Remuneration report

2018 has been a year of positive strategic and financial performance for the Group. Strong progress towards our external financial targets has been made, with profit before tax* (PBT) up £953m (20%) from 2017 to £5,701m. Group return on tangible equity** (RoTE) is 8.5%, up 2.9% points on prior year and on track to achieve our targets for 2019 and 2020. Our Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio is 13.2%, at the end-state target range of c.13%.

It has also been another year of successful execution against our strategy. This included the stand-up of the UK ring-fenced bank, full regulatory deconsolidation of Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL), and the conclusion of a number of significant legacy litigation and conduct matters.

The Committee shares the disappointment that this positive performance has not yet translated into share price performance, as macroeconomic factors continue to weigh heavily on investor sentiment. In determining the appropriate pay outcomes for 2018, we have taken a balanced view of performance, reflecting both the significant progress made during the year and the foundations laid for further and sustainable future improvements. It is important for the Committee to recognise these positive steps in performance, ensuring that Barclays continues to be able to attract and retain the talent needed to deliver our strategy and returns to our shareholders.

The Committee has approved a Group incentive pool of £1,649m, up 9% from 2017, against a PBT* increase of 20%. This pool change is the first increase in our incentive pool since 2013. Since 2010, our incentive pool is down 53%. This trend means that in some areas of the Bank, pay is now positioned behind our peers when adjusted for performance. A small part of the increase in the incentive pool is intended to ensure that we continue to align pay with performance and retain high performing talent in key business areas.

The increase also reflects some strategic hiring into key areas as well as an increase in permanent staff headcount, as we reduce outsourcing and third party arrangements in favour of building internal capability in line with our technology strategy to deliver ongoing cost efficiencies and retain intellectual property for the Group.

The Committee reviews key compensation ratios as part of its decision making on the pool, for example the Group compensation to net income ratio*, which continues to improve, down year on year from 38.0% to 36.6%. The ratio of Group staff costs to income*** also reduced from 40.6% in 2017 to 40.2%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the insourcing strategy in reducing overall staff costs.

The total incentive pool incorporates appropriate adjustments for risk and conduct matters, reflecting the ongoing seriousness with which the Committee views these issues.

*Excluding litigation and conduct.

** Excluding litigation and conduct. The prior year excludes litigation and conduct, Deferred Tax Asset remeasurement and the loss on the sale of 33.7% of BAGL’s issued share capital and the impairment of Barclays’ holding in BAGL.

*** Basis aligned with disclosure in the Results Announcement.

We continue to be committed to fair pay, ensuring that all our employees are appropriately and fairly rewarded for their contribution. The 2018 Fair Pay Report sets out our progress against each of the five themes of Barclays’ Fair Pay Agenda as referenced in last year’s Remuneration report.

Our Gender Pay Gap reporting is included within ‘equal opportunities to progress’, given the underlying drivers of the pay gaps relate to the distribution of male and female staff within the organisation.

The Committee notes that the disclosed Gender Pay Gaps, while down slightly, are broadly consistent with the 2017 outcomes. Through 2018, Barclays’ approaches have been assessed against the ‘Evidence-based actions’ list as published by the UK Government Equalities Office and the Behavioural Insights Team, which has been very informative. While in many areas our existing approaches are aligned with those listed as effective actions, there is scope for further improvement. The Fair Pay Report sets out areas of focus to increase the rate of change.

Additionally, as well as supporting the Government’s consultation on Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting, we have decided to include our Ethnicity Pay Gap for the first time, ahead of any mandatory reporting requirements. This is intended to foster further positive conversations in this space, as the Gender Pay Gap reporting has done across our industry and more broadly in society.

Some of the other highlights noted by the Committee through 2018 have included the ongoing work in ensuring that we treat our lowest paid employees fairly through initiatives such as increasing pension contributions to our most junior populations in the UK, to be followed by a review in other locations during 2019.

We also make sure that employees are appropriately represented in remuneration decision-making. We listen to our employees (as we do with other stakeholders) through a number of different channels, both formally and informally. Many of my fellow Committee members at both the Group and subsidiary levels have spent time with staff and listened to their views and perspectives around how they are paid. An example of a more structured piece of employee engagement on remuneration within Barclays UK is included in the Fair Pay Report. It included conducting a pulse survey of over 2,000 employees, as well as 25 focus groups held across multiple sites and business areas. The key themes that emerged resonated with the Group remuneration philosophy, including a desire for greater simplicity and transparency. Work is ongoing to respond to this feedback, which will be communicated to our colleagues in Barclays UK during 2019.

The Committee reviews pay proposals for appropriateness across both businesses and corporate grade structures, with pay for executive Directors thereby set in the context of business performance and pay for all employees. Additionally, we disclose our CEO pay ratios once again, following on from our first disclosure last year. Ahead of requirements from the UK Government, this year we also include the UK employee upper quartile and lower quartile reference points. 

In line with the current Directors’ Remuneration Policy (DRP) approved by shareholders at the 2017 AGM, the Committee considered the executive Directors’ performance against the financial and strategic non-financial performance measures which had been set to reflect company priorities for 2018. Separately, performance against their personal objectives was assessed on an individual basis.

Based on Jes Staley’s performance against the performance measures set at the beginning of the year, the Committee approved a 2018 bonus of £1,061,000 (48.3% of maximum) of which 62% will be deferred. This incentive outcome is slightly down from 2017, despite the strong strategic progress and significant improvement in financial performance over the year. This is because of the very stretching financial targets in the annual bonus plan set by the Committee, which paid below target despite 20% year on year PBT* growth. The Committee’s deliberations on his 2018 personal performance have taken account of financial delivery, in particular ensuring that the Group is on track to deliver against our 2019 and 2020 financial targets. The Committee has also taken account of the successful completion of the Structural Reform programme, with the UK ring-fenced bank fully operational and Barclays UK adequately capitalised. The significant work required to ensure that the Group is prepared for Brexit has also been recognised, as Barclays Bank Ireland is on track to be operational in its expanded form from 29 March 2019. The Committee has also noted the significant progress in strategic non-financial performance across the Group, in particular against our Citizenship agenda and Colleague metrics as well as improvements in key Customer and Client measures.

*Excluding litigation and conduct.

As previously announced, malus has been applied to Jes Staley’s 2016 variable compensation, reducing the awarded value by £500,000.

Based on Tushar Morzaria’s performance against the performance measures set at the beginning of the year, the Committee approved a 2018 bonus of £729,000 (49.3% of maximum) of which 45% will be deferred. Similar to the annual bonus outcome for Jes Staley, this is slightly down on 2017 as a result of very stretching financial targets in the annual bonus plan. The Committee has taken account of the instrumental role Tushar Morzaria has played in delivering the 2018 financial outcomes, continuing to make improvements in cost management, as well as applying greater control and management of the allocation and deployment of capital across the Group. The Committee has also noted his key role in the execution of the Structural Reform programme. Tushar Morzaria has exemplified our Values and delivered favourable engagement scores within the Finance function. Additionally, he continues to demonstrate effective management of key stakeholders, receiving excellent feedback from the Board, regulators and shareholders.

The Committee decided to make an award under the 2019-2021 Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) cycle to Jes Staley and Tushar Morzaria with a face value at grant of 120% of their respective Total fixed pay. This reflects their strong performance in 2018, as well as the importance that they are retained during the coming years to continue to deliver our strategy.

The Committee reflected on the appropriateness of making a full LTIP award for the 2019-2021 cycle, given the decline in share price over the last year and considering key institutional investor guidance. It concluded that this would be appropriate, as macroeconomic uncertainties have played a key part in the share price reductions, reflected across our industry. Additionally, the LTIP award has stretching performance conditions attached and given the long vesting periods (up to eight years), shares will be released from this and other LTIP awards across different economic cycles at different share prices. Importantly, the Committee also retains complete discretion to reduce the number of vested shares should it appear that the executive Directors will benefit in a way not aligned with performance. The Committee determined the outcomes of the 2018 annual bonus and the LTIP award alongside each other, ensuring that the outcomes are appropriately balanced. This was based on a full assessment of performance across all of the relevant factors.

The performance measures for the LTIP have been reviewed and continue to align with our external key performance targets. RoTE and cost: income ratio have been retained as the key financial metrics, with the weightings remaining unchanged at 50% and 20% respectively. The RoTE measure remains subject to a CET1 ratio underpin. Both executive Directors’ Fixed Pay will be unchanged for 2019 at £2,350,000 for Jes Staley and £1,650,000 for Tushar Morzaria; aligned with the DRP approved at the 2017 AGM.

As a Committee, we will be reviewing the DRP to ensure that future arrangements are aligned with our strategy and meet any new regulatory requirements. This will be developed over the coming months and we will engage constructively with shareholders and regulators ahead of the 2020 AGM, where we will be seeking shareholder approval.

The Committee has reviewed the updated UK Corporate Governance Code, and is pleased that Barclays remuneration policies align to its requirements in many areas, including vesting periods for deferred shares, the ability to apply malus and clawback to awards made and post-employment shareholding requirements. While the Committee has for many years reviewed remuneration policies and outcomes for the broader workforce, this has now been formalised within its Terms of Reference and will continue to be considered throughout 2019 when making decisions for both the executive Directors, other senior employees and the wider workforce.

In finalising our plans ahead of the departure of the UK from the EU, the Committee will continue to work on the remuneration aspects associated with the operationalisation of Barclays Bank Ireland in its expanded form.

Finally, the Committee continues to focus on our Fair Pay Agenda as thinking and best practice in this important area evolves.