Roche confirms election of new chairman

Roche has confirmed the election of Dr Christoph Franz as its new chairman at its annual general meeting.

Dr Franz was chosen as the chairman of the board of directors with 99.8 percent of the vote, having been a member of the board since 2011. He has been appointed as the successor to Dr Franz Humer, who is leaving the company after almost 20 years.

Meanwhile, shareholders voted in favour of all of the board's proposals at the meeting, authorising a six percent increase in the gross dividend for the past financial year. This represents the 27th consecutive rise.

Dr Humer commented on his exit: "The company is very well-positioned for the future. I am convinced that Christoph Franz as the new chairman will continue Roche's success story together with the board and the executive committee."

During 2013, Roche saw a six percent year-on-year increase in group sales, thanks to strong sales of products such as Avastin, MabThera/Rituxan, Actemra/RoActemra and Lucentis.