Rational AG is back in the MDAX and welcomes new members to the Supervisory Board

Rational AG is back in the MDAX and welcomes new members to the Supervisory Board

Landsberg am Lech, 6 June 2024     Deutsche Börse informed the capital market on the evening of 5 June 2024 that Rational was returning to the MDAX. “After our temporary absence, we look forward to being back in the MDAX and hence part of the DAX family again from 24 June 2024,” reports Rational CEO Dr Peter Stadelmann.

The three-month exclusion was due to an index criterion not being met at the start of the year. For Deutsche Börse, a formal quality criterion for good corporate governance is that the Chair of the Audit Committee is “independent” according to the German Corporate Governance Code (the Code). The former Chair of the Audit Committee of Rational AG, Dr Hans Maerz, no longer met this criterion due to his long tenure on the Supervisory Board. With a term of office exceeding 12 years, he was no longer considered independent according to the Code. Rational had duly communicated this in its declaration of conformity.

The company’s succession plan included several new appointments to the Supervisory Board at the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders on 8 May 2024. As planned, Dr Maerz, after serving a little over 12 years, did not stand for re-election to the company’s Supervisory Board. The newly elected Supervisory Board member, Clarissa Käfer, is now the Chair of the Audit Committee. “At Rational, correct, and good corporate governance has always been a core element of the company’s success. We are pleased that by taking this step, we now also once again meet the formal criteria of Deutsche Börse for good corporate governance,” explains Dr Stadelmann. “We thank Dr Maerz for his many years of successful service on the Supervisory Board. We cannot imagine a better successor than Ms Käfer. As an auditor and tax consultant, she is a proven expert in finance and accounting, and also knows our industry,” the CEO adds.

Alongside Ms Käfer, Dr Christoph Lintz and Mr Moritz Graser, son of Mr Walter Kurtz, were also newly appointed to the company’s Supervisory Board. Walter Kurtz, Erich Baumgärtner, Werner Schwind and Dr Johannes Würbser were confirmed as members of the board. Mr Kurtz was re-elected as Chair of the Supervisory Board. The new composition of the Supervisory Board indicates a clear rejuvenation and an orderly generational shift. It is also the first time that a woman is part of the board.

Across the Group, Rational has more than 2,600 employees, referred to internally as U.i.U.s (Entrepreneurs in the Company). “Our U.i.U.s are the key to our success and make Rational a great company. We have a great deal of confidence in our U.i.U.s and expect them to do their best to offer our customers the best possible benefit,” says the CEO. The employees seem to appreciate this. According to the latest survey, 87 percent of them are proud to work at Rational.

Contact:

Rational Aktiengesellschaft

Stefan Arnold / Head of Investor Relations
Tel. +49 (0)8191 327-2209
Fax +49 (0)8191 327-72 2209

E-mail: ir@rational-online.com
rational-online.com

Editorial note:

The Rational Group is the global market and technology leader for thermal preparation of food in professional kitchens. The company, founded in 1973, employs more than 2,600 people, around 1,480 of whom are in Germany. Rational was floated in the Prime Standard of the German stock market in 2000.

The company’s principal objective is to offer maximum customer benefit at all times. Rational is committed to the principle of sustainability, which is expressed in its corporate policies on environmental protection, leadership, job security and social responsibility. Numerous international awards bear witness to the high quality of the work done by Rational’s employees year for year.