The recipient of this year’s International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, with its €200,000 cash endowment, is the Swiss composer Klaus Huber. Born in 1924 in Bern, Switzerland, Huber is considered a leading figure in contemporary music. The Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts will present Huber with the coveted prize at an official awards ceremony to be held in Munich’s Kammerspiele Theater on May 15, 2009. The laudatory address will be delivered by Swiss music journalist Max Nyffeler. The Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung will award a total of €2.3 million in prize money this year.
Mariel von Drathen (37) has been appointed head of Siemens’ Investor Relations department, effective February 1, 2009. In this capacity, she succeeds Michael Sen (40), who was named Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company’s Healthcare Sector on December 1, 2008.
At a meeting between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the President and CEO of Siemens AG, Peter Löscher, the company was invited to discussions with the federal agency Rosatom. The aim of the talks is to explore possibilities for cooperation between Siemens and Rosatom in the area of nuclear power. “We’re pleased to be invited to discussions on expanding our existing cooperation in energy technology to include nuclear power. We’ve been doing business in Russia for more than 150 years and have built up outstanding and successful partnerships here which we would like to further intensify,” noted Siemens CEO Löscher.
We released our first quarter results for fiscal 2009 on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
Siemens held its Annual Shareholders' Meeting at the Olympia Hall in Munich on January 27, 2009. We compiled all press material for the meeting on this website.
Interest in the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Siemens AG continues unabated in 2009. Some 24,000 shareholders have ordered tickets for the event in Munich’s Olympiahalle. About 11,000 shareholders ordered tickets online via the Internet. Some 63,000 registered to receive meeting documents electronically. By way of comparison: in 2008, roughly 26,000 shareholders ordered tickets and over 12,000 came to the Olympiahalle. The 9,500 shareholders attending represented more than 45 percent of Siemens AG’s capital stock.
“With great relief, a dark chapter in Siemens’ history has been systematically and successfully addressed,” said Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG, at the company’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. Around two years after the start of investigations, the legal proceedings connected with the bribery allegations against the company in Germany and the U.S. have now come to an end. “We would like to express our deep regret that there has been unacceptable misconduct at Siemens in the past. We have done everything in our power to clarify what happened and to identify and correct the causes of misconduct,” added Cromme. “Today, Siemens has a clear, transparent structure with no gray zones of responsibility. At the same time, the company is more efficient, more cost-effective and thus more competitive. Siemens’ internal control mechanisms are among the best in the world. After two difficult years, Siemens once again stands on a firm foundation of integrity. Building on this foundation, we can now move forward,” he said.
"Siemens got off to a good start in fiscal 2009, including better order development than most of our competitors in the first quarter,” commented Siemens CEO Peter Löscher. “Revenue increased strongly, and we have a robust book-to-bill above one. Total Sectors profit clearly exceeded the prior-year level. Therefore we are sticking to our 2009 targets, even though reaching them has become more ambitious. While we are closely monitoring market conditions on a quarterly basis, we are progressing through the year strong, confident and focused.”
At the company’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in Munich, Germany, Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher summed up fiscal 2008 as follows: “Reorganization, cost reduction, portfolio alignment and compliance. We're on the right course, and we’ve quickly made good progress.” Turning to the first quarter of fiscal 2009, Löscher also expressed his satisfaction. Siemens had a solid basis and – as an integrated technology company – a clear focus. However, in view of the difficult business environment, 2009 would not be an easy year. “These are hard times for us, too. Nevertheless, we refuse to join the chorus of those whose pessimistic statements are dragging down the mood even further. Keenly aware of our abilities, potential and opportunities, we’re continuing to pursue our course with self-confidence, strength and determination.”