Guidelines for Remuneration for Senior Executives
The following principles and guidelines were approved by the AGM in May 2024 and shall be in force until 2028 or until new guidelines are adopted by the General Meeting. The principles and guidelines are provided for the Chief Executive Officer and the other persons in the executive management of Kinnevik (the Senior Executives), as well as Members of the Board to the extent they are remunerated outside their Board duties.
The guidelines shall apply to remuneration agreed, and amendments to remuneration already agreed, after adoption of the guidelines by the 2024 Annual General Meeting. These guidelines will not apply to any remuneration separately decided or approved by the General Meeting, such as ordinary Board remuneration and share-related or share price-related remuneration.
The guidelines’ promotion of Kinnevik’s business strategy, long-term interests and sustainability
Kinnevik aims to be Europe's leading listed growth investor by:
- investing in businesses that harness the power of technology to address vital everyday needs;
- making the most of our permanent capital – being a bold, stage-agnostic, long-term partner and trusted advisor to talented entrepreneurs;
- focusing on investment themes underpinned by digital disruption, underserved end-consumers, as well as the biggest challenge of our generation, climate change;
- investing in Europe and the US, and
- leveraging our experience, expertise and network to actively support our companies in building long-term sustainable and successful businesses.
For more information regarding Kinnevik’s business strategy, please see Kinnevik’s website at www.kinnevik.com under the heading ”Strategy” (which can be found under the section ”About us”).
A prerequisite for the sustainable and successful implementation of Kinnevik's business strategy and safeguarding of its long-term interests is that Kinnevik is able to attract, motivate and retain the best talent in Sweden and globally. To achieve this, it is necessary that Kinnevik offers competitive and cost efficient remuneration packages to create incentives to execute strategic plans, deliver excellent operating results and to ensure financial alignment with Kinnevik's shareholders. These guidelines for remuneration enable Kinnevik to offer Senior Executives a competitive remuneration package, which together with Kinnevik's long-term incentive plans promote Kinnevik's business strategy and its long-term interests and sustainability. The guidelines aim to ensure that variable compensation correlates entirely with behaviour, actions and 8 outcomes that promote – or has proven to generate – meaningful long-term shareholder value creation whilst achieving sustainability targets that in turn ensure sound and sustainable business practices. Furthermore, the Board shall have the authority, subject to the restrictions that may apply under law or contract, to in whole or in part reclaim variable remuneration paid on incorrect grounds or based on information that was manifestly misstated.
Types of remuneration
The remuneration shall be on market terms and consist of fixed cash salary, variable cash remuneration, pension benefits and other customary benefits. Additionally, the General Meeting may resolve on, among other things, share-related or share price-related remuneration.
The fixed cash salary is reviewed each year and is based on the Senior Executive's importance to Kinnevik's future value creation, competence and areas of responsibility in relation to market benchmarks.
Variable cash remuneration can amount to a maximum of 100 percent of the Senior Executive's fixed annual cash salary. Additional variable cash remuneration may be awarded in particularly extraordinary circumstances, provided that such arrangements are made on an individual basis for the purpose of recruiting or retaining Senior Executives. Such additional remuneration may not exceed an amount corresponding to 100 percent of the Senior Executive's fixed annual cash salary.
Long-term incentive plans are resolved upon by the General Meeting irrespective of these guidelines and shall be structured to ensure that the absolute majority of Senior Executives' remuneration is tied to the long-term development of Kinnevik's shareholder's wealth and to ensure that Senior Executives have a significant amount of their capital tied to the long-term creation of Kinnevik shareholder value. The outcome of long-term incentive plans shall be linked to predetermined and objective performance criteria, based on Kinnevik's share price and value growth. For more information regarding the longterm incentive plans that are ongoing, or that have ended during the current year, please see Kinnevik's website at www.kinnevik.com under the heading "Remuneration" (which can be found under the section "Governance").
Pension benefits shall be premium defined. Variable cash remuneration shall not qualify for pension benefits. Pension premiums for premium defined pension shall not amount to more than 30 percent of a Senior Executive's fixed annual cash salary.
Other customary benefits may include, for example, life insurance, medical insurance and a company car. Such benefits may not amount to more than 10 percent of the Senior Executive's fixed annual cash salary.
Termination of employment
Upon termination of employment by Kinnevik, notice periods may not exceed 12 months. Fixed cash salary during the notice period and severance pay may not together exceed an amount corresponding to the fixed cash salary for 18 months for the Chief Executive Officer and 12 months for other Senior Executives. When termination is made by the Senior Executive, the notice period may not exceed 12 months for the Chief Executive Officer and six months for other Senior Executives, with no right to severance pay.
Criteria for awarding variable cash remuneration
Variable cash remuneration shall be based on predetermined and measurable financial and non-financial criteria that the Board believes will over time generate long-term shareholder value. The criteria shall encompass both individual and company-level objectives with a positive impact on Kinnevik's long-term total shareholder returns and sustainability targets. In order to further ensure alignment with Kinnevik's shareholders, payment of part of the variable cash remuneration is conditional upon a portion of it being invested into Kinnevik shares, until the Senior Executive has a shareholding in Kinnevik corresponding to his or her fixed annual cash salary, net after taxes. Relative to what has been awarded under the previous guidelines for remuneration, variable cash remuneration under these guidelines shall exhibit a higher variance between individuals and between years.
The extent to which the criteria for awarding variable cash remuneration have been satisfied shall be evaluated annually. Evaluation of financial criteria shall to the extent possible be based on the financial information made public by Kinnevik. The People & Remuneration Committee is responsible for the evaluation, and the Committee shall have the discretion afforded them by shareholders to ensure that variable cash remuneration commensurately reflects shareholder value creation by making any necessary adjustments to the Senior Executives' actual rewards. This means that in years of poor overall performance, the outcome of variable cash remuneration may be adjusted downwards despite achievement of predetermined criteria.
Salary and employment conditions for employees
In preparation of the Board's proposal for these remuneration guidelines, salary and employment conditions for Kinnevik's employees have been taken into account by including information on the employees' total income, the components of the remuneration and increase and growth rate over time, as the basis for the People & Remuneration Committee's and the Board's decision when evaluating whether the guidelines and the limitations set out herein are reasonable. The development of the remuneration to other employees is disclosed in the remuneration report.
Remuneration to Board members
Board members in Kinnevik, elected at General Meetings, may in certain cases receive compensation for services performed within their respective areas of expertise, outside of their Board duties in Kinnevik. Compensation for such services shall be paid on market terms and be approved by the Board.
The decision-making process to determine, review and implement the guidelines
The Board has established a People & Remuneration Committee tasked to prepare the Board's resolutions in remunerationrelated matters and the Board's proposal for remuneration guidelines for Senior Executives. The People & Remuneration Committee's tasks also include assisting in other matters such as the composition of the Senior Executive team, talent management, diversity and inclusion, and terms of termination of employments. The People & Remuneration Committee also monitors and evaluates the programs for variable remuneration for Senior Executives individually and the full Kinnevik team organizationally as well as the application of these guidelines and the remuneration structures and levels within Kinnevik in general.
Remuneration under employment subject to other rules than Swedish rules may be duly adjusted to comply with mandatory rules or established local practice, taking into account, to the extent possible, the overall purpose of these guidelines.
The members of the People & Remuneration Committee are independent of the Company and the executive management. Senior Executives do not participate in the Board's deliberations and resolutions regarding remuneration-related matters in so far as they are affected by such matters.
The Board shall prepare a proposal for new guidelines where material changes of the guidelines become necessary, and in any case at least every fourth year and submit it to the General Meeting. The guidelines shall be in force until new guidelines are adopted by the General Meeting.
Derogation from the guidelines
The Board may temporarily resolve to derogate from the guidelines, in whole or in part, if in a specific case there is special cause for the derogation and a derogation is necessary to serve Kinnevik's long-term interests, including its sustainability, or to ensure Kinnevik's financial viability.