30. Employee Participation Plans

Audited information

Under the Group Senior Management – Long-Term Incentive Plan (GSM-LTIP) a certain percentage of the actual bonus is granted to the plan participants in the form of registered shares of Clariant Ltd (investment shares). These shares vest immediately upon grant, but are subject to a three-year blocking period. The plan participants receive an additional share free of cost (matching share) for each investment share held at the end of the blocking period.

These shares were granted for the first time in 2011, based on the performance achieved in the base year 2010. Similar plans were launched in all subsequent years. The number of shares not yet vested and thus disclosed are the matching shares already granted.

In April 2008, Clariant established a stock option plan for members of Management and the Board of Directors. Options granted under this plan entitle the holder to acquire registered shares of Clariant Ltd (one share per option) at a predetermined strike price. Clariant contracted a third-party bank to issue tradable options to the plan participants in accordance with the rules of the plan. The plan participants can sell the options back to this bank after they have vested. The bank in return has the right to claim a share from Clariant at the pre-determined strike price for each option that is sold to it by plan participants. The options become vested and are exercisable after two years and expire after five years. The last grant of the stock option plan to members of Management and the Board of Directors took place in April 2012.

The Restricted Plan for members of the Board of Directors replacing the Option Plan had its first grant date in early 2014.

For the first time in 2013, the Performance Share Unit (PSU) Plan was introduced for all senior managers to replace the former Tradable Option Plan. The term of Clariant’s Performance Share Unit Plan is a three-year vesting period. The vesting is conditional upon achievement of the performance targets at the end of the vesting period. If the performance targets are achieved, each PSU will be converted into one Clariant share.

A new grant took place in September 2017. The review of the target achievements (vesting criteria) for this plan will be held in summer 2020 and vesting is scheduled to take place in September 2020.

The expense recorded in the income statement spreads the costs of each grant over the measurement period and the vesting period. Assumptions are made concerning the forfeiture rate which is adjusted during the vesting period so that at the end of the vesting period there is only a charge for the vested amounts.

During 2017, CHF 9 million (2016: CHF 9 million) were charged to the income statement for equity-settled share-based payments exclusively.

As of 31 December 2017, the total carrying value of liabilities arising from equity-settled share-based payments, entirely recognized in equity, is CHF 25 million (2016: CHF 25 million).

Options for members of Management and Executive Committee1

Base year

 

Granted

 

Exercisable from

 

Expiry date

 

Exercise price

 

Share price at grant date

 

Number 31.12.2017

 

Number 31.12.2016

1

Past and current members.

2012

 

2012

 

2014

 

2017

 

16.50

 

12.59

 

 

660 243

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

660 243

As per 31 December 2017, no further options were outstanding. Per 31 December 2016, the weighted average remaining contractual life of the share options was 0.24 years.

Shares for members of Management and Executive Committee

Base year

 

Granted

 

Vesting in

 

 

 

Share price at grant date

 

Number 31.12.2017

 

Number 31.12.2016

2013

 

2014

 

2017

 

 

 

17.24

 

 

221 607

2014

 

2014

 

2017

 

 

 

17.35

 

 

489 798

2014

 

2014

 

2017

 

 

 

17.35

 

 

2 741

2014

 

2015

 

2018

 

 

 

19.71

 

171 123

 

186 848

2015

 

2015

 

2018

 

 

 

19.70

 

5 000

 

5 000

2015

 

2015

 

2018

 

 

 

17.39

 

13 813

 

13 813

2015

 

2015

 

2018

 

 

 

19.10

 

409 521

 

441 847

2015

 

2016

 

2019

 

 

 

16.98

 

227 725

 

250 325

2016

 

2016

 

2019

 

 

 

16.84

 

533 997

 

556 798

2016

 

2016

 

2019

 

 

 

16.87

 

5 000

 

5 000

2016

 

2017

 

2020

 

 

 

18.67

 

230 379

 

2017

 

2017

 

2020

 

 

 

22.11

 

432 613

 

2017

 

2017

 

2020

 

 

 

18.74

 

12 831

 

2017

 

2017

 

2020

 

 

 

19.15

 

11 799

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 053 801

 

2 173 777

 

 

Weighted average exercise price

 

Options
2017

 

Shares
2017

 

Weighted average exercise price

 

Options
2016

 

Shares
2016

*

Options exercised include 355 800 options (2016: 215 648) pertaining to the 2011 and 2012 Option Plans, which were sold by the plan participants in the market.

Shares/options outstanding at 1 January

 

16.50

 

660 243

 

2 173 777

 

16.95

 

1 233 671

 

2 685 903

Granted

 

 

 

 

996 690

 

 

 

 

1 122 258

Exercised/distributed*

 

18.67

 

–646 843

 

–516 649

 

17.23

 

–303 414

 

–887 577

Cancelled/forfeited

 

 

 

–13 400

 

–600 017

 

 

 

–270 014

 

–746 807

Outstanding at 31 December

 

 

 

 

2 053 801

 

16.50

 

660 243

 

2 173 777

Exercisable at 31 December

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16.50

 

660 243

 

 

Fair value of shares/options outstanding in CHF

 

 

 

 

 

55 966 064

 

 

 

921 038

 

38 193 253

The fair value of shares granted during 2017 is CHF 20 million (2016: CHF 19 million) calculated based on market value of shares at grant date.

No options were granted in 2017 and 2016.