大眾汽車集團(Volkswagen AG)計劃將高管獎金與環(huán)境、社會和治理(ESG)目標掛鉤。當前,這家德國工業(yè)巨頭正在尋求提升與投資者日益相關的可持續(xù)發(fā)展能力。
大眾汽車的董事長漢斯?迪特爾?波奇在接受彭博新聞社采訪時表示,大眾爭取在明年的年度股東大會上讓股東批準修改后的薪酬體系。高管薪酬包括獎金、固定工資以及一項與公司股價表現(xiàn)掛鉤的長期激勵計劃。
波奇表示:“將ESG標準納入公司管理層的獎金計算,將為實現(xiàn)公司的可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標提供具體的激勵措施?!盓SG舉措的實施進展將通過內(nèi)部脫碳和多樣性指數(shù)等關鍵指標進行跟蹤。
在這一消息宣布之際,從銀行到私募股權公司,越來越多的金融公司正試圖重組業(yè)務和投資組合,以期在未來基本上擺脫化石燃料。
盡管大眾此舉與寶馬集團以及零部件供應商大陸集團(Continental AG)的舉措相似,但大眾作為全球最暢銷的汽車制造商,加大環(huán)保力度的意義尤其重大。大眾在從巴西到中國等全球各國開辦了125家工廠,估計僅其汽車排放就占全球二氧化碳排放量的1%。大眾集團已經(jīng)承諾到2050年實現(xiàn)碳中和,并為此做出了一項重大戰(zhàn)略調(diào)整,重點打造業(yè)內(nèi)最大的電動汽車車隊。
大眾已經(jīng)將ESG目標納入其戰(zhàn)略目標,并根據(jù)一系列因素計算獎金,其中包括集團的經(jīng)營業(yè)績,今后還將包括ESG改進程度。公司首席執(zhí)行官赫伯特?迪斯去年獲得的獎金略高于300萬歐元(約合370萬美元),約為大多數(shù)管理層成員的兩倍。
英杰華投資集團(Aviva Investors)的分析師理查德?巴特斯上個月在一份報告中稱:“市場開始認為ESG的表現(xiàn)與公司財務表現(xiàn)正相關,并且認為ESG是投資回報的增強劑,而不是需要權衡取舍的東西?!?/p>
五年前,監(jiān)管機構發(fā)現(xiàn)大眾在排放測試中普遍存在作弊行為,導致“柴油門”事件爆發(fā)。此后,大眾首次加大了在ESG方面的努力。作為大眾與美國司法部(Justice Department)達成的認罪協(xié)議的一部分,美國政府訴安然公司(Enron Corp.)案件的負責人拉里?D?湯普森在今年9月完成了對大眾汽車的監(jiān)督工作。他表示,大眾汽車能夠“在道德、誠信和合規(guī)方面取得長期、可持續(xù)的成功?!?/p>
監(jiān)督問題
雖然大眾在潛在不當行為自查方面取得了一定進展,但其復雜的治理結構和股東結構仍然令投資者擔憂。全球最大的資產(chǎn)管理公司貝萊德集團(BlackRock Inc.)于今年10月再次批評大眾監(jiān)事會未能進行充分的獨立監(jiān)督。
外部人士對大眾的影響力微乎其微,因為超過90%的投票權掌握在三個主要股東手中,分別是皮耶西和保時捷家族、德國下薩克森州政府和卡塔爾主權財富基金。波奇接受了存在已久的批評,但他認為,大眾基本上遵守了德國公司治理規(guī)則,并且欣然接受公司主要股東插手公司事務。
明晟(MSCI Inc.)、Sustainalytics公司和碳排放信息披露組織(Carbon Disclosure Project)等提供商在評級時采用的方法和考慮的優(yōu)先因素不同,因此跨行業(yè)比較ESG舉措較為復雜。各地區(qū)公司披露的數(shù)據(jù)深度也可能差別很大,而且不及依據(jù)既定會計準則編制的財務報告標準。
波奇透露,大眾已經(jīng)調(diào)整了其同行群體,旨在體現(xiàn)公司專注于電動汽車和擴大軟件運營的新戰(zhàn)略。他表示,公司在同行名單中添加了汽車制造商特斯拉(Tesla Inc.)和比亞迪以及科技公司SAP SE、Uber Technologies Inc.和三星電子(Samsung Electronics Co.),并將在今后公布該名單。(財富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:郝秀
審校:汪皓
大眾汽車集團(Volkswagen AG)計劃將高管獎金與環(huán)境、社會和治理(ESG)目標掛鉤。當前,這家德國工業(yè)巨頭正在尋求提升與投資者日益相關的可持續(xù)發(fā)展能力。
大眾汽車的董事長漢斯?迪特爾?波奇在接受彭博新聞社采訪時表示,大眾爭取在明年的年度股東大會上讓股東批準修改后的薪酬體系。高管薪酬包括獎金、固定工資以及一項與公司股價表現(xiàn)掛鉤的長期激勵計劃。
波奇表示:“將ESG標準納入公司管理層的獎金計算,將為實現(xiàn)公司的可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標提供具體的激勵措施?!盓SG舉措的實施進展將通過內(nèi)部脫碳和多樣性指數(shù)等關鍵指標進行跟蹤。
在這一消息宣布之際,從銀行到私募股權公司,越來越多的金融公司正試圖重組業(yè)務和投資組合,以期在未來基本上擺脫化石燃料。
盡管大眾此舉與寶馬集團以及零部件供應商大陸集團(Continental AG)的舉措相似,但大眾作為全球最暢銷的汽車制造商,加大環(huán)保力度的意義尤其重大。大眾在從巴西到中國等全球各國開辦了125家工廠,估計僅其汽車排放就占全球二氧化碳排放量的1%。大眾集團已經(jīng)承諾到2050年實現(xiàn)碳中和,并為此做出了一項重大戰(zhàn)略調(diào)整,重點打造業(yè)內(nèi)最大的電動汽車車隊。
大眾已經(jīng)將ESG目標納入其戰(zhàn)略目標,并根據(jù)一系列因素計算獎金,其中包括集團的經(jīng)營業(yè)績,今后還將包括ESG改進程度。公司首席執(zhí)行官赫伯特?迪斯去年獲得的獎金略高于300萬歐元(約合370萬美元),約為大多數(shù)管理層成員的兩倍。
英杰華投資集團(Aviva Investors)的分析師理查德?巴特斯上個月在一份報告中稱:“市場開始認為ESG的表現(xiàn)與公司財務表現(xiàn)正相關,并且認為ESG是投資回報的增強劑,而不是需要權衡取舍的東西。”
五年前,監(jiān)管機構發(fā)現(xiàn)大眾在排放測試中普遍存在作弊行為,導致“柴油門”事件爆發(fā)。此后,大眾首次加大了在ESG方面的努力。作為大眾與美國司法部(Justice Department)達成的認罪協(xié)議的一部分,美國政府訴安然公司(Enron Corp.)案件的負責人拉里?D?湯普森在今年9月完成了對大眾汽車的監(jiān)督工作。他表示,大眾汽車能夠“在道德、誠信和合規(guī)方面取得長期、可持續(xù)的成功?!?/p>
監(jiān)督問題
雖然大眾在潛在不當行為自查方面取得了一定進展,但其復雜的治理結構和股東結構仍然令投資者擔憂。全球最大的資產(chǎn)管理公司貝萊德集團(BlackRock Inc.)于今年10月再次批評大眾監(jiān)事會未能進行充分的獨立監(jiān)督。
外部人士對大眾的影響力微乎其微,因為超過90%的投票權掌握在三個主要股東手中,分別是皮耶西和保時捷家族、德國下薩克森州政府和卡塔爾主權財富基金。波奇接受了存在已久的批評,但他認為,大眾基本上遵守了德國公司治理規(guī)則,并且欣然接受公司主要股東插手公司事務。
明晟(MSCI Inc.)、Sustainalytics公司和碳排放信息披露組織(Carbon Disclosure Project)等提供商在評級時采用的方法和考慮的優(yōu)先因素不同,因此跨行業(yè)比較ESG舉措較為復雜。各地區(qū)公司披露的數(shù)據(jù)深度也可能差別很大,而且不及依據(jù)既定會計準則編制的財務報告標準。
波奇透露,大眾已經(jīng)調(diào)整了其同行群體,旨在體現(xiàn)公司專注于電動汽車和擴大軟件運營的新戰(zhàn)略。他表示,公司在同行名單中添加了汽車制造商特斯拉(Tesla Inc.)和比亞迪以及科技公司SAP SE、Uber Technologies Inc.和三星電子(Samsung Electronics Co.),并將在今后公布該名單。(財富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:郝秀
審校:汪皓
Volkswagen AG plans to link top executives’ bonuses to environmental, social and governance targets as the German industrial giant seeks to bolster sustainability credentials that are increasingly relevant to investors.
VW will seek shareholder approval for the updated remuneration system at its annual general meeting next year, Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch told Bloomberg News in an interview. Executives’ compensation includes the bonus, a fixed salary and a long-term incentive plan linked to share-price performance.
“Integrating ESG criteria into the bonus calculations for our management board offers concrete incentives to pursue the sustainability goals we have outlined,” Poetsch said. The progress of ESG initiatives will be tracked via key metrics including internal decarbonization and diversity indices, he said.
The announcement comes as a growing number of financial companies, from banks to private-equity firms, attempt to retool their businesses and portfolios for a future largely free of fossil fuels.
While the move echoes similar steps by BMW AG and parts supplier Continental AG, the implications of the world’s best-selling carmaker stepping up its environmental efforts in particular are vast. The company has 125 factories in countries from Brazil to China and estimates its cars alone account for 1% of global carbon-dioxide emissions. The group has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2050 in a major strategy overhaul focused on building the industry’s largest fleet of electric cars.
VW has added ESG targets to its strategic goals and calculates bonuses using a range of factors including the group’s operating performance and in the future also ESG improvement. Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess received a bonus of just over 3 million euros ($3.7 million) for last year, roughly twice as much as most management board members.
“The market is starting to view ESG performance as positively correlated with financial performance, and to think about ESG as an enhancer of investment returns rather than something requiring a trade-off,” Richard Butters, an analyst at Aviva Investors, said in a report last month.
VW boosted its ESG efforts in the wake of the diesel-engine scandal that erupted five years ago when regulators uncovered widespread cheating on emissions tests. Larry D. Thompson, who headed the U.S. government’s prosecution of Enron Corp. and in September completed a stint overseeing VW as part of a plea agreement with the Justice Department, said the company can be “a long-term and sustainable ethics, integrity and compliance success.”
Oversight Issues
While VW has made headway when it comes to identifying potential misconduct, its complex governance and shareholder structure remains a concern for investors. BlackRock Inc., the world’s biggest asset manager, in October reiterated its criticism that VW’s supervisory board lacks enough independent oversight.
Outsiders have little sway at VW because just over 90% of voting stock is in the hands of the three key shareholders: the Piech and Porsche billionaire clan, the German state of Lower Saxony and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. Poetsch acknowledged the long-standing criticism but argued the company largely complies with German corporate-governance rules and welcomes involvement of its key shareholders.
Comparing ESG initiatives across sectors is complicated by different methodology and priorities used for ratings from providers such as MSCI Inc., Sustainalytics and the Carbon Disclosure Project. The depth of data companies disclose can also vary significantly in individual regions and is less standardized than, for example, financial reporting based on established accounting standards.
VW has adjusted its peer groups to reflect the company’s new strategy focused on electric vehicles and expanding software operations, Poetsch said. It has added automakers Tesla Inc. and BYD Co. as well as technology firms SAP SE, Uber Technologies Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. and will disclose its list of peers in the future, he said.