Roche CEO Pay Ballooned as Stock Tanked; Genentech Acquisition Floundered

(MoneyWatch)  Roche increased the pay of CEO Severin Schwan by nearly 50 percent -- a bump of 1.6 million Swiss francs (about $1.4 million) -- in 2008 even though its stock price fell 24 percent and the company failed its main strategic goal: to acquire Genentech. The company could not even line up financing for the Genentech deal during the year.

Schwan's compensation has tripled from 2006, when he earned 1.7 million francs (about $1.4 million). In 2008, Roche's annual report shows, Schwan earned 5.2 million francs (about $4.5 million).

Last year, he earned 3.6 million francs (about $3.1 million).

During 2008, Roche traded at a high of 49.10. It is now down at the 35.70 level, and declined on the news of its Q4 2008 earnings. Sales were down 1 percent to $45.6 billion for the year; net income was down 5 percent to 10.8 billion. According to the WSJ, Roche is still talking up the Genentech deal, which is now hostile. The company now plans to float bonds to finance its latest, lower bid. When asked in his conference call if Roche had a "plan B" in case the takeover was rebuffed, CFO Erich Hunziker said:

Over the last seven, eight years did you ever see that this management team did not achieve a major task which we have announced to you?

Here ares some of tasks that Roche management failed recently:

1. To acquire Genentech in a timely fashion
2. To line up financing for the bid
3. To keep the stock price up
4. To align executive compensation with the actual performance of the company.

• BNET's Previous Roche-Genentech Coverage:
• Roche Goes Hostile in Genentech Bid; Still Has No Financing Lined Up
• Roche Begging for $45 Billion It Doesn't Have
• Roche-Genentech Deal: $95 Bid Coming by February
• Could Roche-Genentech Deal Price Actually Be Getting Lower?
• Roche Doesn't Have Enough Money for Genentech Deal
• Roche Genentech Deal Conspicuous By Its Absence
• A Worst-Case Scenario in the Roche-Genentech Deal

Image: Schwan, from Roche's web site