Care for people

The SHV Fair pay ambition is to reward our employees consistently in line with our policies, to ensure they are treated fairly, and respected and recognized for the contributions they make.

In 2024, we agreed a cross-SHV rewards policy that defines the principles that underpin this Fair Pay ambition.

1. External equity: offer competitive packages aligned to local market practice.

2. Internal equity: apply a job framework to analyze equal pay for equal work and strive for equal treatment in line with our policies and guidelines.

3. Governance: deploy clear and transparent reward policies and processes while applying the ‘one-over-one principle’ – whereby individual reward decisions require approval from the next level in the organization, strengthening our objectivity in decision-making.

4. Motivate to perform: encourage employees to perform by linking rewards to results, without compromising on sufficient levels of guaranteed pay.

5. Benefits: provide relevant, market-aligned benefit packages; a combination of employee insurances, different types of leave and green mobility.

6. Accountable and transparent: provide accessible and relevant information on the terms and conditions of employment.

We regularly analyze pay equity across the organization. Last year, we relaunched our analytical tooling to meet the growing requirement for different kinds of equity analysis, especially in the face of a global increase in legal requirements.

The analysis identified a need for an increased level of transparency around HR practices, policies, and the way we determine pay, leading to a series of workshop sessions for general and HR managers in 2025.

As a decentralized company, SHV encompasses a wide variety of businesses, geographies, and cultures. Training and skills development programs should therefore be tailored to the context in which our employees operate.

The Being Part of SHV program is designed to help participants understand various aspects of SHV, including its history, different Groups, the role of SHV head office, values and purpose, culture, leadership profile, and ESG initiatives. The program aims to make participants feel more connected to SHV by addressing these topics in a comprehensive manner.

In 2024, we relaunched a program, designed to connect leadership development with a sustainable future. With an emphasis both on short-term success and long-term sustainable growth, this program also helps to nurture a cross-Group, life-long network of SHV colleagues.

In addition to global SHV-wide training development, individual Groups deliver their own  programs. These initiatives are designed to address specific needs and priorities, placing an emphasis on strong leadership in the face of change.

Summary of leadership programs by Group

SHV Energy:

Sprint: Themed around ’leading self’ and ‘leading others' to address leadership challenges and dilemmas.

Ambassador: Opens up the world of SHV and increases understanding of the SHV Energy business strategy.

Nutreco:

JUMP: Focusing on the competencies and behaviors identified in our Leadership Profile, including Mentoring and Business Case Analysis.

SOAR: Prepares participants to navigate current and future business challenges in a sustainable manner based on the Leadership Competency & Behavior Framework.

Kiwa:

(We) ARE (Kiwa) – Ambitious, Reliable & Engaged: A journey guided by the central themes of "leading self" and "leading others".

Mammoet:

Explore: Accelerates personal leadership development through in-depth and impactful training.

Boost: Develops leadership styles through a journey focused on self-understanding, team relationships, the workplace, and the wider organization.

Global leadership profile

The SHV global leadership profile translates SHV values into leadership actions and behaviors. These are in turn integrated into performance reviews and management development programs such as Management Essentials.

Performance management

A decentralized approach allows policies, processes and systems to be tailored to Group-specific requirements, accommodating local practices and collective labor requirements. We strive to include all employees in a performance management process and hold at least one conversation per year to discuss individual priorities, actions and performance.

We aim for a diverse workforce to bring in diverse perspectives to support and increase better decision making .

We strive for equal treatment in rewarding and developing our employees. 

It not only aligns with our values and culture, but will also help us to build a strong organization for generations to come by encouraging innovation, attracting and retaining people, while supporting long-term results. 

In 2024, we continued our efforts to develop a highly engaged workforce that represents the composition of the societies in which we operate. One of the most visible means of achieving this goal is by increasing the number of women in senior management positions – although we fully appreciate that gender represents just one shade on the diversity spectrum.

To measure progress, we define senior management roles as positions with Korn Ferry Hay grade ≥21. We aspire to a minimum of 30% female representation in these positions by 2030, compared to 17% in 2024. We also actively support female representation in the talent pool for the succession to these senior management positions (Korn Ferry Hay 16-20) – a figure that currently stands at 28%.

Beyond gender diversity, SHV also aims to include at least two different nationalities in senior management teams by 2030. In 2024, 86% of teams met this goal, compared to 85% in 2023. These figures do not include Kiwa, since the Testing, Inspection and Certification industry requires regular contact with local regulatory organizations. It is therefore essential that management teams incorporate local expertise. Senior management teams include the Executive Board, Group Management Boards, Functional Directors at SHV head office and local/country management teams. From 2025, we will also focus on age distribution. The goal is to maintain a balanced workforce composition that straddles the generations, combining the knowledge and experience of the past with new insights and innovative ways of working.

Diversity , Equity & Inclusion initiatives

SHV cross-Group

A range of DEI initiatives were launched across both SHV and the Groups during 2024.

• DEI Week, featuring a global roundtable webinar and a card game designed to foster discussions on the importance of DEI for sustainable performance.

• International Women’s Day, with twelve different webinars hosting speakers from diverse countries and backgrounds.

• ‘Taking the Stage’ training, designed to provide female colleagues with guidance on becoming more effective leaders, as well as support them in combatting bias.

• The ‘Sharing the Stage’ dialogue around diversity and inclusion at SHV.

• The Blue Card initiative that has been created to help become more aware of stereotypes and unconscious biases that we all have, and empower us to address them in a constructive way.

Initiatives by Group

SHV Energy onboarded a new DEI task force and launched a global DEI SharePoint. Three key themes will come to the fore in 2025: Inspirational leadership, Inclusivity, and Multicultural Integration.

Nutreco celebrated neurodiversity, the elimination of racism, and International Day of Persons with Disabilities. 2025 will see a focus on gender diversity, diversity of thought and experience, inclusive behavior, and health and well-being.

Kiwa organized a range of local initiatives. For example, Kiwa Sweden conducted a nationwide tour, visiting various offices and organizing equal treatment workshops. In 2025, four initiatives will each focus on a specific aspect of DEI.

NPM introduced a DEI information pack for all Supervisory Board members. This will be followed by a diversity assessment in 2025.

Mammoet incorporated DEI-related topics into the well-being calendar. In 2025, the focus will shift from awareness via global communication to engagement via local activities.