6-K 1 a20210318-6k_b.htm 6-K

 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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Form 6-K
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REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
March 18, 2021
 
Commission File Number 001-15244
 
CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG
 
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
 
Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
(Address of principal executive office)
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Commission File Number 001-33434
 
CREDIT SUISSE AG
 
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
 
Paradeplatz 8, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
(Address of principal executive office)
______________
 

 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
 
Form 20-F ☒
Form 40-F ☐
 

 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):
 
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders.
 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):
 
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrant’s “home country”), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrant’s securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrant’s security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.
 

 

 
 
 
This report on Form 6-K is being filed by Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG and is hereby incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement on Form F-3 (file no. 333-238458) and the Registration Statements on Form S-8 (file nos. 333-101259, 333-208152 and 333-217856), except for the information under the heading “Professional background of Ulrich Körner,” the paragraph immediately preceding such heading and the sentence “Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com.” Information contained on our website or referenced in this report via website links is not incorporated by reference into this report.
 
 
 
 

 
Media Release
   

 
Credit Suisse Group names Ulrich Körner as CEO Asset Management and a member of the Executive Board
Asset Management to be managed as separate Division going forward
 
Zurich, March 18, 2021 – Subsequent to the announcements regarding the Credit Suisse Asset Management (CSAM) managed supply chain finance funds, the Board of Directors of Credit Suisse Group AG today announced the appointment of Ulrich Körner as CEO Asset Management and a member of the Executive Board of Credit Suisse Group, effective April 1, 2021. From that date, the Asset Management business will be separated from the International Wealth Management division and managed as a new separate division, emphasizing the strategic importance of the asset management business for the bank and its clients. As a member of the Executive Board, Ulrich Körner will report directly to the Group CEO, Thomas Gottstein. The current Global Head Asset Management, Eric Varvel, will work alongside Ulrich Körner in the coming months to facilitate the transition, and will then focus on his other roles as CEO Credit Suisse Holdings (USA) and Chairman of the Investment Bank.

Philipp Wehle will continue to lead the International Wealth Management division as a member of the Executive Board.

Urs Rohner, Chairman of Credit Suisse, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Ulrich Körner back to Credit Suisse, where he had a successful career in various Executive Board level roles. With his excellent track record at Credit Suisse and UBS, where he developed and successfully executed the asset management growth strategy, Ueli is excellently positioned to lead our new Asset Management division going forward.”

Thomas Gottstein, Group CEO, stated: “Ulrich Körner is an excellent addition to our leadership team, reinforcing its values and performance culture. Ueli is a strong leader and strategic thinker with proven ability in business development and profitable growth in asset management, as well as in business transformation. I am very much looking forward to working with Ueli on the Executive Board and I am confident that he can greatly contribute to the work to be done in the current situation and will lead the new Asset Management division to future success.”

Ulrich Körner is a proven financial expert with deep Executive Board level experience in the financial services industry spanning the areas of asset management, finance and operations. He was most recently serving as Senior Advisor to the CEO of UBS Group from 2019 to 2020. Prior to that he served as CEO of UBS Asset Management from 2014 to 2019. He was previously an Executive at Credit Suisse and held roles, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Credit Suisse Financial Services and CEO Switzerland. Ulrich Körner holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).

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Media Release
   

 
Professional background of Ulrich Körner

 
2009 - 2020
 
UBS
Member of the Group Executive Board
§ Senior Advisor to the CEO of UBS Group (2019-2020)
§ CEO of UBS Asset Management (2014-2019)
§ CEO of UBS Europe, Middle East & Africa (2011-2019)
§ Group Chief Operating Officer, CEO of Corporate Center (2009-2013)
 
 
1998 – 2009
 
Credit Suisse
Member of the Group Executive Board
§ CEO Switzerland (2006-2008)
§ Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer (since 2004) of Credit Suisse/Credit Suisse Financial Services (2002-2005)
§ CEO Technology and Services (2000-2001)
§ CFO Switzerland (1998-2000)
 
 
 
1993
1988
 
Education
PhD in Economics, University of St. Gallen
Master’s degree in Economics, University of St. Gallen
 


Inquiries
 
Media Relations
Credit Suisse AG
+41 844 33 88 44
media.relations@credit-suisse.com


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Media Release
   

 
Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse is one of the world's leading financial services providers. Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse's core strengths: its position as a leading wealth manager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market of Switzerland. We seek to follow a balanced approach to wealth management, aiming to capitalize on both the large pool of wealth within mature markets as well as the significant growth in wealth in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets, while also serving key developed markets with an emphasis on Switzerland. Credit Suisse employs approximately 48,770 people. The registered shares (CSGN) of Credit Suisse Group AG, are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com.

Important information
Investors and others should note that we announce important company information (including quarterly earnings releases and financial reports as well as our annual sustainability report) to the investing public using press releases, SEC and Swiss ad hoc filings, our website and public conference calls and webcasts. We also routinely use our Twitter account @creditsuisse (https://twitter.com/creditsuisse), our LinkedIn account (https://www.linkedin.com/company/credit-suisse/), our Instagram accounts (https://www.instagram.com/creditsuisse_careers/ and https://www.instagram.com/creditsuisse_ch/), our Facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/creditsuisse/) and other social media channels as additional means to disclose public information, including to excerpt key messages from our public disclosures. We may share or retweet such messages through certain of our regional accounts, including through Twitter at @csschweiz (https://twitter.com/csschweiz) and @csapac (https://twitter.com/csapac). Investors and others should take care to consider such abbreviated messages in the context of the disclosures from which they are excerpted. The information we post on these social media accounts is not a part of this document.

Information referenced in this document, whether via website links or otherwise, is not incorporated into this document.

The English language version of this document is the controlling version.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information
This document contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. In addition, in the future we, and others on our behalf, may make statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the following:
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our plans, targets or goals;
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our future economic performance or prospects;
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the potential effect on our future performance of certain contingencies; and
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assumptions underlying any such statements.
Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends” and “plans” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. We do not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections and other outcomes described or implied in forward-looking statements will not be achieved. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause results to differ materially from the plans, targets, goals, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements and that the COVID-19 pandemic creates significantly greater uncertainty about forward-looking statements in addition to the factors that generally affect our business. These factors include:
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the ability to maintain sufficient liquidity and access capital markets;
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market volatility and interest rate fluctuations and developments affecting interest rate levels, including the persistence of a low or negative interest rate environment;
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the strength of the global economy in general and the strength of the economies of the countries in which we conduct our operations, in particular the risk of negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and financial markets and the risk of continued slow economic recovery or downturn in the EU, the US or other developed countries or in emerging markets in 2021 and beyond;
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the emergence of widespread health emergencies, infectious diseases or pandemics, such as COVID-19, and the actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the outbreak or to counter its impact;
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potential risks and uncertainties relating to the severity of impacts from COVID-19 and the duration of the pandemic, including potential material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations;
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the direct and indirect impacts of deterioration or slow recovery in residential and commercial real estate markets;
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adverse rating actions by credit rating agencies in respect of us, sovereign issuers, structured credit products or other credit-related exposures;
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the ability to achieve our strategic goals, including those related to our targets, ambitions and financial goals;
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the ability of counterparties to meet their obligations to us and the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses;
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the effects of, and changes in, fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, trade and tax policies;
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the effects of currency fluctuations, including the related impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations due to moves in foreign exchange rates;
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political, social and environmental developments, including war, civil unrest or terrorist activity and climate change;

 
 
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Media Release
   
 
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the ability to appropriately address social, environmental and sustainability concerns that may arise from our business activities;
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the effects of, and the uncertainty arising from, the UK’s withdrawal from the EU;
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the possibility of foreign exchange controls, expropriation, nationalization or confiscation of assets in countries in which we conduct our operations;
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operational factors such as systems failure, human error, or the failure to implement procedures properly;
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the risk of cyber attacks, information or security breaches or technology failures on our reputation, business or operations, the risk of which is increased while large portions of our employees work remotely;
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the adverse resolution of litigation, regulatory proceedings and other contingencies;
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actions taken by regulators with respect to our business and practices and possible resulting changes to our business organization, practices and policies in countries in which we conduct our operations;
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the effects of changes in laws, regulations or accounting or tax standards, policies or practices in countries in which we conduct our operations;
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the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and other interbank offered rates and the transition to alternative reference rates;
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the potential effects of changes in our legal entity structure;
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competition or changes in our competitive position in geographic and business areas in which we conduct our operations;
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the ability to retain and recruit qualified personnel;
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the ability to maintain our reputation and promote our brand;
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the ability to increase market share and control expenses;
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technological changes instituted by us, our counterparties or competitors;
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the timely development and acceptance of our new products and services and the perceived overall value of these products and services by users;
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acquisitions, including the ability to integrate acquired businesses successfully, and divestitures, including the ability to sell non-core assets; and
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other unforeseen or unexpected events and our success at managing these and the risks involved in the foregoing.
We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. When evaluating forward-looking statements, you should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and events, including the information set forth in “Risk factors” in I – Information on the company in our Annual Report 2020.

Disclaimer
This document was produced by and the opinions expressed are those of Credit Suisse as of the date of writing and are subject to change. It has been prepared solely for information purposes and for the use of the recipient. It does not constitute an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of Credit Suisse to any person to buy or sell any security. Any reference to past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future. The information and analysis contained in this publication have been compiled or arrived at from sources believed to be reliable but Credit Suisse does not make any representation as to their accuracy or completeness and does not accept liability for any loss arising from the use hereof.

Copyright © 2021 Credit Suisse and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.



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SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrants have duly caused this report to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
   
CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG and CREDIT SUISSE AG
   
(Registrants)
     
 
By:
/s/ Flavio Lardelli
   
Flavio Lardelli
   
Director
   
     
    /s/ Annina Müller
    Annina Müller
Date: March 18, 2021   Vice President