Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 42

48 A | TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS | REPORT OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Daimler continued its profitable growth also in the year under
review. The strategy is expressly supported by the Supervisory
Board and is being implemented in a disciplined and successful
manner. New records were set in 2015 for unit sales, revenue
and earnings. Challenges resulting from partially very unfavorable
conditions in some markets were more than offset by successes
in other regions. The Group’s financial strength and sound
balance sheet allow this growth strategy to be continued while
paying out an attractive dividend to our shareholders. The
model range was further expanded once again last year with
competitive products and innovative technologies. Structural
adjustments and ongoing efficiency improvements make the
business model more robust with regard to short- and long-
term changes in the business environment. As a result, we intend
to play a role in shaping the significant changes that our
industry is expected to go through in the coming years from
a position of strength. For this purpose, large volumes of advance
expenditure for the future will be made also in the coming
years. That includes investment in the core business and the
utilization of additional market potential, as well as the
development of new technologies, increasing digitization
and the development of innovative mobility services.
Cooperation between the Supervisory Board
and the Board of Management
The meetings of the Supervisory Board featured open and inten-
sive exchanges of information and opinions. The Supervisory
Board arranged an executive session in each of its meetings
to be able to discuss topics in the absence of the Board of
Management. Participation in the meetings by the members
of the Supervisory Board was at a high level in the year 2015,
as in the previous years. All members of the Supervisory Board
participated in significantly more than half of the meetings
of the Supervisory Board and the committees of which they
are members in the year under review.
In the year 2015, the Supervisory Board performed its tasks
as defined by the law, the Articles of Incorporation and the rules
of procedure. It continually advised and supervised the Board
of Management on the management of the company. It examined
whether the annual company and consolidated financial
statements, the combined management report for the Company
and the Group, and the other financial reporting were in
conformance with the applicable requirements. In addition, it
approved numerous business matters for which its consent
was required following careful reviews and consultations. Those
matters included finance and investment planning, major
capital changes at companies of the Group, key individual invest-
ments and the conclusion of contracts with particular impor-
tance for the Group. The Board of Management informed the
Supervisory Board about a large number of other actions
and transactions and the two boards discussed those matters
together, for example the further development of strategic
programs in the various divisions and the status of various coop-
eration projects. Together with the Board of Management,
the Supervisory Board held intensive and detailed discussions
on the information and assessments that were material for
its decisions and recommendations.
During the reporting period, the Board of Management
regularly informed the Supervisory Board about all significant
key financials of the Group and the divisions. In addition, it
continually provided information to it on all fundamental questions
of corporate planning including finance, investment, sales
and personnel planning, current developments at the companies
of the Group, the development of revenue and the situation
of the Company and the divisions. In addition, the Board
of Management reported to the Supervisory Board continually
on the return on equity and the Group’s liquidity situation,
the development of sales and procurement markets, the overall
economic situation and developments in the capital markets
and in the area of financial services. Additional topics included
the further development of the product portfolio, securing
the Group’s long-term competitiveness and the ongoing imple-
mentation of the measures for safeguarding future-oriented
and sustainable mobility. The Supervisory Board also dealt in
detail with the development of the share price and the
related background as well as the expected impact of strategic
projects on the share price.
Report of the Supervisory Board
Dear Shareholders, the Supervisory Board dealt intensively and extensively with the strategic and
operational development of the Daimler Group in seven meetings during the 2015 financial year.