In order to guarantee a unique vision to the Insureds of both Foundations, the Boards of Trustees have opted for an identical organization and the same partners.
Auditors
The Boards of Trustees have appointed KPMG SA as the statutory auditor. KPMG is responsible for conducting an annual audit and evaluating the appropriateness and legal compliance of the organization, policies and the reasonableness of accounting as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. The auditor monitors the resolutions taken by the Boards of Trustees to ensure an ethical administration of the assets of the Pension Funds and the Foundations and assesses that the internal control systems of the Foundations are adapted to their structure.
Accredited pension expert
The Boards of Trustees have appointed Aon Suisse SA as the Foundations’ accredited pension expert. Aon Suisse SA submits an actuarial report at regular intervals and an annual report on the financial condition of each Pension Fund. Aon Suisse SA is also responsible to determine the adequate measures to be taken in the event of underfunding for the Pension Funds affiliated to the FCT.
Supervisory Authority
The FCT and the FCT 1e are subject to oversight by the supervisory authority in the canton in which they have their head office, namely, the Autorité cantonale de surveillance des fondations et des institutions de prévoyance (so called “ASFIP”) in Geneva. The supervisory authority ensures that the FCT and the FCT 1e, its auditors and accredited pension expert comply with the law and regulations. It also ensures that the Foundations’ assets are used exclusively for pension purposes. As part of its remit, ASFIP verifies the provisions of the Foundations’ statutes and rules, reviews the reports of the pension actuary and the auditors and, on request, verifies the conditions, procedure and distribution plan in the event of a total or partial liquidation.
Administration and communication
All the operational support tasks, comprising the administrative, technical, accounting and financial management of the FCT and the FCT 1e are performed by Trianon SA. In order to facilitate the exchange of information while respecting the Data Protection Act, the Insureds have access to a secure internet portal. This portal allows the Foundations’ Insureds to access general information concerning their Pension Fund, such as the rules and performance reports; other functions allow them to view their benefits statements, perform various individual pension simulations, and announce changes in their personal situation. Within the FCT 1e, Insureds select their individual investment strategies via this portal, where they can find all the relative information on risks and costs. Those responsible for human resources and finance have dedicated access to process mutations and consult data directly related to the company (contribution invoices, payments, etc.).
Management Board
In order to further enhance the quality of its governance, the Board of Trustees has decided to create in 2018 a new Management Support Unit hosted in a company fully owned by FCT and FCT 1e, FCT Services SA. This company is responsible for the independent negotiation of all the contracts with the partners and service providers of the FCT and the FCT 1e, ensure their smooth and coherent development according to the strategic vision of the Boards of Trustees, overseeing overall risk management, monitoring legal developments and guarantee a full coordination between the two Foundations. To this end, the Board of Directors of the FCT Services SA is composed of the members of the Boards of Trustees of the FCT and the FCT 1e.
Reinsurance and distribution
Reinsurance of death and disability risks is invoiced periodically on a flat-rate premium basis calculated at 1st January each year. This premium includes management fees for reinsurance, distribution activities, takeover of new clients, presentation of annual accounts to the Pension Committees, communications and day-to-day personalized support to HR departments and Insureds (services or projects not included in the ordinary management are invoiced separately), changes to the pension plan(s) and absence management (work disability).
Asset Management
Custodian fees, management fees and investment advisory fees depend on the conditions set by the banking partners and/or consultants chosen by the Pension Committees.
Boards of Trustees
As the supreme bodies of the Foundations, the Boards of Trustees are responsible for the overall management of the FCT and FCT 1e, ensure the execution of the statutory duties, define the strategic objectives and principles, and the means for their implementation. They define the organization of the Foundations, ensure their financial stability and supervise their administration. Their members, elected by the Pension Committees every five years, must have a solid expertise in the field of occupational benefits and enhance their knowledge on a continuing basis. The Boards of Trustees are supported by expert committees (legal/actuarial, investment and development committees) to assist them in their strategic tasks and decision-making.
In addition to its Multi-employer and Company solutions, the FCT Group offers to its Insureds the Individual solution (pension plans with individual choice of investment strategy – “1e plans”) since many years. It was therefore quite naturally that it created a Foundation entirely dedicated to this type of plans, the FCT 1e, which has spread its wings on the 1st January 2020.
The members of the Boards of Trustees of the FCT are :
Jacques Allegra, Zwahlen et Mayr S.A., employer representative, President
Stève Zaccarini, Interacid Trading S.A., employer representative
Martin Côté, Freemont Management SA, representative of the Insureds, Vice-President
Wilfrid Profichet, Nahmani Grunder & Cie SA , representative of the Insureds
The members of the Boards of Trustees of the FCT 1e are :
Adrien Jöhr, Interacid Trading S.A., employer representative, President
Nicolas Clerc, Caterpillar Sarl, employer representative
Wilfrid Profichet, Nahmani Grunder & Cie SA, representative of the Insureds, Vice-President
Christian Moraldo, Tetra Pak International SA, representative of the Insureds
Pension Committee
Each company or group of companies affiliated to the FCT or the FCT 1e as its own independent Pension Fund within the Foundation. Each Fund is managed by a Joint Pension Committee consisting of representatives elected by the active Insureds or appointed by the employer. The Pension Committee is responsible for defining in particular its reinsurer for death and disability risks, its banking partner, its investment strategy, its pension plan(s), the interest rate on savings accounts, etc.
Each Fund has complete financial and accounting independence and carries no responsibility for the liabilities of other Funds. Each Fund operates as a semi-autonomous occupational benefits institution, i.e. it is insured for death and disability risks only.
The Pension Funds affiliated to the FCT bear the investment risk and keep their wealth. Simplified Asset Liability Management (ALM) studies are carried out annually by the accredited pension expert in order to allow the Pension Committee to monitor the investment strategy so as to guarantee that the structure of the investments enables the payment of the benefits.
Within the FCT 1e, the Pension Funds choose the range of individual investment strategies offered to their Insureds, of which one must be a low-risk strategy.
