Note 3 – Employees, personnel costs and executive remuneration
In this note, amounts are given in SEK thousands unless otherwise stated.
| Average number of employees | 2023 | of whom men | 2022 | of whom men | |
| Medelantalet anställda | 2023 | varav män | 2022 | varav män | |
| Parent Company | Moderbolag | ||||
| Sweden | Sverige | 8 | 53% | 8 | 61% |
| Total in the Parent Company | Totalt i moderbolaget | 8 | 53% | 8 | 61% |
| Subsidiaries | Dotterbolag | ||||
| Sweden | Sverige | 294 | 85% | 273 | 89% |
| Finland | Finland | 275 | 98% | 270 | 93% |
| Estonia | Estland | 16 | 76% | 20 | 61% |
| Latvia | Lettland | 4 | 75% | 4 | 59% |
| Lithuania | Litauen | 2 | 100% | 4 | 95% |
| Poland | Polen | 79 | 85% | 75 | 86% |
| Total for subsidiaries | Totalt i dotterbolag | 670 | 90% | 646 | 89% |
| Group total | Koncernen totalt | 678 | 90% | 654 | 89% |
Specification of gender distribution in Group management
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| Gender distribution, Group management | Percentage women | Percentage women | |
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| Könsfördelning i företagsledningen | Andel kvinnor | Andel kvinnor | |
| Parent Company | Moderbolag | ||
| Board | Styrelsen | 20% | 20% |
| Other senior executives | Övriga ledande befattningshavare | 0% | 0% |
| Group | Koncern totalt | ||
| Board | Styrelsen | 11% | 10% |
| Other senior executives | Övriga ledande befattningshavare | 0% | 0% |
Salaries, other remuneration and social security expenses
| Group | Koncern | 2023 | 2022 |
| Salaries and remunerations | Löner och ersättningar | 339,927 | 326,291 |
| Pension expense, defined-contribution plans | Pensionskostnader, avgiftsbaserade | 12,873 | 9,983 |
| Social security contributions | Sociala avgifter | 90,168 | 86,044 |
| 442,968 | 422,318 |
| Parent Company | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Salaries and remunerations | Social security expenses | Salaries and remunerations | Social security expenses | ||
| Moderbolag | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Löner och ersättningar | Sociala kostnader | Löner och ersättningar | Sociala kostnader | ||
| Parent Company | Moderbolaget | 10,530 | 6,037 | 12,299 | 5,957 |
| (of which, pension expenses) 1) | (varav pensionskostnad) 1) | (2,068) | (2,226) | ||
Salaries and other remunerations distributed between the Parent Company and its subsidiaries and between senior executives and other employees 1)
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
| Senior executives2) | Other employees | Senior executives2) | Other employees | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
| Ledande befattningshavare2) | Övriga anställda | Ledande befattningshavare2) | Övriga anställda | ||
| Parent Company | Moderbolag | 5,712 | 4,818 | 6,913 | 5,386 |
| (of which, bonuses, etc.) | (varav tantiem o.d.) | (-) | (-) | (1,415) | (491) |
| Subsidiaries 3) | Dotterbolag 3) | 6,173 | 319,733 | 6,042 | 302,330 |
| (of which, bonuses, etc.) | (varav tantiem o.d.) | (-) | (1,248) | (1,055) | (13,418) |
| Group total | Koncernen totalt | 11,885 | 324,551 | 12,955 | 307,716 |
| (of which, bonuses, etc.) | (varav tantiem o.d.) | (-) | (1,248) | (2,470) | (13,909) |
2) Senior executives include Board members, members of Group Management and company presidents.
3) The managing director of BE Group Sverige left the company in August 2023 and receives compensation until April 2024 according to agreement.
Defined benefit plans
Pension obligations for retirement pensions and family pensions for white-collar employees in Sweden are secured through an insurance policy provided by the independent insurance company Alecta. According to a statement (UFR 10) from the Swedish Financial Reporting Board, this is a multiple-employer defined benefit plan. The company has not had access to information that would permit recognition of its proportional share of the plan’s commitments, plan assets and costs that meant that the plan could not be recognized as a defined-benefit plan. The ITP 2 pension plan secured through insurance provided by Alecta is accordingly recognized as a defined contribution plan. The premium for the defined-benefit retirement pension and family pension is calculated individually, depending on salary, already earned pension and anticipated remaining period of service. Anticipated fees for the next reporting period for ITP 2 insurance subscribed with Alecta amounts to SEK 8 M (7).
The collective funding ratio is comprised of the fair value of Alecta’s assets as a percentage of insurance obligations computed according to Alecta’s actuarial assumptions, which do not accord with IAS 19. The collective consolidation level shall normally be allowed to vary between 125 and 175 percent. If Alecta’s collective consolidation level is below 125 percent or exceeds 175 percent, action should be taken with the aim of creating conditions for the consolidation level to return to the normal interval. In the event of low consolidation, one action may be to raise the agreed price for new subscription and expansion of existing benefits. In the event of high consolidation, one action may be to introduce premium reductions. At the end of 2023, Alecta’s surplus expressed as the preliminary collective funding ratio amounted to 157 percent (172).
Defined contribution pension plans
The Group has defined contribution pension plans for employees in Sweden for which expenses are fully paid by the companies. Pension plans in Finland and other countries are treated as defined contribution plans. For defined contribution plans, pension contributions are paid to a pension insurance company and recognized as an expense in profit and loss for the accounting period in which they occur. There are defined contribution plans in other countries for which the expenses are paid partially by the subsidiaries and partially by employee contributions. Payments are made regularly to these plans according to plan rules.
Executive remuneration
Total remuneration to the President and CEO and other senior executives consists of base pay, variable remuneration, pension and other benefits. These remuneration components are based on the guidelines for executive remuneration adopted by the 2020 Annual General Meeting, which are detailed in the Corporate Governance Report.
The following tables provide details of actual remunerations and other benefits paid in financial years 2023 and 2022 to Board members, the President (who is also the CEO) and other senior executives. The latter are those individuals who, alongside the President and CEO, are members of Group Management.
| Remunerations and benefits 2023 | Basic salary 2)/ Board fee | Variable remuneration | Others benefits | Pension expenses | Other remuneration | Total | Pension commitments | |
| Ersättningar och förmåner 2023 | Grundlön 2)/ styrelsearvode | Rörlig ersättning | Övriga förmåner | Pensions-kostnader | Övrig ersättning | Summa | Pensions-förpliktelser | |
| Chairman of the Board | Styrelseordförande | |||||||
| Jörgen Zahlin | Jörgen Zahlin | 500 | – | – | – | – | 500 | – |
| Directors | Styrelseledamöter | |||||||
| Monika Gutén | Monika Gutén | 230 | – | – | – | – | 230 | – |
| Lars Olof Nilsson | Lars Olof Nilsson | 310 | – | – | – | – | 310 | – |
| Mats O Paulsson | Mats O Paulsson | 230 | – | – | – | – | 230 | – |
| Petter Stillström | Petter Stillström | 270 | – | – | – | – | 270 | – |
| President and CEO | Verkställande direktör | |||||||
| Peter Andersson | Peter Andersson | 2,709 | – | 83 | 699 | – | 3,491 | – |
| Other senior executives 1) | Övriga ledande befattningshavare 1) | 6,004 | – | 380 | 1,417 | – | 7,801 | – |
| Total | Summa | 10,253 | – | 463 | 2,116 | – | 12,832 | – |
| Recognized as an expense in the Parent Company | Varav kostnadsfört i moderbolaget | 5,712 | – | 158 | 1,018 | – | 6,888 | – |
2) Basic salary also include supplementary vacation pay.
3) The managing director of BE Group Sverige left the company in August 2023 and receives compensation until April 2024 according to agreement. The amount is included in the table above.
| Remunerations and benefits 2022 | Basic salary 4)/ Board fee | Variable remuneration | Others benefits | Pension expenses | Other remuneration | Total | Pension commitments | |
| Ersättningar och förmåner 2022 | Grundlön 4)/ styrelsearvode | Rörlig ersättning | Övriga förmåner | Pensions-kostnader | Övrig ersättning | Summa | Pensions-förpliktelser | |
| Chairman of the Board | Styrelseordförande | |||||||
| Jörgen Zahlin | Jörgen Zahlin | 487 | – | – | – | – | 487 | – |
| Directors | Styrelseledamöter | |||||||
| Carina Andersson 1) | Carina Andersson 1) | 70 | – | – | – | – | 70 | – |
| Monika Gutén 2) | Monika Gutén 2) | 153 | – | – | – | – | 153 | – |
| Lars Olof Nilsson | Lars Olof Nilsson | 300 | – | – | – | – | 300 | – |
| Petter Stillström | Petter Stillström | 263 | – | – | – | – | 263 | – |
| Mats O Paulsson | Mats O Paulsson | 223 | – | – | – | – | 223 | – |
| President and CEO | Verkställande direktör | |||||||
| Peter Andersson | Peter Andersson | 2,633 | 1,008 | 76 | 815 | 3 | 4,535 | – |
| Other senior executives 3) | Övriga ledande befattningshavare 3) | 4,975 | 1,622 | 363 | 1,471 | 0 | 8,431 | – |
| Total | Summa | 9,104 | 2,630 | 439 | 2,286 | 3 | 14,462 | – |
| Recognized as an expense in the Parent Company | Varav kostnadsfört i moderbolaget | 5,498 | 1,415 | 168 | 1,187 | 3 | 8,271 | – |
2) Monika Gutén became board member in connection with the Annual General Meeting in April 2022.
3) Other senior executives consist of three persons.
4) Basic salary also include supplementary vacation pay.
Detailed below are the agreed terms for remuneration to the Board, the President and CEO and other senior executives. For an account of guidelines approved by the Annual General Meeting, see the Corporate Governance Report.
Board remuneration
The Chairman and other Board members are paid Board member fees as resolved by the Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting resolved that Board member fees totaling SEK 1,380 thousands (1,380) will be distributed among the Board members as follows: SEK 460 thousands (460) to the Chairman of the Board and SEK 230 thousands (230) to each of the remaining Board members who are not employees of the company. In addition, remuneration of SEK 80 thousands (80) will be paid to the Chairman of the Audit Committé and SEK 40 thousands (40) for each of the other members of the Audit Committee. No fees are paid to members of the Remunerations Committee.
Remuneration to the President and CEO
Remuneration
In accordance with a decision by the Board of Directors, remuneration to the President and CEO normally takes the form of fixed cash salary, variable cash remuneration, pension benefits and other benefits. The fixed cash salary of the President and CEO amounted to SEK 2,640 M (2,520). For the President and CEO, maximum variable remuneration payable is 50 percent of the fixed cash salary. Potential bonus payments and the size of them are related to targets defined in advance and set by the Board.
Term of notice and severance pay
The President and CEO has a 9-month period of notice in the event of termination by the company and six months upon resignation. During the term of notice, the President and CEO is entitled to full pay and other benefits of employment, regardless of whether there is a duty to work or not. The President and CEO is not entitled to severance pay.
Pension benefits
For the CEO, pension benefits shall be premium defined. Variable cash remuneration shall not qualify for pension benefits. The pension premiums for premium defined pension shall amount to not more than 30 percent of the fixed annual cash salary.
Remunerations for other senior executives of the Parent Company and Group
Remuneration
Remuneration consists of fixed cash salary, variable cash remuneration, pension benefits and other benefits. The maximum variable remuneration payable to other senior executives is 50 percent of fixed cash salary. Whether or not bonuses are distributed and bonus amounts are determined by the CEO, after consultation with the Remuneration Committee, based on fulfillment of financial and individual targets.
Term of notice and severance pay
The notice period may not exceed twelve months if notice of termination of employment is made by the company. Fixed cash salary during the period of notice and severance pay may together not exceed an amount equivalent to the fixed cash salary for twelve months for the other senior executives. The period of notice may not exceed six months without any right to severance pay when termination is made by the executive.
Pension benefits
For other senior executives, pension benefits shall be premium defined. Variable cash remuneration shall not qualify for pension benefits. The pension premiums for premium defined pension shall amount to not more than 30 percent of the fixed annual cash salary.
Remuneration Committee
Please see the Corporate Governance Report for more information about BE Group’s preparation and decision process regarding executive remuneration.