Executive remuneration
Guidelines for executive remuneration
Board members, the CEO and other persons of the executive management (jointly the “executive management”) in New Wave Group AB (the “Company”) fall within the provisions of these guidelines. The guidelines are forward-looking, i.e. they are applicable to remuneration agreed, and amendments to remuneration already agreed, after adoption of the guidelines by the annual general meeting 2020. These guidelines do not apply to any remuneration decided or approved by the general meeting.
The guidelines’ promotion of the Company’s business strategy, long-term interests and sustainability
The Company’s business strategy is to acquire and develop brands and products in the corporate, sports and gifts and home furnishing sectors. The company group will achieve synergies by coordinating design, purchasing, marketing, warehousing and distribution of its product range. To ensure good risk diversification, the group will market its products in the promo market and the retail market.
For more information regarding the Company’s business strategy, please see: https://www.nwg.se/en/about-new-wave-group/
A prerequisite for the successful implementation of the Company’s business strategy and safeguarding of its long-term interests, including its sustainability, is that the Company is able to recruit and retain qualified personnel. To this end, it is necessary that the Company offers competitive remuneration. These guidelines enable the Company to offer the executive management a competitive total remuneration.
Variable cash remuneration covered by these guidelines shall aim at promoting the Company’s business strategy and long-term interests, including its sustainability. This is ensured by way of linking the financial and non-financial targets that determine if variable cash remuneration shall be payable to the Company’s business strategy and sustainability agenda. The variable cash remuneration is further explained in the section “Variable cash remuneration” below.
Types of remuneration, etc.
The remuneration shall be on market terms and may consist of the following components: fixed cash salary, variable cash remuneration, pension benefits and other benefits. Additionally, the general meeting may – irrespective of these guidelines – resolve on, among other things, share-related or share price-related remuneration. Fixed salary and variable remuneration shall be related to the responsibilities and authorities of the executive.
Variable cash remuneration
The satisfaction of criteria for awarding variable cash remuneration shall be measured over a period of one year. The variable cash remuneration may amount to not more than 50 percent of the total fixed cash salary of the fixed annual cash salary.
The variable cash remuneration shall be linked to predetermined and measurable criteria which can be financial or non-financial. They may also be individualized, quantitative or qualitative objectives. The criteria shall be designed so as to contribute to the Company’s business strategy and long-term interests, including its sustainability, by for example being clearly linked to the business strategy or promote the executive’s long-term development.
To which extent the criteria for awarding variable cash remuneration has been satisfied shall be evaluated/determined when the measurement period has ended. The board of directors is responsible for the evaluation so far as it concerns variable remuneration to the CEO. For variable cash remuneration to other executives, the CEO is responsible for the evaluation. For financial objectives, the evaluation shall be based on the latest financial information made public by the Company.
The criteria for variable cash remuneration shall be designed in a manner to allow the board of directors, in cases of exceptional financial circumstances, to limit or stop payment of variable cash remuneration where such remuneration would be considered unreasonable and incompatible with the Company’s responsibilities towards its shareholders, employees and other stakeholders. Further, it shall be possible to limit or stop payment of variable cash remuneration if the board of directors would resolve that it is reasonable for other reasons. The board of directors shall also be entitled to reclaim already paid variable cash remuneration when in cases where it is later discovered that the executive has violated the Company’s values, policies, standards or instructions.
Pension and insurance
For the CEO as well as the remaining executive management, pension benefits, including health insurance (Sw: sjukförsäkring), shall correspond to the ITP occupational pension plan. Pension benefits, including health insurance, shall be premium defined unless the individual concerned is subject to defined benefit pension according to an individual agreement or under mandatory collective agreement provisions. The pension premiums for premium defined pension shall amount to not more than 30 percent of the fixed annual cash salary. The CEO’s variable cash remuneration shall not qualify for pension benefits. Any other executive’s variable cash remuneration shall qualify for pension benefits to the extent required by mandatory collective agreement provisions. If the variable cash remuneration qualifies for pension benefits, the pension premiums for premium defined pension shall amount to not more than 30 percent of the fixed annual cash salary.
Other benefits
Other benefits may include, for example, life insurance, medical insurance (Sw: sjukvårdsförsäkring) and company cars. Such benefits may amount to not more than ten percent of the fixed annual cash salary.
For employments governed by rules other than Swedish, pension benefits and other benefits may be duly adjusted for compliance with mandatory rules or established local practice, taking into account, to the extent possible, the overall purpose of these guidelines.
Executives who are expatriates to or from Sweden may receive additional remuneration and other benefits to the extent reasonable in light of the special circumstances associated with the expat arrangement, taking into account, to the extent possible, the overall purpose of these guidelines. Such benefits may not in total exceed 20 percent of the fixed annual cash salary.
Remuneration to board members in addition to the board fee
If a board member, who is elected by the annual general meeting and is not employed by the Company, carries out work in addition to his/her duties as board member, the board member may be entitled to consulting fees or other customary remuneration. The board of directors shall decide if consulting fees or other customary remuneration shall be payable.
Termination of employment
Upon termination of an employment, the notice period may not exceed twelve months. Fixed cash salary during the notice period and severance pay may not together exceed an amount corresponding to the fixed cash salary for twelve months. When termination is made by the executive, the notice period may not exceed six months, without any right to severance pay.
Additionally, remuneration may be paid for non-compete undertakings. Such remuneration shall compensate for loss of income and shall only be paid in so far as the previously employed executive is not entitled to severance pay. The remuneration shall amount to not more than 60 percent of the fixed cash salary at the time of termination of employment, unless otherwise provided by mandatory collective agreement provisions and be paid during the time the non-compete undertaking applies, however not for more than twelve months following termination of employment.
Salary and employment conditions for employees
In the preparation of the board of directors’ proposal for these remuneration guidelines, salary and employment conditions for employees of the Company 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, in the board of directors’ basis of decision when evaluating whether the guidelines and the limitations set out herein are reasonable.
The decision-making process to determine, review and implement the guidelines
The board of directors shall prepare a proposal for new guidelines 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. The board of directors shall also monitor and evaluate programs for variable remuneration for the executive management, the application of the guidelines for executive remuneration as well as the current remuneration structures and compensation levels in the Company. The board members are independent of the Company and its executive management. The CEO and other members of the executive management do not participate in the board of directors’ processing of and resolutions regarding remuneration-related matters in so far as they are affected by such matters.
Derogation from the guidelines
The board of directors 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 the Company’s long-term interests, including its sustainability, or to ensure the Company’s financial viability.