Human resources management is of highest priority for S&B. This recognition is reflected in a wide spectrum of company policies and programs.

Recruitment and Selection

The recruitment and selection of personnel is a very significant process for S&B, as the Company places especially strong emphasis in matching the candidate with the job offered, so that both sides can be satisfied and their expectations fulfilled.

The procedures implemented for the selection of new employees are based on transparent and objective criteria, depending on the requirements of each position.

Performance Appraisal

S&B has developed and applies an Integrated Performance Appraisal System, which is regularly reviewed and adapted in order to meet the changing needs of the Company and of the market in general.

This system, for which the Company was awarded a "Best Human Resources Initiative" prize - KPMG 2005, uses specific goals and competencies-behaviors, based on which the performance of employees is evaluated, their main achievements rewarded, their training needs diagnosed and their development plans determined.

Training and Development

The Company is committed to offer its employees training and development opportunities, with the belief that targeted training has a positive effect both on the motivation and the effectiveness of its employees.

For this purpose, the Company has adopted procedures for the systematic diagnosis of employees' training needs and of areas of competencies and behaviors that need to be developed.

Within the framework of its training policy, the Company also finances, under specific terms, long-term programs for professional development and specialization, such as pre- and post-graduate studies in business administration.

Furthermore, the Company offers its employees other personal growth opportunities, through their participation in interdepartmental working teams and collective bodies, job rotation etc.

Compensation and Benefits System

Compensation

The Company's systems for the determination, management and development of appropriate pay levels are characterized by transparency, objectivity and consistency.

The system's basic objectives are:

• To assure internal consistency and meritocracy in the employees' remuneration.
• To offer competitive remuneration packages in relation to the market.
• To safeguard reliability and objectivity in salary administration and development.

Benefits

S&B, in addition to cash compensation of various forms, offers its employees in Greece and in big affiliates abroad a series of social benefits beyond those prescribed by law, including among others:

• Life Insurance / Accident insurance / Insurance for loss of income
• Additional programs for in-patient, out-patient and medical-pharmaceutical insurance.
• A private supplementary Pension Program
• Loans for medical reasons
• Social care and psychological support, provided by a Social Worker of the Company, for the employees and their families.

In fact, S&B was awarded with a "Best Human Resources Initiative" prize - KPMG 2007, for its initiatives in the category of Work-Life Balance practices.

Internationalization and integration of new companies.

S&B's dynamic growth on a worldwide scale over the last years has created the need for the integration and development of a common code in the Human Resources area, with common mechanisms and procedures adapted, however, to local, institutional and social conditions of each area. The Company's objective is to have one common vision, one single culture and shared values in all the Group's subsidiary companies.

Internal Communication - Employee Commitment Survey

S&B has always attributed great importance to the two-way internal communication as a means of information sharing and transfer of Company values through concrete action.

Communication is greatly enhanced by the systematic use of a number of means such as the Company's quarterly internal newspaper in three languages (Greek, English, German), special publications, memoranda, information meetings, conferences etc.

S&B regularly conducts Employee Surveys, as part of the continuous efforts being made to respond to the needs of the employees, to listen to their concerns, to improve existing company practices and to introduce new ones wherever this is deemed necessary. The survey constitutes an effective tool of a systematic process to measure and review the employee's satisfaction and commitment. The areas being evaluated are directly related to the working environment, such as the job content, the work place environment, the cooperation with the supervisors and also with the fellow employees.

In the last survey conducted in the fall of 2006, a total of 950 employees from Greece, Germany, France and the U.S.A. responded, which represents 78% of those covered, a response rate far above the average participation rate in such kind of surveys. The survey was also conducted separately in Bulgaria for the first time, with the participation of 240 employees (a response rate of 80%).

According to the survey results, S&B's overall employee commitment is found at the top 33% of the worldwide benchmark, which comprises 160 companies and more than 1.4 million respondents. This ranking reflects the high commitment and overall satisfaction of the employees.