The Supervisory Board of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is obliged to define targets for the representation of female members in the Supervisory Board as well as an implementation period and to report on the defined targets and their achievement during the relevant reference period or in the event of a failure to meet these targets, on the reasons for this, as part of the declaration on corporate governance. The definition of targets for the composition of the Management Board is for companies which, like Fresenius Medical Care, are organized in the legal form of a partnership limited by shares, is by contrast expressly not required. Likewise, also the Supervisory Board of Fresenius Medical Care Management AG is not required to define targets for the Management Board, because Fresenius Medical Care Management AG is not in the scope of the relevant legal provisions. With two of in total seven members of the Management Board as of December 31, 2019 being female, the share of women in the Management Board of Fresenius Management AG amounted to around 29 % in 2019.
The Supervisory Board of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA has resolved on May 10, 2017 to set the target for the representation of female Supervisory Board members at 30 % and has set an implementation period ending on May 9, 2022. With two female members (33 %), the composition of the Supervisory Board in 2019 since the election of Dr. Dorothea Wenzel – as before until the resignation of Ms. Deborah Doyle McWhinney effective November 1, 2018 – was again in line with this target.
Pursuant to the Act on Equal Participation of Women and Men in Leadership Positions, the Management Board is obliged to define targets for female representation in the two top management levels below the Management Board as well as an appropriate implementation period. In a first step, the Management Board on September 28, 2015, had resolved to define the two top management levels below the Management Board in relation to the participation of executives in the group-wide Long-Term Incentive Program (“LTIP”). In a second step, the Management Board resolved on January 13, 2016 upon targets for female representation for the two top management levels below the Management Board and upon the implementation period to end on December 31, 2020. Notwithstanding the determination of these two management levels, the best indicator for Fresenius Medical Care for women holding management positions worldwide is the total number of participants in the group-wide LTIP. Compared with 2018, the share of women in these management positions slightly increased and amounted to around 34 % at the end of 2019 (2018: 33 %).
The first management level includes all managers worldwide who directly report to a member of the Management Board and participate in the LTIP. The target that shall be achieved by end of the implementation period on December 31, 2020 is 18.8 %. The share of female executives (as of December 31, 2019) was 23.0 % (2018: 21.1 %). The target of 18.8 % that shall be achieved by end of the implementation period on December 31, 2020, hence, has at present already been surpassed by the Company.
The second management level includes all managers worldwide who directly report to a management executive of the first management level and participate in the LTIP. The target (until December 31, 2020) is 28.2 %. The share of female managers as of December 31, 2019 was 29.7 % (2018: 27.4 %). The defined target, thus, has also been surpassed for this management level.
Overall, the recruiting and staffing practice of Fresenius Medical Care as well as the selection decisions regarding the hiring and promotion to top management levels will also in the future be taken with a focus on the specific qualifications of the individual. For this reason, the Management Board will select candidates for the top management of Fresenius Medical Care according to the candidate’s excellence and suitability for the specific role and function in such management positions, regardless of their race, gender or other non-performance related attributes. However, the increased focus on diversity in Fresenius Medical Care’s talent pipelines will further support an inclusive work environment and ensure that Fresenius Medical Care’s employees continue to have equal career opportunities.