Listed stock corporations are obligated to issue and publish annual Corporate Governance Statements, including for the Group.
Listed stock corporations are obligated to issue and publish annual Corporate Governance Statements, including for the Group. This statement summarises the Corporate Governance Statement of Jungheinrich AG pursuant to Section 289f of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and the Group Corporate Governance Statement pursuant to Section 315d HGB.
The Corporate Governance Statement in accordance with Sections 289f and 315d of the German Commercial Code is the main instrument for Corporate Governance reporting (Principle 23 of the German Corporate Governance Code, dated 28 April 2022). The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board of Jungheinrich AG issue the Corporate Governance Statement jointly and are each responsible for the sections that pertain to them. The Corporate Governance Statement includes relevant information from Jungheinrich AG on corporate governance practices, a description of the way in which the key bodies work and the declaration of compliance pursuant to Section 161 of the German Stock Corporation Act.
Corporate Governance at Jungheinrich
At Jungheinrich, corporate governance means deliberate, value-oriented management that aims for decision-making and conduct that is efficient, responsible, sustainable and focussed on long-term corporate success at all decision-making levels of the company and its subsidiaries. Jungheinrich’s understanding of corporate governance is oriented towards the regulatory frameworks relevant to the company and international best practices. Above and beyond this, the Board of Management and Supervisory Board consider the Code, which was published by the German Corporate Governance Code Government Commission, to be an important guideline for both inwardly and outwardly oriented corporate governance. In the year under review, the Board of Management and Supervisory Board once again regularly scrutinised the Code’s recommendations and suggestions critically, in particular, to determine whether they are useful given the nature of the company as a family business and with regard to its objectives. As in the past, the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management decided to follow and implement the recommendations and suggestions of the Code to a great extent. Only with some exceptions was this not the case or applicable merely to a limited extent. These deviations were reviewed in depth and communicated following the passage of the resolution.
The foundations of Jungheinrich’s entrepreneurial activity are the company’s quest to create value as a family-owned business, the clear and balanced distribution of tasks, authorities and responsibilities among the company’s corporate bodies, the close and efficient cooperation between the offices of the Board of Management and also between the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board, open internal and external corporate communications, orderly accounting and audits of the financial statements and responsible risk management.
On the company’s website at https://www.jungheinrich.com/en/investor-relations, readers can find financial publications, documents relating to the Annual General Meeting, information on the remuneration of the Board of Management and Supervisory Board, rules of procedure for the Supervisory Board, the financial calendar with all important dates, particularly for analysts, investors, shareholder associations and the media, ad hoc announcements and press releases along with compulsory statements, especially regarding securities transactions involving members of the Board of Management and Supervisory Board, and any related persons acquiring or selling company shares ("Managers’ Transactions") subject to obligatory reporting, voting rights notifications submitted to the company and other company information.
The way in which the company is managed and controlled by the Board of Management and Supervisory Board is described below.
Board of Management
The Board of Management leads the company on its own responsibility. It conducts business in accordance with statutory regulations, the articles of association of Jungheinrich AG, the rules of procedure for the Board of Management, the resolutions of the Supervisory Board and the Annual General Meeting, the German Corporate Governance Code (unless a resolution was passed to deviate from its recommendations or suggestions) and in accordance with its contracts of employment. The Board of Management generally passes resolutions with a simple majority. In the event of an equal number of votes, the CEO shall have the casting vote. The rules of procedure for the Board of Management contain certain measures that require approval by the Supervisory Board.
The Board of Management regularly coordinates the strategic alignment of Jungheinrich AG, which also includes environmental and social targets, with the Supervisory Board, and takes responsibility for the implementation thereof. In doing so, the Board of Management takes care to ensure that the management instruments used in the company are effective and efficient. The planning, controlling and risk management systems that are used to manage the company and also cover sustainability targets therefore occupy a key role in corporate governance.
The Board of Management regularly informs the Supervisory Board, promptly and comprehensively, about all important issues in respect of business development, the risk situation, risk management, compliance and planning. The Supervisory Board is also notified and informed of deviations from planning and targets.
The members of the Board of Management are committed to the company’s interests and are subject to a comprehensive non-competition clause during their employment. Each member of the Board of Management is required to disclose conflicts of interest to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board without delay and inform the other Members of the Board of Management.
Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board appoints the members of the Board of Management, monitors their work and advises the Board of Management on the Group’s strategic and operational matters, including sustainability questions. The Supervisory Board performs this activity in accordance with the law, the articles of association of Jungheinrich AG, the rules of procedure for the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management, the German Corporate Governance Code (unless a resolution was passed to deviate from its recommendations or suggestions), and any resolutions by the Supervisory Board and the Annual General Meeting. The Supervisory Board and the Board of Management work together closely and with trust for the benefit of the company. The Supervisory Board meets at least twice during each calendar half-year, and generally meets with the entire Board of Management or individual members thereof, whereby meetings or parts of the meetings regularly take place without the Board of Management. The members of the Supervisory Board are also committed to the company’s interests and must disclose conflicts of interest to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board without delay. In the event of material and not merely temporary conflicts of interests, members affected by such conflicts shall resign from the Supervisory Board. Information on conflicts of interest that have arisen and how they have been dealt with is provided in the report of the Supervisory Board.
In accordance with the German Co-Determination Act of 1976, the Supervisory Board comprises six shareholder representatives and six employee representatives. In preparation for the meetings of the Supervisory Board, separate preparatory meetings are held between the representatives of the shareholders and the employees. Five women are on the Supervisory Board; three were appointed to represent shareholders and two were appointed to represent employees. The company thus satisfies the legally mandated minimum female quota of 30 per cent on the Supervisory Board. The diversity criteria that are observed with regard to positions on this corporate body are described further below. The company has made the decision not to create formal skills profiles that go beyond this or to apply a specifically formulated diversity policy.
The appointed independent auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Hamburg, assist the Supervisory Board in performing the tasks entrusted to it by law and the articles of association.
Compliance with statutory regulations and internal guidelines is important to the company and its committees. Jungheinrich’s compliance management system consists of more than ten core elements divided into the categories “Prevention” (particularly the Code of Conduct, guidelines, procedures, processes and control, instructions and consulting), “Detection” (particularly reports and confidential reports – including anonymously via a whistleblower hotline, business partner checks, monitoring and inspection, business data analysis) and “Reaction” (particularly dealing with faults and incidents, inspections, corrective measures, improvements).
During the course of the year, the Board of Management and Compliance Officer regularly report on the compliance organisation and its activities to the Supervisory Board’s Finance and Audit Committee. Compliance issues that have arisen are among the subjects discussed. In principle, the company pursues a conservative and cautious approach to risks.
The Supervisory Board makes decisions by means of resolutions. Resolutions are passed by means of a simple majority of the votes cast, unless other majorities are expressly stipulated by law. The voting procedure is as follows: if there is an equal number of votes, and if this is the case again after holding another vote on the same resolution, the chairman shall have two votes in this new vote.
The chairman of the Supervisory Board regularly discusses upcoming topics with the Board of Management, sometimes outside of meetings of the Supervisory Board and its committees.
The Supervisory Board met nine times in 2022, twice of which were extraordinary meetings, and adopted four resolutions by written procedure. One meeting was held as a video conference, one meeting was held in person and seven meetings were held as hybrid events, with the majority of members physically present and individual members connected via video.
Self-assessment of the Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board regularly performs self-assessments of its activities and the activities of it committees. The last self-assessment took place in the summer of 2021. During this self-assessment, the Supervisory Board critically examined, in particular, the progress on findings from 2019 and the prioritisation of important points for the period 2021 to 2023. The focus of the internal self-assessment, which was carried out by means of interviews with all members of the Supervisory Board, was on both organisational aspects and how specific topics were dealt with. The findings were presented and explained in a plenary session following completion and analysis.
Committees
The Supervisory Board has created the following three committees from among its members to prepare and supplement its work:
The respective committee chairs generally report on the material results of the committee meetings to the entire Supervisory Board in the next Supervisory Board meeting.
Joint Committee
The Joint Committee makes proposals to the Supervisory Board regarding the appointment or dismissal of members of the Board of Management if the required majority of two-thirds of the votes of Supervisory Board members is not achieved in the first round of voting.
The Joint Committee did not meet in 2022.
Finance and Audit Committee
Among other things, the Finance and Audit Committee prepares the decisions of the Supervisory Board on the determination of the annual financial statements and the approval of the consolidated financial statements. It deals primarily with the auditing of accounting and monitoring the accounting process, the effectiveness of the internal control system, the risk management system, the internal audit system, audit services (including any additional services to be rendered by the auditor) and compliance. The Finance and Audit Committee also prepares the proposal of the Supervisory Board to the Annual General Meeting regarding the selection of the auditor, the issuing of the audit mandate to the auditor, the determination of the focal points of the audit and the fee agreements as well as the agreement on the auditor’s duties to inform and provide information, reviews the independence of the proposed auditor and regularly assesses the quality of the audit. It discusses the assessment of the audit risk, the audit strategy and audit planning as well as the audit results with the auditor and regularly consults with the auditor, also without the Board of Management. The Chairperson of the Finance and Audit Committee also compares notes on a regular basis with the auditor about the progress of the audit and reports on this to the Committee. The Finance and Audit Committee also supports the Supervisory Board in the preparation and implementation of the Supervisory Board’s self-assessment and discusses the half-yearly financial reports and the quarterly reports with the Board of Management. The committee also prepares the Supervisory Board resolution on the annual declaration of compliance with the German Corporate Governance Code pursuant to Section 161 of the German Stock Corporation Act, including deviations from its recommendations and suggestions.
Of the members of the Finance and Audit Committee, Ms Kathrin Elisabeth Dahnke, who has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 1 December 2022 and has also chaired the Committee since 5 December 2022, has expertise in the field of accounting and Ms Antoinette P. Aris has expertise in the field of audit services. In particular, this expertise consists of knowledge and experience in the application of accounting principles and internal control and risk management systems or in audit services as well as in sustainability reporting and their audit. The same applies to Dr Ulrich Schmidt, who, until 30 November 2022, belonged to the Supervisory Board, chaired the Finance and Audit Committee and had expertise in the field of accounting. Ms Dahnke has acquired corresponding knowledge and experience particularly through her extensive professional experience, including as Head of the Finance Department of Beiersdorf AG and a Chief Financial Officer of DMG Mori Seiki AG, Osram Licht AG and Ottobock SE & Co KGaA as well as her many years of work as Chairperson of the Audit Committees at B. Braun SE (since 2016) and the listed company Knorr-Bremse AG (since 2018). Ms Aris has corresponding knowledge and experience, particularly due to her extensive professional experience as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a Professor at the INSEAD Business School as well as her years of work in the Finance and Audit Committee of the company (since 2016) and the Audit Committee of the Rabobank Group, Utrecht/Netherlands. Dr Schmidt also has corresponding knowledge and experience, particularly due to his many years of professional experience as a member of the Board of Management for Finance at Beiersdorf AG and his activity as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of tesa SE and as Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee of the company since 2016. In their respective functions, Ms Dahnke, Ms Aris and Dr Schmidt also dealt intensively with the non-financial reporting and sustainability reporting and their audit.
The Finance and Audit Committee met eight times in 2022, including one extraordinary meeting. Four meetings were held as video conferences and four meetings as hybrid events, with individual members physically present and individual members connected via video.
Personnel Committee
The Personnel Committee primarily prepares the personnel decisions of the Supervisory Board, in particular the appointment and dismissal of members of the Board of Management including the appointment of the CEO and the Labour Director, as well as decisions relating to the remuneration system for the Board of Management and the setting and review of the appropriate total remuneration of individual members of the Board of Management. The Personnel Committee decides on certain measures instead of the Supervisory Board, taking into account the legal provisions and the stipulations in the rules of procedure for the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management. The committee also focusses on the Group’s executives in terms of succession planning.
The Personnel Committee met five times in 2022, including one extraordinary meeting. One meeting was held as a video conference, one meeting in presence and three meetings as hybrid events, where individual members were physically present and individual members were connected via video.
Long-term Board of Management succession planning
The Supervisory Board’s Personnel Committee and the Board of Management facilitate long-term Board of Management succession planning. Long-term succession planning takes not only the requirements of the German Stock Corporation Act and the Code into consideration, but also the criteria for Jungheinrich’s approach to diversity. Taking into account the specific qualification requirements and the stated criteria, the Personnel Committee develops a position profile, on the basis of which the Personnel Committee then produces a selection of available candidates. Structured interviews are held with these candidates. Following this, a recommendation for a decision is made to the Supervisory Board. If required, external advisers assist the Supervisory Board or the Personnel Committee with the development of vacancy profiles and the selection of candidates. The regular age limit for members of the Board of Management is 63 years.
Board of Management members and mandates in supervisory boards and comparable regulatory committees, the formation of which is a statutory requirement
Dr. Lars Brzoska
Chairman of the Board of Management
Labour Director
Christian Erlach
Member of the Board of Management
Marketing & Sales
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
Jungheinrich Heli Industrial Truck Rental Co. Ltd., Shanghai, PR China1)
MCJ Supply Chain Solutions LLC, Houston, Texas, USA1)
Dr. Volker Hues
Member of the Board of Management
Finance
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
A.S. Création Tapeten AG, Gummersbach2)
Sabine Neuß
Member of the Board of Management
Engineering
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
Continental AG, Hanover2)
Valmet Automotive Inc., Uusikaupunki, Finland (since 1 October 2022)
JULI Motorenwerk CZ s.r.o., Moravany, Czechia1)
Schwerter Profile GmbH, Schwerte (until 11 March 2022)1)
Magazino GmbH, Munich1)
Supervisory Board and Supervisory Board committee members and mandates in supervisory boards and comparable regulatory committees, the formation of which is a statutory requirement
Supervisory Board
Hans-Georg Frey
Chairman
Member of the Supervisory Board since 1 September 2019
Corporate Consultant
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
Fielmann AG, Hamburg2)
HOYER GmbH, Hamburg
Blanc & Fischer Familienholding GmbH, Oberderdingen (Chairman since 20 May 2022)
Gottfried Schultz Automobilhandels SE, Ratingen
Markus Haase3)
Deputy Chairman
Member of the Supervisory Board since 15 June 2011
Service Consultant at Jungheinrich Vertrieb Deutschland AG & Co. KG
Chairman of the Group Works Council
Antoinette P. Aris
Member of the Supervisory Board since 15 June 2011
Engineer, MBA
Senior Affiliate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD (Fontainebleau/France)
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
ASML N.V., Veldhoven/Netherlands2)
Randstad N.V., Diemen/Netherlands2)
Rabobank Group, Utrecht/Netherlands (until 7 December 2022)
Dagmar Karin Bieber3)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 1 June 2020
Business Manager
Quality Coordinator at Jungheinrich Service & Parts AG & Co. KG
Deputy Chairperson of the Works Council of Jungheinrich Service & Parts AG & Co. KG (since 17 March 2022)
Member of the Group Works Council (until 17 March 2022)
Member of the European Works Council (since 17 March 2022)
Rainer Breitschädel3)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 24 May 2016
Engineer
Head of Kaltenkirchen Location at Jungheinrich Service & Parts AG & Co. KG
Executive Staff Representative
Kathrin Elisabeth Dahnke
Member of the Supervisory Board since 1 December 2022
Business Graduate
Freelance Corporate Consultant
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
B. Braun SE, Melsungen
Knorr-Bremse AG, Munich2)
Aurubis AG, Hamburg2) since 16 February 2023
Beate Klose
Member of the Supervisory Board since 24 May 2016
Business Graduate
Freelance Consultant
Wolff Lange
Member of the Supervisory Board since 7 June 2005
Businessman
Managing Director of LJH-Holding GmbH, Wohltorf
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
HANSA-HEEMANN AG, Rellingen (Chairman) (until 31 January 2022)
Wintersteiger AG, Ried/Austria (Chairman)
Mike Retz3)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 11 June 2020
Trade Union Secretary
IG Metall for the region of Hamburg
Dr Ulrich Schmidt (until 30 November 2022)
Business Manager, economics graduate
Steffen Schwarz3)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 15 June 2011
Assembly Worker at Jungheinrich Norderstedt AG & Co. KG
Deputy Chairman of the Group Works Council
Kristina Thurau-Vetter3)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 11 May 2021
Trade Union Secretary
IG Metall District Management Küste
Membership of other supervisory boards/regulatory committees:
Premium Aerotec GmbH, Augsburg (since 7 November 2022)
Andreas Wolf
Member of the Supervisory Board since 17 April 2018
Business Manager
Managing Director of WJH-Holding GmbH, Aumühle, and Sachsenwald Management GmbH, Aumühle
Committees of the Supervisory Board:
Finance and Audit Committee:
Dr. Ulrich Schmidt (Chairman) (until 30 November 2022)
Kathrin Elisabeth Dahnke (Chairperson) (member since 1 December 2022, Chairperson since 5 December 2022)
Antoinette P. Aris (Deputy Chairman)
Steffen Schwarz3)
Personnel Committee:
Hans-Georg Frey (Chairman)
Markus Haase3) (Deputy Chairman)
Wolff Lange
Steffen Schwarz3)
Andreas Wolf
Antoinette P. Aris (non-voting member)
Joint Committee:
Hans-Georg Frey (Chairman)
Markus Haase3) (Deputy Chairman)
Mike Retz3)
Andreas Wolf
1) = Group or associated company
2) = listed
3) = Employee representative
Remuneration of the members of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board
In accordance with Section 87a Paragraphs 1 and 2 Sentence 1 of the German Stock Corporation Act, the applicable remuneration system and, in accordance with Section 113 Paragraph 3 of the German Stock Corporation Act, the last remuneration resolution and, in accordance with Section 162 of the German Stock Corporation Act, the remuneration report for the 2021 financial year including the auditor’s report are publicly accessible on the company’s website at https://www.jungheinrich.com/en/investor-relations/corporate-governance/remuneration-of-board-of-management-and-supervisory-board-1145400. The remuneration report for the 2022 financial year including the auditor’s report in accordance with Section 162 of the German Stock Corporation Act will be made publicly accessible at the same internet address after completion and adoption.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting is the company’s highest corporate body and the place where shareholders have the opportunity to exercise their rights. At the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board report on business developments and the company’s financial and earnings position, and answer questions from the shareholders and shareholder association representatives. Voting rights may only be exercised by holders of ordinary shares at the Annual General Meeting, while all shareholders have equal rights to speak and ask questions.
Due to the special circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual General Meeting on 10 May 2022 again took place as a virtual Annual General Meeting without the physical presence of the shareholders or their proxies in accordance with Section 1 Paragraphs 2 and 6 as well as Section 7 Paragraph 1 of the Act Concerning Measures Under the Law of Companies, Cooperative Societies, Associations, Foundations and Commonhold Property to Combat the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, dated 27 March 2020 (German Federal Law Gazette I No. 14 2020, p. 570) as amended by the Act to Further Shorten the Residual Debt Discharge Procedure and to Amend Pandemic-related Provisions in the Law of Companies, Cooperative Societies, Associations and Foundations as well as in Tenancy and Lease Law dated 22 December 2020 (German Federal Law Gazette I No. 67 2020, p. 3328) as well as the Act on the Establishment of a Special Fund “Reconstruction Assistance 2021” and Temporary Suspension of the Obligation to File for Insolvency Due to Heavy Rainfall and Floods in July 2021 and on the Amendment of Other Acts of 10 September 2021 (German Federal Gazette I No. 63 2021, S. 4147).
Accounting and audit services
Accounting for the Jungheinrich Group is performed in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union. The audits of the annual financial statements and the consolidated financial statements are performed by an independent auditor elected by the Annual General Meeting. Upon recommendation of the Supervisory Board, the Annual General Meeting held on 10 May 2022 appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH, Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Hamburg, as its auditor and Group auditor for the 2022 financial year.
It has been agreed with the auditor that they shall immediately report all findings and events relevant to the tasks of the Supervisory Board and the Finance and Audit Committee that arise during the audit and that they shall inform the Finance and Audit Committee and make a note in the audit report if, in the course of carrying out the audit, they determine that the declaration on the German Corporate Governance Code issued by the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board is incorrect.
Transparency
Informing the public in a uniform, comprehensive and timely manner is of particular importance to Jungheinrich AG. Jungheinrich AG reports on the state of business and its results in its annual report, at the financial statement press conference, at the Annual General Meeting, in the half-year financial report and in the quarterly reports as of 31 March and 30 September.
A financial calendar that provides information on important recurring events is permanently available on the website of Jungheinrich AG.
Equal participation of women and men in management positions
Due to the German Act on Equal Participation of Men and Women in Executive Positions in the Public and Private Sectors (FüPoG), which came into effect on 1 May 2015, and the German Act on Additions and Amendments to the Equal Participation of Men and Women in Executive Positions in the Public and Private Sectors (FüPoG II), which came into effect on 12 August 2021, Jungheinrich AG is obliged to set targets for the number of women in management positions. This is a binding regulation for publicly listed companies subject to the German Co-Determination Act. Aside from the legal requirements, it is necessary, both for social and economic reasons, to support all managers regardless of their gender, particularly with regard to the demographic change and the associated lack of specialists and managers in Germany.
In July 2022 and in accordance with Section 76, Paragraph 4 of the German Stock Corporation Act, the Board of Management passed a resolution that applies until 31 December 2025 not to fall below the target for women at the first and second management levels below the Board of Management, which are 13 per cent and 21.5 per cent respectively. The first management level in the Jungheinrich Group is formed by Management Levels (ML) E and 1, the second Management Level by ML 2. As of the effective date of 30 June 2022, which was relevant for the above-mentioned resolution, the proportion of women was 11.9 percent for ML E and 1 and 16.7 percent for ML 2. Therefore, the targets set in November 2017 of 5 percent for ML E and 1 and 15 percent for ML 2 were achieved during the reference period until 30 June 2022. The Board of Management reserves the right to adjust these targets in accordance with the Group’s development.
Sabine Neuß is the woman currently on the Board of Management of Jungheinrich AG, fulfilling the statutory requirements for the Board of Management in accordance with Section 76 Paragraph 3a AktG, FüPoG II.
Of the twelve Members of the Supervisory Board, five are currently female, two of them from the employee side and three from the shareholder side. This fulfils the minimum quota requirements for the Supervisory Board in accordance with Section 96 Paragraph 2 AktG.
It is of particular importance to Jungheinrich that it attracts highly qualified female managers to the company. However, when recruiting new employees, the principle of performance is paramount, meaning that the person with the best qualifications for the position in question will be employed, regardless of gender, age or ethnic background.
Diversity policy
A balance between experience and qualification as well as expertise and diversity is important to the company when filling positions on the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board. We take a broad view of diversity, embracing not only age, gender and nationality, but also other factors such as educational background, professional qualifications and experience. However, balance is not achieved by merely applying a specifically formulated diversity policy based on these criteria. Rather, every appointment made to these two boards must ensure that statutory duties are being fulfilled and orient themselves accordingly.
Declaration regarding the German Corporate Governance Code pursuant to Section 161 of the German Stock Corporation Act
The following declaration is valid for the past and future Corporate Governance of Jungheinrich AG.
“In accordance with Section 161, Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 of the German Stock Corporation Act, the Board of Management and Supervisory Board of Jungheinrich AG hereby declare compliance with the recommendations of the Government Commission’s “German Corporate Governance Code” dated 16 December 2019 and published in the German Federal Gazette on 20 March 2020 since the declaration of compliance from 21 December 2021 – with the deviations to the Code’s recommendations declared in December 2021 – and declare future compliance with the recommendations of the Government Commission’s “German Corporate Governance Code” dated 28 April 2022 and published in the German Federal Gazette on 27 June 2022, with the following deviations:
1. The company has not created a skills profile for the whole of the Supervisory Board (recommendation C.1).
Jungheinrich AG’s Supervisory Board meets the diversity criteria required by law and the Code. Many of the Supervisory Board members have international business experience. The candidates that will be proposed to the Annual General Meeting for the four shareholder representative positions are determined in close coordination with the holders of ordinary shares, ensuring that only suitable candidates, who cover as many of the skills that the company requires as possible, are proposed to the Annual General Meeting. For this reason, the Supervisory Board does not deem it appropriate for Jungheinrich, as a family-owned company, to also create a skills profile for the full Supervisory Board.
2. The company renounces the determination of an age limit for Supervisory Board members (recommendation C.2).
An age limit can lead to rigid rules, which may counteract the company’s goal of recruiting extremely experienced individuals to work on the Supervisory Board. Therefore, the flexibility to make decisions on a case-by-case basis has been given preference over a rigid limit.
3. The criteria of recommendation C.10 sentence 1 regarding the independence of the Chairman of the Supervisory Board from the company are not met.
The current Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Jungheinrich AG, Mr Hans-Georg Frey, acted as Chairman of the Board of Management until 31 August 2019 and transferred directly to the Supervisory Board after this as requested by the ordinary shareholders. He became Chairman of the Supervisory Board on 3 September 2019. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board is also Chairman of the Personnel Committee, which deals with Board of Management remuneration.
4. A nomination committee for proposing suitable Supervisory Board candidates to the Annual General Meeting will not be established (recommendation D.4).
In light of the company’s nature, which can be likened to that of a family-owned company, the Supervisory Board believes that such a committee is unnecessary. Two Supervisory Board members are appointed by the registered shareholders. The candidates proposed to the Annual General Meeting for the four remaining shareholder representative positions are chosen in close coordination with the holders of ordinary shares.
5. The Supervisory Board can retroactively adjust the targets or the comparative parameters for the variable remuneration of the Board of Management in certain cases (recommendation G.8).
The company’s remuneration system allows for a retroactive adjustment of targets and comparative parameters in cases of unusual developments. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board are of the opinion that this flexibility is advisable and necessary in order to take sufficient account of M&A transactions in particular and to allow for changes in corporate strategy in the interests of the sustainable development of the company also within an assessment period for the variable compensation components. In the interests of the company, necessary adjustments of targets and comparative parameters will remain possible.
6. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board reserve the right to restrict the transparency of the target achievement with regard to the variable remuneration of the Board of Management if the confidentiality interests of the company conflict with disclosure (recommendation G.9 sentence 2).
The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board make no disclosures in the annual remuneration report that go beyond the legal requirements (especially those in Section 162 AktG). In particular, the disclosure of the concretely defined targets for an assessment period shall be waived in the case of strategically significant targets if and to the extent that this opposes the confidentiality interests of the Company and disclosure would be unfair for competitive reasons. The Board of Management and Supervisory Board have made use of this in the remuneration report for the financial year 2021 in relation to the "lithium-ion equipment ratio" sustainability target within the context of the Short Term Incentive (“STI”), which was paid out in 2022.
7. According to the remuneration system, the long-term variable management board remuneration amounts can be available to members of the Board of Management after three years instead of four years (recommendation G.10 sentence 2).
According to the remuneration system, members of the Board of Management will receive an LTI, meaning long-term variable remuneration, containing a share-based component. In contrast, short-term variable remuneration (STI) is not share-based. LTI tranches have a three-year term, which corresponds to the term of the initial appointment of members of the Board of Management.
Hamburg, December 2022"
* Note: the corporate governance statement was updated in February 2023. It is generally not amended during the year.