Swisscom, Sika, and Sonova top the Swiss podium

 By Arianna Evans

The latest Webranking by Comprend 2019-2020 Swiss edition in collaboration with Lundquist evaluated 55 Swiss companies. The findings reveal a year of stagnation for Swiss companies, where the overall average dropped by 2.5 points. However, Swiss companies have remained stable when it comes to passing the stress test and achieving over 50 points in their ranking – 51% passed, 45% were held back, and only 4% failed. This is a clear demonstration of a generally well-ingrained culture of transparency in Switzerland, although there is nevertheless not quite enough being done to push past mere compliance.

Telecommunications company Swisscom take first place for the third year running and a spot on the podium for the 5th year running, with 80.6 points. Sika comes in second with 78.7 points, and Sonova is third with 77.5 points.

Swiss companies fare well in their respective sectors  

Shifting our attention to company performance per sector, we find Swisscom atop the list yet again in the Telecommunications sector. Sonova on the other hand is first in the Healthcare sector, an impressive sector to excel in. Impressive runners-up include Nestlé comes in the Food & Beverage sector, and Sika in the Construction & Materials sector.

Switzerland’s transparency falls in line with the European rankings average

The Swiss average of 47.5 points dropped from last year’s 50-point average (-2.5 points). This decrease was virtually in line with the European average, which dropped by 2.1 points on average. Stakeholder expectations for transparency standards are undoubtedly more demanding. Over 70% of the companies considered in the individual country research (40 out of 55) have also been included in the Europe 500 list, a list composed of Europe’s largest companies by market cap. A clear indication that corporate Switzerland continues to be well-represented on the Continent.

While Swiss companies fit well into the European average, they do not shine. In fact, the European podium is dominated by Italian and Nordic companies, while the top performing Swiss company comes in at 11^th place in the Europe 500 list (Swisscom).  Sika and Sonova also make it into the top 15, and Givaudan into the top 25. A total of 8 Swiss companies fall into the top 50.

Looking forward, Swiss companies will need to face the challenge of greater transparency standards and step up to the plate when it comes to presenting more comprehensive and substantial information.

See the full Swiss results