Managing Board and Supervisory Board compensation

The Company compensation guidelines are based on the provisions of Solvency II and include standards intended to prevent the compensation rules from creating incentives to assume excessive risk and to avoid conflicts of interest to the extent possible. The Company guidelines include further provisions for key positions – in particular variable compensation for these positions – that are generally aimed at promoting sustainability and careful dealing with risks. The Company guidelines apply to both insurance and reinsurance companies within the Group and therefore apply to all significant subsidiaries included in the consolidation scope.

Compensation plan for Managing Board Members of the Company

Managing Board compensation takes into account the importance of the Group and the responsibility that goes with it, the economic situation of the Company, and the appropriateness of the remuneration in the market environment.

The variable portion of the compensation emphasises the need for sustainability and achieving it fully depends significantly on the sustainable performance of the Company that extends beyond a single reporting year.

The performance-related compensation is limited. The maximum performance-related compensation that the Managing Board can receive by overachieving the traditional targets in financial year 2018 is around 60% of fixed salary. Special bonus compensation can also be earned for appropriate special target achievement. In total, the Members of the Managing Board can earn variable compensation equal to a maximum of around 80% to around 105% of their fixed compensation in this way.

Large parts of performance-related compensation are only paid after a delay. The delay for the 2018 reporting year extends to 2022. The deferred portions are awarded based on the sustainable performance of the Group.

The Managing Board is not entitled to performance-related compensation if performance fails to meet certain thresholds. Even if the targets are fully met in a given reporting year, because of the focus on sustainability, the full variable compensation is only awarded if the Group also achieves sustainable performance in the three following years.

The main performance criteria for variable compensation in 2018 were the combined ratio, premium growth, result before taxes and – as a non-financial objective – the promotion of social responsibility in practice, and for special bonus compensation those were country-specific targets and requirements related to cooperations.

Managing Board compensation does not include stock options or similar instruments.

In 2018, active Managing Board Members received the following for their services to the Company and as managers of affiliated companies during the reporting period:

 

2018

in EUR '000

Stadler

Fuchs

Havasi

Hirner1

Höfinger

Simhandl2

Thirring3

Total

1

Liane Hirner has been a Member of the Managing Board since 1 February 2018.

2

Martin Simhandl left the Managing Board on 30 June 2018.

3

Peter Thirring has been a Member of the VIG Managing Board since 1 July 2018.

4

For his services as Chairman of the Managing Board of Donau Versicherung until 30 June 2018.

VIG Holding remuneration

1,274

818

818

485

818

553

265

5,031

Fixed

765

528

528

485

528

263

265

3,362

Variable remuneration for 2017

446

242

242

0

242

242

0

1,412

Variable remuneration for previous years

63

48

48

0

48

48

0

256

Remuneration from affiliated companies for (previous) operating activities

0

0

0

0

0

0

2784

278

Total

1,274

818

818

485

818

553

544

5,309

 

2017

in EUR '000

Stadler

Fuchs

Gröll*

Havasi

Höfinger

Simhandl

Total

*

Mr Gröll left the Managing Board on 30 June 2017.

VIG Holding remuneration

999

768

475

734

768

768

4,511

Fixed

714

517

258

517

517

517

3,040

Variable remuneration for 2016

285

217

217

217

217

217

1,371

Variable remuneration for previous years

0

33

0

0

33

33

100

Variable remuneration from affiliated companies for previous operating activities

64

0

0

52

0

0

115

 

1,063

768

475

786

768

768

4,627

The standard employment contract for a Member of the Managing Board of the Company includes – depending, among other things, on the length of time with the Group – a pension equal to a maximum of 40% of the measurement base if the Member remains on the Managing Board until the age of 65 (the measurement base is equal to the standard fixed compensation). This pension amount can be increased in individual cases if work continues past the maximum pension age, since a pension is not drawn during this period.

A pension is normally received only if a Managing Board Member’s position is not extended and the Member is not at fault for the lack of extension, or the Managing Board Member retires due to illness or age.

The contracts for individual Managing Board Members who have been active in the Group for a long time are entitled to a severance payment structured in accordance with the provisions of the Austrian Employee Act (Angestelltengesetz), as amended in 2003, in combination with applicable industry-specific provisions. This allows these Managing Board Members to receive a severance payment equal to two to twelve months’ compensation, depending on the period of service, with a supplement of 50% if the Member retires or leaves after a long-term illness. A Managing Board Member who leaves by their own choice, without agreement with the Company, before retirement is possible, or leaves due to their own fault, is not entitled to severance payment.

The provisions of the Austrian Employee and Employment Provisions Act apply to the remaining Managing Board Member’s contracts.

Managing Board Members are provided with a company car for both business and personal use.

Compensation plan for the Supervisory Board Members

In accordance with the resolutions adopted by the 27th ordinary General Meeting on 25 May 2018, the Supervisory Board Members elected by the General Meeting are entitled to receive compensation in the form of a payment remitted monthly in advance. Supervisory Board Members who withdraw from their positions before the end of a month still receive full compensation for the month in question. In addition to this compensation, Supervisory Board Members are entitled to receive an attendance allowance for participating in Supervisory Board meetings and Supervisory Board committee meetings (remitted after participating in the meeting). The total compensation paid to Supervisory Board Members in 2018 was EUR 461,000.

Supervisory Board Members received the following amounts:

in EUR '000

2018

2017

1

Elected to the Supervisory Board in the General Meeting of 12 May 2017.

2

Reinhard Ortner deceased on 21 January 2017.

3

Karl Skyba left the Supervisory Board on the effective date through formal discharge by the General Meeting on 12 May 2017.

Günter Geyer

76

88

Rudolf Ertl

54

64

Maria Kubitschek

51

53

Bernhard Backovsky

37

36

Martina Dobringer

43

46

Gerhard Fabisch1

34

22

Heinz Öhler

39

36

Reinhard Ortner2

0

2

Georg Riedl

46

55

Gabriele Semmelrock-Werzer1

36

25

Karl Skyba3

0

24

Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell

43

42

Total

461

494

Supervisory Board compensation does not include stock options or similar instruments.