Compensation of the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Board
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors stipulates the amount of compensation of its members in accordance with their duties and responsibilities. The members of the Board of Directors receive a fixed compensation, which includes the participation in (ordinary and extraordinary) meetings and the General Meeting of Shareholders. Activities in committees are compensated by a fixed amount per committee per year; no additional attendance fees are paid. The compensation is paid out in cash and in the form of entitlements for the acquisition of LLB shares. The number of LLB shares for the entitlement is calculated on the basis of the average share price in the last quarter of the business year. The entitlement to acquire LLB shares is subject to a blocked period of three years.
The members of the Board of Directors do not receive any variable compensation. They also do not profit from the additional benefits for staff (fringe benefits) or from their preferential conditions on bank products. Business relations with them are subject to the same conditions that apply to comparable transactions with third parties. On account of legal provisions, no severance payment may be made in the event of the termination of a mandate (Art. 21, Para. 2 of the law concerning the control and supervision of public companies).
Compensation in 2020 was determined on the basis of a compensation benchmark, which was comprised of 20 companies from the banking and investment services industry in Liechtenstein and Switzerland that have a comparable business model, carried out by Hostettler & Company in 2019. Their business performance, balance sheet total and employees (FTEs) are all within a range of about 50 to 250 per cent of the size of LLB. Applying equal weighting to the financial variables, LLB is positioned close to the market median of the defined comparable companies.
Group Executive Board
A target compensation is defined for each member of the Group Executive Board. It consists of a fixed compensation (67 %) and a variable target compensation (33 %). The target compensation corresponds to the compensation attributable to the member of the Group Executive Board if the TSR of the LLB share corresponds to the TSR of the peer group.
The compensation model also contains a bonus-malus provision. The members of the Group Executive Board receive more or less than their target compensation depending on whether they exceed, partly attain or do not attain the annual objectives. The maximum bonus possible is 200 per cent of the variable target compensation and the maximum malus possible is 0 per cent of the variable target compensation. This means that the variable compensation is limited to the total amount of the fixed compensation.
The fixed compensation in relation to the functions of the Group Executive Board in 2020 was determined on the basis of a compensation analysis carried out by the Kienbaum Consultants International company in 2018. It comprised between 20 and 24 comparable banks and between 24 and 31 comparable positions per function represented on the Group Executive Board. The comparable groups included in particular financial institutions that are of a similar size to LLB. This means that companies with a size of up to plus / minus 50 per cent were used in the comparison. Relevant for the determination of size was the number of people employed on the one hand, and the balance sheet total on the other. In the case of significantly larger companies, comparable positions with a similar scope of responsibility, which are typically found at lower hierarchical levels, were used. In addition, the determination of comparable functions was – where possible – based on the function value.
The amount of the variable compensation is determined by the Group performance. This is measured using relative total shareholder return (TSR), i. e. the socalled MarketAdjusted Performance Indicator (MAPI). This is done by comparing the TSR of the LLB share in relation to the TSR of a peer group. The peer group is broadly diversified and comprises a group of 26 banks. These were selected on the basis of comprehensible decision criteria (size, business area, region and statistical correlation). Since the 2017 business year, the peer group has been composed exclusively of banks from the LLB Group's three home markets of Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Austria. Its composition is discussed and evaluated annually by the Group Nomination & Compensation Committee. A thorough empirical review is conducted every three years.
The Board of Directors can adjust the variable compensation, based on the individual performance within the framework of the Management by Objectives (MbO) process, by plus / minus 10 per cent of the variable target compensation.
Geographic distribution of the 26 banks in the peer group*
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Liechtenstein |
1 |
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Switzerland |
20 |
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Austria |
5 |
* The peer group is generally reviewed every three years by FehrAdvice & Partners AG. A review was carried out in summer 2019 at regular intervals, which resulted in an increase of the peer group by two banks as of 1 January 2020. Due to the acquisition of Semper Constantia Privatbank AG and its merger with LLB Österreich to form Liechtensteinische Landesbank (Österreich) AG in 2018, the peer group was expanded by two Austrian banks to a total of 26 banks (2019: 24 banks).
The MAPI compares the management's performance with that of a comparable group of banks. Market effects can be eliminated from the performance indicator by comparing performance with a peer group. The MAPI is therefore free of external market effects. It is calculated annually by FehrAdvice & Partners AG.
If the MAPI is 0 per cent, which means that the TSR of the LLB share corresponds to the TSR of the peer group, the members of the Group Executive Board receive their variable target compensation. The variable compensation is linearly dependent on the MAPI. No variable compensation is paid if the MAPI is minus 40 per cent or less. If the MAPI is 40 per cent or more, the maximum variable compensation is paid, which is capped at 200 per cent of the variable target compensation.
The fixed compensation is paid out in cash every month, the variable component is provided in the first quarter of the following year. The variable compensation comprises a shortterm incentive (STI) and a longterm incentive (LTI). The STI is paid in cash and the LTI is paid in the form of an entitlement to acquire LLB shares. The distribution between the STI (50 %) and the LTI (50 %) is statutorily fixed. The number of LLB shares for the LTI is calculated on the basis of the average share price in the last quarter of the business year. The LTI is subject to a blocked period of three years. The three-year period remains in force even after termination of employment. After three years, the entitlement to acquire shares is transformed into a right to the transfer of the corresponding LLB shares. The share entitlement can be withdrawn or reduced if – during the threeyear period – there are significant changes in the assessment of performance and / or risk behaviour of the member of the Group Executive Board. Moreover, the share entitlement in the year concerned will be forfeited if the average Group net profit in the last three years is negative. At the end of the threeyear period, the Group Nomination & Compensation Committee examines whether the prerequisites for the entitlement have been met. The Committee submits its decision to the Board of Directors for a final decision.
The employment relationship of the members of the Group Executive Board is stipulated in individual employment contracts. The period of notice is four months. The contracts of employment do not contain any special clauses, such as, for example, severance compensation following the termination of employment or even in the event of a change in control.
The fixed compensation component and the variable target compensation are insured in the staff pension scheme for old age, death and invalidity. The members of the Group Executive Board are subject to the same conditions in relation to fringe benefits as apply to other employees of the LLB Group. The preferential conditions on bank products as customary in the industry largely consist of a limited preferential interest rate for mortgage loans and on credit balances.