Declaration of Compliance

In December 2022, the Executive and Supervisory Boards issued the Declaration of Compliance with the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code in the versions dated December 19, 2019 and April 28, 2022 as applicable (the Code) in accordance with § 161 AktG. Beiersdorf AG fulfills all the recommendations made in the Code with a small number of exceptions, as well as all the suggestions. There are no Code recommendations that were not applied due to over-riding legal stipulations. The auditor must promptly inform the Supervisory Board of any facts identified during the audit that reveal an inaccuracy in the Declaration of Compliance submitted by the Executive Board and Supervisory Board and must note these in the audit report. The 2022 Declaration of Compliance was also made permanently accessible to the public on the company’s website at www.beiersdorf.com/declaration_of_compliance.

Declaration by the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft on the Recommendations of the “Government Commission on the German Corporate Governance Code” in accordance with § 161 of the Aktiengesetz (German Stock Corporation Act, AktG)

In fiscal year 2022, Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft complied with, and continues to comply with, all recommendations of the “Government Commission on the German Corporate Governance Code” in the versions dated December 19, 2019 and April 28, 2022 as applicable, (“Code”), with the following exceptions:

Recommendation B.3

In accordance with Recommendation B.3, Executive Board members shall be initially appointed for a maximum term of three years.

Effective January 1, 2022, the Supervisory Board appointed Ms. Grita Loebsack as a member of the Executive Board with responsibility for brand management and digital marketing of NIVEA for a term of four years. Due to the exceptional importance of the NIVEA brand and in order to secure Ms. Loebsack’s expertise long term, in the view of the Supervisory Board it was necessary in the interest of the company to extend her initial appointment to a term of office of four years.

In addition, the Supervisory Board has appointed Ms. Nicola Lafrentz as a member of the Executive Board for the period from May 1, 2022 to December 31, 2025, i.e. for three years and eight months. In the view of the Supervisory Board, the duration of Ms. Lafrentz’s initial appointment after many years in a managerial role in the same division is in the interests of the company and will enable her term of office to end with the fiscal year.

Recommendations G.1 and Section G.I

In accordance with Recommendation G.1, the remuneration system shall, amongst other aspects, define the amount that the total remuneration must not exceed (maximum remuneration).

The remuneration of the Executive Board members was limited in fiscal year 2022 by such a cap in principle. In particular, the compensation system approved by the Annual General Meeting in April 2021 envisages a defined maximum remuneration in compliance with Recommendation G.1 and § 87a (1) sentence 2 no. 1 AktG. If, under the old compensation system, there was or is still an Enterprise Value Component for individual members of the Executive Board which is based on voluntary personal investment by the Executive Board members concerned (Covered Virtual Units), it participates in positive and negative changes in the enterprise value and is still not capped in respect of increases in value. In this regard, the Supervisory Board has considered it appropriate that those members of the Executive Board who contribute their own money – comparable to an investment – should be allowed to participate in positive changes in enterprise value without restriction.

In addition, Section G.I of the Code includes a number of further recommendations regarding the remuneration of the Executive Board. In response to the statutory amendments under the Act to Transpose the Second EU Shareholder Rights Directive (SRD II), the revised version of the Code, and further factors in the company’s interests, the Supervisory Board revised and enhanced the remuneration system for the Executive Board members within the applicable statutory transitory period and submitted it to the 2021 Annual General Meeting for approval. Unless any departure has been expressly explained in this Declaration of Compliance, the new compensation system fully complies with the Code’s recommendations. In contrast, the old compensation system that applied before the current compensation system was approved by the 2021 Annual General Meeting did not fully comply with the recommendations in question. That also applies in part to the contracts concluded with Executive Board members before 2021, if they have not yet been adapted to the new compensation system.

Recommendations G.8 and G.12

In accordance with Recommendation G.8, the performance targets or comparison parameters for variable compensation shall not be subsequently amended. Moreover, in accordance with Recommendation G.12, if an Executive Board member’s contract is terminated, the disbursement of any remaining variable remuneration components attributable to the period up until the termination of the contract shall be based on the originally agreed targets and comparison parameters as well as the due dates or holding periods stipulated in the contract.

Effective May 1, 2021, Mr. Vincent Warnery was appointed Chief Executive Officer and his contract of service was amended and extended until January 31, 2027. In this connection, his compensation was realigned with the compensation system approved by the 2021 Annual General Meeting and, among other things, it was agreed that the new long-term bonus (“LTP”) aligned with strategic targets will be applied. The previous long-term Enterprise Value Component for Mr. Warnery, which was mainly linked to sales and EBIT targets for his former area of responsibility, was settled and was disbursed early following the 2022 Annual General Meeting. In this regard, the Supervisory Board was of the opinion that aligning his long-term compensation with the company’s strategic goals is in the interest of sustainable enterprise performance and that the premature disbursement of the previous Enterprise Value Component associated with this change is appropriate and fair in the context of a uniform incentive and governance.

With the appointment of Mr. Warnery as Chief Executive Officer, the appointment of Mr. Stefan De Loecker was terminated by mutual agreement effective June 30, 2021. In this connection, it was agreed that his long-term Enterprise Value Component would be settled as a lump sum and disbursed early following the 2022 Annual General Meeting. This was done in the interest of a mutually agreed succession to the Chief Executive Officer role. On account of the new long-term compensation linked to the implementation of strategic targets for serving Executive Board members from 2021, the premature settlement of the previous Enterprise Value Component for the former Chief Executive Officer was in the interest of the company, also to ensure a smooth transition to the new incumbent.

Recommendation G.10

In accordance with Recommendation G.10, the Executive Board members’ variable remuneration shall be predominantly invested in company shares by the respective Executive Board member or shall be granted predominantly as share-based remuneration, taking the respective tax burden into consideration. Granted long-term variable remuneration components shall be accessible to Executive Board members only after a period of four years.

The variable remuneration for the Executive Board, comprising an annual variable bonus on the one hand and a long-term Enterprise Value Component on the other, will not be invested in shares or share-based instruments but will be paid out solely in cash after the expiry of the applicable bonus period. In this regard, the Supervisory Board believes that, taking due account of the interests of the customers, employees, business partners, shareholders, and other stakeholders, the remuneration system and the financial and non-financial performance criteria underlying the variable remuneration offers sufficient incentive for sustainable and value-oriented development of the company notwithstanding the absence of any share-based component. At the same time, the remuneration system generates incentive for the Executive Board to pursue and achieve the goals defined in the company’s business strategy.

In addition, the long-term variable remuneration components are in principle accessible to Executive Board members only after a period of four years. In individual cases, the long-term variable remuneration within the Enterprise Value Component granted under the old compensation system by a possible increase of Virtual Units during the period of appointment or granted in the form of annually allocated Covered Virtual Units may be accessible prior to the expiry of the four-year period. This applies to those additional Virtual Units or Covered Virtual Units that were only granted/allocated in the final three years before the expiry of the bonus period for the Enterprise Value Component.

Hamburg, December 2022

For the Supervisory Board

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Pöllath
Chairman of the Supervisory Board

For the Executive Board

Vincent Warnery
Chairman of the Executive Board

Astrid Hermann
Member of the Executive Board