market capitalisation and its trading volume. 
This comprises the 30 largest and most solvent Swiss stocks. 

DIVIDENDS PAID oUT To ShArEholDErS
For the 2010 fiscal year, the Board of Directors will propose 
a cash dividend of CHF 4.50 to the Annual General Meeting 
on 29 April 2011. Measured against the year-end price, this 
represents a cash dividend yield of 4.9 %.

The share buy-back programme, which started in Septem-
ber 2008, was continued in 2010 and extended to 30 April 2011. 
A maximum of 2,000,000 registered shares will be bought 

back. This equates to a proportion of at most 4 % of outstand-
ing shares. By the end of December 2010, a total of 1,597,961 
shares had been purchased at an average price of CHF 77.53. 
The share buy-back programme has thus been 79.9 % com-
pleted as of 31 December 2010.  

Year

2008 1

2009

2010

Total

Buy-back  
volume 
(in units)

274,217

907,678

416,066

1,597,961

Buy-back  
volume 
(in ChF million)

Average price 
(in ChF)

17.7

71.5

34.7

123.9

64.42

78.75

83.50

77.53

1   Comprises exclusively the share buy-back programme in place since September 2008.  

An additional 1,173,715 treasury shares were repurchased at an average price of  
CHF 95.99 in 2008, as part of the previous share buy-back programme (2006 – 2008).

The current status of this ongoing share buy-back programme 
can be viewed at:

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  Baloise share

  →  Share buy-back programme

ShArEholDEr STrUCTUrE
Bâloise Holding Ltd has a broad shareholder base. The free 
float of the Baloise share is still 100 %. The BlackRock Group, 
now with a 5.03 % stake in Baloise, exceeded the reportable 
5 % threshold on 9 September 2010. This was the only signifi-
cant change to the shareholder base in the 2010 fiscal year. 
Information on the sigificant shareholders as of 31 December 
2010 is detailed in the table on page 103.

* Baloise share = share of Bâloise Holding Ltd

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shareholder information
Baloise share

25

ShArE STATISTICS

Price at year-end in CHF

High in CHF

Low in CHF

Market capitalisation in CHF million 

Consolidated profit per share basic in CHF

Consolidated profit per share diluted in CHF

Price / earnings ratio (P / E) 1

Price / carrying value ratio (P / B) 1

Number of shares issued in units

./. Number of treasury shares in units

Number of shares in circulation in units

Average number of shares outstanding 2

Dividends per share 3 in CHF

Dividend pay-out ratio 3

Dividend yield 3

31.12.2006

31.12.2007

31.12.2008

31.12.2009

31.12.2010

121.80

126.70

76.40

111.50

135.00

104.90

78.50

119.80

44.80

86.05

102.60

52.60

91.00

97.85

74.15

6,736.4

6,021.0

3,925.0

4,302.5

4,550.0

12.90

12.90

9.40

1.34

15.15

15.15

7.36

1.20

7.33

7.32

10.71

1.00

8.64

8.57

9.96

0.95

9.14

8.89

9.96

1.05

55,307,150

54,000,000

50,000,000

50,000,000

50,000,000

1,849,548

3,997,308

1,566,985

2,282,790

2,800,239

53,457,602

50,002,692

48,433,015

47,717,210

47,199,761

54,086,516

51,887,469

48,852,533

47,905,512

47,394,282

3.80

30.1

3.1

4.50

29.7

4.0

4.50

61.4

5.7

4.50

52.1

5.2

4.50

49.2

4.9

1   Calculation is based on the consolidated profit and equity before minority interests respectively.
2   Relevant for the earnings per share calculation (see Financial Report page 122).
3   2010 based on proposal to Annual General Meeting.

BAloISE ShArE

Security symbol

Nominal value 

Security number

ISIN

Exchange

Security type

INDExED ShArE PrICE DEVEloPMENT 1 BâloISE holDING
rEGISTErED ShArE 2005 – 2010

BALN

CHF 0.10

1.241.051

CH0012410517

SIX Swiss Exchange

100 % registered shares

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

1  31 December 2004 = 100

  Bâloise Holding registered share (BLAN)
  SWX SP Insurance Price Index (SMINNX)
   Swiss Market Index (SMI)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26

Baloise
Our markets

Our markets

Baloise focuses on markets, customers, sales channels and products with a high degree  
of added value. We target private individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises with  
a positive risk and earnings profile as well as selected industrial companies as customers.

SWITZErlAND
In its home market, Switzerland, Baloise operates under the 
brand names “Basler Versicherungen” and “Baloise Bank SoBa.” 
Baloise Switzerland is the largest business unit within the Group. 
As a financial services provider it focuses on comprehensive 
insurance and pension solutions. Its clients are private indi-
viduals,  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises  as  well  as  se- 
lected industrial companies. The company’s own sales force 
constitutes the core of its sales strategy. This is augmented by  
a network of selected sales partners for specific product and 
client segments, and by brokers and the Internet. Baloise Bank 
SoBa specifically complements the range of pension solutions 
with banking products that are sold by the insurance sales force 
and by the Bank itself. In north-west Switzerland its market 
positioning is also that of a full-service bank.

KEY FIGUrES SWITZErlAND

Employees

Business volume in CHF million 

Combined ratio (gross) in percent 

2009

3,908

2010

3,786

3,930.0

4,108.2

84.7

88.0

GErMANY
Baloise operates in Germany with the brands “Basler Ger-
many”, “Deutscher Ring Sach” and “Deutscher Ring Leben” 
all under one management. The Baloise portfolio includes 
insurance and pension solutions in the areas of indemnity, 
accident and life insurances for private individuals, small and 
medium-sized enterprises and selected industrial clients. As 
far as sales are concerned, Baloise concentrates on using its 
own insurance sales force and brokers. Deutscher Ring Leben 

and Deutscher Ring Sach specialise in private pension solu-
tions. Sales are generated by its own insurance sales force, via 
the sales partners OVB and ZEUS as well as through brokers 
using Moneymaxx brand products.

KEY FIGUrES GErMANY

Employees

Business volume in CHF million 

Combined ratio (gross) in percent 

2009

3,294

2010

2,858

2,169.9

1,987.1

94.3

97.1

BElGIUM 
Baloise is represented on the Belgian market by the brand “Mer-
cator,” which includes Avéro business as of 2011. Mercator sees 
itself as a partner for professional brokers. The company provides 
a broad range of life and nonlife insurance products for private 
individuals as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. The 
acquisition of Nateus announced in mid-March 2011 will make 
Mercator one of the leading insurers in Belgium.

KEY FIGUrES BElGIUM

Employees

Business volume in CHF million 

Combined ratio (gross) in percent 

2009

825

820.5

98.1

2010

813

798.1

94.0

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hamburg

Baloise
Our markets

27
27

Antwerp

Brussels

Bad Homburg

Luxembourg

Basel
Solothurn

Balzers

Vienna

Zagreb

Belgrade

Luxembourg
“Bâloise Assurances” provides a broad range of insurance, 
pension and asset formation products to private and corporate 
customers in the Grand Duchy. Outside of its home market, 
Bâloise Luxembourg also sells pension and asset formation 
solutions in various EU countries in partnership with bank-
ing partners that have strong market positioning.

CroATiA AND serbiA
In Croatia, Baloise operates as “Basler osiguranje Zagreb”. It 
offers a comprehensive range of insurance solutions for private 
and corporate customers, using its own insurance sales force 
and via agencies and banks. Since the end of 2007, Baloise 
has also been represented in Serbia, where it concentrates on 
selected target customer segments.

Key figures Luxembourg

Key figures CroATiA AND serbiA

Employees

Business volume in CHF million 

Combined ratio (gross) in percent 

2009

198

962.0

91.6

2010

234

Employees

1,269.9

Business volume in CHF million 

81.4

Combined ratio (gross) in percent 

2009

876

92.6

110.9

2010

831

78.8

110.2

AusTriA
In Austria “Basler Versicherungen” provides insurance and 
pension solutions to private customers as well as to small and 
medium-sized enterprises. The company’s own sales force is 
mainly responsible for marketing of these products.

LieChTeNsTeiN
Baloise Life, founded in Balzers in 2007, develops innovative 
pension solutions and tailor-made life insurance products for 
private customers across Europe. It markets these via na-
tional Baloise companies as well as via third party partners.

Key figures AusTriA

Key figures LieChTeNsTeiN

Employees

Business volume in CHF million 

Combined ratio (gross) in percent 

2009

264

162.5

106.6

2010

237

161.9

97.5

Employees

2009

26

2010

34

Business volume in CHF million

1,600.0

1,119.0

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28

Shareholder information
Brand and strategy

Brand and strategy

Our brand promise is “Making you safer.” Everything we do is geared towards safety.  
We combine insurance with smart prevention solutions and thus help to ensure that 
damage does not occur in the first place.

oUr STrATEGIC GoAl

We will be one of Europe’s  
most profitable and fastest  
growing insurers by 2012.

To grow 
organically

ploye e s ,  c

u s t o mers, partn

ers a

BRAND CORE
Safety World

To 
optimise

m
e e

r
i
p
s
n

i

o
T

ACHIEVEMENTS
Safety
Strength 
Professionalism

VALUES
Swiss
Innovative
Partnership

n

d

s

h

a

r

e

h
o
l

d
e
r
s

To develop new 
growth areas

STrATEGIC ThrUSTS

BrAND DElIVErABlES

BrAND VAlUES

Safety
Safety is our core achievement. Safety is behind every achieve-
ment,  every  service  and  every  product.  As  a  force  which 
liberates energy, inspires and fosters.

Swiss
Baloise is proud of its Swiss origins. Since 1863. This means
we combine reliability, humanism, solidity, tradition, financial 
strength and independence.

Strength
Baloise is a strong partner. Strong in terms of growth, returns 
and results. We can be relied on when it really counts, because 
our strength means we are a partner people can depend on.

Innovative
Our innovative drive gives us the necessary competitive edge. 
This is evident from our systematic, comprehensive focus on 
safety as well as our customer management. We create an 
environment that fosters innovation in every area.

Professionalism
Baloise stands for professionalism. This allows us to produce 
top-quality performance. We are professional in our approach 
to our core business, our customers and our marketing. Because 
we know that professionalism brings inner peace.

Partnership
Commitment to partnership is one of our biggest emotional 
strengths. It is based on recognising and creating added value. 
We work to nurture and deepen our relationships with all our 
stakeholders. So that we are always able to generate enthusiasm.

 
 
Review of business year
Group

29

Higher profit and solid growth   

The increase in profit to CHF 436.7 million and above-average growth in the classic 
insurance business in local currencies of 3.7 % are testimony to the sound condition  
of Baloise.

oVErVIEW
Baloise was able to increase its profit by 3.7 % to CHF 436.7 
million in 2010 (previous year: CHF 421.0 million). In oper-
ating terms the result is even more impressive: profit before 
borrowing costs and taxes grew by 8.0 % to CHF 607.2 million 
(previous year: CHF 562.1 million). In so doing, numerous 
market environment challenges had to be mastered, notably 
the sharp fall in the value of the euro against the Swiss franc, 
low interest rates and the increase in major claims. Innovative 
products and the targeted implementation of the brand prom-
ise “Making you safer” led to above-average growth in insur-
ance premiums. The strategic programme “Baloise 2012” is 
on track and made a net contribution to earnings of CHF 92 
million. This was attributable primarily to enhanced business 
processes  in  Switzerland  and  Belgium,  various  growth  
initiatives and benefits due to company separations in Ger-
many. The “Baloise 2012” programme encompasses around 
100 measures intended to sustainably increase Baloise Group 
profitability by CHF 200 million by 2012. 

The brand positioning with the promise “Making you 
safer” was further reinforced in all business units. Preventive 
services feature increasingly in classic insurance products 
such as motor vehicle, household and transport insurances. 
The consequences are remarkable: the positioning generates 
higher  product  density  among  target  customers,  above- 
average numbers of new clients, a higher level of customer 
loyalty and a greater readiness to recommend the company 
to other people. For the last-mentioned consequence, Baloise 
Austria won the “Recommender Award” for the company 
with the highest ratio of customer recommendations.

Baloise  achieved  impressive  growth  in  the  2010  fiscal  
year. Total business volume, which includes investment-type 
life insurance products, reached CHF 9,541.4 million (previ-
ous year: CHF 9,765.4 million). This equates to a plus in local 
currencies of 1.7 % and a decline of 2.3 % in Swiss francs, 
attributable to the unfavourable euro exchange rate. Insur-
ance premiums in accordance with IFRS accounting methods 
(“classic insurance business”) precisely equalled the previous 
year’s level of CHF 6,859.8 milllion. If, however, premium 
development is seen from a local currency perspective, thus 
reflecting market performance more exactly, significant growth 
of 3.7 % was achieved. The investment life insurance products 
of Baloise Life in Liechtenstein and Bâloise in Luxembourg 
enjoyed highly pleasing development once again. Striking 
growth impetus was recorded by the units in Switzerland, 
Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria. Baloise business volume 
remains well diversified across the whole Group.

BUSINESS VolUME 2010 (GroSS) BY STrATEGIC BUSINESS UNIT

in percent

   Switzerland  

   Germany  

   Belgium 

   Luxembourg  

   Other units and 
Group business  

43.1

20.8

8.4

13.3

14.4

 
30

Review of business year
Group

DISTrIBUTIoN INCoME

CoMBINED rATIo NET PErForMANCE 

in CHF million

Total business volume

Life

Nonlife

Investment-type insurance 
premiums

2009

2010

+ / – %

9,765.4

3,723.4

3,136.4

2,905.6

9,541.4

3,814.9

3,044.9

2,681.6

– 2.3

2.5

– 2.9

– 7.7

in percent

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Income from services rendered

427.3

283.4

– 33.7

95.2

94.4

90.9

95.1

94.0

The scope of consolidation of Baloise Group was expanded  
to include “Fortis Luxembourg IARD S.A.,” the acquisition 
of which was concluded on 7 January 2010. As from this date, 
it has been fully consolidated as “Bâloise Assurances IARD 
S.A.”. In the first quarter of 2010, both Croatian nonlife and 
life units of Baloise Group were merged with the insurer “Basler 
osiguranje Zagreb d.d.” acquired in 2007. As far as the de-
consolidation due to the loss of control of the German “OVB 
Holding AG” is concerned, we refer you to the detailed de-
scription provided on page 68 of the 2010 Financial Report.

NoNlIFE DIVISIoN: 

hIGh ProFITABIlIT Y
Thanks to the high quality of the insurance portfolio, growth 
and various recoverability and efficiency enhancement mea- 
sures, the nonlife division (indemnity and personal loss insur-
ance) performed impressively. With profit before borrowing 
costs and taxes amounting to CHF 380.3 million (previous 
year: CHF 382.6 million), the division continued to be the 
backbone of Baloise Group in income terms, due primarily 
to lower costs and an exceptional combined ratio despite ma-
jor claims and storm losses. This amounted to a gross ratio 
of 92.2 % (previous year: 91.2 %). The net value (after deduct-
ing reinsurance) was 95.2 % (previous year: 94.4 %). The ef-
ficiency enhancement measures resulted in a significant decline 
in the expense ratio to a gross level of 30.7 % (previous year: 
32.0 %) and net level of 31.9 % (previous year: 33.4 %). Business 
volume (identical to IFRS premium income in this division) 
amounted to CHF 3,044.9 million (previous year: CHF 3,136.4 

million). This equates in Swiss francs to a decline of 2.9 % due 
to the exchange rate; in local currencies attractive growth of 
2.2 % was achieved. 

lIFE INSUrANCE DIVISIoN:  

GooD GroWTh
Thanks to the good financial result and successful implemen-
tation of the “Baloise 2012” measures, the life insurance divi-
sion was able to achieve a profit before borrowing costs and 
taxes of CHF 182.7 million (previous year: CHF 151.0 million); 
this equates to a plus of 21.0 %. The lower interest rates damp-
ened the technical result significantly. The necessary reduction 
of the life annuity dividends that resulted in Switzerland, as 
well as the improved investment result had a positive effect. 
Business volume – including investment-type life insurance 
– reached CHF 6,496.5 million (previous year: CHF 6,629.0 
million), an increase of 1.5 % in local currencies and a fall of 
2.0 % in Swiss franc terms. In the case of the high-volume 
investment-type life insurance products, Bâloise Luxembourg 
was able to achieve very strong growth. Baloise Life in Liech-
tenstein again generated good business volume even though 
– as expected – the exceptionally high level of the previous 
year driven by the Italian tax amnesty could not be repeated. 
The increase in classic life insurance income (IFRS premium 
volume) amounted to an excellent 2.5 % in Swiss francs and 
5.0 % in local currencies.

The embedded value of the life business decreased from 
CHF 2,625.8 million to CHF 2,573.5 million, which equates 
to a return on embedded value of – 2.3 % (in local currencies 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Review of business year
Group

31

+ 2.9 %). A reduction of CHF 567.8 million stems – after con-
sidering liquidity premiums – from changes in the economic 
environment as well as the weaker euro. Operative earnings 
contributed CHF 533.0 million to embedded value. The value 
of new business amounts to CHF 58.9 million. The new busi-
ness margin increased to 11.8 % (previous year: 9.3 %).

BANKING DIVISIoN: hIGh ProFITABIlIT Y
The banking division generated a profit before borrowing costs 
and taxes of CHF 67.9 million (previous year: CHF 61.0 mil-
lion). The growth of 11.3 % is attributable to the pleasing de-
velopments at Baloise Bank SoBa, Baloise Asset Management 
and Baloise Fund Invest. Thanks to the good quality of its 
portfolio and efficient business processes, Baloise Bank SoBa 
generated a profit in accordance with local accounting meth-
ods of CHF 21.2 million, equating to an increase of 2.2 % over 
that of the previous year. Customer deposits rose by CHF 
280.1 million or 6.6 % to total inventories of CHF 4,515.9  
million.

EqUIT Y: SolID DEVEloPMENT
Consolidated equity (after minority interests) of Baloise Group 
amounted to a total of CHF 4,133.5 million on 31 December 
2010 (previous year: CHF 4,510.0 million). The 8.3 % decrease 
was due to the dividend for the 2009 fiscal year and the share 

buy-back and the deconsolidation of the OVB group in the 
course of the separation of companies in Germany as well as 
negative currency effects.

The share buy-backs as part of the share buy-back pro-
gramme  reduced  equity  by  CHF  34.7  million.  Return  on  
equity increased to 10.4 % from 10.3 % in the previous year. 
Group solvency stood at the still excellent level of 224 % as 
compared with 230 % in the previous year.

INVESTMENTS: hIGhEr NET INCoME
The capital markets were characterised by the European debt 
crisis and its negative impact on interest rates and currencies. 
The fall in value of the euro and the dollar against the Swiss 
franc influenced the investment result: book losses on exter-
nal debt instruments, currency-related (consequential) im-
pairment, lower current income on foreign currency bonds 
and reduced contribution to earnings by foreign business units. 
Nevertheless, net income for policyholders rose from CHF 
1,697.1 million to CHF 1,934.4 million. This equates to a net 
return of 3.5 %. Recurrent income amounted to CHF 1,811.2 
million and was, as such, just below the previous year’s value, 
above all due to currency-related issues. IFRS performance 
(including net adjustments of investments not recognised in 
profit and loss) amounted to 3.5 %, down on the previous 
year’s value of 4.9 % for currency and interest rate reasons.

oWN INVESTMENTS BY CATEGorIES 1

INVESTMENT CoMPoNENTS 2010 

in CHF million

Investment properties

Shares

Alternative financial  
investments

Fixed-income securities

Mortgage assets

Policy and other loans

Derivatives

Cash and cash equivalents

2009

2010

+ / – %

in percent

5,071.7

2,090.5

1,394.6

25,772.8

10,584.9

8,058.6

123.7

2,488.8

5,046.6

2,216.1

1,300.4

24,962.2

10,653.7

7,039.8

357.8

1,862.2

– 0.5

6.0

– 6.8

– 3.1

0.6

– 12.6

189.2

– 25.2

– 3.9

   Fixed-income securities 

   Mortgage assets  

   Policy and other loans  

   Investment properties  

   Shares 

   Cash and cash equivalents 

   Alternative financial investments 

   Derivatives 

46.7

19.9

13.2

9.5

4.1

3.5 

2.4

0.7

Total

55,585.6

53,438.8

1   Excluding assets for the account and at the risk of life insurance policyholders.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
32

Review of business year
Group

BAloISE ASSETS AS oF 31.12.2009

in CHF million

Own investments

Investment-type life insurances 1

Total recognised assets

Asset management for third parties

Total managed assets

BAloISE ASSETS AS oF 31.12.2010

in CHF million

Own investments

Investment-type life insurances 1

Total recognised assets

Asset management for third parties

Total managed assets

Nonlife

life

Banking

Total Group

9,140.5

39,431.1

6,555.1

6,818.1  

9,140.5

46,249.2

6,555.1

55,585.6

6,818.1

62,403.7

5,046.2

67,449.9

Nonlife

life

Banking

Total Group

8,467.9

38,007.8

6,779.7

7,821.7  

8,467.9

45,829.5

6,779.7

53,438.8

7,821.7

61,260.5

4,993.9

66,254.4

1   Including CHF 90.5 million (previous year: CHF 47.2 million) other assets (precious metal stocks from investment-type life insurance policies).

Even in times of low interest rates, Baloise still adheres to 
its quality requirements for bond investments to ensure that 
the investment portfolio’s very high level of debtor quality is 
not put at risk. Gross impairment of only CHF 2.6 million 
(0.01 % of fixed-interest investments) is testimony to this qual-
ity. In the life business, investments consider existing obliga-
tions toward policyholders, while the nonlife business can 
exploit additional market opportunities. As from the end of 
April, more than 80 % of euro bonds held by the Swiss com-
panies were currency hedged; this way, book losses due to the 
fall in the value of the euro were restricted to a significant 
extent. As at the end of the year, hedge ratios were even high-
er in some cases.

Equity positions were cautiously increased in the nonlife 
business. The investment categories hedge funds and private 
equity  generated  good  results  in  local  currencies;  the  cur-
rency risk was hedged to an extent of at least 60 %. Gross im-
pairment on equity-type financial investments amounted to 
CHF 98.2 million. A unique feature of the properties directly 
held was their strong value and income stability. No net im-
pairment was necessary on mortgage bonds. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Review of business year
Switzerland

33

Switzerland 
High growth dynamics

The segment Switzerland confirmed its outstanding profitability and growth strength  
in both the insurance and banking sectors. 

KEY FIGUrES SWITZErlAND

in CHF million

Business volume 

Of which: life

Of which: nonlife

Combined ratio  
(gross) in percent 

Profit before borrowing  
costs and taxes

2009

2010

+ / – %

3,930.0

2,649.8

1,280.2

84.7

4,108.2

2,822.9

1,285.3

88.0

4.5

6.5

0.4

–

308.0

273.7

– 11.1

BAloISE INSUrANCE: hIGh oPErATING ProFITABIlITY WITh 

STroNG GroWTh
The excellent condition of the core business, notably in the 
nonlife sector, and significantly reduced costs were the main 
factors driving income. Profit before borrowing costs and 
taxes amounted to CHF 273.7 million (previous year: CHF 
308.0 million). The decline of 11.1 % is attributable to low 
interest rates, the strong Swiss franc and major claims. With 
business volume totalling CHF 4,108.2 million (previous year: 
CHF 3,930.0 million), Baloise Group’s largest unit passed the 
four billion mark for the first time ever. The plus of 4.5 % is 
above the market average due above all to the convincing growth 
of the collective life insurance business. The innovative vari-
able annuity products (life insurance with a capital guarantee) 
of Baloise Life in Liechtenstein, newly introduced into the 
Swiss market, attracted great interest among customers.

The nonlife division achieved a business volume of CHF 
1,285.3 million (previous year: CHF 1,280.2 million), which 
corresponds to an increase of 0.4 %. The accident and health 
insurance business recorded strong growth. The gross com-
bined ratio amounted to 88.0 % (previous year: 84.7 %). The 

increase in major claims and the fall in handling and settlement 
profit caused a rise in the loss ratio while rigorous business 
process optimisation resulted in a reduced expense ratio. 

Business volume in the life insurance division grew by 
6.5 % to CHF 2,822.9 million (previous year: CHF 2,649.8 
million). The Group Life Business (occupational pension plans) 
grew particularly strongly at 11.5 % both in terms of annual 
and one-off premiums. This was attributable to the attractive 
products and to the good positioning of Baloise Insurance as  
a strong partner in the occupational pension sector. In the case 
of the classic individual life insurance business, demand was 
weak as expected due to the interest rate situation. There was 
a shift in favour of variable annuity products which proved 
to be very popular.

BAloISE BANK SoBA: GroWTh AND ProFIT ENhANCEMENT
Baloise Bank SoBa had a successful financial year in 2010. At 
CHF 21.2 million, net profit was 2.2 % up on the previous 
year’s level despite the difficult environment. Customer de-
posits grew by CHF 280.1 million or 6.6 % while customer 
loans increased by CHF 301.0 million or 5.4 %. The result of 
the interest margin-based business declined slightly due to 
low market interest rates and competition-related pressure 
on margins. Income from commission and services recorded 
a fall of 14.0 %. The company was able to cut material ex-
penses by 18.4 % due to further optimisation of the cost base. 
The  cost-income  ratio  improved  to  66.8 %  (previous  year: 
68.4 %). Total assets improved by 4.4 % and amounted to CHF 
6.4 billion as of 31 December 2010. The proven cooperation 
with Baloise Insurance made a key contribution to the posi-
tive result.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
34

Review of business year
Germany

Germany 
Separation making progress

The German unit comprising Basler and Deutscher Ring Leben and Sach reported  
a good result. The separation of Deutscher Ring is progressing according to plan.

decline of 0.4 %. The gross combined ratio of the nonlife in-
surance business amounted to 97.1 % (previous year: 94.3 %). 
Thanks to the rigorous implementation of the optimisation 
programmes, the gross expense ratio fell by 0.5 percentage 
points while the loss ratio rose by 3.4 percentage points due 
to numerous major and storm claims. Business volume in the 
life  insurance  division  amounted  to  CHF  1,048.2  million 
(previous year: CHF 1,141.1 million), a minor increase in lo-
cal currency of 0.3 %. In the case of the classic life insurance 
business, the trend towards risk products increased while 
endowment insurance policies continued to lose ground. As 
far as sales channels were concerned, the trend shifted towards 
brokerage. 

The separation of Deutscher Ring is progressing according 
to schedule; the business plan with anticipated synergy ben-
efits of EUR 20 to 25 million per year continues to be valid. 
At  the  end  of  November  2010,  an  outline  agreement  with  
a redundancy plan was concluded with the executive works 
council. Currently the first divisions are being separated in 
both personnel and operational terms.

KEY FIGUrES GErMANY

in CHF million

Business volume 

Of which: life

Of which: nonlife

Combined ratio  
(gross) in percent 

Profit before borrowing  
costs and taxes

2009

2010

+ / – %

2,169.9

1,141.1

1,028.8

94.3

1,987.1

1,048.2

938.9

97.1

– 8.4

– 8.1

– 8.7

–

91.2

118.7

30.2

Baloise’s German business generated a profit before borrow-
ing costs and taxes of CHF 118.7 million in 2010 (previous 
year: CHF 91.2 million). Positive one-off effects of the separa-
tion of Deutscher Ring and cost improvements were able to 
offset the negative impact of major and elementary claims as 
well as of interest rate development. A positive impact on 
business  development  was  attributable  to  the  further  re- 
inforcement of the Safety World: product density among tar-
get customers and the number of new clients grew signifi-
cantly  while  customer  loyalty  with  Safety  World  contact 
improved considerably.

Business volume amounted to a total of CHF 1,987.1 mil-
lion (previous year: CHF 2,169.9 million). In local currency 
terms, the business unit was as such above the previous year’s 
level. In a challenging German market, this is to be seen as  
a success, all the more so because Deutscher Ring transferred 
around 45 % of its main sales organisation to Signal Iduna as 
part of its agreed separation activities. Despite a highly com-
petitive environment, the nonlife insurance division gener-
ated a premium volume of CHF 938.9 million (previous year: 
CHF 1,028.8 million). This equates in local currency to a slight 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Review of business year
Belgium and Luxembourg

35

Belgium and Luxembourg
Strong growth dynamics 

The business units Mercator in Belgium and Bâloise in Luxembourg reported very  
high growth dynamics above the market average and were thus able to strengthen their 
market positions significantly.

BElGIUM: STroNG GroWTh AND hIGh  

lUxEMBoUrG: ADVANCES IN MArKET PoSITIoN

CoNTrIBUTIoN To ProFIT

KEY FIGUrES BElGIUM

KEY FIGUrES lUxEMBoUrG

2009

2010

+ / – %

2009

2010

+ / – %

in CHF million

Business volume 

Of which: life

Of which: nonlife

Combined ratio  
(gross) in percent 

820.5

241.2

579.3

98.1

798.1

239.8

558.3

94.0

– 2.7

– 0.6

– 3.6

–

in CHF million

Business volume 

Of which: life

Of which: nonlife

Combined ratio  
(gross) in percent 

Profit before borrowing  
costs and taxes

54.4

142.9

162.7

Profit before borrowing  
costs and taxes

962.0

906.9

55.1

91.6

1,269.9

1,188.2

81.7

81.4

32.0

31.0

48.3

–

6.0

14.3

138.3

Mercator generated a profit before borrowing costs and taxes 
of CHF 142.9 million (previous year: CHF 54.4 million). The 
striking rise is due primarily to business process optimisation, 
the extremely good income position of the nonlife business 
and the high level of income generated via capital investments. 
Growth was again very impresssive. Business volume totalled 
CHF 798.1 million (previous year: CHF 820.5 million). Ad-
justed to take account of the negative exchange rate of the 
euro, this equates to growth in local currency of 6.2 %. The 
nonlife business grew in local currency by 5.2 % and amount-
ed to CHF 558.3 million. The excellent gross combined ratio 
of the nonlife business of 94.0 % (previous year: 98.1) under-
lines  its  operational  profitability.  Life  insurance  business 
volume amounted to CHF 239.8 million, a rise in local cur-
rency of 8.5 %. The investment-type life insurance products 
experienced particularly strong growth with a plus of 18.1 %. 
In the Safety World sector, Mercator focused on small and 
medium-sized companies, for which it introduced targeted 
damage prevention. At the beginning of 2011, Mercator bol-
stered its market position by purchasing the insurer Avéro. 
The acquisition of Nateus announced in mid-March 2011 will 
make Mercator one of the leading insurers in Belgium.

Bâloise Luxembourg achieved an excellent result with profit 
before borrowing costs and taxes of CHF 14.3 million (previ-
ous year: CHF 6.0 million). Fortis Luxembourg IARD S.A. 
(henceforth  Bâloise  Assurance  IARD  S.A.)  acquired  on  
7 January 2010, significantly reinforced the company’s market 
position and added additional strength to the already strong 
growth dynamics. The business volume of Bâloise Luxemburg 
totalled CHF 1,269.9 million (previous year: CHF 962.0 mil-
lion), an increase in local currency of 44.1 %. The main im-
petus came from the acquisition as well as from investment-
type life insurance products that are sold in the euro zone. 
Nonlife business volume amounted to CHF 81.7 million (pre-
vious year: CHF 55.1 million), to which Bâloise Assurance 
IARD contributed CHF 26.4 million. Adjusted to take account 
of the acquisition, nonlife growth stood at an excellent 9.4 % 
in local currency. The gross combined ratio amounted to an 
outstanding 81.4 % (previous year: 91.6 %) thanks to an 11.2 % 
improvement in the loss ratio. Business volume in the life 
insurance division rose to CHF 1,188.2 million (previous year: 
CHF 906.9 million). The growth in local currency of 43.0 % 
is attributable to the development in unit-linked products. In 
the domestic market too, Bâloise Luxembourg enjoyed growth 
in local currency of 6.8 % in the classic life insurance sector.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
36

Review of business year
Other units and Group business

Other units and Group business 

Basler Austria saw a continuation of its above-average growth and invested further in  
the expansion of its sales activities. Further efficiency enhancement occurred in Croatia 
following the conclusion of the integration process.

KEY FIGUrES oThEr UNITS

in CHF million

Business volume 

Of which: life

Of which: nonlife

Combined ratio (gross) 
Basler Austria in percent 

Combined ratio (gross) 
Croatia and Serbia in percent 

Profit before borrowing  
costs and taxes

2009

2010

+ / – %

1,855.1

1,690.0

165.1

106.6

1,359.7

1,197.4

162.3

97.5

110.9

110.2

– 26.7

– 29.1

– 1.7

–

–

– 20.8

– 16.9

– 18.8

AUSTrIA: STroNG GroWTh
Basler Austria saw a continuation of the strong growth of 
previous years while investing further in the expansion of its 
sales activities. The company was able to attract more new 
sales agencies than expected. Business volume amounted to 
CHF 161.9 million (previous year: CHF 162.5 million); this 
equates to growth in local currency of 8.7 % as compared with 
overall market growth of around 1 %. The nonlife division 
achieved a business volume of CHF 121.3 million (previous 
year: CHF 120.0 million), an increase in local currency of 
10.4 %. The combined ratio improved significantly thanks to 
optimisation and the absence of major claims and storm 
damage to a gross level of 97.5 % (previous year: 106.6 %). The 
expense ratio also declined due to targeted cost cuts. Business 
volume of CHF 40.5 million (previous year: CHF 42.5 mil-
lion) was generated by life insurance activities, a plus in local 
currency of 4.0 %. Investment-type life insurance policies 
made an above-average contribution to this.

CroATIA AND SErBIA: EFFICIENCY ENhANCEMENT IN  

A CoNTrACTING ENVIroNMENT
Following the conclusion of the integration process in Croatia, 
the focus was on operational reorganisation and business pro- 
cess optimisation. As compared with the previous year, the 
business result improved significantly but continued to be in 
negative territory. In a contracting environment the business 
volume of both units declined to CHF 78.8 million (previ-
ous year: CHF 92.6 million), a fall in local currency of 7.6 %. 
The company was able to maintain its market share in the 
Croatian nonlife sector whereby the motor vehicle insurance 
business grew noticeably. Life insurance business volume de-
clined sharply, due in part to the loss of a bank sales partner. 
The gross combined ratio improved to 110.2 % (previous year: 
110.9 %) thanks to a fall in the expense ratio. 

BAloISE lIFE, lIEChTENSTEIN:  

ATTrACTIVE, INNoVATIVE PENSIoN ProDUCTS
The business volume of Baloise Life in Liechtenstein, which 
specialises in innovative life insurance products, amounted 
to CHF 1,119.0 million in the 2010 financial year (previous 
year: CHF 1,600.0 million). Thus the business with variable 
pension products (variable annuities) achieved strong growth 
generating CHF 103.4 million. Despite the expiry of the tax 
amnesty in Italy after April 2010, the company was able to 
maintain its business volume in investment-type life insur-
ance policies at a high level. 

GroUP BUSINESS
The segment “Group business” comprises the units for intra-
Group reinsurance and financing, as well as the holding com-
panies and corporate IT. Profit before borrowing costs and 
taxes amounted to CHF 74.5 million (previous year: CHF 
123.3 million). The decline was attributable to the reinsurance 
unit’s lower underwriting result and to negative currency 
development.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainable 
Business 
Management

PAGES 38 – 46

“  In line with our ‘Making you safer’ 
promise, we think particularly long-
term, since our smart prevention  
solutions help ensure that damage 
does not occur in the first place.”

  Every day we make an invaluable contribution to the economy and 
to society, for example by providing occupational pension solutions.

  We create and maintain jobs that add value and thereby accept 

our social responsibility.

  We generate earnings to invest in the future of Baloise and 

to help fund the public sector by paying taxes.

  We apply capital resources efficiently, in the interests of shareholders 

and of the wider economy.

  We go easy on natural resources. 

38

Sustainable business management
Human Resources

The employees form the basis of our success.  
We are preparing them for the future.

Performance, innovation and partnership are the core values of our corporate culture.  
The skills and the motivation of our employees are the foundation of our successes – today 
and tomorrow.

KEY FIGUrES

  As of 31 December 2010, the Baloise Group had 8,797 
(2009: 9,391) employees (FTE in 2010: 7,688). 
 45.1 % (2009: 45.7 %) of all employees are women.
  Baloise employs 244 (2009: 248) apprentices, trainees 
and interns throughout the Group.
 34.1 % (2009: 50.0 %) of those who left the company 
did so of their own accord.
 In our main market, Switzerland, 58.8 % (2009: 61.9 %) 
of employees participated in our Employee Share  
Ownership Programmes.
  Baloise invested CHF 12.5 million (2009: CHF 15.3 mil-
lion) in the basic and further training of its employees.
  Employees’ average length of service within Baloise 
is 13 years.
  Staff turnover as of 31 December 2010 was 10.4 % 
(2009: 7.8 %). 

EMPloYEE SKIllS ArE oUr DISTINCTIoN     
“Making you safer” is our promise to our clients, shareholders 
and employees. This means that we actively contribute to pre-
venting damage. Our employees require relevant skills so that 
we can be successful in this. Baloise encourages these skills 
and  focuses  on  the  values  of  the  company  being  lived  out.  
Baloise’s corporate strategy is to become one of Europe’s most 
profitable and fastest growing insurers. All our HR policies are 
geared towards achieving this strategic objective. In this respect 
we are guided by our corporate values: “Partnership,” “Innova-
tive” and “Swiss.” 

As an employer, Baloise is guided by the following principles:
→→ We are an attractive and forward-looking employer.
→→  By retaining and recruiting outstanding employees, we 

contribute to the company’s long-term success.

→→  We invest long-term in the skills and career develop-

ment of our employees.

→→  Performance-driven, highly motivated and well-trained 
employees enable us to obtain competitive advantages.
Our Human Resources strategy lays the foundations to en-
able us to implement these principles. The elements of our 
Human Resources strategy are:
→→ To be the preferred employer in our sector 
→→ To be performance and results-driven 
→→  To be a highly qualified, learning organisation 
→→  To have excellent leadership and management skills 
→→  To be highly adaptable and flexible 
→→  To have an employee-focused corporate culture  

PrEFErrED EMPloYEr
In 2008, Baloise mapped out a Talent Strategy with the aim 
of becoming one of the best employers in our branch. On that 
occasion we introduced the Group-wide “Talent Finder.” Since 
then,  our  staff  recruiting  has  become  considerably  more  
efficient. By means of this web-based Talent Management 
System, we were able to recruit more high-quality candidates 
and reduce both the costs and the time spent on staffing. Thanks 
to this new concept, we were able to create a talent pipeline 
for the first time, with more than 10,000 (previous year: 3,500) 
potential candidates. This corporate talent pool has already 
enabled us to fill around 20 % (previous year: 10 %) of new job 
vacancies efficiently and inexpensively. We maintain regular 
contact with many of these external talents, in order to win 

Sustainable business management
Human Resources 

39

them to fill suitable vacant positions. In addition, as far as 
recruitment is concerned, we also increasingly rely on in-
novative  Web  2.0  technologies.  This  means  less  search  
processes via job advertisements in newspapers and via per-
sonnel consultants.

 In 2010 the Talent Finder was prepared for its introduc-
tion  in  the  Serbian  unit,  the  most  recent  addition  to  the  
Baloise Group. This was necessary because of our growth 
targets and the introduction of new products. The cost-savings 
effect is very rapidly noticeable especially in small units with 
strong growth that have to recruit intensively. The system 
could be introduced in Serbia at minimal cost, thanks to the 
good preparatory work of the Croatian colleagues, where the 
Talent Finder has been in action since 2009. 

PErForMANCE AND rESUlTS ArE WhAT CoUNT
We are performance- and results-driven and we remunerate 
our employees accordingly on this basis. The focus of our 
incentive systems lies on a long-term, share-based remuner-
ation, in particular regarding executives. We also want to 
meet the interests of our shareholders in this manner. 

More than 60 % of employees throughout the Group are 
subject to annual target agreements and performance reviews. 
The amount of variable remuneration for executives is di-
rectly linked to individual performance. In 2010 we introduced 
a uniform, variable remuneration policy and system in all 
countries. The aim of the new system is to encourage per-
formance-orientation. In addition, we also now count risk 
aspects, value creation and strategy implementation besides 
the business result as criteria for the level of executive remu-
neration. Besides that, development and follow-up plans were 
integrated into the mangement system. 
The elements of the remuneration guidelines are:
→→ Competitiveness in the market
→→ Consideration of company and individual performance
→→ Fairness and transparency
→→ Sustainability

INVESTMENT IN STrATEGY-ENhANCING ADVANCED TrAINING
In 2009, Baloise created an innovative development programme 
for the top 70 executives and 80 talented employees – the Stra-
tegic Leadership Programme (SLP). In 2010 this programme 
was expanded to include a further 200 talents and managers. 
During this programme the participants acquire the skills 
necessary to successfully realise the corporate strategy. The 
SLP consists of 30 learning modules divided between four 
topics (growth, optimisation, new business areas, manage-
ment). The skills (e.g. customer focus, pricing, courage or 
credibility) are acquired in four steps:
1. 

 Acquiring knowledge: Within each of the 30 learning and 
activity modules a group visits leading business schools 
and acquires up-to-date knowledge.
 Studying “best practice:” “best practice” companies with-
in  and  outside  our  sector  are  analysed  as  part  of  each 
activity module.

2. 

3.  Derivation of action plans for Baloise.
4.  Implementation: the participants communicate and imple-
ment this knowledge and these action plans within their or-
ganisations.

 The knowledge transfer and networking of the participants 
is fostered during an annual meeting; this took place for the 
first time in Jesteburg, Germany, in June 2010. There strate-
gies, brand positioning and the necessary skills were deepened.
An open advanced-training format for all employees, un-
der the name “Extended Knowledge Conference – ekc” was 
offered in Basel for the first time in 2010. Here, external speak-
ers, who also train the management in important skills as 
part of the SLP, gave lectures on specific topics. The topic 
“Implementation – how to realise things successfully” kicked 
off the seminar. Further “Extended Knowledge Conference 
– ekc” are planned for 2011.

40

Sustainable business management
Human Resources

BAloISE’S 8,797 EMPloYEES IN 2010 BY CoUNTrY

  Switzerland  
  Germany 
  Croatia and Serbia 
  Belgium 
  Austria 
  Luxembourg  
  Liechtenstein  
  Others  

in percent 

Employees

43.0 % 

32.5 % 

3,786

2,858

9.4 % 

9.2 % 

2.7 % 

2.7 % 

0.4 % 

0.0 % 

831

813

237

234

34

4

STroNG ADAPTABIlIT Y AND FlExIBIlIT Y
Many parts of the Group underwent change in 2010. At present, 
the two largest changes concern Germany, and involve the 
merging of Basler Germany with Deutscher Ring Leben und 
Sach and the Group area Switzerland with the “Leader” ini-
tiative. 

We carried out the integration of Fortis in Luxembourg 
in 2010. The aim was to ensure the transfer of the Fortis em-
ployees and their knowledge to Baloise, thereby retaining as 
many members of staff as possible. The same goal was set 
regarding the independent marketing of Fortis. The integra-
tion was planned in detail and formulated bit by bit in co- 
operation with employees and agencies. In retrospect, it can 
be established that both the cultural integration as well as the 
knowledge transfer has been largely successful and that the 
organisation is well prepared for the future.

ExCEllENT lEADErShIP AND MANAGEMENT SKIllS
Baloise systematically identifies and develops talented execu-
tives since 2008. In a three-stage process, “round table” meet-
ings, involving local management, the Corporate Executive 
Committee and the Chairman of the Board of Directors, were 
held in 2010 to discuss the strengths and skill enhancement 
needs of 231 (2009: 231) incumbents in key positions, 288 
(2009:  280)  succession  candidates  and  271  (2009:  183)  
talented individuals from the Group. Overall, as in 2009, we 

could promote more internal employees to key positions than 
we had to recruit staff to fill these, also in 2010. Individual 
skill enhancement plans with specific action to be taken have 
been agreed with all people identified. 

Business units in each country perform the internal talent 
identification and development process. Taking Croatia as an 
example, we can see that such a structured approach supports 
staff retention and focused advancement even in markets that 
were hit badly by the economic crisis in 2010. We were able 
to retain many important talents there despite reorganisation 
of  the  unit  and  systematically  train  them  for  future  chal-
lenges.

Our efforts in talent management were also externally 
acknowledged in 2010. A survey of the University of Innsbruck 
and Transformation Management AG sees Baloise among the 
top ten companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with 
regard to talent management. Baloise holds second place in 
its home market Switzerland, as well as in the finance segment. 

BAloISE ENCoUrAGES INTErNAl MoBIlIT Y
In 2008, we launched the new Group Talent Management 
System, thus laying the process and system-related founda-
tions to enable us to efficiently facilitate mobility within the 
Group.  By  merging  our  performance  management,  talent 
identification and development planning in 2010, we have 
created the framework to further promote internal mobility 
and thus further development and internal promotion. This 
way, the internal prospects are even higher for employees with 
good performance and potential. We take the view that this 
will  significantly  reduce  the  number  of  cancellations  by  
employees. 

DIVErSIT Y AND PArTNErShIP WITh EMPloYEES 
In order to be able to understand our target groups, it is nec-
essary to cultivate a diverse employee structure. 45.1 % (2009: 
45.7 %) of employees and 16.7 % (2009: 17.0 %) of executives 
are women. Baloise does not tolerate any form of discrimina-
tion.  The  management  of  our  business  units  and  those  
responsible for HR matters ensure this maxim is followed; 
they are supported in this by the internal Compliance Network. 

 
Sustainable business management
Human Resources

41

job and family, as well as strengthening the employee bond 
to the company. 

BAloISE DIAloGUES WITh EMPloYEE rEPrESENTATIVES
Baloise respects the right of every employee to be or become 
a member of an employee representation body. We maintain 
a direct, transparent and constructive dialogue with all em-
ployee representatives and committees. 

Employees from every international subsidiary are rep-
resented in the Baloise European Forum. We thus provide 
employee representatives with direct access to the Corporate 
Executive Committee, as well as promote communication 
locally. A two-day meeting of the European Forum and em-
ployee representatives was held in Vienna in May 2010. The 
emphasis was on corporate strategy and the implementation 
of the new Group IT and Group procurement system.

100 % of Baloise employees are represented by employee 
committees,  staff  associations,  trade  unions  or  other  em-
ployee organisations. 

ToP lINKS

www.baloise.com/careers
  Attractive employer
  Personnel development
  Our employees
  Direct hires and trainees
 Job openings

Baloise promotes its employees solely on the basis of their 
performance,  their  potential  and  their  identification  with 
corporate values.

For many years Baloise has also actively given support in 
health issues. Basler Switzerland received the label “Friendly 
WorkSpace® – Registered” from the Swiss health promotion 
board in April 2010. This has been awarded since 2009 to 
companies that promote corporate health management beyond 
the mandatory guidelines. 

Healthy companies require healthy employees – since their 
well-being contributes considerably to a company’s develop-
ment. In a friendly workspace employees perform better, are 
more solution-oriented, motivated and innovative. The label 
shows that resources are available in a company to maintain 
and promote the health and performance of its employees. 
With this commitment to promoting health, Baloise is hon-
ouring its promise “Making you safer” internally as well. Basler 
is proud to be the first overall insurer in Switzerland to receive 
this award. 

In recent years, we have implemented an overall concept 
in  Switzerland.  It  includes  e. g.  a  guideline  on  burn-out,  
mobbing,  alcohol  at  the  workplace,  concepts  to  deal  with  
absences, an internal case management, training programmes 
for stress management, total annual work time, ergonomic 
furniture,  sports,  in-house  offers  for  back / neck  massage, 
physical and mental deep relaxation, drink timer, Intranet 
advice regarding nutrition and preventative medical care. 

Baloise has also invested a great deal in expanding cor-
porate health management for companies in other countries 
in past years. A survey on demographic change and its im-
plications is currently being conducted in Belgium. 

In Germany, health management was embedded in the 
HR strategy in the Hamburg office as well as in Bad Homburg. 
The aim is to raise the health awareness of the employees and 
promote a healthy work-life balance. In 2010 campaigns on 
the topics “skin screening,” “healthy diet” and measures re-
garding pandemics and the protection of non-smokers were 
carried out. In addition, Basler Germany established three 
places in a crèche and assigned them internally to its em- 
ployees. The company thus enables a better compatibility of 

42

Sustainable business management
Ecology

Long-term protection of the environment

In 1995 Baloise signed the UNEP* Insurance Industry Declaration. In our environmental 
mission statement, we commit ourselves, amongst other things, to continuously reduce our 
direct impact on the environment by planning, building and managing corporate real estate, 
in order to save resources. The same principles and criteria apply to the procurement of 
equipment and materials.  

SAVING Co2 BY TrAIN 
Employees are encouraged to use the train for travelling on 
business wherever possible. The train tickets for domestic and 
international travel are ordered through the Swiss Railways’ 
ordering portal “SBB Businesstravel” and printed out at the 
workplace. Waiting times at the ticket counter and time-
consuming expense claims are eliminated. As part of its 
service, the SSB also evaluates the rail travel with regard to 
CO2 emissions. In 2010, 1,936,000 passenger kilometres were 
covered by train on business in Switzerland. This means that 
100,000 litres of fuel were saved compared to road transport. 
The CO2 emissions of 222 tonnes that were avoided is equal 
to to the CO2 emissions generated by about 100 minergy 
detached houses in one year.  

ENErGY EFFICIENCY IN CoMPUTEr CENTrES  
Basler’s computer centres are being brought together step by 
step. This means that existing infrastructures are used more 
efficiently, operating costs are optimised and the security of 
the data entrusted to Basler is improved. 

 Approximately 30 % of the process energy used in modern 
computer centres is used to maintain a comfortable indoor 
climate. The responsible managers at Basler have analysed 
the consumption data of our computer centres and defined 
measures to reduce the consumption figures that are good 
already today by 5 to 10 % over the next three years. Here too 
we wish to keep our promise to use resources carefully and 
reduce the operating costs on a long-term basis. 

SAVING PAYS oFF
In 2009, Basler Germany set itself the target to use of finite 
resources sparingly and increase employee awareness of en-
vironmental issues. To this purpose, Basler Germany started 

a project together with experts. Changing the lighting at one 
location, reducing the water flow quantities of the sanitary 
facilities and improved waste separation led to savings of 
43,700 kWh electricity, 45,762 CO2 and 700 m3 of water and 
a costs reduction of over EUR 100,000 euros per year. These 
successfully implemented measures were rewarded with an 
environmental certificate. Further measures are planned for 
the year 2011 regarding the vehicle fleet, the outdoor lighting 
and the purchasing of consumables. 

MAKING BETTEr USE oF ThE lIMITED AVAIlABlE SPACE
The open-plan offices were extensively refurbished in the main 
building in Basel. Adjustments were made to the floor plan 
and workplaces to meet the demands of the modern working 
world. New open-space offices were created in the cell office 
area; only a few single offices remain. The floor plan was trans-
ferred to the other two Group headquarter buildings. Because 
the existing space is used more efficiently, an additional 400 
workplaces have been created at Group headquarters whilst 
energy consumption remains almost unchanged. We can now 
let over 8,000 m2 office space – this is equivalent to a medium-
sized office building with 8 storeys.   

ECo-EFFICIENCY IN oPErATIoN 
The material and energy flows involve the consumption of 
the large office buildings used operationally and the compu-
ter centres in Switzerland. We record the consumption of just 
under 53 % of the 8,797 employees at the Baloise Group. The 
energy consumption per person was again reduced by nearly 
1 %, although the energy consumption of the Baloise Group 
in Switzerland increased slightly due to the merging of the 
computer centres. It is our aim to reduce the energy consump-
tion by 2 to 3 % each year in the years 2004 to 2013. We remain 

*  UNEP = United Nations Environment Programme 

 
Sustainable business management
Ecology

43

ENVIroNMENTAl AUDIT

Employees *

Energy reference area

Locations

Electricity consumption

Heating consumption

Water consumption

Paper consumption

Paper types

Copy paper consumption

Amount of refuse

Types of refuse

Business travel

Mode of transport

2008 absolute

2009 absolute

2010 absolute

relative Unit

5,413

164,598

13

5,427

164,927

13

4,667  

142,872  

headcount

ERA m2

13  

number of buildings

27,187,936 KWh

27,591,295 KWh

23,506,845 KWh

5,037 kWh / employee

14,813,880 KWh

14,991,052 KWh

13,194,068 KWh

92 kWh / m2

81,827 m3

77,737 m3

61,053 m3

52 l / employee / day

846 t

832 t

765 t

164 kg / employee

7.00 % recycled

74.00 % chlorine-free

19.00 % chlorine-bleached

93.6 million  
A4 sheets

90.7 million  
A4 sheets

99.4 million  
A4 sheets

21,300 A4 sheets /  

employee

928 t

1,184 t

1,039 t

223 kg / employee

+ / – %

– 14.0

– 13.4

0.0

– 14.8

– 12.0

– 21.5

– 8.1

9.6

– 3.8

50.00 % paper / cardboard

9.00 % other materials

1.00 % special waste

40.00 % misc. waste / refuse

18.36 million km 23.46 million km 16.01 million km

3,430 km / employee

– 31.8

20.80 % km by air

41.20 % km by road

38.00 % km by public  

transport

CO2 emissions

19,463 t

20,687 t

16,575 t

3,552 kg / employee

– 19.9

*   The Deutscher Ring group no longer contains the figures of Deutscher Ring Kranken. Thereby reducing the absolute values of the energy  

and material flows significantly.

on target. The environmental changes as well as the rising 
energy prices and costs oblige and motivate us as a responsi-
ble company that uses resources efficiently.

ToP lINKS

www.baloise.com/sustainability

  Ecology  →  Environmental mission statement
  Ecology  →  Ecology audit
 Risk Management
 Interview with Rolf Schäuble

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
44

Sustainable business management
Risk Management

Our Risk Management counts among the best 
15 percent in Europe

As an integral component of Baloise strategic management, risk management makes  
a major contribution to the Group’s positioning. As a European insurance company  
with Swiss roots, we possess a strong balance sheet and a high degree of operational 
earning power which have been optimised in relation to risks taken on the one hand  
and earnings opportunities on the other.  

Risk Management at Baloise is both risk and value manage-
ment. Our risk model is based on innovative standards, mean-
ing that we can always keep our “making you safer” promise.
In 2010, Standard & Poor’s again awarded the Enterprise 
Risk Management of Baloise the very good rating “strong.” 
We  are  therefore  among  the  best  15 %  of  all  European  
insurers. 

Our risk management is a uniform strategic and opera-
tional system that applies throughout the Group and has the 
following subsections:
→→ Risk map: this forms the backbone of risk considera-

tions and defines basic risk issues, such as underwriting 
and market risks as well as operational business risks. 
→→  Risk governance and risk culture: this involves foster-

ing and firmly embedding risk awareness, handling and 
perception throughout the entire organisation.

→→  Risk measurement: This identifies, quantifies and mod-
els the risks in all business and financial processes.
→→  Risk processes: risk organisation, and the standards 

that apply to it, are important aspects of Risk Manage-
ment, in conjunction with management, reporting and 
evaluation processes.

→→  Strategic Risk Management: its task is to simultane-
ously optimise the risks taken by the Group and its 
earnings opportunities. 

ThE rISK MAP
The risk map distinguishes between the different categories 
of risk to which Baloise is exposed:
→→ Underwriting risks
→→  Market risks
→→  Financial structure risks
→→  Business environment risks
→→  Operational risks
→→  Strategic / information risks
A detailed description can be found on page 31 of the Financial 
Report.

The risk map is embedded in the organisation and the 
responsibilities of the entire Group. Each risk is assigned to 
a risk owner (with overall responsibility) and to a separate 
risk controller (risk monitoring and control). 

rISK GoVErNANCE AND rISK CUlTUrE
Expansion of risk governance and risk culture has a long tra-
dition at Baloise. We continuously work to improve this culture 
throughout the entire organisation. Appointed risk owners 
and risk controllers for specific risk issues is as much a part of 
this culture as membership of committees that meet regularly 
to deal with risk issues. At the same time, risk models and 
processes are continually improved. 2009 saw the completion 
of a project to upgrade the internal control system (ICS).

Baloise risk organisation includes the Group Risk Com-
mittee and local Risk Committees in all business units. These 
committees consist of members of the Corporate Executive 
Committee or members of the local management. They are 
responsible for taking risk strategy decisions. 

Special boards also prepare decision documents relating 
to specific risk areas, such as asset / liability management, 
compliance, IT risks and allocation, for these committees. 

Sustainable business management
Risk Management

45

This is rounded off by close cooperation between the Group’s 
Risk Management team and local risk experts. This compre-
hensive risk organisation is our platform for sharing and 
continuous further development of “best practices.”
Group Risk Management is responsible for:  
→→ the development of consistent, mandatory risk models 

across the Group,

→→  the monitoring of standards across the Group,
→→  reporting,
→→  compliance with risk processes,
→→  communication with external partners such as auditors, 

corporate supervisory bodies and rating agencies.

database of specific risks, which includes detailed descriptions 
of risks, their incorporation in the risk map and early warn-
ing indicators, is generated from this standard process. On 
the quantitative side, this description is complemented by the 
measurement of risks in respect of their likely financial impact 
on the company’s balance sheet. Each risk is recorded to-
gether with a description of risk-minimising action to be 
taken. The database is updated twice a year.

This combination of an overall risk model on the one hand, 
and the specific risk approach on the other, ensures that 
Baloise has an appropriate risk overview at all times. 

The business units are responsible for locally implementing 
Group  specifications.  Overall  responsibility  lies  with  the 
Group’s Chief Financial Officer, followed by the Head of Fi-
nancial Management. Ultimate responsibility with regard risk 
tolerance, business objectives, Risk Management strategy and 
standards is in the hands of the Board of Directors of Bâloise 
Holding Ltd.  

rISK ProCESSES
“Group-wide Risk Management Standards” lay mandatory 
foundations for risk processes. This set of rules specifies man-
datory methods, rules and caps / floors across the Group. These 
standards determine how different risk issues are assessed, 
managed and reported. A system of risk limits, which func-
tion as early warning indicators, reduces the risks taken. 

rISK MEASUrEMENT
Our risk model standardises quantification of all business 
and financial market risks in all strategic business units. It is 
in line with the principles and calculation methods of the 
Swiss Solvency Test and the European Union’s Solvency II 
guidelines. As a pioneering Risk Management tool, it provides 
a firm foundation to enable management to make strategic 
and operational decisions.

Baloise models are based on the concept of economic risk 
capital – currently the most advanced market standard. To do 
this, a target capital figure is derived, solely on the basis of 
risk calculation considerations – irrespective of financial 
accounting treatment or capital adequacy regulations as per 
Solvency I – to enable the company to remain solvent, even 
in adverse circumstances, and to meet its obligations to pol-
icyholders at any time. We constantly compare this target 
capital figure with existing capital, i. e. actual capital.

In addition to this integrated risk model, we use the risk 
map to identify, describe and assess specific risks in relation 
to  their likely impact on  business  results.  Our corporate 

In order to comprehensively limit risk at an aggregated 
level, the Group uses a system of limits based on economic 
risk capital. This system tracks the Group’s and individual 
business units’ risk capital in real time. We also monitor in-
dividual, issue-specific risks, using limits, as illustrated in 
the following examples:
→→  The underwriting risks are based on underwriting 

guidelines. Local underwriters base their decisions on 
these. Risk calculation-related deductible analyses go 
hand in hand with key reinsurance policies. 

→→  We monitor market and financial structure risks in all 
investment units, using a wide range of reporting pro- 
cesses. There are, for example (in addition to maximum 
limits for equities exposure), clear mandatory guide-
lines for bond ratings. Credit risks are assessed using 
not only the “Basel II” approach, but also advanced  
statistical methods.

→→  Business environment risks and operational and  

strategic risks are individually recorded using standard 
procedures and we assess their impact on capital.   

 
46

Sustainable business management
Risk Management

Risk reports covering half a year are discussed with decision-
makers in order to derive appropriate measures. We use our 
monthly risk analysis to review the overall solvency position, 
focusing on capital investment risks. Reports to regulatory 
authorities complete the picture.

STrATEGIC rISK MANAGEMENT
Our internal risk model, which quantifies all business and 
financial market risks in a standard manner, also forms the 
basis of strategic discussions about Baloise readiness to take 
risks. The capital requirements derived from this model re- 
present minimum actual capital requirements in this regard. 
There is a comprehensive view of primary strategic risks 
and how to manage them. Strategic Risk Management pro-
vides a clear perspective on developing new areas of business 
and optimising the risk-return ratio of our existing business. 
Results targets for individual business units, which take 
their specific risk situation into account, are a key element 
of this control system. These specifications are included in 
the target agreements with local management.

oUr ProFESSIoNAl rISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ProVED 

ITS WorTh IN 2010
The  effectiveness  and  usefulness  of  Baloise’s  risk  strategy 
principles were demonstrated in 2010. Group solvency at 224 % 
is an excellent indicator of the Group’s financial strength. 
→→ The Baloise Group’s investment strategy focuses on 
diversification and the principle of only investing in 
instruments that can be fully assessed. 

→→  Our investment policy regarding shares remained  

very conservative in 2010. The net proportion of invest-
ments in shares was 5.8 % on 31 December 2010.
→→  Our stable property portfolio, with its high-quality 
recurring revenues from capital employed, proved  
to be an important earnings pillar.

→→  Currency risks on fixed-interest and alternative finan-
cial investments were hedged to a considerable extent.

→→ The Group’s net combined risk of 95.2 % verifies our 
very good actuarial practice in the non-life business.
Risk Management will continue to make rapid advances 
in  the  next  few  years,  and  make  Baloise  a  company  with  
a superior risk strategy and positioning.

More information on the subject of risk management can 
be found in the 2010 Financial report, “5. Management of 
insurance and financial risks” pages 30 to 67.

Corporate
Governance

PAges 48 – 83

“ Westandfortransparencyand

efficiency,aswellasforthebalance
betweenmanagementandcontrol.”

48

CorporateGovernance
CorporateGovernanceReport
includingCompensationReport

Transparent
CorporateGovernance

Asavalue-creating,businessBaloisehasalwaysattachedgreatimportancetogood
management-responsibleCorporateGovernanceandcontinuestoupholdthistradition.

Operating within the framework of the Swiss Code of Best 
Practice  and  the  SIX  Corporate  Governance  Guidelines, 
Baloise aspires in particular to foster a corporate culture with 
high ethical standards, which emphasises the integrity of the 
company and its employees. Baloise is convinced that high-
quality corporate governance has a positive impact on the 
long-term performance of the company. 

This chapter mirrors the structure of the SIX Corporate 
Governance Guidelines (29 October 2008 version), in order 
to provide more transparency and thus better comparability 
with previous years, as well as with other companies. The 
Swiss Code of Best Practice has also been taken into account, 
in particular Appendix 1 published in 2007, with its recom-
mendations on compensation. Baloise publishes an actual 
Compensation Report as item 5 of the Corporate Governance 
Report, which also complies with the guidelines contained 
in the circular 2010 / 1 of the the Swiss financial market su-
pervisory authority FINMA.

 It was announced at the Board of Directors meeting on 
9 December 2010 that Dr Rolf Schäuble will resign from the 
Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting on 29 April 
2011. During 17 years of service that Dr Rolf Schäuble was 
active as Chairman of the Board of Directors and at times 
simultaneously as Chief Executive Officer for Baloise and 
contributed considerably to the company’s success during 
this time. The longstanding member of the Board of Directors 
Dr Andreas Burckhardt will be appointed Dr Rolf Schäuble’s 
successor. Prof. Dr Gertrud Höhler has been a member of the 
Board since 1998 and will resign at the Annual General Meet-
ing 2011 as a result of having reached the regulatory age 
limit. The Annual General Meeting 2011 will propose the 
election of Dr med. Georges-Antoine de Boccard as the suc-
cessor of Prof. Dr Höhler, and Dr iur. Andreas Beerli (both 
Swiss citizens) as a new member of the Board of Directors.

1. grouP And shAreholder structure 

group structure
Headquartered  in  Basel,  Switzerland,  Bâloise  Holding  is  
organised as a joint-stock holding company, incorporated 
under Swiss law, and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. As of 
31 December 2010, the Baloise Group had a market capitali-
sation of CHF 4,550.0 million. 
→→  Information on the Baloise share can be found in  

the Annual Report from page 24 onwards. 

→→ Major subsidiaries and participations as of 31 December 
2010 can be found in the notes to the Consolidated 
Annual Financial Statements in the Financial Report 
from page 10 onwards. 

→→ Segment reporting by region and business segments  

are contained in the notes to the Consolidated Annual 
Financial Statements in the Financial Report from  
page 69 onwards. 

→→  The operational Group management structure is  
presented on page 58 of the Annual Report.

shareholders
As a public company with a broad shareholder base, Bâloise 
Holding is part of the Swiss Market Index SMIM (SMI Mid) 
and the Swiss Leader Index (SLI). 

shareholder structure
As of 31 December 2010, a total of 19,493 shareholders were 
registered in the Bâloise Holding share register. Compared to 
the previous year, the number of registered shareholders in-
creased by 15.190 %. BlackRock Inc., New York, holds 5.03 % 
of the outstanding shares directly as well as through its sub-
sidiaries according to the disclosure on 16 September 2010. 

CorporateGovernance
CorporateGovernanceReport
includingCompensationReport

49

The “Significant shareholders” section on page 103 of the An-
nual Report provides further information on the composition 
of the shareholder base as of 31 December 2010.

The reports made to the issuer and the SIX Swiss Exchange 
AG Disclosure Office during the fiscal year according to Ar-
ticle 20 BEHG (Federal Act on Stock Exchanges and Securities 
Trading) and published on their electronic publishing plat-
form, can be viewed using the search function on www.six-
exchange-regulation.com/obligations/disclosure/major_share-
holders_de.html.

treasury shares
As  of  31  December  2010,  Bâloise  Holding  held  2,138,121 
treasury shares (4.28 %). 

cross holdings
Cross holdings involving capital ownership or voting rights 
do not exist.

Buy-back volumes and prices are published weekly on the 

Internet.

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations 
→  Baloise share  →  Share buy-back programme

dividends paid to shareholders
Due to our shareholder-friendly dividend policy, CHF 1,766.1 
million have been passed onto shareholders in the form of 
cash dividends and share buy-backs over the last five years.

cash dividends

share buy-backs

total

Year
inCHFmillion





2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

total 

121.7

210.2

243.0

225.0

225.0

1,024.9

113.8

390.9

130.3

71.5

34.7

741.2

235.5

601.1

373.3

296.5

259.7

1,766.1

2. cAPItAl structure

Ineachcaseon31December.



dividend policy
Bâloise Holding pursues a policy of paying steady, profit-based 
dividends. Conventional cash dividends are supplemented 
with other distribution instruments such as share buy-backs 
and options. Essentially, around one-third of annual profits 
are paid out, while taking the Group’s internal financing 
requirements into account.

equity of Bâloise holding
The following table shows how equity has changed during 
the last three reporting periods.

chAnges In BâloIse holdIng equIty (Before APProPrIAtIon of ProfIt)

share buy-back programme
The share buy-back programme, which started in September 
2008, was continued in 2010 and extended to 30 April 2011. 
A maximum of 2,000,000 registered shares will be bought 
back. This equates to a proportion of at most 4 % of outstand-
ing shares. By the end of December 2010, a total of 1,597,961 
shares had been purchased at an average price of CHF 77.53. 
The share buy-back programme has thus been completed to 
79.9 % as of 31 December 2010.  

inCHFmillion



Sharecapital

Generalreserves

Reservesfor
treasuryshares

Unappropriated
reserves

Retained
earnings

Bâloise holding 
equity



2008

5.0

11.7

46.6

115.7

480.4

659.4

2009

2010

5.0

11.7

118.3

298.6

230.2

663.8

5.0

11.7

156.4

264.9

234.2

672.2

Ineachcaseon31December.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
50

CorporateGovernance
CorporateGovernanceReport
includingCompensationReport

The  share  capital  of  Bâloise  Holding  amounts  to  CHF  
5.0 million since 29 April 2008. It is divided into 50,000,000 
registered shares with a face value of CHF 0.10, bearing an 
entitlement to a dividend.

Authorised and contingent capital,  

other financing instruments

Authorised capital
A  resolution  passed  at  the  Annual  General  Meeting  on  
30 April 2009 authorised the Board of Directors to increase 
share capital until 30 April 2011 by CHF 500,000 at most, by 
issuing a maximum of 5,000,000 registered shares with a face 
value of CHF 0.10, which are to be subscribed and paid in full. 
Accordingly, § 3 section 4 of the Articles of Incorporation was 
rewritten in 2009.

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

contingent capital
The 2004 Annual General Meeting (§ 3 of the Articles of In-
corporation) created contingent capital. This capital enables 
share capital to be increased by a maximum of 5,530,715 
registered shares each with a face value of CHF 0.10. This 
equates to a maximum nominal share capital increase of  
CHF 553,071.50 

Contingent capital serves to hedge possible option or 
conversion rights, which are granted in conjunction with 
bonds or similar debentures. Shareholders do not have sub-
scription rights. The respective holders of option and conver-
sion rights are entitled to subscribe for the new registered 
shares. The Board of Directors can restrict or exclude share-
holders’  pre-emptive  subscription  rights  when  issuing 
optional  and  convertible  bonds  on  international  capital 
markets. More detailed information about the structure of 
this contingent capital can be found in § 3 of the Bâloise 
Holding Articles of Incorporation.

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

other financing instruments
No participation or bonus certificates exist.

consolidated equity of the Baloise group
On 31 December 2010, consolidated equity of the Baloise Group 
amounted to CHF 4,133.5 million. Details about trends in 
2009 and 2010 can be found on pages 8 and 9 of the Financial 
Report in the consolidated statement of changes in equity.  
Full details on 2008 can be found in the consolidated state-
ment of changes in equity on page 8 of the Financial Report 
2009.

outstanding bonds
Bâloise Holding and other Group companies have issued bonds 
on the open market. At the end of 2010, a total of six bonds 
issued by Bâloise Holding and other Group companies were 
outstanding on the open market. Details on the outstanding 
bonds can be found on page 101 and on the Internet. 
  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  Bonds

rating
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services rated the financial strength 
of Baloise Insurance Ltd unchanged at an “A-”rating with  
a stable outlook. This reflects the strong capitalisation, a high 
degree of financial flexibility, the strong competitive position-
ing, as well as the excellent earning power of the Baloise Group’s 
business  model.  Group-wide  risk  management  is  rated  as 
“strong”.

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  Rating

3. BoArd of dIrectors
Only  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Dr  Rolf  
Schäuble, holds an executive post. All other members of the 
Board of Directors are independent and non-executive. In 
the three fiscal years preceding the reporting period, they 
were not appointed to an executive post within any Group 
company and do not maintain any substantial business rela-
tionships with the Baloise Group.
The following persons were re-elected in the fiscal year: 
→→ Dr Georg F. Krayer for a three-year term of office
→→ Werner Kummer for a three-year term of office
→→ Prof. Dr Gertrud Höhler for a one-year term of office as 
a result of having reached the regulatory age limit at the 
2011 Annual General Meeting. 

CorporateGovernance
CorporateGovernanceReport
includingCompensationReport

51

→→ Hansjörg Frei for a two-year term of office as a result of 
having reached the regulatory age limit at the 2012 
Annual General Meeting. 

Newly elected in the reporting year: 
→→ Dr Michael Becker for a three-year term of office 
It will be proposed to the 2011 Annual General Meeting to 
elect the following persons as new members of the Board of 
Directors: 
→→ Dr Georges-Antoine de Boccard (1951, CH). Dr de  

Boccard studied medicine at the University of Geneva 

and is a self-employed, practising physician based  
in Geneva. He is a member of various organisations 
related to his profession.

→→ Dr iur. Andreas Beerli (1951, CH) studied and com-
pleted his PhD at the University of Basel. He was 
employed at Baloise and Swiss Re where he held various 
management posts. Most recently he was the Chief 
Operating Officer and member of corporate manage-
ment at Swiss Re. He has worked as an independent 
consultant since 2009.

MeMBers 

chairman’s  
committee

Audit 
committee

compensation  
committee

Investment  
committee

nationality

DrRolfSchäuble,Chairman,
Lenzburg

DrGeorgF.Krayer,Vice-Chairman,
Basel

DrMichaelBecker,Darmstadt

DrAndreasBurckhardt,Basel

DrHansjörgFrei,Mönchaltorf

ProfDrGertrudHöhler,Berlin

DrKlausJenny,Zurich

WernerKummer,Küsnacht

DrEvelineSaupper,Pfäffikon











C 

VC 

M



M 





M 

M 

M 

C 

C





M 

DC



M 

C

DC

M

M

C:Chairman,VC:Vice-Chairman,C:Chair,DC:DeputyChairM:Member



CH

CH

D

CH

CH

D

CH

CH

CH

Born in

1944

Appointed                            
in

1993

end  
of mandate

2011

1943

1995

2013

1948

1951

1941

1941

1942

1947

1958

2010

1999

2004

1998

2003

2000

1999

2013

2012

2012

2011

2012

2013

2011

BoArd AttendAnce 2010: ordInAry MeetIngs  
of the full BoArd of dIrectors

DrRolfSchäuble,Chairman

DrGeorgF.Krayer,Vice-Chairman

DrMichaelBecker

DrAndreasBurckhardt

DrHansjörgFrei

Prof.DrGertrudHöhler

DrKlausJenny

WernerKummer

DrEvelineSaupper

x=present,o=absent,n/a=notapplicable



11.3.2010

23.4.2010

23.8.2010

24.8.2010

8.12.2010

9.12.2010

x

x

n/a

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

n/a

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
52

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Board of directors from left ro right: rolf schäuble, georg f. Krayer, Michael Becker, Andreas Burckhardt

rolf schäuble (1944, CH, Dr oec. HSG) obtained his doctor-
ate (Dr oec. HSG) after reading economics at the University 
of St. Gallen. Between 1975 and 1993, he held various posts 
in  the  Zurich  Insurance  Group  in  Zurich,  as  of  1986  as  a 
member of the management board. In 1993 Dr Rolf Schäuble 
joined the Board of Directors of Bâloise Holding Ltd and was 
appointed Chairman in 1994. From 1996 until 2002, he was 
also a delegate of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive 
Officer of the Baloise Group. Between 2002 and December 
2007, he served only as Chairman of the Board of Directors. 
From 6 December 2007 until 31 December 2008 he again 
served simultaneously as Chief Executive Officer. This dual 
mandate ended on 31 December 2008. 

georg f. Krayer (1943, CH, Dr iur.) has been a member of the 
Board of Directors since 1995 and its Vice-Chairman since 
2004.  From 6 December 2007 until 31 December 2008 he also 
fulfilled the role of Lead Director. He studied law, obtaining 
a doctorate (Dr iur.). Dr Georg F. Krayer is Honorary Chair-
man  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  Bank  Sarasin & Cie  AG,  
Basel and was the Chairman of the Swiss Bankers Association 
until 2003. He is an independent, non-executive director.

Michael Becker (1948, D, Dr iur.) has been a member of the 
Board of Directors since 2010. He studied law in Hamburg 
and Tübingen and took over the position Head of Accounting 
and Controlling at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt in 1998. Since 
2000, he has been a member of the management board and 
personally  liable  partner  of  Merck  KGaA  and,  since  2002,  

a member of the Board of Directors and personally liable part-
ner of E. Merck KG, Darmstadt that holds 70 % of the Merck 
KGaA shares. He is an independent, non-executive director.

Andreas Burckhardt (1951, CH, Dr iur.) has been a member 
of the Board of Directors since 1999. He studied law at the 
Universities of Basel and Geneva and obtained his doctorate 
(Dr iur.). He worked for Fides Treuhandgesellschaft from 
1982  until  1987  and  served  as  General  Secretary  of  the  
Baloise Group from 1988 until 1994. Since 1994 he has been 
Director of the Basel Area Chamber of Commerce. Dr Andreas 
Burckhardt  is  Vice-President  of  the  Swiss  Association  of 
Chambers of Commerce and has been a member of the Great 
Council of the Canton of Basel City since 1997 (President in 
2006/2007). He is an independent, non-executive director.

hansjörg frei (1941, CH, Dr iur.) has been a member of the 
Board of Directors since 2004. He studied law at the Univer-
sity  of  Zurich  and  obtained  his  doctorate  (Dr  iur.).  Dr 
Hansjörg Frei joined Winterthur in 1982 and was most re-
cently a member of the Group Executive Board, with respon-
sibility for operations in Switzerland. From 2000 until his 
retirement in mid-2003, he was a member of the Executive 
Board (Head of International Country Management) at Credit 
Suisse Financial Services. He was Chairman of the Swiss 
Insurance Association (SIA) from 2000 to 2003. Dr Hansjörg 
Frei is a member of the Board of Directors of Ems-Chemie 
Holding AG and Chairman of the pension fund at the Ems 
Group. He is an independent, non-executive director.

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53

hansjörg frei, gertrud höhler, Klaus Jenny, Werner Kummer, eveline saupper

gertrud höhler (1941, D, Prof. Dr phil.) joined the Board of 
Directors in 1998. She is a business and political consultant 
and was Professor of Literature and German at the Univer-
sity of Paderborn from 1976 to 1993. She studied literature 
and art history in Bonn, Berlin, Zurich and Mannheim. From 
1987 to 1990 Prof. Dr Gertrud Höhler was PR consultant to 
the Chairman of Deutsche Bank AG, Alfred Herrhausen, and 
between 1992 and 1995 was a non-executive director at Grand 
Metropolitan PLC, London. She is a member of the Board of 
Directors  of  Georg  Fischer  AG,  Schaff hausen,  and  was  
a member of the Board of Directors of Ciba AG, Basel, from 
1998 until 2009. Prof. Dr Gertrud Höhler is an independent, 
non-executive director.

Werner Kummer (1947, CH, Dipl.-Ing. ETH, MBA Insead) has 
been a member of the Board of Directors since 2000. From 
1990 to 1994, he was Chairman of the Executive Board of 
Schindler Aufzüge AG and subsequently was a member of the 
Schindler Group Management Committee, with responsibil-
ity for the Asia Pacific region, until 1998. He was CEO of 
Forbo Holding AG from 1998 until March 2004. Werner Kum-
mer is an independent business consultant, a member of the 
Board of Directors of Walter Meier AG, Chairman of the Board 
of Directors of Gebrüder Meier AG, a member of the Super-
visory Board of Schindler Deutschland Holding GmbH as 
well as being a member of the Board of the Zurich Chamber 
of Commerce. He is an independent, non-executive director.

Klaus Jenny (1942, CH, Dr oec. HSG) has been a member of 
the Board of Directors since 2003. He studied economics at 
the University of St. Gallen, obtaining his doctorate (Dr oec.). 
In 1987 Dr Klaus Jenny became a member of the General Di-
rectorate of the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt and a member 
of the Executive Board of Credit Suisse Group and his last 
post was CEO of the “Credit Suisse Private Banking” business 
unit. He has been an independent financial advisor to busi-
nesses and private individuals since 1999. He is a member of 
the Board of Directors of Clariant AG, of Maus Frères S.A., 
of Edmond de Rothschild Holding S.A., of the Banque Privée 
Edmond de Rothschild S.A., of Téléverbier S.A. and various 
other  (non-listed)  companies.  Dr  Klaus  Jenny  is  an  inde- 
pendent, non-executive director.

eveline saupper (1958, CH, Dr iur.) has been a member of 
the Board of Directors since 1999. She studied law at the 
University of St. Gallen and obtained her doctorate (Dr iur.). 
Today, she is an attorney-at-law and a certified tax expert. 
From 1983 to 1985, she was with Peat Marwick Mitchell (now 
KPMG Fides) in Zurich and from 1985 to 1992 with Baker  
& McKenzie in Zurich and Chicago. She joined Homburger 
AG, Zurich, in 1992, where she is a partner. Dr Eveline Saup-
per is a member of the boards of the Hess Holding SA, Lux-
embourg, of subsidiaries of the Hess group as well as of the 
Homburger AG, Zurich. She is an independent, non-executive 
director.

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Secretary to the Board of Directors: Dr Thomas Sieber, 
Rheinfelden
Head of Group Audit Committee: Rolf-Christian Andersen, 
Meilen
More information on the members of the Board of Directors 
can be found on the Internet

committees of the Board of directors
The Board of Directors is supported by four committees. These 
committees report to the Board of Directors and submit pro-
posals for their areas of responsibility. The Investment and 
Compensation  Committees  in  particular  have  their  own 
decision-making authority.

   www.baloise.com  →  About us  →  Organisation

  →   Board of Directors

cross-ownerships
No cross-ownerships exist.

election and terms of office
At the end of 2010, the Board of Directors consisted of nine 
members. Each member is elected by the Annual General 
Meeting for a term of three years. Around one-third of the 
members step down annually unless they are re-elected (stag-
gered replacement). Due to age restrictions, a Board of Direc-
tors mandate ends no later than the Annual General Meeting 
following a member’s 70th birthday. Currently the average 
age is about 64. Each member of the Board of Directors is 
elected individually, and if requested by the shareholders, 
also granted an individual discharge.

Internal organisation

duties of the Board of directors
Subject to the decision-making powers of the shareholders at 
the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors is the 
company’s supreme decision-making body. Essentially, deci-
sions are made by the Board of Directors, unless authority 
has been delegated to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, 
to the Committees, the Corporate Executive Committee or 
to the CEO on grounds of organisational regulations.

As per Article 716a of the Swiss Code of Obligations and 
Section 1 II of the organisational regulations, the principal 
duties  of  the  Board  of  Directors  are  general  management, 
overall and financial supervision of the company and specify-
ing the organisational structure.

   www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

As a rule, committees appointed by the Board of Directors 
consist of four members, who are elected annually by the 
Board. The Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Board 
of Directors are ex-officio members of the Chairman’s Com-
mittee. The Chairman of the Board of Directors may not be 
a member of the Audit Committee. The key duties of these 
committees are governed by the organisational regulations 
and by the written regulations applying to each committee.

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

duties of the committees
The Chairman’s Committee provides advice on key business 
transactions, in particular on important strategic and person-
nel decisions. In this respect the Chairman’s Committee also 
acts as the Nomination Committee. Furthermore, it acts as 
the Investment Committee, approving the Group’s investment 
policy and property investments for the Group’s own use at 
Head Office.

The  Compensation  Committee  specifies  the  structure 
and the amount of compensation paid to members of the 
Board of Directors as well as the salaries of the members of 
the Corporate Executive Committee. As part of the incentive 
plan it specifies higher-ranking corporate objectives and their 
attainment. It approves compensation policies for Corporate 
Executive Committee members and monitors their correct 
application. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is not 
a member of this committee.

The Audit Committee supports the Board of Directors in 
those supervisory and financial duties that cannot be delegated 
(Article 716a Swiss Code of Obligations), by evaluating the 
organisational structure and the functioning of international 
and external auditing systems and the annual and consolidated 
financial statements. The Audit Committee also evaluates 

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55

the effectiveness of internal control systems, including risk 
management and the status of compliance. The Audit Com-
mittee has discussed the consolidated financial statement 
for the 2010 fiscal year both with management and with the 
external auditors. Based on these discussions, the Audit Com-
mittee has recommended that the audited Annual Financial 
Statement be incorporated in the Group’s Annual Report for 
the fiscal year ended on 31 December 2010 and submitted 
to the Annual General Meeting. The Board of Directors has 
endorsed this proposal.

Board of Directors and committee meetings
The full Board of Directors meets as often as business requires, 
but no less than four times a year, in compliance with or-
ganisational regulations.

Head of Corporate Audit, the Secretary of the Board of Direc-
tors and by representatives of the external auditors. Meetings 
of the Compensation Committee are primarily attended by 
the Chief Executive Officer, the Secretary of the Board of Di-
rectors and the Head of Group Human Resources. 

Division of authority and responsibilities between 

the Board of Directors and the Corporate Executive  

Committee
The division of authority and responsibilities between the 
Board of Directors and the Corporate Executive Committee 
is governed primarily by organisational regulations and in-
vestment policies. Both documents are reviewed on an on-
going basis and updated as changing circumstances require. 

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

Corporate Executive Committee information  

and control tools
The Group Corporate Audit department reports directly to 
the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Effective risk manage-
ment is of key importance to an insurance group. This is why 
there is a chapter on financial risk management in the An-
nual Report from page 44, and in the Financial Report from 
page 30 on.

Members of the Board of Directors receive the minutes of 
Corporate Executive Committee meetings for their perusal. 
The Chairman of the Board of Directors may attend meetings 
of the Corporate Executive Committee at any time.

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

In 2010, the full Board of Directors of Bâloise Holding con-
vened ordinarily on six occasions. The table on page 51 shows 
the directors’ attendance at these full Board meetings. All 
members of each relevant committee attended all the addi-
tional twelve committee meetings. Board attendance by mem-
bers of the Board of Directors was thus a very respectable 
100 %. One meeting of the full Board of Directors dealt with 
the further training of the members, in particular, the topics 
Risk Report (including Swiss Solvency Test), reporting and 
accounting trends. 

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Board attendance

In the year just ended, the Chairman’s Committee met five 
times, including once for a two-day strategy meeting. The 
Investment Committee met once. The Audit Committee met 
four times and the Compensation Committee met on two 
occasions.

Members  of  the  Corporate  Executive  Committee  are 
regularly invited to attend full Board of Directors meetings. 
Meetings of the Audit Committee are primarily attended by 
the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the 

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4. corPorAte executIve coMMIttee
Martin strobel (1966, D / CH, Dr rer. pol.) studied computer 
science, business management and business information sys-
tems at the Universities of Kaiserslautern, Windsor (Canada) 
and Bamberg, prior to obtaining his doctorate (Dr rer. pol.). 
From 1993 to 1999 he held various posts at Boston Consulting 
Group, Dusseldorf, dealing with strategic IT management 
issues in the banking and insurance sector. He joined the 
Baloise Group in 1999. Initially he was Head of IT at Basler 
Switzerland,  with  responsibility  for  major  cross-business 
projects in the insurance and banking divisions within the 
Baloise Group. He was a member of the Corporate Executive 
Committee from 2003 to 2008, with responsibility for the 
Corporate Division Switzerland. With effect from 1 January 
2009, Dr Martin Strobel took over as Chief Executive Officer.

Jan de Meulder (1955, B) studied mathematics and insurance 
mathematics at the universities of Antwerp and Leuven, Bel-
gium. From 1978 until 1992, he worked in Antwerp for the 
ING Group at De Vaderlandsche Insurance. He was respon-
sible, amongst other things, for product development and 
production in the life sector. After two years as General Man-
ager of the Life Association of Scotland, Jan De Meulder joined 
the Fortis Group, Brussels, in 1994 and there he held various 
senior  management posts, most recently as CEO of Fortis 
Corporate Insurance. He joined the Baloise Group in 2004. 
Since then he has held the position of CEO of the Belgian 
subsidiary,  Mercator  Verzekeringen,  in  Antwerp.  Since 
1 January 2009, Jan De Meulder has been head of the Inter-
national Corporate Division.

german egloff (1958, CH, lic. oec. HSG) graduated in busi-
ness economics from the University of St Gallen. From 1985 
onwards, he held various management posts at Winterthur 
Insurance, Switzerland. In 1997, as a member of the Execu-
tive Board, he assumed responsibility for individual nonlife 
insurance products, which also included the management of 
Wincare and (as Chairman of the Board of Directors) of San-
care. From 1998 to 2002, German Egloff was Chief Financial 
Officer of Winterthur Switzerland and a member of the Board 

of Directors of Wincare, becoming its Chairman in 2000. From 
2002 to 2004, he was Chief Financial Officer at Zurich Finan-
cial Services Switzerland. His area of responsibility included 
finance, human resources, IT, logistics and procurement. 
German Egloff has been a member of the Corporate Executive 
Committee (Head of the Corporate Division Finance) since 
1 December 2004, with responsibility for Investor Relations, 
Financial Management and Financial Accounting & Corporate 
Finance as well as, most recently, also for Corporate IT. The 
appointed actuary of the Baloise’s Swiss business likewise 
reports to German Egloff. 

olav noack (1967, D / CH, Dr oec.) graduated in business eco-
nomics and political science from the university of St Gallen 
(Dr oec.). From 1995 to 2002, he was employed by McKinsey, 
Switzerland and USA, as a consultant to various insurers in 
the life and health insurance sectors and also in the nonlife 
business. Dr Olav Noack was responsible for the realignment 
of the Life Insurance division at UBS from 2002 until 2007. 
As Head of Life Insurance, he developed UBS product offer-
ings for various countries. Most recently, he was responsible 
for unit trust products, all life insurance companies as well 
as third party business at Barclays Wealth. Since 1 February 
2009, Dr Olav Noack has been a member of the Corporate 
Executive Committee, and the CEO of the Corporate Division 
Switzerland. 

thomas sieber (1965, CH, Dr iur., M.B.L., lawyer) studied law 
at the University of St Gallen. At the beginning of 1994, he 
qualified to practice law in the canton of Zurich. He then 
spent a year on a Swiss National Science Foundation scholar-
ship at the University of California in Berkeley, working on 
his thesis, for which he received a “summa cum laude” dis-
tinction and the Walther Hug Prize. From 1999 to 2002, he 
lectured in corporate law at the University of St Gallen. After 
working for Landis & Gyr and Siemens, Dr Thomas Sieber 
joined the Baloise Group in 1997, initially as Deputy Head of 
Legal and Taxes, and he has headed this division since 2001 
while also holding the post of Secretary to the Board of Direc-
tors  of  Bâloise  Holding.  Dr  Thomas  Sieber  has  managed  

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57

Further information on the members of the Corporate 

Executive Committee can be found on the Internet.

With the exception of Dr Martin Strobel and Martin 
Wenk, none of the members of the Corporate Executive Com-
mittee serve on the boards of Directors of non-Baloise Group 
companies.

There are no management contracts that assign executive 

functions to third parties.

  www.baloise.com  →  About us  →  Organisation 

  →  Corporate Executive Committee 

several strategic projects within the Baloise Group. As part 
of the review of the Swiss Insurance Supervisory Act, he man-
aged the “Financial Markets Supervisory Authority” task force 
of the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA). With effect from  
6 December 2007, Dr Thomas Sieber was appointed Head of 
the Corporate Center division, with responsibility for Human 
Resources, Legal and Taxes, Compliance, Corporate Develop-
ment and Run Off and, since 2009, likewise for the newly 
created Group Procurement division. Thomas Sieber is also 
a member of the board of directors of EuroAirport Basel  
Mulhouse.

Martin Wenk (1957, CH, lic. iur.) graduated in law at the Univer-
sity of Basel obtaining his doctorate (lic. iur.) prior to holding 
various posts with a major bank from 1982 to 1992. He initially 
worked as an investment advisor to institutional clients, then 
went on to head a private banking group in New York and 
subsequently became a sector head in securities sales, where 
he primarily looked after major institutional clients. During 
this time, he attended several professional training courses 
in Switzerland and the United States of America. From 1992 
until 2000, he was Head of Portfolio Management Switzerland 
within the Baloise Group, with responsibility for managing 
the assets of various companies in Switzerland and within the 
Group, including the pension funds. He joined the Corporate 
Executive Committee (as Head of the Corporate Division 
Asset Management) in 2001, with responsibility for Asset 
Management, including the Investment Strategy, Investment 
Controlling, Baloise Asset Management, Real Estate and Baloise 
Fund Invest units (fund business). Martin Wenk is a member 
of the board of Unigestion Holding, Geneva.

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Management

Fromlefttoright:OlavNoack,JanDeMeulder,GermanEgloff,
MartinStrobel,MartinWenk,ThomasSieber

grouP ceo

Martin Strobel, Dr rer. pol. *

corporate secretary

Markus von Escher, Dr. iur.

corporate communications

Thomas Kähr

sWItzerlAnd

InternAtIonAl

fInAnce

Asset MAnAgeMent

corPorAte center

Olav Noack, 
Dr. oec. HSG *  
(until 21.3.2011)
Michael Müller *  
(as of 22.3.2011)

Product Management 
commercial clients 
Clemens Markstein 

Product Management 
Private customers &  
focused financial 
services  
Wolfgang Prasser

sales & Marketing
Bernard Dietrich

Baloise Bank soBa
Jürg Ritz 

operations & It
Urs Bienz

finance & risk
Michael Müller

claims
Stephan Ragg, Dr iur.

Jan De Meulder *

German Egloff *

Martin Wenk *

Thomas Sieber,  
Dr iur. *

germany
Frank Grund, Dr iur.

Belgium
Gert De Winter

luxembourg
André Bredimus

Austria
Otmar Bodner, Dr iur.

croatia & serbia
Darko Cesar

Baloise life (liechten-
stein)
Annemie D’Hulster

regional Management
Peter Zutter 
Martin Kampik

financial Accounting & 
corporate finance
Carsten Stolz,  
Dr rer. pol.

Investor relations
Marc Kaiser

financial Management
Stefan Nölker,  
Dr rer. nat.

corporate It 
René Güttinger 

Baloise 2012
Roger Matthes

Appointed Actuary 
switzerland
Marie-Thérèse Kohler, 
Dr sc. Math. ETH 
(until 31.12.2010)
Thomas Müller,
Dr sc. math. 
(as of 1.1.2011) 

Investment strategy & 
Investment controlling
Thomas Schöb 

Baloise Asset  
Management
Reto Diezi,  
Dr oec. publ.

real estate
Hans-Peter Bissegger

Baloise Investment 
services
Robert Antonietti

corporate development
Thomas Wodrich

group human  
resources
Christoph Thoma

group legal & tax
Andreas Eugster

group compliance
Silvia Kalbermatten, 
Dr iur.

run off
Bruno Rappo

group Procurement
Manfred Schneider,  
Dr rer. nat.

*MemberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommittee

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59

5. coMPensAtIon rePort: coMPensAtIon, PArtIcIPA-

tIons And loAns to the BoArd of dIrectors And  

the corPorAte executIve coMMIttee
The remuneration policy, guidelines and system of Baloise 
are described in this chapter. In addition, the remuneration 
and loans to the members of the Board of Directors and the 
Corporate Executive Committee, including the participations 
of this group of persons, are disclosed. Key to the content 
and scope of this disclosure are Articles 663b bis and 663c 
of the Swiss Code of Obligations, the standard relating to 
information on Corporate Governance of the SIX Swiss Ex-
change and the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate 
Governance including the circular 10/1 of the Federal Fi-
nancial Supervisory Authority (FINMA) on remuneration 
systems. These regulations stipulate that certain details are 
to be made in the notes to the financial statements and oth-
er information is to be given in the section on corporate 
governance.  Baloise  considers  this  chapter  as  integral  to 
corporate reporting and has therefore decided to publish 
the complete Compensation Report in the Annual Report 
and the chapters regarded as necessary in the Financial Re-
port. 

5.1. compensation committee of the Board of directors
In accordance with the Swiss Code of Best Practice, the Board 
of Directors formed the Compensation Committee in 2001. 
This committee deals with the compensation policy, particu-
larly at the highest corporate level. Amongst other things, the 
Compensation Committee makes sure that 
→→  remuneration policy and compensation systems are 

long-term in nature and geared to corporate strategy; 

→→ the total compensation provided by the company is 
market and performance-focused and designed to 
attract and retain persons with the necessary skills and 
high performance-orientation;

→→ compensation justifiably reflects the company’s long- 

term success and the individual’s contribution and does 
not create false incentives.

The duties of the Committee include determining the struc-
ture and the amount of compensation for the Chairman and 

the members of the Board as well as of the members of the 
Corporate Executive Committee. As part of the incentive plan, 
the Committee defines the Group’s higher-ranking goals and 
assesses  target  attainment.  It  approves  the  regulations  on 
compensation applicable to Corporate Executive Committee 
members and monitors their correct application. 

The Compensation Committee consists of the following 
four independent members of the Board of Directors, who are 
re-elected annually by the Board: Dr Georg F. Krayer (Chair), 
Dr Klaus Jenny (Vice-Chair), Prof. Dr Gertrud Höhler, Dr 
Eveline Saupper. As a rule, the Committee holds at least two 
meetings a year. The Chair of the Compensation Committee 
reports to the Board of Directors regularly on the activities 
of the Committee. The minutes of Committee meetings are 
also available to the whole Board. 

5.2. remuneration policy

Principles
The company’s success depends strongly on the skills and the 
performance of its employees. Therefore, it is vital to attract 
and develop well-qualified, competent and highly motivated 
employees and executives and retain them within the com-
pany. Baloise’s remuneration policy and system are derived 
from these superordinate principles. 

remuneration directive and regulations
In March 2010 the Board of Directors adopted a remuneration 
directive proposed by the Compensation Committee, which 
defines the remuneration directives and philosophy valid for 
the Baloise Group. The remuneration directive applies to all 
employees of the whole Baloise Group. It reflects the policies 
and values of the company and is based on the following prin-
ciples:
→→  Be competitive in the market – Baloise aims to pay basic 
salaries that are in line with the market and to exceed 
the market regarding variable remuneration when indi-
vidual and company performance are very good.

→→  To consider the company and individal performance – 
performance is the basis for further development and 
advancement.

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→→  Fairness and transparency – external comparison on the 

market also regarding wages, no discrimination.

→→  Sustainanbility – high comformity of management and 
shareholder interests, long-term commitment, higher 
proportion of restricted shares.

Based on this remuneration directive, the Board of Directors 
simultaneously  issued  a  remuneration  rule  applying  to  all 
employees in Switzerland and correspondingly also to all em-
ployees of the Group. 

All  elements  of  the  remuneration  policy  are  thus  cen-
trally regulated by the remuneration directive and rules. This 
regulatory  framework  forms  the  basis  for  a  remuneration 
system that also covers the requirements of the Federal Fi-
nancial Supervisory Authority. This means that the variable 
remuneration  is  in  future  even  more  strongly  tied  to  the 
value creation of the company. 

The individually determined value is based on the supe-
rior’s overall assessment which considers the criteria per-
formance, management and conduct. In contrast to per-
formance remuneration, there is no contractual claim to 
the payout or the amount of a possible paymount from 
the Performance Pool.

The new Performance Manangement System was intro-
duced on 1 January 2011. It is valid across the Group for all 
employees belonging to the function levels 1 to 3. In Switzer-
land, it also applies to the function levels 4 and 5, abroad it 
applies to the majority of the corresponding functions. 

The compensation disclosed in the report at hand are still 
measured by the former system used up to now. For this rea-
son, the previous remuneration system is described in detail 
below.

 5.3. remuneration system of Baloise

 new Performance Management as of 1 January 2011
As of the 2011 fiscal year a new Performance Management 
System will be applied that places the short-term variable 
remuneration on a new footing. This new Performance Man-
agement System is a dual system that has two distinctly sep-
arate instruments: 
→→  assesses and evaluates the individual performance.

By means of the so-called performance remuneration, the 
performance of the individual is directly considered, based 
on an individually target agreement and the correspond-
ing achievement of the objectives. The target value depends 
on the basic salary and varies according to the manage-
ment level of the individual.

→→  considers the value creation of the company.

The establishment of the so-called Performance Pool is 
directly linked to the company’s success and is determined 
by the Compensation Committee ex-post. Here the Com-
pensation Committee considers the following criteria in 
particular: Group result compared to the previous year 
and competitors, capital market view in comparison to 
the competitors and risks assumed, as well as implemen-
tation of the strategy. 

Market comparisons
Baloise regularly compares the salaries of its senior executive 
managers with those of relevant competitors (STOXX Europe 
600  Insurance  Index  and  local  employment  markets)  and 
strives to pay basic salaries in line with the market. 

The results of a compensation survey carried out in 2008 
by Kienbaum AG show that on average Baloise pays the mar-
ket mean as regards total remuneration, whilst the proportion 
of shares in the total remuneration package is higher than 
that of comparable competitors as intended. The variable part 
of the remuneration package can also vary strongly, which in 
turn confirms that linking it to performance goals really has 
an effect. 

function value system
To ensure in-house comparability, Baloise applies a function 
value system for senior executive managers in the Group and 
employees in Switzerland. The requirements of the holder of 
a certain function / position with regard to skills, knowledge 
and experience are evaluated and weighted in the process. 
Similarly weighted positions are grouped in function levels. 
The allocation to a certain function level is key to the identi-
fication  of  the  applicable  salary  range,  ancillary  pay  and 

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eleMents of the reMunerAtIon systeM

e
l
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a
i
r
a
v

d
e
x
i
f

PerformanceShareUnits

Long-termparticipationinstrument

Performancequota

Incentives

Pension

Discretionary,additional,variableand
performance-relatedsalarycomponent

Variable,performance-relatedsalarycomponent

Pensionschemebenefits

Fringebenefits

Ancillarybenefits

Salary

Fixedsalarycomponent


t
n
e
m
e
g
a
n
a
M
e
v
i
t
u
c
e
x
E







9
–
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5
–
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–
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other employment contract components, as well as the spe-
cific management level to which the individual belongs. 

The function value system of Baloise comprises nine func-
tion  levels  (FL);  levels  1  to  3  apply  across  the  Group,  the 
other levels 4 to 9 are only applicable in Switzerland: 
→→ FL 1: Member of the Corporate Executive Committee 

(including the Chief Executive Officer) 
→→  FL 2 to 4: Member of executive management 
→→ FL 5 to 6: Member of senior management (specialists 

and team leaders) 
→→ FL 7 to 9: Consultant 

remuneration system and its components
Baloise treats its remuneration as an all-inclusive package 
and therefore considers basic salary, short and long-term 
variable  remuneration  and  also  other  material  and  non- 
material benefits, such as pension contributions, additional 
benefits or employee career development and promotion. 

The goal of this remuneration system is, on the one hand, 
to promote a performance culture in the Baloise Group and, on 
the other, to facilitate the retention of qualified and manage-
ment personnel within the organisation. The remuneration 
philosophy of Baloise aims to pay basic salaries geared to 
market. Furthermore, the variable remuneration components 
are  designed  so  that  in  a  very  good  year – with  regard  to 

individual performance and the success of the company – in-
centive payments above the market average are also possible, 
just as they can fall below the market average in a weak year. 
As a performance-driven company, Baloise establishes a 
clear and replicable correlation between the goals of the em-
ployees and business objectives, which can be derived from 
strategic  priorities.  Remuneration,  target  agreements  and  
performance assessments are closely related. Compensation – 
consisting of basic salary and variable payments – shows a clear 
yet differentiated connection to and recognition of the perform-
ance of the individual and the success of the company and is 
meant to motivate employees to continue to achieve outstan- 
ding results. Actual performance forms the basis for further 
development, career planning and the fostering of our talents. 
Baloise places great importance on the retention of key 
personnel and on the sustainable management of the business. 
This corresponds to the nature of our business, which is to 
enable our customers to create sustainable value and achieve 
a sense of safety. In addition to remuneration correspond-
ing to the market and performance, a sustainable focus of 
our executive managers geared towards the interests of the 
shareholders is important to Baloise. Hence, portions of the 
incentives package are paid in shares. In addition, the three 
highest management levels receive a substantial portion of 
other salary components (performance quota, performance 

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share units) in the form of shares, which are blocked for three 
years in the sense of a deferred payment. For the members of 
the Corporate Executive Committees, shares as a proportion 
of variable remuneration amount to about 75 % and the value 
of the restricted shares they hold is about three-times their 
basic salary. This means that important elements of the new 
standard required by the regulatory authorities are already 
being fulfilled.

Basic salary
The basic salary represents the compensation appropriate to 
the tasks and responsibility of the position and the employee’s 
skills and compentence required to reach the business targets. 
Baloise aims to achieve an average position in the market when 
determining the basic salary. This is realised on the grounds 
of local business and market requirements. Basic salaries are 
checked regularly and adjusted if necessary, based on the in-
dividual performance, the position in the salary range as well 
as the company performance The principle “same pay for the 
same qualification and tasks” applies when determining the 
basic salary. Fairness of internal pay and the Baloise Code of 
Conduct are also taken into account. Internal and external 
fairness in pay are supported by clear and market-oriented 
salary structures. 

Incentives
Incentives as a variable and performance-related remunera-
tion component depend on the attainment of certain targets. 
Individual  performance  is  measured  as  part  of  the  “Indi-
vidual Performance Management” process (IPM) introduced.  
To this end, and in cooperation with their employees, supe-
riors annually define key individual targets and assess the 
full extent of attainment by March of the following year at 
the latest. 

In principle, all employees at function levels 1 to 5 are 
entitled to incentives. The regulations governing incentives 
for function level 1 apply to the executive Chairman of the 
Board of Directors. Regulations adapted to local employment 
and remuneration markets are applied to foreign business 
units.

At a 100 % level of attainment, incentives have the follow-

ing values (target incentive): 
→→ FL 1: 54 % of basic salary
→→ FL 2: 38 % of basic salary
→→ FL 3: 30 % of basic salary
→→ FL 4: 22 % of basic salary
→→ FL 5: 14 % of basic salary
Besides individual attainment of objectives, company per-
formance has an influence on the incentive amount. The 
Compensation Committee defines a factor based on the an-
nual results (operational performance management, OPM), 
which is determined on the basis of total shareholder value, 
profit trends, growth and market trends. This is multiplied 
with the result of individual performance. The OPM factor 
can lie between 0.8 und 1.3 for members of the Corporate 
Executive Committee and function levels 2 and 3. It ranges 
between 0.9 to 1.2 for function levels 4 and 5. 

nuMerIcAl exAMPle for A MeMBer of executIve MAnAgeMent (fl 4)

Basic salary: CHF 100,000
Target incentive: 22 % of basic salary
Total extent of target attainment: 80 %
OPM factor (operational performance management): 1.1
Incentive = CHF 100,000 × 0.22 × 0.8 × 1.1 = CHF 19,360

Incentives are paid with the salary for June of the following 
year. Basically, employees at function levels 4 and 5 have the 
choice which proportion they would like to have paid out in 
cash and which they would like to receive as shares. This op-
tion is restricted for function levels 1 to 3; here a graded ob-
ligation to draw share exists: Members of the Corporate Ex-
ecutive Committee must draw 50 % of their incentives in the 
form of shares. These obligatory salaries mean that as the 
individual’s responsiblitity and total remuneration increases 
a significant proportion of the remuneration is paid out with 
a deferred effect. They also promote risk awareness among 
employees and encourage them to work economically and 
sustainably.

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2009

2010

179,290

170,842

31.8.2012

31.8.2013

45.70

8.2

16.8

3,240

2,004

89.5

41.90

7.2

14.3

3,189

1,876

91.1

2009

22,181

2010

37,914

31.5.2012

31.5.2013

79.49

73.05

1.8

1.9

656

66

8%

2.8

3.1

667

81

12 %

2009

2010

206,717

266,117

31.5.2012

31.5.2013

76.21

70.88

15.8

17.5

656

174

14%

18.9

21.9

667

176

14 %

eMPloyee IncentIve PlAn

Numberofsubscribedshares

Restricteduntil

SubscriptionpricepershareinCHF

ValueofsubscribedsharesinCHFmillion

FairvalueofsubscribedsharesasofsubscriptiondateinCHFmillion

Entitledemployees

Participatingemployees

Subscribedsharesperparticipant(average)

shAre suBscrIPtIon scheMe (sss)

Numberofsubscribedshares

Restricteduntil

SubscriptionpricepershareinCHF

ValueofsubscribedsharesinCHFmillion

FairvalueofsubscribedsharesasofsubscriptiondateinCHFmillion

Entitledemployees(FL1–5)

Participatingemployees

SSSportionofincentive

eMPloyee shAre oWnershIP PlAn (esoP)

Numberofsubscribedshares1

Restricteduntil

Subscriptionpricepershare2inCHF

Valueofsubscribedshares2inCHFmillion

FairvalueofsubscribedsharesasofsubscriptiondateinCHFmillion

Entitledemployees(FL1–5)

Participatingemployees

ESOPportionofincentive

1Includingsharesfinancedbyloans.
2Netofthediscounteddividendrightoverthreeyears.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The incentive will change significantly with the introduc-
tion  of  the  new  Performance  Management  Sysem  as  of  
1 January 2011 and its weighting will be reduced on its trans-
fer into the new performance remuneration.

There is also in future a choice of two share subscription 
plans: Share Subscription Scheme and Employee Ownership 
Plan (compare 5.7 “Share Subscription Scheme and Employee 
Ownership Plan”). 

5.4. employment contracts, service entry and departure 

compensation, change of control clauses
The employment contracts of senior members of staff are 
concluded for an unlimited period. They provide for a notice 
period of six months. 

All six members of the Corporate Executive Committee 
have a twelve-month notice period. In addition, they are – as 
are six other members of the executive management – entitled 
to  a  severance  payment  amounting  to  one  annual  salary 
(including variable remuneration), in the event that their 
employment contract is terminated within twelve months 
after  a  change  of  control  due  to  a  takeover  or  merger  or  
a merger of employers (under certain circumstances also those 
of employees). The notice period for the Chairman of the 
Board of Directors is six months. No change of control clause 
exists. 

The remuneration directive issued by the Board of Direc-
tors in March 2010 contains clear guidelines on service entry 
and departure compensation: Such payments may only be 
made in substantiated cases. Service entry and departure 
compensation
→→ must be authorised by Compensation Committee for 
employees belonging to the function levels 1 to 3 
regardless of the amount; 

→→  for other positions that exceed CHF 200,000 in individ-
ual cases must also be authorised by the Compensation 
Committee.

5.5. overview of the participation programmes
For some time now, the Baloise Group has offered employees 
and executive management personnel various plans where 
shares are granted as part of the total remuneration package. 
→→  Employee incentive plans for all function levels in  

Switzerland (compare section 5.6.) 

→→  Share Subscription Scheme and Employee Ownership 

Plan for function levels 1 to 5 in Switzerland  
(compare section 5.7.) 

→→  Performance quota and performance share  
units for function levels 1 to 3 in the Group  
(compare section 5.8.) 

5.6. employee Incentive Plan
The Basler foundation for employee incentive plans, set up in 
1989, offers employees from various Group companies in 
Switzerland the option of buying shares of the Bâloise Hold-
ing Ltd at a preferential price, as a rule once a year, accord-
ing to stipulations laid down in the regulations established 
by the foundation board. This promotes long-term employee 
commitment to the company, also as shareholders. The sub-
scription price is determined by the foundation board at the 
beginning of the subscription period and published on the 
intranet. It is equivalent to half of the average rate determined 
for the month of August in the subscription year and amounts 
to CHF 41.90 for the reporting period (2009: CHF 45.70). The 
subscribed shares are always transferred on 1 September and 
are subject to a blocking period of three years. 

The stock of shares employed for this purpose was acquired 
by the board during earlier share capital increases by Bâloise 
Holding Ltd. It can regulate the stock of shares through ad-
ditional purchases as required. The foundation will be able 
to continue this Employee Incentive Plan in the coming years 
due to existing stocks. 

The foundation is managed by a board that is predomi-
nantly independent of the Corporate Executive Committee. 
Peter Schwager (Chairman) and Dr Heinrich Koller (solicitor) 
function as independent members of the foundation council; 
the third member is Andreas Burki (Deputy Head of Legal 
and Taxes Baloise). 

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2009

62

2.2

13,179

79.49

1.0

1.1

1.2

2010

67

2.8

18,629

73.05

1.4

1.5

1.4

SwissLife

SwissRe

TopdanmarkA/S

Trygvesta

PerforMAnce quotA

Participatingemployees(FL1–3)

TotalpaidoutinCHFmillion

Numberofsubscribedshares

SubscriptionpricepershareinCHF

ValueofsubscribedsharesinCHFmillion

FairvalueofsubscribedsharesasofsubscriptiondateinCHFmillion

IncashinCHFmillion

coMPAnIes In stoxx 600 euroPe InsurAnce Index (As of 31 deceMBer 2010)

AdmiralGroupplc

CatlinGroup

MapfreSA

AssicurazioniGenerali

Helvetia

RSAInsuranceGroup

ViennaInsurance

CattolicaAssicurazioni

MünchenerRück

CNPAssurances

DeltaLloyd

HannoverRück

INGGroepNV

OldMutualplc

Prudentialplc

SampoOYJ

Scor

AegonNV

Ageas

Allianz

Amlinplc

Avivaplc

Axa

JardineLloydThompson

StandardLifeplc

BâloiseHolding

Legal&GeneralGroupplc

StorebrandASA

Source:http://www.stoxx.com/download/indices/factsheets/stx_supersectors_fs.pdf



PerforMAnce shAre unIts (Psu)

Entitledemployees(FL1–3)asofstartofprogramme

NumberofallocatedPSU

Ofwhich:expiredwithoutcompensation(departures2008)

NumberofactivePSUasof31December2008

Ofwhich:expiredwithoutcompensation(departures2009)

NumberofactivePSUasof31December2009

Ofwhich:expiredwithoutcompensation(departures2010)

NumberofactivePSUasof31December2010

ValueofallocatedPSUasofissuedateinCHFmillion

2008PSUexpensefortheBaloiseGroupinCHFmillion

2009PSUexpensefortheBaloiseGroupinCHFmillion

2010PSUexpensefortheBaloiseGroupinCHFmillion

ZurichFinancialServices







Plan 2008

Plan 2009

Plan 2010

64

58,820

–5,488

53,332

–

53,332

–1,452

51,880

6.7

1.7

2.0

2.1

66

71

81,127

83,441

–

–

–

81,127

–2,603

78,524

6.3

–

1.8

2.0

–

–

–

–

– 1,226

82,215

7.4

–

–

2.1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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5.7. share subscription scheme and employee  

ownership Plan
Employees in Switzerland can choose between two plans for 
the incentive portion drawn in shares: Share Subscription 
Scheme and Employee Ownership Plan. 

share subscription scheme 
Since  January  2003,  persons  in  all  Group  companies  in  
Switzerland entitled to incentives can subscribe for shares at  
a preferential price – and since 2008 also the members of 
executive management in the foreign companies – taking their 
due incentive into account. The subscription date is always  
1 June; on this day, ownership of the shares is transferred to 
the employee without further vesting conditions, however, 
they may not be sold during a blocking period of three years. 
The subscription price is specified by the Corporate Executive 
Committee each year and is published in advance on the 
intranet. On 19 April 2010, the Corporate Executive Com-
mittee  decided  that  the  subscription  price  for  the  report  
ing period be based on the volume-weighted stock average 
from 4 to 18 May 2010 (previous year: decision dated 20 April 
2009; stock average from 6 to 11 May 2009). A discount of 
10 % is granted on the stock average thus calculated, therefore 
the subscription price in the reporting period amounted to 
CHF 73.05 (2009: CHF 79.49). The shares required for the 
Share Subscription Scheme are purchased on the market. 

share ownership Plan
Since May 2001, the majority of senior staff in Switzerland 
can draw a proportion of their incentive, which is freely se-
lectable within certain ranges, in shares instead of in cash. 
Upper limits exist for function levels 1 to 3, members of the 
Corporate Executive Committee, who are obliged to draw at 
least half of their incentive as shares, may not draw more than 
50 % of their incentive entitlement in shares as part of the 
Employee Share Ownership Plan. As with the Share Subscrip-
tion Scheme, the subscription date is always 1 June; on this 
day, ownership of the shares is transferred to the employee 
without further vesting conditions, however, they may not be 
sold during a blocking period of three years. The subscription 

price is determined by the Corporate Executive Committee 
each  year  and  published  in  advance  on  the  intranet.  On  
19 April 2010, the Corporate Executive Committee decided 
that the subscription price for the reporting period be based 
on the volume-weighted stock average from 4 to 18 May 2010 
(previous year: decision dated 20 April 2009; stock average 
from 6 to 11 May 2009). The discounted dividend right is 
deducted from this stock average over the period of three 
years, so that the subscription price in the reporting period 
amounted to CHF 70.88 (2009: CHF 76.21). The shares required 
for the Share Ownership Plan are purchased on the market.
In order to increase the impact of this Employee Share 
Ownership Plan, each employee receives an interest-bearing 
loan on market terms, which allows the employee to draw 
more shares in relation to the incentive granted at fair value 
less the discounted dividend right over a three-year period. 
The repayment of the loan after the three-year blocking pe-
riod is hedged using a put option, which is financed by the 
sale of a complementary call option. After the three-year 
blocking period has expired, the shares remaining after the 
options have been exercised, less the repayment of the loan 
and  the  interest  accrued,  are  placed  at  the  employee’s  
disposal. 

5.8. Performance quota and Performance share units (Psu)
Since 2007, two plans exist for Group employees at function 
levels 1 to 3: 
→→  the performance quota as part of short-term variable 
remuneration focusing on the consolidated result and 
value creation, 

→→  the performance share unit programme as part of  

long-term variable remuneration, to achieve long-term 
employee retention. 

Performance quota
The performance quota is a flexible, discretionary instrument 
available to the Compensation Committee of the Board of 
Directors. This instrument allows the participants to engage 
in the success of the company and increases compensation 
variability. The performance quota was introduced in 2007 

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for employees at function levels 1 to 3 in Switzerland (includ-
ing the Chairman of the Board of Directors). In 2008, this 
group of participants was expanded to include members of 
the Corporate Executive Committee of foreign business units. 
As of 2011, the performance quota will be arithmetically 
transferred to the performance pool of the new Performance 
Management System, so that this tool was applied for the last 
time in the 2010 fiscal year.

Once the fiscal year has ended, the Compensation Com-
mittee assesses the performance and the success of the man-
agement at its discretion. Based on this assessment, the Com-
pensation Committee decides on a total sum to be made 
available as a performance quota. The performance quota can 
also be zero if a corresponding assessment is made. 

The individual amounts – as part of the total sum pro-
vided by the Compensation Committee – are specified by each 
line manager or other senior staff member for each employee 
in April and paid together with the June salary. These sums 
depend on individual performance and the contribution to 
the company’s success made by the person and vary in their 
amount and as a proportion of total remuneration. Part of 
the amount awarded (for members of the Corporate Executive 
Board 50 %) must be drawn in shares; for the remainder there 
is the choice to subscribe for further shares or have this amount 
paid out in cash. The regulations of the Employee Share Own-
ership Plan are valid for the part drawn in shares. The cor-
responding amounts are detailed in the table on pages 73 and 
74 under the heading “Share Subscription Scheme.” 

Performance share units (Psu)
With its performance share unit programme, Baloise has had 
an instrument to involve its employees in the success of the 
company on a long-term basis and retain key personnel since 
2007. Thus participants can profit even further from the long-
term value enhancement of the company as long as they re-
main  with  Baloise. This  means  that  the  PSU  programme 
creates a commonality of interests between the shareholders 
and management. The programme was introduced in 2007 for 
employees at function levels 1 to 3 in Switzerland (including 
the Chairman of the Board of Directors). In 2008, this group 

of participants was expanded to include members of the Cor-
porate Executive Committee of foreign business units. 

At the beginning of any performance period, participat-
ing employees are awarded rights in the form of performance 
share units (PSU), which entitle them to subscribe for a cer-
tain number of shares free of charge after the performance 
period has expired. The Compensation Committee of the Board 
of Directors specifies the day of allocation and defines those 
entitled to participate in the programme at function levels  
1 to 3 at its discretion. It defines the total number of PSU 
available as well as approximate distribution amongst the 
participants. In addition, it specifies individual allocation to 
the Chairman of the Board of Directors and to members of 
the Corporate Executive Committee. 

The number of shares that can be subscribed for after three 
years, i. e. at the end of the performance period, depends on 
how the Baloise share has performed relative to a peer group. 
This  comparative  performance  factor  can  hereby  assume  
values between 0.5 and 1.5. The peer group includes the most 
important European insurance companies in the STOXX 
Europe 600 Insurance Index. 

The composition of the index can be subject to changes. 
Due to company mergers, for example, companies can drop 
out of the index, others may be newly included in the index. 
The composition of the index at the point in time when the 
respective PSU are issued is key to determining the perfor- 
mance factor, adjusted by the companies that are no longer 
included in the index. Companies that have meanwhile been 
newly included in the index are not considered for plans that 
are already running. 

In principle, a PSU grants the right to subscribe for a share. 
This is the case when Baloise share performance corresponds 
to the mean of the peer group; in this case the performance 
factor is 1.0. The programme participants receive more shares 
for their PSU, if Baloise shares have performed better than the 
peer group. The factor reaches the maximum of 1.5, when  
Baloise shares have performed in the uppermost quartile of peer 
group company performance. The factor is 0.5, if performance 
is in the lowest quartile of peer group company performance. 
If Baloise share performance is in both middle quartiles, the 

 
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performance factor is calculated using a linear scale. The per-
formance factor is defined for the entire period ending, based 
on stock exchange closing prices on the last trading day of the 
respective performance period. 

The participant receives the corresponding number of 
shares at the end of the performance period (vesting), i. e. on 
1 January 2013 for the PSU allocated in 2010. The PSU become 
void without compensation or substitution, should the em-
ployment contract be terminated (except in the case of retire-
ment, invalidity or death) during the performance period. To 
emphasise the long-term character of the programme, 50 % 
of the allocated shares are subject to an additional three-year 
blocking period after the performance period has expired. 

PSU allocated in 2007 were converted into shares as of  
1 January 2010. At the end of the performance period on 31 
December 2009, the performance of the Baloise share held 
the 13th rank of 31 companies within the reference group 
(STOXX Europe 600 Insurance Index), in other words, it was 
in the 2nd quartile. The performance factor was thus 1.182 
and the 35,673 outstanding PSU were converted into 42,169 
shares (market price on 31 December 2009: CHF 86.05, mar-
ket value CHF 3.6 million) The shares required for the conver-
sion into PSU were bought on the market, half of these shares 
remain blocked for a further three years. 

5.9. Pension schemes
Baloise provides several pension solutions that are designed 
differently to suit country-specific circumstances. There are 
different pension schemes available in Switzerland for the 
employees of the insurance company and the bank. 

Baloise Insurance offers its employees in Switzerland an 
attractive pension solution as part of the 2nd pillar, which 
fulfils the following objectives:
→→   It meets the requirements of the insured in case of a risk 
event (old age, death or invalidity) and absorbs the 
resulting financial consequences with a solution based 
on social partnership. 

→→  It permits an appropriate maintenance of a lifestyle 

enjoyed to date with a sufficiently high substitution rate 
(1st and 2nd pillar benefits combined) to replace  

discontinued earnings. The employer makes  
an above-average contribution to financing of  
occupational pensions. 

→→  It is forward-looking, sound, can be calculated  

and is reasonably priced. 

The Chairman of the Board of Directors and the members of 
the Corporate Executive Committee are insured in the pen-
sion scheme of Baloise Insurance Ltd. The same terms apply 
to them as to all other insured office staff. 

5.10. remuneration to members of the 

Board of directors (not including chairman)
See tables on pages 71 and 72.

The members of the Board of Directors receive a lump 
sum payment with the exception of the Chairmans. The 
amount has remained unchanged since 2008.

Since 2006 members of the Board of Directors have been 
paid out 25 % of their annual remuneration in shares that are 
blocked for a period of three years. As with the Share Sub-
scription Plan for management, members of the Corporate 
Executive Committee are also granted a 10 % discount on the 
market  price.  Members of the Board of Directors do not 
participate in any Employee Share Ownership Plan that is 
linked to the attainment of specific performance targets. 

Due  to  contractual  obligations,  a  one-off  payment  of  
CHF 80,000 was paid to a former member of the Board of 
Directors connnected to his previous governing body activi-
ties in the company. 

No claim to receivables from active or former members 

of the Board of Directors was waived. 

5.11. remuneration to the chairman of the Board of direc-

tors and the members of the corporate executive committee
See tables on pages 73 and 74.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors 
determines the type and the scope of compensation for the 
Chairman of the Board of Directors and members of the 
Corporate Executive Committee. This consists of a basic sal-
ary and an incentive component tied to the attainment of 
individual and company performance targets. The  target 

CorporateGovernance
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69

incentive is 54 % of basic salary and can rise to a maximum 
of 70 % for outstanding performance. The Compensation 
Committee  also  has  the  option  of  considering  company 
results as part of the OPM factor (operational performance 
management) of at least 0.8 and a maximum of 1.3 (compare: 
5.3.  ”Baloise  remuneration  system:  basic  salary  and  
incentive”). 

senior levels of management in 2010. This also emphasises 
that the retention and development of talent represents an 
important factor in Baloise’s future ability to create value. 
Here the targets focus on adding value today and in the future, 
as well as on tools that the Corporate Executive Committee 
has at hand to operationally optimise current results and to 
set the course for medium-term success. 

In 2009, the Baloise Group performed well in a demand-
ing market environment. Impairments of investments, low 
interest rates and the generally higher claims tendency in 
recessionary phases dampened business performance. The 
Compensation Committee determined 1.0 as the OPM factor 
for the 2009 fiscal year taking these aspects into considera-
tion. This factor was applied to the incentives listed in the 
table on page 74 and paid out in 2010. 

In order to strengthen the commonality of interests with 
the shareholders, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and 
members of the Corporate Executive Committee must draw 
at least 50 % of their incentive component as shares (see 5.7 
“Share Subscription Plan and Employee Share Ownership 
Plan”). These obligatory salaries mean that a significant pro-
portion of the remuneration is paid out with a deferred effect 
as the individual’s responsibility and total remuneration 
increases.

Performance targets are determined using a multilevel 
process and approved for the coming year by the Compensa-
tion Committee. The Group result, the combined ratio and 
the business volume serve as objective criteria. Individual 
targets  focus  closely  on  the  objectives  for  the  particular  
areas of responsibility of the respective Corporate Executive 
Committee members. The weighting of these individual tar-
gets in relation to the whole target catalogue can be different 
for each Corporate Executive Committee member and lies 
between a quarter and two thirds. Individual targets are set 
in consultation with the respective supervising managers and 
likewise subject to approval by the Compensation Committee. 
Baloise cannot disclose further details or quantification re-
garding the individual targets or their degree of attainment 
due to competitive reasons.

A talent management target was again set for the most 

Even if the basic salaries remained unchanged compared 
to the previous year, the sum of the total remuneration can-
not be immediately compared to the previous year. In the 
reporting period PSU were converted into shares for the first 
tiem. These PSU were allocated as prospective entitlements 
three years ago. Their definite value was only fixed with the 
effected conversion. For this reason the equivalent value of 
the shares as a remuneration element is presented in the table 
on page 74 and so increases the total amount of the remu-
neration paid out in 2010 in comparison. 

The variable portions of total remuneration are deter-
mined in spring each year as part of the Individual Perfor- 
mance Management process (compare 5.3. “Baloise remu-
neration system; incentives”). Therefore, the table on page 74 
details the basic salary and pension benefits for 2010 and the 
variable remuneration components for the previous year that 
were paid out during the reporting period. The variable re-
muneration for the 2009 fiscal year is higher than it was in 
2008. This is because the degree of target attainment was 
higher than in the previous year both regarding the company 
targets and the individual targets. When considering the to-
tal amount it is important to note that the variable remu-
neration of two new members of the Corporate Executive 
Committee is included in the sum. 

In the reporting period, CHF 0.6 million resulting from 
the conversion of PSU were paid to a former member of the 
Corporate Executive Committee in the form of 7,047 shares. 
Half of these shares remains blocked for a further three years.

Indication variable remuneration for the 2010 fiscal year 
Under the new system that will come into effect for the first 
time in 2011 (compare 5.3. “Baloise remuneration system; 
New Performance Management System as of 1 January 2011”) 

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the variable components, amongst other things, will be de-
termined at the beginning of the year rather than in spring. 
This will make it possible to show the total remuneration that 
was awarded in the respective year in the remuneration tables 
of the compensation report, even if some parts are only paid 
out at a later date (compliance with the so-called accrual prin-
ciple). 

The effective figures of the variable components awarded 
for the 2010 fiscal year (payment in June 2011) had not been 
determined at the time of printing this compensation report.  
In the sense of a indication, it can however be said that they 
will be in a similar range as in 2009. 

5.12. Amounts of the total remuneration and  

the variable payments
Compliant with the circular 10 / 1 of the Federal Financial 
Supervisory  Authority  on  remuneration  systems,  Baloise 
publishes the sums of the total remuneration and the variable 
payments in the table on page 76 for the first time and gives 
details regarding the amount of outstanding deferred remu-
neration as well as service entry and departure compensation 
paid. 

The variable remuneration elements awarded for the 2010 
fiscal year (outpayment in June 2011) had not been determined 
when this Compensation Report went to print. For this reason, 
the details given in this table on “Other variable remuneration 
elements” including the number of beneficiaries and the split 
between cash payment and shares / prospective entitlements 
are based on estimates and experience values from previous 
years. With the new Performance Management System intro-
duced on 1 January 2011, it will be possible to comply with 
the Accrual Principle for the first time in the 2011 fiscal year.

5.13. loans to key personnel
See table on page 77.

5.14. Participations and options
See table on pages 78 and 79.

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5.10. remuneration to the members of the Board of directors (not including chairman)

reMunerAtIon to the MeMBers of the BoArd of dIrectors  
2009 (PrevIous yeAr)



dr georg f. Krayer 

Vice-ChairmanBoardofDirectors

ChairCompensationCommittee

DeputyChairChairman’sCommitteeand
InvestmentCommittee

dr christoph J. c. Albrecht 

DeputyChairAuditCommittee

dr Andreas Burckhardt 

MemberAuditCommittee

dr hansjörg frei

MemberChairman’sCommitteeand
InvestmentCommittee

MemberAuditCommittee

Prof. dr gertrud höhler 

MemberCompensationCommittee

dr Klaus Jenny

MemberChairman’sCommitteeand
InvestmentCommittee

DeputyChairCompensationCommittee

Werner Kummer

ChairAuditCommittee

dr Arend oetker

dr eveline saupper

MemberCompensationCommittee

total Board of directors  
(not including chairman)

2009 
Basic 
remuneration

2009 
remuneration  
for additional  
functions

2009 
Additional  
remuneration

inCHF

inCHF

inCHF

2009 
total

in chf

2009 
of which:  
in cash

2009 
of which:  
in shares

inCHF

inCHF

Number

125,000 

0

295,000

221,313

73,687

927

























62,500 

125,000 

125,000 

125,000 

125,000 

125,000 

62,500 

125,000 

50,000 

50,000 

70,000 

25,000 

50,000 

70,000 

50,000 

50,000 

70,000 

50,000 

70,000 

50,000 









































































43,719

43,719

61,207

43,719

61,207

48,727

31,240

43,719

43,781

131,281

183,793

131,281

183,793

146,273

31,260

131,281

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

87,500

175,000

245,000

175,000

245,000

195,000

62,500

175,000

550

550

770

550

770

613

393

550

1,000,000

655,000

0

1,655,000

1,204,056

450,944

5,673

explanatory notes to table:
DrChristophJ.C.AlbrechtandDrArendOetkerresignedfromtheBoardofDirectorsattheAnnualGeneralMeeting2009asaresultof
havingreachedtheregulatoryagelimit.Theythereforeonlyreceivedhalfoftheusualremunerationin2009.
remuneration to former members of the Board of directors and related individualsNoremunerationwaspaidto
a)formermembersoftheBoardofDirectorswithregardtopreviousgoverningbodyactivitiesinBaloiseorthatisnotmarketstandard
b)individualsorcompaniesrelatedtothemembersoftheBoardofDirectorsandthatisnotmarket-standard(relatedindividuals:spouses,
civilpartners,childrenunder18years,companiesbelongingtoorcontrolledbymembersoftheBoardofDirectors,orlegalornatural
personswhoactasafiduciaryforthem).
Furthermore,receivablesfromthisgroupofpersonswerenotwaived.
cash compensation Remunerationaspercontract(lump-sumcompensation).
shares25%ofthecontractuallyagreedremunerationwillbepaidinshares,whicharerestrictedforthreeyears.
Intrinsicvalue:fairvalueminus10%(aswithSSS).
Additional remuneration Nopaymentofadditionalremuneration.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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reMunerAtIon to the MeMBers of the BoArd of dIrectors  
2010



dr georg f. Krayer 

Vice-ChairmanBoardofDirectors

ChairCompensationCommittee

DeputyChairChairman’sCommitteeand
InvestmentCommittee

dr Michael Becker

MemberAuditCommittee

dr Andreas Burckhardt 

MemberAuditCommittee

dr hansjörg frei

MemberChairman’sCommitteeand
InvestmentCommittee

MemberAuditCommittee

Prof. dr gertrud höhler 

MemberCompensationCommittee

dr Klaus Jenny

MemberChairman’sCommitteeand
InvestmentCommittee

DeputyChairCompensationCommittee

Werner Kummer

ChairAuditCommittee

dr eveline saupper

MemberCompensationCommittee

total Board of directors  
(not including chairman)

2010 
Basic 
remuneration

2010 
remuneration  
for additional  
functions

2010 
Additional   
remuneration

in chf

in chf

in chf

2010 
total

in chf

2010 
of which:  
in cash

in chf

in chf

125,000  

0

295,000

221,293

73,707

2010 
of which:  
in shares

number

1,009

50,000  

50,000  

70,000  

25,000  

50,000  

70,000  

50,000  

50,000  

70,000  

50,000  

70,000  

50,000  

62,500  

125,000  

125,000  

125,000  

125,000  

125,000  

125,000  

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

87,500

87,500

0

0

175,000

131,316

43,684

598

245,000

183,784

61,216

838

175,000

131,316

43,684

598

245,000

183,784

61,216

838

195,000

146,276

48,724

667

175,000

131,316

43,684

598

937,500

655,000

0 1,592,500

1,216,585

375,915

5,146

explanatory notes to table:
DrMichaelBeckerwaselectedasanewmemberoftheBoardofDirectorsattheAnnualGeneralMeeting2010.Hethereforereceived
onlyhalfoftheusualremunerationfor2010.
remuneration to former members of the Board of directors and related individualsDuetocontractualobligations,aone-offpaymentof
CHF80,000waspaidtoaformermemberoftheBoardofDirectorsconnnectedtohispreviousgoverningbodyactivitiesofthecompany.
NoremunerationwaspaidtoindividualsorcompaniesinvolvingthemembersoftheBoardofDirectorsandthatisnotmarket-standard
(relatedindividuals:spouse,civilpartner,childrenunder18years,companiescontrolledbymembersoftheBoardofDirectors,legalor
naturalpersonswhoactasafiduciaryforthem).
Furthermore,receivablesfromthisgroupofpersonswerenotwaived.
cash compensation Remunerationaspercontract(lump-sumcompensation).
shares25%ofthecontractuallyagreedremunerationwillbepaidinshares,whicharerestrictedforthreeyears.
Intrinsicvalue:fairvalueminus10%(aswithSSS).
Additional remunerationNopaymentofadditionalremuneration.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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5.11. remuneration for the chairman of the Board of directors and members of the corporate executive committee

reMunerAtIon to the chAIrMAn of the BoArd of dIrectors And the MeMBers of the corPorAte executIve coMMIttee  
2009 (PrevIous yeAr)




2009
Cashcompensation

Basicsalary
(fixed)

Incentive
(variable)

Employee
Incentive
Plan

Share
Subscription
Scheme

Share
Ownership
Plan

In % of total 
remuneration

chf

chf

chf

chf

chf

2009
Shares

Prospective
entitlements 

number of 
Psu

2009
Non-cash
benefits

2009
Pension
provisions

2009
Total
remuneration





chf

chf

chf























59 %

67 %

27 %

56 %

51 %

52 %

54 %























522,044

238,138

0

188,399

155,498

186,826

83,592























4,570

4,570

0

0

4,570

4,570

4,570























521,852

238,073

0

29,968

159,934

79,490

198,725























0

0

0

0

54,999

121,295

74,999























12,136

4,551

4,127











0

54,167

955,291











51,796

119,530

718,392











2,700,282

1,954,478

2,297,020

65,291

90,209

155,500

890,000

628,183

1,518,183

3,127

180,529

157,378

1,256,354









3,328

3,277

3,641









0

0

0









153,882

97,265

158,305

1,078,903

1,029,446

1,120,191

inCHF



dr rolf schäuble

1,600,020

Chairman
oftheBoard
ofDirectors







dr Martin strobel

1,300,000

















623,337

700,080

550,020

540,000

600,000

CEOBaloiseGroup

dr olav noack

Headof
CorporateDivision
Switzerland

ofwhichcontractually
agreedremuneration

ofwhichone-off
paymentsforwaiving
claimsagainsthis
formeremployer

Jan de Meulder

Headof
CorporateDivision
International

german egloff

HeadofCorporate
DivisionFinance

dr thomas sieber 

Headof
CorporateDivision
CorporateCenter

Martin Wenk

Headof
CorporateDivision
AssetManagement

total corporate 
executive  
committee

Explanationtothetable:comparepages74and75

4,313,437

49 %

852,453

18,280

706,190

251,293

22,051 1,189,987 1,404,752

8,736,392

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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reMunerAtIon to the chAIrMAn of the BoArd of dIrectors And the MeMBers of the corPorAte executIve coMMIttee  
2010

2010 

cash compensation 







Basicsalary
(fixed)

Incentive
(variable)

EmployeeIncentivePlan

ShareSubscriptionScheme

chf

In % of total 
remuneration

chf

chf number of shares

chf number of shares

1,600,020

1,300,000

680,004

700,080

550,020

540,000

* 500,000



















45 %

47 %

51 %

44 %

39 %

43 %

36 %



















667,191

541,921

271,907

273,128

214,561

199,055

24,722



















4,190

4,190

0

0

4,190

4,190

0



















100

100

0

0

100

100

0



















667,020

441,879

271,819

272,915

147,999

140,037

328,725

































9,131 





6,049 



3,721 



3,736 



2,026 



1,917 



4,500 







inCHF

dr rolf schäuble

Chairmanof
theBoardofDirectors



dr Martin strobel

CEOBaloiseGroup

dr olav noack









HeadofCorporateDivisionSwitzerland 

Jan de Meulder

HeadofCorporateDivision
International

german egloff

HeadofCorporateDivisionFinance

dr thomas sieber 

HeadofCorporateDivision
CorporateCenter

Martin Wenk

HeadofCorporateDivision
AssetManagement

total  
corporate executive committee









4,270,104

44 %

1,525,294

12,570

300

1,603,374

21,949 

508,219

7,170

818,852

9,516

25,392

151,104

856,547

9,746,064







ShareOwnershipPlan

PSU2007(convertedintosharesin2010)





2010 

non-cash 

benefits

2010 

Pension 

2010 

total 

 provisions

remuneration

2010 

shares

Prospective

entitlements 

chf

number of shares

chf

number of shares

number of Psu

chf

chf

chf

0

646,752

7,516

9,297

0

3,585,173

99,999

1,411

266,755

3,100

7,554

119,530

2,774,274

0

0

0

0

0

0

3,951

110,730

1,334,460

4,067

151,104

190,374

1,587,601

108,212

1,527

222,353

2,584

3,196

153,939

1,401,274

150,004

2,116

87,169

1,013

3,138

124,916

1,245,371

150,004

2,116

242,575

2,819

3,486

157,058

1,403,084





































0

0

0

0

0

0



















0

0

0





























































































explanation to the table compare pages 73 and 74:
Thetablescontainthebasicsalaryandpensionbenefitsfor2009(page73)and2010(page74)aswellasthevariableremunerationcomponentsforthe
previousyearthatwerepaidoutduringthereportingperiod.Althoughthesevariableremunerationcomponentswerepaidoutin2009(page73)and
2010(page74),theyinvolvetherespectivepreviousfiscalyear.DrO.NoackwasthehighestpaidmemberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteein2009.
DrO.NoackwasthehighestpaidCorporateExecutiveCommitteememberin2009.ThisisduetothefactthatBaloisecompensatedhim,compliant
withcommonpractice,forcertainclaimsagainsthisformeremployerthathewaivedand,forthesamereason,Baloisealsoassumedanon-recurrent
deposittothepensionfund.Thecorrespondingamountsarecontainedinthecolumns“Non-cashbenefits”and“Pensionbenefits”(page73).
DrM.StrobelisthehighestpaidCorporateExecutiveCommitteememberin2010.
remuneration to former members of the Board of directors and related individualsNoremunerationwaspaidtoindividualsorcompaniesaffiliated
withtheChairmanoftheBoardofDirectorsormembersoftheCorporateExecutiveBoardorthatisnotmarket-standard(relatedindividuals:
spouse,civilpartner,childrenunder18years,companiescontrolledbymembersoftheBoardofDirectors,legalornaturalpersonswhoactasa
fiduciaryforthem).Furthermore,receivablesfromthisgroupofpersonswerenotwaived.
Duetocontractualobligations(basicsalary,incentive,employercontributionstothepensionscheme),CHF1.6millionwerepaidtoaformermember
oftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteein2009.Inthereportingperiod,CHF0.6millionresultingfromtheconversionofPSUwerepaidtoaformer
memberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteeintheformof7,047shares.Halfofthesesharesremainsrestrictedforafurtherthreeyears.
Basic salary  Contractuallyagreedbasicsalary(gross).
*M.Wenktooktwomonthsunpaidleavein2010,hisbasicsalarywasreducedaccordingly.
IncentivePortionofvariable,performance-relatedremunerationpaidoutincash(gross).CaseofJ.DeMeulder(Previousyear:page73):
incentiveforhisformerpositionasCEOoftheGroupcompanyinBelgium.
employee Incentive Plan  Remunerationcomponentresultingfromthepurchaseofemployeesharesatapreferentialprice(2010:CHF49.10;
2009:CHF45.70).Calculation:marketvalueminussubscriptionprice=paymentinkind.
share subscription Plan  Portionofincentivedrawndirectlyinshares.Calculation:fairvalueminus10%discount.
employee share ownership Plan  Portionofincentivedrawninshares(excludingsharesfinancedbyaloan).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CorporateGovernance
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ShareOwnershipPlan

PSU2007(convertedintosharesin2010)

2010 
shares

Prospective
entitlements 

2010 
non-cash 
benefits

2010 
Pension 
 provisions

2010 
total 
remuneration





chf

number of shares

chf

number of shares

number of Psu

chf

0

99,999

0

0

108,212

150,004

150,004



















0

1,411

0

0

1,527

2,116

2,116



















646,752

266,755

0

0

222,353

87,169

242,575



















7,516

3,100

0

0

2,584

1,013

2,819



















9,297

7,554

3,951

4,067

3,196

3,138

3,486



















0

0

0

151,104

0

0

0



















chf

0

119,530

110,730

190,374

153,939

124,916

157,058



















chf

3,585,173

2,774,274

1,334,460

1,587,601

1,401,274

1,245,371

1,403,084





















4,270,104

44 %

1,525,294

12,570

300

1,603,374

21,949 

508,219

7,170

818,852

9,516

25,392

151,104

856,547

9,746,064

Performance share units (Psu), prospective entitlements  Entitlementsthatconferarighttoacquiresharesatafuturedate,subjecttoachieving
pre-determinedperformancetargets(comparesection5.8.Performancequotaandperformanceshareunits[PSU]).Thevalueofprospective
entitlementsisonlyaddedtototalremunerationwhentheyareconvertedintoactualshares(i.e.attheendofthethree-yearperformanceperiod),
becauseonlythencanareliableestimatebeprovidedandonlythentheyhaveactuallybeenearned.
share from converted Psu (2010, page 75) ThePSUallocatedin2007wereconvertedintosharesasof1January2010.Attheendoftheperformance
periodon31December2009,theperformanceoftheBaloiseshareheldthe13thrankof31companieswithinthereferencegroup(STOXXEurope600
InsuranceIndex),inotherwords,itwasinthe2ndquartile.Theperformancefactorwasthus1.182andthe35,673outstandingPSUwereconverted
into42,169shares(marketpriceon31December2009:CHF86.05,marketvalueCHF3.6million)Halfofthesesharesremainsrestrictedforthree
yearsyet.
non-cash benefitsBasis:allelementsofremunerationincompliancewiththeSwisssalarycertificate.Besidesgiftsforlengthofservice,thereare
relocationexpensescontainedinthetablefornewmembersoftheCorporateExecutiveCommittee(relatesonlyto2009,page73),refundsoftravel
andaccommodationexpensesandnon-cashbenefits(useofacompanycar)ofamemberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteewithasecondary
residenceabroad.Alsosub-totalledundernon-cashbenefitsisthecompensationpaidtoDrO.Noackin2009forwaivingcertainclaimsagainsthis
formeremployer.
Pension provisions Employercontributionstothepensionscheme.Alsocontainedinthetables:maintenanceofinvalidityprotectioninthehome
countryofamemberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteewithasecondaryresidenceabroad,andnon-recurrentdepositsforthebenefitof
DrO.Noackforwaivingcertainclaimsagainsthisformeremployer(relatesonlyto2009,page73).

reMunerAtIon to the chAIrMAn of the BoArd of dIrectors And the MeMBers of the corPorAte executIve coMMIttee  

1,300,000

47 %

541,921

4,190

100

441,879

6,049 

HeadofCorporateDivisionSwitzerland 

Jan de Meulder

700,080

44 %

273,128

272,915

3,736 

680,004

51 %

271,907

271,819

3,721 

0

0

0

0

2010 

cash compensation 







Basicsalary

(fixed)

Incentive

(variable)

EmployeeIncentivePlan

ShareSubscriptionScheme

chf

In % of total 

remuneration

chf

chf number of shares

chf number of shares

1,600,020

45 %

667,191

4,190

100

667,020

9,131 













































































































550,020

39 %

214,561

4,190

100

147,999

2,026 

540,000

43 %

199,055

4,190

100

140,037

1,917 

* 500,000

36 %

24,722

0

0

328,725

4,500 

2010







inCHF

dr rolf schäuble

Chairmanof

theBoardofDirectors

dr Martin strobel

CEOBaloiseGroup

dr olav noack

HeadofCorporateDivision

International

german egloff

HeadofCorporateDivisionFinance

dr thomas sieber 

HeadofCorporateDivision

CorporateCenter

Martin Wenk

HeadofCorporateDivision

AssetManagement

total  

corporate executive committee















































explanation to the table compare pages 73 and 74:

Thetablescontainthebasicsalaryandpensionbenefitsfor2009(page73)and2010(page74)aswellasthevariableremunerationcomponentsforthe

previousyearthatwerepaidoutduringthereportingperiod.Althoughthesevariableremunerationcomponentswerepaidoutin2009(page73)and

2010(page74),theyinvolvetherespectivepreviousfiscalyear.DrO.NoackwasthehighestpaidmemberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteein2009.

DrO.NoackwasthehighestpaidCorporateExecutiveCommitteememberin2009.ThisisduetothefactthatBaloisecompensatedhim,compliant

withcommonpractice,forcertainclaimsagainsthisformeremployerthathewaivedand,forthesamereason,Baloisealsoassumedanon-recurrent

deposittothepensionfund.Thecorrespondingamountsarecontainedinthecolumns“Non-cashbenefits”and“Pensionbenefits”(page73).

DrM.StrobelisthehighestpaidCorporateExecutiveCommitteememberin2010.

remuneration to former members of the Board of directors and related individualsNoremunerationwaspaidtoindividualsorcompaniesaffiliated

withtheChairmanoftheBoardofDirectorsormembersoftheCorporateExecutiveBoardorthatisnotmarket-standard(relatedindividuals:

spouse,civilpartner,childrenunder18years,companiescontrolledbymembersoftheBoardofDirectors,legalornaturalpersonswhoactasa

fiduciaryforthem).Furthermore,receivablesfromthisgroupofpersonswerenotwaived.

Duetocontractualobligations(basicsalary,incentive,employercontributionstothepensionscheme),CHF1.6millionwerepaidtoaformermember

oftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteein2009.Inthereportingperiod,CHF0.6millionresultingfromtheconversionofPSUwerepaidtoaformer

memberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteeintheformof7,047shares.Halfofthesesharesremainsrestrictedforafurtherthreeyears.

Basic salary  Contractuallyagreedbasicsalary(gross).

*M.Wenktooktwomonthsunpaidleavein2010,hisbasicsalarywasreducedaccordingly.

IncentivePortionofvariable,performance-relatedremunerationpaidoutincash(gross).CaseofJ.DeMeulder(Previousyear:page73):

incentiveforhisformerpositionasCEOoftheGroupcompanyinBelgium.

employee Incentive Plan  Remunerationcomponentresultingfromthepurchaseofemployeesharesatapreferentialprice(2010:CHF49.10;

2009:CHF45.70).Calculation:marketvalueminussubscriptionprice=paymentinkind.

share subscription Plan  Portionofincentivedrawndirectlyinshares.Calculation:fairvalueminus10%discount.

employee share ownership Plan  Portionofincentivedrawninshares(excludingsharesfinancedbyaloan).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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5.12. Amounts of the total remuneration and the variable payments

totAl And vArIABle reMunerAtIon BAloIse grouP

total remuneration 

inCHFmillion



total variable remuneration (total pool)

inCHFmillion

Numberofbeneficiaries

Ofwhichcommission/brokeragetothe
insurancesalesforceemployees

inCHFmillion

Ofwhichothervariableremunerationelements

inCHFmillion



total outstanding deferred remuneration 

inCHFmillion



debits / credits from remuneration for  
previous fiscal years recognised in profit and loss 

inCHFmillion



total recruitment payments made

inCHFmillion

Numberofbeneficiaries



total severance payments made

inCHFmillion

Numberofbeneficiaries

cash payment

shares

Prospective  
entitlements

808.6

169.9

6,776

111.9

57.9

7.2

7.2

251

0.0

7.2

7.1

7.1

70  

0.0

7.1

total

822.9

184.2

111.9

72.2

0.0

67.0

20.3

87.3

0.0

0.3

3

3.1

86

0.0

0.0

0

0.0

0

0.0

0.0

0  

0.0

0  

0.0

0.3

3.1

explanatory notes to table:
total remunerationAllcash-valuebenefitswhichthefinancialinstitutepaysdirectlyorindirectlytoapersoninconnectionwithhisemployment
orrolerelatedtohiswork;e.g.cashpayments,non-cashbenefits,expensesthatjustifyorincreaseclaimstopensionbenefits,pensions,allocation
ofparticipation,conversionandoptionrightsaswellaswaivinganyclaims.
variable compensationPortionofthetotalremunerationwhoseadjustmentoramountisatthediscretionofthefinancialinstitutsordependsonthe
occurrenceofagreedconditions,includingperformanceorsuccess-relatedcompensationsuchaskickbacksandcommissions.Serviceentryand
departurecompensationarelikewisecontainedundertheitemvariableremuneration.
total pool Sumofallvariableremunerationthatafinanicalinstitutepaysforafiscalyear,independentofform,ofacontractualwarranty,ofthetime
ofallocationandpaymentaswellasanyconditionsandconstraintsset.Serviceentryanddeparturecompensationpaidintherespectivefiscalyear
areassignedtothetotalpool.
service entry compensation Aone-offpaymentagreedwhenanemploymentcontractisconcluded.Facultativecompensationforforfeitedclaims
toremunerationfromapreviousemployerisalsocountedascompensationforserviceentry.
departure compensation Paymentagreedregardingtheterminationofanemploymentcontract.

Thevariableremunerationelementsawardedforthe2010fiscalyear(outpaymentinJune2011)hadnotbeendeterminedwhenthisCompensation
Reportwenttoprint.Forthisreason,thedetailsgiveninthistableon“Othervariableremunerationelements”includingthenumberofbeneficiaries
andthesplitbetweencashpaymentandshares/prospectiveentitlementsarebasedonestimatesandexperiencevaluesfrompreviousyears.
WiththenewPerformanceManagementSystemintroducedon1January2011,itwillbepossibletocomplywiththeAccrualPrincipleforthefirsttime
inthe2011fiscalyear.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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77

5.13. loans to key personnel

credIts And loAns to MeMBers of the BoArd of dIrectors And the corPorAte executIve coMMIttee (31 deceMBer)



Mortgages

Loanspertainingtothe
ShareOwnershipPlan

Otherloans

inCHF









2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

Total

2010

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

650,000

0

0

0

0

0

650,000

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2,841,765

3,369,550

7,893,099

9,528,515

0 10,734,864

12,898,065

dr rolf schäuble

Chairman

dr georg f. Krayer

Vice-Chairman

dr Michael Becker 

Member

dr Andreas Burckhardt

Member

dr hansjörg frei

Member

Prof. dr gertrud höhler

Member

dr Klaus Jenny

Member

Werner Kummer

Member

dr eveline saupper

Member

0

0

n/a

650,000

0

0

0

0

0

total Board of directors 

650,000

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

corporate executive  
committee member  
with the highest  
outstanding loan

dr thomas sieber 

HeadofCorporateDivision
CorporateCenter

other members of the  
corporate executive  
committee

total corporate executive 
committee

1,000,000

1,000,000

1,841,765

2,369,550

2,775,000

3,625,000

5,118,099

5,903,515

3,775,000

4,625,000

6,959,864

8,273,065

0

0

n/a

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

explanatory notes to table:
credits and loansNoloansandcreditsthatarenotmarketstandardhavebeengrantedto
a)formermembersoftheBoardofDirectorsandtheCorporateExecutiveCommittee,
b)toindividualsorcompaniesrelatedtotheChairmanoftheBoardofDirectorsormembersoftheCorporateExecutiveBoard
(relatedindividuals:spouse,civilpartner,childrenunder18years,companiesbelongingtoorcontrolledbymembersoftheBoard
ofDirectorslegalornaturalpersonswhoactasafiduciaryforthem).
MortgagesMortgagesuptoCHF1millionaregrantedonemployeeterms:1%belowtheinterestrateforcustomersonvariable
mortgages,preferentialinterestrateforfixedmortgages.
loans pertaining to the share ownership PlanLoanstofundleveragedShareOwnershipPlan(compare5.7.ShareOwnershipPlanand
EmployeeShareOwnershipPlan).Interestischargedontheloansatprevailinginterestrates(2010:3%)overatermofthreeyears.
AloanofCHF4.1milliontoaformermemberoftheCorporateExecutiveCommitteestillexistsfromtheShareOwnershipPlan.
other loans  Therearenopolicyloans.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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5.14. Participations and options

shAres held By MeMBers of the BoArd of dIrectors excludIng chAIrMAn (31 deceMBer)



Number

dr georg f. Krayer

Vice-Chairman

dr Michael Becker

Member

dr Andreas Burckhardt

Member

dr hansjörg frei

Member

Prof. dr gertrud höhler

Member

dr Klaus Jenny

Member

Werner Kummer

Member

dr eveline saupper

Member

Freefloatshares

Restrictedshares

Shareownership
total

Percentageofissued
sharecapital

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010









32,685

33,186

3,311

3,819

35,996

37,005

0.072% 0.075 %

n/a

1,000

0

1,000

n/a

2,000

n/a

0.004 %

387

670

2,256

2,571

2,643

3,241

0.005% 0.006 %

1,536

710

2,755

3,201

4,291

3,911

0.009% 0.008 %

387

670

2,256

2,571

2,643

3,241

0.005% 0.006 %

18,536

18,928

2,755

3,201

21,291

22,129

0.043% 0.044 %

847

1,174

2,412

2,752

3,259

3,926

0.007% 0.008 %

387

670

2,256

2,571

2,643

3,241

0.005% 0.006 %

total Board of directors (excluding chairman)

54,765

57,008

18,001

21,686

72,766

78,694

0.146 % 0.157 %

Percentageofissuedsharecapital

0.110% 0.114 % 0.036% 0.043 % 0.146% 0.157 % 

explanatory notes to table:
shareholdings  Includingsharesheldbyrelatedindividuals(spouse,civilpartner,childrenunder18years,companiesbelonging
toorcontrolledbyBoardmembers,orlegalornaturalpersonsthatactasfiduciariesforthem).
freely available sharesSharesheldinpersonalcustodyaccounts.
restricted shares Sharessubscribedforthroughshare-basedremunerationschemesaresubjecttoathree-yearblockingperiod.
Accordingto§20oftheArticlesofIncorporation,eachmemberoftheBoardofDirectorsmustdeposit1,000shareswiththecompany
forthetermofhis/heroffice(qualifyingshares).
optionsMembersoftheBoarddonotholdoptionsonBaloiseshares.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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79

shAres held By the chAIrMAn of the BoArd of dIrectors And MeMBers of the corPorAte executIve coMMIttee (31 deceMBer)



Freefloatshares

Restrictedshares

Shareownership
Total

Percentage
ofissuedsharecapital

Numberof
shareawards(PSU)

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010

Number











dr rolf schäuble

Chairmanofthe
BoardofDirectors

dr Martin strobel

48,459

60,201

25,178

30,183

73,637

90,384

0.147% 0.181 %

25,801

28,739

CEOBaloiseGroup

224

1,852

25,889

39,751

26,113

41,603

0.052% 0.083 %

10,188

15,119

Jan de Meulder

Headof
CorporateDivision
International

german egloff

HeadofCorporate
DivisionFinance

dr olav noack

HeadofCorporate
DivisionSwitzerland

dr thomas sieber 

Headof
CorporateDivision
CorporateCenter

Martin Wenk

Headof
CorporateDivision
AssetManagement

total chairman of the 
Board of directors 
and members of the 
corporate executive 
committee

Percentageof
issuedsharecapital

1,566

1,566

840

4,576

2,406

6,142

0.005% 0.012 %

3,127

9,567

1,262

4,675

33,850

36,645

35,112

41,320

0.070% 0.083 %

8,026

9,046

120

120

0

3,721

120

3,841

0.000% 0.008 %

4,127

8,078

178

400

26,180

38,716

26,358

39,116

0.053% 0.078 %

6,600

8,881

200

2,600

27,368

38,287

27,568

40,887

0.055% 0.082 %

8,766

9,867

52,009

71,414

139,305

191,879

191,314 263,293

0.383 % 0.527 %

66,635

89,297

0.104% 0.143 % 0.279% 0.384 % 0.383% 0.527 % 



explanatory notes to table: 
shareholdingsIncludingsharesheldbyrelatedindividuals(spouse,civilpartner,childrenunder18years,companiesbelonging
toorcontrolledbyBoardmembers,orlegalornaturalpersonsthatactasfiduciariesforthem).
freely available sharesSharesheldinpersonalcustodyaccounts.
Blocked sharesIncludingsharesfinancedbyloansstemmingfromESOP.Sharessubscribedforthroughshare-basedremuneration
schemesaresubjecttoathree-yearblockingperiod.Accordingto§20oftheArticlesofIncorporation,eachmemberoftheBoard
ofDirectorsmustdeposit1,000shareswiththecompanyforthetermofhis/heroffice(qualifyingshares).
optionsOptionsheldinrelationtoESOParenotlistedhere,astheydonotoriginatefromanindependentoptionplan,buthavebeen
writtentosecuretheloan.Inaddition,eachputoptionhasacalloptionascounterpart.
Prospective entitlements (Psu)Numberofperformanceshareunitsallocated(allocationasof1January2008,1January2009and
1January2010).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Extraordinary General Meetings may be convened by 
resolution of the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Direc-
tors or the auditors. Furthermore, an Extraordinary General 
Meeting must be convened by the Board of Directors at the 
request of shareholders in compliance with legal stipulations 
(§ 11 of the Articles of Incorporation). For such a request to 
be granted, the shareholders must represent at least 10 % of 
the share capital, in compliance with article 699 section 3 of 
the Swiss Code of Obligations.

Inclusion of agenda items
One or more shareholders, who together represent shares with 
a face value of at least CHF 100,000 may apply under article 
699 section 3 of the Swiss Code of Obligations to have items 
placed on the agenda. Such applications must be submitted 
in writing to the Board of Directors no later than six weeks 
before the regular Annual General Meeting, detailing the 
motions to be put to the Annual General Meeting (§ 14 of the 
Articles of Incorporation).

entry in the share register
Shareholders, who are registered with an entitlement to vote 
in the share register on the cut-off date (a few days prior to the 
Annual General Meeting) specified by the Board of Directors 
in the invitation, are entitled to vote at the Annual General 
Meeting (§ 16 of the Articles of Incorporation).

The admissibility of nominee registrations, with reference 
to possible percentage clauses, and registration requirements 
are governed by § 5 of the Articles of Incorporation. Procedures 
and requirements for revoking and restricting transferability 
are governed by the provisions of § 5 and § 17.

  www.baloise.com  →  Responsibility 

  →  Corporate Governance  →  Rules and regulations

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  IR agenda.

6. shAreholder PArtIcIPAtIon rIghts

voting rights
Baloise’s share capital consists solely of registered shares. Each 
share grants the right to one vote. There are no shares with 
preferential voting rights. In order to maintain a broad share-
holder base and protect minority shareholders, no share-
holder  is  registered  with  voting  rights  of  more  than  2 %,  
irrespective of the number of shares held. The Board of Direc-
tors may approve exceptions to this rule with a two-thirds 
majority of all members (§ 5 of the Articles of Incorporation). 
There are currently no exceptions. Each shareholder may 
authorise another shareholder to exercise his / her voting rights 
in writing. In exercising voting rights, no shareholder may 
directly or indirectly aggregate his / her own and proxy votes 
to secure more than a fifth of all voting rights at the Annual 
General Meeting (§ 16 of the Articles of Incorporation).

statutory quorums
The Annual General Meeting has a quorum, irrespective of 
the number of shareholders and proxy votes present, subject 
to the obligatory cases as prescribed by law (§ 17 of the Arti-
cles of Incorporation). 

A waiver of statutory voting right restrictions requires a 
quorum of at least three-quarters of the votes represented at 
the Annual General Meeting, which at the same time must also 
total at least one third of all shares issued by the company. This 
qualified majority also applies to other cases specified in § 17 
paragraph 3 a – h of the Articles of Incorporation. Otherwise 
resolutions are adopted by a simple majority of share-based 
votes cast, subject to mandatory statutory provisions (§ 17 of 
the Articles of Incorporation).

convening the Annual general Meeting
As a rule, the Annual General Meeting is held in April, but 
no later than six months after the end of the fiscal year. The 
Bâloise Holding fiscal year ends on 31 December. At least 20 
days’ notice of an Annual General Meeting is given. Every 
registered shareholder receives a personal invitation and an 
agenda. The invitation and the agenda are published in the 
Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, in various newspapers 
and on the Internet. 

CorporateGovernance
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81

7. chAnge of control And defensIve ActIon
Upon acquiring 33 % of all Baloise shares, shareholders or 
groups of shareholders acting in concert are obliged to submit 
a takeover bid to all remaining shareholders. Bâloise Holding 
has not opted to modify or waive this rule. There is neither  
a statutory opting-out nor opting-up clause, as specified in 
the Federal Stock Exchanges and Securities Trading Act (Stock 
Exchange Act). 

All six members of the Corporate Executive Committee 
have a twelve-month notice period. In addition, they are – as 
are seven other members of the executive management – en-
titled to a severance payment amounting to one annual sal-
ary (including incentive), in the event that their employment 
contract is terminated within twelve months after a change 
of control due to a takeover or merger or a merger of employ-
ers  (under  certain  circumstances  also  of  employees).  The 
notice period for the Chairman of the Board of Directors is 
six months. No change of control clause exists. 

8. AudItors
The auditors are appointed annually by the Annual General 
Meeting. PricewaterhouseCoopers AG (PwC) and its pre- 
decessor Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft / STG-Coop- 
ers & Lybrand have been the auditors of Bâloise Holding Ltd 
since 1962. Mr Martin Frei has been the Auditor in Charge 
since 2007. The rotation of the auditor in charge takes place 
every seven years compliant with article 730a section 2 of the 
Swiss Code of Obligations. PwC has audited nearly all Group 
companies since 2005.

PrIceWAterhousecooPers fees

inCHF
(roundedtothousands,includingoutlaysandVAT)

Auditingfees

Feesforaudit-relatedactivities

Consultingfees

Taxconsultancy

Legaladvice

Transactionadvice
(includingduediligence)

Accounting/Finance

HumanResources

Other

total

2009

2010

7,278,000

455,000

1,535,000

550,000

15,000

35,000

361,000

149,000

425,000

6,499,000

250,000

824,000

455,000

14,000

113,000

78,000

87,000

77,000

9,268,000

7,573,000

Thefeesforaudit-relatedactivitiescompriseassignmentsdirectlyorindirectly
relatedtoanexistingorafutureauditingcontract.Inparticular,thisincludes
questionsconcerningaccounting,supportinregulatoryissuesorspecialaudits
requiredbylaw.
Asarule,consultancyassignmentarenotdirectlynorindirectlyrelatedtothe
audit.Theyrequirespecialisedknowledge,yetalsoanintegratedviewofcorporate
interrelationships.

Bâloise Holding has an Audit Committee made up of in- 
dependent  members  with  finance  and  accounting  quali- 
fications (compare table on page 51 of the Annual Report). 
The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year 
and on each occasion also met with the external auditors. The 
Audit Committee received detailed documentation on the 
findings  of  the  external  auditors,  in  particular  as  to  the  
Annual and Half-Year Financial Statements at these meetings.
The Audit Committee evaluates the performance of the 
external auditors and their cooperation with Group Internal 
Audit, Risk Management and Compliance. The Audit Com-
mittee primarily discusses ongoing audits and audit reports, 
important results and any issues arising from the audit with 
the external auditors.

It proposes to the Board of Directors that external auditors 
be elected by the Annual General Meeting and makes recom-
mendations regarding the auditors’ fees. Prior to the start of 
the annual audit, the Audit Committee reviews its scope and 
proposes areas requiring special consideration. The Audit 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Committee reviews the external auditors’ fees annually. The 
criteria for assessing the auditors are 
→→  Competence of the audit team
→→  Technical and industry knowledge
→→  Understanding of corporate strategy
→→  Complete independence whilst performing the audit
→→  Corporate culture of the auditor (shared core values)
→→  Timely reporting
→→  Appropriateness of fees
→→  Compliance with respective statutory, professional  

and ethical standards

→→  Uniform auditing methodology
The Audit Committee reviews the appropriateness of auditing 
services performed by external auditors, which are not re-
lated to the auditing activities, based on the following criteria:
→→  Compatibility of the service with the mandate  

as statutory auditors (independence)

→→  Competence as well as technical and industry  

knowledge

→→  Quality of the service provided
→→  Appropriateness of fees
A written directive exists, whereby material services not re-
lated to the auditing activities must be approved by Group 
Internal Audit prior to execution. The guarantee of indepen- 
dence is first reviewed by the head auditor and subsequently 
by the head of the Group’s Internal Audit unit as part of the 
assignment approval process. The commercial responsibility 
and clearance of the assignment remains with the opera-
tional unit.

9. InforMAtIon PolIcy

Information principles
The Baloise Group provides comprehensive, transparent in-
formation to shareholders, potential investors, employees, 
clients and the general public on a regular basis. All registered 
shareholders receive a summary of the Annual Report once a 
year and a shareholder’s letter with the half-year accounts, 
which comments on business development. The Annual Report 
and the Financial Report are sent to the shareholders upon 
request. All publications are made available to the general 
public at the same time. All investors enjoy equal information 
rights. To provide general access to our meetings with financial 
analysts, we use technologies such as webcasts, podcasts and 
telephone conferences.

Information events
Baloise provides comprehensive information on its operating 
activities:
→→ Business results are presented and objectives,  

strategies and business activities are explained at press  
conferences (Annual and Half-Year Report media  
conferences).

→→ At financial analysts’ meetings, teleconferences take 
place to present Annual and Half-Year Financial  
Statements. These events are available afterwards as 
podcasts.

→→  The Annual General Meeting provides shareholders 

with a review of the business year. 

→→  Regular roadshows are organised in various financial 

centres.

→→ Baloise maintains good relationships with analysts, 

investors and the media.

→→ Full details about individual Baloise events are available 

at www.baloise.com.

CorporateGovernance
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83

Information on the Baloise share
You can find information on the Baloise share in the Annual 
Report from page 24 onwards.

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  Baloise share

Information on Baloise bonds
Information on outstanding Baloise bonds can be found in 
the Financial Report from page 111 onwards.

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  Bonds

financial calendar
At www.baloise.com, important dates for investors can be 
found. Here you can find the publication dates of the Annual 
and Half-Year Financial Statements. The General Annual 
Meeting, the date and invitation to the Annual General Meet-
ing, the share register cut-off date and the ex-dividend date, 
if applicable, are also published here.

  www.baloise.com  →  Investor relations  →  IR agenda

document availability
Media releases, disclosures, presentations, annual reports, 
financial reports and half-year reports and other documents 
are publicly available on the Internet at www.baloise.com. 
All documents can be obtained from the Investor Relations 
department or ordered on the Internet.

  www.baloise.com  →  Media relations  →  Media kits

contact
The contact details for Corporate Governance and Investor 
Relations are listed on the inside cover of the Annual Report.

84

Financial
Information

Pages 85 – 94

Financial Information
Consolidated income statement

85

Consolidated income statement

Five-year overview 

in CHF million

income

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Premiums earned and policy fees (gross) 1

Reinsurance premiums ceded

Premiums earned and policy fees (net)

6,706.6

– 187.5

6,519.1

6,880.2

– 207.9

6,672.3

6,945.2

– 194.6

6,750.6

6,841.5

– 190.3

6,651.2

6,854.3

– 168.2

6,686.1

Investment income

1,823.7

2,049.8

2,053.1

1,921.2

1,811.2

Realised gains and losses on investments 2

Income from services rendered

Results from investments in associates

Other operating income

income

expenses

Claims and benefits paid (gross)

Change in technical reserves (gross)

Reinsurance share of claims incurred

Acquisition costs

Operating and administrative expenses  
for insurance business

Investment expenses

Interest expenses on insurance liabilities

Result from financial contracts

Other operating expenses

expenses

702.8

286.4

62.0

144.3

597.5

529.0

10.2

142.1

– 1,680.1

558.2

8.5

208.9

435.6

427.3

1.4

108.1

501.6

283.4

– 0.5

202.7

9,538.3

10,000.9

7,899.2

9,544.8

9,484.5

– 5,325.0

– 5,597.9

– 5,676.7

– 5,383.4

– 1,080.8

43.4

– 493.8

– 847.8

– 93.9

– 67.0

– 156.5

– 575.5

– 840.2

107.6

– 524.8

– 938.3

– 104.3

– 76.1

– 170.6

– 813.4

583.4

59.7

– 566.1

– 977.4

– 82.8

– 73.8

246.4

– 832.0

– 968.3

58.1

– 499.1

– 925.1

– 78.8

– 69.4

– 407.9

– 708.8

– 5,212.9

– 1,393.2

47.5

– 491.5

– 856.0

– 64.8

– 61.2

– 219.8

– 625.4

– 8,596.9

– 8,958.0

– 7,319.3

– 8,982.7

– 8,877.3

Profit before borrowing costs and taxes 

941.4

1,042.9

579.9

562.1

607.2

Borrowing costs

Profit before taxes

Income taxes

Profit for the period

Attributable to:

Shareholders

Minority interests

Earnings / loss per share 

Basic in CHF

Diluted in CHF

Footnote: See next page 

– 28.2

913.2

– 206.1

707.1

699.4

7.7

12.93

12.93

– 28.4

1,014.5

– 194.4

820.1

786.1

34.0

15.15

15.15

– 31.2

548.7

– 162.0

386.7

358.3

28.4

7.33

7.32

– 45.1

517.0

– 96.0

421.0

414.1

6.9

8.64

8.57

– 52.8

554.4

– 117.7

436.7

433.4

3.3

9.14

8.89

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
86

Financial Information
Consolidated income statement 

additional inFormation

in CHF million

Gross premiums written and policy fees

Investment-type premiums

total business volume

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

6,716.5

774.7

7,491.2

6,868.4

1,069.2

7,937.6

6,953.9

904.4

7,858.3

6,859.8

2,905.6

9,765.4

6,859.8

2,681.6

9,541.4

Assets for the account and at the risk of life insurance policyholders

2,976.6

4,366.9

3,340.1

6,818.1

7,821.7

Combined ratio (gross)

Funding ratio nonlife in percent

90.2

194.8

93.0

195.6

88.1

183.0

91.2

187.7

92.2

180.5

1   In line with the accounting principles applied by the Baloise Group, investment-type insurance premiums are not included in the premiums earned  

and policy fees.

2   Including financial liabilities held for trading purposes (derivative financial instruments).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Information
Consolidated balance sheet

87

Consolidated balance sheet

Five-year overview 

in CHF million

assets

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets

Investments in associates

Investment properties

Financial assets of an equity nature

Financial assets of a debt nature

Mortgages and loans

Derivative financial instruments

Other assets / receivables

Deferred tax assets

Cash and cash equivalents

total assets

in CHF million

equity and liabilities

equity

Equity before minority interests

Minority interests

total equity

liabilities

Technical reserves (gross)

Derivative financial instruments

Other accounts payable

Deferred tax liabilities

total liabilities

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

638.3

1,357.5

175.0

5,312.6

10,902.3

24,523.3

17,801.6

75.8

676.5

1,624.8

191.7

5,269.9

12,144.0

24,433.3

18,611.8

54.2

2,478.8

2,721.0

53.9

25.8

741.5

621.2

1,587.2

129.4

5,055.5

7,551.8

23,115.6

18,992.5

311.3

2,536.2

36.9

611.2

1,562.4

143.1

5,071.7

9,486.1

26,502.7

18,643.5

123.7

2,593.0

26.4

535.7

1,342.6

211.3

5,046.6

9,844.2

25,840.5

17,693.5

536.3

2,111.6

20.2

2,208.9

1,648.7

1,305.5

2,528.7

64,032.5

67,429.8

61,243.1

67,292.5

65,391.4

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

4,921.9

64.6

4,986.5

4,733.4

241.9

4,975.3

3,691.0

204.6

3,895.6

4,315.0

195.0

4,510.0

4,100.0

33.5

4,133.5

46,521.8

47,826.4

44,068.6

44.6

4,929.3

806.3

34.9

5,607.1

685.5

30.1

4,521.4

600.2

45,344.2

11,396.4

49.5

5,299.6

692.8

43,445.7

12,863.3

29.9

4,277.3

641.7

59,046.0

62,454.5

57,347.5

62,782.5

61,257.9

Liabilities from banking business and financial contracts

6,744.0

8,300.6

8,127.2

total equity and liabilities

64,032.5

67,429.8

61,243.1

67,292.5

65,391.4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
88

Financial Information
Business volume,  
premiums and combined ratio

Business volume, premiums  
and combined ratio

Business volume 2009 

in CHF million

Nonlife

Life

subtotal of iFrs gross premiums written 1

Investment-type premiums

total business volume

Business volume 2010

in CHF million

Nonlife

Life

subtotal of iFrs gross premiums written 1

Investment-type premiums

total business volume

1   Premiums written and policy fees (gross).
2   Other units: Austria, Croatia, Serbia and Baloise Life Liechtenstein.

group

switzerland

germany

Belgium

luxembourg

other units 2

3,136.4

3,723.4

6,859.8

2,905.6

9,765.4

1,280.2

2,617.6

3,897.8

32.2

3,930.0

1,028.8

853.7

1,882.5

287.4

2,169.9

579.3

121.6

700.9

119.6

820.5

55.1

52.6

107.7

854.3

962.0

165.1

77.9

243.0

1,612.1

1,855.1

group

switzerland

germany

Belgium

luxembourg

other units 2

3,044.9

3,814.9

6,859.8

2,681.6

9,541.4

1,285.3

2,791.6

4,076.9

31.3

4,108.2

938.9

792.7

1,731.6

255.5

1,987.1

558.3

110.4

668.7

129.4

798.1

81.7

51.4

133.1

1,136.8

1,269.9

162.3

68.8

231.1

1,128.6

1,359.7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Information
Business volume,  
premiums and combined ratio

89

ComBined ratio gross 2009

as a percentage of premiums earned

Loss ratio

Expense ratio

Profit-sharing ratio

Combined ratio

ComBined ratio gross 2010

as a percentage of premiums earned

Loss ratio

Expense ratio

Profit-sharing ratio

Combined ratio

1   Other units: Austria, Croatia and Serbia. 

ComBined ratio gross and net 

as a percentage of premiums earned

Loss ratio

Expense ratio

Profit-sharing ratio

Combined ratio

Funding ratio nonliFe

in CHF million

Technical provisions for own account 1

Premiums written and policy fees for own account

Funding ratio in percent

1   Not including capitalised settlement premiums.

group

switzerland

germany

Belgium

luxembourg

other units 1

58.6

32.0

0.6

91.2

57.7

26.0

1.0

84.7

58.6

35.3

0.4

94.3

60.3

37.5

0.3

98.1

55.1

36.5

0.0

91.6

66.9

40.9

0.0

107.8

group

switzerland

germany

Belgium

luxembourg

other units 1

60.9

30.7

0.6

92.2

62.0

25.1

0.9

88.0

62.0

34.8

0.3

97.1

2009

58.6

32.0

0.6

91.2

59.8

33.7

0.5

94.0

Gross

2010

60.9

30.7

0.6

92.2

43.9

37.5

0.0

81.4

2009

60.3

33.4

0.7

94.4

61.3

39.5

0.0

100.8

Net 

2010

62.7

31.9

0.6

95.2

2009

2010

5,570.5

2,967.6

187.7

5,219.9

2,892.1

180.5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
90

Financial Information
Technical income statement

Technical income statement

in CHF million

gross

Gross premiums written and policy fees

Change in unearned premium reserves

Premiums earned and policy fees (gross)

Claims and benefits paid (gross)

Change in technical reserves (gross)

Change in loss reserve / actuarial reserves 1

Expenses for policyholders’ dividends

Technical expenses

total technical result (gross)

Ceded to reinsurers

Reinsurance premiums ceded

Claims and benefits paid

Reinsurance share of claims incurred

Expenses for policyholders’ dividends

Technical expenses

total technical result of ceded business

For own account

Premiums earned and policy fees

Claims and benefits paid

Change in loss reserve / actuarial reserves 1

Expenses for policyholders’ dividends

Technical expenses

total technical result for own account

Investment income (gross)

Realised gains and losses on investments 2

Investment expenses

Other financial expenses and income

result from investment income

annual result before borrowing costs and taxes

Borrowing costs

Income taxes

annual result (segment result)

2009

Nonlife

2010

3,136.4

– 18.3

3,118.1

– 1,867.4

16.6

– 19.1

– 1,016.7

231.5

3,044.9

– 5.5

3,039.4

– 1,818.4

– 56.2

– 17.5

– 949.0

198.3

2009

3,723.4

0.0

3,723.4

– 3,516.0

– 726.1

– 239.7

– 497.6

Life 3

2010

3,814.9

0.0

3,814.9

– 3,394.5

– 966.9

– 352.8

– 471.8

– 1,256.0

– 1,371.1

– 172.1

– 151.3

– 18.2

– 16.9

54.0

– 4.2

0.0

13.1

– 109.2

2,946.0

– 1,813.4

12.4

– 19.1

– 1,003.6

122.3

314.6

– 3.5

– 22.1

– 28.7

260.3

382.6

–

– 51.1

331.5

64.4

– 23.1

0.2

12.8

– 97.0

2,888.1

– 1,754.0

– 79.3

– 17.3

– 936.2

101.3

288.8

8.4

– 19.9

1.7

279.0

380.3

–

– 65.3

315.0

5.8

1.3

1.2

4.7

– 5.2

3,705.2

– 3,510.2

– 724.8

– 238.5

– 492.9

– 1,261.2

1,423.0

448.1

– 85.2

– 373.7

1,412.2

151.0

–

– 29.2

121.8

5.3

– 0.3

1.2

2.2

– 8.5

3,798.0

– 3,389.2

– 967.2

– 351.6

– 469.6

– 1,379.6

1,345.2

499.0

– 75.5

– 206.4

1,562.3

182.7

–

– 32.5

150.2

1   Including change in provisions for loss adjustment expenses.
2   Including financial liabilities held for trading purposes (derivative financial instruments).
3   Of which latency calculation effects from other business segments: 31 December 2009 CHF 6.9 million / 31 December 2010 CHF – 10.4 million 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Information
Gross premiums by sectors

91

Gross premiums by sectors

gross Premiums By seCtor nonliFe

in CHF million

Accident

Health

General liability

Motor

Property

Marine

Other

Active reinsurance

gross premiums written, nonlife

gross Premiums By seCtor liFe

in CHF million

Business volume non-recurrent deposits

Business volume periodic deposits

Investment-type premiums

gross premiums written, life

2009

2010

+ / – %

465.4

113.7

350.7

985.7

968.4

137.6

52.1

62.8

461.6

114.7

341.3

956.5

934.0

125.6

53.7

57.5

3,136.4

3,044.9

– 0.8

0.9

– 2.7

– 3.0

– 3.6

– 8.7

3.1

– 8.4

– 2.9

2009

2010

+ / – %

3,963.1

2,665.9

– 2,905.6

3,723.4

3,913.3

2,583.2

– 2,681.6

3,814.9

– 1.3

– 3.1

– 7.7

2.5

In the 2010 fiscal year, premium income was depressed due to Swiss franc / euro exchange rate performance, as 
compared to the same period in the previous year.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
92

Financial Information
Banking activities

Banking activities 

result From BanKing aCtivities 

in CHF million

Total interest income

Total interest expenses

net interest income

Net commission and fee income

Trading income

Other income

total operating income

Personnel expenses

Material expenses

Total operating expenses

gross result

Result from losses and impairments for credit risks

Depreciation of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment

annual result before taxes 

Income taxes

annual result (segment result)  

additional inFormation

in CHF million

Assets managed for third parties

Risk-weighted assets: banking activities

asset alloCation

in CHF million

Investment properties

Shares

Alternative financial assets

Fixed-income securities

Mortgage assets

Policy and other loans

Derivative financial instruments

Cash and cash equivalents

total

2009

2010

194.5

– 94.2

100.3

58.9

– 0.7

0.3

158.8

– 58.7

– 35.1

– 93.8

65.0

0.9

– 4.9

61.0

– 9.5

51.5

182.2

– 83.0

99.2

59.2

– 0.1

1.7

160.0

– 53.7

– 29.9

– 83.6

76.4

1.1

– 9.6

67.9

– 12.8

55.1

2009

2010

5,046.2

3,378.2

4,993.9

3,429.4

2009

2010

–

6.4

–

340.9

5,723.0

313.0

20.8

151.0

–

6.2

–

323.2

5,977.7

306.3

22.1

144.2

6,555.1

6,779.7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Information
Investment performance

93

Investment performance 

investment PerFormanCe 2009 1 

in CHF million

Current income

Realised gains and losses and impairment  
losses recognised in profit and loss (net)

Change in unrealised gains and  
losses on equity

Cost of investment management

Operational profit

Fixed-income 
securities

898.5

27.6

shares

86.0

103.3

investment 
properties

mortgage assets, 
policy and  
other loans

alternative  
financial assets,  
derivatives, cash 
and cash 
 equivalents

246.7

– 19.6

682.4

– 4.8

7.6

– 257.7

total

1,921.2

– 151.2

690.6

236.0

–

–

28.2

954.8

average investment portfolio

24,419.0

2,340.7

5,063.6

18,818.0

Performance in percent

6.5

17.9

4.3

3.5

– 27.9

1,588.8

– 7.0

418.3

– 10.8

216.3

– 15.6

662.0

– 11.6

– 233.5

3,647.6

– 6.4

– 72.9

2,651.9

54,288.9

4.9

investment PerFormanCe 2010 1

in CHF million

Current income

Realised gains and losses and impairment  
losses recognised in profit and loss (net)

Change in unrealised gains and  
losses on equity

Cost of investment management

Operational profit

Fixed-income 
securities

883.3

– 380.2

shares

70.1

31.8

investment 
properties

mortgage assets, 
policy and  
other loans

alternative  
financial assets,  
derivatives, cash 
and cash 
 equivalents

242.5

– 1.3

608.1

11.1

7.2

526.0

total

1,811.2

187.4

– 64.8

– 69.0

–

–

114.7

– 19.1

– 25.8

412.5

– 8.9

24.0

– 8.0

233.2

– 11.9

607.3

– 9.6

638.3

– 64.2

1,915.3

average investment portfolio

25,367.5

2,153.3

5,059.1

18,168.5

3,763.8

54,512.2

Performance in percent

1.6

1.1

4.6

3.3

17.0

3.5

1   Excluding assets for the account and at the risk of life insurance policyholders.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
94

Financial Information
Investment performance

Current inCome, insuranCe 1

in CHF million

Investment properties

Shares

Alternative financial assets

Fixed-income securities

Mortgage assets

Policy and other loans

Derivative financial instruments

Cash and cash equivalents

total current income

nonlife

life

44.4

17.1

1.6

189.9

13.9

46.9

–

0.8

194.1

68.6

1.6

696.6

155.5

304.6

–

2.0

2009

total

238.5

85.7

3.2

886.5

169.4

351.5

–

2.8

nonlife

life

39.8

21.7

0.7

177.5

13.0

35.1

–

1.0

195.5

48.1

1.5

694.8

138.6

263.9

–

2.8

2010

total

235.3

69.8

2.2

872.3

151.6

299.0

–

3.8

314.6

1,423.0

1,737.6

288.8

1,345.2

1,634.0

realised gains and losses, insuranCe 1

nonlife

life

in CHF million

Investment properties

Shares

Alternative financial assets

Fixed-income securities

Mortgage assets

Policy and other loans

Derivative financial instruments

Cash and cash equivalents

total capital gains and losses

asset alloCation, insuranCe 1

in CHF million

Investment properties

Shares

Alternative financial assets

Fixed-income securities

Mortgage assets

Policy and other loans

Derivative financial instruments

Cash and cash equivalents

2009

total

– 14.5

103.0

6.6

27.9

– 2.3

– 2.9

– 15.3

81.1

– 3.7

21.5

– 2.0

– 4.6

– 215.6

– 259.9

–

–

– 138.6

– 142.1

nonlife

life

– 12.9

15.1

12.0

10.6

16.8

46.7

2010

total

– 2.3

31.9

58.7

– 41.4

– 338.8

– 380.2

– 0.1

5.6

30.1

–

8.4

0.5

6.7

442.3

–

184.8

0.8

21.9

10.3

6.4

– 0.3

1.7

– 44.3

–

– 3.5

nonlife

life

821.0

700.6

300.9

4,129.7

1,365.0

1,069.4

2009

total

4,950.7

2,065.6

1,370.3

nonlife

life

800.8

785.3

286.9

4,143.1

1,420.2

1,013.4

5,392.3

20,001.1

25,393.4

4,635.8

19,986.1

24,621.9

427.1

1,043.4

7.6

447.6

4,434.8

6,889.5

90.5

4,861.9

7,932.9

98.1

1,451.1

1,898.7

441.4

939.7

20.5

557.5

4,234.5

6,013.7

312.3

884.5

4,675.9

6,953.4

332.8

1,442.0

0.4

12.3

472.4

–

193.2

2010

total

4,943.9

2,205.5

1,300.3

total

9,140.5

39,431.1

48,571.6

8,467.9

38,007.8

46,475.7

1   Excluding assets for the account and at the risk of life insurance policyholders.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bâloise  
Holding

Pages 96 – 105

96

Bâloise Holding
Income statement Bâloise Holding

Income statement  
Bâloise Holding

in CHF million

Income from participating interests

Interest and securities income

Other income

total income

Administrative expenses

Interest expenses

Depreciation

Other expenses

total expenses

tax expenses

Profit for the period

note

2009

2010

2

3

4

5

6

7

310.6

9.6

9.3

329.5

– 49.8

– 43.8

– 0.3

– 6.0

– 99.9

324.5

11.9

8.8

345.2

– 51.4

– 47.1

– 0.0

– 13.1

– 111.6

– 0.2

– 0.2

229.4

233.4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bâloise Holding
Balance sheet Bâloise Holding

97

note

31.12.2009

31.12.2010

284.8

111.4

71.5

2.2

24.0

493.9

99.6

149.4

70.9

3.9

25.4

349.2

1,604.5

1,732.0

64.1

0.2

58.8

0.2

1,668.8

1,791.0

2,162.7

2,140.2

5.0

5.0

11.7

118.3

298.6

230.2

663.8

5.0

0.0

11.7

156.4

264.9

234.2

672.2

19.9

0.0

8

10

9

12

11

1,442.5

1,392.5

14.7

36.7

15.4

40.2

1,498.9

1,468.0

2,162.7

2,140.2

Balance sheet  
Bâloise Holding

in CHF million

assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Treasury shares

Receivables from Group companies 

Receivables from third parties 

Accruals 

Current assets 

Participations

Loans to Group companies 

Other financial assets 

non-current assets 

total assets 

equity and liabilities

Share capital 

Statutory reserve

General reserve 

Reserve for treasury shares

Other reserves

Retained earnings 

equity  

Liabilities to Group companies 

Liabilities to third parties

Bonds

Provisions 

Accruals

liabilities 

total equity and liabilities

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
98

Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

Notes  
Bâloise Holding

1. aCCounting standards
The  annual  accounts  of  Bâloise  Holding  are  produced  in  
accordance  with  the  regulations  of  the  Swiss  Code  of  
Obligations.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in banks as well as 
cash  equivalents  such  as  call  and  time  deposits  or  money 
market instruments, if these have an original maturity of  
less than 90 days.

treasury shares
Treasury shares are posted at cost or at the lower fair value.

receivables
Receivables  are  stated  at  face  value  net  of  necessary  im- 
pairments.

accruals
Accruals considers both expenses paid in advance for the 
new fiscal year, as well as income from the current fiscal year 
that will only be received at a later date. Included under the 
same heading are dividends decided on the balance sheet 
date  by  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the  subsidiaries.  
Bâloise Holding reports these as dividend claims.

Participations
Participations  are  recognised  at  cost  net  of  requisite  de- 
preciation.

loans to group companies
Loans are valued at face value, factoring in requisite deprecia-
tion. Individual value adjustments are conducted according to 
the prudence principle for all identifiable risks.

other financial assets
Marketable securities are recognised either at their purchase 
price or at fair value, with the lower of the two being applied.

liabilities
Liabilities are recognised at face value.

Bonds
Bonds are recognised at face value. The emission costs, reduced 
in  the  amount  of  the  premium,  are  charged  in  full  to  the 
income statement upon issue of the bond.

Provisions
Provisions are created to cover any risks according to the 
principles of prudent management.

accruals
Accruals include income already received in respect of the 
new fiscal year and expenses for the current fiscal year which 
will only be paid at a later date.

Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

99

2009

2010

4.2

1.1

0.0

4.3

9.6

6.7

2.4

0.0

2.8

11.9

2009

2010

2.0

7.3

9.3

2.0

6.8

8.8

2009

2010

– 29.4

– 20.4

– 49.8

– 32.5

– 18.9

– 51.4

2009

2010

– 42.6

– 1.2

– 43.8

– 47.0

– 0.1

– 47.1

notes to the inCome statement 

2. interest and seCurities inCome

in CHF million

Income from treasury shares

Interest on loans to Group companies 

Income from other financial assets 

Other interest receivables 

total interest and securities income

3. other inCome

in CHF million

Income from services rendered

Other income

total other income

4. administrative eXPenses

in CHF million

Personnel expenses

Other administrative expenses

total administrative expenses

5. interest eXPenses

in CHF million

Interest from bonds

Other interest expenses

total interest expenses

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
100

Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

6. dePreCiation

in CHF million

Depreciation on treasury shares

total depreciation

7. other eXPenses

in CHF million

Expenses incurred from services rendered 

Other expenses

total other expenses

notes to the BalanCe sheet

2009

2010

– 0.3

– 0.3

– 0.0

– 0.0

2009

2010

– 1.5

– 4.5

– 6.0

– 1.4

– 11.7

– 13.1

8. aCCruals
Due to resolutions of the Annual General Meeting on 17 February 2011 of Baloise Asset Management Schweiz 
AG, Basel, and of Baloise Asset Management International AG, Basel, and on 1 March 2011 of Haakon AG, Basel, 
the accrued dividend claims (income from investments in associates) for the 2010 fiscal year were regarded as 
deferred expenses. 

9. loans to grouP ComPanies

in CHF million

Subordinated loan to Baloise Bank SoBa

Loan to Bâloise (Luxembourg) Holding S.A. 

total loans to group companies

2009

2010

30.0

34.1

64.1

30.0

28.8

58.8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

101

10. PartiCiPations

Company

Basler Versicherung AG, Basel

Basler Leben AG, Basel

Baloise Bank SoBa AG, Solothurn

Baloise Asset Management Schweiz AG, Basel

Baloise Asset Management International AG, Basel

Haakon AG, Basel

Baloise Life (Liechtenstein) AG, Balzers

Baloise Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, Bad Homburg

Basler Saturn Management B.V., Hamburg

Bâloise (Luxembourg) Holding S.A., Bertrange (Luxembourg)

Bâloise Delta Holding S.à.r.l., Bertrange (Luxembourg)

Baloise Fund Invest Advico, Bertrange (Luxembourg)

Baloise Insurance Company (Bermuda) Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda

Baloise Finance (Jersey) Ltd, St. Helier, Jersey

Basler osiguranje Zagreb d.d., Zagreb

Neživotno osiguranje “Basler” a.d.o., Belgrade

Životno osiguranje “Basler” a.d.o., Belgrade

1   The holding is rounded down to the nearest percent.

Total 
holding as of 
31.12.2009

total  
holding as of 
31.12.2010

Share / corporate  
capital as of 
 31.12.2010

in % 1

in %1

Currency

in million

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

74.75

100.00

100.00

–

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

74.75

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

CHF

CHF

CHF

CHF

CHF

CHF

CHF

EUR

EUR

CHF

EUR

EUR

CHF

CHF

HRK

RSD

RSD

75.0

50.0

50.0

1.5

1.5

0.2

15.0

0.0

0.0

249.9

150.0

0.1

5.0

1.3

45.0

675.1

300.1

For additional information on participations held directly by Bâloise Holding see pages 144 and 145 of the 2010 
Financial Report.

11. Bonds 

amount

CHF 150 million

CHF 550 million

CHF 150 million

CHF 242.5 million (convertible bond)

CHF 300 million 

interest rate

3.250 %

4.250 %

3.500 %

1.500 %

2.875 %

issued

2007

2009

2007

2009

2010

maturity date

19.06.2012

29.04.2013

19.12.2014

17.11.2016

14.10.2020

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
102

Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

12. Changes in eQuit y

in CHF million

share capital

As of 1 January

Reduction through cancellation of shares as per AGM resolution

total share capital

statutory reserves

general reserve

As of 1 January

Allocation

total general reserve

reserve for treasury shares

As of 1 January

Reduction through cancellation of shares as per AGM resolution

Withdrawal (carry forward to Other reserves)

Allocation (carry forward from Other reserves) 1

total reserve for treasury shares

total statutory reserves

other reserves

As of 1 January

Allocation from Retained earnings

Allocation (carry forward from Reserve for treasury shares)

Withdrawal (carry forward to Reserve for treasury shares)

total other reserves

retained earnings

As of 1 January

Dividend distribution

Addition to unappropriated reserves

Profit for the period

total retained earnings

31.12.2009

31.12.2010

5.0

–

5.0

11.7

–

11.7

5.0

–

5.0

11.7

–

11.7

46.6

118.3

–

–

71.7

118.3

–

–

38.1

156.4

130.0

168.1

115.7

254.6

–

– 71.7

298.6

480.4

– 225.0

– 254.6

229.4

230.2

298.6

4.4

–

– 38.1

264.9

230.2

– 225.0

– 4.4

233.4

234.2

total equity

663.8

672.2

1   Baloise Group companies purchased during the reporting period (not including the share buy-back via the secondary trading line) a total  
of 840,085 shares at an average price of CHF 83. During the reporting period they sold 379,736 shares at an average price of CHF 82  
and together held a total of 1,708,136 Bâloise Holding shares as of 31 December 2010. The balance of Bâloise Holding shares acquired 
via the secondary trading line amounted to 223,565 shares, as in the previous year. These shares are stated in the balance sheet item 
“Treasury shares.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

103

13. signiFiCant shareholders
Two shareholder groups hold more than 5 % of outstanding Baloise shares as of 31 December 2010. The following 
table provides information on the current shareholder structure as of 31 December 2010 (figures rounded).

in percent

shareholders

Chase Nominees Group 1

Signal Iduna Gruppe

BlackRock Inc

Mellon Bank N. A. 1

CS Group

Nortrust Nominees Ltd. 1

Bank of New York Mellon N.V. 1

UBS Group

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund

total 
holding as of 
31.12.2009

share of  
voting rights as of  
31.12.2009

total 
holding as of 
31.12.2010

share of  
voting rights as of  
31.12.2010

7.9

5.2

4.2

4.0

<2.0

3.2

<2.0

2.1

2.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

<2.0

0.0

0.0

<2.0

2.0

6.3

>5.0

>5.0

3.5

2.6

2.3

2.2

<2.0

0.0

2.0

2.0

0.0

0.0

<2.0

0.0

0.0

<2.0

0.0

1   Custodian nominees who hold shares in trust for third parties are added to the free float pursuant to the SIX Exchange regulations.  

Such shareholder groups are not subject to registration pursuant to stock exchange law.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
104

Bâloise Holding
Notes Bâloise Holding

14. Contingent liaBilities
As of 31 December 2010, the guarantee liabilities amount to CHF 164.9 million (previous year: CHF 128.6 million). 
A purchase price retention of EUR 5 million to cover any guarantee claims was agreed in the purchase agreement 
concluded in 2007 regarding Osiguranje Zagreb. The sum is deposited in escrow at a bank. Furthermore, possible 
supplementary purchase price payments (earn-outs) were agreed. The amounts depend on the premium growth and 
net profits of Osiguranje Zagreb in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. However, these additional payments amount to a 
maximum of EUR 20 million. No guarantee claims were made after the guarantee period had lapsed in the reporting 
period and the bank deposit in escrow was paid back to Bâloise Holding. 

Bâloise Holding issues the following letter of comfort: 

As the owner of Baloise Life (Liechtenstein) AG, Bâloise Holding, Basel, warrants that its subsidiary, Baloise Life 
(Liechtenstein) AG is able to meet its financial obligations to its customers, arising from RentaSafe, BelRenta Safe, 
RentaProtect and RentaSafe Time contracts, in particular guarantee pledges, in full at any time. The maximum 
liability corresponds to the actuarial reserve entered in the balance sheet of Baloise Life (Liechtenstein) for these 
products as of 31 December 2010.

Bâloise Holding assumes the unrestricted obligation to ensure the Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg that the 
Partner in Life S.A., Contern (Luxembourg) will be managed and financially equipped so that it is able to meet all its 
obligations towards the bank in due time whilst the loans amounting to EUR 40 million granted by the bank including 
interest, costs and commissions are not fully repaid.

Bâloise Holding is jointly liable for value-added tax due with all companies which, under the leadership of the 

Baloise Insurance Ltd, are subject to group taxation.

15. Payments in aCCordanCe with or (swiss Code oF oBligations) artiCles 663BBis and 663C
Information on remuneration to the Board of Directors or persons fully or partially entrusted with management
duties by the Board of Directors is stated in the Baloise Group’s Consolidated Annual Financial Statements.

16. details aBout the PerFormanCe oF a risK assessment
Details about the performance of a risk assessment can be found in Chapter 5, “Management of insurance and 
financial risks,” in the Baloise Group’s Consolidated Annual Financial Statements.

Bâloise Holding
Appropriation of retained earnings

105

Appropriation of retained earnings
as proposed by the Board of Directors 

retained earnings and aPProPriation oF earnings
Net retained earnings amount to CHF 233,435,876.98.

The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting the appropriation of retained earnings in 

accordance with the table below.

in CHF

Profit for the period

Earnings carried forward 

Retained earnings

Proposals by the Board of Directors

Appropriation to unappropriated reserves 

Dividends

retained earnings to be carried forward 

2009

2010

229,399,605.78

233,435,876.98

762,134.14

761,739.92

230,161,739.92

234,197,616.90

– 4,400,000.00

– 8,400,000.00

– 225,000,000.00

– 225,000,000.00

761,739.92

797,616.90

The distribution of profits complies with the provisions of § 30 of the Articles of Incorporation. Distribution per 
share equals CHF 4.50 gross or CHF 2.92 net of withholding tax. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
106

Glossary

Glossary

  actuarial reserves
Actuarial reserves refer to provisions for current insur- 
ance policies in the life insurance segment.

  annual premium equivalent (aPe)
The annual premium equivalent is the insurance indus-
try standard for measuring the volume of new life insur- 
ance  business.  It  is  calculated  as  the  sum  of  all  annual 
premiums from new business and 10 % of single premi-
ums of the reporting period.

  assets managed for third parties
Assets held in trust for customers and partners.

  Baloise
“Baloise” stands for “Baloise Group”, “Bâloise Holding” 
for “Bâloise Holding Ltd”. By Baloise share we mean the 
share of Bâloise Holding Ltd.

  Brokers
Insurance  brokers  are  independent  insurance  interme-
diaries. These are companies or individuals who are not 
tied to any insurance company when placing contracts. 
They  receive  commission  for  the  insurance  contracts 
they conclude.

  Business segment
Similar  or  related  operating  activities  are  grouped  to-
gether  in  business  segments.  These  are:  nonlife,  life, 
banking (including asset management) and other activi-
ties. The business segment “Other activities” includes, in 
particular, holding, property and investment companies.

  Business volume
Business  volume  includes  premium  income  from  the 
nonlife and life insurance business and from unit-linked 
life insurance policies during the reporting period. Due 
to  the  underlying  accounting  principles  of  the  Baloise 
Group, the latter may not be disclosed as income in the 
consolidated financial statements.

  Claims incurred
Claims  incurred  comprises  insurance  claims  paid  out 
during  the  fiscal  year,  reserves  formed  in  connection 
with  unsettled  claims,  the  dissolution  of  reserves  for 
claims that no longer have to be settled or do not have to 
be paid in full, the costs of processing claims, as well as 
the performance of related provisions.

  Combined ratio
Ratio of nonlife insurance business, expressing the sum 
of claims incurred (loss ratio), costs (expense ratio) and 
profit-sharing  (profit-sharing  ratio)  in  relation  to  pre- 
miums. This ratio is used to assess the profitability of the 
nonlife insurance business.

  deferred tax assets and liabilities
Probable  future  tax  expenses  and  tax  relief,  resulting 
from temporary differences between the reported value 
of assets and liabilities, as disclosed in the consolidated 
financial statements, and their tax value. The calculation 
is based on country-specific tax rates.

  embedded value (mCev)
The Market Consistent Embedded Value (MCEV) mea- 
sures the value of a life portfolio for the shareholder on 
the balance sheet date. See also separate MCEV report.

Glossary

107

  expense ratio
The ratio of the cost of nonlife insurance business to pre-
miums, expressed in percent.

  Fixed-income securities
Securities (primarily bonds), yielding interest at a fixed 
rate during their whole term.

  gross
In  the  annual  report  of  an  insurance  company,  “gross” 
stands for a balance sheet or income statement item be-
fore the deduction of of reinsurance.

  group life business
Insurance policies taken out by companies or their em-
ployee benefit units on behalf of their employees as part 
of their company pension plans.

  iFrs
Since 2000, the Baloise Group has prepared its consoli-
dated  annual  financial  statements  in  accordance  with 
IFRS International Financial Reporting Standards (for-
merly IAS International Accounting Standards).

  impairment (impairment loss) 
Impairment  of  an  asset  recognised  in  profit  and  loss. 
Whether the carrying value of an asset is greater than its 
recoverable amount is determined using an impairment 
test. If necessary,  the asset is impaired  down  to  the  re-
coverable  amount  and  recognised  through  profit  and 
loss.

  insurance benefits
The benefits provided by the insurer in connection with 
the occurrence of an insured event.

  investments 
Included in investments are properties, shares and alter-
native financial investments (stocks of an equity nature), 
fixed-interest  securities,  mortgage-backed  investments, 

policies and other loans, derivatives as well as cash and 
cash equivalents. Precious metals from the investment-
type  insurance  business  are  presented  under  the  item 
“Other assets”.

  investment performance
The  performance  measures  the  business  success  of  in-
vestments.  Gains,  losses,  income,  expenses,  as  well  as 
changes to as yet unrealised gains and losses, as set out 
in the income statement related to the average balance of 
the investments.

  investment-type life insurance
Life insurance policies where policyholders invest their 
savings for their own account and at their own risk.

  investment-type premiums
Premium income from life insurance policies where in-
surance companies invest the policyholder’s savings for 
the latter’s own account and at the latter’s own risk. In 
accordance  with  the  International  Accounting  Stand-
ards  applied  by  the  Baloise  Group,  the  savings  that  are 
part of this premium income may not be disclosed as in-
come in the income statement.

  legal quota
Fixed statutory or contractual percentage requiring life 
insurance companies to pass on a certain percentage of 
earnings to the policyholders.

  loss ratio
The ratio of claims incurred to premiums, expressed in 
percent.

  loss reserve
Provisions for claims that have not been settled at year-
end.

108

Glossary

  Profit after taxes
Profit  after  taxes  is  the  final  consolidated  sum  of  all 
earnings  and  expenses,  less  borrowing  costs,  as  well  as 
current and deferred income taxes. Profit after taxes in- 
cludes the proportion of minority interests in the result.

  Profit-sharing ratio
Index  expressing  the  profit-sharing / premium  ratio. 
Profit sharing is a rebate granted to policyholders in the 
nonlife business due to profitable business.

  Provisions
Evaluation  of  future  insurance  benefits  from  identified 
and not yet identified claims, which are disclosed as lia-
bilities in the balance sheet.

  reinsurance
If the insurance company does not want to carry the full 
risk from an insurance policy or an entire portfolio of poli-
cies, it passes on part of the risk to a reinsurance company 
or another direct insurer. However, the primary insurer 
still has to indemnify the policyholder for the full risk.

  return on equity
Calculated return on the equity of a company during the 
fiscal year. Return on equity is calculated by taking the 
profit generated during the fiscal year and dividing it by 
average equity.

  run off business
Policy  portfolio  that  has  ceased  to  accept  new  policies, 
with existing policies expiring successively.

  minimum interest rate
Minimum required interest rate for the respective savings 
balance of company pension plans.

  net
In  the  annual  report  of  an  insurance  company  “net” 
stands for a balance sheet or income statement item after 
the deduction of reinsurance.

  new business margin
Value  of  new  business  divided  by  the  annual  premium 
equivalent (APE).

  non-recurrent deposits 
Non-recurrent  deposits  finance  life  insurance  policies 
with a one-off deposit made when the policy begins. Pri-
marily used as a financing tool for asset-building life in-
surance, with special emphasis on profitability and se-
curity aspects.

  Periodic premiums
Periodically  recurring  premium  income  (see  definition 
of “premium”).

  Policyholders’ dividends
Annual,  non-guaranteed  policyholder  benefits  from  a 
life  insurance  policy  which  are  granted  when − com-
pared with the assumptions that underlie the premium 
calculation − earnings  are  higher  and / or  risk  and  cost 
behaviour patterns are more favourable.

  Premium
The amount paid by the policyholder to cover the cost of 
insurance. 

  Premiums earned
The  proportion  of  the  policy  premium  allocated  to  the 
risk covered by an insurer during the fiscal year, i. e. pre-
mium less change in unearned premium reserves.

Glossary

109

  segment
Financial reporting at the Baloise Group is carried out 
in accordance with International Financial Accounting 
Standards  (IFRS),  which  requires  similar  transactions 
and  business  activities  to  be  grouped  and  presented  
together. The bundled business activities are presented 
in “segments,” by geographic regions and business seg-
ments.

  share buy-back programme
Procedure  approved  by  the  Board  of  Directors  under 
which  the  company  itself  may  repurchase  outstanding 
shares.  In  Switzerland,  these  buy-backs  are  carried  out 
through a separate trading line.

  shares issued
Total number of shares that a company has issued. The 
total number of shares issued, multiplied by their face 
value is the nominal share capital of the company.

  sli
The Swiss Leader Index comprises the 30 largest and most 
liquid securities in the Swiss equity market.

  scoring
Scoring  stands  for  statistical  analyses,  whereby  risk  
estimates based on experience values are derived from 
data collected. Insurers apply scoring in order to tariff 
equitably.

  solvency
Required  minimum  capital  for  insurance  companies 
specified by the regulatory authorities, to cover business 
risks (investments, claims). As a rule, this requirement is 
specified at a national level and may differ from country 
to country.

  technical reserves
On  the  balance  sheet,  insurers  disclose  the  value  of  
future benefits they expect from the existing insurance  
policies,  calculated  at  the  present  time.  The  value  is  
computed using recognised principles.

  technical result
The  technical  result  includes  a  comparison  of  all  
expenses and income from the insurance business. Ex-
penses and income unrelated to the insurance business 
and revenue from investments are not included in the 
technical result.

  unearned premium reserves
Accrued portions of the written premiums that have been 
charged for periods after the balance sheet date.

  unrealised gains and losses (charged to equity)
Unrealised gains and losses are gains or losses charged 
to equity, which are not recognised in profit or loss and 
result from the valuation of assets. These are charged to 
equity after deducting deferred tax assets and liabilities 
and  deferred  policyholders’  dividends  (life  insurance 
business).  These  gains  or  losses  are  only  transferred  to 
the  income  statement  upon  disposal  of  the  underlying 
asset or upon impairment (impairment loss).

  value of new business
The value of new business transacted during the report- 
ing period, valued at the time the policy is issued.

110

Addresses

Addresses

switZerland

austria

Croatia

Basler versicherungen
Brigittenauer Lände 50 – 54
A-1203 Vienna
Telephone + 43 1 33 160 0
Fax + 43 1 33 160 200 
office@basler.at 
  www.basler.at

luXemBourg

Bâloise assurances
Atrium Business Park
23, rue du Puits Romain
Bourmicht
L-8070 Bertrange
Telephone + 352 290 190 1
Fax + 352 290 592 
info@baloise.lu 

  www.baloise.lu

Belgium

mercator verzekeringen
Posthofburg 16
B-2600 Antwerp
Telephone + 32 3 247 21 11
Fax + 32 3 247 27 77 
info@mercator.be 

  www.mercator.be

Basler osiguranje Zagreb
Radni�cka cesta 37 b
HR-10 000 Zagreb
Telephone + 385 1 6405 808
Fax + 385 1 2392 992 
info@basler-oz.hr 

  www.basler-oz.hr 

serBia

Basler osiguranja
Resavska 29
RS-11 000 Belgrade
Telephone + 381 11 324 7716
Fax + 381 11 334 29 03
office@basler.rs

  www.basler.rs

lieChtenstein

Baloise life
Alte Landstrasse 8
FL-9496 Balzers
Telephone + 423 388 90 00
Fax + 423 388 90 21
information@baloise-life.com
  www.baloise-life.com

Basler versicherungen
Aeschengraben 21
CH-4002 Basel
Telephone + 41 58 285 85 85
Fax + 41 58 285 70 70 
kundenservice@baloise.ch 

  www.baloise.ch

Baloise Bank soBa 
Amthausplatz 4
CH-4502 Solothurn
Telephone + 41 32 626 02 02
Fax + 41 32 623 36 92
bank@baloise.ch 

  www.baloise.ch

germany

Basler versicherungen
Basler Strasse 4
P.O. Box 1145
D-61345 Bad Homburg
Telephone + 49 61 72 13 0
Fax + 49 61 72 13 200 
info@basler.de 

  www.basler.de

deutscher ring

sachversicherungs-ag

deutscher ring

lebensversicherungs-ag
Ludwig-Erhard-Strasse 22
D-20459 Hamburg
Telephone + 49 40 3599 7711
Fax + 49 40 3599 2500 
service@deutscherring.de 
  www.deutscherring.de

Information on the Baloise Group

111

Information on the
Baloise Group

The  2010  Annual  Report  is  published  in  German  and  
English.

The  2010  Financial  Report  contains  the  audited  2010  
annual financial statements with detailed information. It is 
available in German and in English. The German version is 
binding.

availaBilit y and ordering
The 2010 Annual Report and the 2010 Financial Report are
available on the Internet at www.baloise.com/annualreport 
as of 22 March 2011.

Corporate  publications  can  be  ordered  via  the  Internet  
or  from  the  Baloise  Group,  Corporate  Communications,  
Aeschengraben 21, CH-4002 Basel.

inFormation For shareholders

and FinanCial analysts
You can find detailed information and data on the Baloise 
share, the IR agenda, the latest presentations and how to con-
tact Investor Relations on the Internet at www.baloise. com/
investors. The information is available in German and English.

inFormation For media rePresentatives
At  www.baloise.com/media  you  will  find  the  latest  media 
releases, presentations, reports, pictures and podcast files of 
various Baloise events as well as media contact details.

note on Forward-looKing statements 
This  publication  is  intended  to  provide  an  overview  of  
Baloise’s business performance. It contains forward-looking 
statements including forecasts of future events, plans, goals, 
business  developments  and  results  based  on  the  current  
expectations and assumptions of Baloise management. These 
forward-looking statements should be used with due cau-
tion as they contain both known and unknown risks. They 
also contain uncertainties and may be affected adversely by 
other factors. In consequence, business performance, results, 
plans and goals could differ materially from those presented 
explicitly or implicitly in these forward-looking statements. 
Influencing factors include (i) changes in the overall state of 
the economy, especially in key markets; (ii) financial market 
performance; (iii) competitive factors; (iv) changes in inter-
est rates; (v) changes in exchange rates; (vi) changes in the 
statutory and regulatory framework including accounting 
standards; (vii) frequency and magnitude of claims and de-
velopment of claims history; (viii) mortality and morbidity 
rates; (ix) renewals and maturity of insurance policies; (x) 
legal disputes and administrative proceedings; (xi) departure 
of key employees; (xii) negative publicity and media reports.
Baloise assumes no obligation to update or revise these 
forward-looking statements, to consider new information, 
future events etc. The past performance of Baloise is no in-
dication of future results.

© 2011 Bâloise Holding Ltd, CH-4002 Basel 

Publisher  Baloise, Corporate Communications
Concept, design  Eclat, Erlenbach (ZH)
Photography  Christian Grund and Stephan Knecht, Zurich
Publishing system  Multimedia Solutions AG, Zurich
Printing  UD Print AG, Lucerne

We would like to express special thanks to Dr Heidi Bächli,  
Ueli Steck and Mihovil Španja for their valuable support.

111

Content

Baloise 
Baloise key figures  .............................. ........ ........ .... . . Cover
At a glance  . . .. . . . . ............................ ........ ..... ... . . ... . . . .. . . . . Cover

rePorts “well PrePared” ................................. ...........  1

shareholder inFormation
Letter to shareholders  ........ ....................... ........ ............  22
Baloise share  .. . . .............................. ........ ....... ... . . ... . . . .. .....  24
Our markets  . . .. . ............................ ........ ........ . ... . . ... . .. . ......  26
Brand and strategy  ................................... ........ ...... .. .....  28

review oF Business year
Group  . . . .. . . . . . . . ... . ............... ........... ......... . . ... . . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .......  29
Countries  . . .. . . . .. . ......................... ........ ....... . ... . . .. .. .. . ..  33 – 36

sustainaBle Business management
Human Resources  .............................. ........ ........ .... . .......  38
Ecology  . . . . . .. . . . . .. ...................... ........ ....... . ... . . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .....  42
Risk Management  ......... .......................... ........ ....... . . ......  44

CorPorate governanCe
Corporate Governance Report 
including Compensation Report  .................................  48

FinanCial inFormation
Consolidated income statement  ..................................  85
Consolidated balance sheet  .......... .......................... ......  87
Business volume, premiums and combined ratio  ....  88
Technical income statement  ............................. ...........  90
Gross premiums by sectors  ................................... .......  91
Banking activities  ................................... ........ ....... . . . .....  92
Investment performance  .............................. ........ ........  93

Bâloise holding  .................................. ........ ......  96 – 105
glossary  ....... . . ........................ ........ ........ . . ... . . ... . .. .. . .. ...  106
addresses  . ........................ ........ ........ ........ ... . . ... . .. . .. .....  110
inFormation on the Baloise grouP  ....... ..............  111
Key dates and ContaCts  ............................... .......  Cover

Key dates and contacts

22.3.2011

Annual results: 
media conference
telephone conference
financial analysts 

29.4.2011

Bâloise Holding Ltd
Annual General Meeting 

30.8.2011

21.3.2012

Half-year results:
telephone conference
media / financial analysts

Annual results: 
media conference
telephone conference
financial analysts 

27.4.2012

Bâloise Holding Ltd
Annual General Meeting

Corporate governance
Dr Thomas Sieber
Aeschengraben 21
CH-4002 Basel
Telephone + 41 58 285 86 48
thomas.sieber@baloise.com

investor relations
Marc Kaiser
Aeschengraben 21
CH-4002 Basel
Telephone + 41 58 285 86 84
investor.relations@baloise.com

media relations
Dominik Müller
Aeschengraben 21
CH-4002 Basel
Telephone + 41 58 285 74 71
media.relations@baloise.com

   www.baloise.com

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Bâloise holding ltd
Aeschengraben 21
CH-4002 Basel

   www.baloise.com

making you safer.