Compensation governance

The human resources and compensation committee is composed of four independent members of the Board of Directors (BoD). On 31 December 2008, the members were Joerg Wolle (committee chair), Ernesto Bertarelli, Sally Bott and Helmut Panke. The following external advisors supported the committee in 2008: Hostettler & Partner with regard to the design of UBS’s new senior executive compensation program, PricewaterhouseCoopers for the design of the performance equity plan and Towers Perrin for market data.

UBS is committed to the highest standards of corporate governance. The human resources and compensation committee is responsible for reviewing UBS’s principles on total compensation and benefits for submission to the BoD. Additionally, on behalf of the BoD, the committee oversees five key areas of responsibility:

Authorities for compensation-related decisions are governed by the “Organization Regulations of UBS AG”, “Annex B – Responsibilities and authorities”, and “Annex C – Charter for the committees of the Board of Directors of UBS AG”. The structure is shown below:

Grant policy and decision-making process
The committee decides the target amount of variable cash and equity compensation to be awarded to each senior executive based on Group, business division and individual performance, combined with market data.
Individual performance is assessed formally each year by measuring achievement against pre-defined personal objectives. Personal objectives will be focused on areas such as the following: contribution to Group and business division results; exceptional contributions to cross-business co-operation; strategic leadership skills and potential; outstanding professional and technical expertise; commitment to UBS; adherence to corporate values and principles; active risk management and the creation of shareholder value.

UBS places value upon the opinions of its shareholders. At the annual general meeting (AGM) to be held in April 2009, the firm will provide shareholders with an opportunity to express their views through a vote on the compensation principles for senior executives for 2009 and beyond. Refer to the “Compensation principles 2009 and beyond for UBS senior executives” section of this report for the relevant materials. As the ultimate decision on executive compensation is legally within the powers of the BoD, such a vote is nonbinding and advisory in nature. UBS believes that this vote presents an innovative and sensible means of including shareholder participation in compensation matters.