Jun 15, 2026
Events
VAT Group AG regularly reviews its corporate governance framework and discloses information on Corporate Governance in accordance with the SIX Swiss Exchange Directive on Information relating to Corporate Governance, the Swiss Ordinance against Excessive Compensation with respect to Listed Stock Corporations, and the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance. In addition, VAT Group has implemented a Code of Conduct, setting out VAT Groups key principles.
Board of Directors
Dr. Martin Komischke
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Martin Komischke was elected to VAT’s board of directors as its chairman at the AGM in May 2017 and has been re-elected annually since. From 2004 to 2016, he served as CEO of HOERBIGER Holding AG, having previously headed the company’s Drive Technology strategic business unit and served as a member of the executive board from 1996 to 2003. Before that, he held various functions at Kolbenschmidt AG and Mannesmann-Sachs AG. Dr. Komischke currently chairs the boards of HOERBIGER Holding AG (a position he has held since 2016) and HOERBIGER GmbH (since 1993). He is also a member of the board of directors of Stäubli Holding AG (since 2016), a member of the supervisory board of Aixtron SE (since 2013), and vice-president of the board of trustees of the HOERBIGER Foundation (since 2016). Dr. Komischke holds a degree and a doctorate in electrical and mechanical engineering from the University of Aachen (Germany).
Urs Leinhäuser
Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors
Urs Leinhäuser was elected to VAT’s board of directors in March 2016 and has been re-elected annually since. He became vice-chairman in May 2022. From 1995 to 1999, he was head of Corporate Controlling at Georg Fischer AG and later CFO of the company’s Piping Systems division. From 1999 to 2003, he served as CFO of Mövenpick Holding AG. From 2003 to 2011, Mr. Leinhäuser was CFO and head of the corporate center at Rieter Holding AG. After the spin-off of Autoneum Holding AG from Rieter Holding AG in 2011, he served as CFO and deputy CEO of Autoneum Holding AG until 2014. Since 2014, Mr. Leinhäuser has been self-employed, becoming a partner in Adulco GmbH in 2016 and managing partner in 2017. Since 2013, he has served on the board of directors of Ammann Group Holding AG. In 2017, he joined the board of directors of Avesco AG, and in 2019 the board of directors of PENSADOR Partner AG. Since 2017, Mr. Leinhäuser has also been a member of the advisory board of EAC International Consulting. He holds a degree in business administration from the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich (Switzerland).
Libo Zhang
Member of the Board of Directors
Libo Zhang was elected as a member of the board of directors of VAT in May 2018 and has been re-elected annually since. Ms. Zhang is an independent senior consultant in finance, controlling, and corporate structuring. Previously, she had CFO roles at FFG Europa & Americas, MAG IAS GmbH (a German machine manufacturer), and Borgward Group AG (a German auto manufacturer). From 2010 to 2015, she held various senior financial management positions in Germany and Asia at SGL Group, a leading global manufacturer of carbon-based products, where her roles included regional CFO and senior manager of corporate development, mergers, and acquisitions. For more than ten years prior to that, she held senior positions in finance and commercial operations in the German engineering and aerospace sector. Currently, Ms. Zhang serves as a member of the advisory board of SPT Roth AG and as a member of the board of LEM International SA. She holds a PhD in economics and an MBA from Georg-August University in Göttingen (Germany).
Daniel Lippuner
Member of the Board of Directors
Daniel Lippuner was elected to the VAT board of directors in May 2020 and has been re-elected annually since. From 2017 to 2019, he was the chief operating officer of Meyer Burger Group, a global technology leader in the solar photovoltaic industry. Before that, he served as CEO of Saurer AG, and over the course of more than 25 years held senior management positions at other international companies including OC Oerlikon, Hilti Group, and Rieter Automotive. Mr. Lippuner is currently chairman of the board of directors of Heberlein Technology AG and a member of the board of directors of Komax Holding AG, also sitting on the board of trustees of Remnex Anlagestiftung investment foundation. He holds a degree in economics and business administration from the University of Applied Sciences, St. Gallen (Switzerland).
Petra Denk
Member of the Board of Directors
Petra Denk was elected as a member of the board of directors of VAT in May 2023 and has been re-elected annually since. She is currently professor of energy and economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Landshut, (Germany) and director and founder of the Institute of Systemic Energy Consulting Ltd, also in Landshut. Prior to her professorship, she held a number of senior management positions at E.ON Energie in Munich, with experience in mergers and acquisitions, business development, and strategy development. Ms. Denk is a member of the supervisory board of Pfisterer AG. She also sits on the board of directors of Berner Kraftwerke AG and on the scientific board of the Center of Applied Energy Studies, a German institution focused on reducing CO2 emissions through renewable energy and efficiency measures. Ms. Denk holds a PhD in physics from the University of Munich (Germany)and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in Paris (France).
Thomas Piliszczuk
Member of the Board of Directors
Thomas Piliszczuk was elected as a member of the board of directors of VAT in May 2024 and has been re-elected annually since. He is a member of the executive board of Imec, the world’s biggest research and development center for nanoelectronics and digital technologies, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. From 2009 to 2023, he held various senior and executive management positions at Soitec S.A., a global leader in the design and manufacture of engineered substrates for the semiconductor industry, based in Bernin (France). Prior to his role at Soitec, Mr. Piliszczuk worked at KLA Corporation in San Jose (USA), a global leader in yield management solutions for the semiconductor industry, and Sematech International in Austin, Texas, a worldwide development center for semiconductors. In 2024, he became a member of the board of NEXDOT, and since 2025 has sat on the board of the SEMI Board of Industry Leaders. He holds an engineering degree from Gdansk University of Technology (Poland), a PhD in Physics from Heidelberg (Germany), and an executive MBA from Stanford (United States).
Clara-Ann Gordon
Member of the Board of Directors
Clara-Ann Gordon was elected as a member of the board of directors of VAT in April 2025 and re-elected in April 2026. She is a legal professional with a long career in technology, data protection, and corporate law. Since 2016, she has been a partner at Niederer Kraft Frey AG in Zurich (Switzerland), where she co-leads the technology team and is responsible for technology-focused M&A, data protection compliance, CRM, legaltech implementation, and cloud migration initiatives. Previously, she was a partner at Pestalozzi Rechtsanwälte AG after roles at several Zurich- and London-based law firms. Ms. Gordon serves as a member of the board of Niederer Kraft Frey AG and as chair of the Board of Privado Networks AG. She chairs the legal chapter of the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce and sits on the board of the Swiss Cancer League. She holds a master of laws (LLM) from Queen Mary & Westfield College, London (UK), and a degree in law from the University of Bern (Switzerland) and is an attorney-at-law in Canton Bern.
Mike Allison
Member of the Board of Directors
Michael (Mike) Allison was elected as a member of the VAT Board of Directors in April 2025 and re-elected in April 2026. He is an executive with extensive leadership experience in the semiconductor and vacuum technology industries. From 2018 to 2023, he served as CEO of VAT Group, where he played a central role in the company’s transformation and growth. Earlier, he held senior global leadership positions at Edwards/Atlas Copco, including President of the Semiconductor Division, and spent two decades at KLA‑Tencor in executive roles across the US, Europe, and Asia. Since 2023, he has acted as a strategic advisor to Tinicum Private Equity Group, New York, advising on semiconductor-related assets and platform strategies. He served as a member of the board of WGNSTAR, Dublin (Ireland), and is also a member of the board of Attolight AG. Mr. Allison holds a BSc honors in electrical & electronic engineering from Glasgow University (UK).
Group Executive Committee
Urs Gantner
CEO
was appointed CEO of VAT Group as of January 2024. He was previously EVP Semiconductor Solutions Group of VAT since August 2022. Mr. Gantner joined VAT in 2004 as a product manager and development engineer and was appointed head of the Semiconductor business unit in 2015. Prior to joining VAT, Mr. Gantner was an R&D engineer at Hamilton Medical AG. He also worked at Switzerland’s Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) as a scientist in the comprehensive assessment of energy systems. Mr. Gantner holds a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).
Fabian Chiozza
CFO
was named CFO of VAT Group in 2021, effective as of the beginning of April. Mr. Chiozza joined VAT from Autoneum Group, the global leader in acoustic and thermal management for the automotive industry, where he was the divisional CFO for the Business Group South America, Middle East and Africa. Before that, Mr. Chiozza held a variety of senior finance positions at Rieter Group, including Group Controller, and established a successful track record in corporate development and mergers and acquisitions. He holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Switzerland.
Thomas Berden
COO
was appointed COO of VAT Group in October 2020. Previously, he was Head of Global Manufacturing for the building and construction products company Hilti AG in Kaufering, Germany. He has also held management positions at BSH Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte and Siemens AG, Germany. Thomas Berden holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and a degree in business economics from the University of Hagen, Germany.
Directors’ dealings
The law requires that the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee Board notify the Swiss Stock Exchange in writing of any significant transactions with shares and other financial tools of the company.
Please find the submitted transactions with VAT financial products on the Swiss Stock Exchange website.
SIX Swiss Exchange, SIX Swiss Exchange