17
Oct
2020

FTSE 100 cut executive pensions under shareholder pressure

Significant progress has been made on bringing executive pension contributions in line with those received by the majority of the workforce, following calls from shareholders for this alignment as an issue of fairness and to foster good employee relations. The data on the 2020 AGM season, published by the Investment Association (IA) today reveals that:    

  • 98% of FTSE 100 companies* analysed have now either aligned the pension contributions of new directors with that of the workforce or committed to doing so.
  • 14 FTSE 100 companies reduced pension contributions for existing directors during the year and a further 43 committed to reduce contributions in future years. Six FTSE 100 companies are increasing their workforce rate as part of their effort to align pension contributions.
  • Ten FTSE 100 companies were, however, issued a red-top by the IA’s Institutional Voting Information Service (IVIS) service for having at least one existing director receiving a pension contribution of 25% or more with no commitment to align this with the rest of the workforce by the end of 2022. A further two companies were issued a red-top for not committing to align the pension contributions of new directors with that of the workforce.

In a letter sent to FTSE 350 companies in April, the investment management industry expressed its commitment to supporting British business during the pandemic by focussing on the most material issues - those which significantly affect a company’s growth, costs or risk exposure – in this year’s AGM season. This was borne out in the latest data from the IA’s Public Register, which tracks shareholder rebellions of more than 20% on individual resolutions, and showed a decrease in the number of FTSE All-Share companies added to the Register compared to last year [116 companies in 2020 and 139 in 2019].  

Investors continued to shine a spotlight on executive pay with 45 FTSE All-Share companies (64 resolutions) added to the Public Register - the only type of resolution which did not see a decrease in shareholder rebellions this year. Director re-election also continued to top investors’ concerns with 46 companies (80 resolutions) added in this year’s AGM season, as shareholders voted against directors for a variety of potential reasons including: overboarding, lack of diversity, and for the decisions made as remuneration or audit committee chairperson. Companies are however doing more to acknowledge shareholder concerns, with almost 90% of those companies added to the Register making a public statement on how they’ll respond to the high level of dissent.

In this unprecedented AGM season, 43 FTSE All Share companies also withdrew AGM resolutions related to dividend payments – a move expected by investors, who asked companies to consider the suitability of dividend payments given current uncertainties, with the expectation that payments will resume once it is prudent to do so.

Chris Cummings, CEO of the Investment Association, said: “Providing directors with the same pension contributions as the rest of the workforce is fundamentally an issue of fairness. Given the economic difficulties many people across the UK are facing, it is only right that the majority of FTSE 100 companies are now aligning their executive pension contributions with their workforce.

“Both companies and shareholders have risen to the challenge of this unprecedented AGM season to ensure robust and effective governance of the UK’s largest companies. Shareholders have continued to hold companies to account on the executive pay and director re-election, while recognising the additional pressure companies have been under. Our industry has also been actively supporting these listed companies by providing additional capital to those in need, with over £17.7 billion raised by FTSE All Share companies since the start of the pandemic.”

Business Minister, Lord Callanan said: “No executive should be building up an exorbitant pension fund far and above the majority of their workforce, particularly during this testing time.

“I am really pleased to see the progress the vast majority of FTSE 100 companies have made towards bringing their executive pension contributions in line with the wider workforce, and would urge each and every business on the list to ensure plans are in place by 2022.”

Notes to Editors

*Based on the data for those FTSE 100 companies which have held their AGM up to 30th September 2020 e.g. 98% of FTSE 100 companies refers to a sample of 93 companies.

In this year’s AGM season, the IA’s Institutional Voting Information Service (IVIS) issued a ‘red top’ to:

  • Any company with an existing director who has a pension contribution 25% of salary or more, and has not set out a credible plan to reduce that contribution to the level of the majority of the workforce by the end of 2022.
  • Any company who appoints a new executive director or a director changes role with a pension contribution out of line with the majority of the workforce, or seeks approval for a new remuneration policy which does not explicitly state that any new director will have their pension contribution set in line with the majority of the workforce.

AGM season data

For further information, please contact:

Katie Martin, Head of Communications: [email protected]

T: +44 (0)20 7269 4655

Helen Ayres, Communications Manager: [email protected] 

T: +44 (0)20 7269 4620

David Parton, Communications Executive: [email protected]

T: +44 (0)20 7269 4625

IA press office: [email protected]

T: 020 7269 4696

About the Investment Association (IA):

  • The IA champions UK investment management, supporting British savers, investors and businesses. Our 250 members manage £7.7 trillion of assets and the investment management industry supports 115,000 jobs across the UK.
  • Our mission is to make investment better. Better for clients, so they achieve their financial goals. Better for companies, so they get the capital they need to grow. And better for the economy, so everyone prospers.
  • Our purpose is to ensure investment managers are in the best possible position to:
    • Build people’s resilience to financial adversity
    • Help people achieve their financial aspirations
    • Enable people to maintain a decent standard of living as they grow older
    • Contribute to economic growth through the efficient allocation of capital.
  • The money our members manage is in a wide variety of investment vehicles including authorised investment funds, pension funds and stocks and shares ISAs.
  • The UK is the second largest investment management centre in the world, after the US and manages 37% of all assets managed in Europe.