Corporate Governance

Value-oriented management

Financial management of Evonik is based on a consistent system of value-oriented indicators. These are used to assess the business performance of the operational units and the Group. Through systematic alignment to these indicators, Evonik endeavors to create value by raising profitability and ensuring profitable growth.

In light of our increased capital market orientation following our stock exchange listing, in 2013 we defined adjusted EBITDA as the most important KPI. To track the attainment of targets, adjusted EBITDA is broken down to the level of the operating units. Adjusted EBITDA and the corresponding relative indicator, the adjusted EBITDA margin, show the operating performance of an entity irrespective of the structure of its assets and investment profile. They therefore provide a key basis for internal and external comparison of the cost structure of business operations. Since depreciation, amortization and impairment losses are not included, these are also cash-flow based parameters. The adjusted EBITDA margin can therefore be taken as an approximation of the return on sales-related cash flows.

Our most important KPIs also include the return on capital employed (ROCE). ROCE is derived from uniformly defined performance indicators taken from the income statement and balance sheet. The calculation starts from adjusted EBIT in relation to average capital employed. Comparison with the cost of capital, which shows the risk-adjusted return expectations of our investors, can be used to derive relative value creation. This is calculated using a weighted average cost of capital, which reflects the return expectations of both shareholders, derived from the capital asset pricing model, and providers of debt capital.

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