Interview mit CEO Edgar Bachmann - SOCAR ENERGY Switzerland

Media information
Zurich, 25.09.2012
SOCAR Energy
Switzerland GmbH
Media office
T +41 (0) 44 266 67 88
F +41 (0) 44 266 67 00
E press@socarenergy.com
www.socarenergy.com
"We want to play a leading role on the Swiss energy market"
Interview with Edgar Bachmann, CEO SOCAR Energy Switzerland
CEO Edgar Bachmann talks about the business model for his company SOCAR Energy
Switzerland, about what Swiss consumers really want, about the expansion plans for inside
and outside Switzerland and about the importance of oil and gas as energy sources in the
future.
Edgar Bachmann, are you pleased with the first SOCAR filling station in Switzerland?
Edgar Bachmann: I'm delighted! Our new service station by the Europa Bridge in Zurich is
absolutely fantastic, a really up-to-date filling station with a very attractive shop. In short: it's a firstrate
flagship for our young Swiss company.
What are your future expansion plans?
Over the next few months, the premium brand SOCAR will be replacing the Esso logo on over 160
filling stations in Switzerland. We have developed a separate brand image, with a special logo,
specifically for the Swiss filling station and energy business.
You refer not only to filling stations but also to the energy business. In which sectors does
SOCAR Energy Switzerland operate?
SOCAR has taken over a network of over 160 filling stations from Esso Switzerland and 63 of those
are owned by the company. SOCAR also bought the Industrial & Wholesale branch which specialises
in marketing fuels: that includes the sale of heating oil and bottled gas to independent marketing
partners all over Switzerland, a gas bottling plant in Wangen bei Olten and the resellers Deville Mazout
Sarl in Geneva. We have also bought the aviation business at the two Swiss airports in Geneva and
Zurich, and shares in existing joint ventures in the aviation sector. The Swiss supply and distribution
business and shares in terminals and a pipeline joint venture are also all included.
Why did Esso actually sell its businesses in Switzerland?
You would have to ask the parent company ExxonMobil that. For SOCAR, ExxonMobil's intention
to sell coincided perfectly with our own strategic expansion plans. That's how this deal came about.

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What are SOCAR's ambitions in Switzerland?
We want to be recognised as a new premium brand in the filling station and energy sector and to play
a leading role in Switzerland.
You talk about a premium brand. For customers, the only thing that matters is the price of the
petrol at the pumps!
Of course our prices must be competitive. However, many customers don't just want attractive prices
but also good shopping opportunities and other services. That's what SOCAR can offer: outstanding
customer service. And with our partner migrolino, our shop business is also very attractive.
Furthermore, we believe that part of being a premium brand is maintaining very high safety
standards and conducting our business in an exemplary way.
So the people at BP, Shell and so on should prepare for stormy weather ahead?
Our competitors, and, especially, our customers, can look forward to a big shake-up in the market.
What is your assessment of the Swiss energy and filling station market?
I can see that nearly all the big global brands are represented here. There are still some very strong
national brands operating too. On the whole, Switzerland - compared with its neighbouring countries -
has a very diverse and highly competitive market. However, the cards in the Swiss business have been
dealt out in the same way for years: the arrival of SOCAR on the market is the biggest change in the
Swiss filling station market for over 20 years.
Does SOCAR want to trigger a restructuring in the Swiss market?
There are currently no definite plans for any further expansion of our network here in Switzerland.
However, it is no secret that SOCAR would like to become one of the leading integrated energy
companies, and so it will continue to check out suitable investment opportunities, both in Switzerland
and in other European markets.
Is SOCAR using Switzerland as a springboard for expansion in Western Europe?
The experience gained in Switzerland will certainly help SOCAR to become one of the leading
integrated energy companies in Europe. But, as of today, the next steps in implementing our
expansion strategy have not yet been clearly defined.
With increased environmental awareness, fossil fuels like oil and gas are becoming less highly
regarded. Does the industry actually still have a future?
In recent years, our industry has invested a great deal in protecting the environment. Oil and gas are
very important energy sources for the whole economy. That's not going to change in the foreseeable
future. On the contrary: with the decision to phase out nuclear energy, gas will become considerably
more important as an energy source.
How strong is the influence in Switzerland of the parent company in Azerbaijan?
The filling stations and energy business in Switzerland will be run by the Swiss company SOCAR
Energy Switzerland. The six-person management team led by me is responsible for day-to-day
business. Our owner is represented on the Management Board and lays down the strategic guidelines,
as is the norm in good corporate governance in Switzerland.

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SOCAR is also represented by another company in Switzerland, SOCAR Trading. What
is the connection between you?
SOCAR Trading is a sister company which belongs to the same corporation as SOCAR
Energy Switzerland. But there are no direct business links between us, because we operate in different
areas. SOCAR Energy Switzerland runs the filling stations and energy business in Switzerland. The
trading company SOCAR Trading, based in Geneva, markets oil and gas from Azerbaijan worldwide,
but does not operate in Switzerland itself.
Edgar Bachmann - personal information
Edgar Bachmann (45) was born in Switzerland and has been CEO of
SOCAR Energy Switzerland since 1 July 2012. He is also in charge of the
retailing arm of the company. Edgar Bachmann has a great deal of
experience of the national and international energy business. He spent two
decades working for Shell, most recently as General Manager Retail for Italy
and a member of the Management Board for Shell (Switzerland). Before
that, Edgar Bachmann was the Marketing Manager for D-A-CH, the Global
V-Power Brand Manager, Retail Manager for A-CH and Head of Shop
Business; he has also worked in the Finance and Internal Auditing
departments. Edgar Bachmann studied Economics at the University of
Zurich, specialising in Business Management.