• Sweden edition

Golden handshake for sacked pharmacy chief

Published: 10 Feb 10 15:32 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24906/20100210/

Stefan Carlsson, CEO of Sweden's state-run Apoteket pharmacy chain, is to receive a 5.4 million kronor ($740,000) severance payment after being asked to leave his post in August of this year.

Citing the "new demands" posed by a recently privatized pharmacy market, Apoteket's board has already begun recruiting a successor.

"I accept that it is time for somebody else to take over," said Carlsson in a statement, adding that he had enjoyed the eleven "fantastic years" spent at the helm of an organization that until recent months had no high street competitors.

Apoteket chairman Christian W Jansson told news agency TT that Carlsson had been asked to leave and was thereby entitled to a redundancy package.

According to Apotoket's most recently published annual report from 2008, Carlsson would receive the eqivalent of two years' salary if pushed out by the board.

Calculated on the basis of his 2008 salary of more than 2.7 million kronor, Carlsson's total severance pay is set to come in at just over 5.4 million kronor.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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17:09 February 10, 2010 by this_aint_sparta
It was a platinum handshake or may be a diamond or enriched uranium handsake. and he must be having A-kassa as well which will be paying him 80% of the salary for i dont know how long. Is it because of his chin?
17:29 February 10, 2010 by peropaco
Not that much money to make a big deal about. In the US, UK they would have pocketed far much than that. Somewhere north of 25M dollars. After the taxes all he will have left will be 2M SEK
00:36 February 11, 2010 by MyOpinion
He can't be '...entitled to a redundancy package'. They have 'already begun recruiting a successor'. Thus the post wasn't redundant. He was 'asked to leave'. That's not redundancy. So many people, especially in high positions just don't know what redundancy means. It's simple really. It means the post has ceased to exist, period, not changed or in need of another person. Redundancy is about the position, not the person.
03:03 February 11, 2010 by Zhorka
Amazing. Why orinary workers do not receive severance package when they are fired? Why is this priviledge only for executives?
03:35 February 11, 2010 by Davey-jo
@ Zhorka

It's because they are bosses. If you don't know this yet you surely will.
13:40 February 11, 2010 by krigeren
He is the poorest drug kingpin I know.
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