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Richtech Robotics Inc. Class B Common Stock

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FY2023 Annual Report · Richtech Robotics Inc. Class B Common Stock
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ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

 
 
 
 
 
We have set out a bold and achievable plan that will take us to 
the next level: a step change in our performance that will create 
a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing business. 
Our performance in 2023 gives us confidence that we can deliver 
on our transformation.

Tufan Erginbilgic 
Chief Executive

STRATEGIC REPORT

Group at a glance ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2

Sustainability �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32

Chair’s statement ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4

����Non-financial and sustainability information statement ������������� 32

Chief Executive’s review ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Strategy �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������10

����Climate and the energy transition �������������������������������������������������������� 33
����Statement on TCFD ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������35

External environment �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������13

����Responsible consumption ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 43

Business model �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14

People and culture ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������44

Key performance indicators �����������������������������������������������������������������������16

Ethics and compliance ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������49

Financial review ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19

Principal risks �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������50

Our divisions ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24

Going concern and viability statements ������������������������������������������������ 58

����Civil Aerospace ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24

Stakeholder engagement �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 60

����Defence ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������26

����Power Systems ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28

����New Markets ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30

GOVERNANCE REPORT

Compliance with the Code ������������������������������������������������������������������������65

����Audit �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������80

Chair’s introduction �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������66

����Remuneration ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 84

Corporate governance �������������������������������������������������������������������������������67

�������� Remuneration policy ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 88

Board of Directors ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������70

�������� 2023 remuneration report ����������������������������������������������������������������� 99

Executive Team ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 72

����Safety, Energy Transition & Tech ��������������������������������������������������������� 111

Committee reports ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 78

Responsibility statements ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 112

����Nominations, Culture & Governance ������������������������������������������������� 78

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated financial statements ��������������������������������������������������������� 114

Notes to the Company financial statements �������������������������������������� 187

Notes to the consolidated financial statements ��������������������������������� 122

Subsidiaries ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������190

Company financial statements �����������������������������������������������������������������185

Joint ventures and associates ��������������������������������������������������������������������194

OTHER INFORMATION

Independent auditors’ report ����������������������������������������������������������������� 196

Reconciliation of alternative performance measures ���������������������213

Sustainability assurance statement �����������������������������������������������������209

Directors’ report ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������218

Greenhouse gas emissions �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 210

Shareholder information ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������221

Other financial information ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 211

Glossary ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������222

Use of underlying performance measures in the Annual Report
All figures in the narrative of the Strategic Report are underlying from continuing businesses unless otherwise stated. We believe this is the most appropriate 
basis to measure our in-year performance as this reflects the substance of trading activity, including the impact of the Group’s foreign exchange forward contracts, 
which lock in transactions at predetermined exchange rates. In addition, underlying results exclude the accounting impact of business acquisitions and disposals, 
certain impairment charges and exceptional items. A full definition of underlying and the reconciliation to the statutory figures can be found on pages 213 to 214 
and 217. All references to organic change are at constant translational currency.

Forward-looking statements
This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements. Any statements that express forecasts, expectations and projections are not guarantees of future  
performance and guidance may be updated from time to time. This report is intended to provide information to shareholders, and is not designed to be relied 
upon by any other party or for any other purpose, and the Company and its Directors accept no liability to any other person other than that required under English 
law. Latest information will be made available on the Group’s website. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty and a number of factors could 
cause material differences to the actual results or developments.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

1

STRATEGIC REPORTGroup at a glance

UNDERLYING RE VENUE 1, 2 

STATUTORY RE VENUE 1 

FREE CASH FLOW 1, 2 

£15,409m

2022: £12,691m

£16,486m

2022: £13,520m

£1,285m

2022: £505m

STATUTORY CASH FLOWS FROM 
OPER ATING ACTIVITIES 3

£2,485m

2022: £1,524m

UNDERLYING OPER ATING PROFIT 1, 2

STATUTORY OPER ATING PROFIT 1

UNDERLYING OPER ATING MARGIN 

STATUTORY OPER ATING MARGIN 

£1,590m

2022: £652m

£1,944m

2022: £837m

10.3%

2022: 5.1%

11.8% 

2022: 6.2%

UNDERLYING PROFIT   
BEFORE TA X 1, 2

STATUTORY PROFIT/(LOSS)  
BEFORE TA X 1

TOTAL UNDERLYING CASH COSTS  
AS A PROPORTION OF UNDERLYING 
GROSS MARGIN 1, 2 , 4

RE TURN ON CAPITAL 1, 2 , 5

£1,262m

2022: £206m

£2,427m

2022: £(1,502)m

0.59

2022: 0.80

11.3%

2022: 4.9%

UNDERLYING E ARNINGS   
PER SHARE 1, 2

STATUTORY E ARNINGS/(LOSS) 
PER SHARE 1

NE T DEBT 

LIQUIDIT Y 6

13.75p

2022: 1.95p

28.85p

2022: (14.24)p

£(1,952)m

2022: £(3,251)m

£7.2bn

2022: £8.1bn

ORDER BACKLOG 1, 7

GROSS R&D E XPENDITURE 1, 2 , 8 

COUNTRIES WITH ROLLS-ROYCE 
PRESENCE

EMPLOYEES (MONTHLY AVER AGE)

£68.5bn

2022: £60.2bn

£1.4bn

2022: £1.3bn

48

2022: 48

41,400

2022: 41,800

See note 2 on page 142 for a reconciliation between 
underlying and statutory results

1  2023 and 2022 figures represent the results of continuing operations
2  A reconciliation of alternative performance measures to their statutory equivalent is provided on pages 

213 to 217

3  2022 statutory cash flows from operating activities has been represented as described on page 125
4  Total underlying cash costs as a proportion of underlying gross margin is defined on page 217 and is 

abbreviated to TCC/GM

5  Adjusted return on capital is defined on page 217 and is abbreviated to return on capital
6  Liquidity is defined as cash and cash equivalents plus any undrawn facilities, as listed on page 58
7  See note 2 on page 141
8  See note 3 on page 144 for a reconciliation of gross R&D expenditure to total R&D expenditure

2

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

GROUP AT A GLANCE

OUR DIVISIONS IN 2023

CIVIL AEROSPACE

DEFENCE

POWER SYSTEMS

NEW MARKETS

Civil  Aerospace  is  a  major  
manufacturer  of  aero  engines 
for the large commercial aircraft, 
regional jets and business aviation 
markets.  The  business  uses  its 
engineering expertise, in-depth 
knowledge  and  capabilities  to  
provide  through-life  service  
solutions for its customers.

Defence is a market leader in aero 
engines for military transport and 
patrol aircraft with strong positions 
in  combat  applications.  It  has  
significant  scale  in  naval  and 
designs, supplies and supports the 
nuclear propulsion plant for all  
of the UK Royal Navy’s nuclear  
submarines.

Power Systems, with its product 
and solutions brand mtu, is a world-
leading  provider  of  integrated 
solutions for onsite power and 
propulsion, developing sustainable 
solutions to meet the needs of its 
customers�

New  Markets  are  early-stage  
businesses.  They  leverage  our 
existing,  in-depth  engineering 
expertise  and  capabilities  to 
develop sustainable products for 
new  markets,  focused  on  the  
transition to net zero.

Underlying revenue

Underlying revenue

Underlying revenue *

R&D expenditure

  Large engines – 73%
  Business aviation – 20%
  Regional – 3%
  V2500 – 4%

  Transport – 31%
  Combat – 34%
  Submarines – 22%
  Naval – 8%
  Helicopters – 5%

  Power generation – 39%
  Governmental – 25%
  Marine – 12%
  Industrial – 24%

  Rolls-Royce SMR – 46%
  Rolls-Royce Electrical – 54%

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

£7,348m

2022: £5,686m

£4,077m

2022: £3,660m

£3,968m

2022: £3,347m

£4m

2022: £3m

UNDERLYING OPER ATING PROFIT

UNDERLYING OPER ATING PROFIT

UNDERLYING OPER ATING PROFIT

UNDERLYING OPER ATING LOSS

£850m

2022: £143m

£562m

2022: £432m

£413m

2022: £281m

£(160)m

2022: £(132)m

UNDERLYING OPER ATING MARGIN

UNDERLYING OPER ATING MARGIN

UNDERLYING OPER ATING MARGIN

UNDERLYING OPER ATING MARGIN

11.6%

2022: 2.5%

13.8%

2022: 11.8%

10.4%

2022: 8.4%

n/a

2022: n/a

 See page 24

 See page 26

 See page 28

 See page 30

*  In 2023, the naval business of Power Systems was moved from marine to governmental to better reflect the products and customer mix of this business

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

3

STRATEGIC REPORTChair’s statement

The ongoing transformation of our business, the strategy we have laid out and the 
new mindset being developed throughout the organisation, will create a Rolls-Royce 
that can be a stronger partner for all our stakeholders. Our progress in 2023 is a 
significant step in the right direction.

Dame Anita Frew 
Chair

Change is a constant in business and the rate of change has been 
dramatic in 2023. For Rolls-Royce, our annual results represent positive 
change. Our record performance is testament to the hard work and 
contributions of all of our people at every level. I would like to thank 
everyone for the pace and rigour with which they have embraced our 
transformation programme. We are creating a high-performing,  
competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce which will ultimately 
benefit all stakeholders.

The change brought about within our business in 2023 has been driven 
by the clear transformation programme which our Chief Executive, 
Tufan Erginbilgic, set out in last year’s Annual Report. As part of that 
process, a thorough strategic review was then carried out involving 
senior  leaders  and  experts  from  across  the  Group.  The  Board  
experienced the sheer scale and rigour of that process first hand  
during 2023. We presented the outcome at our capital markets day 
(CMD) in November. Our new strategic framework (see page 8) is owned 
by  leadership  and  is  now  being  cascaded  through  the  
organisation as the backbone of both performance management and 
people engagement. The financial targets that we have laid out for the 
mid-term (see page 12) are ambitious but achievable, representing a 
step-change in performance. At the same time, we are continuing to 
invest in our engineering excellence and technology as well as the 
safety of our products and people.

Outside of Rolls-Royce, change has been just as dramatic but by no 
means as positive and underlines the importance of Rolls-Royce  
becoming a more resilient business through its transformation. The 
geopolitical outlook, which was already unsettled as a result of the 
Russia-Ukraine conflict, worsened as 2023 progressed with the deeply 
distressing events in Israel and Gaza heightening regional tensions and 

threatening important trade routes. In 2024, there is likely to be further 
geopolitical uncertainty as countries that account for more than half the 
world’s population hold elections. The macro-economic environment, 
meanwhile, has been characterised by persistent inflationary pressure, 
driven in part by the global bounce back from the pandemic, coupled 
with supply chain challenges and fears of recession in some markets. 
Against this backdrop, it is imperative that we build a financially stronger 
Rolls-Royce that will be more resistant to external shocks. It is also vital 
that,  as  we  do  so,  we  create  a  Rolls-Royce  which  can  generate  
sustainable long-term growth built on great technology and engineering, 
with safety and integrity at its core and which delivers outstanding results 
for our customers and people.

Listening at a time of change
During a period of transformation, it is important for the Board to 
monitor the impact of change on the organisation, especially its effect 
on our people, and ensure that the right values and behaviours are in 
evidence. In last year’s report, I said that the Board would maintain a 
focus on employee sentiment and culture during 2023, recognising 
their critical role in delivering a successful transformation programme. 
In May 2023, we made a series of changes to the Board Committee 
structure to support this (see page 67). These included a refocusing of 
the Nominations & Governance Committee, now renamed as the  
Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee, to assess and monitor 
culture across the organisation. This was assisted by our Employee 
Champions,  Bev  Goulet  and  Wendy  Mars,  who  continued  to  
represent the voice of our people in the boardroom. Our Employee 
Champions form an important connection between the Board and our 
people at all levels of the organisation, providing feedback from their 
regular interactions, including through the employee stakeholder  
engagement committee. The whole Board, meanwhile, was able to hear 

4

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CHAIR’S STATEMENT

first-hand accounts of how the transformation programme is coming 
to life at our annual Meet the Board event which followed the 2023 
Annual General Meeting (see page 60) and in our programme of site 
visits where we meet regularly with our people.

When significant change is being made at pace, it is also crucial that 
the focus on fundamentals is not lessened and the Board must provide 
oversight. The transformation programme sees Rolls-Royce place an 
increased focus on commercial outcomes. This is to be welcomed but 
must be accompanied by continued vigilance on issues of ethics and 
integrity.  We  remain  committed  to  zero  tolerance  of  business  
misconduct and that is always non-negotiable. The Nominations, Culture 
& Governance Committee now has oversight of our ethics assurance 
processes, including reporting of calls into our speak up line.

Tufan has made it clear from his very first day that safety is the number 
one  priority  of  his  leadership  team,  from  the  safety  of  our  
mission-critical products through to the safety and wellbeing of our 
people. In the latter half of 2023, a new engineering, technology and 
safety (ET&S) capability was created within the Group, led by a new 
Group Director of Engineering, Technology & Safety with a place on 
the Executive Team. This new capability mirrors a change made to the 
Board Committee structure earlier in the year with the formation of 
the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee, which is focused upon 
safety as well as the energy transition agenda. The strategic framework 
set out at the CMD makes clear the fundamental role of lower carbon 
solutions to the long-term success of Rolls-Royce. We are committed 
to  becoming  a  net  zero  company  by  2050  and  we  support  our  
customers to do the same. This Committee will provide oversight of our 
plans (see page 67).

Board developments result in gender parity
To deliver on the strategy that Tufan and his leadership team set out in 
November 2023 requires a Board with the relevant experience and 
expertise, who can assist and support as necessary and provide  
appropriate oversight. We already have significant bench strength in 
areas vital to the success of our ongoing transformation; nevertheless, 
during  the  year  we  further  strengthened  the  Board’s  strategic,  
commercial and operational expertise and brought in additional  
experience in forging successful international partnerships. Our new 
appointments in the year also saw us exceed our ambitions to increase 
the diversity of the Board as we reached gender parity for the first time 
in the history of Rolls-Royce. The achievement of this milestone should 
not be taken lightly. It is an historic moment. When I took up the post 
of Chair, I set a target to have, as a minimum, 40% female representation 
on the Board and stated that our longer-term ambition was to reach 
gender parity. The fact that we have reached this target is testament 
to our hard work and targeted recruitment. It is a clear signal of the 
importance which the Board places on gender diversity, as well as 
aligning with the wider ambition to increase representation and  
opportunity for progression across the Group.

During 2023, the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee led 
the process for recruiting and appointing Helen McCabe as Chief 
Financial Officer. She joined the Board in August, bringing more than 
25 years of experience in senior finance and performance management 
within complex, multinational engineering organisations. She has run 
multi-billion dollar customer-focused businesses and has extensive 
experience of delivering transformation programmes that generate 
substantial returns. She has already made a significant impact on  
Rolls-Royce, providing robust oversight of our process which led to 
our mid-term financial targets and played a key role in the presentation 
of our ambitions for the future at the CMD. She is also bringing  
renewed rigour and a strong focus to the way Rolls-Royce conducts  
performance management.

In May 2023, Birgit Behrendt joined as a Non-Executive Director. Birgit 
brings a combination of deep experience across global procurement 
and supply chain management with extensive expertise gained from 
leading large, complex projects across multiple geographies. She spent 

much of her executive career at Ford Motor Company, latterly as vice 
president of global purchasing and oversaw the company’s European 
joint ventures and alliances. Her non-executive appointments are across 
industrial groups beyond automotive, all with a focus on sustainability 
and transformation.

Stuart Bradie also joined us as a Non-Executive Director in May 2023, 
bringing with him an outstanding track record in driving strategic 
transformation and cultural change in international engineering  
businesses. Currently CEO of KBR, the US listed engineering and  
technical government services company, Stuart has over 25 years of 
experience leading global, technically oriented businesses and has 
strong project management credentials. Additionally, Paulo Cesar Silva 
joined us as a Non-Executive Director in September. Paulo has an 
outstanding track record in the global aerospace industry with over 
25 years of experience at Embraer, the world’s third largest commercial 
jet manufacturer. As president & CEO, he led Embraer through major 
strategic change, successful innovation in product development and 
programmes, significant improvement in operational efficiency and 
supply chain optimisation and successful industry partnerships.

During 2023, we also saw a number of departures from the Board. Mike 
Manley stepped down at the Annual General Meeting while Paul Adams 
stepped down in September. I would like to thank both of them, on 
behalf of the whole Board, for their hard work during their tenures. We 
also said farewell to Sir Kevin Smith after serving almost eight years. 
He made an outstanding contribution during his time and I would like 
to thank him personally for his work as Senior Independent Director 
until 2022 and for the way he led the Chair succession process. He was 
instrumental in the Chief Executive transition. Finally, Panos Kakoullis 
stepped down as Chief Financial Officer in August, having ensured the 
successful delivery and reporting of the Group’s half-year performance.

Shareholder payments
As set out in further detail elsewhere (see page 19), our capital  
framework is focused on three clear priorities: a strong balance sheet 
with an investment grade profile; a commitment to reinstating and 
growing shareholder returns; and a disciplined approach to investments. 
Strengthening the balance sheet is a clear priority. We are positioning 
Rolls-Royce to better withstand volatility and external shocks and to 
give us financial flexibility for the future. When the Board is confident 
that  the  strength  of  the  balance  sheet  is  assured  and  we  are  
comfortably within an investment grade profile, we are committed to 
reinstating and growing shareholder distributions.

Looking forward
I have written to you before about my immense pride in being part of 
Rolls-Royce and that I want to see the Group thrive and remain in  
control of its own destiny. To achieve this we must become more resilient 
and the plan laid out by Tufan and his leadership team, which is firmly 
endorsed by the Board, will achieve this aim. Our mid-term financial 
targets are ambitious but based on rigorous analysis and will result in a 
resilient and profitable Rolls-Royce that will deliver outstanding  
performance for our people and all our stakeholders. 

The pride I feel in working for Rolls-Royce is shared by the Board and 
the whole leadership team. I know for a fact that it is also felt by  
everyone within the business. I know this because every time I visit one 
of our facilities our people tell me. There is a special quality to  
Rolls-Royce and it comes from them. The other members of the Board 
and I would like to thank all our colleagues in the Group for their  
incredible hard work in 2023. Together we have already delivered 
significant progress and I am confident that even better is still to come.

Dame Anita Frew  
Chair

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

5

STRATEGIC REPORTChief Executive’s review

Our transformation must be carried out at pace, with rigour and intensity. That is 
exactly what we have done in 2023 and the proof is in our performance. We now have 
a clear and granular strategy that will create a high-performing, competitive, resilient 
and growing Rolls-Royce with the strength to control and shape its own destiny.

Tufan Erginbilgic 
Chief Executive

Rolls-Royce is a great company, with a rich heritage and so much 
potential. This year, we have taken very significant steps towards  
realising that potential through our transformation programme. The 
pace at which we are delivering, achieved by managing the Group very 
differently, enabled us to raise our full-year financial guidance in July 
2023 and our transformation has delivered a record performance. At 
our CMD in November 2023, we set out the scale of that potential over 
the mid-term (see page 20). Our targets for the mid-term represent a 
step change in financial performance: quadrupling operating profit 
compared with 2022; operating margins representing an equal or  
better competitive performance benchmarked against our peers;  
sustainable cash flows delivering a more than 100% conversion of 
improved profits; and an increase in return on capital that will create 
a truly compelling investment proposition.

In addition to transforming our financial performance, we are also 
transforming our business. We are creating a simpler, more efficient, 
more effective and more capable organisation with the winning  
mindset and performance culture we need to succeed. Our strong 
progress in 2023 gives us good reason to be confident of achieving 
further growth in 2024 and unlocking our potential in the mid-term.

In last year’s report, I set out my experience of partnering engineering 
expertise with a granular strategy, business acumen and intense  
performance management to create an organisation that thrives on 
strategic progress. This transformation has four key elements. The first 
is to put a mirror up to the organisation. This is not about giving an 
opinion, it is about presenting the data honestly about where the  
business is. During the latter half of 2022, we conducted extensive 
benchmarking of our Group performance and that of our businesses 
against our peers. That work showed there was significant scope for 

us to deliver materially higher profit, cash flows and returns in the  
mid-term, unlocking our potential and performing as well or better than 
our best competitors. The conversations this sparked within the  
organisation were incredibly energising because, at the same time, we 
presented a vision of what a winning Rolls-Royce will look like. This was 
evident when we conducted our main employee survey (see page 46) 
with record turnout and our highest ever engagement score. 

The second principle is to set out a clear and granular strategy with 
well  defined  strategic  initiatives  cascaded  down  through  the  
organisation so that everyone knows their role in the transformation. 
This is what we set out at the CMD and I will go into further detail shortly. 

Thirdly, the success of transformation relies on rigorous performance 
management driving year-on-year improvement. Our focus is on the 
strategic progress of Rolls-Royce. We are now creating the performance 
management framework which will ensure we manage closely against 
our goals. Performance management also means understanding the 
markets in which we operate and taking proactive action when the 
external environment changes. That requires robust management 
information provided in a timely manner in order to manage the future 
rather than merely reporting on the past. 

Fourthly, transformation must be carried out through a systematic 
approach, with pace, rigour and intensity. Our performance in 2023 is 
not only about what we have done, but how we did it. Our people are 
energised and our strategy is being led by a strengthened Executive 
Team who are managing the business very differently within a new 
organisational structure that aligns with that strategy.

6

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW

Record performance driven by every division
Our performance in 2023 was driven by the actions we took to  
improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance our pricing position and 
commercial outcomes. This step-change has been achieved across all 
our  divisions,  despite  a  volatile  environment  with  geopolitical  
uncertainty, supply chain challenges and inflationary pressures.

In Civil Aerospace (see page 24), we delivered improved operating 
profit and a four-fold margin increase despite engine flying hours only 
88% of pre-pandemic levels. This was driven by increased aftermarket 
profit,  in  both  large  engines  and  business  aviation,  reflecting  
commercial optimisation and cost efficiencies, as well as volume growth. 
Defence (see page 26) delivered an improved operating margin of 13.8% 
(2022: 11.8%), which primarily reflected improved pricing and cost 
efficiencies. In Power Systems (see page 28), which reported an  
operating margin of 10.4% (2022: 8.4%), pricing and cost efficiency 
actions in the first half of the year resulted in a significantly improved 
operating profit and margin in the second half and in the full year.

As  a  result  of  our  actions  and  our  new  ways  of  working,  Group  
underlying operating profit rose by £0.9bn to £1.6bn supported by our 
transformation programme and strategic initiatives, with commercial 
optimisation and cost efficiency benefits across the Group. This means 
that we have already delivered more than half of the increase required 
to achieve the lower end of our mid-term target. Underlying operating 
margin more than doubled to 10.3%. Civil Aerospace, Defence and 
Power Systems all delivered materially higher margins compared to last 
year. This represents a huge step towards our mid-term target of  
13%-15% as we narrow the competitive gap. Free cash flow from  
continuing operations grew by approximately 150% to a best on record 
£1.3bn, principally due to higher operating profit. Civil Aerospace net 
long term service agreement (LTSA) creditor growth, net of risk and 
revenue sharing agreements (RRSAs), was £1.1bn (2022: £0.8bn).  
Continued LTSA balance growth reflects higher engine flying hours 
and the benefit of commercial optimisation, with LTSA invoiced flying 
hour receipts of £4.6bn (2022: £3.6bn). Our focus on working capital 
resulted in a release in the second half despite ongoing supply chain 
challenges. For the full year there was a net working capital outflow of 
£0.4bn (2022: £0.5bn). Inventory and debtor days both improved  
year-on-year, building further confidence in the actions we are taking 
to improve the quality of cash delivery. Finally, return on capital more 
than doubled to 11.3% reflecting improved operating profit, disciplined 
capital allocation and working capital management.

During 2023, our teams continued to build momentum for the future 
with strong sales performance across all divisions. Civil Aerospace 
sealed fantastic customer wins, including orders with Air India, Turkish 
Airlines, Emirates, new customer EVA Air and, in early 2024, Delta 
Airlines. It was our best year for large aero-engine orders since 2007. 
This success is important in maintaining our momentum in the widebody 
market where our in-service fleet is growing faster than the market. 
While we currently power about a third of the widebody aircraft in 
service, in 2023 over half of new aircraft delivered were powered by 
Rolls-Royce engines, meaning we are growing share. The Defence team 
achieved generational wins, confirming the engine contract for the US 
Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) while our nuclear 
reactors are set to power submarines for the Royal Australian Navy 
under  the  trilateral  AUKUS  agreement.  The  multi-national  next  
generation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) continued its  
positive  momentum  with  the  signing  of  the  Convention  of  the  
Establishment of the GCAP programme by the Italian, Japanese and 
UK  governments.  Power  Systems  delivered  an  excellent  sales  
performance with major wins from data centres and governmental 
customers, the latter including a deal to provide more than 50 Puma 
tank engines for the German Bundeswehr, ensuring that the pipeline 
for 2024 is largely full.

This performance was achieved despite ongoing macro-economic and 
supply chain challenges, which we continued to mitigate. The macro 
outlook remains uncertain and whilst we have advantaged businesses 

in attractive markets which provide a degree of resilience to the  
external environment, we have to remain very focused on increasing 
our  resilience  to  external  events,  whether  that  be  mitigating  
inflationary pressure and volatile commodity pricing through cost 
control measures, strengthening our balance sheet to insulate ourselves 
from sustained higher interest rates or robust supply chain management 
in an environment of enhanced geopolitical tensions globally.

Outcome of our strategic review: a granular strategy 
Early in 2023, I set out our transformation programme including a 
rigorous and detailed strategic review across every division and  
sub-division in the Group. At our CMD, we set out the results of this 
extensive work and how we will unlock the potential of our business. 

Our strategy will enable us to deliver on our proposition to our  
shareholders, which is to: build a high-performing, competitive and 
resilient business with profitable growth; grow sustainable free cash 
flow; and build a strong balance sheet and growing shareholder returns. 
This will transform Rolls-Royce into a more resilient and efficient  
business with higher quality of earnings and a focus on cash expansion 
and more sustainable cash flows. We will be a One Rolls-Royce team, 
with  different  ways  of  working  and  mindset,  underpinned  by  a  
differentiated performance culture. This will be delivered through a 
new organisation that delivers efficiency, simplification and improved 
capabilities. Our strategic clarity ensures that the organisation will be 
focused, aligned and energised in the delivery of our strategy. Many 
of  our  leaders  took  part  in  the  strategic  review  process.  At  the  
beginning of 2024, we started the process of cascading it to our  
people. Not only will everyone appreciate what the strategy means for 
them and the area of the business in which they work but also the role 
they play in delivering it. This is an alignment and engagement tool as 
well as serving as a performance management tool.

Portfolio choices and partnerships
In line with our strategy, we are making choices and executing on them. 
This  allows  us  to  allocate  resources  more  effectively  and  drive  
profitable  growth.  We  have  segmented  our  portfolio  into  three  
categories: key investment areas for performance improvement and 
growth; areas where partnerships can create truly winning positions; 
and businesses and activities we will exit, though only at the right time 
and at the right price. Our strategic choices will drive value creation.

In Civil Aerospace, our focus will be on the widebody commercial airline 
market and business aviation, leveraging the value from our Trent and 
Pearl engine families and investing for the future with UltraFan. In Defence, 
we have opportunities to continue to improve pricing and performance 
with new programmes in transport, combat and submarines. We can also 
use our expertise in adjacent fields such as nuclear micro-reactors. In 
Power Systems, we will focus on governmental, marine and power  
generation end markets, where we see the strongest demand and an 
opportunity for better returns from our power-dense and reliable  
solutions. 

In some cases we will grow in partnership to strengthen our market 
position. This can bring new skills, build capability and scale, as well as 
de-risk and reduce capital investment. In Civil Aerospace, we believe 
we are well positioned to re-enter the narrowbody market by choosing 
a  partnership  approach  for  the  next  programme.  Our  UltraFan  
technology is a vital step towards this. At the right time, with the right 
partner, we will decide the next steps. In Power Systems, our focused 
strategy on power generation will make this business more efficient 
and competitive and drive faster profitable growth. We are also  
considering potential partnerships to further grow our market position. 
Battery storage systems are a logical complement to our stationary 
power generation business, as we have transferable capability. We are 
already developing a good position in Europe. A partnership with access 
to additional markets could strengthen our position. Finally, for small 
modular reactors (SMRs), a broad set of partners will strengthen  
our position to deliver the overall solution and reduce any future  
capital call�

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

7

STRATEGIC REPORTCHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW

OUR STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 

Portfolio choices and 
partnerships
The markets we have chosen 
to operate in, businesses we 
want to invest in and the 
partnerships that will help 
create truly winning 
positions.

Advantaged businesses 
and strategic initiatives
How we will create a 
competitive business, 
expand our earnings 
potential and sustainably 
improve our performance.

Efficiency and 
simplification
The importance of a 
company-wide focus to 
drive synergies that will 
enable us to be more 
competitive and simplify  
the way we operate.

Lower carbon and 
digitally enabled 
businesses
Our commitment to the 
energy transition and 
capturing the benefits of 
becoming digitally enabled. 

In addition, we identified areas that are not strategic for Rolls-Royce. 
In total, we expect to generate between £1bn and £1.5bn from gross 
divestment proceeds, which would be in addition to our mid-term cash 
flow target.

Advantaged businesses and strategic initiatives
Our  businesses  are  advantaged  by  enjoying  strong  positions  in  
attractive markets. Across the areas in which we will focus, we have a 
series of strategic initiatives which underpin the profitable growth we 
see in the mid-term. 

In Civil Aerospace, we have detailed plans to improve large engine 
margins  by  targeting  both  reduced  costs  and  increased  
revenues. This cost and commercial discipline applies across original 
equipment (OE), aftermarket, spare engines and our time and materials 
activities. There are six levers we are pulling, three related to cost and 
three to revenues. We are extending time-on-wing with better product 
durability and greater use of digital tools; lowering shop visit costs with 
better working practices; and reducing product costs through better 
buying and engineering. On the revenue side, we intend to keep engines 
earning for longer with contract extensions and conversions, while 
implementing a new value-driven pricing strategy focused on creating 
win-win solutions with our customers and addressing onerous and low 
-margin contracts. Finally, we are driving rigour on contractual terms 
and conditions. In business aviation, we have established a great  
platform with our Pearl engines which positions us well to optimise 
commercial outcomes and grow margins.

Defence was already performing well but there is still an opportunity 
to improve through strong performance management, commercial 
optimisation initiatives and greater efficiency. Across transport, combat 
and submarines we are also seeing a benefit from volume and mix  
factors as we move from legacy programmes to new funded programmes. 
We have the same focus on commercial optimisation and value-pricing 
behaviours as we have across the Group and we are prioritising  
investment in areas that benefit from increased customer funding.

In Power Systems, our profit growth is being delivered through our power 
generation,  governmental  and  marine  end  markets.  In  power  
generation, we are optimising our cost structure and focusing on key 
accounts to drive margin growth. We are also expanding our microgrid 
solutions and extending our services offering in battery energy storage 
systems, which is moving to a profitable business in the short term. In 
governmental,  we  are  capturing  near-term  growth  with  scope  
expansion  and  investment.  Lastly,  in  marine,  we  are  developing  
alternative fuel solutions to strengthen our synthetic fuel-ready portfolio.

Efficiency and simplification
We are driving efficiency and simplification across the business. We 
had a TCC/GM ratio of 0.80 times in 2022 and before that, 0.88 times 
in 2019. That is around two times higher than the best-in-class level for 
a business like ours. It is an important metric because it is a measure 
of the operating leverage of our business and, therefore, of our  
resilience.  We  plan  to  approximately  halve  our  TCC/GM  by  the 

mid-term. Across the Group, we have efficiency initiatives underway 
that will deliver sustainable annualised savings of £400m to £500m, 
making us more competitively advantaged and fit for the future. This 
is supported by improved cost reporting capability and fundamentally 
shifting mindset on efficiencies, embedding them as a sustainable and 
strategic lever to underpin performance.

Lower carbon and digitally enabled businesses
Our strategic framework acknowledges the fundamental role of lower 
carbon solutions and digital technologies in the success of Rolls-Royce. 
We are committed to becoming a net zero company by 2050 (see page 
32) and we support our customers to do the same. We are making good 
progress towards making our own operations net zero (see page 33) 
but there is a lot more to do to decarbonise the sectors in which we 
operate. Our technological expertise has a crucial role to play.

New lower carbon fuels will be central to achieving net zero in the 
medium term across many of our markets. In commercial aerospace, 
for instance, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the answer for large 
aircraft. That is why we are very pleased to have successfully reached 
our target of testing all our in-service Trent and business jet engines 
with 100% SAF in 2023. We have also been working with our armed 
forces customers to achieve the same for the engines they use from 
our Defence division. We also believe the internal combustion engine 
can be made compatible with net zero, through the use of sustainable 
fuels. This is vital as many of our customers, such as data centre and 
governmental clients, will continue to use combustion engines well into 
the future. At the end of 2023, variants of all our major Power Systems 
engine platforms can run on sustainable fuels, such as hydrotreated 
vegetable oil. In marine, we are developing methanol-based solutions 
and for power generation we see hydrogen as a future solution. All 
these developments are based on existing engines. In some markets, 
such as yachts, hybrid solutions will be key and solutions are being 
developed.  We  are  also  prepared  for  the  gradual  transition  to  
battery-based solutions, with the required capabilities and products 
in place� 

We are also making increased use of new digital technologies across 
four areas: enhancing the customer experience; accelerating product 
design; improving manufacturing; and empowering our people. We are 
well known for our skill in collecting engine data in order to improve 
the performance of our engines while in service and, with digital twin 
capabilities, we can forecast the time an engine stays on wing. This is 
improving dispatch reliability and reducing disruption for customers. 
Our future vision is raising the bar to 100% availability, where everything 
is planned and predictable, further improving the service we offer 
customers. Digital tools are also helping us design products more 
efficiently. Powerful virtual simulations and use of artificial intelligence 
(AI) can reduce the time it takes to develop and test a new engine. In 
manufacturing, we are using digital tools, such as AI machine learning, 
to improve our inspection regimes. We also intend to make increasing 
use of AI to remove repetitive tasks, freeing our people to focus on 
high-value activity.

8

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW

One Rolls-Royce focused on strategic delivery
The delivery of our ambitious strategy is through a new organisation 
structure. We now operate as One Rolls-Royce. This is a major shift away 
from the previous decentralised model and creates an aligned organisation 
benefiting from the ability to dynamically deploy resources to strategic 
priorities; common measures that enable us to assess our progress against 
our strategic priorities; improved performance through clear decisions 
and accountability; and finally, a simpler and more efficient operating 
model. This leaner and lower cost model reduces siloed working and 
eliminates the waste of duplicated tasks and capabilities in each division.

During 2023, we announced the new organisational design with a 
simplified leadership structure and plans to reduce the number of roles 
across the Group by 2,000 to 2,500 by the end of 2025 (see page 48). 
It simplifies our business, reducing layers and creating a clearer system 
of controls and alignment. It is not only about structural change, it is 
also about changing how we run our business. For instance, across 
Rolls-Royce we are taking a zero-based budgeting approach and have 
set a 10% to 15% reduction in targeted areas and we are controlling 
investment centrally to ensure we fund projects in line with strategy.

We have brought together key areas crucial to our success, through a 
new engineering, technology and safety (ET&S) capability and an  
enterprise-wide procurement and supplier management organisation. 
ET&S is a significant change right at the heart of Rolls-Royce. Focused 
on programme delivery, ET&S will build and strengthen our competence 
and has responsibility for the delivery of some programmes, engineering 
standards, processes, methods and tools. This structure provides  
significant benefits to efficiency levels, capability and retention by  
ensuring we can move our engineering teams to the highest priority 
activities  across  all  of  our  divisions,  in-line  with  our  strategy.  By  
benefiting from the learning, tools, resources and capabilities that are 
common across projects we are better able to execute new product 
introduction. There are significant synergies across the Group that we 
will be able to exploit. For example, our GCAP project in Defence can 
benefit from the certification, design and system engineering that our 
business aviation team has built from the introduction of three new Pearl 
engines. Our SMR team can benefit from the manufacturing engineering 
capability that our Civil Aerospace business has built, while there are 
common engineering challenges in areas such as thermal management 
or controls that equally apply to Power Systems as to our Civil Aerospace 
and Defence divisions. This allows for better retention of talent in key skill 
areas, as work is balanced across all of the divisions, while also increasing 
capability by pulling best practice and experience from the whole Group. 

Our Group-wide procurement and supplier management organisation, 
meanwhile, has a critical role to play in our success as we harness the 
scale of Rolls-Royce. It will support the consolidation of Group spend, 
leverage scale, develop consistent best-in-class standards and build 
people capability. We will leverage opportunities across the organisation 
to deliver approximately £1bn of gross third party cost savings in the 
mid-term.

Within this new One Rolls-Royce organisation, we have added new 
talent  and  strengthened  our  leadership,  with  almost  half  of  the  
immediate direct reports to my leadership team either new to the role 
or in an expanded role. The Executive Team has also been strengthened, 
bringing new experience, capabilities and energy. During the year, 
Helen McCabe joined Rolls-Royce as Chief Financial Officer and Nicola 
Grady-Smith as Chief Transformation Officer. In 2022, Jörg Stratmann 
joined as President of Power Systems and I was closely involved in his 
appointment. During 2023, Rob Watson moved to President of Civil 
Aerospace, Adam Riddle became President of Defence and Chris  
Cholerton became Group President, with executive responsibility for 
the Group’s nuclear operations, including Rolls-Royce Submarines and 
Rolls-Royce SMR. Simon Burr also took up the newly created post of 
Group Director of Engineering, Technology & Safety (ET&S) in 2023. 
Keeping our employees and customers safe is our number one priority. 
Nothing is more important than that. Always, every time. So, we have 
put product safety at the heart of this new organisation to strengthen 
our approach to technical safety and assurance. While Simon has 

leadership accountability for safety across the Group, every single 
person within Rolls-Royce has a responsibility to prioritise safety above 
all other considerations.

Looking forward
While we have a strong focus on delivering our short and mid-term 
targets, we are also investing heavily in product improvements, new 
product introductions and product cost improvement. All of these are 
long-term investments. This is in addition to the significant customer 
wins we have had that drive long-term growth. The result of this  
combination is a group being set up for enhanced financial performance. 
It means we are laying down foundations that will benefit us in the 
period long after our mid-term targets.

For example, in Civil Aerospace, we are spending £1bn on time-on-wing 
improvements in a multi-year programme. This will double the time-on-
wing of our Trent 1000 engine and, in non-benign environments,  
double the time-on-wing of the Trent XWB-97 as well as generating a 
50%  improvement  in  benign  environments.  We  are  investing  in  
reducing shop visit costs, creating a more efficient and more resilient  
aftermarket operation; and in decreasing product costs so we can 
capture more of the value from the order book. Our win-win approach 
to contracting means we are better placed to be rewarded for our 
innovation, while our investment in new digital technologies will ensure 
a better experience for our customers, as well as make us more efficient. 
We are also expecting to invest further in UltraFan, having achieved 
the very important milestone of successful full power testing during 
2023. UltraFan also provides us with opportunities to introduce  
technologies from the demonstrator into our existing fleet. Our Pearl 
and Trent engine families will benefit from these actions as they power 
the in-service fleet well into the 2040s.

In Power Systems, we see long-term potential for our competitive 
portfolio of products and are investing in making those products  
compatible with sustainable fuels and creating engines capable of using 
new fuels such as methanol. We are also developing the first new mtu 
engine for many years, an investment that will pay off beyond the  
mid-term. In Defence, our recent successes in securing a place on the 
US Air Force’s B-52 and US Army’s FLRAA will not start to deliver  
significantly until well after the mid-term. GCAP is expected to deliver 
a next generation combat aircraft in 2035, building on the progress we 
have already made with our Team Tempest partners in the UK. All these 
Defence programmes will result in engines and systems that will remain 
in service for 30 or 40 years after they are delivered. AUKUS, meanwhile, 
will see our submarines business delivering and servicing nuclear 
propulsion systems well into the second half of this century. Finally, of 
course, our SMR business has a compelling long-term growth story, 
with power stations expected to be in service for 60 years. As a result, 
2024 and even the mid-term targets are merely milestones. They are 
not the final destination. Rolls-Royce will continue to grow with enhanced 
margins and cash flow well into the long term as a result of our strategy 
and the choices we are making today.

Building a track record of delivery
This is a pivotal moment in the history of Rolls-Royce. We have set out 
a bold and achievable plan to create a high-performing, competitive, 
resilient and growing business. Our strategy is granular and owned 
throughout our business. The choices we have made in our strategic 
review are clear. Our mid-term targets are compelling. We are building 
a track record of delivery, while investing in the future. Our success will 
benefit not just our shareholders but all our stakeholders, including our 
customers as they meet the challenges and opportunities that define 
the future. We will also create more opportunities for our people, so 
everyone can be a part of an energising, rewarding and world-leading 
group. I would like to thank all of our people for their effort and hard 
work in 2023. Together, we are building One Rolls-Royce. A Group that 
can fully realise its potential, ensuring the excellence and innovation 
that has helped shape the modern world, endures long into the future.

Tufan Erginbilgic 
Chief Executive

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

9

STRATEGIC REPORTStrategy

In 2023, we developed a clear strategy to help Rolls-Royce perform to its full potential. 
We have already made good progress towards building a strong, competitive, resilient 
and growing business. This success is thanks to transformation and performance 
management� 

Rolls-Royce has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. 
We  set  the  standard  for  engineering  excellence,  providing  
mission-critical products and services to customers across the globe. 

Delivering the proposition will make us a stronger partner to our  
customers as they face future challenges and opportunities. We will 
unlock our full potential by turning engineering excellence into strong 
financial performance.

We have built a world-class product portfolio and deep customer 
relationships. Our focus now is to translate our technical and market 
success into strong financial returns. We have the potential to achieve 
so much more�

The progress made in 2023 gives us confidence in the delivery of our 
strategic plans. We are accelerating financial delivery and have set 
new, ambitious yet achievable mid-term targets. 

The Rolls-Royce proposition 
1�  Build a high-performing, competitive and resilient business with 

profitable growth.

2� Grow sustainable free cash flow.

3� Build a strong balance sheet and grow shareholder returns.

To implement our strategy, we will be disciplined, agile and systematic. 
We will continue to have a tight focus on priorities, improve commercial 
discipline and seek efficiency in every step, whilst never compromising 
on integrity or safety. We will put the business on a stronger financial 
footing by delivering a sustainable reduction in working capital, higher 
operating margins and improved operational performance.

Improving profitability will give us options to grow the business and 
enhance shareholder returns. This performance shift is also crucial to 
creating more opportunities for our people to be part of an energising, 
rewarding and world-leading team.

OUR TRANSFORMATION

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

—   Portfolio choices and partnerships

—   Advantaged businesses and strategic initiatives

—    Efficiency and simplification

—   Lower carbon and digitally enabled businesses

DELIVER AS ONE ROLLS-ROYCE

—  Embrace new ways of working and mindset

—  Establish a differentiated performance culture

—  Execute with strategic clarity

—  Externally focused and benchmarking

—  Simplified organisation and strengthened capabilities

A HIGH-PERFORMING, COMPETITIVE AND 
RESILIENT BUSINESS WITH PROFITABLE 
GROWTH

GROWING SUSTAINABLE FREE 
CASH FLOWS

STRONG BALANCE SHEET AND GROWING 
SHAREHOLDER RETURNS

10

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

STRATEGY

DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE GROWTH THROUGH TRANSFORMATION 

Our strategic framework to deliver the proposition

Portfolio choices

Efficiency and simplification

We will make decisions on where to operate and where to invest 
based on clear criteria: 

 — is the market attractive and growing?

 — do we have a differentiated position?

 — can we generate attractive returns?

We are making choices and executing on them. We are only 
investing where the market is attractive and growing, where 
we can build an advantaged position differentiated through 
strong customer relationships and competitive technology and 
where there are high barriers to entry. This allows us to allocate 
resources more effectively and drive profitable growth.

We have segmented our portfolio into three categories: 

 — areas where we will invest to drive performance improvement 

and growth; 

 — areas where we can create truly winning positions through 

partnership; and 

 — business activities which we intend to exit.

Strategic initiatives

We have launched a number of focused strategic initiatives to 
drive change across the Group, delivering improved value 
through top and bottom-line actions. These initiatives will 
enhance competitiveness, expand our earnings potential and 
sustainably improve our performance.

We have launched a Group-wide focus to drive synergies, make 
us more competitive and simplify the way we operate, enabling 
us  to  deliver  our  priorities  as  One  Rolls-Royce.  We  are  
optimising our footprint and leveraging our scale to reduce third 
party costs; strengthening supply chain management to reduce 
inventory and working capital; and changing the way we work 
through a refreshed organisational design to reduce duplication 
and overheads, creating a more efficient organisation.

Commitment to the energy transition

We are committed to becoming a net zero company by 2050 
and we are supporting our customers to do the same. We focus 
on areas where we have the greatest leverage, improving the 
efficiency of our products, enabling our customers to operate 
in the most efficient way and decarbonising our own operations 
and our supply chain. 

Capturing the benefits of becoming digitally enabled

Digital technology will play an increasingly important role 
throughout our value chain. We already use data from products 
in service to create value for ourselves and for our customers. 
Future advances in digital, particularly AI, will further enhance 
operational performance and reduce costs across our industries 
and markets.

We focus on four areas: enhancing the customer experience; 
accelerating product design; improving manufacturing; and 
empowering our people.  

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

11

STRATEGIC REPORTSTRATEGY

CAPTURING PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Group mid-term targets

During our strategic review in 2023, we developed a new set of targets that represent a step change in ambition and performance. 
They are underpinned by our strategy and demonstrate we are creating a new Company, taking Rolls-Royce significantly beyond any 
previous financial results. 

We will build on our world-class engineering heritage to deliver a world-class investment proposition, significantly expanding our 
earnings and cash potential.

The high, but achievable, bar that we have set is reflective of our winning mindset:

 — we will quadruple operating profit from the 2022 baseline to between £2.5bn-£2.8bn;

 — we will expand operating margins to between 13% and 15% to be at least as competitive as our peers;

 — we will grow sustainable cash flows to between £2.8bn and £3.1bn; and

 — we are targeting 16% to 18% return on capital, an improvement of more than ten percentage points over our performance in 2022.

We define the mid-term as a 2027 timeframe. Delivering these targets will mean we have created a financially and operationally 
resilient Group with an expanded earnings potential. They are milestones on our journey, not the destination, and we will continue 
to grow beyond them into the long term. 

Operating profit

Operating margin

Free cash flow

Return on capital

£2.5bn-£2.8bn

13%-15%

£1.6bn

£0.65bn

10.3%

5.1%

£1.3bn

£0.5bn

£2.8bn-£3.1bn

16%-18%

11.3%

4.9%

2022

2023

Mid-term
target

2022

2023

Mid-term
target

2022

2023

Mid-term
target

2022

2023

Mid-term
target

12

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

External environment

Geopolitical tensions
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the more recent escalation 
of violence in the Middle East have destabilised international  
relations. Policy makers are strengthening their focus on national 
security in terms of defence, access to energy, critical commodities 
and key technologies, the latter through re-shoring critical industries 
and the use of sanctions and subsidies. These policies and actions 
are disrupting the competitive environment and, together with recent 
geopolitical risks to international trade, are contributing to price 
volatility and supply chain issues. 

Rolls-Royce response
We see opportunity and risk from the changing security situation. 
On the opportunity side, we are extending production in our Power 
Systems division to meet a strong increase in demand from our 
governmental customers; this will drive longer-term benefits from 
higher sales of spares and services. We also see increased potential 
for Rolls-Royce SMR, as customers, particularly in Europe, seek to 
reduce their dependence on imported oil and gas and Russian nuclear 
technology. On the risk side, recognising the price and disruption 
risk in our supply chains, we are taking steps to build resilience, 
including dual sourcing where appropriate. 

Economic slowdown
In 2023, we saw a further slowdown in global activity. The main 
reasons were the phasing out of post-pandemic effects and high 
interest rates designed to contain inflationary pressures. The  
slowdown is expected to continue through 2024 with advanced 
economies and China being most affected. The US economy, despite 
proving resilient in 2023, is expected to feel the effects of tighter 
financial conditions. Europe’s growth remains contained by energy 
uncertainty and slowing external demand. China continues to  
struggle with its real estate crisis. Business demand is slowing in the 
manufacturing sector although supply chain problems are easing. A 
tight labour market may start to open but possibly not for specialised 
skills. Inflation is expected to normalise above central banks’ target 
of 2% and so forecasters and financial market analysts do not expect 
interest rates to return to their previous low levels in the short term.

Rolls-Royce response
Across the Group, the diversity in our product portfolio helps to 
absorb short-term economic impacts and our high level of order 
backlog acts as a cushion for our business. On the demand side, we 
have advantaged businesses in markets that are set to grow ahead 
of GDP. For example, in the widebody market, mid-term growth is 
forecast to be in the region of 5% to 7% per annum driven by post 
pandemic recovery and new demand from a growing middle class in 
countries such as India and China. On the cost side, in addition to 
the existing inflation-linked pricing clauses in our Civil Aerospace 
division, we have taken measures to protect margins in our Power 
Systems division by reacting to price changes in energy, materials 
and wages. The steps we are taking to strengthen our financial  
performance will improve the Group’s credit rating and contain the 
impact of high interest rates on our financing costs. 

Supply chain uncertainties
As industries recovered from the pandemic, efforts to scale up  
production exposed underlying supply chain issues which had been 
exacerbated by cuts in capacity made during the crisis. Skills and 
experience had been lost and labour availability became a key growth 
constraint, significantly impacting lead times. With every industry 
increasing demand at the same time, even relative commodity  
materials such as steel became difficult and expensive to source. High 
interest rates also became a drag on recovery by constraining  
investment in production scale up. The situation is improving but 
shortages remain for some commodities, parts and components and 
we expect to experience challenges for at least another 18 to 24 months.

Rolls-Royce response
We are taking steps to improve supply chain efficiency and resilience. 
We are improving forecasting and planning and collaborating closely 
with suppliers to drive tighter management of lead times to ensure 
we have the inventory we need when we need it. Additional supply 
chain resilience benefits will come from our efforts to reduce cost 
and enhance commercial discipline. Operationally, we are simplifying 
product designs to improve sourcing options and we are improving 
manufacturing processes to reduce scrap and waste. Commercially, 
we  are  pushing  for  stronger  contractual  protection  against  
inflationary impacts and supplier underperformance.

Long-term issues
Other  significant  long-term  issues  for  our  business  include  
demographic trends, climate change and the intent to move towards 
a net zero economy.

According to UN data, the expected growth in global population 
from eight to ten billion people by 2050 will be concentrated in urban 
areas, driving higher demand for energy and mobility solutions. The 
development in emerging economies of a stronger middle-class 
population, especially in India and China, will support growth in 
commercial aviation. Resource constraints are likely to increase 
geopolitical risk and Defence budgets will continue to rise in response. 

The  global  effort  to  decouple  economic  development  from  
greenhouse  gas  emissions  presents  both  a  challenge  and  a  
generational business opportunity. 

Rolls-Royce response
Thanks to our strong positions in Civil Aerospace and Power Systems 
we will benefit directly from the growing demand for global mobility. 

Our Defence division will grow within its core transport and combat 
segments and our unique capabilities will open other opportunities. 
Rolls-Royce SMR is seeking to enhance the economics of modular 
nuclear power generation to deliver a scalable, cost-effective source 
of low-carbon electricity, helping societies meet their development 
and sustainability goals.

Across the Group we are working to ensure that all our products, in 
the  air,  at  sea,  and  on  land,  can  be  used  sustainably  through  
ensuring compatibility with sustainable fuels and by developing 
technologies  to  enable  the  nex t  generation  of  high  
efficiency solutions. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

13

STRATEGIC REPORTBusiness model

OUR COMMON DRIVERS   
FOR SUCCESS

Advantaged businesses with strong positions 
in attractive and growing markets

ONE ROLLS-ROYCE

OUR CORE DIVISIONS

CIVIL AEROSPACE

OUR ROLE  
IN SOCIETY 

Link to risk

1   3   6   9   11

OUR BUSINESS   
MODEL DRIVERS

Link to risk

1   2   3   4   5   6  
7   8   9   10   11

Connect

We make it possible for people to move safely, efficiently and 
affordably across the globe.

We provide social and economic value through enabling unique 
experiences and in-person relationships; connecting people and 
cultures, businesses and families.

PASSENGERS WHO FLE W 
ON A ROLLS-ROYCE 
POWERED AIRCR AF T   
IN 2023

>250m

Differentiated services

We design, develop, manufacture and support high performance 
gas turbines for commercial aviation. 

We  pioneered  the  industry’s  adoption  of  long-term  service  
agreements, a model that aligns our interests with those of our 
customers and rewards us for improving reliability, availability and 
reducing costs. 

We provide value to airlines through data driven insights and we 
set the standard for customer service in business aviation. 

CUSTOMERS ON  
LONG-TERM  
SERVICE  
AGREEMENTS

2/3

OUR UNIQUENESS

Trusted partner

We partner with customers to develop a close understanding of 
their needs, co-creating solutions and capabilities. We have  
partnered for decades with aircraft manufacturers and airlines, 
including joint MRO facilities.

We  partner  with  our  supply  chain  to  access  capability  and  
capacity, to maximise market cover, minimise collective investment 
and share risk and reward. 

NE W GENER ATION 
WIDEBODY  
AIRCR AF T   
POWERED BY 
ROLLS-ROYCE

4 out of 5

A HIGH-PERFORMING, COMPETITIVE,   
RESILIENT AND GROWING BUSINESS

Link to risk

1   3   6   7   10   11

WHAT WE  
WILL ACHIEVE

Link to risk

1   Safety
7   Information & data

2   Compliance
8   Market & financial shock 

3   Strategy
9   Political

4   Execution
10  Talent & capability

5   Business interruption
11   Technology

6   Climate change 

14

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OUR COMMON DRIVERS   

FOR SUCCESS

OUR CORE DIVISIONS

OUR ROLE  

IN SOCIETY 

OUR BUSINESS   

MODEL DRIVERS

OUR UNIQUENESS

WHAT WE  

WILL ACHIEVE

BUSINESS MODEL

ONE ROLLS-ROYCE

Advantaged businesses with strong positions 

in attractive and growing markets

Differentiated by deep customer relationships; market leading 
products and technology; engineering and commercial excellence

DEFENCE

POWER SYSTEMS

Protect

Power

We provide mission critical power and propulsion in 
the air, at sea and on land.

We enable operational independence and strategic 
and tactical advantage; helping nation states keep their 
citizens  safe  at  home  and  protect  their  interests  
overseas.

YE ARS OF  
PROVIDING  
GAS TURBINE  
POWER FOR   
DEFENCE   
CUSTOMERS

80

We  provide  answers  to  the  challenges  posed  by  
the rapidly growing societal demands for energy  
and mobility. 

We  deliver  high  performance,  dependable  and  
sustainable  power,  enabling  economic  growth  
and development.

E XPECTED ANNUAL 
GROW TH R ATE   
ACROSS OUR  
POWER   
GENER ATION   
MARKE TS

5%-7%

Customer-funded growth

One core solution addressing multiple markets

We design, develop, manufacture and support high 
performance aero and naval gas turbines and nuclear 
power and propulsion systems.

We turn technology into differentiated products that 
provide customers with unique capabilities and stay 
in-service for decades.

We create broader economic value for the Group by 
balancing the volatility seen in commercial markets 
and  by  enabling  synergies  across  technology,  
infrastructure, supply chain and product families.

DIFFERENT 
APPLICATIONS OF   
THE AE ENGINE 
FAMILY ACROSS 
DEFENCE AND   
CIVIL MARKE TS

16

We  design  develop,  manufacture  and  support  
high-performance reciprocating engines and broader 
system solutions for use at sea and on land. 

We  invent  once  and  use  many  times,  developing  
products and product families that can be used in 
different  applications  across  multiple  markets,  
delivering proven solutions for our customers and 
maximising the returns on investment to us.

NUMBER OF S4000 
ENGINES SOLD 
ACROSS DIVERSE 
MARKE TS

50k

Global access, local presence

Structural advantage

We  support  over  160  armed  forces  in  over  100  
countries.

We provide whole engine design, development and 
manuf ac turing  c ap abilit y  and  o p era t io nal  
independence in the US, UK and Germany and we work 
closely with partners in Japan, Italy, Spain, France  
and Australia.

HOME NATIONS  
WITH WHOLE   
ENGINE  
CAPABILIT Y

3

We deliver unmatched power, reliability and efficiency 
in return for premium value. 

We are recognised as the engine provider of choice 
where the mission matters: high integrity back-up power 
for critical infrastructure such as hospitals, airports 
and data centres; and high performance propulsion 
for yachts, military vehicles and naval vessels.

MARKE T SHARE  
IN GOVERNMENTAL 
BUSINESS

>30%

DRIVEN BY COMMITTED EMPOWERED PEOPLE 
OPERATING IN A PERFORMANCE CULTURE

WITH TRUST, INTEGRITY AND SAFETY 
AS OUR CORE VALUES

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

15

Read more about our  
strategy on pages 10 to 12

Read more about our  
KPIs on pages 16 to 18

Read more about our principal 
risks on pages 50 to 57

STRATEGIC REPORTKey performance indicators

Financial performance indicators 1,2

Order backlog (£bn)

60.9

60.2

52.9

50.6

68.5

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

Total value of firm orders placed by 
customers  for  delivery  of  products  
and  services  where  there  is  no  
right to cancel. This KPI is the same as 
the  statutory  measure  for  order  
backlog. See note 2 on page 141 for more 
information.

Order backlog provides visibility of 
future business activity.

Customer orders drive future revenue 
growth which, in turn, enables profit 
and cash flow growth. Profit and free 
cash flow performance are key financial 
metrics in the Incentive Plan.

19

20

21

22

23

Underlying revenue (£m)

15,450

15,409

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

12,691

11,430

10,947

Revenue generated from operations at 
the average exchange rate achieved 
on effective settled derivative contracts 
in the period that the cash flow occurs. 
See  note  2  on  page  138  for  more  
information.

Underlying revenue provides a measure 
of business growth and activity.

Underlying revenue growth enables 
profit and cash flow growth, both of 
which are key financial metrics in the 
Incentive Plan.

19

20

21

22

23

Underlying operating profit/(loss) (£m)

1,590

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

808

652

414

(2,008)

Operating  profit  generated  from  
operations at the average exchange 
rate  achieved  on  effective  settled 
derivative contracts in the period that 
the cash flow occurs. It excludes M&A, 
exceptional items and certain other 
items  outside  of  normal  operating 
activities. See note 2 on page 138 for 
more information.

19

20

21

22

23

Underlying operating margin (%)

Underlying operating profit indicates 
how the effect of growing revenue and 
control of our costs delivers value for 
our shareholders.

Profit is a key financial performance 
measure for our Incentive Plan. 

10.3

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

5.2

3.8

5.1

(17.6)

Underlying operating profit (as defined 
above) as a percentage of underlying 
revenue (as defined above). It indicates 
how much profit the business makes  
for  every  one  pound  sterling  of  
revenue generated.

Underlying operating margin indicates 
how  effective  the  business  is  at  
converting revenue to profit. A higher 
margin is an indicator of increased value 
for our shareholders, as it demonstrates 
a  higher  conversion  of  revenue  to 
profit.

Profit is a key financial performance 
measure for our Incentive Plan.

19

20

21

22

23

Free cash flow from continuing operations (£m)

873

(4,255)

(1,485)

505

19

20

21

22

23

1,285

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

Free  cash  flow  is  cash  flows  from  
operating activities, adjusted to include 
capital expenditure and movements in 
investments, capital elements of lease 
payments, interest paid and to exclude 
amounts spent or received on business 
acquisitions  or  disposals,  financial  
penalties  paid  and  exceptional  
restructuring payments. Cash flow from 
operating activities is our statutory 
equivalent. See note 28 on page 184.

Free cash flow is a key metric used  
to measure the performance of our 
business and how effectively we are 
creating value for our shareholders.  
It  enables  the  business  to  fund  
grow th,  reduce  debt  and  make  
shareholder payments.

Free cash flow is a key financial metric 
in the Incentive Plan.

1  The adoption of IFRS 16 Leases in 2019 had no material impact on our financial KPIs
2  2023, 2022 and 2021 figures represent the results of continuing operations. 2020 figures 
have been restated, where relevant, to show ITP Aero as a discontinued operation in line 
with 2021 reporting. 2019 figures have not been restated

A reconciliation from the 
alternative performance measure 
to its statutory equivalent can be 
found on pages 213 to 217

16

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

TCC/GM (ratio)

0.88

0.86

0.80

0.59

(2.84)

19

20

21

22

23

Return on capital (%)

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

TCC is defined as total underlying cash 
costs during the period (represented 
by underlying R&D and underlying 
C&A) as a proportion of underlying  
gross profit. 

This measure provides an indicator of 
total cash costs relative to gross profit 
(the  percentage  of  the  Group’s  
overheads that are covered by gross 
profit). A reduction in total cash costs 
relative to gross profit indicates how 
effective the business is at managing 
and/or reducing its costs.

Profit is a key financial performance 
measure for our Incentive Plan.

11.3

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

4.7

4.9

3.2

(16.5)

19

20

21

22

23

Gross R&D expenditure ³ (£m)

1,459

1,390

1,287

1,225

1,179

Return  on  capital  assesses  our  
efficiency  in  allocating  capital  to  
profitable  investments.  The  more  
efficient  we  are  as  a  business  in  
allocating  capital  to  profitable  
investments, the more profitable we  
will be. 

Profit is a key financial performance 
measure for our Incentive Plan.

Return on capital is defined as net  
operating profit after tax (NOPAT) as a 
percentage of average invested capital.

NOPAT is defined as underlying net 
profit excluding net finance costs and 
the tax shield on net finance costs. 
Invested capital is defined as current 
and non-current assets less current 
liabilities. It excludes pension assets, 
cash and cash equivalents and debt.
See page 217 for more detail on how we  
calculate return on capital. 

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

In-year gross cash expenditure on R&D 
excluding the impact of contributions 
and fees, amortisation and impairment 
of  capitalised  costs  and  amounts  
capitalised during the year. 

This measure demonstrates the balance 
b e t w e e n  l o n g - t e r m  s t r a t e g i c  
investments and delivering short-term 
shareholder returns.

Disciplined control and allocation of 
R&D  expenditure  optimises  in-year 
profit  and  cash  flow  performance  
without  compromising  long-term 
growth through innovation. There is a 
balance of long-term metrics which 
reward strong financial performance 
and  also  relative  returns  to  our  
shareholders through total shareholder 
return (TSR) in the Incentive Plan.

19

20

21

22

23

Gross capital expenditure ⁴ (£m)

747

585

429

345

304

19

20

21

22

23

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

In-year  gross  cash  expenditure  on 
capital excluding capital expenditure 
from discontinued operations.

This measure demonstrates the balance 
b e t w e e n  l o n g - t e r m  s t r a t e g i c  
investments and delivering short-term
shareholder returns.

Disciplined control and allocation of 
capital expenditure optimises in-year 
profit  and  cash  flow  performance  
without  compromising  long-term  
capital requirements. There is a balance 
of  long-term  metrics  which  reward 
strong financial performance and also 
relative returns to our shareholders 
through total shareholder return (TSR) 
in the Incentive Plan.

3  This is a new KPI added in 2023 to provide information on gross R&D expenditure as this 
provides  a  more  meaningful  view  of  total  R&D.  The  previous  KPI  presented  was  
self-funded R&D as a proportion of underlying revenue

4  This is a new KPI added in 2023 to provide information on gross capital expenditure as this 
provides a more meaningful view of total capital expenditure. The previous KPI presented 
was capital expenditure as a proportion of underlying revenue

A reconciliation from the 
alternative performance measure 
to its statutory equivalent can be 
found on pages 213 to 217

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

17

STRATEGIC REPORTKEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Non-financial performance indicators

Safety index (%)

94

85

74

21

22

23

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

The measure is strongly aligned to our 
strategy of safety being the number 
one  priority,  with  an  emphasis  on  
proactive measures.

This  metric  accounts  for  5%  of  the 
Incentive Plan.

In 2023, we changed our people metric 
to incorporate a 50% weighting to an 
internal safety index. The safety index 
is the leading measure of our safety 
culture, which was introduced across 
the Group in 2021. The index consists 
of a composite score of five leading 
indicators,  with  each  indicator  
measuring  a  key  element  of  our  
safety culture. See page 44 for more 
information. 

Employee engagement (scored 1 to 5) 5

3.68

3.73

3.85

3.53

3.99

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

Our people are crucial to delivering 
future  business  success.  This  is  an 
objective way to assess how engaged 
our employees are with the business 
and its leaders.

Employee engagement performance 
against our target accounts for up to 
5% of the Incentive Plan.

Since 2019, we have been on a journey 
targeting upper quartile status versus 
Gallup’s manufacturing organisations 
peer  group.  Responses  to  the  
engagement survey are scored on a 
scale  of  one  to  five.  The  employee 
engagement  score  averages  the 
responses to all 12 questions in the  
survey. Our target for 2023 was to score 
a grand mean of 3.97. See page 46 for 
more information.

HOW WE DEFINE IT

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

LINK TO REMUNER ATION

At the start of 2021, each division was set 
sus t ainabilit y  t arget s  for  t he  
three-year performance period ended  
31 December 2023. See pages 41 and 42.

We are committed to becoming a net 
zero company by 2050 and we support 
our customers to do the same. New fuels 
will be crucial to achieving net zero  
in the medium term across many of  
our markets.

This metric accounts for up to 5% of 
the Incentive Plan for 2023.

19

20

21

22

23

Sustainability

The metrics for the Incentive Plan 
combine  short-term  measures 
i n - y e a r  
w h i c h  
f o c u s   o n  
performance  with  longer-term  
strategic measures. The metric for 
sustainability  is  a  longer-term  
measure with targets set at the start 
of 2021.

5  External assurance over the employee engagement score is provided by Bureau Veritas. 

See page 209 for their assurance statement

18

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Financial review

We have ambitious, bold and achievable plans. We are driving sustainable and higher 
quality growth in earnings and cash flows and improved return on capital. We have 
a clear capital framework and detailed plans to deliver our financial targets.

Helen McCabe  
Chief Financial Officer

I joined Rolls-Royce in August 2023, excited by the opportunity to help 
shape the future of this iconic company. We have advantaged positions 
in attractive and growing end markets with world-leading capabilities 
and committed and motivated people. We have so much to be proud 
of  and  so  much  potential.  I  am  delighted  to  be  part  of  the  
Rolls-Royce team�

We are transforming Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, 
resilient and growing business. We have started on a journey that will 
take the Group to a place where we have the financial strength to invest 
in projects that will enable us to win, where we have strengthened our 
balance sheet to withstand external shocks and to enable us to reward 
our shareholders. We have made good progress in 2023 but there is 
still more work to do.

I have identified four key priorities which I will be focusing on.

1.  Integrated performance management
Our strategic review highlighted the need for improved processes and 
a stronger culture of integrated performance management. We have 
already started to improve this and will strengthen it further. Strategic 
plans will be linked to annual budgets which in turn will be linked to 
in-year performance management. We will rigorously track performance 
and make interventions proactively. Targets will be underpinned and 
owned across the whole organisation. 

2.  Commercial and cost optimisation
We  are  developing  sharper  commercial  acumen  and  a  more  
cost-conscious culture across the organisation. This is underpinned by 
the philosophy that everyone must act like an owner, treating every 

pound  spent  as  their  own  to  deliver  the  most  value  for  all  our  
stakeholders. We are already transforming the way we work with new 
frameworks  and  higher  quality  training  in  place  to  build  skills  
and capabilities.

3.  Working capital optimisation
Working capital is a key focus as we look to strengthen our balance 
sheet and improve our return on capital. Our initiatives underpin a 
sustainable release of working capital benefit across the mid-term, 
which we define as a 2027 timeframe. The largest opportunity relates 
to  inventory,  where  we  are  targeting  a  meaningful  reduction  in  
inventory days. Actions we will take include improving our demand 
planning and supply chain management. We also see an opportunity 
to improve receivables, with teams in place to drive down unbilled debt 
and review customer payment terms, as well as improving our payables 
performance. We have granular plans to underpin our targets. There 
are a number of working capital headwinds over the mid-term but the 
result of our actions offset these headwinds which result in a net  
working capital release. 

4.  Capital framework
Our capital framework is focused on three clear priorities.

 — First, to obtain a strong balance sheet with an investment grade 
profile. A strong balance sheet will position us well to withstand 
volatility and external shocks and will allow us the financial flexibility 
for further investment for growth.

 — Second, once the strength of our balance sheet is assured we are 
committed to reinstating and growing shareholder distributions. For 
further details see page 5.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

19

STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL REVIEW

 — Third, a disciplined approach to investments. All investments must 
be aligned to the Group’s strategy. Investments are prioritised on a 
Group-wide  basis,  focusing  on  those  that  drive  the  greatest  
shareholder value. We have strict financial and sustainability criteria 
and hurdle rates in place.

2023 financial performance
In 2023, we have made good progress against our strategic priorities 
and delivered a step change in financial performance which included 
some early benefits from our transformation efforts. 

 — Driving growth in attractive markets: Large engine flying hours (EFH) 
in Civil Aerospace recovered to 88% of 2019 levels, up from 65% in 
2022. Large engine orders were the highest in more than 15 years, 
with major orders from Air India and Turkish Airlines. In Defence, the 
AUKUS  submarine  agreement  was  announced,  which  will  be  
supported by the expansion of our submarines site in Raynesway, 
and work on our future programmes in the UK and US progressed 
well. In Power Systems, we are capturing strong demand for power 
generation solutions and services in the rapidly expanding data 
centre market. 

 — Significantly improved profit and margins: Underlying operating 
profit rose by £0.9bn to £1.6bn supported by our transformation 
programme and strategic initiatives, with commercial optimisation 
and cost efficiency benefits across the Group. Underlying operating 
margin more than doubled to 10.3%. Civil Aerospace, Defence and 
Power Systems all delivered materially higher margins compared to 
last year. The largest improvement was in Civil Aerospace, which 
delivered an operating margin of 11.6% compared to 2.5% in the 
previous year. This was driven by increased aftermarket profit, in 
both the large engines and business aviation segments, reflecting 
commercial optimisation and cost efficiencies, as well as volume 
growth. Defence delivered an improved operating margin of 13.8% 
(2022: 11.8%), which primarily reflected improved pricing and cost 
efficiencies. In Power Systems, which reported an operating margin 
of 10.4% (2022: 8.4%), pricing and cost efficiency actions in the first 
half of the year resulted in a significantly improved operating profit 
and margin in the second half and in the full year.

 — Record cash generation: Free cash flow from continuing operations 
grew by approximately 150% to £1.3bn, principally due to higher 
operating profit. Civil net LTSA creditor growth net of risk and  
revenue sharing agreements (RRSAs) was £1.1bn (2022: £0.8bn). 
Continued LTSA balance growth reflects higher EFHs and the  
benefit of commercial optimisation, with LTSA invoiced flying hour 
receipts of £4.6bn (2022: £3.6bn). Our focus on working capital 
resulted in a release in the second half despite ongoing supply chain 
challenges. For the full year there was a net working capital outflow 
of £0.4bn (2022: £0.5bn). Inventory and debtor days both improved 
year on year building further confidence in the actions we are taking 
to improve the quality of cash delivery.

 — Building financial resilience:  Total  underlying  cash  costs  as  a  
proportion of underlying gross margin (TCC/GM) ratio improved to 
0.59x in 2023 from 0.80x in 2022. Net debt improved to £2.0bn 
(2022: £3.3bn). We have £4.1bn of drawn debt, of which £0.5bn matures 
in 2024, £0.8bn in 2025 and £2.8bn in 2026-2028, and £1.7bn of lease 
liabilities. We have £3.7bn in cash and cash equivalents and £3.5bn 
undrawn facilities, totalling £7.2bn of liquidity, and expect to repay 
the 2024 and 2025 bonds from cash. We cancelled a £1.0bn undrawn 
UK Export Finance (UKEF) backed facility in the year, and a £1.0bn 
undrawn bank loan facility reflecting our higher cash balance and 
more resilient financial position. 

2024 outlook
As we continue to deliver our strategy, we expect further improvements 
towards all our mid-term targets. This is despite the impact of continued 
supply chain challenges, which we expect to persist for 18 to 24 months, 
geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressures. Our forecast for 
2024 underlying operating profit is £1.7bn-£2.0bn and free cash flow 
between £1.7bn-£1.9bn.

Mid-term outlook: growing profit and competitive margins
Our underlying operating profit and margins in 2023 represent a step 
change in financial performance, but there is still more to deliver. As 
detailed at our CMD, our key mid-term targets included operating profit 
of £2.5bn-£2.8bn with an operating margin between 13%-15%. This is 
a quadrupling of operating profit from the 2022 baseline, making 
margins equal to or better than our peers on a competitive basis. These 
targets are underpinned by the rigour of our extensive benchmarking, 
the findings of our strategic review and by our commercial optimisation, 
efficiency and simplification actions across the Group.

In Civil Aerospace, we expect the most material improvement in margins 
from 2.5% in 2022 to 15%-17% by the mid-term. We are driving higher 
widebody profit using the six levers of improvement: extending  
time-on-wing, lowering shop visit costs, reducing product costs,  
keeping engines earning for longer, implementing a new value-driven 
pricing strategy and driving rigour on contractual terms and conditions. 
We are also driving profitable improvement through our aftermarket  
business, time and material, OE and spare engines. In the business 
aviation market, we will increase profitability and market share due to 
the success of the Pearl engine family. 

In Defence, we are targeting a 14%-16% operating margin by the  
mid-term. Our strategic focus is on growing our transport, combat and 
submarines  activities.  Operating  profit  growth  and  margin  
improvements will be driven by growth from volume and mix as we move 
from  legacy  programmes  to  new  funded  programmes  and  from  
prioritising investment as we focus our spend and benefit from an 
increase in customer funded programmes. Margins will also benefit 
from our efforts on commercial optimisation, including value-driven 
pricing, and from efficiency and simplification.

In Power Systems, where we are targeting a 12%-14% margin by the 
mid-term, profit growth will be delivered by strategic initiatives focused 
on power generation, governmental and marine end markets. In power 
generation, we are optimising our cost structure and focusing on key 
accounts to drive margin growth. We are also expanding our microgrid 
solutions and extending our service offering in battery energy storage 
systems which will become a profitable business in the short term. In 
governmental, we are capturing near-term growth with scope expansion 
and focused investment and in marine we are developing alternative 
fuel solutions to strengthen our synthetic-fuel-ready portfolio.

Mid-term outlook: sustainable and growing free cash flow
We expect mid-term free cash flow of £2.8bn-£3.1bn; an improvement 
of £2.3bn-£2.6bn compared to 2022. This free cash flow growth will 
primarily be driven by operating profit growth of between £1.8bn-£2.1bn 
as we ensure that all divisions are delivering to their full potential. 

In addition to our expectation of higher operating profit, our mid-term 
free cash flow targets also reflect continued net growth in the Civil 
Aerospace long term service agreement (LTSA) balance of between 
£0.8bn-£1.2bn per annum. This is driven by: our young and growing 
widebody fleet, business aviation growth, benefits from currency as 
we consume our legacy hedges and the impact of strategic initiatives 
such as time-on-wing. Our cash flow target also reflects our more  
disciplined investment approach targeted at strategic growth and 
working capital improvements.

20

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

FINANCIAL REVIEW

As we pay down debt, our financing costs will reduce and the cash 
costs of closing out our over-hedged position, which has been a drag 
in recent years, will abate. Offsetting these cash flow benefits will be 
increased tax cash payments which will naturally increase as our  
profit grows.

Mid-term outlook: efficiency and simplification and total 
cash cost to gross margin ratio
Across all parts of the Group we are focused on efficiency and  
simplification.  We  are  targeting  to  improve  our  TCC/GM  ratio,  
approximately  halving  it  by  the  mid-term,  taking  it  to  a  market  
leading level (see page 8).

We are leveraging the power of One Rolls-Royce to simplify our  
organisation and drive efficiencies that will enable us to be more  
competitive and simplify the way we operate. We are right-sizing the 
organisation  and  ensuring  it  is  structured  to  support  strategy  
implementation, including plans to reduce 2,000 to 2,500 roles across 

the Group by the end of 2025. We expect severance costs to be between 
£200m-£250m, which will be taken as an exceptional charge. The 
reduction in roles will create an annualised sustainable benefit of around 
£200m once completed. This benefit is part of a collection of initiatives 
which, across the Group, will deliver a sustainable annualised saving of 
£400m-£500m. We plan to deliver around £1bn of gross third party 
cost savings over the mid-term which will help offset the impact of 
inflationary and product cost increases. We are also more tightly  
aligning  R&D  spend  to  strategy.  Finally,  we  have  set  a  10%-15%  
reduction in spend in targeted areas through zero-based budgeting.

Mid-term outlook: return on capital
By the mid-term we are targeting a 16%-18% return on capital. We view 
return on capital as an important metric for the Group, as it measures 
both our profitability and capital efficiency. 

Helen McCabe 
Chief Financial Officer

Statutory and underlying Group financial performance from continuing operations

£ million

Revenue
Gross profit
Operating profit
Gain arising on disposal of businesses
Profit before financing and taxation 
Net financing income/(costs)
Profit before taxation
Taxation 2
Profit for the year from continuing operations
Basic earnings per share (pence)

2023

Impact of 
acquisition 
accounting
–
46
50
–
50
−
50
(12)
38

Impact of 
other 
non-
underlying 
items
–
26
71
(1)
70
105
175
(370)
(195)

Impact of 
hedge
book 1
(1,077)
(461)
(475)
–
(475)
(915)
(1,390)
285 
(1,105)

2022

Underlying
12,691
2,477
652
–
652
(446)
206
(48)
158
1�95

Underlying
15,409
3,231
1,590
–
1,590
(328)
1,262
(120)
1,142
13.75

Statutory
16,486
3,620
1,944
1
1,945
482
2,427
(23)
2,404
28.85

1  Reflecting the impact of measuring revenue and costs at the average exchange rate during the year and the valuation of assets and liabilities using the year end exchange rate rather than 

the rate achieved on settled foreign exchange contracts in the year or the rate expected to be achieved by the use of the hedge book

2  Taxation includes the recognition of a deferred tax asset on UK tax losses of £328m in other non-underlying items

Revenue: Underlying revenue of £15.4bn was up 21%, with double-digit 
growth in all three core divisions and particularly strong growth in Civil 
Aerospace. Statutory revenue of £16.5bn was 22% higher compared 
with 2022. The difference between statutory and underlying revenue 
is driven by statutory revenue being measured at average prevailing 
exchange  rates  (2023:  GBP:USD  1.24;  2022:  GBP:USD  1.24)  and  
underlying revenue being measured at the hedge book achieved rate 
during the year (2023 GBP:USD 1.50; 2022: 1.50).

Operating profit: Underlying operating profit of £1,590m (10.3% margin) 
versus £652m (5.1% margin) in the prior year. This was due primarily to 
strong  aftermarket  growth  in  Civil  Aerospace  and  commercial  
optimisation and cost efficiencies across the Group. The largest year 
on year improvement in margin was in Civil Aerospace, but Defence 
and Power Systems margins also rose materially. Statutory operating 
profit was £1,944m, higher than the £1,590m underlying operating 
profit largely due to the £475m negative impact from currency hedges 
in the underlying results. Net charges of £71m were excluded from the 
underlying results as these related to non-underlying items comprising 
net transformation and restructuring charges of £102m; partly offset 
by net impairment reversals of £8m, the write back of exceptional Trent 
1000 programme charges of £21m; and a £2m pension past service 
credit.

Profit before taxation: Underlying profit before taxation of £1,262m 
included £(328)m net financing costs comprising £164m interest  
receivable, £(275)m interest payable and £(217)m of other financing 
charges and costs of undrawn facilities. Statutory profit before tax of 
£2,427m included £515m net fair value gains on derivative contracts, 
£(205)m net interest payable and net foreign exchange gains of £394m.

Taxation: Underlying tax charge of £(120)m (2022: £(48)m) reflects a tax 
charge  on  profits  of  £(198)m  net  of  a  tax  credit  arising  on  the  
recognition of a £78m deferred tax asset on previously unrecognised 
UK tax losses. The 2022 underlying tax charge relates to tax on overseas 
profits of £(175)m net of a tax credit on the increase in certain UK 
deferred tax assets of £127m. The statutory tax charge of £(23)m is lower 
than the underlying charge due to an additional £328m recognition of 
a deferred tax asset on UK tax losses. This is partially offset by a net tax 
charge of £(231)m on non-underlying items.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

21

STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL REVIEW

Free cash flow

£ million

Operating profit 
Operating profit from discontinued operations
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
Movement in provisions
Movement in Civil LTSA balance
Movement in prepayments to RRSAs for LTSA parts
Settlement of excess derivatives 1
Interest received
Other operating cash flows 2 
Operating cash flow before working capital and income tax
Working capital (excluding Civil LTSA balance and prepayment  
to RRSAs) 3
Cash flows on other financial assets and liabilities held for  
operating purposes
Income tax
Cash from operating activities
Capital element of lease payments
Capital expenditure
Investment
Interest paid

Other
Free cash flow
– of which is continuing operations

2023

Impact of 
acquisition 
accounting
50 
–
(50)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Impact of 
other non-
underlying 
items
71 
–
9 
21 
–
–
–
–
3 
104 

Impact of 
hedge 
book
(475)
–
–
46 
(377)
63 
–
–
(8)
(751)

Funds flow
1,590
–
978
(258)
1,331
(252)
(389)
159
(68)
3,091

2022

Funds flow
652
86
953
(23)
792
(8)
(326)
36
5
2,167

Cash flow
1,944
–
1,019
(325)
1,708
(315)
(389)
159
(63)
3,738

(236)

(123)

(845)
(172)
2,485
(291)
(699)
69
(333)

54
1,285
1,285

853 
–
(21)
21 
–
–
–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–

(37)

(396)

(524)

–
–
67 
–
4 
–
–

(71)
–

8
(172)
2,531
(270)
(695)
69
(333)

(17)
1,285
1,285

77
(174)
1,546
(198)
(504)
28
(352)

(29)
491
505

1  The funds flow to 31 December 2022 has been represented to disclose cash flows on settlement of excess derivative contracts as cash flows from operating activities. As a result, operating 
cash flows before working capital and income tax during the year to 31 December 2022 have reduced by £(326)m to £2,167m. Cash flows on settlement of excess derivative contracts were 
previously shown after cash from operating activities in arriving at free cash flow. There is no impact to free cash flow

2  Other operating cash flows includes profit/(loss) on disposal, share of results and dividends received from joint ventures and associates, flows relating to our defined benefit post-retirement 

schemes, and share based payments

3  Working capital includes inventory, trade and other receivables and payables, and contract assets and liabilities (excluding Civil LTSA balances and prepayment to RRSAs). Working  

capital was previously defined as inventory, trade and other receivables and payables, and contract assets and liabilities, excluding Civil LTSA

Free cash flow in the year was £1.3bn, an improvement of £0.8bn  
compared with the prior year driven by:

Income tax of £(172)m, net cash tax payments in 2023 were marginally 
lower than the prior year of £(174)m, mainly due to the receipt of refunds 
in respect of prior periods in the US and timing of payments in Germany.

Operating cash flow before working capital and income tax of £3.1bn, 
£0.9bn higher than the prior year. The improvement at the Group level 
was principally due to our actions on commercial optimisation and cost 
discipline. The movement in Civil LTSA balance was £1,331m (2022: 
£792m) driven by higher EFH receipts. RRSA prepayments were £252m 
(2022: £8m). The movement in provisions of £(258)m largely related to 
utilisation of the Trent 1000 provision, contract loss provisions and the 
settlement of a legal claim. The settlement of excess derivative contracts 
of £(389)m was in line with expectations, with a further cash outflow of 
£146m expected to be incurred in 2024, £148m in 2025 and £27m in 
2026. Interest received was £159m, up from £36m in 2022 due to higher 
cash balances and higher interest rates in the year.

Working capital £(396)m, compared to £(524)m in the prior year.  
Inventory increased by £(0.2)bn in the year primarily driven by Civil 
Aerospace as a result of continued supply chain disruption. There was 
a net £(0.2)bn outflow from receivables, payables and contract liabilities 
reflecting the net of volume growth in receivables and an increase in 
advance payments from customers.

The capital element of lease payments was £(270)m, £(72)m higher than 
the prior year as a result of timing of lease payments.

Capital expenditure of £(695)m, mainly £(429)m property, plant and 
equipment additions and £(284)m intangibles additions. The combined 
additions were higher than last year as a result of investment in site 
improvements across the Group.

Interest paid of £(333)m, including lease interest payments, has reduced 
by £19m as a result of the settlement of the UKEF £2bn loan facility in 
September 2022 slightly offset by higher interest on gross overdrafts.

22

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Balance sheet 

£ million
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Right of use assets
Joint ventures and associates
Civil LTSA 1
RRSA prepayments for LTSA parts 1
Working capital 1
Provisions
Net debt 2
Net financial assets and liabilities 2
Net post-retirement scheme deficits
Taxation
Held for sale 3
Other net assets and liabilities
Net liabilities
Other items
US$ hedge book (US$bn)

2023
4,009
3,728
905
479
(9,080)
1,320
(1,386)
(2,029)
(1,952)
(2,060)
(253)
2,605
54
31
(3,629)

2022
4,098
3,936
1,061
422
(7,372)
1,005
(2,017)
(2,333)
(3,251)
(3,649)
(420)
2,468
–
36
(6,016)

15

19

Change
(89)
(208)
(156)
57
(1,708)
315
631
304
1,299
1,589
167
137
54
(5)
2,387

1  The total of these lines represents inventory, trade receivables and payables, contract assets and liabilities and other assets and liabilities in the statutory balance sheet
2  Net debt includes £23m (2022: £86m) of the fair value of derivatives included in fair value hedges and the element of fair value relating to exchange differences on the underlying principal 

of derivatives in cash flow hedges

3  Held for sale assets relate to the sale of the off-highway engines business in the lower power range based in Power Systems 

Net debt: Decreased from £(3.3)bn to £(2.0)bn driven by free cash inflow 
of £1.3bn. Our liquidity position is strong with £7.2bn of liquidity  
including cash and cash equivalents of £3.7bn and undrawn facilities 
of £3.5bn. Two undrawn facilities, totalling £2.0bn, were cancelled in 
2023 reflecting our higher cash balance and more resilient financial 
position.  Net  debt  included  £(1.7)bn  of  lease  liabilities  (2022:  
£(1.8)bn).

Net financial assets and liabilities: A £1.6bn reduction in the net  
financial liabilities driven by contracts maturing in the year and a change 
in fair value of derivative contracts largely due to the impact of the 
movement in GBP:USD exchange rates.

Taxation: The net tax asset has increased by £137m. This includes an 
overall increase in the deferred tax asset of £267m, due to increases in 
the deferred tax asset recognised on UK tax losses of £422m and other 
deferred tax assets of £101m, partly offset by a reduction of £256m on 
the deferred tax on foreign exchange derivative contracts. Other tax 
balance movements include increases in the deferred tax liability of 
£44m and net current tax liabilities of £86m.

Key drivers of balance sheet movements were:

Civil LTSA: The £(1.7)bn movement in the net liability balance was mainly 
driven by an increase in invoiced LTSA receipts exceeding revenue 
recognised in the year, this is especially prevalent on new contracts 
where shop visits are not immediately scheduled.

RRSA prepayments for LTSA parts: The £0.3bn increase corresponds 
to the increase seen in the civil LTSA balance above. RRSA prepayments 
typically move in line with the civil LTSA as the RRSA prepayment 
represents amounts that we have paid to Risk and Revenue Share 
Partners for the parts that they will ultimately provide in support of our 
contracts.

Working capital: The £(1.4)bn net working capital position decreased 
by £0.6bn compared to the prior year. The movement comprised £0.1bn 
increase in inventory, mainly in Civil Aerospace due to supply chain 
disruption, £0.9bn increase in receivables due to higher trading volumes 
and prepayments from customers, £0.5bn reduction in payables due 
to changes in operational volumes and timing of supplier payments, 
partly offset by an increase in contract liabilities of £(0.9)bn driven by 
advanced payments received across the divisions. 

Provisions: The £0.3bn net reduction was primarily driven by the  
settlement of a legal claim, utilisation of the Trent 1000 provision, and 
a net £0.1bn reduction in contract loss provisions due to provision 
utilisation, renegotiations and extensions of some major contracts 
resulting in improved margins, partly offset by increased cost estimates 
from supply chain issues.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

23

STRATEGIC REPORTOur divisions

CIVIL AEROSPACE

Civil Aerospace is a major manufacturer of aero engines for the large commercial aircraft, regional 
jets and business aviation markets. The business uses its engineering expertise, in-depth knowledge 
and capabilities to provide through-life service solutions for its customers. 

Underlying revenue mix

Underlying revenue mix by sector

  OE – 37%
  Services – 63%

  Large engines – 73%
  Business aviation – 20%
  Regional – 3%
  V2500 – 4%

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING OPERATING PROFIT

UNDERLYING OPERATING MARGIN

ORDER BACKLOG

£7,348m

2022: £5,686m

£850m

2022: £143m

11.6%

2022: 2.5%

£55.2bn

2022: £47.7bn

Market overview
Our Civil Aerospace division comprises four categories: large engines, 
business aviation, regional and V2500.

Our large installed product base of more than 4,860 engines powers 
4 out of 5 of the new generation widebody aircraft. We have a 33% 
market share of the large engines in service globally and 41% of the 
engines on order. Large engine deliveries increased in 2023 to 262 
(2022: 190) as we grow our market share. 

We have a high-quality order book with 1,632 large engines (2022: 
1,282). We have seen substantial new orders in 2023, including orders 
with Air India, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, EVA Air and in early 2024, Delta 
Airlines. 2023 was our best year for large engine orders since 2007. 
We are also seeing growth in the new Airbus A350 freighter market 
where there is clear demand for our products and services. During 
2023, we took new orders of 678 large engines (2022: 150). Of the 262 
large engine deliveries in 2023, 53 were spare engines (2022: 44). Spare 
engines are important to our customers as they support fleet health 
and aircraft availability. 

In 2023, business aviation engine deliveries increased to 196 (2022: 
165). There are currently over 6,500 in-service Rolls-Royce business  
aviation engines across our Tay, BR710 and AE 3007 platforms which 
provide  power  to  a  range  of  aircraft,  including  Gulfstream  and  
Bombardier aircraft. There are over 1,200 BR725 and Pearl 15 engines 
in service which power the Gulfstream 650/G650ER and Bombardier 
5500/6500. The Pearl 700, which is going through in-flight testing 
and already has a strong order book, will power the Gulfstream G700/
G800. The Pearl 10X, which is in development and has had a positive 
reaction from the market, will power the Dassault Falcon 10X. This will 
be the first time a Rolls-Royce engine powers a Dassault aircraft. Within 
the market, we have won the last three major campaigns, with the Pearl 
engine firmly established as the engine of choice.

The civil aerospace market further recovered from the effects of the 
pandemic in 2023. Large engine flying hours were 88% of 2019 levels 

(2022: 65%). The easing of global pandemic management measures, 
specifically  in  China,  paired  with  fleet  expansion  are  the  main  
contributors to engine flying hour improvement. Industry forecasts 
predict a return to 2019 large engine flying levels in 2024 and we expect 
this to grow to 120%-130% by 2027. Business aviation engine flying 
hours continue to be above 2019 levels, as they were in 2022, having 
recovered more quickly from post-pandemic measures. 

Total shop visits in 2023 were 1,227 (2022: 1,044) carried out to  
maintain and repair the engines in our fleet. Of these, 368 were large 
engine major shop visits (2022: 248). The increase was driven by higher 
utilisation levels and growth in the fleet. 

Supply chain pressures remain a hurdle across the industry. We are 
proactively managing the risks, including consolidating spend with our 
high  performing  supplier  group  for  cost,  quality  and  reliability,  
improving our sourcing, renegotiating contracts and supporting our 
most important suppliers. We expect supply chain challenges to persist 
for the next 18 to 24 months. We are not experiencing any ongoing impact 
from the two supplier fires which we reported in our 2022 Annual Report.

Financial performance 
Underlying revenue of £7.3bn increased 29% year on year, driven  
by  higher  shop  visits  and  OE  engine  deliveries  and  commercial  
optimisation. Underlying OE revenues grew by 36% in the year to £2.7bn 
and services revenues grew by 25% to £4.6bn. LTSA revenue catch-ups 
were £(104)m (2022: £360m). 

Underlying operating profit was £850m (11.6% margin) versus £143m in 
2022 (2.5% margin). The year on year improvement was driven by higher 
large engine LTSA shop visit volumes and profitability, increased time 
and materials profits from life limited parts sales for large engines, and 
higher business aviation profits, again driven by aftermarket profit 
growth. In each case, our commercial optimisation actions helped drive 
margin improvements. This was complemented by cost efficiencies, 
with lower indirect costs net of inflation. 

24

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

OUR DIVISIONS

Financial overview

£ million

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit
Gross margin %
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit
Underlying operating margin %

Trading cash flow

Key operational metrics

Large engine deliveries
Business aviation engine deliveries
Total engine deliveries
Large engine LTSA flying hours (million)
Large engine LTSA major refurbs
Large engine LTSA check & repair
Total large engine LTSA shop visits

2023
7,348
2,703
4,645
1,394
19.0%
(354)
(343)
153
850
11.6%

2023
626

Organic 
change 1
1,645
706
939
540

18
112
40
710

2022
226

FX
17
15
2
1

(1)
(3)
–
(3)

Change
400

2022
5,686
1,982
3,704
853
15.0%
(371)
(452)
113
143
2.5%

2023
262
196
458
13.5
368
471
839

Change
1,662
721
941
541
+4�0pt
17
109
40
707
+9�1pt

2022
190
165
355
10�0
248
455
703

Organic 
change 1
29%
36%
25%
63%
+4�0pt
(5)%
(25)%
35%
nm
+9�1pt

Change
72
31
103
3�5
120
16
136

1  Organic change is the measure of change at constant translational currency applying full year 2022 average rates to 2023. All underlying income statement commentary is provided on an 

organic basis unless otherwise stated

Contract  catch-ups  were  £(29)m  (2022:  £319m).  The  prior  year  
benefitted from material positive contract catch-ups mostly associated 
with inflation assumption changes in 2022. Net onerous provisions/
releases were £(25)m (2022: £51m). We made good progress on onerous 
contracts in the year, releasing £385m of provisions taken in prior 
periods. However, this was more than offset by £410m new provisions 
taken in 2023 mostly related to industry wide supply chain constraints. 

Trading cash flow was £626m versus £226m in 2022. Improved cash 
flows were driven by higher operating profit, continued strong growth 
in the LTSA balance, partly offset by net working capital movements 
and increased investments in the year including improving time on wing 
for our Trent engines, investment in the Pearl business aviation engines 
and the UltraFan demonstrator engine test. LTSA invoiced flying hour 
receipts increased to £4.6bn (2022: £3.6bn).

Operational and strategic progress
As we outlined at our CMD, we are focused on the following six key 
levers to unlock value in the Civil Aerospace aftermarket business: 
extend time-on-wing; lower shop visit costs; reduce product costs; keep 
engines earning for longer; implement value-based pricing; and drive  
contractual rigour. We are making excellent progress against these 
initiatives. In addition, the same commercial and cost disciplines are 
being applied to other areas of our business too, where we are  
targeting profitable improvements in time and material, original  
equipment and spare engines. 

We are improving engine performance whilst maintaining excellent 
safety and operational availability. For example, extending time-on-wing 
means our engines stay in service for longer periods between shop 
visits, reducing the lifetime maintenance cost. We aim to improve the 
average time-on-wing for modern Trent engines by at least 40% over 
the medium term. This means that relative to today’s engine standard 
we will extend time to overhaul by almost two years. We are spending 
£1bn on time-on-wing improvements as part of a multi-year programme. 
This will double the time-on-wing of our Trent 1000 engine and in  
non-benign  environments  double  the  time-on-wing  on  the  

Trent XWB-97 as well as generating a 50% improvement in benign 
environments.

At the right time we believe we are well positioned to re-enter the  
narrowbody market by choosing a partnership approach for the next 
engine programme. Our UltraFan technology is a vital step towards 
this.  The  UltraFan  demonstrator,  our  next  generation  of  engine  
architecture and suite of technologies, achieved a significant milestone 
by running to maximum power in tests. These tests also showed the 
power gearbox handled accelerations and decelerations 20 times faster 
than we have previously achieved. We expect to continue to invest in 
the  UltraFan  following  these  significant  milestones.  UltraFan  
technologies can also be fitted to our existing Trent engines to increase 
time-on-wing, reduce cost and increase efficiency.

We remain focused on the transition to lower carbon and in reducing 
emissions in our markets. Our actions start with maximising the efficiency 
of our current fleet, as many of these engines will remain in service for 
decades  to  come.  We  have  already  demonstrated  that  all  our  
production engines are 100% SAF compatible, and this year our Trent 
1000 engines powered the world’s first commercial transatlantic 100% 
SAF flight on a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Dreamliner. 

Outlook
Executing on our strategic initiatives, which include the six key levers 
previously mentioned, will mean that we are less exposed to fluctuations 
in engine flying hours. Industry forecasts do predict a continued  
recovery in international travel and in 2024 we expect large engine 
flying hours to be in the range of 100%-110% of 2019 levels. Business 
and regional markets are expected to continue to perform above 2019 
levels with growth year-on-year. 

We expect operating profit to improve to 15%-17% in the mid-term as 
a result of the actions we are taking. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

25

STRATEGIC REPORTOUR DIVISIONS

DEFENCE

Defence is a market leader in aero engines for military transport and patrol aircraft with strong positions 
in combat applications. It has significant scale in naval and designs, supplies and supports the nuclear 
propulsion plant for all of the UK Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines. 

Underlying revenue mix

Underlying revenue mix by sector

  OE – 43%
  Services – 57%

  Transport – 31%
  Combat – 34%
  Submarines – 22%
  Naval – 8%
  Helicopters – 5%

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING OPERATING PROFIT

UNDERLYING OPERATING MARGIN

ORDER BACKLOG

£4,077m

2022: £3,660m

£562m

2022: £432m

13.8%

2022: 11.8%

£9.2bn

2022: £8.5bn

Market overview
Our Defence business supports five distinct end markets: transport, 
where we are the market leader; combat, where we have full engine 
capability; submarines, where we have unique nuclear propulsion 
capability; naval, where our high power density engines bring real 
advantage;  and  helicopters,  where  we  have  accumulated  huge  
experience in military and civil programmes. Our order book is strong 
at £9.2bn (2022: £8.5bn) and our order coverage is 90% (2022: 86%).

We  maintained  our  customer  and  shareholder  commitments  
throughout the pandemic. Since then, the global security situation has 
led to governments increasing their commitment to defence. We  
continue to be selected as long-term partners in the development, 
manufacture and maintenance of defence power for critical military 
missions to deter threats, preserve life and maintain order. Rolls-Royce 
does not provide or manufacture weapons for our customers.

We are a trusted and key supplier to many countries across the globe 
for the provision of defence power for the protection of society,  
preservation of peace and economic stability. We are chosen for our 
unrivalled engineering and technological capabilities as we push the 
boundaries  of  what  is  possible  and  provide  our  customers  with  
cutting-edge solutions. 

Recent substantial wins underpin our long-term growth as we have 
been  chosen  to  participate  on  the  FLRAA  programme,  B-52  
re-engining, Tempest and the GCAP. In 2023, it was also announced 
that Rolls-Royce will provide reactors for Australia’s nuclear-powered 
submarines under the AUKUS trilateral agreement. These contracts 
come along once in a generation and will provide substantial economic 
benefit.

The Defence market has demonstrated its resilience in recent years 
and our customers continue to invest in capability in our core markets. 
£45bn of new programmes will come online by 2050 within the transport 
and patrol market, creating a substantial opportunity for us, and we 
are very well positioned to capture a significant portion of these 

emerging opportunities. We continue to see strong momentum in this 
market demonstrated by the US Army selecting us for the FLRAA 
programme. Partnered with Bell and the US Army, we are excited to 
power FLRAA with our AE 1107F engine, providing a low risk, ready-now 
propulsion solution with best-in-class capabilities. The FLRAA platform 
will provide twice the range and speed for the US Army when compared 
with the existing Black Hawk helicopter capabilities.

Financial performance
Revenues increased by 12% in 2023 to £4.1bn, with year-on-year growth 
in all major end markets, notably double-digit revenue growth in  
combat and submarines. Combat growth was driven by the GCAP 
programme in the UK and the ramp-up of the F130 programme for the 
B-52 in the US. Total OE revenues grew by 8% in the year to £1.8bn and 
services revenues grew by 14% to £2.3bn. 

Operating profit was £562m (13.8% margin) versus £432m (11.8% margin) 
in the prior year, reflecting commercial optimisation, cost efficiencies, 
and growth in submarines. A lower R&D charge reflected increased 
customer funding and our strategic focus on the most attractive future 
programmes� 

Trading cash flow of £511m improved versus £426m last year, driven by 
higher underlying operating profit and our working capital initiatives 
which resulted in inventory reductions, and increased customer  
deposits. 

Operational and strategic progress
One outcome of the Group strategic review in 2023 is to concentrate 
on areas where we leverage our differentiation. In Defence, we are 
focusing on growing sectors where we are strategically advantaged. 
These are combat, transport and submarines. There are opportunities 
to  improve  our  position  in  the  defence  market  through  strong  
performance management, commercial optimisation and efficiency 
savings.

26

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

OUR DIVISIONS

Financial overview

£ million

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit/(loss)
Gross margin %
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit
Underlying operating margin %

Trading cash flow 

2023 
4,077
1,766
2,311
804
19.7%
(173)
(72)
3
562
13.8%

2023
511

Organic 
change 1
428
136
292
78

2
49
1
130

2022
426

FX
(11)
(4)
(7)
–

(1)
1
–
–

Change
85

2022
3,660
1,634
2,026
726
19.8%
(174)
(122)
2
432
11.8%

Change
417
132
285
78
(0.1)pt
1
50
1
130
+2�0pt

Organic 
change 1
12%
8%
14%
11%
(0.1)pt
(1)%
(40)%
50%
30%
+1�9pt

1  Organic change is the measure of change at constant translational currency applying full year 2022 average rates to 2023. All underlying income statement commentary is provided on an 

organic basis unless otherwise stated

We have been designing and producing combat jet engines for 80 
years and we currently support customers in 22 countries. In 2023, we 
produced 39 new engines, up from 20 to 30 per year in the 2018 to 
2020 period. This increase was driven by the maturity of the F-35 
programme which has moved to full-rate production. This drove an 
increased demand for our LiftSystem as well as increased demand for 
Typhoon and EJ200 in Germany, Spain and Qatar. 

Under investment priorities, the strategic review enabled us to take a 
more focused view on where and how to invest. We remain aligned with 
the Group investment priorities framework which will result in capital 
being allocated to the best projects. Our major customers strongly 
support our core differentiated strengths in transport, combat and 
submarines and, as a result, our customer-funded R&D is due to increase 
by 150% over the medium term.

Our financial results demonstrate that we are making progress on cost 
management as we embrace the Group-wide transformation activities 
and strive for a sustainably reduced cost base in the medium term and 
beyond.

We are committed to becoming a net zero company by 2050 and we 
support our customers to do the same. The best solution for the defence 
markets which we operate in to decarbonise is via synthetic fuels, which 
can deliver a reduction in lifecycle carbon emissions compared to  
fossil fuels. Our micro-reactors can also play a big part in helping energy 
security and resilience as part of the energy transition. 

Outlook
As we outlined at our CMD, we expect the defence market to grow. We 
expect our margins to improve to between 14%-16% in the mid-term, 
which we define as 2027, as long-term contracts underpin security for 
our Defence business for decades to come. 

Current geopolitical uncertainties do not immediately benefit our 
financial performance, however, they provide the backdrop which will 
support growth in defence budgets in the years to come.

In 2021, we secured the contract to re-engine the B-52 for the US Air 
Force. With the ramp-up of B-52, we expect to increase production of 
our combat portfolio to 100 engines per year before the end of the 
decade and peak at over 130 engines per year by the early 2030s. In 
2023, we completed the initial F130 engine testing for the B-52 aircraft. 
Continued  testing  at  NASA  Stennis  Space  Center  in  Mississippi  
accomplished our testing goals and allowed for the gathering of large 
amounts of data early in the programme. This will de-risk the integration 
of the F130 engine onto the B-52.

Rolls-Royce powered submarines have played a critical role in the UK’s 
naval defence for over 60 years. This is a growing market with a recent 
increase in demand from the UK Ministry of Defence which includes 
providing all of the new reactor plants for the UK and Australia as part 
of the AUKUS trilateral agreement. This will ensure we are supporting 
naval propulsion with our nuclear expertise for another 60 years and 
beyond. To meet the enhanced demands from both the UK Royal Navy 
and AUKUS we are already on the journey to double the size of our site 
at Raynesway in the UK, developing cutting-edge manufacturing  
facilities and inspiring the nuclear experts of tomorrow to maintain our 
talent pool. AUKUS has given us enhanced surety of work that will take 
us well into the second half of this century.

At our CMD, we demonstrated how we are capturing performance 
improvement opportunities to grow our business. We outlined the  
key drivers for operating profit improvement as volume and mix,  
commercial  optimisation,  investment  prioritisation  and  cost  
management�

Under  volume  and  mix,  the  overall  transport  fleet  is  growing,  
generating higher flying hours and more shop visits. In combat, changes 
to the product mix yield higher profits due to the scale of newer  
programmes with similar themes in submarines which will see an increase 
in volume, funded development and infrastructure.

Under commercial optimisation, in the mid-term, all our major contracts 
will be renewed, providing us the opportunity to work with our  
customers to find win-win solutions that capture the fair value of our 
products and services.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

27

STRATEGIC REPORTOUR DIVISIONS

POWER SYSTEMS

Power Systems, with its product and solutions brand mtu, is a world-leading provider of integrated 
solutions for onsite power and propulsion, developing sustainable solutions to meet the needs of  
its customers� 

Underlying revenue mix

Underlying revenue mix by sector *

  OE – 67%
  Services – 33%

  Power generation – 39%
  Governmental – 25%
  Marine – 12%
  Industrial – 24%

*  In 2023, the naval business of Power 
Systems was moved from marine to 
governmental to better reflect the 
products and customer mix of this 
business

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING OPERATING PROFIT

UNDERLYING OPERATING MARGIN

ORDER BACKLOG

£3,968m

2022: £3,347m

£413m

2022: £281m

10.4%

2022: 8.4%

£4.1bn

2022: £4.0bn

Market overview
Our Power Systems business serves four distinct end markets where 
we are a leading player with double-digit market shares. The outlook 
for our markets is positive with annual growth rates often greater than 
GDP growth. Our broad positioning in different industries further makes 
us resilient to market volatility in individual sectors. Based on this,  
we have created a highly resilient business model which will drive  
profitable growth.

In power generation, we have a market share of 15%-20% and our key 
markets are data centres, industrial manufacturing and utilities. We 
offer dependable diesel and gas power solutions as well as battery 
energy storage systems for mission-critical to everyday backup and 
continuous power needs.

Financial performance
Underlying revenue was £4.0bn, an increase of 16% year on year with 
34% growth in the power generation end market driven by data centre 
growth, where we have a leading position. Underlying OE revenues 
grew by 19% to £2.7bn. Underlying Services revenues grew by 10% to 
£1.3bn.

Operating profit was £413m, a 44% year on year increase. This was 
driven by commercial optimisation and cost efficiencies. In power 
generation, profitability tripled in 2023 as we took steps to ensure we 
are appropriately remunerated for our products and services through 
value-based pricing. The year on year improvement in operating  
margin to 10.4% in 2023 versus 8.4% in 2022 was achieved despite a 
slight product mix headwind in the year. 

In governmental, we have a market share of greater than 30% and our 
two  key  markets  are  land  defence  and  naval.  We  provide  
peak-performance  diesel  engines  and  propulsion  systems  with  
outstanding power density and power-to-weight ratios.

In marine, we have a market share of 15%-20% and our two key markets 
are commercial marine and yacht. We deliver integrated diesel, gas 
and hybrid propulsion systems, including automation and control 
systems, which are renowned for reliability and performance.

In industrial, we have a market share of 10%-15% and our key markets 
are rail, construction, agriculture and mining. We offer a broad range 
of highly reliable industrial diesel and hybrid solutions for a diverse 
range of requirements.

The short cycle nature of these markets and global supply chain  
disruptions over the last three years led to increased industry-wide 
inventory build. The supply chain stabilised in 2023 and as a result we 
were able to unwind some of the inventory build we were holding.

Trading cash flow was £461m with a conversion ratio of 112% versus 
£158m and 56% last year. The increase in trading cash flow was due to 
increased operating profit and working capital initiatives including a 
benefit from increased customer advance payments and reduced 
inventories in the year.

Operational and strategic progress
Based on the findings of our recent strategic review, which we presented 
at our CMD, we are confident that we will deliver strong profitable 
growth through focusing on the power generation, including battery 
energy storage systems, governmental and marine markets. In all these 
markets we are targeting to strengthen the highly attractive service 
business through additional offerings such as upgrade and retrofit kits 
or digital services. We are also developing the first new mtu Series 
4000 engine for many years, an investment that will pay off beyond 
the mid-term. In addition, we will drive efficiency and simplification 
measures across the business, including streamlining our organisation 
and creating additional synergies across the Group. 

28

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

OUR DIVISIONS

Financial overview

£ million

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit
Gross margin %
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit
Underlying operating margin %

Trading cash flow 

2023 
3,968
2,661
1,307
1,050
26.5%
(456)
(187)
6
413
10.4%

2023
461

Organic 
change 1
539
419
120
111

(7)
21
(2)
123

FX
82
55
27
21

(8)
(4)
–
9

2022
3,347
2,187
1,160
918
27.4%
(441)
(204)
8
281
8.4%

Change
621
474
147
132
(0.9)pt
(15)
17
(2)
132
+2�0pt

Organic 
change 1
16%
19%
10%
12%
(0.9)pt
2%
(10)%
(25)%
44%
+2�0pt

2022
158

Change
303

1  Organic change is the measure of change at constant translational currency applying full year 2022 average rates to 2023. All underlying income statement commentary is provided on an 

organic basis unless otherwise stated

In all the above-mentioned markets, we have already made significant 
progress towards offering lower carbon solutions. However, the speed 
of transition and customer demand strongly varies between our market 
segments. Combustion engines will remain highly relevant for many 
years, increasingly powered by sustainable fuels. The use of sustainable 
diesel substitute hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) can reduce full  
lifecycle emissions by up to 90%. Nearly all our major engine platforms 
are already able to run on HVO and some of our customers are using 
this fuel to cut their emissions.

In marine, we are developing methanol-based solutions and for power 
generation we see hydrogen-based engines as a future solution. These 
developments are based on existing engines and given the progress 
already made we are well-positioned to deliver this transition. In  
addition, we are investing into electrification by offering hybrid  
solutions, for example, for the yacht or rail market and transitioning 
our power generation business gradually to complement battery-based 
solutions. By taking these steps we are participating in the energy 
transition and support our customers in various industries to achieve 
their growth and sustainability goals at the same time.

Outlook
We have a resilient business model with strong market positions and 
opportunities in growing markets to unlock the full potential of our 
business. Based on a clear focus on profitable growth markets as well 
as efficiency and simplification measures, we target to achieve an 
operating margin of 12%-14% in the mid-term.

In power generation, we are focusing on optimising our cost structure 
and further scaling the business. We are targeting a benefit from our 
strong position in mission-critical applications such as data centres and 
capturing significant growth as the market is growing rapidly, driven 
by global trends for data processing and AI. Battery energy storage 
systems (BESS) are a logical complement to our power generation 
business and expand our markets towards new applications such as 
utility-scale storage. Here we can leverage existing system capabilities 
and  market  access  to  create  a  profitable  BESS  business  in  the  
medium term. 

In governmental, we have a leading position today and are well positioned 
to capture the strong market growth and even outgrow the market as 
our propulsion systems are well placed for the current investment cycle 
into military vehicles and naval vessels. Furthermore, we will drive  
additional growth by expanding our offering towards more integrated 
solutions such as ship automation products. Through disciplined  
investments in technologies, we are also strengthening our longer-term 
opportunities and underpinning our leading market position.

In marine, we have a market leading position in the highly profitable 
yacht market and a strong position in commercial marine. Our target 
is to strengthen our leading position in yachts and further improve our 
position in commercial marine through various strategic measures. Part 
of this is our bridge-to-propeller strategy which creates profitable 
upsell potential and differentiation by providing our customers with 
fully integrated solutions from bridge automation to the propulsion 
system. Furthermore, we are securing our leading portfolio position 
by offering alternative-fuel ready engines to support our customers’ 
transition towards sustainability. 

As  a  result  of  our  strategy  to  focus  on  power  generation,  
governmental  and  marine  end-markets  and  a  detailed  product  
portfolio analysis, we will be concentrating largely on higher-powered 
systems in the off-highway engines sector primarily from our in-house 
production. We have therefore decided to transfer our successful 
lower-power-range engines business, using Daimler technology and 
focused on the industrial construction and agriculture markets, to a 
partner. We have reached an agreement-in-principle with an industrial 
buyer to take over the lower-power-range engines business. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

29

STRATEGIC REPORTOUR DIVISIONS

NEW MARKETS

New Markets are early-stage businesses. They leverage our existing, in-depth engineering expertise and 
capabilities to develop sustainable products for new markets, focused on the transition to net zero.

Value R&D spend £(137)m

UNDERLYING RE VENUE

UNDERLYING OPERATING LOSS

  Rolls-Royce SMR – 46%
   Rolls-Royce Electrical – 54%

£4m

2022: £3m

£(160)m

2022: £(132)m

Market overview
The market for small modular reactors (SMRs) is very attractive with 
real momentum behind the nuclear power ambitions in many countries, 
driven by energy security and decarbonisation targets. The role of 
SMRs  is  of  particularly  high  interest  and  we  see  a  large  export  
opportunity in addition to the UK fleet potential. 

We took the decision in 2023 to exit our Rolls-Royce Electrical business. 
We are looking at options to exit our advanced air mobility activities 
in the short term or reduce our position to a minority share with the 
intention to exit fully in the mid-term.

Financial performance
Planned cost increases in both Electrical and SMR to meet development 
milestones resulted in an increased operating loss of £(160)m a 20% 
increase from £(132)m in the prior year. 

Trading cash flow was an outflow of £(63)m compared to £(57)m in the 
prior year, with SMR costs covered by third party funding. 

Rolls-Royce SMR is backed by world-class investors, including an  
international nuclear operator, and has received grants from the UK 
Government. Our current shareholding in the SMR business is more 
than 70% and in 2024 we will continue to explore partnerships that will 
strengthen  our  position  to  deliver  the  overall  solution.  Where  
agreements are reached, equity from these partnerships will likely be 
received in late 2024 or early 2025. Rolls-Royce has contributed 
approximately 10% of the total cash costs.

UNDERLYING OPERATING MARGIN

n/a

2022: n/a

Operational and strategic progress
Rolls-Royce SMR is the UK’s first domestic nuclear offering in more 
than 20 years. Our SMRs are designed to produce stable, affordable 
and emission-free electricity to power a million homes for at least 
60 years. 

The modular build approach is the fastest and cheapest way to get 
nuclear on-grid solutions to help meet global net zero ambitions. We 
are controlling the integrated design of the powerplant and enabling 
a very high level of modularisation. This moves work from onsite  
construction into a standardised, controlled, factory build with modules 
then assembled on site. This reduces cost, risk and time to construct 
and results in a highly competitive cost of electricity. 

Rolls-Royce SMR has been successfully shortlisted in the first stage of 
the Great British nuclear SMR technology selection process, marking 
a significant step towards the first plants being built in the UK. We 
welcome our shortlisting and are eager to build on this progress as we 
move quickly towards the next stage where we can work to agree a 
contract for fleet deployment. This should be as soon as possible, as 
the earlier this is achieved the more likely it is that our SMR fleet will 
be able to help the UK Government reach its ambition to deliver up to 
24GW of nuclear power by 2050. 

Rolls-Royce SMR is making very good progress through the generic 
design assessment (GDA) by the UK nuclear industry’s independent 
regulators. We entered the UK regulatory process in April 2022 and 
continue to successfully move through the steps to secure design 
certification, putting us around two years ahead of rival technologies 
in Europe.

In  Rolls-Royce  Electrical  we  have  made  significant  strides  in  
developing  electric  and  hybrid-electric  power  and  propulsion  
technology. In 2023, we continued to further develop and test the 
products and power generation solutions we have been working on. 
Our electrical capabilities continued to provide electrical solutions to 
our core businesses and this includes leading on the EU-funded HE-ART 
programme that is focusing on demonstrating enabling technologies 
for regional aircraft hybridisation. Our engineers are also developing 
the  embedded  electrical  technology  for  the  global  combat  
air programme�

30

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

OUR DIVISIONS

Financial overview

£ million

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit/(loss)
Gross margin %
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating loss

Trading cash flow 

2023 
4
2
2
1
25.0%
(24)
(137)
–
(160)

2023
(63)

Organic 
change 1
1
1
–
2

(1)
(27)
–
(26)

2022
(57)

FX
–
–
–
–

–
(2)
–
(2)

Change
(6)

2022
3
1
2
(1)
(33.3)%
(23)
(108)
–
(132)

Change
1
1
–
2
+58�3pt
(1)
(29)
–
(28)

Organic 
change 1
33%
100%
–
nm
+58�3pt
4%
25%
–
20%

1  Organic change is the measure of change at constant translational currency applying full year 2022 average rates to 2023. All underlying income statement commentary is provided on an 

organic basis unless otherwise stated

Outlook
In Rolls-Royce SMR regulatory activities such as the GDA, factory 
development and siting plans will continue simultaneously as the work 
to secure firm domestic and export commitments continues. 

In addition to the UK, we are deeply engaged with governments,  
developers and potential industrial customers in the Czech Republic, 
Finland, Sweden, USA, Poland, the Netherlands and more. Selection 
processes in several countries are in progress. 

We will need a broad set of partners to deliver our overall solution. Our 
partnership approach de-risks our profitable growth and reduces the 
future capital call on Rolls-Royce. It also brings additional expertise to 
help reduce delivery risk. Risk will also be mitigated by our commercial 
constructs, for example funding mechanisms such as the regulated 
asset base model in the UK. There is a credible path to be under contract 
for  multiple  units  domestically  and  overseas  by  2030,  creating  
significant value.

In Rolls-Royce Electrical we will exit the advanced air mobility part of 
the business while retaining key electrical capabilities in the Group to 
support activities in Civil Aerospace, Defence and Power Systems.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

31

STRATEGIC REPORTSustainability

Our sustainability approach aims to ensure we are a responsible and resilient business 
through identifying, assessing and managing our environmental and social impacts. 

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Achieved our 2023 target to test all in-production and 
in-development  Civil  Aerospace  engines  on  100% 
unblended SAF

Retained our second place position in the Dow Jones 
Sustainability Index for the Aerospace & Defence industry

Enhanced and updated governance of sustainability at 
Board and Executive-level committees

We seek to operate and act in an ethically, environmentally and socially 
responsible manner that creates shared value for us and our key  
stakeholders on a long-term basis. We are a technology company that 
operates in markets that face great technical challenges to abate  
carbon emissions. We know that the biggest contribution we can make 
to a sustainable future for the climate is by actively collaborating with 
partners, customers and suppliers to help enable the energy transition. 
We firmly believe in the role of technology in helping to meet global 
energy demands whilst mitigating the impacts of climate change. Our 
products and services will have a critical role to play in enabling the 
global energy transition to a low carbon economy through the provision 
of power, transport and energy that can be compatible with net zero 
carbon emissions. 

To be successful it is critical that we appropriately understand and 
manage our impact on society and the environment and that we continue 
to maintain the highest standards of ethics and compliance. We use 
the UN Sustainable Development Goals to refine our areas of focus on 
Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Decent 
Work and Economic Growth and Peace Justice and Strong Institutions. 
We routinely benchmark our performance in ESG assessments such as 
the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the CDP.

Our sustainability approach
We look to operate and act in an ethically, environmentally 
and socially responsible manner by:

Managing and 
minimising 
environmental 
impacts across our 
value chain

Creating a positive 
social impact for 
our people, our 
partners and 
communities 

Maintaining the 
highest standards 
of ethics and 
compliance

See pages 33 to 43

See pages 44 to 48

See page 49

Underpinned by our values and behaviours

Our sustainability and ESG strategy is embedded within our global 
governance framework, enterprise risk management approach and 
operating model. We deploy our approach through our global policies, 
including Our Code and related policies, such as our health and safety, 
anti-bribery and corruption and human rights policies. 

During 2023, we continued to focus on two primary areas of our  
sustainability approach, in particular by strengthening our strategic 
resilience to climate change and the energy transition (see pages 33 to 
43) and continuing to embed our Group-wide human rights programme 
(see page 49). In 2023, we completed a granular strategic review of the 
business resulting in us setting our strategic framework for the future. 
In 2024, using this framework we will be reviewing and refreshing our 
sustainability  and  ESG  objectives  including  updating  our  Group  
climate-related targets. This work will enable us to further progress and 
create a more granular transition plan to support the energy transition.

NON-FINANCIAL AND SUSTAINABILITY INFORMATION STATEMENT

The following summarises where you can find further information on each of the key areas of disclosure required by sections 414CA and 414CB of the 
Companies Act. The Companies (Strategic Report) (Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Regulations 2022 amend these sections of the Companies Act 
2006, placing requirements on the Group to incorporate climate disclosures in the annual report. We believe these have been addressed within this year’s 
climate-related disclosures on page 41 and as such we have referenced the location of these within our statement on TCFD on page 35.

REL ATED GROUP POLICIES & GUIDANCE

RELE VANT PRINCIPAL RISKS

PAGE

Environmental matters

 — Health, safety & environment

 — Safety
 — Climate change

Employees

Social matters

Human rights

Anti-bribery and 
corruption

 — Our Code
 — Security
 — People

 — Speak up 
 — Our life-saving rules

 — Safety
 — Talent & capability

 — Charitable contributions and social sponsorships

 — Political

 — People
 — Diversity & inclusion
 — Human rights

 — Data privacy
 — Modern slavery statement

 — Compliance

 — Anti-bribery and corruption

 — Compliance

52 and 55

52 and 57

56

53

53

For a description of our business model, see pages 14 and 15; Non-financial key performance indicators, see page 18; Full details of the Group’s principal risks, see 
pages 50 to 57; Further information on Group policies can be found on www.rolls-royce.com

32

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

SUSTAINABILITY

CLIMATE AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION

OUR PROGRESS IN 2023

UltraFan technology demonstrator engine ran for the first 
time  using  100%  SAF  and  world’s  first  commercial  
transatlantic 100% SAF flight

Released 80% of our Power Systems portfolio for use on 
sustainable fuels

Rolls-Royce SMR design shortlisted within the Great  
British Nuclear selection process by UK Government

The following pages outline the progress we have made in advancing 
our climate strategy and progress against our short-term targets in 
2023. It also outlines our approach to assessing strategic resilience in 
the face of climate change through alignment with our Task Force on 
Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) reporting. See page 35 
for our explanation.

Our role in the energy transition
We have an important role to play in the global energy transition. We 
firmly believe in the role of technology in helping to meet increasing 
global energy demands whilst mitigating the impacts of climate change. 
Our products and services will have a critical role to play in supporting 
the global energy transition to a low carbon economy through the 
provision of power, transport and energy that can be compatible with 
net zero carbon emissions. 

We are committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions from our 
operations and facilities and that our products are compatible with net 
zero operations by 2050, in line with the consensus of the global  
scientific community. Our climate strategy is designed to ensure that 
we  play  an  active  role  in  the  energy  transition  and  that  we  are  
strategically resilient in the face of climate change. In line with our 
strategic review we are still committed to short and medium-term 
targets. The specifics of these are to be confirmed as part of our 2024 
strategic review of sustainability.

Our  climate  strategy  has  four  key  pillars  starting  with  our  own  
operations, extending to the support we can provide our customers 
and ultimately focusing on the contribution we can make to the global 
energy transition, whilst recognising the enabling landscape that must 
be in place for this to be realised: 

 — decarbonising our operations, facilities and business activities;

 — enabling our customers to operate their products in a way that is 

compatible with low or net zero carbon emissions;

 — delivering new products and solutions that can accelerate the global 

energy transition; and

 — creating the necessary enabling environment, with public and 

policy support, to achieve our collective climate goals.

The majority of our impact occurs in the use phase of our product 
lifecycle (Scope 3, category 11, use of sold products emissions).

Decarbonising our operations
Our total annual Scope 1 + 2 emissions, those associated with our  
operations, facilities, business activities (excluding product testing 
activities), comprised 148 ktCO2e in 2023, a 18% decrease compared 
to 2022 (see page 41 for further detail).

We have continued to make progress in decarbonising our global 
operations, as well as in reducing our overall energy consumption by 
approximately 10% in 2023. Both these activities will help ensure our 
facilities and internal supply chains are more resilient. To continue our 
progress  we  are:  deploying  energy  efficiency  and  low-cost  
electrification; maximising on-site renewable energy generation and 
storage,  utilising  Rolls-Royce  technologies  where  appropriate;  
procuring certified green energy via Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), 
Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA), or Renewable Energy  
Guarantees of Origin (REGO); and procuring high quality removals to 
mitigate residual emissions. 

In 2023, we entered into an agreement to install more than 2,300 solar 
panels on the roofs of our Tukang, Singapore facility, as part of a PPA 
with  a  total  capacity  of  1,425  kWh.  Once  fully  operational,  the  
installation will meet approximately a third of the site’s total energy 
needs. This project builds upon our experience of existing solar  
facilities  at  our  manufacturing  sites  in  Germany,  UK,  US  and  
elsewhere in Singapore. 

We also opened our new mtu Series 2000 engine production building 
in Kluftern near Friedrichshafen, Germany which has been equipped 
with  a  1.2  MW-peak  photovoltaic  system  which  provides  green  
electricity to power the site, e-charging columns and an intelligent 
building control system to enable energy-efficient operation. 

Emissions from product testing activities, a critical part of our product 
safety assurance and engine certification programmes, contributed 
42% of our Scope 1 + 2 emissions during the year. We use a blend of 
10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) across our Civil Aerospace and 
Defence UK testing activities to help mitigate some of these emissions.

Operations and facility emissions (excluding product 
testing activities) (ktCO2e) 1,2

247

199

180

180

148

19

20

21

22

23

1  External assurance over Scope 1 + 2 GHG data is provided by Bureau Veritas. See page 209 

for their sustainability assurance statement

2  Data  has  been  reported  in  accordance  with  our  basis  of  reporting,  available  at  

www.rolls-royce.com/sustainability

Enabling our customers 
The biggest contribution that we can make to global energy transition 
is to ensure the sectors we operate in, transport, energy and power 
generation, are compatible with net zero carbon emissions. Scope 3, 
category 11 emissions, those associated with the use of our sold  
products by our customers, dominate our emissions footprint. We will 
further advance the efficiency and environmental performance of our 
engine and technology portfolio and ensuring compatibility with  
sustainable fuels. 

During 2023, we completed the build stage of our UltraFan technology 
demonstrator programme, a large Civil Aerospace engine programme 
that brings together a suite of new technologies, such as a powered 
gearbox and lean burn combustion system, to deliver an anticipated 
10% efficiency improvement over the Trent XWB, which is already the 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

33

STRATEGIC REPORTSUSTAINABILITY

world’s most efficient large aero engine in service. The first run of the 
UltraFan demonstrator was completed on our test beds in Derby, UK 
on 100% SAF. 

Sustainable fuels, such as SAF in aviation, will play a critical role in 
energy transition. To accelerate their scale up we have been carrying 
out a series of ground and in-flight tests to demonstrate there is no 
technology barrier to their increased usage. In November 2023, we 
announced  the  successful  achievement  of  our  target  to  test  all  
in-production Civil Aerospace engines on 100% unblended SAF. 

Our  Trent  1000  engines  powered  the  world’s  first  commercial  
transatlantic flight carried out on 100% SAF aircraft in November 2023, 
a UK Government funded project in partnership with our customer 
Virgin Atlantic. This builds on our experience working with the UK Royal 
Air Force (RAF) to power the Voyager aircraft on 100% SAF in 2022 
and successful in-flight refuelling SAF test carried out with the Voyager 
and Typhoon and Hercules aircraft in April 2023.

In Power Systems, we have continued to release our engine portfolio 
for use on sustainable fuels. In September 2023, we announced the 
release of the mtu series 2000 and 4000 engines for use with bio and 
synthetic based diesel fuels and have completed the successful  
testing of an mtu 4000 gas engine for power generation on 100%  
hydrogen fuel.

At the end of 2023, 80% of our portfolio in Power Systems had been 
released for use on sustainable fuels. This enables our customers to 
utilise synthetic diesel type fuels; these are e-fuels that are created 
from captured CO₂ using renewable or zero carbon electricity. 

Delivering new products and solutions 
Beyond mitigating emissions associated with our existing products and 
the markets we serve, our technologies can play a role in accelerating 
the energy transition in new markets and sectors for Rolls-Royce. 
Through the provision of low carbon and net zero technologies, we 
can abate emissions outside of our current emissions footprint in  
support of national and international climate policy goals.

A key part of our strategy is the development and deployment of SMRs, 
that can play a vital role in decarbonising the global energy mix and in 
meeting increasing demand for clean electricity. During 2023, the 
Rolls-Royce SMR design was shortlisted in the first stage of the Great 
British Nuclear SMR technology selection process and we successfully 

progressed to the second stage of the design assessment process. 
SMRs also have a potential role to play in the production of sustainable 
fuels as a clean power source. During 2023, we entered research  
agreements on the use of Rolls-Royce SMR to support production of 
low-carbon hydrogen. 

In Power Systems, we see battery energy storage solutions as a  
potential growth area which complements our existing expertise in 
stationary power generation. Energy storage will play a critical role in 
stabilising  intermittent  renewables  as  part  of  the  global  energy  
transition. 

At the end of 2023, we successfully installed our mtu EnergyPack QG 
battery systems for SemperPower in the Netherlands. With a power 
rating of 30.7 MW and a 62.6 MWh of energy storage capacity, this 
project is one of the largest battery projects in the EU. 

Creating the necessary enabling environment
Our ability to deliver our decarbonisation approach, in addition to 
supporting our customers and government partners to meet their own 
climate  goals,  is  highly  dependent  upon  a  supportive  external  
environment. We continue to actively engage policy makers, regulators 
and others to advocate for the necessary policy and economic support 
we have identified. 

During 2023, this included: 

 — active participation at COP28 in Dubai, UAE; 

 — founding signatory of the Defence Aviation Net Zero Charter with 

the UK RAF; 

 — engagement at the UN ICAO CAAF/3 meeting on creating a global 

framework for sustainable aviation fuels; 

 — senior representation on the UK’s Jet Zero Council; 

 — taking  over  the  VP  role  of  decarbonisation  on  the  CIMAC  

(International Council on Combustion Engines) board; and

 — active participation on the BDI Climate & Energy Policy board.

34

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

SUSTAINABILITY

STATEMENT ON TCFD

We continue to progress in building our understanding of climate-
related risks and opportunities to ensure we are strategically prepared 
for  a  climate-impacted  future  and  able  to  seize  commercial  
opportunities that arise from the energy transition. These activities in 
turn help to support our TCFD reporting. 

In our 2022 Annual Report, we confirmed a position of consistency with 
nine of the 11 recommendations under the TCFD framework. The areas 
of non-consistency, against Strategy B and C requirements, were in 
recognition of the announcement of the strategic review of our business 
model, strategy and financial plans.

The strategic review was undertaken and completed in 2023. We can 
therefore confirm our consistency with Strategy B requirements. To 
achieve this, we have considered a number a climate-related scenarios 
and the potential impacts against on our operating profit (see climate 
risk summary on page 40).

As the strategic review concluded in 2023, we will need to further assess 
the  impact  of  the  review  conclusions  against  our  longer-term  
sustainability and climate strategy and update our associated targets 
during 2024. This review will also consider the Group’s target for net 
zero for Scope 1 + 2 excluding product testing by 2030.

As  a  result,  we  can  confirm  full  consistency  to  nine  of  the  11  
recommendations of the TCFD framework. We can confirm we are only 
partially  consistent  with  Strategy  C  and  Metrics  &  Targets  C  
requirements. Our partial consistency results from us having not fully 
reviewed and confirmed our medium-term decarbonisation targets to 
align with the 2023 strategic review, and further work is required to 
confirm  our  resilience  on  our  long-term  financial  planning.  
A comprehensive review of our sustainability and climate-related  
strategy and targets will be completed in 2024.

TCFD recommendations

Through our climate programme we have made considerable progress 
across the spectrum of TCFD recommendations this year. This progress 
includes  strengthening  Board  and  executive-level  governance;  
reviewing and refining our climate scenarios; and assessing the impact 
of changes in our strategy and portfolio on climate-related targets. We 
have concentrated on ensuring we have robust foundations in place, 
such as the further integration of climate considerations into existing 
strategy and financial planning processes, to ensure this is a routine 
factor in our business planning activities. 

Strategy C – resilience of the organisation’s strategy
As we carried out our strategic review, our business planning processes 
have necessarily focused on the short and medium term. Our financial 
planning has looked out five years to 2028 and our strategic planning 
ten years to 2033. Our assessment of climate risks and opportunities 
and the exploration of the potential impacts of climate scenarios has 
been completed on the same timescales. Whilst there has been some 
consideration of longer-term impacts carried out within the divisions 
this has not yet been robustly tested and reviewed at Group level.

We know from previous assessments that the majority of our identified 
climate-related risks and opportunities manifest themselves over the 
medium to longer term, largely beyond 2035. For that reason we have 
previously completed our impact assessments on timescales out as far 
as 2050. Based on previous analysis, we do not believe that any of the 
changes resulting from the strategy review will have a negative impact 
on our long-term financial resilience. However, until we complete our 
testing, as part of our comprehensive review of our sustainability and 
climate-related strategy, we have considered that our approach is not 
yet fully consistent with the expectations of Strategy C.

RECOMMENDATION

CONSISTENCY

PAGE

CA 414CB *

Governance

Strategy

Risk  
management

Metrics and 
targets

A

B

A

B

C

A

B

C

A

B

C

Board oversight of climate-related risks and opportunities

Management’s role in assessing and managing climate-related risks  
and opportunities

The organisation’s identification of climate risks and opportunities  
it faces over the short, medium and long term

Consideration of the impact of climate risks and opportunities  
on the organisation’s business, strategy and financial planning

Resilience of the organisation’s strategy, taking into consideration  
different climate-related scenarios

Presence of the organisation’s processes for identifying  
and assessing climate-related risks

Processes for managing climate-related risks including  
prioritisation methods 

Processes for identifying, assessing and managing climate-related  
risks are integrated into overall risk management

Disclosure of metrics used to assess climate risks and opportunities  
in line with strategy and risk management processes

Disclosure of material greenhouse gas emissions and the  
associated risks

Presence of targets used to manage climate-related risks  
and opportunities and performance against such targets

Key: 

  ✖ Not consistent 

 Partially consistent 

 Consistent 

*  Companies Act 2006, s414CB(2a)-(2h)

36

CA s414CB(a)

36

CA s414CB(a)

37

CA s414CB(d)

38

CA s414CB(e)

40

CA s414CB(f)

37

CA s414CB(b)

37

CA s414CB(b)

37

CA s414CB(c)

41

41

41

CA s414CB(h)

–

CA s414CB(g)

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

35

STRATEGIC REPORT 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SUSTAINABILITY

Metrics & Targets C – presence of targets used to manage 
climate-related risks 
We concluded our strategic review in November 2023, announcing 
changes to our business strategy, technology portfolio and financial 
targets that have an impact on our previously stated decarbonisation 
strategy and related targets. We had previously disclosed proposed 
Group-level targets for Scope 1 + 2 and Scope 3, category 11 emissions 
that had been submitted to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) 
for validation; we paused this validation process in April 2023 whilst we 
completed the strategic review and have since withdrawn those  
proposed targets in line with the SBTi policy on validation completion 
timescales. As a result, we do not currently have Group-level targets 
in place for our material emissions sources, namely Scope 3, category 
11, and therefore recognise that we are only partially consistent with 
Metrics & Targets C, presence of climate related targets.

Governance
Sustainability and climate are embedded within our Group governance 
framework, risk management system and operating model. The Board 
has oversight of climate-related risks and opportunities impacting the 
Group and all Board Committees have an aspect of climate within their 
remit. The Executive Team is responsible for the delivery of our climate 
strategy, including associated targets and transition plan and for  
ensuring the assessment and appropriate response to climate-related 
risks and opportunities throughout our business model and activities. 

In 2023, we revised our governance structure at both Board and  
Executive level to reflect the changes in our business model and wider 
strategy (see corporate governance on page 67). These changes have 
strengthened the focus on technologies and solutions that can play an 
active role in the energy transition. 

After each Committee meeting, the chair reports back to the Board 
formally on topics discussed. During 2023, the Board discussed specific 
aspects relating to climate, including the consideration of climate and 
energy transition within our strategic review and the impact upon our 
climate-related disclosures. The strategic review and later consideration 
of the annual and five-year plan included consideration of climate issues 
in relation to capital expenditure and potential strategic partnerships 

and disposals. Climate is also embedded in the approach to risk  
management�

The Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee oversees the Group’s 
sustainability strategy, priorities and progress and has delegated  
responsibility to review the principal risk relating to climate change.  
It  monitors  our  sustainability  and  climate-related  performance  
and progress against our associated strategy and targets. It receives 
reports from the head of sustainability and the Committee is updated 
on  the  discussions  of  the  Executive-level  energy  transition  &  
technology committee.

The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving the 
content  of  our  TCFD  recommendations  and  noted  progress  as  
preparations were being made for the disclosures in this report.  
The Committee also ensures that, where material, the impact of  
climate change is reflected in the financial statements and disclosed 
appropriately. 

The Remuneration Committee determines our remuneration policy, 
which includes sustainability metrics.

The Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee reviews the Board’s 
skills and oversees membership of each of the Board’s committees and 
terms of reference, ensuring, as part of its overall remit, that the Board’s 
governance  and  oversight  of  ESG  matters,  including  climate,  is  
appropriate.

The Executive Team is responsible for managing climate-related  
risks and opportunities on a day-to-day basis and for delivering the  
programmes  and  plans  to  achieve  our  sustainability  and  
decarbonisation goals.

The energy transition & technology committee, which meets four times 
a year, is a sub-committee of the Executive Team that is responsible for 
formulating and overseeing the Group’s response to climate change 
and the energy transition and its technology portfolio. The committee 
also reviews investment decisions and projects with the value between 
£0.5m and £25m where they relate to the energy transition or have an 

CLIMATE-RELATED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC

Board 
oversight

Executive 
responsibility

Nominations, Culture & 
Governance Committee

Audit Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Safety, Energy Transition 
& Tech Committee

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Energy transition & 
technology committee

Executive audit committee

Investment committee

CLIMATE STEERING COMMITTEE

Climate programme

Independent 
environmental 
advisory 
committee

36

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

SUSTAINABILITY

impact on mitigating Scope 1 + 2 or Scope 3 emissions. The committee 
is chaired by the Chief Executive and all members of the Executive 
Team are invited to participate. The committee receives regular updates 
from our climate steering committee and itself reports regularly to the 
Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee. 

This committee is supported by a climate steering committee to  
specifically oversee progress against our climate programme. It  
comprises core functional and business representatives, including the 
head of strategy, head of sustainability, head of risk and group financial 
controller. The committee meets on a monthly basis. This provides 
regular oversight of progress made against our decarbonisation goals. 

From this primary question, focal questions assessed under each  
scenario include: 

 — how does the scenario impact the life or risk exposure of assets (e.g. 

product competitiveness, facilities)?

 — how does the scenario impact future revenue projections (e.g. demand 

for products and services)?

 — how does the scenario impact future profitability projections (e.g. 

operational disruption, supply chain)?

 — what  additional  costs  may  occur  under  each  scenario  (R&D,  

commodity pricing, cost of capital)?

Internal expertise is complemented by an independent environmental 
advisory committee which comprises external experts and academics 
who are leaders in relevant fields, including climate science, materials 
science and environmental policy. One member is a lead author of the 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The committee 
provides input and independent challenge of our sustainability and 
environment policy and strategy and is commissioned to undertake or 
review scientific research on behalf of the Group. During 2023, the 
committee oversaw research into the non-CO2 impacts of aviation. 

Assessing strategic resilience
We seek to assess our resilience over three time horizons: short  
term  (less  than  five  years),  medium  term  (five  to  ten  years)  and  
longer term (ten years plus). This year we have focused on short and  
medium-term assessments. 

We use climate scenarios to test our strategic planning. We test against 
our business planning baseline to assess potential risks to our financial 
performance and to identify ways to mitigate our exposure to these 
risks. The outputs of these assessments help inform our wider business 
planning and decision making, including our technology portfolio and 
investment decisions, as well as our related engagement activities.

A baseline and three scenarios have been considered, (see page 39), 
based on independent external climate scenarios that present plausible 
levels of global temperature rise and associated policy responses. These 
scenarios are not predictions or forecasts but future possibilities which 
enable us to explore the physical and transition risks and opportunities 
associated with climate change that may manifest over short, medium 
and longer-term horizons. 

Our scenarios analysis asks to what extent do the climate scenarios 
manifest as risks to the Group. This included assessment of potential 
impacts on market dynamics and demand, cost exposure, for instance 
carbon pricing, and physical impact of climate change on operations, 
including site based impacts. 

The  outputs  of  this  exercise  inform  our  climate-related  risk  
management process� 

In 2023, we have followed a three-step process: 

1�  review and confirm key risks and opportunities;

2�  confirm key scenarios and assumptions, including the addition of 
a third scenario based on a delayed disruptive transition; and

3�  model the potential impact of each risk. 

Our analysis, explained below, has not identified any material risks to 
the Group.

Climate-related risks and opportunities 
The identification, assessment and management of climate-related risks 
and  opportunities  is  undertaken  as  part  of  our  enterprise  risk  
management framework, in line with the TCFD Technical Supplement 
(see page 50). The TCFD Technical Supplement helped us understand 
our risk exposure and to consider steps we could take to mitigate it. 
One of the ways climate-related risks and opportunities are identified 
is through the emerging risk process where one of the categories is 
environmental risk (see page 51).

Once a risk is identified, the framework includes a requirement for risk 
owners to decide on and document their response to an identified risk. 
Although there are some examples where the risk can be transferred, 
in most cases risks are accepted and require mitigation, such as  
effective controls and/or a plan of action. These are monitored through 
our risk management effectiveness reviews, as described on page 50, 
with a focus on control effectiveness. The determination of risk  
materiality is based on gross and current (i.e. net) risk assessments, 
using Group-wide scoring criteria for impact and likelihood. These 
criteria are used for divisional and functional key risks as well as  
principal risks, with the expectation that the basis of the estimate is 
clear, consistent and with key assumptions documented. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

37

STRATEGIC REPORTSUSTAINABILITY

Key climate-related risks and opportunities

Transition 
risks and 
opportunities 

Changing customer demand

Changes in costs due to carbon pricing

Financial impact from changes to revenue and/or cost due to 
customers responding to changing market conditions, e.g. customer 
sentiment or cost increases affecting passenger demand in Civil 
Aerospace, opportunity for zero emissions solutions in our Power 
Systems markets, customer priorities in Defence

Changes to our costs due to the assumed application of carbon 
pricing measures on our Scope 1 + 2 activities and the application 
of carbon pricing to the activities of our suppliers that are passed 
through to us in the form of higher part costs

Changes in costs due to commodity  
price changes

Changes to our costs due to variation in market supply and demand 
and/or cost passed through from suppliers

Change in investment requirement

Changes to investment required (R&D, capital expenditure etc.) due 
to a need to respond to changing customer demand

Physical 
risks

Facility disruption  
(acute risk)

Supply chain disruption  
(acute risk)

Financial exposure resulting from a temporary (up to 12 months) 
disruption to a Rolls-Royce facility due to a climate-related event 
(e.g. flood or fire)

Financial exposure resulting from a temporary (up to 12 months) 
disruption to supply chain due to climate-related event  
(e.g. flood or fire)

Impact on product performance 
(chronic risk)

Financial exposure resulting in a deviation in expected product 
performance (e.g. power, efficiency and/or life etc.) due to changes 
in environmental conditions

Aligning with our overarching framework and using common assessment 
criteria for all risk categories ensures that risks can be compared across 
the Group, supporting prioritisation and providing a mechanism for 
monitoring how effectively we are managing these risks.

We have identified seven key climate-related risks and opportunities 
that are relevant to our business. Of these, four are transition risks and 
opportunities resulting from the shift towards a low-carbon future and 
three are physical risks relating to the physical impact of climatic events.

We have a climate change principal risk that specifically refers to the 
potential impacts on future revenues as a result of a potential failure 
to transition to an inherently lower carbon product portfolio. Following 
a  principal  risk  refresh  carried  out  in  2023,  this  risk  has  been  
re-classified as a principal risk driver (see page 51), recognising the fact 
that the consequences of this risk materialising are then causes of other 
principal risks. For example, extreme weather events can disrupt our 
supply chain (resilience to shocks) or carbon taxes could enhance or 
reduce the competitiveness of our products (competitive environment).

There are a number of climate-related opportunities that have been 
explored. These include the demand for high base load, low carbon 
energy sources provided by products like SMR. These also include 
high  demand  for  sustainable  fuel  compatible  products  across  
our sectors to reduce the carbon emissions and potential emission 
penalties.

These key climate-related risks and opportunities have been explored 
in our scenarios assessments. As part of our climate-related risk  
assessment process we consider the potential physical impact of climate 
change on our operating locations. During 2022, we conducted a 
physical risk impact assessment of 50 Rolls-Royce sites and selected 
key suppliers and joint ventures. In 2023, we continued to build on this 
work with further detailed analysis at eight key sites considered most 
at risk. This work quantified the potential impact and likelihood of eight 
key climate perils that may impact each site, including flooding, water 
stress, extreme heat and wildfire, with ongoing analysis of extreme wind

events such as cyclones. The results have fed into our wider climate 
scenarios assessments and are now being communicated to divisions 
and locations, for inclusion in business continuity and property risk 
assessments. These discussions will inform future sustainability strategy 
decisions and decisions on further analysis required in 2024.

Climate scenarios assessment
We use scenario planning to help assess our strategic resilience to 
climate change. These scenarios are intended to act not as predications 
or projections but as explorations of potential plausible futures. In 2021 
and 2022, we used two scenarios that acted as bookends of our assumed 
base case. These scenarios are reviewed annually to ensure they remain 
viable, plausible and appropriately challenging; as part of this review 
we decided to introduce a third scenario for our 2023 assessments. 
This additional scenario explores a delayed and disruptive transition; 
our original scenario scoping activity in 2021 had identified that a 
delayed transition may present additional challenges for aspects of our 
business model, particularly in relation to the long-term nature of 
our business. 

The scenarios we use are based on independent external climate  
scenarios (see page 39) and representative concentration pathways 
(RCPs). We utilise additional supplementary data for third party sources, 
such as carbon pricing and GDP, to support our modelling and financial 
impact assessments�

Modelling the potential impact
Cross-functional teams within each division, including representatives 
from strategy, finance and risk, collectively assess the potential impact 
of each key risk on the business under each of these three scenarios. 
This includes calculating a revenue, cost or profit impact for each 
scenario across the timescales defined. As part of our 2023 activity, we 
have quantified short and medium-term risks, consistent with our wider 
financial  and  strategic  planning.  In  addition,  each  business  has  
considered, but not quantified, the potential implications of each  
scenario on a longer-term outlook to 2050. At this time we have not 
identified any impact on demand, cost or competitive position that we 
would not be able to detect and respond to.

38

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

SUSTAINABILITY

Climate scenarios: summary and key assumptions 

Baseline

Accelerated 
transition 
scenario  
(< 1.5°C  
by 2100)

Accelerated 
physical  
scenario 
(3.5°C  
by 2100)

Delayed 
disruption  
scenario 
(1.7°C  
by 2100)

DESCRIPTION

KE Y DATA POINTS * 2030

KE Y DATA POINTS * 2050

The world follows a path in which social, economic and  
technological trends do not shift markedly from historical 
patterns.  Global  and  national  institutions  work  toward  
achieving  sustainability  goals  but  make  slow  progress.  
Environmental systems experience further degradation, despite 
gradual improvement in energy and resource intensity. Global 
population growth is moderate and levels off in the second 
half of this century. Economic development proceeds unevenly. 
Income  inequality  persists  or  improves  only  slowly  and  
challenges  to  reducing  vulnerability  to  societal  and  
environmental changes remain. 

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

$60/t

$100/t

 — developing economies 

 — developing economies  

$30/t

$30/t

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 2.7%
Global emissions rise  
36Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
1�5°C

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 1.7%
Global emissions rise  
32Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
2�0°C

The world shifts gradually, but pervasively, toward a more 
sustainable path, emphasising more inclusive development 
that respects perceived environmental boundaries. Resulting 
global temperature rise plateaus at 1.5°C. Educational and 
health investments accelerate the demographic transition and 
the emphasis on economic growth shifts toward a broader 
emphasis on human wellbeing. Driven by an increasing  
commitment to achieving development goals, inequality is 
reduced both across and within countries. Consumption is 
oriented towards low material growth and lower resource and 
energy intensity�

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

$140/t

$250/t

 — developing economies 

 — developing economies 

$90/t

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 2.4%
Global emissions rise  
23Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
1�5°C

$200/t

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 1.9%
Global emissions rise  
none
Global temperature rise 
1�5°C

Expanding fossil fuel demand and government failure to meet 
stated commitments leads to higher emissions. The expected 
expansion towards renewables is cut short causing global 
emissions to rise significantly. Global warming rises to 2.1°C 
by 2050, on track to hit 3.5°C of global temperature rise by 
2100. This causes significant physical disruption and damage 
that accelerates as the scenario progresses. Fossil fuel supply 
is slower to adjust than demand as existing resources are 
strained and further exploration is needed. This causes spot 
prices to rise contributing to inflationary pressure in both 
energy and consumer sectors.

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

$24/t

$31/t

 — developing economies 

 — developing economies 

$12/t

$17/t

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 2.6%
Global emissions rise  
46Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
1�5°C

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 1.3%
Global emissions rise  
54Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
2�1°C

Increasing fossil fuel demand and delay of climate policies 
until 2030 leads to higher emissions. Stronger policy actions 
are necessary to compensate for time lost. Global warming 
can be contained to 1.7°C but the sudden shift in the energy 
mix causes more economic and environmental damage than 
in the baseline. Aggressive and uncertain carbon taxation 
policies cause substantial inflationary pressures, stranded 
assets and financial instability. Frictions in the shift towards 
renewables and more limited carbon capture availability than 
in the accelerated transition scenario require vast gains in 
energy efficiency to bring down emissions and therefore 
global warming by 2050.

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

CO2 price ($/tonne)
 — advanced economies  

$24/t

$379/t

 — developing economies 

 — developing economies 

$12/t

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 2.7%
Global emissions rise  
41Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
1�5°C

$209/t

GDP growth rate (global 
five-year average) 1.7%
Global emissions rise  
2Gt CO2
Global temperature rise 
1�7°C

*  Key data points are taken from external sources, including Oxford Economics, Global Climate Service and Databank (data extract May 2023) and the International Energy Agency, Net Zero 
by 2050 – A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, May 2021 and World Energy Outlook 2022, October 2022. These data points are then used to model Group specific assumptions such 
as demand for aviation and maritime transport 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

39

STRATEGIC REPORTSUSTAINABILITY

CLIMATE RISK SUMMARY 

The following table summarises the potential impact assessments post mitigations of each of our identified climate-related risks under the three scenarios 
(see page 39). These are presented as potential ranges that depict an estimated financial impact and timeframe. We have concluded that these risks have 
no  impact  in  2023  and  no  material  financial  impact  in  the  short  term,  as  reflected  in  our  financial  accounting,  see  note  1  of  the  Financial  
Statements on pages 122 to 124�

We do anticipate that the majority of the identified risks will materialise over the medium to longer-term horizon. As described on page 35, our strategic 
and financial planning for 2023 has largely focused on the short to medium term, out to 2033, and we have more work to do to fully reconcile and quantify 
potential financial impacts beyond this time horizon.

0

0

PERCENTAGE IMPACT ON OPER ATING PROFIT BY SCENARIO AF TER MITIGATION (CUMUL ATIVE 2024 TO 2033)

NE T ZERO <1.5°C

HIGH TEMP 3.5°C

DISRUPTIVE 1.7 °C

CA

D

PS

NM

CA

D

PS

NM

CA

D

PS

NM

(1.2)

(0.4)

0.4

4.0

(0.3)

0.9

(0.1)

(0.1)

0

0.4

4.0

(2.7)

0.4 (2.8)

0.9

0

0.1

0

0 (0.3)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(1.4)

(0.3)

(0.3)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

(0.8)

(0.3)

1.2

(0.7)

(0.1)

0.8

(4.8)

0.2

(1.9)

(0.2)

2.0

(0.1)

0.4

0

0

0.3

(0.4)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(1.4)

(0.3)

(0.3)

(0.5)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0 (0.3)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(0.4)

(1.4)

(0.3)

(0.3)

(0.5)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

TIMING OF 
HIGHEST 
E XPOSURE

10yrs+

5-10yrs

5-10yrs

5-10yrs

10yrs+

10yrs+

10yrs+

Changing customer  
demand

Change in costs due  
to carbon pricing

Change in costs due  
to commodity pricing

Changing investment 
requirement

Facility  
disruption

Supply chain  
disruption

Impact on product  
performance

Total

(4.8)

(0.7)

(3.3)

4.0

(8.2)

0.1

(1.2)

(0.2)

(1.1)

(0.9)

0.6

4.0

E XPL ANATION/MITIGATION

Changing customer  
demand

In the markets we serve, overall demand is expected to be robust in each scenario although product mix may change with 
customer requirements, particularly in Power Systems where we would see a stronger market for zero emissions solutions.

We expect demand in Civil Aerospace to be strong, driven by clear demographic trends; enabled by a continued focus 
on efficiency and the introduction of sustainable fuels.

We would expect climate stress to create opportunities in Defence; both in security and humanitarian response.

We see significant opportunity to accelerate the growth of SMR in the medium term in the <1.5°C and 1.7°C cases.

Change in costs due  
to carbon pricing

We are taking steps to reduce our exposure to carbon pricing by decarbonising our own operations and encouraging 
our suppliers to do the same.

Moves to improve energy efficiency and switch to low-carbon sources improve resilience and have short payback times.

Change in costs due  
to commodity pricing

Changing investment 
requirement

Our markets can sustain the commodity price changes assumed in each scenario. 

There is medium-term risk in the 3.5°C scenario in Civil Aerospace and Power Systems where existing contracts may limit 
our ability to pass through higher then expected costs, negatively impacting profits. 

Future contracts with both suppliers and customers need to minimise and mitigate our potential exposure. 

In both Civil and Defence aerospace markets, new products are expected in the mid-2030’s. 

High carbon pricing could increase the level of technology required but would also delay new programme launch,  
allowing resources to be reallocated and presenting an upside opportunity for current products lines. 

In Power Systems the <1.5°C and 1.7°C scenarios would require an acceleration of investment in new technologies.

Facility  
disruption

Quantification of potential impact is based on site assessment work carried out by Marsh Advisory and business  
continuity analysis performed by each division. 

Future site strategy, investment in existing facilities and development of new footprint options, needs to consider  
climate risk.

Supply chain  
disruption

Quantification of potential impact is based on site assessment work carried out by Marsh Advisory and business  
continuity analysis performed by each division. 

Future supply chain decisions, including the potential need for dual sourcing, need to consider climate risk.

Impact on product  
performance

Over the next decade the temperature differences to the baseline in all scenarios are relatively limited. The risk is  
highest in Civil Aerospace where we see a potential modest increase in shop visit frequency and cost in the 3.5°C scenario.

Key: 

 Opportunity 

 Risk 

  CA = Civil Aerospace 

  D = Defence 

  PS = Power Systems 

  NM = New Markets

40

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
SUSTAINABILITY

Metrics and targets 
Emissions are calculated in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard and Corporate Value 
Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol). See our basis of reporting at www.rolls-royce.com for further detail.  
We calculate and disclose our Scope 1 + 2 and our Scope 3, category 11 emissions. 

For further detail on our calculation methodologies, and the assumptions and judgements applied, see our basis of reporting document at  
www.rolls-royce.com

Scope 1 + 2 emissions

EMISSION SOURCE ¹

2020

2021

2022

2023

Scope 1 + 2: emissions from office,  
manufacturing and production facilities 

Scope 1 + 2: emissions from product  
testing activities

Total Scope 1 + 2 emissions

199 ktCO2e

180 ktCO2e

180 ktCO2e

148 ktCO2e

126 ktCO2e

326 ktCO2e

133 ktCO2e

136 ktCO2e

109 ktCO2e

313 ktCO2e

316 ktCO2e

257 ktCO2e

Total Scope 1 + 2 emissions normalised  
by revenue (ktCO2e/£m)

0.0283 ktCO2e/ 
£m revenue

0.0279 ktCO2e/ 
£m revenue

0.0234 ktCO2e/ 
£m revenue

0.0156 ktCO2e/ 
£m revenue

1  Statutory GHG emissions disclosures are detailed in our SECR statement on page 210

SCOPE 3, CATEGORY 11 EMISSIONS

2022 ²

2023

Use of sold products on a fossil fuel based pathway (with weight based adjustment)

85.7 MtCO2e

97.3 MtCO2e

Use of sold products on a fossil fuel based pathway (without weight based adjustment)

247.4 MtCO2e

315.5 MtCO2e

Use of sold products of a sustainable fuel based pathway (with weight based adjustment)

70.0 MtCO2e

77.0 MtCO2e

Use of sold products of a sustainable fuel based pathway (without weight based adjustment)

185.1 MtCO2e

229.1 MtCO2e

2  Defence emission adjustments have been updated for partnerships to align to the approach taken in Civil Aerospace. Historical data has been restated to reflect this

Scope 3, category 11 emissions
Emissions associated with use of sold products by our customers, or 
end-use customers, comprise the majority of our emissions footprint. 
We completed an emissions inventory exercise in 2019 that demonstrated 
these represent >90% of our total footprint and it is on this basis that 
we do not disclose the other 14 categories. We do not anticipate there 
has been any material change in this composition since then.

We calculate emissions associated with the use of sold products in 
accordance with the GHG Protocol. Scope 3, category 11 emissions is 
a complex calculation that requires us to take a forward-looking  
projection of lifetime emissions of products sold within the reporting 
year. This requires us to make a number of assumptions about the 
operation of the product throughout its lifetime, including assumptions 
on hours of operation, anticipated length of service and fuel choice 
which may be up to 30 years plus for some of our portfolio. As a result, 
we have opted to report four emissions metrics representing two  
differing fuels scenarios; one is based on an assumed pathway of 100% 
fossil fuel based operation out to 2050 and the other assumes a 100%  
sustainable fuel uptake by 2050, both with and without a weight-based 
adjustment applied. For further detail on these assumptions, and other 
judgements taken, see our basis of reporting document available at 
www.rolls-royce.com/sustainability/performance/reporting-approach

The majority of our portfolio is recognised by the GHG Protocol as an 
intermediate product which requires us to take an allocation of  
emissions based on a proportion of the total emissions of the final 
platform. We do so as a weight-based adjustment, as advised within the 
GHG Protocol. At present this adjustment is only applied to the relevant 
Civil Aerospace and Defence portfolio; our Power Systems portfolio is 
inherently more complex and varied and for this business we do not 
yet have the same level of visibility of the emissions performance of 

our products in the final product application, nor would a weight-based 
adjustment be appropriate for parts of the portfolio, such as stationary 
power generation. We will seek to progress visibility of this data in 2024.

There have been increases in our Scope 3, category 11 emissions. This 
has been driven mostly out of Civil Aerospace due to ~100 extra engines 
being delivered. Power Systems has had increased sales volumes as 
well as a change in product mix with more products with higher  
operational hours. Defence have seen a slight reduction in emissions 
driven by lower OE sales in 2023 compared with 2022.

Climate-related targets 
We are committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As 
part of the commitments we made under the UN Race to Zero campaign 
in 2021, we announced short-term targets to help accelerate progress 
against this goal within our core business activities. These targets 
formed part of our remuneration policy (see page 100). We have met 
significant  targets  demonstrating  product  compatibility  with  
sustainable fuels across all our divisions, as well advancing the use of 
these fuels in our own testing activities. For the new remuneration 
policy to be considered by shareholders at the AGM in May 2024, see 
page 88�

We recognise the role of interim emissions reduction targets in helping 
us and our stakeholders monitor progress against our long-term goal. 
In our 2022 Annual Report, we disclosed draft Group targets for Scope 
1 + 2 and Scope 3, category 11 emissions that had been submitted to the 
SBTi for validation. As a result of the strategic review in 2023 (see page 
10), we have since withdrawn these targets from the validation process. 
As a result, we do not currently have Group-level targets in place to 
address our material emissions sources. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

41

STRATEGIC REPORTSUSTAINABILITY

In 2024, it is our intent to complete a comprehensive review of our sustainability and climate-related strategy and approach to align and integrate 
with the outcomes of the strategic review. This will include redefining Group climate-related and emissions reduction targets. 

2023 TARGE TS

PERFORMANCE

Utilise a 10% blend of SAF across our product 
testing activities for Civil Aerospace operations

Prove  all  in-production  commercial  Civil  
Aerospace engine types are compatible with 
100% SAFs

Target met
We utilise a contribution of over 10% SAF in our Civil Aerospace engine testing, primarily at our 
largest test sites in the UK and Germany. Of the 18.6m litres of fuel consumed by our global testing 
activities in 2023, 1.9m litres of this was SAF. 

Target met
We completed a successful series of one-off ground and in-flight tests across our Civil Aerospace 
portfolio on 100% SAFs. Engines tested during 2023 include the Trent 7000, BR710, Pearl 10X 
and the first run of our UltraFan demonstrator. We are the only aerospace original engine 
manufacturer to test our entire portfolio on 100% SAFs.

Prove compatibility of major Defence engines 
in production for 100% SAF

Target met
We successfully tested the AE, Trent 700, Model 250 and Advance 1 on 100% SAF in 2023.

Release 80% of our Power Systems portfolio 
for use on sustainable fuels

Target met
The mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines, the most popular reciprocating engines which make 
up 80% of our Power Systems portfolio, have been successfully tested and released for use on 
100% unblended synthetic diesels. 

Transition plan
We recognise the increasing expectation for companies to develop and disclose a detailed transition plan outlining the steps they are taking to 
align with a low and net zero global economy. Throughout 2023, we were actively participating in the development of the Transition Plan Taskforce 
guidelines as one of a small number of companies involved.

For 2023, we are disclosing a high level transition plan. We continue to work towards our target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and, in 
2024, we will conduct a full strategic review of sustainability, delivering a more granular transition plan with defined metrics and targets that will 
allow us to measure progress and deliver net zero goals.

SHORT TERM

MEDIUM TERM

LONG TERM

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031–35

2036–40

2041–45

2046–50

Group

Civil 
Aerospace 
and Defence

 Sustainability strategic review

See page 35

Targeting net zero carbon emissions from
our  operations  and  facilities  and  that  our  
products are compatible with net zero operations
by 2050

Continuous product efficiency improvements

Product compatibility with SAFs

Develop third generation technologies such as hydrogen

Explore novel nuclear solutions such as microreactors

Power 
Systems

Continuous product efficiency improvements

Engine compatibility with sustainable fuels

Develop low/zero carbon solutions such as battery storage systems and hydrogen combustion engines

New
Markets

SMR  
first  
orders

SMR design manufacture and build first units

SMR ramp up volumes

42

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
Responsible consumption

Understanding and minimising our environmental impacts across our operations and 
value chain helps ensure we are a responsible and resilient business. We particularly 
focus on minimising energy consumption and waste generation and on maximising 
resource efficiency and recycling. 

OUR PROGRESS IN 2023

Achieved 2025 normalised energy reduction target two 
years early

Completed Group-wide Scope 1 + 2 net zero carbon  
roadmaps

100% of active suppliers in tier 1 supply chain completed 
first stage of sustainability due diligence

We are committed to behaving in a way that minimises impact on the 
environment. This means taking personal and collective responsibility 
with  our  business  partners  to  prevent  or  minimise  any  adverse  
environmental impact from our activities, products and services. As set 
out in our health, safety and environment policy, we do this by striving 
for resource efficiency and supporting the sustainable handling,  
collection, storage, use and disposal of resources. Increasing our  
operational resilience in this way is fundamental to the success of our 
business and is an integral part of how we work every day.

We focus on our material impacts by optimising energy use; reducing 
GHG emissions; reducing waste and optimising material efficiency. For 
each of these focus areas we implement measures to mitigate, prevent 
or minimise impacts and drive progress against our environmental 
targets. Our Group-wide targets are supported by individual business-
level targets as well as specific local targets to respond to particular 
risks or opportunities. For example, our recycling and recovery target 

is broken down into different sub-targets for our individual divisions 
depending on the types of wastes they generate and the opportunity 
to recycle them whilst remaining compliant with relevant local legislation. 

During 2023, we completed Scope 1 + 2 net zero carbon roadmaps for 
each of our major sites; delivered a detailed physical climate risk site 
assessment (see page 38); and continued to grow our understanding of 
our impact on biodiversity and nature. This year, we achieved our  
normalised energy consumption target two years early, having reduced 
absolute energy consumption by 429,697 MWh (31.2%) since the  
baseline in 2014� 

The incentive for circularity is deeply embedded in our business model 
given the significant aftermarket and maintenance requirements of our 
products. We focus on the remanufacturing and reuse of components 
and pay particular attention to the responsible use of chemicals, waste 
and water. At our Magdeburg site in Germany, we have improved the 
remanufacturing process for railway PowerPacks, including for their 
complex drive motors. We provide the users of our products with a 
comprehensive programme for spare parts and service solutions to 
maximise the performance and value of our products in use.

Our supply chain plays an important role in our ability to reduce  
environmental impacts, build operational resilience and improve  
performance against our targets. In 2023, all active suppliers were 
screened and risk rated using recognised commodity and country risk 
indices to understand the inherent sustainability risks in our supply 
chain. Prioritised suppliers are requested to complete comprehensive 
environmental performance assessments and, where appropriate, offered 
support  and  resources  to  instigate  improvement  plans.  These  
assessments will also provide greater visibility of Scope 3, category 1 
purchased goods and services emissions and broader climate impacts 
on our supply chain�

Energy consumption (MWh/£m)

Total solid and liquid waste (t/£m)

Recycling and recovery rate (%)

117

E
N
I
L
E
S
A
B

14

96

87

76

78

58

59

4.74

4.46

4.02

4.00

62.7

56.8

62.4

63.7

60.0

68.0

3.58

3.56

3.31

19

20

21

22

23

T
E
G
R
A
T

25

E
N
I
L
E
S
A
B

14

19

20

21

22

23

T
E
G
R
A
T

25

E
N
I
L
E
S
A
B

19

T
E
G
R
A
T

25

20

21

22

23

Target
Reduce total energy consumption, normalised by 
revenue, by 50% by 2025 1, 2, 3

Target
Reduce total solid and liquid waste production, 
normalised by revenue, by 25% by 2025 1, 2, 3, 4

Target
Increase the recycling and recovery rate to 68% by 
2025 1, 2, 4

Reducing our energy demand is integral to our  
success in delivering our decarbonisation goals and 
reducing our exposure to energy-related risk. Our 
normalised energy consumption in 2023 was 58 
MWh/£m. This represents a reduction of 429,697 
MWh (31.2%) since 2014. The total amount of energy 
consumed in the year was 947,955 MWh, of which 
34%  came  from  renewable  energy  sources,  
including 1.5% generated from our own on-site clean 
energy installations.

By focusing on the waste hierarchy and introducing 
new  technology,  we  continually  improve  our  
management and reduction of waste. In 2023, our 
total normalised solid and liquid waste was 3.56 
kilotonnes/£m, an 11% reduction since 2014. The 
total amount of solid and liquid waste generated in 
operations was 58.8 kilotonnes, compared to 48.3 
in 2022. This includes 21 kilotonnes of hazardous, 
primarily chemical, waste. The overall increase in 
the volume of waste produced has been driven by 
an increase in liquid wastewater that would normally 
be  treated  on  site.  We  continue  to  pursue  
opportunities to prevent or reduce waste.

Our recycling and recovery rate for 2023 was 60.0%. 
This represents a 2.7% reduction against the 2019 
baseline,  driven  by  an  increase  in  production  
resulting in more non-recycled foundry sand and 
chemical process waste. Our Power Systems business 
has a recycling and recovery rate above 80%.  
During the year, 6.1 kilotonnes of waste were sent 
to landfill, a 24% increase since 2014, primarily due 
to the increase in waste foundry sand. We continue 
to  work  to  identify  appropriate  alternatives  to  
landfill disposal for complex waste streams, such as 
foundry sand. 

1  External assurance over selected sustainability data, detailed on page 209, is provided by Bureau Veritas. See page 209 for their sustainability assurance statement
2  Data has been calculated in accordance with our basis of reporting. This and further data is available at www.rolls-royce.com
3  Energy and waste data are normalised by Group revenue (£m)
4  Historical data has been updated with actual rather than predicted data

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

43

STRATEGIC REPORTPeople and culture

Our 2023 people priorities focused on the areas required to step change our culture 
and performance, enabling our transformation.

OUR PROGRESS IN 2023 

Implemented  a  new  differentiated  performance  
management framework to enable high performance

Exceeded our 2023 engagement target with a grand mean 
score of 3.99 and our greatest ever participation rate

Took significant steps to embed our enterprise approach 
to skills and capabilities to drive synergies and simplify 
the way we operate

Enabling colleagues to thrive, grow and co-create our future is critical 
to building a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing  
company. Our colleagues dedication to engineering excellence, safety 
and integrity has enabled our rich heritage and history of innovation. 
We continue to be a Company that makes a difference with our people 
at the heart of everything we do. Our 2023 people priorities focused 
on the areas required to make a step change in our culture and  
performance, enabling our transformation. These were all underpinned 
by our values of trust, integrity and a rigorous focus on safety in  
everything we do.

41,400 employees total (monthly average) *

Corporate

  Civil Aerospace – 18,300
  Defence – 12,000
  Power Systems – 9,800
  New Markets – 1,200
  Corporate – 100

*  Segments are defined in note 2 on page 137

Employees in 48 countries (monthly average) *

  UK – 20,900
  Germany – 10,000
  US & Canada – 6,000
  Italy – 900
  Singapore – 700
   India – 600
   Rest of world – 2,300

Our 2023 people priorities were:

*  Employee headcount data represents permanent employees and excludes contractors

 — safety, health and wellbeing;
 — performance management: enabling high performance; rewarding 

and recognising our people;

 — leading with purpose – driving a growth agenda: empowering our 

leaders; learning, skills and capabilities;

 — culture and behaviours: inclusion, equity, diversity and belonging; 

engagement and listening; and

 — colleague experience: wellbeing; community investment and STEM 

outreach; change and transformation.

Safety, health and wellbeing 
The safety of our people and our customers is a core value and our top 
priority. We consider all incidents to be preventable and focus on 
proactive safety behaviour as the foundation of our safety culture and 
journey  to  zero  harm.  We  believe  that  safety  is  everyone’s  
responsibility and continue to embed it into everything we do. Visible, 
engaged leadership is critical to driving this culture. Through our 
habitual  safety  moments  focus  is  given  to  safety  at  the  start  of  
leadership meetings. We raise awareness of important topics, safety 
roles and responsibilities and incorporate real life examples in these 
moments to ground relevant messages. 

Safety  risks  are  actively  monitored  to  minimise  risk,  identify  
improvement opportunities and continue to create a safe and healthy 
working environment that is free from harm. Our safety index, introduced 
in 2021, is the core measure of our safety culture. It consists of five 
leading indicators that measure a key element of our safety culture: 
senior leadership safety walks; safety case improvement activity; HSE 
alert response; close-out of HSE non-conformances; and accountable 
person engagement. These measurements, alongside more traditional 
measures such as injury rates, enable an evaluation of our safety culture 
and we use this information to drive action and enhance proactive 
safety behaviours and interventions.

In 2023, we achieved a target safety index score of 94% representing 
an improvement of 9% percentage points on the previous year (2022: 

85%). We achieved this through a stronger focus on safety leadership 
and the management of our high consequence hazards. This included 
significant improvements in the number of safety leadership walks at 
97% in 2023 (2022: 83%) and accountable person engagement at 94% 
(2022: 72%). 

We work to identify and control preventable incidents and we believe 
that motivating colleagues to lead healthy lifestyles and maintain good 
wellbeing is critical in creating safe and healthy working environments. 
Our industry-leading LiveWell programme encourages colleagues to 
take personal responsibility for their health and wellbeing and support 
others to do the same. Our wellbeing site provides tools and resources 
including practical guides and learning materials to support people 
with their mental, physical and financial wellbeing.

LiveWell is a global, evidence-based accreditation scheme through 
which sites, facilities and teams assess their workplace on supporting 
three key areas: healthy bodies, healthy minds and healthy workplaces. 
It empowers teams and individuals to set data-based goals and focused 
actions on removing barriers to health and wellbeing. Our LiveWell 
programme is current in 21 countries and covers 84 workplaces globally.

In addition to LiveWell, we continue to engage colleagues and raise 
awareness of the importance of workplace safety. Forty-five health and 
wellbeing  events  took  place  across  the  enterprise  in  2023,  
representing a total of 75,530 engagements. In April and May, we held 
global world safety day events in all three divisions, re-emphasising the 
importance of health and safety as our top priority. We also introduced 
new safety toolkits on monthly risk themes aimed at reducing incidents 
and empowering teams to reflect, think and plan how they can work 
more safely. 

Our total reportable injuries (TRI) rate has continued to fall this year 
through our continued efforts to prevent harm and injuries. In 2023, 
our TRI rate was 0.32 per 100 employees representing a 20% reduction 

44

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

(2022: 0.41). There was a total of 139 TRIs with 17 incidents resulting in 
major injuries (including six contractors). There were no fatalities. In 
2023, we exceeded our target TRI rate, which was set in 2019, and plan 
to review this in 2024 on our journey to zero harm. When incidents do 
occur, we have systems in place to share learning across the Group 
and improve our controls to prevent similar incidents occurring in the 
future. Sharing knowledge to learn, grow and minimise risk is a key 
element of our transformation programme and continued focus on 
safety as our number one priority.

TRI rate (per 100 employees) *

0.43

0.41

0.32

0.33

T
E
G
R
A
T

25

21

22

23

0.35

E
N
I
L
E
S
A
B

20

*    Our TRI rate shows the Group TRI performance (absolute and rate). External assurance 

over the TRI data is provided by Bureau Veritas (see page 209)

Performance management
Enabling high performance
We believe a differentiated performance culture, where performance 
expectations are clearly defined and results tightly monitored, will drive 
the step change necessary to become a high-performing, competitive, 
resilient and growing company. In 2023, we launched a new Group-wide 
performance management framework to embed this approach. 

Our reward and recognition programmes were also adjusted to support 
greater differentiation of individual outcomes. Our core programme 
for leaders and colleagues includes regular on-going check-ins, annual 
performance reviews and disciplined calibration. Our approach  
encourages an agile mindset that is outcome focused and acknowledges 
that high performance is a relative concept. 

We provide accessible support through digital tools to enable our 
people to grow and achieve their full potential. In 2023, we launched 
new  interactive  learning  resources  for  leaders  to  support  the  
performance of their teams. The new resources focus on ensuring that 
high quality performance conversations take place and help leaders 
take account of how people achieve their results as well as measure 
the impact of what was achieved. As we continue to build our high 
performance culture and enable transformation, our leaders are  
critical to this shift and we are already seeing a step change in their 
approach, which is evidenced in our financial results. Our 2023 employee 
engagement survey results (see page 46) also highlight positive change 
in leadership, with a significant increase on the continuous feedback 
to  improve  question  which  shows  that  our  leaders  are  
providing actionable feedback to their people to drive improvement 
and enhance performance. 

Rewarding and recognising our people
Our  pay  philosophy  is  directly  connected  to  our  performance  
management framework and we take a Group approach for all people 
leaders globally. Where possible, we align individual goals to strategic 
priorities and connect reward and recognition to business success with 
differentiated outcomes recognising performance that delivers the 
greatest impact�

Our global incentive arrangements are aligned to the delivery of our 
business strategy through direct cascade from Executive Director  
incentive  metrics  (see  page  18).  Cascade  of  goals  aligned  to  
transformation has been a key priority for us in 2023. From 2024, all 
senior leaders have new clear performance contracts setting out  
their priorities.

Steps are being taken to enable all colleagues to understand how their 
accountabilities and deliverables support business strategy and their 
role within it. We believe this will drive performance and enhance  
colleagues pay and benefit opportunities. As an example, during 2023, 
we implemented a new compensation system in Germany that enables 
performance differentiation and simplification of base pay arrangements 
for the vast majority of our people covered by tariff arrangements.

In 2024, we aim to enable more colleagues to share in our success 
through enhanced affordable share ownership options. We currently 
offer tax approved ShareSave and SharePurchase plans in the UK and 
non-tax qualified cash settled phantom ShareSave plan for colleagues 
outside of the UK. We also plan to expand our work on global living 
wage standards in line with our continued focus on pay and benefits. 

We are committed to fair and appropriate levels of pay and conform 
to all national pay laws globally. In the UK, we pay all colleagues above 
the standards outlined by the Living Wage Foundation and we require 
all our suppliers to meet minimum/fair wage standards by signing up 
to our global supplier code of conduct.

Leading with purpose – driving a growth agenda
Empowering our leaders
Our leaders play a critical role in transformation and in 2023 have been 
challenged to think and act differently. We have encouraged leaders 
to ruthlessly prioritise what they do to enable a tighter focus on  
priorities and to work smarter and achieve better outcomes together. 
We are making good progress and have already accelerated our  
financial delivery (see page 20) which gives us confidence in the  
ability of our leaders to make the step change in performance required 
to deliver our strategic priorities. 

We have undertaken different ways of engaging leaders as part of this 
approach through new learning methods and tools. In 2023, we  
developed resources on change, performance management and  
communication as well as introducing experiential peer-to-peer  
leadership learning workshops. Many of our leaders took part in our 
new winning together performance management learning series,  
including showing care through consistency, embracing the relativity 
of performance and psychological safety. We received great feedback 
and the events are now available digitally for all leaders to use. We have 
continued to expand our formal leadership learning programmes and 
leadership fundamentals that provide critical leadership skills for first 
and second-line leaders, and in 2023 we launched a new strategic 
development programme for senior leaders. Alongside our formal 
leadership development programmes, we also continue to update our 
digital leadership toolkit with new resources and communication guides 
focused on engaging teams during times of change. In 2023, utilisation 
of  this  award-winning  resource  was  just  over  166,000  learning  
engagements, (2022: 138,500). 

Learning, skills and capabilities
In 2023, we have taken significant steps to embed a Group-wide approach 
to skills and capabilities to drive synergies that will enable us to be more 
competitive and simplify the way we operate. Capabilities and skill 
development are a core element of our learning agenda. They also 
enable us to share expertise, specialist capability and resources more 
effectively  to  align  with  our  strategic  priorities.  Our  business  
capabilities are engineering, technology, safety, procurement and 
manufacturing operations.

We have significant engineering expertise, and in 2023 we brought 
together ET&S as a key element in our new organisation design, right 
at the heart of our Group (see page 9). We believe this will enable 
enhanced mobility and growth for our engineers and create better 
efficiency and agility. This is supported by our #alwayslearning culture, 
self-led, continuous learning and supporting tools and resources. Our 
continued investment in digital tools provides enhanced experiential 
learning opportunities and fosters a digital, agile learning culture to 
keep up with the pace of change and to support future growth.  

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

45

STRATEGIC REPORT 
PEOPLE AND CULTURE

We continually refresh and update our learning resources in line with 
our strategic priorities and track development on critical skills and  
capabilities at Group level. Leatro Collections, our curated learning, 
provides learning on capabilities required to deliver our transformation. 
As a key priority, safety is one of our core offerings and we built on this 
in 2023 to include business acumen and commerciality, health and 
wellbeing, engagement and change as well as inclusion, equity diversity 
and belonging. Learning week, held in September, showcased our 
learning resources with internal and external leaders including our 
Chief Executive and three senior leaders talking through their personal 
approach to learning and experience and adapting through change.

Aligned with Our Code and our Group policy framework, we also deliver 
an annual Group-wide mandatory learning programme centred on our 
values and behaviours and our safety, security and legal obligations. 
In 2023, 96% of colleagues completed all mandatory learning (2022: 
94%). Our continued investment in learning and development in 2023 
was £20.8m (2022: £17.8m), delivering 757,629 hours of formal learning 
(2022: 581,505 hours).

Enhancing development using skills and gigs
In 2023, we continued our work on skills development using gigs 
to both enhance learning and embed new agile ways of working. 
Introduced  in  2022,  gigs  use  digital  systems  and  artificial  
intelligence to create an internal marketplace of bite-sized tasks 
to  enable  colleagues  to  drive  their  own  learning  and  skill  
development creating their own career experiences as a result.

Our early pilots were successful and experiences reported by 
participants were positive. Colleagues involved in gigs are 1.5 
times more likely to respond highly to our engagement survey 
questions on learning and growth. We expanded gigs to the full 
enterprise in October 2023 and around 11,000 people had signed 
up by the end of the year.

It is driving growth in discretionary effort and productivity as well 
as motivating colleagues to seek new opportunities to learn and 
grow in skills areas anticipated to be required and valued in the 
future. This is supporting our self-led learning culture, putting 
people at the heart of their own development. It provides rich, 
cross-enterprise experience, both increasing people’s breadth 
and enabling agility within the organisation and enhancing  
delivery of key projects through increased access to resources 
and diversity of thought.

Culture and behaviours
Engagement and listening
Engagement is an outcome of our employee experience with a focus 
driven  through  our  people  leadership  practices,  purpose  and  
performance culture. We believe that highly engaged colleagues fuel 
improved business outcomes. Engagement is one of our Group KPIs 
with continued links to leadership incentive plans (see page 18).  
Listening, understanding and acting on colleagues questions and 
concerns is a critical aspect of our transformation journey. In 2023, our 
engagement grand mean was 3.99. We surpassed our Group target of 
3.97, set in 2019 with our partner Gallup, and achieved a meaningful, 
consecutive increase of 0.14 since 2022 (0.47 since 2019). We also 
secured our highest participation rate of 80% with 32,544 colleagues 
completing the survey.

We  take  a  people  first  approach  to  listening,  engagement  and  
communication and believe our leaders play a vital role given the direct 
impact of their behaviour and actions on the people they lead. We 
provide data and insights to leaders through Gallup to enable them to 
work together with their teams on action plans and improvements. In 
2023, we introduced new governance to monitor engagement across 
the Group. It enables better sharing of best practice where teams have 
made significant improvement as well as the ability to provide targeted 
learning to support the teams that need it most.

Our inclusion goals
We drive inclusion to unleash the power of our people

Lead
We drive inclusive  
leadership behaviours and 
capabilities to create high 
performing teams

Attract
We promote our inclusive 
values to enable us to hire 
the best talent

Engage
We create an inclusive 
culture in which everyone is 
actively engaged, belongs 
and can be at their best

Develop
We support the growth 
of our learning culture to 
empower everyone to reach 
their full potential

In addition to our survey, we provide a variety of channels for colleague 
engagement and listening, including interactive learning sessions, 
newsletters and team briefings as well as digital communication  
channels such as Viva Engage. Through our transformation programme 
we are introducing new ways to engage with colleagues and amplify 
employee voice. In 2023, we have held regular live town halls with Q&As 
hosted by our Chief Executive and Executive Team. Our global inclusion 
networks (see page 47) also play a key role in engagement and  
listening. Members of our networks have been invited to various  
leadership sessions this year and our Employee Champions have 
attended some of the network sessions to listen to what colleagues 
think about key topics (see page 60). In May 2023, we held another 
Meet the Board event continuing to foster engagement with our Board 
members as well as encourage all colleagues to contribute and help 
co-create our transformation (see page 60). Engaging colleagues to 
shape our future helps us to build a better and stronger business that 
everyone is proud of. We made CMD accessible for all colleagues to 
attend virtually and we held multiple local sessions to flow down key 
messages as well as creating new digital tools and resources to ensure 
that everyone had access to information on our new strategy and  
business plan�

Culture underpins everything we do, and in 2023, through our culture 
and purpose transformation workstream (see page 66), we started work 
to evolve our culture and behaviours to align with our strategic  
priorities and foster a new winning mindset. We invited all colleagues 
to help shape our new purpose and culture ambition through 16 global 
focus groups and an all-employee crowdsourcing opportunity. We are 
working to better understand our current culture and establish new 
ways of monitoring and measuring culture to track progress against 
our future ambitions. In 2023, we introduced a new Group-wide horizon 
scanning capability using organisational uncertainty metrics. This 
enables us to identify and mitigate people risk across the organisation 
quarterly and is reviewed at our people committee (see page 69). This 
committee and the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee will 
oversee our continued work on culture and purpose.

Inclusion is everyone’s business
Our ambition is for all colleagues to feel psychologically safe and able 
to be at their best, thereby driving not only our colleague experience 
but also individual and business performance. We believe that being 
inclusive will enhance our ability to attract, retain and grow the critical 
diverse talent we need to succeed now and in the future. Whilst we 
continue to report against our established diversity and inclusion  
(D&I) 2025 targets, we have matured our approach to focus more on 
building a culture of inclusion and belonging. Throughout 2023, the 
global  inclusion  team  have  focused  on  embedding  inclusion  
throughout the Group.

Our inclusion goals (see above) provide the framework to enable our 
ambition. Our 2023 mandatory learning on behaviours focused on 
psychological  safety.  It  consisted  of  interactive  learning  on  

46

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

microaggressions, exclusion and health and safety and included real-life 
case studies to bring the subject to life. Ninety-five percent of all  
colleagues completed this training in 2023. Mandatory learning is a key 
element in our approach to embed dignity and respect throughout  
the Group.

Our global inclusion networks also play a critical role in driving our 
strategy and allowing the voices of all our people to be heard. They 
are groups of colleagues, organised primarily around a specific  
characteristic or life experience, who provide personal and professional 
support to each other, run events and help everyone to focus on  
inclusion. In 2023, our D&I councils were refreshed as business inclusion 
forums operating under the umbrella global inclusion forum. In 2023, 
the forum met quarterly with the global inclusion network chairs to 
ensure two-way communication at all levels. 

In September, we launched our Rolls-Royce inclusion week, led by the 
global inclusion team and supported by a group of volunteers. The week 
included enterprise-wide sessions covering a range of topics such as 
inclusive language, allyship and neurodiversity led by external and  
internal speakers. During the week, 2,976 colleagues attended at least 
one of the virtual sessions. 

Accelerating diversity and attracting future talent 
As outlined above, we believe that to enhance diversity our primary 
focus should be on creating a safe, inclusive and equitable working 
environment where everyone feels valued and belongs. We also continue 
to focus action on improving our diversity. Increased awareness and an 
intentional focus on diversity in hiring and succession planning has 
resulted in an increase in the representation of women at all leadership 
levels in 2023 (see diversity metrics opposite). We focus action on 
diversity in succession planning and support diverse colleagues to thrive 
and grow through targeted learning programmes and support initiatives.

Following a successful implementation in 2022, we further embedded 
our Thrive programme during 2023. The programme focuses on enabling 
women and includes internal mentoring, coaching and skill development 
workshops. Eighty-nine women across the Group participated in Thrive 
this year with 88% of participants sharing feedback that they would 
recommend the programme. Forty-six percent of participants were 
promoted, moved role or had their responsibilities expanded. We will 
also continue to accelerate diverse talent through transformation where 
inclusion  and  diversity  principles  have  been  built  into  our  
restructuring approach and Group-wide people system.

In 2023, we significantly reduced external recruitment as part of our 
effort to mitigate job losses that could result from the transformation 
programme but we continued to recruit into critical roles and skill gaps 
and sustained our focus on future pipeline through early career  
programmes. Across our recruitment programmes, we continued to 
enhance the inclusivity of our processes. This included introducing 
additional support through the process for any candidate declaring a 
disability at application stage and continuing our recruitment bias 
learning for all assessors and interviewers. We give full and fair  
consideration  to  all  employment  applications  from  people  with  
disabilities. If an employee becomes disabled whilst working for us we 
take steps to support their continued working including, wherever 
possible, making adjustments to ways of working. 

Within early careers and education outreach we continue to focus on 
diversity and inclusion (see page 48). Our aim is to engage and inspire 
more females and ethnically-diverse talent into STEM, supporting our 
future talent pool, as well as more broadly within the communities in 
which we operate and our supply chain. In 2023, through targeted 
campaigns to attract more ethnically diverse candidates, we hired 34% 
ethnically diverse graduates (2022: 17%) and 19% ethnically diverse 
apprentices (2022: 31%).

Twenty-two percent of our apprentice hires were female in 2023 (2022: 
22%). Our female graduate hire rate was lower in 2023 at 32% (2022: 
40%).

We continue to expand our partnership approach and have introduced 
new  initiatives  in  2023.  These  include  working  with  UpReach  a  
partnership aimed at undergraduates from less-advantaged backgrounds 
supporting access to top graduate employers, the National Coding 
Challenge and sponsoring the wellbeing student roadshow. Through 
Undergraduate  of  The  Year  (UGOTY),  we  sponsored  three  
undergraduate  awards  and  converted  30%  of  the  finalists  into  
internship offers across our female, social mobility and neurodiversity 
categories (100% female conversion and 54% ethnicity conversion). 
Our i-Accelerator insights programme supports 30 ethnically diverse 
students across both STEM and business programmes. 

We still have much work to do and our focus remains on inclusion, 
equity and belonging. Moving forward, we plan to adopt a more  
holistic approach to driving systemic change. We are determined to 
increase the diversity of our workforce and work together to create a 
company where every person can belong. We have been recognised 
in our efforts and placed 42nd in the top 50 Inclusive Companies Award 
2023 and we progressed from 336 to 47 in the Financial Times Diversity 
Leaders 2024 ranking.

Our diversity metrics at 31 December 2023 1 
Female diversity percentage tracking and 2025 targets

The Board 2 
Executive Team
ELG
Senior leaders 3
All employees

2022
33%
18%
22%
22%
18%

2023
50%
30%
23%
24%
18%

2025
target
50%
33%
35%
30%
25%

Ethnic diversity percentage tracking and 2025 targets for UK 
and US 4

UK ethnicity
US ethnicity 

Gender diversity 

2022
11%
16%

2023
11%
17%

2025 
target
14%
20%

Female

Male

Total Female (%)

The Board
Executive Team (ET)
ET, Chief Governance  Officer 
and direct  reports
ELG
Senior leaders 3
All employees

6
3

6
7

12
10

23
17
20
7,662

49
56
63
34,148

72
73
83
41,810

50%
30%

32%
23%
24%
18%

1  The data for diversity information is showing permanent employee year-end actuals
2  The Board diversity policy aims for gender parity
3  Senior leaders are defined in the Companies Act 2006 (those who have responsibility for 
planning and directing or controlling the activities of the entity or a strategically significant 
part of it). We do not include all subsidiary directors in the definition of senior leaders as 
this would not accurately reflect the leadership pipeline. We have a large number of small 
and dormant subsidiaries and the composition of these Boards reflects their level of  
activity. Accordingly, senior leaders refers to the Executive Team and the ELG

4  For ethnicity information we are only able to monitor and track this in the UK and US and 
therefore this only includes businesses in these locations. The population is only those who 
have chosen to disclose this information

In October, we launched our global self-identification project, ‘count 
me in’ which aims to increase diversity data disclosure from our global 
workforce. Through this project, colleagues can self-disclose their 
nationality, gender identity, armed forces service, social mobility,  
carers and parents status, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, religion, 
and disability (where not restricted legally). We have made good  
progress with the project in the first three months since launch with 
46%  of  our  people  self-disclosing.  We  plan  to  review  our  2025  
ambitions, including D&I targets, once we have greater participations 
because we believe this will enable a review of our ambitions in a more 
meaningful way. In 2023, we submitted diversity data to the FTSE Women 
Leaders and Parker Review and explained our decision not to set new 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

47

STRATEGIC REPORTPEOPLE AND CULTURE

targets this year. As a multinational organisation we operate consistently 
across the Group and vary our approach accordingly to local legislative 
frameworks and D&I requirements. We plan to take a One Rolls-Royce 
approach to diversity metrics and tracking progress and this will be 
part of a broader, more holistic review of our equity, inclusion, diversity 
and belonging ambitions moving forwards. 

Colleague experience
Supporting wellbeing
We  recognise  the  uncertainty  and  challenge  associated  with  
transformation. We believe in creating a working environment where 
all colleagues can be at their best and, in 2023, we increased the  
support  provided.  We  developed  a  new  virtual  wellbeing  site  
containing  tools  and  resources  to  help  support  our  colleague’s  
wellbeing. Our new wellbeing resources form a key element in our 
LiveWell programme (see page 44). We have received 22,570 visits to 
our new LiveWell microsite since its launch in February 2023.

We have continued to embed existing wellbeing tools and resources, 
developing over 100 new resources for people leaders to engage their 
teams on mental health and wellbeing topics. An example, in 2023 there 
was a new leadership workshop titled ‘resilience during times of change’. 
Our programme on mental health included promotion on World  
Mental Health Day with a focus on managing anxiety through uncertainty 
and change and included interactive workshops by internal and  
external leaders. The day was a great success, with 21,352 colleagues 
attending our events and significant engagement on our internal media 
and communication channels. We continue to engage in national events 
to highlight important topics and focus conversations and we work 
hard to ensure that mental health and wellbeing remain talking points 
all year round. 

Our global mental health champion network, a group of volunteers 
trained to guide colleagues and provide support, has increased 33% 
in 2023 to over 728 champions globally in 13 countries. We have worked 
to expand the network and enhanced learning through the sharing of 
best practice and new toolkits for our champions and leaders to use, 
to connect and signpost colleagues to our support sites, tools and 
resources� 

During 2023, we also maintained our focus on menopause, and our 
monthly cafe community now has over 300 members who meet regularly 
to share information and host discussions on important relevant issues. 
We launched a new training programme in the UK for leaders supporting 
team members going through the menopause and our aim is to launch 
this globally in 2024. 

Community and STEM outreach 
Our ambition is to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive society 
by enabling our people to make a positive social impact and investing 
in education and skills. Our priority is to support young people,  
particularly those underrepresented in our industry, to achieve their 
aspirations and overcome barriers to success. 

We understand the interdependencies between business and society 
and invest in our communities to address social needs in a way that 
makes sense for our business. We engage with local partners to help 
focus our action on activities that provide the greatest positive impact 
for all of our stakeholders. 

We deliver high quality STEM learning experiences that encourage 
children from an early age to explore and be inspired by the role of 
science, technology, engineering and maths in finding solutions to the 
challenges facing society and our planet. During 2023, our STEM 
ambassadors supported programmes and partnerships across the globe 
to raise aspirations and encourage young people to continue STEM 
studies to achieve the qualifications needed to pursue a career in STEM. 
We reached 1.01 million people through our STEM programmes in 2023 
and are now 41% towards our target to inspire 25 million of tomorrow’s 
pioneers by 2030�

Inspiring future generations with STEM
Encouraging young people to explore how things work and find 
ways to do things better is fundamental to our STEM outreach 
programmes. We work with Girlguiding and the Scouts in the UK 
to sponsor STEM badges and provide practical STEM activity 
resources for 7 to 18 year olds, estimated to have engaged  
approximately 137,000 young people during 2023. 

Addressing inequalities in STEM
Our programmes help to enable future success in communities 
challenged by barriers to participation. We have partnered with 
Glyph in Singapore to design highly-participative STEM workshops 
for children from less-privileged backgrounds and engaged 688 
students in 2023. The sessions took place both in the community 
and on our Seletar site, supported by our STEM ambassador team.

Enabling excellence and innovation in STEM teaching
Our UK schools prize for science and technology provided 
£200,000 in bursaries through the National STEM Learning  
Centre to support continuous professional development for STEM 
teachers, estimated to enhance the learning of approximately 
42,500 students during 2023. We invested an additional £60,000 
during 2023 in awards to schools to develop innovative teaching 
projects and will be announcing the winners in 2024. 

Our people remain at the heart of all our programmes and contributed 
37,680 hours (2022: 48,347) to community investment and education 
outreach programmes in 2023. In addition, at least 106 teams across 
the Group completed practical projects in their local communities 
ranging from improving community facilities to maintaining natural 
environments. We embed community investment and education outreach 
opportunities into our strategic learning programmes, including early 
career training, skills development gigs, as well as being a fundamental 
element of our wellbeing strategy and LiveWell accreditation programme 
(see page 44).

Our global charitable contributions and community investment for 2023 
is valued at £4.3m (2022: £5.1m) with £3.0m in cash donations which 
included £520,000 of funds received as a result of a share forfeiture 
programme carried out in earlier years. £250,000 was provided to 
support communities impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria  
in February.

Change and transformation
We have made good progress in our transformation in 2023 (see page 
6) but there remains a lot more to do. We have confidence in our  
ability to be a better and stronger business than we are today. To do 
so, one of our transformation building blocks is to create a simpler and 
more efficient organisation, a truly customer-centric business where 
multi-disciplinary working enables us to unlock our potential and move 
at pace, as one team, One Rolls-Royce. 

Bringing together ET&S (see page 9) is a significant change right at 
the heart of our Group. They will also have responsibility for our  
engineering standards process, methods and tools and operate with a 
flexible resourcing model to deliver the programmes in the divisions. 
The  same  approach  was  taken  to  strengthen  our  procurement  
capability and organisation. This will see us capitalise on economies of 
scale for our key commodities and provide a stronger service to  
our customers� 

Group-wide synergies have been identified to enable us to manage our 
costs more tightly. This work has allowed us to minimise the resulting 
headcount reduction announced in October 2023 of between 2,000 
to 2,500 roles worldwide by the end of 2025. In 2024, we will continue 
to embed our transformation principles, including redeployment and 
other levers available whilst maintaining continuous dialogue with our 
people and their employee representatives. 

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ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
Ethics and compliance

We are committed to conducting business with integrity and creating a working 
environment where everyone can be at their best.

OUR PROGRESS IN 2023

Delivered  a  global  engagement  campaign  on  ethics  
and compliance 

Developed a Group human rights reporting tool 

Appointed division-level human rights committees

We are committed to upholding high ethical standards underpinned 
by our values and behaviours to create a working environment where 
everyone at Rolls-Royce and those we work with can be at their best. 
Our code of conduct (Our Code) and associated Group policies guide 
our actions and decisions to ensure we can be proud of the way we 
behave and the way we do business.

In 2023, a global ‘win right’ campaign was deployed across the Group 
to  engage  our  employees  on  the  important  role  they  play  in  
maintaining our high standards of ethics and compliance. In addition, 
as part of our 2023 annual mandatory learning programme, our core 
compliance learnings included handling confidential information, data 
privacy and complying with export control requirements. We ask all 
our employees to annually certify their understanding of Our Code, 
which is mandatory for our leaders. 

We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and 
actively encouraged to speak up about questions or concerns without 
fear of negative consequences. This is a vital part of enhancing our 
culture of inclusion and belonging. Everyone can use our speak up 
channels, whether or not they are an employee. We provide multiple 
ways to raise a concern, including the Rolls-Royce speak up line which 
enables concerns to be raised anonymously and confidentially in  
multiple languages. A speak up report highlighting key statistics is 
made available to employees at regular intervals to remind them of the 
importance of speaking up and our annual speak up report video is 
published on our website.

We have a zero tolerance approach to misconduct of any kind and will 
take disciplinary action, where appropriate, up to and including dismissal 
in the event of a breach of Our Code. In 2023, 132 employees (2022: 
76) left the business for reasons related to breaches of Our Code. The 
increase in numbers of dismissals is due to a range of factors, including 
enhanced consistency of tools across the Group which record and 
classify dismissals and our commitment to continuous improvement.

Supply chain sustainability
Our global supplier code of conduct sets out the ethical principles we 
expect from our suppliers. All suppliers are required contractually to 
adhere to this or a mutually agreed alternative. We work closely with 
our partners to continually improve the environmental and ethical 
performance of our supply chain. Partnering with a leading third-party 
provider, we conduct sustainability screening and assessments to 
understand the inherent sustainability risks within our supply chain and 
take appropriate mitigating actions where required. 

In 2023, all active suppliers were screened and risk rated using  
recognised commodity and country risk indices across environmental, 
ethics, labour and human rights topics. Prioritised suppliers are 
requested  to  complete  a  comprehensive  assessment  of  their  
sustainability risk management. Where risks are identified, suppliers 

are asked to put in place improvement plans and offered support and 
resources to help with this via our third party partner. To enhance the 
effectiveness of our due diligence controls, we also updated our  
partner contracts with specific sustainability clauses.

Anti-bribery and corruption
We do not tolerate bribery and corruption in any form, as set out in 
Our Code and associated anti-bribery and corruption policy. We  
routinely check and test the effectiveness of our anti-bribery and  
corruption programme to manage proactively the associated risks (see 
page 53). In 2023, we continued to monitor our controls through  
compliance specific assurance activities through site visits and reviews 
of financial and operational data. These activities are overseen by the 
Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee (see page 78). 

In October 2021, we entered into a leniency agreement with the  
Brazilian offices of the comptroller general and attorney general in 
relation to historic bribery allegations. As part of this, we agreed to 
implement improvements to our integrity programme in Brazil and to 
provide three reports to the Brazilian comptroller general setting out 
all steps taken. The first report was submitted in August 2022, the 
second in February 2023 and the final report in November 2023. In 
the final report, we confirmed all required enhancements had been 
successfully completed. The official response from the office of the 
comptroller general will be received in 2024. 

Human rights and anti-slavery
We are committed to protecting and preserving all internationally-
recognised human rights of everyone who may be impacted by our 
business activities along our value chain. This includes upholding the 
principles set out in our global policies and processes to fulfil our legal 
obligations  and  avoid  any  potential  complicity  in  human  
rights violations.

In  2023,  we  have  enhanced  our  human  rights  risk  management  
framework to ensure that we take appropriate action to prevent,  
minimise, mitigate and, where necessary, remedy human rights related 
risks. Our framework includes processes, methods and tools to regularly 
conduct a risk analysis of our own operations and our suppliers using 
an expert external platform provider and using established and accepted 
indices on human rights globally. The risk analysis includes continuous 
external screening services, internal checks on contracts, certifications 
of the subsidiary or supplier, and specific examinations based on  
questionnaires for prioritised risks. Results of these assessments are 
considered in the human rights governance structure and compliance 
framework, where further tailored preventative, corrective or remedial 
measures  may  be  assigned  as  appropriate  in  a  systematic  and  
proportionate manner. These activities are overseen by the human 
rights steering group and the Nominations, Culture & Governance 
Committee (see page 78). 

In 2023, we have focused on implementing a consistent approach across 
the Group through the development of a human rights reporting tool, 
deploying targeted human rights training, and identifying human rights 
committees in each division chaired by the newly-appointed human 
rights officers. 

 Find more information on our anti-slavery and human trafficking statement,  
see the Group policies and global supply chain page at www.rolls-royce.com

For more information on our ethics approach see the Nominations, Culture & 
Governance Committee report on page 78 or view ‘Sustaining our culture of 
integrity’ document available at www.rolls-royce.com

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

49

STRATEGIC REPORTPrincipal risks

The Rolls-Royce risk management and internal control system
Effective risk management helps Rolls-Royce to identify anything that 
could hinder or support the effective implementation of its strategy 
and business model. In order to achieve this, we have an established 
risk  management  and  internal  controls  system,  with  the  Board  
overseeing its effectiveness (see pages 65 to 75). 

As well as including procedures to monitor the nature and extent of 
the principal risks the Group is willing to take in order to optimise its 
commercial  opportunities  and  achieve  its  long-term  strategic  
objectives, it also covers the monitoring of emerging risks. 

At least once a year, the Board, supported by the Audit Committee, 
assesses how effectively we manage principal risks and, where we are 
not, reviews plans in place to address these. In 2023, there was an 
additional internal review on risk maturity which was incorporated into 
the effectiveness review.

For key principal risks, particularly compliance and safety, we have 
mandatory training and policies in place, linked to performance  
management and remuneration, which all our people are required to 
complete and comply with (see pages 46 and 49 for details). 

The Audit Committee also reviews the Group’s internal financial controls 
with financial reporting controls being subject to periodic review by 
the Group’s internal controls team.

The Board confirms that it has monitored the effectiveness 
of risk management and internal controls throughout the 
year,  in  accordance  with  the  2018  UK  Corporate  
Governance Code. 

Risk management
Risks facing the business are identified and assessed  
on a regular basis�

Internal control
Internal controls are designed and deployed to mitigate 
these risks to an accepted level.

Assurance
Assurance activities assess whether the controls are  
effective and risks are mitigated to an acceptable level  
in practice.

How Rolls-Royce manages risk
We use a framework which aligns with international standards for managing risk. This sets out requirements across the organisation for all  
categories of risk, including climate, finance, legal and operations, as well as providing guidance and tools. Everyone at Rolls-Royce has a role 
to play in identifying and managing risks, but the Board (aided by its Committees) is ultimately accountable. An independent, central enterprise 
risk management team supports the divisions and functions in their effective management of risk.

Define

Risks are identified by individuals across all divisions and functions and at 
different layers of the organisation by considering what could stop us 
achieving our strategic, operational or compliance objectives or impact 
the sustainability of our business model (described on pages 14 and 15).

Quantify

Risk owners assess the likelihood of a risk materialising and the impact  
if it does, taking into account current mitigating control activities.

Control and 
assure

Risk owners consider the effectiveness of current mitigating control  
activities, supported by different assurance providers (detailed in the 
principal risk tables from pages 52 to 57). 

Respond

Risk owners identify where additional activities may be needed to bring 
the risk within appetite. A judgement is made by assessing the Group’s 
ability to reduce the impact of risks that do materialise and ensure the costs 
of operating particular controls are proportionate to the benefit provided. 

Monitor, review 
and report

Risk owners report their assessment of the current risk status and action 
plans to divisions, functions and other review forums (including the  
Executive Team, Board and Board Committee meetings) as needed  
depending on the nature of the risk, for support, challenge and oversight.

Continuous improvement
We  regularly  benchmark  the  risk  
framework through active participation 
in industry groups and against best 
practice risk standards. Progress made 
in 2023 includes further embedding 
risk considerations in the investment 
committee decision-making process 
and five-year planning process.

We also made improvements to how 
we define, document and operate 
controls  (e.g.  for  the  safety  and  
compliance principal risks). This is a 
key part of how we mitigate risk and 
keep  within  appetite,  alongside  
assurance so we know the mitigation 
is effective. A risk and its mitigation is 
continually evaluated in response to 
external or internal factors changing 
the nature of the risk and how we  
manage it� 

50

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

PRINCIPAL RISKS

Emerging risks
In a fast-changing world, it is getting harder to predict the future in 
time to make decisions and act early enough to deal with unexpected, 
disruptive events. Rolls-Royce has processes in place to identify  
emerging risks, including: 

 — divisional risk identification;

 — regulatory and compliance horizon scanning, including requirements 

relating to climate change;

 — geopolitical horizon scanning and risk identification;

 — new technologies horizon scanning;

 — analysis of external emerging risk information; and

 — strategic risk identification.

Outputs  are  assessed  to  identify  any  potential  new  impacts  on  
Rolls-Royce. Where we do identify items, these are captured by either  
recording a new risk or amending an existing risk and managing this in 
accordance with the framework described on page 50, or added to an 
emerging risk watch list to monitor and/or investigate further. 

The  Board  consider  an  annual  summary  of  emerging  risks  and  
management’s response. In 2023, we concluded that known significant 
risk trends are deteriorating simultaneously; in particular the effects 
of climate change, geopolitical conflict and tensions, the pace of  
technological advancements, and global economic constraints and 
their knock-on effect on society. This evolution has been reflected in 
the revised approach to principal risk interdependencies, shown in the 
diagram below.

We added two risks to the emerging risk watch list this year arising from 
external geopolitical tensions: the possibility of national power outages 
and an attack on physical infrastructure. Technology risk has also now 
been split out from the previously reported competitive environment 
risk, expanding it into a separate opportunity risk driver (see the table 
on page 57 for details).  

Read more about our strategy  
on pages 10 to 12

Principal risks
The Board confirms that it has assessed and monitored the Group’s 
principal risks throughout the year, in accordance with the 2018 UK 
Corporate Governance Code. 

Changes to the principal risks profile in 2023
We continue to review our principal risks, their evolving nature and 
how well they are managed. In November 2023, the principal risk  
profile was refreshed to ensure it reflects where risks could impact the 
organisation in light of the strategic review. This resulted in a number 
of changes to our principal risks. 

 — Transformation  has  been  replaced  with  a  strategy  risk,  which  
incorporates the old transformation risk as well as elements of the 
previous competitive environment risk. 

 — Execution  replaces  elements  of  the  previous  competitive  

environment risk .

 — Technology is now a separate principal risk, whereas previously  

it was captured under the competitive environment risk. 

 — Information & data risk includes the previous cyber risk but has been 

expanded to include physical as well as digital data.

 — Business continuity risk is now called business interruption. 

As part of this, we also looked at risk interdependencies, categorising 
principal risks as either a ‘pillar’ or a ‘driver’, with drivers being those 
risks that could cause one or more risk pillars to happen and/or make 
them  worse  if  they  do.  The  diagram  below  shows  how  the  risks  
interconnect, with the crosses showing the interdependencies which 
will be a focus as part of our risk management and oversight in 2024. 
More information on each of the risks can be found in the tables  
starting on page 52. 

Principal risks are owned by one or more members of the Executive 
Team and subject to a review at an Executive Team meeting at least 
once each year, before a review by the Board or a Board Committee. 
Risks are managed against risk appetite (i.e. how much risk we are 
prepared to accept or be exposed to) as a mechanism for making  
decisions for how risks are managed and the actions needed to  
mitigate them. 

Principal risk interdependencies – pillars and drivers

Principal risk pillars

Safety
Product & 
people

Compliance
With law & 
regulations

Strategy 

Execution

Business 
interruption

Principal risk drivers

Climate change

Information & data

✖

✖

Market shock 
Financial shock

Political

Talent & capability

Technology

✖

✖

✖
✖

✖

✖

✖

✖

✖

✖

✖

✖
✖

✖

✖

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

51

STRATEGIC REPORTPRINCIPAL RISKS

Changes in overall risk levels
The overall risk profile has remained broadly stable. Where we have developed our strategy (as described on pages 10 to 12) and associated short 
to medium-term plans, the related risks have reduced accordingly. Successfully managing these risks will help us to achieve our goal of being a 
high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing business.

The following tables detail the current principal risk pillars and drivers, together with how we manage them, how we assure them (in addition to 
internal audit), the oversight provided by the Board and/or its Committees and how the risk levels have changed over the course of the year.

PRINCIPAL RISKS – PILLARS

Change in risk level: 

 Increased 

 Static 

 Decreased

Safety  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

Product: Failure to provide safe products

People: Failure to create a place to work which minimises 
the risk of harm to our people, those who work with us, 
and  the  environment,  would  adversely  affect  our  
reputation and long-term sustainability

Product: 
 — Our product safety management system includes controls designed to reduce 
our safety risks as far as is reasonably practicable and to meet or exceed relevant 
company, legal, regulatory and industry requirements

 — We verify and approve product design
 — We test adherence to quality standards during manufacturing
 — We validate conformance to specification for our own products and those of our 

suppliers

 — We mandate safety awareness training
 — We use engine health monitoring to provide early warning of product issues
 — We take out relevant and appropriate insurance

People: 
 — Our HSE management system includes activities and controls designed to reduce 
our safety risks as far as is reasonably practicable and to meet or exceed relevant 
company, legal, regulatory and industry requirements

 — We reinforce our journey to zero harm
 — We use our crisis management framework

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee

 — Our role in society
 — Our business model drivers
 — Our uniqueness

Product
 — Product safety assurance team
 — Product safety board
 — Technical product lifecycle audits

People
 — Safety case interventions
 — HSE audit team

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

No overall change in risk status. 

As part of transformation, we are bringing together engineering technology and safety into one organisation, ET&S, with product safety  
at its heart (see page 9). 

People safety related metrics can be found on pages 44 to 45. 

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ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS

PRINCIPAL RISKS – PILLARS CONTINUED

Change in risk level: 

 Increased 

 Static 

 Decreased

Compliance  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

Non-compliance by the Group with legislation or other 
regulatory  requirements  in  the  heavily  regulated  
environment in which we operate (e.g. export controls; 
data privacy; use of controlled chemicals and substances; 
anti-bribery and corruption; human rights; and tax and 
customs legislation). This could affect our ability to conduct 
business in certain jurisdictions and would potentially 
expose us to: reputational damage; financial penalties; 
debarment from government contracts for a period of 
time; and suspension of export privileges (including export 
credit financing), each of which could have a material 
adverse effect. 

 — We continuously develop and communicate a comprehensive suite of mandatory 

policies and processes and controls throughout the Group

 — We undertake third-party due diligence
 — We encourage, facilitate and investigate speak up cases
 — We investigate potential regulatory matters
 — Our financial control framework activities are designed to reduce financial  

reporting and fraud risks

 — We classify data to meet internal and external requirements and standards

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Compliance teams
 — Financial controls team

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Board
 — Nominations, Culture &  
Governance Committee

 — Audit Committee

No overall change in risk status. Read more about ethics and compliance on page 49.

Strategy  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

 — Our business model drivers

Failure to develop an optimal strategy and continuously 
evolve  it, investing  in  key  areas  for  performance  
improvement and growth (taking into account risk reward), 
making difficult decisions for competitive advantage and 
the right portfolio and partnership choices, could result 
in  us  underperforming  against  our  competitors  and  
significantly reduce our ability to build a high-performing, 
competitive, resilient and growing company. 

 — We run a rigorous strategic review process
 — We benchmark our capabilities and performance against our competitors,  

the market and other external metrics

 — We align our R&D spend to our strategy, with a smaller, more focused portfolio 
 — We make investment choices to improve the quality, delivery and durability of our 

existing products and services 

 — We scan the horizon for competitive threats and opportunities, including  

patent searches 

 — We invest in R&D opportunities to support the development of new products or 

services to protect and sustain our future market 

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Group strategy team
 — Challenge from external advisers

 — Board

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Our business model drivers

This risk replaces transformation as well as part of the previous competitive environment risk and covers the development of the Group’s 
strategy. It has reduced following completion of our strategic review which included a robust assessment of the competitive environment, 
agreement on priorities and changing how the organisation operates to enable execution.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

53

STRATEGIC REPORT 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS

PRINCIPAL RISKS – PILLARS CONTINUED

Change in risk level: 

 Increased 

 Static 

 Decreased

Execution  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

Failure to deliver as One Rolls-Royce on short to medium-
term financial plans, including efficient and effective 
delivery of quality products, services and programmes, 
or falling significantly short of customer expectations, 
would  reduce  our  resilience  and  have potentially  
significant  adverse  financial  and reputational  
consequences, including the risk of impairment of the 
carrying value of the Group’s intangible assets and the  
impact of potential litigation.  

 — We robustly performance manage our operational execution and monitor  

performance against plans 

 — We keep control of costs with rigorous budgeting 
 — We review product lifecycles 
 — We protect our intellectual property (e.g. through patents) 
 — We include inflation clauses in our contracts to manage cost increases 
 — We work closely with our suppliers, driving tighter management of lead times 

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Executive Team monitoring of execution

 — Board
 — Investment committee

 — Our business model drivers

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

This risk replaces part of the previous competitive environment risks and covers delivery of strategic initiatives, including existing product 
delivery and improving performance, together with the associated financial plans.  

Although progress has been made (as we have articulated how we plan to monitor strategy execution from 2024 and introduced more robust 
monitoring of in-flight projects and programmes) we have held the risk level unchanged as we have yet to commence execution and monitoring. 

We are in the process of identifying and describing any new and changed risks arising from strategy development and execution, in addition 
to introducing new mitigations including zero-based budgeting. 

Business interruption  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

A major disruption of our operations and ability to deliver 
our products, services and programmes could have an 
adverse  impact  on  our  people,  internal  facilities  or  
external supply chain which could result in failure to meet 
agreed customer commitments and damage our prospects 
of winning future orders. 

Disruption could be caused by a range of events such as 
extreme weather or natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes or 
floods) which could increase in severity or frequency given 
the impact of climate change; political events; financial 
insolvency of a critical supplier; scarcity of materials; loss 
of data; fire; or infectious disease. 

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

 — We invest in capacity, equipment and facilities, dual sources of supply and  

in researching alternative materials 

 — We provide supplier finance in partnership with banks to enable our suppliers  

to access funds at low interest rates 

 — We hold buffer stock 
 — We  plan  and  practice  IT  disaster  recovery,  business  continuity  and  crisis  

management exercises 

 — We undertake supplier due diligence 
 — We take out relevant and appropriate insurance 

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Investment reviews
 — Supplier strategy and sourcing reviews
 — Group security and resilience team

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Audit Committee

 — Our business model drivers

This risk replaces business continuity and remains high due to the external threat landscape, such as geopolitical instability disrupting  
supply or demand. A description of how we manage supply chain disruption risk can be found on page 13.

54

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS

PRINCIPAL RISKS – DRIVERS

Change in risk level: 

 Increased 

 Static 

 Decreased

Climate change  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

Failure  to  become  a  net  zero  company  by  2050,  
leveraging technology to transition from carbon intensive 
products and services at pace could impact our ability to 
win future business; achieve operating results; attract and 
retain talent; secure access to funding; realise future growth 
opportunities;  or  force  government  intervention  to  
limit emissions�

In addition, physical risks from extreme weather events 
(and/or natural hazards) could potentially materialise, which 
may result in disruption.

See pages 38 to 40 for more detail on key climate change 
risks and their impact.

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

 — We invest in reducing carbon impact of existing products and zero carbon  

technologies to replace our existing products

 — Performance of climate scenario modelling and physical risk impact assessments
 — We balance our portfolio of products, customers and revenue streams to reduce 
our dependence on any one product, customer or carbon emitting fuel source
 — Communication of the actions we are taking to manage this risk, in order  
to demonstrate our alignment to societal expectations and global climate goals

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Strategy reviews
 — Technology reviews
 — Investment reviews
 — Group sustainability team
 — Climate steering committee

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Board and its Committees
 — Executive Team and its committees

 — Our role in society
 — Our business model drivers
 — Our uniqueness

This risk currently remains unchanged. Our intention is to complete a comprehensive review of our sustainability, energy transition and climate 
related strategy, including redefining group level targets in 2024. See page 32 for details. 

Information & data  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

Failure to protect the integrity and availability of data, 
both physical and digital, from attempts to cause us harm, 
such as through a cyber attack. Potential impacts include 
hindering data driven decision making, disrupting internal 
business operations and services for customers, or a data 
breach, all of which could damage our reputation, reduce 
resilience, and cause financial loss.   

Causes include ransomware threats, unauthorised access 
to property or systems for the extraction, corruption, 
destruction of data, or availability of access to critical data 
and intellectual property.

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

 — We deploy web gateways, filtering, firewalls, intrusion, advanced persistent threat 

detectors and integrated reporting

 — We test software
 — Application  of  our  crisis  management  framework  to  govern  our  response  

to potential cyber security incidents and significant IT disruption

 — We restrict access to our systems and locations

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Group cyber security team and security 

 — Audit Committee

operations centre

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Our business model drivers
 — Our uniqueness

This risk replaces the previous cyber threat risk and now includes physical data as well as digital. The risk remains high due to factors  
including  the  ongoing  evolution  of  data  security  threats  as  well  as  increasing  demands  for  additional  data  (e.g.  to  meet  
compliance requirements). 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

55

STRATEGIC REPORT 
 
 
 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS

PRINCIPAL RISKS – DRIVERS CONTINUED

Change in risk level: 

 Increased 

 Static 

 Decreased

Market & financial shock  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

The Group is exposed to market and financial risks, some 
of which are of a macro-economic nature (e.g. economic 
growth rates, foreign currency, oil price and interest rates) 
and some of which are more specific to us (e.g. reduction 
in air travel or defence spending, disruption to other  
customer operations, liquidity and credit risks).

Significant extraneous market events could also materially 
damage our competitiveness and/or creditworthiness and 
our ability to access funding. This would affect operational 
results or the outcomes of financial transactions.

Demand for our products and services could be adversely 
affected by factors such as current and predicted air  
traffic, fuel prices and age/replacement rates of customer 
fleets. A large proportion of our business is reliant on the 
civil aviation industry, which is cyclical in nature.

 — We monitor trends, market demand and future market forecasts and make  

investment choices to maximise the related opportunities 

 — We incorporate trends, demand and other dependencies in our financial forecasts
 — We balance our portfolio with the sale of OE and aftermarket services, providing 
a broad product range and addressing diverse markets that have differing  
business cycles

 — We execute our short, medium and long-term plans
 — Our financial control framework activities are designed to reduce financial  

reporting risks

 — We  analyse  currency  and  credit  exposures  and  include  in-sourcing  and  

funding decisions

 — We develop, review and communicate treasury policies that are designed to hedge 
residual risks using financial derivatives (covering foreign exchange, interest rates 
and commodity price risk)

 — We raise finance through debt and equity programmes
 — We hedge with reference to volatility in external financial markets

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Five-year and strategic planning process
 — Strategy reviews
 — Technology reviews 

 — Board
 — Audit Committee

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Our business model drivers

Overall, this risk has remained the same. The external environment is increasingly uncertain, with ongoing inflation and high interest, the 
possibility of a recession in the short term across one of more countries and market volatility following elections (see political risk above). 
However, improvements made across the Group and strategic plans in place means that we are in a good position to manage this volatility,  
as described more on page 13.

Political  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

Geopolitical factors leading to an unfavourable business 
climate and significant tensions between major trading 
parties or blocs could impact our strategy, execution, 
resilience,  safety  and  compliance.  Examples  include 
changes  in  key  political  relationships  explicit  trade  
protectionism,  differing  tax  or  regulatory  regimes,  
potential for conflict or broader political issues and  
heightened political tensions.

 — We develop Group and country strategies and consider associated dependencies
 — We horizon scan for political implications and dependencies
 — We include diversification considerations in our investment and procurement 

choices

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Strategy reviews
 — Technology reviews
 — Supplier sourcing teams
 — Government relations teams

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Board

 — Our role in society
 — Our business model drivers

This risk has increased throughout the year, due to external factors including (but not limited to) the recent instability in the Middle East, plus 
upcoming elections that could increase geopolitical tensions, depending on the outcome. 

56

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS

PRINCIPAL RISKS – DRIVERS CONTINUED

Change in risk level: 

 Increased 

 Static 

 Decreased

Talent & capability  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

Failure to create a company where our people can build 
a successful career with better choices for development 
and personal growth will hinder our ability to identify, 
attract, retain and apply the critical capabilities and skills 
needed  in  appropriate  numbers  for  the  successful  
execution of our business strategy.

 — We have implemented a new performance management framework to manage 

and reward our staff

 — We undertake succession planning and monitor the talent pipeline
 — We survey employee opinion
 — We develop, implement and review strategic resourcing plans
 — We are investing in our learning culture and people’s development

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — People leadership team

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

 — Nominations, Culture &  
Governance Committee

 — Our business model drivers
 — Our uniqueness

This risk was high in 2022 due to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and has remained high this year due to our current transformation 
programme. There have been some year-on-year improvements in agreed key measures and improvement plans in place for others. As part 
of our new strategy, we are investing in our learning and skills culture, challenging the way leaders lead whilst managing and rewarding  
performance and dealing with poor performance.

People related metrics, including on retention and learning and development, can be found on pages 44 to 48.

Technology  

PRINCIPAL RISK DESCRIPTION

CONTROLS AND MITIGATING ACTIONS

Failure to become a digitally enabled business using tools 
including AI could hinder our ability to enhance the  
customer experience, drive the transition to lower carbon, 
accelerate product design, improve manufacturing and 
empower  our  people  with  new  tools  to  improve  
productivity, as well as preventing us from creating new 
growth opportunities.

 — Investment in R&D opportunities
 — We scan the horizon for emerging technology threats and opportunities

ASSUR ANCE ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

OVERSIGHT FORUM(S)

BUSINESS MODEL

 — Disruptive technology horizon 

 — Safety, Energy Transition & Tech 

scanning process
 — Strategy reviews
 — Investment reviews
 — Technology reviews

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN 2023?

Committee 

 — Our role in society
 — Our business model drivers
 — Our uniqueness

Disruptive technology, as a threat (previously part of the competitive environment risk), was one of the primary considerations in setting 
strategy and is now a key element of the strategic initiatives. This has been reframed following both the strategy reviews and outputs of the 
horizon scanning exercise described on page 51. We will continue to develop and evaluate this newly expanded risk. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

57

STRATEGIC REPORT 
 
 
 
 
Going concern and viability statements

Going concern statement
Overview
In accordance with the requirements of the 2018 UK Corporate  
Governance Code, the Directors have assessed the prospects of the 
Group, taking into account its current position, the Group’s principal 
risks which are described on pages 50 to 57, and the Group’s mid-term 
forecasts that considered a range of internal and external factors as 
part of the strategic review to support setting the Group’s new mid-term 
targets which are set out on pages 8 to 12.

The Strategic Report on pages 3 to 15 sets out the activities of the 
Group  and  the  factors  likely  to  impact  its  future  development,  
performance and position. The Group’s updated mid-term targets are 
set out on page 12�

The Financial Review on pages 19 to 31 sets out the financial position 
of the Group, its cash flows, liquidity position and the Group’s capital 
framework. The notes to the accounts include the objectives, policies 
and procedures over financial risk management including financial 
instruments and hedging activities, exposure to credit risk, liquidity 
risk, interest rate risk and commodity price risk.

In adopting the going concern basis for preparing the consolidated 
and Company financial statements, the Directors have undertaken a 
review of the Group’s cash flow forecasts and available liquidity, along 
with consideration of possible risks and uncertainties over an 18-month 
period from the date of this report to August 2025. The Directors have 
determined that an 18-month period is an appropriate timeframe over 
which to assess going concern as it considers the Group’s short to 
medium-term cash flow forecasts and available liquidity. 

Forecasts
Recognising the challenges of reliably estimating and forecasting the 
impact of external factors on the Group, the Directors have considered 
two forecasts in their assessment of going concern, along with a  
likelihood assessment of these forecasts. The base case forecast reflects 
the Directors current expectations of future trading. A stressed  
downside forecast has also been modelled which envisages a ‘stressed’ 
or ‘downside’ situation that is considered severe but plausible. Both 
forecasts have been modelled over an 18-month period.

Industry forecasts predict a return to 2019 large engine flying levels 
in  2024,  which  is  reflected  in  the  Group’s  base  case  forecast.  
Macro-economic assumptions have been modelled using externally 
available data based on the most likely forecasts with general inflation 
at around 2%-3%, wage inflation at an average of 3%-5%, interest rates 
at around 3%-4% and GDP growth at around 2%-3%. 

The stressed downside forecast assumes Civil Aerospace large engine 
flying hours remain at average fourth quarter 2023 levels throughout 
the 18-month period to August 2025, reflecting slower GDP growth in 
this forecast when compared with the base case. It also assumes a more 
pessimistic view of general inflation at around 1%-2% higher than the 
base  case  covering  a  broad  range  of  costs  including  energy,  
commodities and jet fuel. Wage inflation in the stressed downside is 
1%-5% higher than the base case and interest rates in the stressed 
downside are 1%-2% higher than the base case. These macro-economic 
pressures have been modelled across the whole going concern period. 
The stressed downside also considers lower demand as a result of slower 
market  growth,  and  potential  output  risks  associated  with  
increasing volumes and possible ongoing supply chain challenges.

The future impact of climate change on the Group has been considered 
through climate scenarios. The climate scenarios modelled do not have 
a material impact on either the base case or stressed downside forecast 
over the 18-month period to August 2025. Further detail on these climate 
scenarios is set out on page 39.

Liquidity and borrowings 
During 2023, the Group cancelled a £1bn undrawn UKEF-supported 
loan facility that was due to mature in March 2026 and a £1bn undrawn 
bank loan facility due to mature in January 2024. The £2.5bn undrawn 
revolving credit facility that was due to mature in April 2025 was  
refinanced in November 2023 with the new facility having a term of 
three years with the banks having the option to extend with two  
one-year extension options (3+1+1). 

At 31 December 2023, the Group had liquidity of £7.2bn including cash 
and  cash  equivalents  of  £3.7bn  and  undrawn  facilities  of  
£3.5bn. The 18-month going concern period includes the maturity of 
a €550m bond repayable in May 2024 which we do not intend to  
refinance given the Group’s cash and liquidity position, our assessment 
of the Group’s cash flow forecasts and available liquidity over the  
18-month period. 

Based on borrowing facilities available at the date of this report the 
Group’s  committed  borrowing  facilities  at  31  December  2023  
and 31 August 2025 are set out below. None of the facilities are  
subject to any financial covenants or rating triggers which could  
accelerate repayment�

(£m)
Issued bond notes 1
UKEF £1bn loan (undrawn) 2
Revolving credit facility (undrawn) 3
Total committed borrowing facilities

31 December 
2023
3,995
1,000
2,500
7,495

31 August 
2025
3,511
1,000
2,500
7,011

1  The value of Issued bond notes reflects the impact of derivatives on repayments of the 

principal amount of debt. The bonds mature by May 2028

2  The £1bn UKEF sustainability-linked loan matures in September 2027 (currently undrawn)
3  The refinanced £2.5bn revolving credit facility matures in November 2026 (currently 

undrawn)

Taking into account the maturity of these borrowing facilities, the Group 
has committed facilities of at least £7bn available throughout the period 
to 31 August 2025. The next debt maturity is a $1bn bond that is due to 
be repaid in October 2025, which is outside the 18-month going  
concern period. 

Conclusion
After reviewing the current liquidity position and the cash flow forecasts 
modelled under both the base case and stressed downside, the  
Directors consider that the Group has sufficient liquidity to continue 
in operational existence for a period of at least 18 months from the date 
of this report and are therefore satisfied that it is appropriate to adopt 
the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the consolidated 
and company financial statements.

Viability statement 
The viability assessment considers liquidity over a longer period than 
the going concern assessment. The downside forecast uses the same 
assumptions as the going concern assessment for the first 18 months 
and in 2026 to 2028 assumes a slower recovery than assumed in the 
base case�

Consistent with previous years, the Directors have assessed viability 
over a five-year period which is in line with the Group’s five-year  
planning process. The Directors continue to believe that this is the most 
appropriate time period to consider as, inevitably, the degree of  
certainty reduces over any longer period.

Severe but plausible scenarios have been modelled that estimate the 
potential  impact  of  the  Group’s  principal  risks  arising  over  the  
assessment period (descriptions of the principal risks and the controls 
in place to mitigate them can be found on pages 50 to 57). The risks 
chosen and scenarios used are as shown in the table on page 59.

58

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

GOING CONCERN AND VIABILITY STATEMENTS

The cash flow impacts of these scenarios were overlaid on the five-year 
forecast to assess how the Group’s liquidity would be affected.

The scenarios assume an appropriate management response to the 
specific event which could be undertaken and also consider specific 
activities to improve liquidity such as raising additional funds, reducing 
expenditure and divesting parts of our business.

only  committed  and  essential  levels,  reducing  or  eliminating  
discretionary spend, reinstating pay deferrals, raising additional 
funds through debt or equity raises, executing disposals and  
undertaking further restructuring) would be taken on a timely basis.

This assessment is based on debt maturities over the assessment period 
as follows:

Reverse stress testing has also been performed to assess the severity 
of scenarios that would have to occur to exceed liquidity headroom. 
The assumptions used in these stress tests were not considered  
plausible, as shown in the table below.

a�  €550m bond maturing in 2024

b�  $1bn bond maturing in 2025

c�  £2.5bn revolving credit facility maturing in 2026 *

On the basis described above, the Directors confirm that there is a 
reasonable expectation that the Group will be able to continue in  
operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the next five years. 

In making this statement, the Directors have made the following  
key assumptions:

1�  the Group continues to have access to its current undrawn facilities 
or the ability to obtain equivalent alternative sources of finance;

2�  that implausible scenarios do not occur. Implausible scenarios include 
either  multiple  risks  impacting  at  the  same  time  or  where  
management actions do not mitigate an individual risk to the degree 
assumed; and

3�  that in the event of one or more risks occurring (which has a  
particularly severe effect on the Group) all potential actions (such 
as but not limited to restricting capital and other expenditure to 

d.  €750m bond maturing in 2026

e�  £375m bond maturing in 2026

f.  £1bn UKEF loan maturing in 2027 *

g�  $1bn bond maturing in 2027

h�  £545m bond maturing in 2027

i�  €550m bond maturing in 2028

The Group believes it has the early warning mechanisms to identify the 
need for such actions and, as demonstrated by our decisive actions 
over the course of the pandemic, has the ability to implement them on 
a timely basis if necessary.

*  Currently undrawn facilities

PRINCIPAL RISK

SCENARIO ASSUMPTIONS AND IMPACTS

Safety (product)

Civil Aerospace product safety event resulting in aircraft being grounded, lower engine flying hour revenues,  
commercial penalties and additional costs (e.g. unplanned shop visits). The grounding time and number of shop visits 
required to exceed headroom are considered remote.

Compliance

Execution 
(previously 
competitive 
environment)

Business 
interruption 
(previously 
business 
continuity)

Climate change

Information & 
data (previously 
cyber)

Market & 
financial shock

Political

A compliance breach resulting in fines (greater than those agreed as part of our DPAs) and loss of new business with 
governments and state-owned companies. The probability of triggering the size of fine required to exceed headroom 
is considered remote.

A programme issue on a major programme of the same (proportionate) scale as Trent 1000. The extent to which engine 
life would need to be impacted to breach headroom is considered remote.

The loss of a key element of our supply chain resulting in an inability to fulfil Civil Aerospace large engine orders for  
12 months. Reverse stress testing would require the time over which orders could not be fulfilled to be extended beyond 
what is considered plausible.

Transition risk from our 1.5c TCFD scenario where we receive lower revenues from existing Civil Aerospace and Power 
Systems products coupled with a business interruption at one of our facilities. The extent of time to over which orders 
cannot be fulfilled in order to breach headroom is considered not plausible.

A cyber-attack resulting in loss and corruption of data and resulting in business disruption, loss of EFHs, compliance 
concerns due to disclosure of data and potentially trigger debarment from government contracts. The time period over 
which EFHs would need to be affected to breach headroom is not considered plausible.

Civil Aerospace EFH remain flat at 2023 levels across the first 18 months, reduction in GDP impacts Defence and Power 
Systems fail to secure new business opportunities. The extent of additional EFH reductions necessary to breach  
headroom was considered not plausible, given this would require EFHs to drop to a quarter of the planned levels, being 
significantly below the levels seen in the pandemic.

Sanctions imposed between major trading blocs resulting in supply chain disruption and a loss of sales in impacted 
markets. Reverse stress testing showed that sanctions would need to persist over a period of time beyond what is  
considered plausible.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

59

STRATEGIC REPORTStakeholder engagement

Consistent communication with stakeholders is a priority for the Group leadership. The Board and Executive Team maintain regular touchpoints 
with stakeholders to remain updated on their views and interests. The points identified through this engagement influence Board decision  
making and long-term strategy.

REFERENCE

   See page 44 
People and 
Culture

   See page 78 
Nominations, 
Culture & 
Governance 
Committee 
report

STAKEHOLDER

ENGAGEMENT

People

The Directors recognise that the success of our business depends on attracting,  
retaining and motivating talented people. The Directors consider and assess the  
implications of decisions on our people, where relevant and feasible. 

During 2023, our Employee Champions, Bev Goulet and Wendy Mars, continued to 
represent the voice of our people in the boardroom. The activities of the Employee 
Champions during 2023 and opportunities for further engagement in 2024 were discussed 
at the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee, which itself was changed from 
the Nominations & Governance Committee to provide a forum for the Board’s oversight 
of the Group’s culture. The Employee Champions provide regular feedback to Board 
members on topics of interest and/or concern. This provides a valuable link between 
our people and the Board. The Employee Champions continue to meet regularly with 
the employee stakeholder engagement committee, which provides support for their 
activities. In 2023, the Employee Champions had an engagement schedule of on-site 
and hybrid engagement activities which included virtual sessions with the global  
inclusion network chairs, inclusion champions and the people leadership team. Site 
visits included Bristol, UK and Washington, US.

Our Meet the Board event enabled around 60 colleagues to talk to the Board in an 
informal setting. Questions this year related to the transformation programme, workplace 
inclusivity and the Board’s personal experiences. The Board was taken through the 
refreshed flagship employee wellbeing initiative LiveWell which was relaunched in 2023 
to provide more tailored and extensive support to our people and to embed this within 
the culture of the Group. Our 2023 employee engagement survey had a record  
participation rate, identifying our strengths in progress and commitment to care and 
quality  and  our  crowdsourcing  activity  invited  employee  views  on  our  purpose  
and culture. 

We believe that these methods of engagement with our people are effective in building 
and maintaining trust and communication whilst providing our people with a forum to 
influence change in relation to matters that affect them. Many of our people are also 
our shareholders and we encourage their participation in a variety of share plans.  
During 2023, the Remuneration Committee has discussed and supported the launch of 
a new global all-employee share plan, better aligned with the all-employee share plan 
strategy, focused on business performance and supporting the transformation programme.

Customers

The Board recognises that the quality of the Group’s customer relationships is based on 
mutual trust as well as our engineering expertise. We recognise that we must retain and 
strengthen our focus on the transition to a net zero carbon global economy by creating 
the sustainable power that our customers require.

   See page 3 
Our divisions

We continue to focus on helping our customers deliver their own sustainability agendas. 
During 2023, the Chief Executive and members of the Executive Team engaged with 
customers at the Paris and Dubai airshows and communicated our achievements  
regarding UltraFan and the compatibility of our products with 100% SAF. The Board 
regularly receives operational updates, including customer metrics and feedback, across 
all the divisions. This greatly influences the Board’s deliberations and its support for the 
Executive Team when considering our strategy. The Chair and Chief Executive continued 
to meet with key customers during 2023. 

Suppliers 
and partners

The interests of both our suppliers and partners are regularly considered as part of the 
Board’s discussions on manufacturing strategy and when reviewing specific projects.

The Board supports our Executive Team who work collaboratively with our suppliers and 
partners to continue to improve operational performance through various means. The 
Board continued to receive updates from the businesses on supplier performance and 
supply chain disruption. One of our Non-Executive Directors attended a global aviation 
industry event in 2023 and the Chief Executive engaged with leaders from across the 
industry, including attending an event with the Aerospace, Security and Defence  
Industries Association of Europe.

   See page 6 
Chief 
Executive’s 
Review

60

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

STAKEHOLDER

ENGAGEMENT

Communities

The Board recognises the importance of our communities and understands that  
everything we do can have an impact on our local and global communities.

REFERENCE

   See page 44 
People and 
Culture

The Group’s charitable contributions and sponsorships committee continued to identify 
causes for donation and partnership. During 2023, this included emergency financial 
support in response to the earthquake in Turkey and funding the Unnati Scholarships 
which support 50 girls annually to pursue engineering degrees in India. The Group 
supports education and skills development through STEM outreach programmes. This 
included sponsorship of the UK’s 2023 Big Bang Fair and projects with expert partners 
in South East Asia, China, Germany, India and Japan. Additionally, the Group entered 
into the Defence Aviation Charter with the UK RAF and the Board received updates on 
the Group’s engagement during COP28 in the UAE. 

Governing 
bodies and 
regulators

The Board recognises the importance of governments and regulators as stakeholders. 
Not only are governments across the world customers but they also support the Group’s 
investment in infrastructure and technology. 

   See page 3 
Our divisions

During 2023, the Chair and Chief Executive held meetings with ministers and senior 
officials on topics including the Atlantic Declaration, AUKUS and the SMR programme. 
Following the division of the BEIS Department, the Board engaged with and briefed the 
new post-holders on the Group’s strategy and performance. The Board is updated on 
engagement with tax authorities and the related regulatory landscape. The General 
Counsel provides regular updates to the Board on compliance with regulation.

   See page 10 
Strategy

   See page 84 
Remuneration 
Committee 
report

Investors

The investor relations team is the key interface between the investment community and 
the Board, providing frequent dialogue and feedback. 

The Chair and members of the Board make themselves available to meet with institutional 
investors and seek to understand and prioritise the issues that matter most. In addition, 
the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer, supported by members of the Executive 
Team and investor relations, interact regularly with investors, most notably after our 
financial results, capital markets events, site visits and at conferences. 

In November 2023, the Group held its first CMD since the pandemic, at which the Chief 
Executive set out the progress of the transformation programme so far and shared with 
investors the results of the rigorous and detailed strategic review that had been carried 
out during 2023. The CMD was attended by more than 150 guests in person and  
broadcast live. The event included Executive Team presentations, investor Q&As and 
expo sessions highlighting the capabilities of the Group. Investor interest with the  
transformation programme has resulted in greater engagement with the Group  
during 2023.

Throughout 2023, the Remuneration Committee Chair and Governance Team engaged 
with shareholders and proxy advisers on remuneration proposals ahead of the 2024 
AGM at which shareholders will consider our revised remuneration policy.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

61

STRATEGIC REPORTSTAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Section 172 and our transformation programme
With the transformation programme guiding decision making in 2023, 
our section 172 (s172) statement below sets out how the Directors have 
discharged their s172 duty alongside Group-wide reform. 

All of our Directors are briefed on their Companies Act 2006 duties 
during their induction. The Directors have ensured their duties under 
s172  noted  below  have  been  considered  with  regards  to  the  
transformation programme:

The transformation programme seeks to realign the Group’s values and 
purpose to create long-term business success and the Board recognises 
that effective engagement with our stakeholders is essential to create 
value for them. The Board acknowledges its responsibility to all the 
Group’s different but interrelated stakeholder groups and wider  
society and recognises their role in shaping and supporting our  
transformation programme for the long term. 

a�  the likely consequences of any decision in the long term;

b�  the interests of the Company’s employees;

c�  the need to foster the Company’s business relationships with  

suppliers, customers and others;

d.  the impact of the Company’s operations on the community and the 

environment;

This section should be read in conjunction with our stakeholder  
engagement section, see pages 60 and 61 and the Board’s focus which 
contains information on the principal decisions made by the Board over 
the year, see pages 75 and 76.

e�  the desirability of the Company maintaining a reputation for high 

standards of business conduct; and

f.  the need to act fairly between members of the Company.

S T R AT EGIC R E V IE W

Applicable s172 factors (a)-(f)

In considering the strategic review, the Board prioritised the long-term interests of all stakeholders. The Group’s revised investment  
priority is to focus on profitable opportunities in new technologies where the Group is differentiated, where the market size is sufficiently 
large and where there is a good fit and synergy with the Group’s existing activities. The decisions made will create enduring value for all 
stakeholders. Nonetheless, our people’s safety together with product and customer safety remains the Group’s core priority. 

Customers

Environment

Partners

The Group’s customers are seeking a 
solution integrated into a larger system 
more than just a product. The Group’s 
advantaged manufacturing expertise 
allows for the production of complex 
parts to exceptionally high specifications 
with high performance and reliability.

The Group is refocusing its portfolio 
choices into growing markets where the 
Group has a differentiated position, 
strong  customer  recognition  and  
excellent technology.

This allows us to effectively leverage 
our  expertise  into  next  generation  
technologies, including UltraFan and 
nuclear micro-reactors�

The Group is committed to becoming a 
net zero company by 2050 through 
pursuing lower carbon opportunities. 
We  support  our  customers  to  do  
the same. 

Within our Civil Aerospace and Defence 
divisions, integrating sustainable fuels 
can deliver 80% reduction in carbon 
emissions  compared  to  fossil  fuels.  
Powering Virgin Atlantic’s commercial 
transatlantic 100% SAF flight is evidence 
of this ambition.

Variants of our major Power Systems 
engine platforms can run on sustainable 
fuels such as HVO. We see hydrogen as 
a future solution for power generation.

SMRs and micro-reactors will be needed 
to decarbonise the grid.

In certain cases, the Group will pursue 
growth  through  partnerships  to 
strengthen existing market positions 
and  enter  new  markets.  The  Board 
evaluates opportunities which will allow 
for a mutual exchange of new skills and 
capability, as well as a reduction in 
capital investment.

Such partnerships could assist with a 
re-entry into the narrowbody market or 
development  of  battery  energy  
storage  systems,  where  we  have  
transferable capabilities.

Regarding Rolls-Royce SMR, the Group 
values  its  existing  partners  and  
welcomes  new  ones  to  assist  in  
delivering the overall solution.

62

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

E F F IC IE NC Y A ND S IMP L IF IC AT ION

Applicable s172 factors (a)(b)(c)(e)

A detailed review of the organisational design of the Group has identified synergies that can be harnessed from the One Rolls-Royce 
approach. The opportunity is being taken to right-size its cost base to deliver sustainable cost efficiencies across the whole Group. As part 
of this drive for simplification, the Group has brought its core technological expertise together with the introduction of the Group-wide 
ET&S business capability which will ensure alignment of standards and compliance.

Employees

Suppliers

The  Board  and  Executive  Team  significantly  increased  Group-wide  employee  
engagement during 2023. This included specific engagement following the decisions 
to reduce the number of roles across the Group by between 2,000 to 2,500 by the 
end of 2025 and an intention to exit Rolls-Royce Electrical. 

The Chief Executive held town halls throughout 2023. These were broadcast Group-
wide and included live Q&A sessions allowing for direct conversations with the Chief 
Executive and members of the Executive Team. More tailored sessions were held with 
individual members of the Executive Team, including inviting business groups across 
Germany to a One Rolls-Royce event in Berlin.

The Board has considered the interests of the Group’s employees as part of the  
transformation programme. Pursuing One Rolls-Royce seeks to ensure a Group-wide 
winning culture which empowers our people. The revised organisational design will 
limit duplication of tasks and encourage employee upskilling. 

The Group will significantly streamline 
how it works with suppliers. 

A  Group-wide  reorganisation  of  
procurement processes and supplier 
management was initiated as part of the 
transformation programme. This seeks 
to consolidate Group spend, leverage 
scale  and  develop  consistent  
best-in-class standards.

C OMME R C I A L OP T IMI S AT ION A ND W OR K ING C A P I TA L

Applicable s172 factors (a)(c)(e)(f)

The Group is bringing sharper commercial acumen and a more cost conscious culture to everything it does. Working capital is also a key 
focus in order to strengthen our balance sheet and improve returns on invested capital. By conducting a deep-dive into the operational 
value chain and addressing working capital in its component parts, the Board believes that there are sustainable improvements available. 
Building a profitable and sustainable business with a strong balance sheet will drive organisation-wide benefits, generate strong financial 
performance and create opportunities for all stakeholders.

Investors

Customers

Strengthening the balance sheet and achieving an investment grade credit profile 
through optimising working capital will deliver long-term benefits for our shareholders. 

Achieving this will enable the Group to better withstand volatility and external shocks 
and will provide greater financial flexibility in the future.

Once the Group is confident this has been achieved, it is committed to reinstating and 
growing shareholder distributions.

The transformation programme’s focus on the most profitable growth activities will 
drive shareholder value.

Pursuing  commercial  optimisation 
means  being  rewarded  by  our  
customers for the value our products 
bring and the risks we take.

Within Civil Aerospace, the Group is 
implementing  a  new  value-driven  
pricing strategy and addressing onerous 
and low margin contracts. The Group is 
also driving rigour on contractual terms 
and conditions.

In  Defence,  we  have  a  focus  on  
commercial optimisation and value-
pricing behaviours as we have in Civil 
Aerospace  and  we  are  prioritising  
investment in areas that benefit from 
increased customer funding. 

Strategic Report signed  
on behalf of the Board

Tufan Erginbilgic 
Chief Executive 
22 February 2024

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

63

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCE 
REPORT

Compliance with the Code ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 65

����Audit ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 80

Chair’s introduction �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 66

����Remuneration ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������84

Corporate governance �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 67

�������� Remuneration policy ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 88

Board of Directors ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 70

�������� 2023 remuneration report ����������������������������������������������������������������� 99

Executive Team ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������72

����Safety, Energy Transition & Tech ����������������������������������������������������������� 111

Committee reports �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������78

Responsibility statements ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 112

����Nominations, Culture & Governance ���������������������������������������������������78

64

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Compliance with the Code

C OMP L I A NC E W I T H T HE 20 18 UK C OR P OR AT E GOV E R N A NC E C ODE

The Company is subject to the principles and provisions of the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code), a copy of which is  
available at www.frc.org.uk. For the year ended 31 December 2023, the Board considers that it has applied the principles and complied in 
full with the provisions of the Code.

Board 
leadership and 
company 
purpose

 — Our Governance Report provides examples of our leadership and our Strategic Report 

sets out how we have engaged with our key stakeholders

 — Throughout  the  year,  the  Board  has  provided  oversight  of  the  Group-wide  

transformation programme

 — Following a review of its Board and Committee structure, the Safety, Energy Transition 
& Tech Committee was introduced and the remit of the Nominations, Culture &  
Governance Committee was refocused to include ethics and culture

 — The Safety, Ethics & Sustainability Committee and Science & Technology Committee 

held their last meetings in February 2023

   See page 60 
Stakeholder 
engagement

   See page 111 
Safety, Energy 
Transition & 
Tech Committee 
report

Division of
responsibilities

 — We clearly define the roles of the Chair and the Chief Executive and fully support the 

separation of the two roles

 — The  Board  believes  it  operates  effectively  with  the  appropriate  balance  of  

independent Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors

 — The Board regularly considers the time commitments of our Non-Executive Directors. 
Prior Board approval is required for any external appointments to ensure there is no 
conflict or compromise on their time

 — The quality of information and resources available to the Board has enabled us to 

operate effectively and efficiently throughout the year

   See page 70 
Board of 
Directors

   See page 78 
Nominations, 
Culture & 
Governance 
Committee 
report

Composition, 
succession  
and evaluation

 — The appointment process for our new Chief Financial Officer and new Non-Executive 
Directors was led by the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee. Further 
information on the appointments can be found on page 78

 — Our Board comprises a combination of broad skills, experience and knowledge
 — We have a clear process when considering appointments to the Board and operate 

   See page 70 
Board of 
Directors

   See page 73 
Board 
Composition

effective succession planning

 — In 2023, Manchester Square Partners carried out an external evaluation of the Board. 

The methodology and outcomes can be found on page 77

Audit, risk and 
internal control

 — We recognise the importance and benefits of ensuring the internal audit function and 

the external auditors remain independent

 — The Board presents a fair, balanced and understandable assessment of the Group’s 

   See page 80 
Audit Committee 
report

position and its prospects

 — Our risk and control environment is reviewed by the Audit Committee. The Board 
considered both emerging and principal risks during the year and held deep dive 
sessions where relevant

 — The Audit Committee also considers the information and data principal risk, including 

cyber risk, which forms part of the Committee’s review of business interruption

Remuneration

 — The  Remuneration  Committee,  comprising  only  Non-Executive  Directors,  
is responsible for developing the policy and determining executive and senior  
management remuneration

 — During 2023, the Committee also considered the remuneration package for the new 

Chief Financial Officer, Helen McCabe, and leaver treatment for Panos Kakoullis

 — No Director is involved when deciding their own remuneration outcome
 — The Remuneration Committee engaged with investors on the remuneration policy 
which is being proposed to shareholders for approval at the 2024 Annual General 
Meeting

   See page 84 
Remuneration 
Committee 
report

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

65

GOVERNANCE REPORTChair’s introduction

As you will see from the Strategic Report, the focus of the Board in 
2023 was on a range of aspects of the transformation programme.

Leadership and succession planning
There were a number of changes on the Board this year. Panos  
Kakoullis stepped down and Helen McCabe was appointed as Chief 
Financial Officer on 4 August 2023. Helen has a track record of  
promoting  rigorous  financial  discipline  and  delivering  effective  
performance management within complex multinational engineering 
organisations. Further information on Helen’s experience can be found 
in her biography on page 70. Information on her appointment process 
is set out in the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee Report 
on page 78�

Governance
The Board reviewed and approved changes to the Board committee 
structure – as shown on page 67 and explained in the Nominations, 
Culture & Governance Report on page 78. The Board committees are 
closely aligned to the revised Executive Team’s governance structures 
which were introduced at the beginning of the year (see page 69). Our 
new Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee, which is chaired by 
Wendy Mars, focuses on people and product safety, our sustainability 
agenda and our technology roadmap.

During 2023, the Board and Audit Committee were kept appraised of 
the developments relating to the proposed UK corporate governance 
reform. We will continue to keep this under review in 2024.

In May 2023, our Board apprentice programme concluded. The purpose 
of the programme was to provide coaching and board experience to a 
diverse group of emerging leaders selected from the Group’s talent 
pool, whilst also demonstrating our commitment to participants’ career 
progression and development as leaders. 

Annual General Meeting
I look forward to engaging with shareholders at the Annual General 
Meeting on 23 May 2024, which will again be held as a hybrid meeting. 
Shareholders are encouraged to join, participate and vote virtually and 
we will answer any questions that you may have. We will propose our 
revised  remuneration  policy  for  approval  by  shareholders  at  
that meeting.

Looking forward
Our  priority  for  2024  is  the  execution  of  our  agreed  strategy,  
particularly in relation to the culture of the Group and progress with 
our sustainability agenda.

Dame Anita Frew  
Chair 

There were also a number of Non-Executive Director changes during 
the year. As a result of the changes, the gender diversity of our Board 
is now at parity and, with the appointment of Helen as Chief Financial 
Officer, two senior Board members are now women. This is clear  
recognition of the importance we place as a Board on diversity. There 
have also been changes to the Executive Team over the year with 
gender  diversity  also  improving  across  this  team,  increasing  to  
30% female. 

I would like to thank Sir Kevin Smith, Mike Manley and Paul Adams,  
all of whom stepped down from the Board in 2023.

Details of the Board changes and our Board diversity policy can be 
found in the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee Report 
on page 78�

Effectiveness
In 2023, Manchester Square Partners were appointed to facilitate an 
external evaluation of the Board and Committees. A full report on this 
review is set out on page 77.

For 2021 and 2022 we worked with Lintstock who supported us with 
internal board effectiveness reviews.

Culture
Leadership behaviours, purpose and culture is an important part of 
our transformation programme and will be a continuing workstream in 
2024. This was an important pillar of the work of our organisational 
design that was announced in October. 

The Board has continued to engage with our people. Following the 
2023 Annual General Meeting, we held an in-person Meet the Board 
event where approximately 60 employees from across Rolls-Royce were 
able to interact with Board members and share experiences, discuss 
concerns and swap insights. Topics discussed included transformation, 
workplace inclusivity and the Board’s personal experiences. The event 
was a great success and provided the Board with a valuable insight into 
the culture within Rolls-Royce and areas where improvements can 
be made.

Bev  Goulet  and  Wendy  Mars  continued  to  act  as  Employee  
Champions and reported back to the Board regularly on discussions 
they had held with employee groups. Their focus this year was on how 
people were feeling during the transformation.

66

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Corporate governance

Nominations, Culture & 
Governance Committee

Audit Committee

Chair

Board

Chief Executive

Executive Team

Remuneration Committee

Safety, Energy Transition  
& Tech Committee

T HE R OL E OF T HE B OA R D

The Board is ultimately responsible to shareholders for the direction, 
management, performance and long-term sustainable success of 
the Group. It sets the Group’s strategy and objectives and oversees 
and monitors internal controls, risk management, principal risks, 
governance and viability of the Group. In doing so, the Directors 
comply with their duties under s172 of the Companies Act 2006  
(see pages 62 to 63).

The Board has established certain principal committees to assist it in 
fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, providing dedicated focus on 
particular areas, as set out below. The chair of each committee reports 
to the Board on the Committee’s activities after each meeting.

Roles and responsibilities
The roles of the Chair and Chief Executive are clearly defined and the 
Board  supports  the  separation  of  the  two  roles.  The  Chair  is  
responsible for the leadership and effectiveness of the Board. The Chief 
Executive is responsible for the running of the Group’s business and 
leads the Executive Team which comes together to review, agree and 
communicate issues and actions of Group-wide significance.

Non-Executive Directors support the Chair and provide objective and 
constructive challenge to management. The Senior Independent  
Director (SID) provides a sounding board for the Chair and serves as 
an  intermediary  for  the  Chief  Executive,  other  Directors  and  
shareholders when required.

The Chief Governance Officer ensures that appropriate and timely 
information  is  provided  to  the  Board  and  its  committees  and  is  
responsible for advising and supporting the Chair and the Board on 
all  governance  matters.  All  Directors  have  access  to  the  Chief  
Governance Officer and may take independent professional advice at 
the Group’s expense in conducting their duties.

Directors’ independence 
We continue to monitor and note potential conflicts of interest that 
each Director may have and recommend to the Board whether these 
should be authorised and if any conditions should be attached to such 
authorisations.  The  Directors  are  regularly  reminded  of  their  
continuing obligations in relation to conflicts and are required to review 
and confirm their external interests at least annually. This helps us to 
consider whether each of them continues to be independent.

Following  due  consideration,  the  Board  determined  that  all  
Non-Executive  Directors  continued  to  be  independent  in  both  
character and judgement. Furthermore, it was determined that the 
Chair was independent on her appointment.

In addition to the Board’s principal committees, it has established a 
sub-committee of Directors who each hold an appropriate level of 
UK national security clearance for the purpose of receiving and 
considering, on behalf of the Board, any UK classified information 
relating to the Group’s programmes and activities.

Bev Goulet, a US national and independent Non-Executive Director, 
also  sits  on  the  board  of  Rolls-Royce  North  America  
Holdings, Inc. to create a link between the Board and the Group’s 
North American governance structure.

K E Y M AT T E R S R E S E R V E D F OR T HE B OA R D

The Group’s long-term 
objectives, strategy and 
risk appetite

Changes to the corporate 
or capital structure of 
the Company

The Group’s organisation 
and capability

Annual Report and financial 
and regulatory 
announcements

Stakeholder engagement

Overall corporate governance 
arrangements, including Board 
and Committee composition, 
committee terms of reference, 
Directors’ independence and 
conflicts of interest

Significant changes 
in accounting policies 
or practices

Annual plan and financial 
expenditure and commitments 
above levels set by the Board

Internal controls, governance 
and risk management 
frameworks

Overview of the speak up 
programme and cases reported 
through the speak up line

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

67

GOVERNANCE REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCE

T HE R OL E OF E AC H C OMMI T T E E 

Nominations, Culture & Governance

Audit

Lead the process for appointments to the Rolls-Royce Board

Ensure plans are in place for orderly succession for the Board 
and senior executive positions

Oversee the development of a diverse pipeline for succession

Ensure the composition of the Board is appropriate and  
relevant so that the Board is in the best position to oversee 
operational performance and drive the Group’s strategy

Assess and monitor culture to ensure alignment with the 
Group’s policies, practices and behaviours

Oversee the Group’s global diversity and inclusion strategy 
and its implementation

Keep the Board’s corporate governance arrangements under 
review. Ensure these are consistent with best corporate  
governance standards

Principal risks: compliance; talent and capability

Assist the Board in monitoring the integrity of the Company’s 
financial statements and any formal announcements relating 
to financial performance 

Oversight of climate change reporting 

Review the internal financial controls and the risk management 
and internal control systems and review any concerns of  
financial fraud 

Recommend to the Board the financial reporting, focusing 
on accounting policies, judgements and estimates; disclosures; 
compliance with regulations; and that the Annual Report is 
fair, balanced and understandable 

Monitor and review the effectiveness of the internal audit  
function and oversee the Company’s relations with the external 
auditor and approve their terms of engagement and fees 

Principal risks: business interruption; compliance; information 
and data; market and financial shock

 See page 78

 See page 80

Remuneration

Safety, Energy Transition & Tech

Determine a policy for executive director remuneration  
capable of attracting and retaining individuals necessary for 
business success 

Set remuneration for the Chair of the Board, Executive  
Directors and senior executives 

Determine the design, conditions and coverage of incentives 
for  senior  executives  and  approve  total  and  individual  
payments under the plans 

Determine targets for any performance-related pay plans and 
the issue and terms of all-employee share plans 

Oversee any major changes in remuneration

Review workforce remuneration and related policy and the 
alignment of incentives and rewards with culture, taking these 
into account when setting the policy for executive director 
remuneration

Provide oversight in respect of: 
 — product safety 
 — HS&E  (occupational  health  and  safety,  process  safety,  
maintenance of facilities, asset integrity and personnel security) 
 — environment and energy transition, including progress and 
delivery against agreed metrics, targets and objectives

Monitor  the  operation  of  the  Group’s  product  safety  
governance frameworks, scrutinising the development and 
implementation of changes in process and practice

Review, challenge and support the Group’s energy transition 
strategy, track progress and review the environmental impacts 
of products and operations. Provide oversight and assurance 
of the Company’s scientific and technological strategy,  
processes and investments

Principal  risks:  climate  change;  safety  (people);  safety  
(product); technology

 See page 84

 See page 111

Committee membership

Dame Anita Frew

Birgit Behrendt

Stuart Bradie

Paulo Cesar Silva

George Culmer

Lord Jitesh Gadhia

Beverly Goulet

Nick Luff

Wendy Mars

Dame Angela Strank

Female representation 

Nominations, Culture 
& Governance

Audit

Remuneration

Safety, Energy Transition  
& Tech

50%

25%

33%

60%

  Chair of the Committee 

  Member of the Committee 

  Not a member of the Committee

68

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Executive Team

Executive audit 
committee

People  
committee

Energy transition & 
technology 
committee

Commercial 
committee

Operating 
committee

Investment 
committee

Financial and 
operating drivers 
review

Business  
review

The Chief Executive is responsible for the running of the Group. He leads the Executive Team which comes together to review, agree and 
communicate issues and actions of Group-wide significance and is supported by the governance framework introduced in 2023 shown 
above in the delivery of its remit. A summary of responsibilities is set out below:

Executive audit committee

 — to consider principal risks

 — to review delivery of in-year internal audit plan and to  
finalise internal audit plan for forthcoming year ahead of 
Group Audit Committee approval

Operating committee

 — to improve Group-wide operational performance

 — to review supply chain performance

 — to oversee critical enablers of operational performance

People committee

Investment committee

 — to ensure that Rolls-Royce has a winning team to deliver 

 — to make capital allocation decisions for all investments, 

our strategic priorities

acquisitions and divestments in line with our strategy

 — to keep under review talent and succession, performance 

 — to review performance of in-flight investments

and leadership, reward, purpose and experience

Energy transition & technology committee

Financial and operating drivers review

 — to ensure the Group is playing a winning role in energy 

 — to review in-year financial performance and operational 

transition and future technologies

drivers against plan

 — to consider rationale for and progress of investments in 
energy transition; make capital allocation decisions on 
technologies that support energy transition

 — assess strategic opportunity for future technology investments

 — to agree interventions where required

Commercial committee

Business review

 — to develop Group-wide pricing strategy and commercial 

 — to review performance by division, focusing on in-year and 

capability

five-year horizon

 — to identify and deliver pricing actions and capability 
improvements to enable a step change in performance

 — includes financial and operational performance, people 
and  talent,  strategic  initiatives,  principal  risks  and  
engagement with our people

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

69

GOVERNANCE REPORTBoard of Directors

Position

Board skills and competencies

Key external appointments

DAME ANITA FREW  
Chair of the Board  
Chair, Nominations, Culture 
& Governance Committee

Appointed to the Board  
on 1 July 2021 and as Chair  
on 1 October 2021

Dame Anita brings a wealth of extensive leadership and global 
experience  from  more  than  two  decades  of  board  
appointments, both in the UK and internationally. Together, 
with her skills and reputation with investors and government 
institutions, her broad knowledge of strategic management 
across a range of sectors is invaluable to the Board and the 
Group as a whole.

Current
 — Croda International plc, chair

TUFAN ERGINBILGIC  
Chief Executive

Appointed to the Board  
on 1 January 2023

Tufan is a proven leader of winning teams within complex 
multinational organisations, with over six years as CEO of BP’s 
downstream business. He drives a high-performance culture 
and delivers results for investors. He has extensive strategic 
and operational experience and a firm understanding of 
safety  critical  industries  as  well  as  the  challenges  and  
commercial opportunities presented by the drive for low 
carbon technologies. He has a strong track record for  
execution, delivery and the creation of significant value and 
an ambition to deliver the full potential of Rolls-Royce’s  
market positions.

Current
 — Iveco Group NC, NED
 — Global Infrastructure Partners 

(GIP), senior adviser

 — UK PM’s 2024 Business Council
Past
 — GIP, partner
 — BP p.l.c., various executive roles
 — DCC plc, NED
 — Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.S, NED
 — GKN plc, NED 

HELEN MCCABE  
Chief Financial Officer

Appointed to the Board  
on 4 August 2023

Helen has a track record of promoting rigorous financial  
discipline  and  her  experience  of  delivering  effective  
performance management within complex multi-national  
engineering organisations will be invaluable as the Group 
moves,  at  pace,  to  transform  Rolls-Royce.  Her  skillset  
complements the existing capabilities of the Executive  
Team,  contributing  to  Rolls-Royce  delivering  on  its  
significant potential.

BIRGIT BEHRENDT 
Independent  
Non-Executive Director 

Appointed to the Board 
on 11 May 2023

STUART BRADIE  
Independent  
Non-Executive Director

Appointed to the Board  
on 11 May 2023

PAULO CESAR SILVA 
Independent  
Non-Executive Director

Appointed to the Board  
on 1 September 2023

Birgit brings deep experience across global procurement 
and supply chain management to the Board. Alongside this, 
she  has  significant  insights  into  the  development  and  
management of international joint ventures (JV), having led 
Ford’s key European JV’s. She also has a strong track record 
and  an  ongoing  interest  in  developing,  mentoring  and  
coaching key talent and encouraging women in particular to 
consider a career in STEM. She has worked in the US and 
Germany and brings profound experience of working with 
unions and works councils. 

Stuart brings to the Board a reputation for building strong 
relationships  and  successfully  driving  comprehensive  
organisational transformation. Over the past nine years,  
Stuart has guided KBR’s evolution, prioritising a focus on 
people alongside strong commercial discipline. KBR delivers 
disruptive technologies and digital solutions that address 
areas of global importance. Stuart has used a safety and ESG 
focus to deliver cultural change and helped make KBR the 
number  one  in  its  peer  group  in  delivering  against  its  
ESG agenda.

Paulo brings deep expertise in the aerospace industry, a 
broad international mindset and an appetite for growth, 
change and innovation. Alongside this, he brings a wealth of 
strategic, commercial and operational experience to the 
Board’s discussions. He also brings considerable finance 
experience having spent his early career in senior finance 
roles�

Past
 — BP p.l.c., various leadership roles

Current
 — Umicore SA, NED 
 — Thyssenkrupp AG, NED 
 — KION Group AG, NED
Past
 — Ford, various executive roles 
 — Ford-Werke GmbH, NED

Current
 — KBR, President & Chief Executive

Current
 — Cemig, NED
 — Electra.Aero, advisor
Past
 — Embraer S.A., president & CEO

GEORGE CULMER  
Senior Independent 
Director

Appointed to the Board  
on 2 January 2020

George  has  a  strong  track  record  as  a  senior  finance  
professional with significant experience gained in large,  
international, highly regulated groups with high cyber threat 
profiles and has proven business leadership credentials. With 
this  experience,  together  with  his  strengths  in  change  
leadership and transformation gained from within complex 
groups, George makes a significant contribution to the Board.

Current
 — Aviva plc, chairman
Past
 — Lloyds Banking Group plc, CFO
 — RSA Insurance Group plc, group 

financial officer

70

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Position

Board skills and competencies

Key external appointments

LORD JITESH GADHIA 
Independent  
Non-Executive Director  
Chair, Remuneration 
Committee

Appointed to the Board  
on 1 April 2022

Jitesh brings a wealth of complex advisory and transactional 
experience to the Board, having spent nearly 25 years in the 
banking  and  private  equity  sector.  He  has  extensive  
remuneration experience, earned from both listed companies 
and  UK  Government  Investments  and  UK  Financial  
Investments, where he played a key role in compensation 
discussions about the Government’s investments in some of 
the UK’s biggest companies. This, together with his broad 
industry  experience,  is  an  asset  to  the  Board  and  the  
Remuneration Committee.

Current
 — Taylor Wimpey plc, NED
 — Compare the Market Limited, NED
 — Accord Healthcare Limited, NED
 — Court of Directors of the Bank of 

England, NED

Past
 — UK Government Investments, NED
 — Blackstone Group, senior MD

BEVERLY GOULET 
Independent  
Non-Executive Director  
Rolls-Royce North America 
Holdings, Inc., board 
member. Lead Employee 
Champion

Having spent a considerable amount of her career in the 
airline  industry,  Bev  brings  valuable  knowledge  and  
operational experience to the Board. She has significant 
expertise in finance, treasury, strategy, legal and governance 
matters. She has the expertise and experience to be able to 
confidently contribute to decision-making and actively take 
part in developing and strengthening our businesses.

Appointed to the Board  
on 3 July 2017

NICK LUFF  
Independent  
Non-Executive Director  
Chair, Audit Committee

Appointed to the Board  
on 3 May 2018

WENDY MARS  
Independent  
Non-Executive Director 
Chair, Safety, Energy 
Transition & Tech 
Committee
Employee Champion

Appointed to the Board  
on 8 December 2021

DAME ANGELA STRANK 
Independent  
Non-Executive Director 

Appointed to the Board  
on 1 May 2020

PAMELA COLES  
Chief Governance Officer

Appointed on 1 October 
2014

Nick is an experienced finance executive having been chief 
financial officer of a number of listed companies across a  
variety of industries. He has broad financial skills and a track 
record  of  driving  business  performance.  His  extensive  
non-executive and audit committee experience, together 
with both financial and accounting expertise and a passion 
for engineering, is crucial in his role as Chair of the Audit  
Committee and is invaluable to the Board.

As a leader, Wendy has overseen diverse teams across sales, 
engineering and innovation in 123 countries. She brings  
experience and insight across hardware, software and services 
with  technological  transformation  of  complex  global  
organisations at her core. Wendy’s knowledge of both the 
technical steps needed to foster innovation in a technology 
company  as  well  as  the  challenging  realities  of  its  
implementation in organisations at different stages of their 
transformation journey is invaluable to the Board and the 
Group as a whole. Technology can play a significant role in 
helping businesses to achieve their sustainability objectives; 
Wendy brings this experience to the Board.

Dame Angela brings a wealth of corporate experience to the 
Board and a proven track record in managing engineering 
operations and driving technology, science and engineering  
programmes. Having actively worked in climate research and 
pioneering  women  in  STEM  careers,  sustainability  and  
corporate ethics are key areas of interest. As a member of 
the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee, Dame Angela 
draws on her experience as a member of two other listed  
companies’ sustainability committees which is invaluable to 
the Group as it develops its sustainability strategy.

Pamela  is  widely  considered  an  expert  in  corporate  
governance  and  company  law.  She  has  a  passion  for  
engineering  and  a  pragmatic  approach  to  how  the  
governance  team  supports  the  business.  Pamela  is  
instrumental in supporting the Chair and the Non-Executive 
Directors to build strong relationships with the Executive 
Team and has been able to offer advice and guidance on a 
wide range of topics.

Current
 — Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc., NED
 — Answer ALS Foundation, 
foundation board chair

Past
 — American Airlines, Inc., various 

executive roles 

 — American Airlines Federal Credit 

Union, chair

 — Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., 

NED

Current
 — RELX plc, CFO
Past
 — Centrica plc, CFO 
 — Lloyds Banking Group plc, NED
 — QuinetiQ Group plc, NED

Past
 — Cisco Systems, Inc., president 

Europe, Middle East and Africa 
region (EMEA) 

 — ThruPoint, Inc., various executive 

roles 

Current
 — Mondi plc, NED
 — SSE plc, NED
 — Rio Tinto Innovation Advisory 

Committee, member

Past
 — Severn Trent plc, NED
 — BP p.l.c., various executive roles 

Current
 — E-Act, NED
 — GC100, executive committee 

member

 — University of Greenwich, governor 
and chair of the audit committee

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

71

GOVERNANCE REPORTExecutive Team

1

2

3

4

 5 

6

7

8

9

10

1. DR JÖRG STRATMANN  
CEO – Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG

5. CHRIS CHOLERTON  
Group President

2. NICOLA GRADY-SMITH  
Chief Transformation Officer

6. TUFAN ERGINBILGIC  
Chief Executive

3. DR ROB WATSON  
President – Civil Aerospace

7. SARAH ARMSTRONG  
Chief People Officer

4. HELEN MCCABE  
Chief Financial Officer

8. MARK GREGORY  
General Counsel

9. ADAM RIDDLE  
President – Defence; 
Chairman & CEO – Rolls-Royce North America

10. SIMON BURR MBE  
Group Director of Engineering, Technology  
& Safety

 Appointment details and career highlights of the members of the Executive Team are available at www.rolls-royce.com

72

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD AT 22 FEBRUARY 2024

The Board brings a wide range of experience, skills and backgrounds which complement the Group’s strategy.

Balance of the Board

Non-Executive Directors’ tenure

Board members by gender

   Non-Executive 
Directors – 10
   Executive 
Directors – 2

  0–3 years – 6
  3–6 years – 3
  6–9 years – 1

  Male – 6
  Female – 6

Board members by ethnicity

Board members by nationality *

  White – 11
  British-Asian – 1

  British – 9
  American – 1
  European – 1 
  Brazilian – 1

*  According to the Company’s Articles, at least 
50% of our Directors must be British citizens

Business experience

Global experience

Non-Executive 
Directors’ skills 
and experience at 
22 February 2024

Non-Executive Director

Dame Anita Frew

Birgit Behrendt

Stuart Bradie

Paulo Cesar Silva

George Culmer

Lord Jitesh Gadhia 

Beverly Goulet

Nick Luff

Wendy Mars 

Dame Angela Strank 

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ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

73

GOVERNANCE REPORT 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board and Committee  
attendance in 2023  

Dame Anita Frew
Tufan Erginbilgic
Helen McCabe
Birgit Behrendt
Stuart Bradie
Paulo Cesar Silva
George Culmer
Lord Jitesh Gadhia
Beverly Goulet
Nick Luff
Wendy Mars
Dame Angela Strank
Panos Kakoullis
Paul Adams
Mike Manley
Sir Kevin Smith

Board

8 meetings
8/8
8/8
3/3
4/4
3/4
3/3
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
5/5
5/5
4/4
4/4

Nominations, 
Culture & 
Governance

6 meetings
6/6

Audit

Remuneration

Safety, Energy 
Transition & Tech

9 meetings

8 meetings

2 meetings

2/3
2/3
2/2
6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6
5/6

4/4
3/3
3/3

9/9
8/9
9/9
9/9

8/8
8/8
8/8

4/4

2/2
2/2
1/1

2/2
1/2

The table above sets out the Directors’ attendance at Board and  
Committee meetings throughout 2023. During the year, we made 
changes to the committees’ memberships with the introduction of the 
Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee in May 2023. Furthermore, 
the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee was renamed in 
May 2023 to include the Board’s focus on culture. Further information 
on the Board committee realignment can be found on page 67.

Safety, Ethics & Sustainability Committee and Science & 
Technology Committee
The Safety, Ethics & Sustainability Committee (SES) and the Science & 
Technology Committee (S&T) held their last meetings in February 2023. 
These were the only meetings held by these committees in 2023 and 
Anita Frew (SES), Wendy Mars (S&T) and Angela Strank (SES and S&T) 
were in attendance.

Non-attendance
Board members’ attendance was once again high in 2023. However, 
Directors are sometimes unable to participate in certain Board and 
Committee meetings due to other business commitments. In this  
situation,  they  communicate  their  responses  to  the  matters  for  
consideration to the Chair of the Board and the Committees’ chairs, 
where relevant. 

Most  scheduled  meetings  end  with  a  private  discussion  of  the  
Non-Executive Directors led by the Chair of the Board or Committee, 
without the Executive Directors or members of the Executive Team or 
management present�

Additional meetings and sub-committee meetings
The Board held one sub-committee meeting in March 2023 to approve 
the appointment of Helen McCabe as Chief Financial Officer. 

In support of the Board and committees’ work, where there is a  
requirement for greater, in-depth discussion, we hold deep dives into 
specific areas of focus outside the meeting schedule. 

 — In July 2023, the Board held a strategy workshop with the Executive 
Team to consider in depth the strategic plans for each of the divisions 
(see page 75). 

 — The Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee combined a visit to 
the Civil Aerospace facilities in Derby, UK in October 2023 with a 
deep dive on both product and people safety. More information can 
be found on page 111).

74

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD FOCUS THROUGH 2023

BOARD FOCUS THROUGH 2023

IN-YEAR PRIORITIES

Transformation

In February 2023, a multi-year transformation programme was launched to deliver sustainable earnings growth and 
cash generation. Progress was reviewed regularly by the Board with particular focus on the strategic review,  
commercial optimisation, working capital and organisational design.

Strategy

The Board held a strategy workshop with the Executive Team in July 2023. The Board considered the strategic plans 
for each of our divisions in light of the transformation programme. The Board also considered the messaging ahead 
of the CMD at which the future strategy for the Group was communicated to investors.

Capital markets day

In September 2023, the Board received a comprehensive review of the proposed organisational design and,  
in November 2023, the Board reviewed the content and disclosure to be made at the CMD and agreed mid-term 
targets and the capital framework. 

FINANCIAL

Group budget and five-year plan

The Board approved the 2023 budget and five-year plan in February 2023 and regularly reviewed progress against 
both. See page 19 for further information.

Viability statement

The Board agreed the viability statement period to be reported in the Annual Report. The Audit Committee assessed 
the Group’s viability, with scenarios created based on the principal risks and modelled by the businesses as part of 
the five-year forecasts. Read more on page 58.

Reports and regulatory reporting

On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board reviewed and approved the half year and full year results 
announcements, the trading updates issued during the year and Annual Report and Accounts.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Review of effectiveness of risk management and internal controls

The Audit Committee and Board assessed the effectiveness of the risk management and internal controls in place across 
the Group. The Board confirms that, where weaknesses in the Group’s internal control environment were identified, 
plans for remediation were implemented and aligned to an appropriate timeframe. Read more on page 81.

Product and people safety risk

In October 2023, members of the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee visited a number of our Civil Aerospace 
operational sites in Derby, UK. As part of the visit, safety in relation to our products and people were considered. 
Further details can be found on page 11.

Principal risk review

To discharge their responsibilities under the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code, throughout the year the Board 
reviewed the principal risks. The Audit Committee reported to the Board that a robust assessment of the principal 
risks and emerging risks facing the Group had been undertaken.

Key stakeholders

  People 

  Customers 

  Suppliers and partners 

  Communities 

  Governing bodies and regulators 

  Investors

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

75

GOVERNANCE REPORT 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD FOCUS THROUGH 2023 – CONTINUED

SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

TCFD and climate change 

The Audit Committee and Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee both considered the TCFD recommendations 
and the Scope 3 emissions calculations. During the year, the Audit Committee also reviewed the controls in relation 
to the data to gain greater oversight of the metrics used in relation to Scope 3 emissions.

Climate commitments 

The Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee considered the Group’s climate programme including updates of 
the activities of the Executive-level energy transition & technology committee.

CULTURE

People and culture

The Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee received an update from the Chief People Officer on people 
and culture, including on the progress against our People strategy.

Diversity & inclusion 

The Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee continued to review progress against the strategic pillars of our 
inclusion strategy: leadership and governance; attract and recruit; engage; and develop. The Committee continued 
to review performance against the 2025 diversity targets (see page 44).

GOVERNANCE, LEGAL AND REGULATORY

Committee structure

The Board conducted a review of its Committees and introduced the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee 
with effect from May 2023 to focus on safety, the energy transition agenda and to provide oversight and assurance 
of the Group’s scientific and technological strategy, processes and investments. In addition, the remit of the  
Nominations & Governance Committee was refocused to include ethics and culture and the Committee was renamed 
the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee.

Board succession planning 

In line with the Board succession plans, and on the recommendation of the Nominations, Culture & Governance 
Committee, the Board approved the appointments of Helen McCabe as Chief Financial Officer and Birgit Behrendt, 
Stuart Bradie and Paulo Cesar Silva as Non-Executive Directors. Their biographies can be found on pages 70 and 71.

Board effectiveness evaluation 

An external evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board and its Committees was conducted by Manchester Square 
Partners. Further information on the process and findings from the evaluation can be found on page 77.

Key stakeholders

  People 

  Customers 

  Suppliers and partners 

  Communities 

  Governing bodies and regulators 

  Investors

76

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD EFFECTIVENESS

Review of the Board and Committees
Manchester Square Partners (MSP) were appointed in September to 
carry out an independent review of the Board’s effectiveness for 2023. 
MSP were appointed following a desk top review and benchmarking 
exercise, conducted by the Chief Governance Officer, on the basis of 
cultural fit, overall approach and fee level. A review of the Board’s 
Committees was undertaken at the same time. MSP have not provided 
any other service to the Company during the year and have agreed 
this disclosure.

The review took the form of confidential one-to-one discussions with 
each of the Directors and the Chief Governance Officer; attendance 
at a Board meeting and at meetings of the Committees; and a review 
of Board papers and agendas over the year. The scope of the review 
was agreed with the Chair in advance and included: strategy, including 
challenges, risks, values and culture; the role of the Board, Board 
dynamics and engagement; structure, including composition and  
succession; and governance, including execution and leadership.

MSP reported back their findings to the Nominations, Culture &  
Governance Committee, which all Board members attended, at the 
Committee’s meeting in February 2024.

In  addition  to  this  review,  during  a  private  meeting  of  the  
Non-Executive Directors, the Senior Independent Director led a review 
of the Chair’s performance without the Chair present. The Nominations, 
Culture & Governance Committee has an item at the end of each agenda 
without any management present and, during these sessions, regularly 
discussed the performance of the Chief Executive throughout his first 
year; the Chair also conducted the Chief Executive’s annual performance 
review having sought feedback on his performance from the Board. 
These meetings concluded that both the Chair and the Chief Executive 
were effective and feedback was shared with each of them.

Each Committee chair considers feedback for the Committees for which 
they are responsible.

A R E A S OF F OC U S

2023 FOCUS IDENTIFIED IN 2022

PROGRESS IN 2023

FOCUS IN 2024

Board structure, composition 
and dynamics
Board to review executive governance 
and its own committee structure. 

Continue to work towards our diversity 
and inclusion ambitions.

The Board’s role
Focus on strategic choices.

Changes were made to both the Executive 
Team’s governance structures early in the 
year (and as reported in 2022) and the 
structure of the Committees (see pages 69 
and 78).

The Board reached gender parity and two 
senior Board members are women (Chair 
and Chief Financial Officer) (see page 79).

The Group’s strategy was reviewed and 
communicated to shareholders at the CMD 
in November.

The Board at work
Continued  focus  on  stakeholder  
engagement, ensuring Board sponsorship 
of the transformation programme.

Stakeholders  were  a  key  part  of  the  
discussions throughout the year on the 
transformation programme (see pages 60 
to 63).

Review Board inductions and ongoing 
training.

Continued focus on strategic progress, 
ambitions and options.

Oversight of the continuing transformation 
particularly around culture, people and 
succession�

Focus  on  risk  management  as  the  
enterprise  continues  to  change  and 
respond to the external environment.

Board  site  visits  and  deep-dives  to  
continue to build on Directors’ induction, 
training and development.

S TAGE S OF T HE B OA R D E F F EC T I V E NE S S R E V IE W

SEPTEMBER 2023

SEPTEMBER

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY 2024

Decision reached  
to undertake an 
externally facilitated 
Board effectiveness 
review and tender 
exercise carried out 

MSP appointed  
to carry out the 
effectiveness review

Interviews undertaken 
with individual 
Directors, Board 
papers reviewed and 
attendance at Board 
and Committee 
meetings

Report reviewed  
by Chair and Chief 
Governance Officer

Report presented  
to the Board by MSP 
and action plan for 
2024 agreed

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

77

GOVERNANCE REPORT 
 
 
 
 
 
Nominations, Culture & Governance  
Committee report

K E Y A R E A S OF F OC U S IN 20 2 3

Revised Board committee structure

Board composition and diversity

Organisational design

Board and committees’ composition
The Committee is responsible for keeping the structure, size and  
composition of the Board and its Committees under review. During 
2023, the Committee oversaw the search and appointment of a new 
Chief Financial Officer, Helen McCabe. Helen succeeded Panos  
Kakoullis as Chief Financial Officer on 4 August 2023.

The Committee oversaw a number of changes to the Non-Executive 
Directors. As reported in our 2022 Annual Report, Birgit Behrendt 
joined and Mike Manley stepped down from the Board at the 2023 AGM 
in May. In addition, Sir Kevin Smith stepped down from the Board in 
May and Paul Adams stepped down in September. Stuart Bradie was 
appointed in May and Paulo Cesar Silva joined the Board in September.

Furthermore,  during  the  year,  the  Committee  considered  the  
re-appointment terms of Dame Angela Strank, for a second three-year 
term, and Bev Goulet. Bev was appointed for an annual term as all 
Non-Executive Directors are appointed annually once they have served 
six years on the Board. 

Prior to making any new appointments to the Board, the Committee 
considers the skills and attributes required and agrees a profile. The 
Committee also provides input into a shortlist of candidates and is 
involved in the interview process for all appointments. The Committee 
recommends  the  appointments  to  the  Board  for  approval.  All  
Non-Executive Directors are appointed to the Nominations, Culture & 
Governance Committee and to other Board committees, depending 
on the skills they bring. The Company used MWM Consulting for all 
appointments  to  the  Board  in  2023.  MWM  Consulting  has  no  
connection with individual directors.

The Chief Governance Officer ensures that new Directors have a  
thorough and appropriate induction programme. Each programme is 
tailored for the individual depending on the role they will be taking up 
or the Board Committees they will join.

Summary biographies for the Directors can be found on pages 70 to 
71. Full biographies can be found at www.rolls-royce.com

Board Committee re-alignment
In March 2023, the Committee considered a revised Board Committee 
structure, which was subsequently put in place from May 2023. This 
action followed from the 2022 Board evaluation and also brought the 
Board and Executive Team’s governance structures, which were also 
reviewed in the year, into closer alignment. 

The work of the Safety, Ethics & Sustainability Committee and the  
Science & Technology Committee was reviewed and those committees 
were stepped down. A new committee, the Safety, Energy Transition & 
Tech Committee was formed  to focus on safety and the energy  
transition agenda as well as to provide oversight of the Company’s 
scientific and technology strategy, processes and investments. Wendy 
Mars became chair of the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee 
from its inception.

The  Nominations  &  Governance  Committee  was  renamed  the  
Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee and leads the Board’s 
focus on culture, which was identified as a priority in 2022. Specific 
areas now additionally come under the remit of this Committee  
including human rights, speak up line reporting and feedback from the 
employee champions. These, in addition to its existing focus on  
diversity and inclusion; talent and succession; Group policies and the 
Code will enable the Committee to develop metrics and build a  
dashboard to provide better oversight of the Group’s culture and 
behaviours. The Executive Directors join the Committee meetings for 
discussion on these topics so that there is dedicated Board time for 
these important areas. This will be an area of focus in 2024 as work 
continues on the purpose and culture workstream as part of the  
transformation programme.

The role of each committee is on page 68. The full terms of reference 
and terms of reference applicable to all Committees can be found at 
www.rolls-royce.com

See page 68 for our current Board committee membership.

Board appointment, induction and development
The Committee, led by the Chair, oversaw the search and appointment 
of the new Chief Financial Officer. An internal and external search  
and benchmarking exercise was followed by an interview process.  
Helen brings more than 25 years of experience in senior finance  
and performance management roles within complex multinational 
organisations. 

The Chair and Chief Governance Officer arrange a comprehensive, 
tailored induction programme for newly-appointed Non-Executive 
Directors, which includes dedicated time with the Executive Team and 
senior management and scheduled trips to business operations. The 
programme is tailored based on experience and background of the 
individual and the requirements of the role. All Directors visit the Group’s 
main operating sites as part of their induction and are encouraged to 
make at least one visit to other sites every year. Site visits are an  
important part of the induction process, as well as for continuing  
education. They help Directors understand the Group’s activities through 
the direct experience of seeing our facilities and operations and by 
having discussions with a diverse group of our people. 

It is important that the Directors continue to develop and refresh their 
understanding of the Group’s activities. The Board’s engagement with 
its stakeholders is set out on pages 60 to 63. It is also important that 
the Directors regularly refresh and update their skills and knowledge 
and receive relevant training when necessary. Members of the Board 
also attend relevant seminars, conferences and training events to keep 
up-to-date on developments in key areas.

Culture
During 2023, the Committee started to pull together its agenda to look 
at the culture of the organisation. Reports were received from the speak 
up line and Employee Champion directors and a presentation on the 
enterprise-wide human rights programme was received in December. 

In August 2023, there was a discussion on the behavioural expectations 
of senior leadership, following events in the wider UK corporate  
environment. As well as updates on diversity and inclusion, talent and 
succession, the Committee received a detailed briefing in September 
2023 on the organisation design work that was undertaken as part of 
the wider transformation programme. This included presentations and 
discussion on enterprise skills and capabilities and purpose and  
culture enablement.

78

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOMINATIONS, CULTURE & GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Diversity and inclusion
In 2023, the Committee continued its work to maintain a balance on 
the  Board  of  individuals  representing  a  wide  cross-section  of  
experience, cultural backgrounds and specialisms. The Board diversity 
policy aims for gender parity and we are delighted to report that  
during 2023 we met the Board’s ambition. We have also exceeded the 
Board’s intention that at least one senior Board member will be a woman. 
With the appointment of Helen McCabe, both the Chair of the Board 
and the Chief Financial Officer are women. One of our Board members 
is from a non-white ethnic minority background. The Board diversity 
policy is available at www.rolls-royce.com

The Committee continued to receive regular updates on progress with 
our diversity and inclusion strategy across the Group and received 
updates on progress against key metrics and targets in February and  
September 2023� 

Diversity in our Executive Team has improved and now stands at 30%, 
increased from 18% at the end of 2022. The Committee continues to 
support and monitor Group activities to increase the percentage of 
women and other under-represented groups in the senior management 
population (see page 69). We recognise that there is still more to do. 
Improvements in ethnicity balance are beginning to be seen, particularly 
in the US leadership group as well as in the wider Group across the 
graduate and high potential populations.

Improving diversity and inclusion remains a priority and we continue 
to track progress. More on our progress against our targets can be 
found on page 47. Disclosures under Listing Rule 9.8.6 can be found 
on page 220�

Succession planning
The Committee considers the current skills, experience and tenure of 
the Directors and assesses future needs against the longer-term  
strategy of the Group. The skills and experience criteria for incoming 
directors is discussed and agreed before the recruitment process  
is commenced. 

The Committee plays a vital role in promoting effective Board and 
leadership succession, making sure it is fully aligned to the Group’s 
strategy. In 2023, the Committee appointed Helen McCabe as Chief 
Financial Officer and had full discussions with Tufan Erginbilgic on the 
changes to the Executive Team throughout the year. The Committee 
also considered succession planning for the Chief Executive. The  
Committee were fully briefed on the changes to the organisational 
design before they were announced in October.

Principal risk review
The Committee considers the principal risk of talent and capability as 
part of the regular discussion on succession planning and, in 2023, in 
light of the discussions on transformation and the organisational design 
for the Group. The development of our leaders is critical to ensuring 
the right culture and behaviours are embedded enterprise wide and 
to ensure we maintain the right skills and capability to meet our  
strategic plan. In addition, the Board met as a whole to receive an 
update from the chief people officer on overall enterprise capabilities, 
including a deep dive on engineering.

Members 

 All Non-Executive Directors 

 Biographies are on pages 70 and 71

Remit 

See page 68

Directors’ conflicts of interest
As required under the Code, any additional external appointments 
taken  up  by  Directors  during  the  year  are  considered  by  the  
Committee  and  approved  by  the  Board  prior  to  the  Directors  
accepting such appointments. The Committee considers any conflicts 
that may arise as a result of any external appointments taken up by the 
Directors and the Board monitors the extent of those interests and the 
time commitment required to fulfil them to ensure that effectiveness is 
not compromised. As part of the Committee’s discussions, external 
appointments are considered against the parameters set by ISS. The 
Committee has found this to be a useful gauge when discussing whether 
there is potentially any impact on Directors’ time commitments when 
taking on additional external appointments.

In 2023, the Directors demonstrated a strong commitment to the  
Company, as shown by their high levels of attendance at all our  
meetings (see page 74). During the year, the Board considered two 
external appointments for directors who subsequently stepped down 
from the Board. One of the appointments was with a company which 
Rolls-Royce has a joint venture relationship with, although not material 
in nature. The Board agreed appropriate mechanisms to recuse the 
director  from  any  discussions  that  may  arise  concerning  that  
relationship. The Board concluded that neither of these external  
appointments were considered time restrictive.

Engagement with shareholders
For information on how the Board has engaged with stakeholders  
during the year, see pages 60 to 63.

Corporate governance
Throughout 2023, we have continued to watch the evolving agenda in 
the UK on audit and corporate governance reform. We will continue 
to keep good governance at the core of all we do and are pleased to 
report another full year of compliance with the 2018 UK Corporate 
Governance Code, as reported on page 65. During 2024, we will be 
working on our internal governance arrangements to ensure they are 
aligned with our organisational design. 

The extracts from the Group’s governance framework, which is also 
applied to our subsidiary companies and is our response to the Wates 
principles, are available at www.rolls-royce.com

Dame Anita Frew  
Chair of the Nominations, Culture & Governance Committee 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

79

GOVERNANCE REPORT  
Audit Committee report

K E Y A R E A S OF F OC U S IN 20 2 3

Ensured our business performance is fairly presented with 
equal prominence of statutory and alternative performance 
measures

Reporting of climate change and environmental data and 
the interaction with accounting assumptions and financial 
reporting, including in relation to TCFD recommendations

Implications for our financial reporting of the recovery in 
air travel globally and of our Group-wide transformation 
programme

Continued oversight of internal controls improvement 
programmes and of effectiveness of risk management with 
a focus on cyber security and on business continuity, 
including supply chain dependencies

I am pleased to present the 2023 report of the Audit Committee which 
provides an overview of the areas of focus for the Committee during 
the year, as well as its key activities and the framework within which it 
operates� 

The composition of the Committee has not changed during 2023 and 
the membership is set out on page 83. George Culmer, Bev Goulet and 
I have recent and relevant financial experience. The Board remains 
confident that the Committee members have the appropriate knowledge, 
skills and experience to fulfil the duties delegated to the Committee 
and that the Committee as a whole has the competence relevant to the 
Company’s sector� 

In 2023, we were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with several 
shareholders in person as well as hear from shareholders virtually at 
our 2023 AGM, where we were able to answer questions both in person 
and via the live stream of the meeting. Members of the Committee 
attended the capital markets day in November 2023, either in person 
or virtually.

This report sets out the work of the Committee in 2023 with a focus on 
the issues relevant to the Group’s financial reporting, considering how 
business performance is reflected in financial reporting, assessing key 
accounting judgements and ensuring ongoing quality of the related 
disclosures. In our meetings, we have robust conversations to ensure 
management are challenged, to satisfy ourselves that the judgements 
taken and the disclosures made are appropriate for the Group.

We continue to support the Board in its considerations of climate 
change risks and opportunities. The Committee has reviewed and 
approved the TCFD recommendations (see page 35) and noted the 
progress during the year as the disclosures were being prepared for 
the 2023 Annual Report. We have continued to ensure that the impact 
of climate change, where material, is reflected in the financial statements 
and disclosed accordingly, including the assumptions used in the  
forecasts for the assessment of going concern and viability, long-term 
contract accounting, impairment testing and deferred tax asset  
recognition. 

We undertook deep dives of the principal risks we oversee. We met 
with each of the divisions’ presidents during the year to discuss their 
business  governance,  including  the  risks  and  internal  control 

frameworks, and to consider their business continuity risks. While 
previously data and cyber security had been the remit of the Data 
Security sub-committee of the Audit Committee, throughout 2023 the 
Audit Committee has addressed data security as part of its review of 
business continuity with each division. The Committee also receives 
regular reports from the director of cyber security as part of the  
Committee’s consideration of the cyber threat. 

We also meet regularly with the head of tax to review the management 
of tax and customs risks. The Committee approves annually our tax 
policy to ensure it remains appropriate for the Group and we receive 
updates on its application as well as changes to relevant laws and 
regulations. We have discussed the changing external reporting  
requirements.

The Committee continues to oversee the assurance activity conducted 
by internal audit. The Committee monitored delivery of their 2023 
internal audit plan, considered the findings from internal audit reports 
and ensured that actions identified were implemented. We also approved 
their 2024 plan, confirming the focus on key risks and adequate cover 
of all material operations and appropriate geographical coverage. We 
have scheduled an independent effectiveness assessment of internal 
audit for 2024.

During 2023, we have engaged with the Financial Reporting Council 
(FRC) following their evaluation of the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts. 
This review was part of a regular assessment of the quality of corporate 
reporting in the UK undertaken by the FRC. We welcome the FRC’s 
engagement and, as a result of our communications, we have enhanced 
several existing disclosures, including a change in accounting policy 
following a reassessment of a judgement previously taken which resulted 
in a change in the classification within the cash flow statement.  
Additional disclosures are included in our 2023 reporting in relation 
to  this  (see  note  1  of  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  on  
page 188).

Financial reporting
The Group has complex long-term contract accounting and every year 
the Committee spends much of its time reviewing the accounting 
policies and judgements implicit in the Group’s financial results. In 2023, 
we have considered the implications on our assumptions and key 
accounting judgements of the recovery in air travel globally, the 
improved financial performance of the Group and the Group-wide 
transformation  programme,  as  well  as  changes  in  the  global  
macro-economic and political environment. We have ensured that the 
disclosures in respect of all key areas of judgement are appropriate 
and balanced. We assess and consider the sensitivity of the estimates 
to changes in key assumptions which are summarised in note 1 of the 
Consolidated Financial Statements on page 188.

Fair, balanced and understandable
As part of its review of the 2023 Annual Report, the Committee  
considered whether the report, taken as a whole, was fair, balanced 
and understandable and that it provided the information necessary for 
shareholders to assess the Group’s position, performance, business 
model and strategy. In so doing, the Committee considers the financial 
reporting procedures and internal controls in place in preparing the 
report. There is a robust governance framework with well documented 
planning and procedures for the preparation of the report and a  
collaborative approach across all those who contribute to the report. 
The Committee concluded that the basis of preparation was consistent 
with financial reporting throughout the year and that all significant 
issues had been considered. The Committee was satisfied that the 
process  was  effective  and  that  the  messaging  was  consistent,  
particularly the narrative reflecting the financials, and confirmed to 
the Board that, when taken as a whole, the Annual Report is fair,  
balanced and understandable.

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Significant issues relating to the 2023 financial statements: 
A summary of the principal matters we considered in respect of the 2023 Consolidated Financial Statements is set out below.

AREA OF FOCUS

CONSIDERATIONS

Alternative Performance 
Measures (APMs)

As in previous years, the Committee reviewed the clarity of the definitions and the reconciliation of each APM to 
its statutory equivalent. The Committee concluded that there was no undue prominence of the APMs in the Annual 
Report. See page 213 for a reconciliation of APMs to their statutory equivalents. New KPIs were introduced  
during 2023, following the strategic review. The Committee challenged the calculation underpinning these KPIs 
to ensure the conclusions reached resulted in appropriate additional KPIs being disclosed.

Long-term contract 
accounting

Deferred tax assets

Impact of climate change

The Committee considered the assessment of estimates of future revenue and costs on the Group’s long-term 
contractual arrangements. This has continued to be a particular focus for the Committee due to the complex 
nature of long-term contract accounting, the recovery in air travel globally, the changing macro-economic 
conditions and the Group-wide transformation programme. As part of our considerations, we reviewed  
onerous contracts given their sensitivity to changes in revenue and cost assumptions. We also reviewed 
catch-ups to understand the changes to revenue and cost assumptions driving them and looked at  
accounting for risk and revenue sharing arrangements. We reviewed the disclosures and concluded these, 
together with the assessments, were appropriate. See note 1 in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Committee discussed the recoverability of deferred tax assets and the forecasts, assumptions and  
sensitivities applied in order to ascertain the recognition and recoverability of the deferred tax assets. The 
Committee discussed the basis for the recognition of the UK deferred tax assets and considered the  
judgements and estimates necessary to assess the recoverability of the UK deferred tax assets. This was 
particularly important during 2023 due to the strategic review, the improved financial performance and the 
higher mid-term targets that have been communicated. We considered this in light of the requirements set 
out in IAS 12 Income Taxes to assess probable profits when considering the recognition of the UK deferred 
tax assets. We confirmed the approach, which remained consistent with that taken in 2022, together with the 
disclosures set out in note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The approach taken by management to assess the impact of climate change, the conclusions reached and 
the disclosures presented have been reviewed by the Committee, including considering the related TCFD 
recommendations. We have received updates on the improving internal controls in relation to process and 
data and considered progress made with the Group’s reporting. The Committee has ensured it understands 
and has continued to challenge the assumptions in the climate scenarios used by management to sensitise 
forecasts in respect of viability, long-term contract accounting, impairment assessments and deferred tax 
asset recognition. See note 1 in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Accounting for complex 
treasury instruments

The Committee continued to consider numerous topics in relation to the Group’s complex treasury  
instruments including the GBP:USD hedge book and associated hedge book rates and the long term planning 
rate used by management beyond the hedge book period. This included understanding and challenging 
management on the assumptions, the approach, the accounting and reporting.

Transformation programme: 
organisational design

The Committee considered the impact of the transformation programme, including the organisational design, 
on the assumptions and accounting judgements, and monitored whether the criteria required for a  
restructuring and transformation provision had been met. 

Risk management and the internal control environment
Our risk management and internal control framework is described in 
the Principal Risks section on page 50. During the year, we focused on 
the effectiveness of risk controls and their assurance, ensuring actions 
to mitigate where needed and to manage risks in relation to our  
appetite for taking risk as described on page 50. We will continue to 
focus on embedding risk mitigation controls and risk appetite in 2024, 
embedding these more firmly as part of our routine processes and 
decision making, including in relation to strategic planning.

We also satisfied ourselves that the processes for identifying and 
managing  risks  are  appropriate  and  that  all  principal  risks  and  
mitigating actions had been subject, during the year, to a detailed 
review by the Board or an appropriate Board Committee. Based on this 
and on our other activities, including consideration of the work of 
internal and external audit and attendance at the Committee meetings 
by divisional and functional risk owners, the Board confirmed that a 
robust assessment of the principal risks and emerging risks facing the 
Group had been undertaken. Details of our principal risks are set out 
on pages 50 to 57. The Board allocated certain principal risks to the 

Committee and we considered these in detail throughout the year, as 
described below. From our discussions, we are satisfied that the  
principal risks that we oversee have received appropriate management 
attention during 2023:

 — Business continuity: the Committee received updates on the status 
of the continuity risk management of each business, including the 
risks to internal facilities and in the external supply chain, as well as 
an assessment of risk management effectiveness.

 — Cyber: the Committee received updates on the status of cyber  
security  risk,  including  lessons  learnt  from  incidents  and  an  
assessment of risk management effectiveness. The cyber security 
strategy was kept under review during the year.

 — Financial shock: the Committee has reviewed the Group’s policies, 
procedures and controls for identifying, managing and mitigating 
financial shock. The Group is exposed to a number of financial risks, 
some of which are of a macro-economic nature (for example, foreign 
currency, oil price and interest rates) and some of which are more 
specific to the Group (for example, liquidity and credit risks).

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

81

GOVERNANCE REPORTAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Internal financial control
The Committee specifically reviews the Group’s internal financial  
controls (see page 50). During 2023, we reviewed the results of self-
attestation and testing performed by the internal control and internal 
audit teams to confirm the effective operation of key financial controls 
across the Group. We monitored progress against the 2023 financial 
controls  programme  to  strengthen  the  financial  reporting  and  
compliance controls. We confirmed completion of identified key  
activities. We also considered the external auditor’s observations on 
the financial control environment.

Effectiveness of risk management and internal control systems
The Committee has conducted a review of the effectiveness of the 
Group’s risk management and internal control systems, including those 
relating to the financial reporting process. We consider that our review 
of  the  risk  management  and  internal  control  systems,  in  place  
throughout 2023 and up to the date of this report, satisfies the  
requirements of the Code, the DTR and the FRC’s guidance on risk 
management. To support this:

 — we monitor changes to regulatory requirements with respect to risk 

management on an ongoing basis;

 — we review relevant policies and procedures and update where  
necessary, in line with regulatory changes and our perspective on 
effective approaches to risk management;

 — our risk management team and relevant assurance functions, such 
as internal audit, review key business processes, including long-term 
contract pack reviews and the budgeting process with periodic 
reforecasting, identifying key risks and opportunities;

 — we assess and monitor management responses to key audit findings, 
including the design of mitigations and developments to existing 
controls;

 — a  defined  anti-bribery  and  corruption  policy  has  been  

implemented; and

 — where necessary, we report to the Board and its Committees on key 

risk and regulatory matters.

During the course of the financial year, any control weaknesses  
identified through the operation of our risk management and internal 
control processes were subject to monitoring and resolution in line 
with our normal business operations. In 2023, no significant weaknesses 
were identified.

 — review the Company’s response to incidents and threats, including 

those related to cyber security and safety; and

 — review  information  gathered  from  the  Company’s  formal  
whistleblowing process where issues relate to financial misconduct.

Where opportunities for improvement were identified, action plans 
have  been  put  in  place  and  progress  is  monitored  by  the  
Audit Committee.

Going concern and viability statements
Having regard to the net liabilities of £3,629m on the Group’s 2023 
balance sheet, we paid particular attention to these assessments. With  
consideration to the available information, the Audit Committee confirms 
it maintains a reasonable expectation that the Group is able to continue 
to meet its liabilities as these fall due, over the five-year period to  
31 December 2028� 

We reviewed the processes and assumptions underlying the going 
concern  and  viability  statements  set  out  on  pages  58  and  59,  
considering in particular:

 — the Group’s forecast funding position over the next five years;

 — the forecasts for material subsidiaries making up this position;

 — an analysis of impacts of severe but plausible risk scenarios, ensuring 

that these included relevant principal risks;

 — the impact of multiple risks occurring simultaneously;

 — additional  mitigating  actions  that  could  be  taken  in  extreme  

circumstances; and

 — the current borrowing facilities in place and the availability of 

future facilities.

As a result, we are satisfied that the going concern and viability  
statements have been prepared on an appropriate basis.

Internal audit
The director of risk and internal audit regularly attends and reports to 
the Committee on risk and internal audit matters including:

 — identifying key trends and headline findings from internal audit 

reports issued in the period;

 — details of any specific significant findings raised by internal audit 

that warrant the Committee’s attention;

To further support the enhancement of the existing internal control 
environment:

 — status of agreed actions arising from internal audit work;

 — the plan of internal audit work for the following year; and

 — risk management specialists have been assigned to review and  
monitor the implementation of actions, to ensure these remain  
appropriate and aligned to the risks to which they relate;

 — policies and procedures are subject to review and are updated to 

align to changes in the underlying control environment; and 

 — risk owners remain informed of the risks they are accountable for, 
and their key responsibilities with regards to managing these risks.

In  addition,  and  on  an  ongoing  basis,  the  Board  reviews  the  
effectiveness of the Group’s risk management and internal control 
system and continues to:

 — monitor reports from the Executive Team, relating to their assessment 

of risks and internal control systems;

 — monitor assurance received from the Executive Team regarding 

compliance to relevant policies;

 — monitor assurance received on the effectiveness of the Company’s 

internal control environment;

 — review reports from this Committee, the Internal Audit function and 

the external auditor;

 — progress against the current year’s internal audit plan and any changes 

to the plan.

I meet the director of risk and internal audit regularly throughout the 
year to discuss risk matters and the nature of internal audit findings in 
more depth. We continue to focus on the nature of issues raised by 
internal audit and the timescales to complete the related actions. The 
future work plan is risk-based, including risks to both short and longer-
term objectives and balancing focus on principal risk areas and on 
business-as-usual transactional activity where controls are understood 
to be mature and established. Internal audit also considers the activities 
of our second line assurance functions in their approach. We reviewed 
the effectiveness of the Group’s internal audit function, including 
resources, plans and performance as well as the function’s interaction 
with management. Based on the reports and discussion, we are satisfied 
that the scope, extent and effectiveness of internal audit work are 
appropriate for the Group and that there is an appropriate plan in place 
to sustain this. We are also planning an independent review of the 
effectiveness of internal audit in 2024.

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Members 

 Nick Luff (Chair)  
George Culmer  
Lord Jitesh Gadhia  
Beverly Goulet 

Biographies are on pages 70 and 71 

Remit 

See page 68

perform the work. All other non-audit services are considered on a 
case-by-case basis in light of the requirements of the ethical standards 
and in compliance with our own policy.

Fees paid to PwC are set out in note 7 to the Consolidated Financial 
Statements on page 149. All proposed services must be pre-approved 
in accordance with the policy which is reviewed and approved annually. 
Above defined levels, my approval is also required before PwC is 
engaged. We also review the non-audit fees charged by PwC on a 
quarterly  basis.  Our  non-audit  services  policy  can  be  found  at  
www.rolls-royce.com

Non-audit related fees paid to the auditor during the year were £0.9m 
(2022: £1.5m), representing 7% (2022: 11%) of the audit fee. This included 
£0.7m (2022: £0.7m) relating to the review of the half-year results. Our 
annual review of the external auditor takes into account the nature and 
level of all services provided.

Based on our review of the services provided by PwC and discussion 
with the lead audit partner, we concluded that neither the nature nor 
the scale of the non-audit services gave any concerns regarding the 
objectivity or independence of PwC.

Nick Luff  
Chair of the Audit Committee

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

External audit
PwC were appointed as the Group’s external auditor for the financial 
year, commencing on 1 January 2018, following a formal tender process 
in 2016. As required by auditor rotation rules, Ian Morrison took over 
as lead audit partner for the 2023 audit, replacing Ian Chambers who 
was required to rotate after five years. Other key audit partners are 
also required to rotate every five years. 

The external audit contract will be put out to tender at least every ten 
years. Any future audit tenders will be carried out in line with the FRC’s 
practice aid for audit committees. The Committee currently expects to 
undertake an audit tender during 2026, with a view to a new audit firm, 
if there is a change from PwC, being appointed as external auditor for 
the financial year commencing 1 January 2028. We believe that this 
timing for the audit tender strikes an appropriate balance between 
continuity for the current audit firm and consideration of alternative 
firms. 

Other than the services detailed below, PwC have no other connection 
with the Company or its Directors.

During 2023, the Company complied with the relevant provisions of 
The Statutory Audit Services for Large Companies Market Investigation 
(Mandatory Use of Competitive Tender Processes and Audit Committee 
Responsibilities) Order 2014.

2023 audit
The Committee reviewed the quality of the external audit throughout 
the year and considered the performance of PwC. This year, to support 
this, the Committee members and senior finance personnel have  
undertaken an internal evaluation, focusing on a range of factors we 
consider relevant to audit quality. The findings from this evaluation and 
agreed actions were reviewed and approved by the Committee in 
February 2024. Feedback was also received from the auditors on their  
performance against their own objectives.

Based on these reviews, the Committee concluded that there had been 
appropriate focus and challenge by PwC on the primary areas of the 
audit and that they had applied robust challenge and scepticism  
throughout the audit. Consequently, the Committee has recommended 
to the Board that they be reappointed at the 2024 AGM.

In  November  2023,  PwC  presented  its  formal  audit  plan,  which  
identified its assessment of the key audit risks and the proposed scope 
of audit work. Reflecting on findings from the half-year review and the 
developments in the Group, we agreed the approach and scope to be 
undertaken. Key risks and the audit approach to these risks are discussed 
in the Independent Auditor’s Report (pages 196 to 208), which also 
highlights the other risks that PwC drew to our attention.

As part of the reporting of the half-year and full-year results, in August 
2023 and February 2024 PwC reported to the Committee on its  
assessment of the Group’s judgements and estimates in respect of these 
risks and the adequacy of the reporting. Where effective to do so, PwC 
also reported on its assessment of the Group’s controls.

I meet with the lead partner regularly throughout the year and the 
whole Committee has a private meeting with PwC at least once a year.

Non-audit services
To safeguard the auditor’s independence and objectivity, and in  
accordance with the FRC’s ethical standard, we do not engage PwC 
for any non-audit services, except where it is work that they must, or 
are clearly best-suited to, perform. Accordingly, our policy for the 
engagement of the auditor to undertake non-audit services broadly 
limit these to audit-related services such as reporting to lenders and 
grant providers, where there is a requirement by law or regulation to 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

83

GOVERNANCE REPORT 
Remuneration Committee report

K E Y A R E A S OF F OC U S IN 20 2 3

Development of a revised remuneration policy proposal 
and the cascade to the wider workforce in support of the 
Group’s transformation

Support for changes to the Executive Team as part of the 
Group-wide transformation programme

Determining remuneration for 2023, taking into account 
the experience of key stakeholders

I am pleased to present my second report as Chair of the Committee 
and would like to thank my fellow Committee members for their support 
during a busy year. I would like to acknowledge the support provided 
by Sir Kevin Smith who served on the Committee for seven years prior 
to his retirement in May 2023.

This letter outlines the key decisions taken by the Committee during 
2023, both in relation to the implementation and review of policy and 
to the changes in leadership, with the appointment of Helen McCabe 
as Chief Financial Offer and changes across the Executive Team. 

Business context for 2023
2023 has witnessed a material improvement in performance levels with 
very strong progress made on the Group’s transformation. At the CMD, 
Tufan Erginbilgic and the Executive Team presented a clear vision for 
Rolls-Royce to become a high performing, competitive, resilient and 
growing business. Our ambitious mid-term targets will take Rolls-Royce 
significantly  beyond  any  previously  achieved  level  of  financial  
performance. Achieving our ambition will require intense focus and 
rigour from the management team to drive the transformation and 
deliver a cultural shift in performance management. 

Review of the remuneration policy
To drive focus on urgent restructuring requirements and to navigate 
the challenges of setting long-term incentive targets during the  
pandemic, in 2021 we implemented a market atypical single incentive 
plan that was primarily focused around in-year annual targets with some 
trailing long-term targets included for 2022 and 2023. This bespoke 
solution, which was supported by our shareholders, was developed to 
respond to the specific challenges the Group faced at that time with 
the aim of placing more of an emphasis on short-term performance 
whilst also motivating and retaining key talent through a phase of 
stabilisation  and  recovery.  The  structure  was  specific  to  the  
circumstances at the time and we signalled an intent to review the 
arrangements as our circumstances changed.

Return to a market-typical incentive structure
Given the Group has now returned to a more normal operating  
environment and we have articulated medium-term commitments, the 
Committee believes it is appropriate to return to a more conventional 
remuneration structure that will include a separate annual bonus with 
mandatory deferral, combined with a market-standard performance 
share plan with a three-year performance period plus two year holding 
period. We strongly believe that clear, forward-looking, stretching 
targets aligned with our medium-term ambition will motivate and align 
participants to the Group’s strategy for the benefit of our stakeholders.

We have consulted with our largest shareholders, proxy advisors and 
employee groups and are grateful for the feedback and support  
provided during this process. The feedback received has consistently 
confirmed support for a return to a more conventional incentive  
structure, with a focus on stretching long term performance targets 
aligned to our transformation, with quantum aligned to typical FTSE 
50 levels.

Alignment with mid-term targets
Performance measures in both the annual bonus and the LTIP place 
emphasis on cash flow and profit, reinforcing the Group’s stated  
ambition to return to investment grade, which in turn will enable the 
Group  to  make  appropriate  portfolio  choices  and  reintroduce  
shareholder payments.

ESG
The Committee is extremely mindful of the Group’s responsibilities in 
reducing global carbon emissions. In 2024, there will be a full strategic 
review of sustainability, delivering a granular net zero emissions  
plan with defined metrics and targets. The Committee envisages  
introducing a climate-related performance measure aligned to the 
strategic review within the life of the new policy, focusing on a  
reduction in Scope 1 + 2 emissions. The 2024 annual bonus scorecard 
will continue to be partly assessed against safety, our number one 
priority, in addition to employee engagement.

Cascade of remuneration policy
To create alignment between the Executive Directors and senior  
management, the revised incentive structure will be cascaded across 
the  top  three  management  levels  of  the  Group.  In  doing  so,  
remuneration will be rebalanced towards the long-term and the clear 
three-year financial targets will help foster a high-performance culture 
aligned to the objectives of the transformation.

New appointments
During 2023, we were delighted to welcome Helen McCabe as our new 
Chief Financial Officer and new appointments across the Executive 
Team.  The  Committee  oversaw  and  approved  the  remuneration  
arrangements for all appointments as well as the exit terms for Panos 
Kakoullis and other members of the Executive Team. In the case of 
Helen McCabe, the Committee also carefully reviewed the buyout of 
share awards forfeited as a result of her resignation from her previous 
employment. The incentive plans forfeited included a mix of performance 
shares, restricted stock and stock options. The details of Helen’s buyout 
are disclosed on page 103. We have also included additional context 
for the buyout disclosed last year for Tufan Erginbilgic on pages 102 
and 103.

The selection processes for the appointments provided clear insight 
to the level of compensation required to recruit experienced talent in 
international markets. There has been a lot of external coverage of the 
need to ensure that the UK remains a competitive market for executive 
recruitment and we would echo the sentiments and issues highlighted 
by the capital markets industry taskforce. It is important that UK  
packages are globally competitive to allow us to attract and retain  
talent within the markets in which we operate. 

Remuneration decisions related to 2023
The current remuneration policy was agreed by shareholders at the 
AGM in 2021 and was in place for 2023. Key features of the policy can 
be found on page 86 and how it operated during 2023 on pages 86 
and 87.

Incentive outturn in respect of 2023 
The Incentive Plan measures for 2023 were weighted 80% towards 
Group performance and 20% towards personal performance. The Group 
performance metrics for 2023 originally were intended to represent 
an  evolution  of  the  policy,  transitioning  from  a  100%  focus  on  
short-term performance in 2021 to a 50:50 split of annual metrics and 
cumulative three-year metrics in 2023. The arrangements for Tufan 
Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe were structured to ensure that their 
outturns only relate to performance in 2023, thus ensuring that they 
were rewarded for business performance during their tenure only. The 
outturn applicable for Panos Kakoullis’ pro-rated incentive reflects the 
blend of annual and three-year cumulative performance metrics. 

At  Group  level,  both  free  cash  flow  of  £1,285m  and  underlying  
operating profit of £1,590m were significantly ahead of the original 

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REMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT

target and maximum threshold for performance. This is exceptional 
performance relative to target and to prior years and rightly reflects 
maximum outturns for these elements of the scorecard. New for 2023 
was the inclusion of two new strategic measures to incentivise quality 
of financial performance. Underlying operating margin performance 
of 10.3% was ahead of the level required to trigger maximum payout, 
reflecting very significant year-on-year improvement. Operating cost 
performance was ahead of target, with this portion vesting at 91% of 
maximum. 

Non-financial performance metrics for 2023 were also ahead of target. 
Our people engagement, measured by our annual engagement survey 
delivered by Gallup, showed another year of improvement to achieve 
upper quartile status relative to manufacturing peers. We achieved a 
5% improvement in participation to reach 80% and an overall score of 
3.99, which was marginally above target with 63% of maximum vesting. 
Colleague safety performance relative to target was also strong with 
this portion vesting at 91% of maximum. 

In reviewing incentive outturns, the Committee did consider the  
experience of internal and external stakeholder groups, in particular 
our employees and shareholders. Our global incentive arrangements 
will ensure that our wider workforce benefit from the excellent progress 
in 2023 and there has been an extremely positive experience for our 
shareholders given the market reactions to our 2023 performance, 
strategic review and medium-term guidance. In this context, the  
Committee is very pleased to be able to recognise this excellent  
performance in an overall outturn of 97% of maximum for Tufan and 
90% of maximum for Helen. As referenced above, the measures  
applicable  for  Panos’  pro-rated  incentive  include  cumulative  
performance metrics covering the period 2021-2023. For this reason, 
Panos’ outturn is 89% of maximum.

All of these awards will be delivered in shares which will be granted in 
March 2024, using the share price at that time. As per the approved 
remuneration policy, 40% of the shares will be required to be held until 
2027 and 60% held until 2028.

Wider workforce context
Global inflationary pressures have continued for our colleagues across 
many of our locations worldwide. We also continue to see extremely  
competitive talent markets. These factors have required specific reward 
interventions to continue in 2023. Since 1 January 2022, we have  
delivered base pay increases of 13.4% plus one-off lump sums of £2,000 
to the majority of our UK employees (including all of our lowest paid 
employees). In 2023, the median base pay increase in the UK was 6.5%, 
with an average increase across the UK workforce of 5.8%. In Germany, 
a tariff deal covering the period from October 2022 to September 2024 
provided an increase of 5.2% from June 2023 and 3.3% from May 2024, 
plus two one-off payments of €1,500 each, paid over two years.

In parallel with the remuneration policy review, we have reviewed our 
all-employee share plan offering to the wider workforce. We currently 
offer tax approved sharesave and sharepurchase plans in the UK and 
a cash settled phantom sharesave plan for colleagues outside the UK. 
As our multi-year transformation programme delivers improvements in 
our business performance, we will invest in a new plan which will allow 
more colleagues to share in our success, enabled by affordable share 
ownership. Subject to shareholder approval being granted for the new 
share plan, we intend to launch this for our people in the second half 
of 2024. 

Looking ahead – summary implementation of the 
remuneration policy in 2024
Salary
The Committee has reviewed the salaries for the Chief Executive and 
Chief Financial Officer and has concluded to make an award of 4.5% 
for both Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe effective 1 March 2024. 
This is in line with the average increase for the broader UK management 
population and reflects prevailing wage inflation for executive roles. 

Members 

 Lord Jitesh Gadhia (Chair)  
George Culmer  
Beverly Goulet

Biographies are on pages 70 and 71

Remit 

See page 68

Base  pay  increases  for  the  wider  UK  workforce  are  subject  to  
negotiation and increases for 2024 have not yet been agreed. 

Incentives 
As outlined earlier in my letter, subject to shareholder approval, the 
Group will be returning to a market-typical annual bonus and a separate 
long-term incentive plan (LTIP).

Annual bonus
Subject to approval of the remuneration policy, the maximum annual 
bonus for Executive Directors in 2024 will be 200% of salary with 50% 
of any payment delivered in shares which will be deferred for three years.

The 2024 annual bonus measures and weightings will be the same as 
operated in the 2023 combined incentive plan. These measures include: 
free cash flow (40%); operating profit (20%); and strategic objectives 
which are split equally between operating cost (15%); operating profit 
margin (15%); and people (10%), which includes health and safety and 
employee engagement�

Long-term incentive
Subject to approval of the remuneration policy, the LTIP award will be 
375% of salary for the Chief Executive and 275% for the Chief Financial 
Officer. Following the three-year performance period, any vest will be 
subject to a mandatory two-year holding period. The proposed LTIP 
measures include free cash flow (30%), operating profit margin (30%), 
return on capital (10%) and relative TSR (30%) assessed in equal parts 
against the FTSE 100 and the S&P Global Industrials index constituents.

Remuneration Committee advisers
During 2023, the Committee had access to advice from WTW. Total 
fees for the advice provided to the Committee during the year by WTW 
were  £174,500  (2022:  £108,200).  Fees  are  based  on  a  time  and  
materials basis. WTW also provided human capital and benefits services 
to the Group. No Directors have a connection to WTW.

The Committee requests that WTW attend meetings periodically  
during the year. The Committee is exclusively responsible for reviewing, 
selecting and appointing its advisers and is satisfied that the advice it 
has received has been objective and independent and that there is no 
conflict of interest associated with any advice provided. WTW is a 
member  of  the  remuneration  consulting  group  and,  as  such,  
voluntarily operates under the code of conduct in relation to executive 
remuneration consulting in the UK.

Summary
I have been delighted with the progress that is being made on the 
transformation programme and am excited about the role that the 
Committee has to reinforce the performance culture that we are  
striving for. 

I would like to reiterate my appreciation to those shareholders who 
provided feedback to our policy proposals and I look forward to your 
support at the forthcoming AGM.

Lord Jitesh Gadhia  
Chair of the Remuneration Committee

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REMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT

Remuneration at a glance
This section provides a summary of the current remuneration policy and its implementation that was approved by a binding shareholder vote at 
the 2021 AGM (see page 110). The full policy can be found at www.rolls-royce.com

Details of a revised policy, which will be taken to the AGM in May 2024 for a binding shareholder vote, can be found on pages 88 to 98.

Summary of our current remuneration policy

Fixed pay

Base salary

Benefits

Pension

Variable pay

Incentive Plan

80% Group performance

20% personal 
performance

Annual financial metrics  
2023 – profit, cash, operating 
cost, operating profit margin

Long-term metrics set in 2021 
– cumulative cash (three-year), 
TSR, CO2 sustainability

Annual non-financial  
metric: people – 
engagement and safety

Goals and  
leadership 
behaviours

All awards to be made at the end of the performance period in shares, 40%  
settled after three years and 60% after four years

Malus and clawback – incentive awards are subject to malus and clawback provisions where there has been a material 
misstatement of audited results; serious financial irregularity; material financial downturn or an event causing a material 
negative impact on the value of the Group; material failure of risk management; a serious breach of Our Code; individual 
misconduct or actions that materially damage the Group; a breach of or inadequate response to a significant HSE or other 
environmental issue; failure to adequately manage/supervise others which in turn led to one of the above triggers; and/
or materially incorrect calculation of an award. For awards issued under the Incentive Plan these provisions apply from 
the start of the performance period to three years after date of grant or the settlement date, if later.

Shareholding requirement – in line with the Rolls-Royce shareholding requirements policy, Executive Directors are required 
to establish and maintain a level of share ownership in proportion to a percentage of base salary. The shareholding  
requirement is 400% for the Chief Executive and 300% for the Chief Financial Officer. Executive Directors are also required 
to retain the lower of their shareholding requirement or their actual shareholding at the date of leaving for 12 months after 
leaving and then half of that amount for the following 12 months.

Executive Directors summary policy and implementation table 2023 

Base salary

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Key features of  
current policy

To attract and retain individuals of the right calibre to develop and execute the business strategy.

Salaries are reviewed annually but not necessarily increased. Decisions on salary are informed but not led by  
reference to companies of a similar size, complexity and international reach.

30% of salary for the Chief Executive and 20% for the Chief Financial Officer is delivered in deferred shares.

Implementation in 2023

The Chief Executive joined the Group on 1 January 2023, with a base salary of £1.25m, and the Chief Financial Officer 
joined the Group on 1 August 2023, with a base salary of £725,000. Salaries for both remained unchanged  
throughout 2023. 

A salary increase of 4% was awarded to Panos Kakoullis effective 1 March 2023. This increase was in line with the 
average increase for the UK management population and lower than the average increase for wider workforce.

Throughout 2023, 30% of salary for the Chief Executive and 20% for the Chief Financial Officers who served  
during the year was deferred into shares for two years.

Benefits

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Key features of  
current policy

To attract and retain individuals of the right calibre to develop and execute the business strategy.

Benefits may include car allowance and related costs, financial planning assistance, private medical insurance,  
life assurance and other appropriate benefits at the discretion of the Committee.

Implementation in 2023

No changes to benefits.

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Executive Directors summary policy and implementation table 2023 continued

Retirement allowance

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Key features of  
current policy

To attract and retain individuals of the right calibre to develop and execute the business strategy.

Executive Directors are offered membership of a defined contribution plan. A cash allowance may be payable  
in lieu of pension contributions.

Implementation in 2023

Contribution/allowance of 12%, in line with the rate for the wider UK workforce.

The maximum contribution is 12% of base salary only, in line with the rate offered to the wider UK workforce.

Incentive plan

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Key features of  
current policy

To incentivise the execution of the business strategy, delivery of financial targets and the achievement of  
personal objectives.

Maximum opportunity is 385% (220% target) for the Chief Executive and 333% (190% target) for the Chief  
Financial Officer.

Targets are set based on Group financial performance and individual performance and may include both annual 
and long-term metrics. Non-financial metrics may also be included. 

All of the incentive is deferred into shares, 40% for three years and 60% for four years.

The Committee may apply discretion to any formulaic outturn.

The Incentive Plan is subject to malus and clawback.

Implementation in 2023

For 2023, the Incentive Plan metrics were based on in-year performance only for Tufan Erginbilgic and  
Helen McCabe, ensuring that they were measured on business performance during their tenure. The Incentive Plan 
metrics  for  Panos  Kakoullis  and  the  wider  leadership  team  were  based  on  a  combination  of  annual  and  
longer-term targets.

An outturn of 170% of target, 97% of maximum for Tufan Erginbilgic; 157% of target, 90% of maximum for Helen 
McCabe, and 156% of target, 89% of maximum for Panos Kakoullis. All deferred into shares, 40% held for three 
years and 60% for four years.

The award for Panos Kakoullis was pro-rated to reflect his employment during the performance period. Further 
details of the exit arrangements for Panos can be found on page 103.

Shareholding requirement

Purpose and link  
to strategy

To align the interests of Executive Directors to those of shareholders by requiring Executive Directors to build a 
high level of personal shareholding in the Company during their employment and for a specified post-employment 
holding period.

Key features of  
current policy

Under the 2021 policy, the shareholding requirement for the Chief Executive was 250% and for the Chief Financial 
Officer was 200%.

Upon appointment, the shareholding requirement was increased to 400% for Tufan Erginbilgic and 300% for  
Helen McCabe.

Executive Directors are required to retain the lower of their actual shareholding at the date of leaving for 12 months 
after leaving and then half of that amount for the following 12 months.

Planned implementation 
in 2023

Shareholdings as a % of salary as at 31 December 2023: 
Chief Executive – 877% 
Chief Financial Officer – 285%

Alignment with shareholders
The current policy was designed to ensure alignment with shareholders through a significant part of the overall reward package being delivered 
in shares with long holding periods.

Under the current policy, 30% of salary for the Chief Executive and 20% for the Chief Financial Officer is deferred into shares for two years. 
All incentive awards are delivered in shares in the March following the performance year, 40% held for three years and 60% for four years. 

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Introduction
The policy will take effect from immediately after the AGM to be held on 23 May 2024, subject to shareholder approval. 

Key policy themes
At the 2021 Annual General Meeting, shareholders approved a new remuneration policy which was put in place as a direct response to the impact 
that the pandemic had on the aerospace sector, which in turn had a profound impact on the Group. The 2021 policy reflected the urgency of 
the challenges faced at the time and was designed to incentivise restoration of the balance sheet and the reduction of net debt. The main features 
of the policy were a combined incentive plan which focused initially on short-term financial metrics, with longer-term metrics added in year two 
and three of the policy. Given the rights issue in 2020, the policy was also designed to heavily align the interests of the Executive Directors with 
the interests of shareholders, with all of the incentive plan awards delivered in deferred shares and 30% of salary for the Chief Executive and 
20% for the Chief Financial Officer also delivered in deferred shares. The existing policy was considered by the Committee to be a temporary 
intervention and always considered that a return to a more market-standard arrangement would happen when the Group returned to a more 
normal operating environment.

Since 2021, both the external and internal environment have changed significantly, with engine flying hours recovering and Rolls-Royce  
delivering a strong financial performance in 2023. The 2023 strategic review has culminated in a granular strategy which Tufan Erginbilgic set 
out at the CMD with a clear proposition to shareholders (see page 10).

The proposed remuneration policy has been developed by the Committee with the shareholder proposition central to decision making.

The Committee have also focused on the following key themes:

 — Talent attraction and retention – Ensure we have the right talent in our organisation to deliver the strategic priorities. We are proposing to 
transition from the bespoke single incentive which is heavily weighted to annual targets to a more market-standard annual bonus and LTIP 
structure, with a market-aligned maximum opportunity and market standard delivery of cash versus shares. This plan will cascade to the 
Executive Team and senior management. The simplicity of the plan, combined with competitive quantum and metrics which are directly aligned 
to our mid-term targets, will help with talent attraction and retention. 

 — Behaviours and cultural change – The Committee has considered the need for the remuneration policy to align with the Group’s values and 
behaviours, as well as to support the creation of a performance culture. In relation to performance culture, the Committee focused on:  
enterprise thinking; driving both cost and growth; commercial optimisation; and a culture where year-on-year improvement is normalised. The 
Committee has ensured that the structure of the incentive scheme, in addition to the metrics used, reinforces the strategic priorities and the 
cultural change required to deliver this and, in particular, enables a cascade through to individual objectives throughout the organisation.

 — Alignment with the mid-term targets – Metrics in both the annual bonus and the LTIP place emphasis on cash flow and profit, reinforcing the 
Group’s stated ambition to return to investment grade, which in turn will enable the Group to make appropriate portfolio choices and to  
reintroduce shareholder payments.

 — ESG – A full strategic review of sustainability will be carried out in 2024, delivering a granular net zero emissions plans with defined metrics 
and targets. The Committee envisage introducing a climate related performance measure aligned to the strategic review within the life of the 
new policy, focusing on a reduction in Scope 1 + 2 emissions. The annual bonus will continue to have metrics aligned to safety, which is our 
number one priority, as well as employee engagement.

 — Ensuring alignment between Executive Directors and the wider organisation – Our policy will cascade throughout the organisation and all 

employees are rewarded for delivery and execution of our strategy.

Changes to policy design
When considering how we transition away from the previous bespoke policy the Committee explored various incentive structure designs,  
including value creation/absolute return structures, as well as the more market standard structures. There was a strong consensus among the 
Committee that moving to a market conventional structure with a separate annual bonus and market typical LTIP for the next policy period would 
be the preferred option.

The Committee unanimously agreed that given the proposal to move to a market-standard annual bonus and LTIP structure, we should also align 
to a market standard quantum. The selection and appointment process undertaken in 2023 in respect of the various changes to the Executive 
Team gave the Committee a good insight into the competitive level of reward for our key talent markets. A benchmarking review was  
commissioned against several peer groups, including the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 50, both excluding financial services; a European Industrials 
Index; and a US Industrials bespoke group. Although Rolls-Royce competes in an international industrial talent market, the Committee believes 
that having a primary benchmarking perspective around the UK market is important given the UK headquarters and listing. Given this  
perspective and also that Rolls-Royce is firmly positioned in the FTSE 50, the Committee propose to align incentives for Executive Directors to 
the FTSE 50 market median.

The Committee believes that the proposed policy supports alignment with shareholder interests and enables metrics to be set that are  
strategically aligned and linked directly to the financial commitments set out at the CMD. A description and explanation of all significant changes 
from the policy approved in 2021 are set out below.

No Executive Director or Executive Team member was present during discussion of his or her own remuneration package and they were not 
involved in the final approval of the new remuneration policy design.

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REMUNERATION POLICY

Annual bonus
The bonus may be based on a combination of financial, operational and individual metrics which the Committee will review on an annual basis, 
with the weightings and allocation between financial and non-financial depending on the strategic focus of the Group from year-to-year. At least 
50% of the annual bonus targets will be financial.

In 2024, the metrics will remain the same as the annual metrics used in the 2023 single incentive plan, free cash flow (40%); operating profit 
(20%); strategic objectives, split equally between operating cost and operating profit margin (30%); and people (10%).

The target annual bonus for Executive Directors is proposed to be 100% of salary, with a maximum of 200% of salary. 50% of any payment will 
be delivered in shares which will be deferred for three years. This is in contrast to the previous policy where the entire combined incentive was 
delivered in shares, with 40% held for three years and 60% for four years.

LTIP 
The Committee determines performance targets each year to ensure that the targets are stretching and support value creation for shareholders 
while remaining motivational for management. The precise metrics and weightings will be determined by the Committee on an annual basis and 
will depend on the strategic focus of the Group year-to-year. The LTIP performance period will be three-years, followed by a two-year  
holding period.

Measures for the 2024 award include free cash flow (30%); profit margin (30%); relative total shareholder return (30%); and return on  
capital (10%).

The maximum potential award under the LTIP will be 375% of salary for the Chief Executive and 275% of salary for the Chief Financial Officer. 

Increase in incentive opportunity
The maximum incentive opportunity when the annual bonus and LTIP plans are combined will be 575% of salary for the Chief Executive and 475% 
of salary for the Chief Financial Officer. This compares to a maximum opportunity under the previous policy of 385% of base salary for the Chief 
Executive and 333% of base salary for the Chief Financial Officer. This is a significant increase in quantum when compared to the previous 
policy but the Committee is comfortable that, given the peer group review and the significant change in the internal and external landscape 
since 2021, that the maximum opportunity is proportionate and fair.

Minimum shareholding requirement
The minimum shareholding requirement under the previous policy was 250% for the Chief Executive and 200% for the Chief Financial Officer. 
On appointment, the minimum shareholding requirement changed to 400% of salary for the Chief Executive and 300% of salary for the Chief 
Financial Officer and it is proposed that this continues into the new policy period.

Removal of deferral of salary into shares
Under the previous policy 30% of the Chief Executive’s salary and 20% of other Executive Directors’ salary was delivered in shares which were 
then deferred for two years. Under the proposed policy, salary will be delivered entirely in cash.

Consideration of shareholder feedback
During the policy review, we have consulted with our largest shareholders and the proxy agencies to provide context for the proposed new 
policy and gain feedback on how it could be improved. We have been pleased that the feedback that we have received has been positive, with 
shareholders understanding the rationale to return to more market-standard incentives and quantum broadly aligned to FTSE 50 levels. The 
overall feedback from this consultation was:

 — support for transitioning to a market standard incentive structure;

 — the increase in quantum was noted but was not called out as a concern so long as incentive metrics were stretching, aligned to strategy and 

reward true business performance;

 — mixed views on the inclusion of relative TSR in the LTIP metrics, with some investors preferring the use of absolute rather than relative TSR;

 — the use of profit and cashflow in both the annual bonus and the LTIP was noted but not highlighted as a concern due to these being central 

to the shareholder proposition outlined on page 10; and

 — support for the measured approach proposed in relation to the introduction of a CO2 metric, with investors expressing views that strategic 

alignment of metrics is of upmost importance.

These views have been considered in the final policy design for 2024.

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Remuneration policy table
The table below sets out each element of Executive Directors’ remuneration.

Base salary

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

We provide competitive salaries to attract and retain individuals of the highest calibre to develop and execute the 
business strategy.

Salaries are reviewed annually but not necessarily increased. Decisions on salary are informed but not led by  
reference to:

 — companies of a similar size, complexity and international reach;
 — size and scope of the role;
 — skills and experience of the individual;
 — market competitiveness of the broader remuneration package;
 — performance of the Group and individual;
 — wider market and economic conditions; and
 — increases made across the Group.

The Committee has the flexibility to set the salary of a new hire at a discount to the market and to realign it in  
subsequent years as the individual gains experience in the role. In exceptional circumstances, the Committee may 
agree to pay above market levels to secure or retain an individual who is considered by the Committee to possess 
significant and relevant experience that is critical to the delivery of the Group’s strategy.

No recovery or withholding applies.

Maximum opportunity

There is no formal maximum. Any salary increases will be assessed annually and will not normally exceed average 
increases for employees in other appropriate parts of the Group. Where the Committee considers it necessary or 
appropriate, larger increases may be awarded in individual circumstances, including but not limited to: where there 
is a significant change in the scale, scope or responsibility of a role; where the organisation has undergone  
significant change; development within a role; and/or significant market movement.

Performance measures

Not applicable, although overall individual and business performance is considered when setting and reviewing 
base salary.

Benefits

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

We provide competitive benefits suitable to attract and retain individuals of the right calibre to develop and 
execute the business strategy and support wellbeing.

A range of benefits may be provided including, but not limited to, provision of a company car or car allowance, 
financial planning and tax assistance, private medical insurance, life assurance and other appropriate benefits at 
the discretion of the Committee.

Relocation support or support for accommodation and travel may be offered to executives where necessary. 
Executive Directors may participate in all-employee share plans including ShareSave and the Share Incentive Plan.

No recovery or withholding applies.

Maximum opportunity

There is no formal maximum. The cost of benefits is not pre-determined reflecting the need to allow for increases 
associated with the provision of benefits. Benefit costs are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain cost-effective.

Participation in any tax advantaged share schemes is capped at the same level as other participants which is 
determined by the Group within the bounds of any applicable legislation which may change from time to time. 

Performance measures

Not applicable�

Retirement

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

We provide a competitive retirement savings plan suitable to attract and retain individuals of the right calibre to 
develop and execute the business strategy.

Executive Directors are offered membership of a retirement savings plan. A cash allowance may be payable in lieu 
of contributions to the plan.

In certain jurisdictions it may be more appropriate to offer more bespoke pension arrangements. The Committee 
will give due consideration to local employment legislation, market practices and the cost of the plan.

Maximum opportunity

The maximum employer contribution for the Executive Directors is aligned with that made available to the wider 
workforce, being 12% of base salary.

Performance measures

Not applicable�

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Remuneration policy table continued

Annual bonus 

Purpose and link  
to strategy

We reward annual performance against stretching financial, strategic and individual targets aligned to delivery of 
the Group’s strategy.

Mandatory deferral reinforces retention and enhances alignment with shareholders by encouraging longer-term 
focus and sustainable performance.

Operation

The Group operates an annual bonus scheme which may be based on a combination of financial, operational or 
individual performance measures aligned to the Group’s strategy.

At least half the bonus awarded in any year will be deferred into shares, normally for a period of three years. The 
Committee has discretion to permit a dividend equivalent amount to accrue on shares delivered under the deferred 
bonus arrangement. Vesting of deferred shares is dependent on continued employment or good leaver status, as 
described in the notes to the policy table on page 93.

The Committee retains the discretion, acting fairly and reasonably, to alter the bonus outcome in light of the 
underlying performance of the Group, taking account of any factors it considers relevant. Clawback will apply to 
cash bonuses paid and to any deferred shares within the three-year deferral period.

Maximum opportunity

The maximum annual bonus opportunity for the Executive Directors is 200% of base salary.

Performance measures

The bonus may be based on a combination of financial, operational and individual measures which the Committee 
will review on an annual basis. The precise allocation between financial and non-financial measures, as well as 
weightings within these metrics, will depend on the strategic focus of the Group from year-to-year. At least 50% 
of the performance measures will be financial.

Up to 25% of the maximum bonus opportunity is paid for achieving a threshold level of performance and the 
maximum bonus is paid for delivering stretching levels of business performance and outstanding personal  
performance. No bonus is payable if threshold levels of performance are not achieved.

Long-term incentive plan 

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

We incentivise the execution of strategy, drives long-term value creation and alignment with long term returns 
to shareholders.

Awards under the LTIP are conditional rights to receive shares subject to continued employment or good leaver 
status and the achievement of any relevant performance conditions.

Awards are subject to performance targets normally assessed over three year financial years. The number of shares 
will be adjusted to reflect performance on the third anniversary of the grant, and the shares will vest on the five 
year anniversary of the grant, after a two year holding period. The Committee has discretion to set different  
performance periods if it considers it appropriate.

The Committee shall determine the extent to which the performance measures have been met. The Committee may 
make adjustments to performance targets if an event occurs or circumstances arise which causes the Committee 
to determine that performance conditions are no longer appropriate. The performance targets will be at least as  
challenging as the ones originally set.

The Committee has discretion to permit a dividend equivalent amount to accrue on shares during the holding 
period under the LTIP. Awards under the LTIP are subject to the malus and clawback policy which takes account 
of exceptional and adverse circumstances as described in the notes to the policy table.

The Committee has the ability to exercise discretion in adjusting the formulaic outcome of incentives to ensure the 
outcome is reflective of the performance of the Group and the individual over the performance period.

Maximum opportunity

The maximum long-term incentive award for Executive Directors is 375% of base salary.

Performance measures

The Committee determines performance measures each year and will ensure that the targets are stretching and 
support value creation for shareholders whilst remaining motivational for management. The precise measures and 
weightings will be determined by the Committee on an annual basis and will depend on the strategic focus of the 
Group year-to-year. A minimum of 90% of measures will be financial.

Measures for the 2024 award include free cash flow (30%); operating margin % (30%); relative total shareholder 
return (30%); and return on capital % (10%). For each performance element, achievement of the threshold  
performance level will result in no more than 20% of the maximum award paying out. For achievement of the 
maximum performance level, 100% of the maximum pays out. Normally, there is straight-line vesting between these 
points. No amount is payable if threshold levels of performance are not achieved

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Remuneration policy table continued

Share ownership

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

Ensures alignment with shareholders’ interests.

Executive Directors are required to build a holding of beneficially-owned shares equivalent in value to a  
percentage of their base salary. For the Chief Executive this requirement is 400% of salary and for the Chief 
Financial Officer and any other Executive Directors this requirement is 300% of base salary. Where requirements 
are not met, Executive Directors must retain at least one half of after-tax shares released from the legacy single 
Incentive Plan, the deferred bonus arrangements and the LTIP until this requirement is met. 

Post-cessation, Executive Directors are normally required to retain the lower of: the shareholding requirement or 
their actual shareholding at leaving date for 12 months and then 50% of that amount for the following 12 months.

Maximum opportunity

Not applicable�

Performance measures

Not applicable�

The table below sets out the main elements of Non-Executive Directors’ remuneration.

Fees 

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

To reward individuals for fulfilling their role and attract individuals of the skills and calibre required.

The Committee makes recommendations to the Board on the Chair’s remuneration. The Chair and the Executive 
Directors determine the remuneration of the Non-Executive Directors. 

The fees for Non-Executive Directors are set at a level which is considered appropriate to attract individuals with 
the necessary skills and experience. Fees are periodically reviewed to ensure they remain appropriate in the  
context of: the role scope; company size, complexity and global breadth; and wider market conditions.

The Chair is normally paid a single fee which reflects the commitment, demands and responsibility of the role and 
may be paid in either or cash, shares, or a combination of both. 

Other Non-Executive Directors are normally paid a base fee and additional fees for Board Committee chairmanship 
and membership responsibilities. The Senior Independent Director and Employee Champion receive an additional 
fee for these additional duties. Non-Executive Director fees may be paid in either or cash, shares or a combination 
of both.

Non-Executive Directors are not eligible to participate in the annual bonus or LTIP.

Maximum opportunity

The current limit on the aggregate fees is set out in the Articles of Association which may be amended by a  
shareholder vote. 

Performance measures

Not applicable�

Benefits

Purpose and link  
to strategy

Operation

To reimburse Non-Executive Directors for reasonable expenses incurred fulfilling the duties of their role.

Reimbursement for expenses that may include but not limited to: travel, hotel and subsistence incurred when  
attending meetings. The Group may provide support with tax matters for Non-Executive Directors based outside 
the UK. The Chair may have occasional use of chauffeur services. The Group may pay tax on benefits provided to 
Non-Executive Directors.

Maximum opportunity

Not applicable�

Performance measures

Not applicable�

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Remuneration policy – worked examples for 2024
The tables below provide an illustration of what could be received by each Executive Director for the 2024 performance year, assuming minimum, 
on-target, and maximum levels of performance. The maximum with share price increase scenario shows the impact of a 50% share price growth 
on the LTIP shares. 

Tufan Erginbilgic 
Chief Executive £000

Minimum

100%

On-target

26%

23%

51%

29%

23%

54%

43%

21%

Maximum

17%

13%

Maximum 
assuming 
50% increase 
in share price

Helen McCabe 
Chief Financial Officer £000

£1,493

£5,738

£9,004

£11,453

Minimum

100%

On-target

30%

Maximum

20%

16%

Maximum 
assuming 
50% increase 
in share price

43%

26%

34%

27%

47%

38%

19%

£879

£2,886

£4,477

£5,519

 Fixed pay 

 Annual bonus 

 LTIP 

 Share price increase

Minimum

On-target

Maximum

Maximum assuming 50% 
increase in share price

Fixed remuneration (salary, retirement, benefits)

Fixed remuneration, on-target annual bonus (equivalent to 100% of salary for both the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer) 
and 60% vesting of the LTIP (equivalent to 225% for the Chief Executive and 165% for the Chief Financial Officer)

Fixed remuneration, maximum annual bonus (equivalent to 200% of salary for both the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer) 
and 100% vesting of the LTIP (equivalent to 375% for the Chief Executive and 275% for the Chief Financial Officer)

All elements the same as the maximum but assumes a 50% increase in the share price from the date that the shares are granted

Alignment with shareholders
The table below illustrates how the policy aligns the interests of Executive Directors with the long-term interests of shareholders. A significant 
portion of the total compensation package will be delivered in shares. 50% of the annual bonus will be deferred into shares for a period of three-
years and the long-term incentive plan will have a three-year performance period followed by a two-year holding period.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Fixed pay 
(salary and bene�ts)

Annual bonus

One year performance 
period. 50% in cash

50% in shares deferred for three years.
No further performance conditions attached to the award

LTIP

Three-year performance period

Two-year holding period

Notes to the policy table
Performance measure selection and setting
The annual bonus measures are determined annually to reflect matters which the Committee considers to be areas of specific focus for the 
Executive Directors over the short term. The Committee believes that using a number of measures provides a balanced incentive. The measures 
themselves are aligned to, and are designed to support the delivery of, the Group’s strategic objectives.

The Committee sets performance conditions relating to the LTIP awards which are designed to align the interests of management and  
shareholders, incentivise management to deliver the Group’s strategic objectives and reward performance over the longer term. 

Targets for the annual bonus and performance measures for the LTIP awards are reviewed before the awards are made, based on a number of 
internal and external reference points, including strategic plans and analyst consensus, to reflect market expectations, where available. The 
Committee intends that the targets will be stretching and will align management’s interests with those of shareholders. The measurement of 
performance is at the Committee’s discretion, which may include appropriate adjustments to financial or non-financial elements and/or  
consideration of overall performance in the round. Adjustments may be either upwards or downwards.

In exceptional circumstances, performance conditions may also be replaced or varied if an event occurs or circumstances arise which cause the 
Committee to determine that the performance conditions have ceased to be appropriate.

Malus and clawback provisions
A malus provision applies to awards granted under the LTIP and to unvested awards under the Incentive Plan which were granted under the 
previous policy, to new awards granted under the proposed policy, and the mandatory bonus deferral arrangements. This would allow the  
Committee, in its absolute discretion, to determine, at any time prior to the vesting of an award, to reduce or cancel the award in certain  
circumstances, including:

 — a material misstatement of audited results; 

 — serious financial irregularity; 

 — material financial downturn or an event causing a material negative impact on the value of the Group; 

 — material failure of risk management; 

 — a serious breach of Our Code; 

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 — individual misconduct or actions that materially damage the Group; 

 — acting in a way which has materially damaged the reputation of the Group or any member of the Group;

 — a breach of or inadequate response to a significant HSE or other environmental issue;

 — materially incorrect calculation of an award; and/or

 — failure to adequately manage/supervise others which in turn led to one of the above triggers and/or materially incorrect calculation of  

an award.

A clawback provision applies to vested awards granted under the LTIP, the mandatory bonus deferral arrangements and deferred shares granted 
under the Incentive Plan, as well as annual bonuses paid previously. This would allow the Committee, in its absolute discretion, to claw back from 
individuals some or all of the vested awards or paid bonus in the circumstances described above.

These provisions apply from the start of the performance period to three years after date of grant or the settlement date, if later.

Policy on new appointments
The Committee will appoint new Executive Directors with a package that is in line with the remuneration policy. Base salary may be set at a higher 
or lower level than the previous incumbent. The maximum incentive opportunity on appointment will be no higher than the maximum of the 
shareholder approved remuneration policy, which is 200% of the annual bonus and 375% for the LTIP. 

Remuneration forfeited on resignation from a previous employer may be compensated. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may 
comprise cash or shares. In general:

 — if such remuneration was in the form of shares, compensation will be in the Company’s shares;

 — if remuneration was subject to achievement of performance conditions, compensation will, where possible, be subject to performance (either 

Rolls-Royce performance conditions or actual/forecast performance outturns from the previous company); and

 — the timing of any compensation will, where practicable, match the vesting schedule of the remuneration forfeited. 

Legacy terms for internal appointments may be honoured, including any outstanding incentive awards. If an Executive Director is appointed 
following a merger or an acquisition of a company by Rolls-Royce, legacy terms and conditions may be honoured.

Where an Executive Director is required to relocate from their home location to take up their role, the Committee may provide reasonable 
relocation assistance and other allowances including expatriate assistance. Global relocation support and any associated costs or benefits 
(including but not limited to housing, school fees, tax preparation and filing assistance and flights back to the home country) may also be provided 
if business needs require it. Should the Executive’s employment be terminated without cause by the Group, repatriation costs may be met by  
the Group.

The Company may agree to pay the reasonable legal fees incurred by a new appointee for advice received in relation to his/her contract of 
employment or service agreement.

Wider workforce considerations
The Committee has responsibility for overseeing pay arrangements of all our people and reviews broader workforce policies and practices in 
order to support decisions on executive pay. When setting remuneration for Executive Directors and senior management, the Committee  
carefully considers wider remuneration across the Group, including salary increases, bonus awards, share plan participation and pay ratios 
between Executive Directors and employees.

Paying our people fairly relative to their role, skills, experience and contribution is central to our approach to remuneration. The Group’s reward 
framework and policies fundamentally support this. The remuneration policy for senior executives and other employees is determined based on 
similar principles to Executive Directors. For roles below the Board, the exact structure and balance are tailored based on various factors  
including the scale, scope or responsibility of the role, development within the role and local market practice.

We drive alignment through the organisation with our incentives and our all-employee share plans. The annual bonus plan metrics cascade from 
Executive Directors to the vast majority of our wider workforce and our LTIP plan cascades to a large proportion of our global management 
population as well as our key talent groups (c. 12% of the global workforce). This drives alignment of organisational and individual objectives, 
ensuring that the wider workforce is driving the key metrics which will help us to continue to deliver a step change in our performance and 
enable future strategy.

The Committee is supportive of providing all employees with the opportunity to become shareholders, again aligning the interests of the wider 
workforce, the Executive Directors and our shareholders. In 2024, we are implementing a new all-employee share plan, moving from a ShareSave 
plan which is cash settled outside of the UK, to a global purchase plan where the Company has the opportunity to match personal investment 
up to a certain value each month. Our new plan will enable share ownership from the outset, driving engagement with business and share price 
performance and reinforcing the message that we all benefit if the business succeeds.

Input on the new remuneration policy was sought from employee groups at all levels within the organisation, including the European works 
council and representatives of our global management population. Input was received by both face-to-face and virtual meetings. We shared 
how reward packages for Executive Directors are typically structured and received input on appropriate performance measures to determine 
pay outcomes and how incentive structures should cascade to the wider organisation. 

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Share plans
The Committee retains a number of discretions consistent with the relevant share plan rules. For example, in the event of any variation in the 
share capital of the Company, a demerger, special dividend, distribution or any other transaction which will materially affect the value of shares, 
the Committee may make an adjustment to the number or class of shares subject to awards.

The treatment of leavers in our ShareSave and Share Incentive Plan is covered by the respective plan rules. Change of control provisions in 
respect of employee share plans are set out below.

Service contracts
A summary of the key elements of the Executive Directors’ service agreements as they relate to remuneration are as follows:

Contract duration

No fixed term.

Notice period

12 months’ notice (both to and from the Executive Director).

Payment in lieu of 
notice (PILON)

Employment can be terminated with immediate effect by undertaking to make a PILON comprising base salary, 
pension contributions or allowance, car allowance and a sum representing the cost of private medical insurance. 
The Company may elect to provide private medical insurance and/or to allow an Executive Director to retain his or 
her company car through the notice period (or the balance of it) as an alternative to making cash payments.

Change of control

The Company is entitled to make the PILON on a phased basis, subject to mitigation, so that any outstanding 
payment(s) would be reduced or stopped if alternative employment is obtained.

If there is a change of control of the Company (or other specified Company events), the relevant plan rules contain 
details on the impact for awards. In most cases, this is likely to result in the awards vesting early but subject to still 
meeting any applicable performance conditions (as decided by the Committee, who may have regard to projected 
performance over the whole period) and applying time pro-rating. Alternatively, awards may be exchanged for new 
awards over shares in the acquiring company in some circumstances.

Other entitlements  
on termination

There is no contractual entitlement to notice or any other payments in respect of the period after cessation of 
employment if the individual is summarily dismissed. 

Please see payments for loss of office below for a summary of other entitlements which may be due upon  
termination (and which relate to remuneration).

Payments for loss of office
The Company’s policy on payments for loss of office is as follows:

The relevant share plan rules govern the treatment of in-flight share awards when an Executive Director leaves. The table below summarises 
leaver provisions for good leavers. 

Good leavers are those who have left the Group due to death; ill-health, injury or disability; redundancy; retirement with the agreement of the 
Group; the sale or transfer of the business in which the Executive Director is employed to a Company which is not a member of the Group; the 
participant’s employing company ceasing to be a member of the Group; and other such circumstances approved by the Committee.

All awards will normally lapse if an individual leaves the Company for any reason other than a good leaver reason.

The Committee will not exercise discretion where a participant is dismissed for gross misconduct. 

Component

Approach

Annual bonus

Individuals who are determined by the Committee to be good leavers may be considered for an annual bonus in 
relation to the year in which their active employment ceases.

When deciding whether to exercise its discretion to allow a payment in respect of an annual bonus (and, if so, its 
amount and the terms on which it may be paid), the Committee will consider such factors as it considers to be  
appropriate, including performance against bonus targets, the performance of the individual and the Group in 
general and the circumstances in which the individual is leaving office. Any payment to a good leaver in respect of 
an annual bonus will typically be made at the same time as annual bonuses are paid to other employees. Clawback 
will continue to apply to the cash element of any payment made in respect of an annual bonus. The Committee will 
determine if it is appropriate in the particular circumstances to apply bonus deferral.

Deferred shares allocated in part satisfaction of annual bonuses shall vest in full on the vesting date if an individual 
is determined by the Committee to be a good leaver unless the Committee, in its absolute discretion, determines 
that an award will vest on such earlier date on or following the date of such cessation as it may specify. Otherwise, 
they will lapse on exit.

If an individual is determined by the Committee to be a good leaver, LTIP awards will normally continue to vest on 
the original vesting date and any holding period will normally still apply (subject to the satisfaction of performance 
conditions and unless the Committee exercised its discretion to waive time pro-rating, time-pro-rating which will 
apply to reflect the period worked). If an individual leaves during the holding period for any reason (except summary 
dismissal) the award will not lapse or be pro-rated for time but the holding period will normally remain in force.

LTIP

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Component

Approach

SIP and SAYE  
schemes

The Executive Directors are subject to the same leaver provisions as all other participants, as prescribed by the rules 
of the relevant scheme or plan.

Legacy commitments
Any remuneration payments and/or payments for loss of office made under legacy arrangements prior to the approval of the remuneration 
policy may be paid out subject to the terms of the remuneration policy in place at the time they were agreed. For these purposes, payments 
include satisfying awards of variable remuneration and, in relation to an award over shares, the terms of the payment will be agreed at the time 
the award is granted. Unvested incentive plan awards issued under the previous policy, along with any salary that was deferred into shares, will 
vest on the usual vesting dates, consistent with the terms of that policy. LTIPs granted under previous policies remain in place, consistent with 
the terms of that policy.

Minor amendments
The Committee may make minor amendments to the policy (for regulatory, exchange control, tax or administrative purposes or to take account 
of a change in legislation) without obtaining shareholder approval.

Provision 40, section 41 disclosures
When developing the proposed remuneration policy and considering its implementation, the Committee was mindful of the Code and considers 
that the executive remuneration framework appropriately addresses the following factors:

Clarity

Simplicity

Predictability

We provide open and transparent disclosures regarding our Executive remuneration arrangements. We have 
explained the changes to our proposed remuneration policy in a way that highlights alignment to both our vision 
and strategy as well as the provisions of the Code.

Remuneration arrangements for our Executive Directors and our wider workforce are simple in nature and well 
understood by both participants and shareholders.

Our remuneration policy contains details of maximum opportunity levels for each component of pay, with actual 
incentive outcomes varying depending on the level of performance achieved against specific measures.

Proportionality, risk and 
alignment to culture

The metrics used to measure performance for incentive awards drive behaviours that are closely aligned to our 
vision and strategy. In particular, our variable pay arrangements continue to focus on delivering an unprecedented 
level of transformation.

The Committee considers that our variable pay structures do not encourage inappropriate risk-taking.

The incentives are subject to the achievement of stretching performance targets and the Committee’s holistic 
assessment of performance that can result in the application of discretion.

The use of holding periods, the payment of fixed salary in shares with holding periods and our shareholding  
requirements (including after leaving employment with the Group) provide a clear link to the ongoing performance 
of the business and, therefore, alignment with shareholders.

Malus and clawback provisions also apply to the Incentive Plans.

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Implementation of proposed remuneration policy for 2024 (subject to shareholder approval)

Base salary

A salary increase of 4.5% for the Chief Executive and 4.5% for the Chief Financial Officer is proposed. This is in line with the 
average increase for the broader UK management population and reflects prevailing wage inflation for executive roles. Base 
pay increases for the wider UK workforce are subject to negotiation and increases for 2024 have not yet been agreed.

Benefits

Retirement

Annual 
incentive

Until a new policy is approved, 30% of Tufan Erginbilgic’s salary and 20% of Helen McCabe’s salary will continue to be 
deferred into shares for two years. We expect that, from 1 June 2024, all base salaries will be paid as cash.

There will be no change to our approach to benefits in 2024, which includes car allowance, financial planning assistance,  
insurances and other benefits.

The cash allowance for Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe is 12% of salary, in line with the rate made available to the wider 
UK workforce. 

In line with the proposed policy, the annual incentive for 2024 will be based on 80% Group performance and 20%  
individual performance, with a maximum opportunity for both Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe of 200% of salary. Fifty 
percent of any incentive payable will be delivered in shares which will vest after three years. If shareholding requirements 
are not met at the point of vesting, Executive Directors may only dispose of up to 50% of shares vesting.

As we transition from the combined Incentive Plan to a more conventional STIP and LTIP structure, the Committee  
considered whether the three-year targets set at the start of 2022 should form part of the annual incentive for 2024, so that 
long-term business performance continues to be measured and rewarded. Business performance for 2023 has exceeded 
expectations and ambitious targets have been set for future performance. Because of this, the 2024 metrics which are set 
out in the 2023 remuneration report will not be reflected in the 2024 incentives for any of the workforce. Instead, the  
metrics associated with both the long and short-term incentive plans reflect the ambitious targets that were laid out at  
the CMD.

The metrics and associated weightings will be:

Metric

Free cash flow

Operating profit

Strategic objectives  
(split equally between  
operating cost and  
operating profit margin)

Weighting

Link to strategy

40%

20%

30%

A fundamental KPI which helps to measure the level of value we are  
creating for our shareholders. It enables the business to fund growth, 
reduce debt and make shareholder distributions.

Indicates how the effect of growing revenue and control of our costs  
delivers value for shareholders.

Incentivises  the  delivery  of  key  annual  objectives  linked  to  the  
transformation.

Cost and margin controls are critical to increasing the quality of financial 
returns.

People (split equally between 
engagement and safety index)

10%

Safety is the Group’s licence to operate and sits at the heart of everything 
we do.

Employee engagement is an objective way of assessing how engaged our 
employees are with the business and its leaders.

Where targets are set with a one-year performance period, these are considered to be commercially sensitive and will be 
disclosed following the end of the performance period, along with performance against targets and the details and context 
for the assessment of performance. 

The Committee may make appropriate adjustments and use judgement in assessing performance outcomes. It retains its 
overriding ability to apply discretion to adjust any formulaic outcome to ensure that the final outcome is fair and justified in 
the context of the overall performance of the business.

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Implementation of proposed remuneration policy for 2024 (subject to shareholder approval) continued

Long-term 
incentive

The proposed long-term incentive will have a three-year performance period and a two-year holding period, with a maximum 
opportunity of 375% of salary for Tufan Erginbilgic and 275% for Helen McCabe.

The metrics for the 2024 long-term incentive covering the performance period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026 
are set out on page 91� 

Metrics

Weighting

Threshold ¹ 
(20% vesting)

Maximum ¹  
(100% vesting)

Link to strategy

Free cash flow (three-year cumulative)

30%

£5,600m £7,300m

Operating margin % (average over 
three-year performance period)

30%

10.9%

12.7%

Relative TSR (50% versus the FTSE 100 
constituents and 50% versus the S&P 
global industrials index constituents)

30%

Median

Upper 
quartile

Return on capital % (average over  
three-year performance period)

10%

11.3%

13.8%

1  Outturn between threshold and maximum will be calculated on a sliding scale

A  fundamental  KPI  which  helps  to  measure 
the  level  of  value  we  are  creating  for  our 
shareholders. It enables the business to fund 
growth, reduce debt and make shareholder 
distributions.

Reflects the quality of performance and will 
encourage continued cost focus across the 
Group�

Closely aligns executive pay outcomes with 
the  shareholder  experience,  a  measure 
favoured  by  a  large  proportion  of  our 
shareholder base.

Reflects  the  Group’s  ability  to  generate 
returns on our investments for the benefit of 
our shareholders.

The Committee may make appropriate adjustments and use judgement in assessing performance outcomes. It retains its 
overriding ability to apply discretion to adjust any formulaic outcome to ensure that the final outcome is fair and justified in 
the context of the overall performance of the business.

The long-term incentive opportunities and time horizons will operate as per the remuneration policy.

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2023 remuneration report

Executive Directors’ remuneration
The following pages show how we have applied our remuneration policy during 2023 and disclose all elements of remuneration received by our 
Executive Directors. 

Executive Directors’ single figure of remuneration (audited)

Salary (a) 
Salary as deferred shares
Benefits (b) 
Incentive Plan (c) 
Long-Term Incentive Plan
Pension (d)
Previous employer buy-outs (e)
Total remuneration
Total fixed remuneration
Total variable remuneration

Tufan Erginbilgic

Helen McCabe

Panos Kakoullis

2022
£000

2022
£000

2023
£000
875 
375
29
4,680
–
150
7,500
13,609
1,429
12,180

2023
£000
242
60
13
908
–
36
2,537
3,796
465
3,331

2023
£000
395
84
16
1,430
–
57

1,982
552
1,430

2022
£000
555
139
26
1,705
–
83

2,508
803
1,705

*  Helen McCabe was appointed on 1 August 2023. Panos Kakoullis stepped down from the Board on 4 August 2023

a) Salary (audited)
The Company provides suitable competitive salaries to attract and retain individuals of the right calibre to develop and execute the business 
strategy.

Discrepancies between single figure of remuneration salary and base salary:

 — from the date of their appointments, 30% of Tufan Erginbilgic’s salary and 20% of Helen McCabe’s salary is deferred into shares for two years. 
From June 2021 and 20% of Panos Kakoullis’ salary was deferred into shares for two years. The shares are not subject to performance  
conditions nor conditional on continued employment. However, if the Executive Director is summarily dismissed as a result of their actions or 
the result of actions of others acting under their instruction, the shares will immediately lapse.

In February 2024, the Committee reviewed the base salaries of Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe and agreed an increase of 4.5%. This is in 
line with the average increase for the broader UK management population and reflects prevailing wage inflation for executive roles.

Tufan Erginbilgic
Helen McCabe
Panos Kakoullis

*  Helen McCabe was appointed on 1 August 2023

Base salary as at  
1 March 2024
£1,306,250
£757,625
n/a

Base salary as at 
1 March 2023
£1,250,000

£725,000 *
£724,880

b) Benefits (audited)
Benefits are provided to ensure that remuneration packages remain sufficiently competitive to attract and retain individuals of the right calibre 
to develop and execute the business strategy and to enable them to devote themselves fully to their roles. The taxable value of all benefits paid 
to Executive Directors is shown below.

Tufan Erginbilgic
Helen McCabe 
Panos Kakoullis

Car or car 
allowance 
£000

Medical  
insurance 
£000

Travel and 
subsistence 
£000

Tax  
benefit 
£000

Total 
£000

2023

2022

2023

2022

2023

2022

2023

2022

2023

2022

15
6
10

15

–
1
1

14
6
4

1

8

–
–
1

–
–
2

29
13
16

–
–
26

c) Incentive Plan (audited)
The Incentive Plan is designed to incentivise the execution of the business strategy, delivery of financial targets and the achievement of personal 
objectives. Incentive Plan awards are made in March each year, following the performance period. All of the incentive is deferred into shares, 
40% for three years and 60% for four years, and include the right to receive an amount equal in value to any shareholder distributions issued 
during the deferral period. The shares are conditional on continued employment but do not have further performance conditions. The annual 
maximum for the Chief Executive is 385% of salary and 333% for the Chief Financial Officer.

 — 80% of the award is based on Group performance; and

 — 20% of the award is based on individual performance.

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For 2023, the Incentive Plan metrics were based on in-year performance only for Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe, ensuring that they are 
only rewarded for business performance during their tenure. The Incentive Plan metrics for Panos Kakoullis and the senior leadership team were 
based on a combination of annual and longer-term targets.

The Committee reviewed the 2023 outturn against the performance measures.

2023 Incentive Plan performance outturn

Weighting for 
prior Chief 
Financial Officer 
and wider 
leadership 

Weighting for 
Chief Executive 
and Chief 
Financial Officer

Threshold
(50% outturn) 1

Target  
(100%)

Maximum
(175%) 1

Performance 
pre-adjustments

Performance
post-adjustments 

% of 
target

% of 
maximum

Annual targets:
Free cash flow 2

Operating profit 3

People 4
 – Gallup Q12

 – Safety Index score

Key strategic objectives 5
 – Operating cost 6

 – Operating profit margin 3

Weighting for 12 month 
targets
Outcome for 12 month targets
Longer-term targets:
Cumulative cash  
(three year) 7

Relative TSR (50% versus 
the FTSE 100 constituents 
and 50% versus the S&P 
Global Industrials index 
constituents)

20%

10%

5%
2.5%

2.5%

15%
7.5%

7.5%

40%

£525m

£750m

£975m

£1,285m

£1,275m

175% 100%

Actual £1,275m

20%

£850m

£1,050m

£1,250m

£1,590m

£1,568m

175% 100%

10%
5%

5%

30%
15%

15%

Actual £1,568m

3�73
Actual 3.99
85%

3�97

4�11

90%

95%

Actual 94%

3�99

94%

3�99

111%

63%

94%

160%

91%

£(6,088)m £(5,988)m £(5,888)m

£(6,062)m

£(5,909)m 159%

91%

Actual £(5,909)m
6%

7.6%
Actual 10.2%

9.2%

10.3%

10.2%

175% 100%

50%

100%

169%

97%

20%

n/a

(£1,606m)

(£706m)
Actual £266m

£194m

£266m

£266m

175% 100%

25%

n/a

Median

Upper
Quartile 

Actual (99th percentile against FTSE 
100; 96th percentile against S&P)

175% 100%

CO2 sustainability 8

5%

50%

100%

175%

148%

148%

148%

85%

Actual 148%

Weighting for  
three-year targets
Outcome for longer-term targets
Total scorecard outcome (combined annual and 
longer-term)

50%

n/a

172%

98%

170%

97%

1  Payout between threshold and target and target and maximum is calculated on a straight line sliding scale
2  Free cash flow has been adjusted to account for FX changes in order to ensure that targets and assessments are measured on a like-for-like basis
3  Operating profit has been adjusted to account for FX changes (see footnote 2) and to reflect consistent target and outturn treatment for transformation costs
4  The people objective was weighted 50% to the Gallup engagement score and 50% to an internal safety measure
5  Key strategic objectives aligned to the broader transformation objectives and were weighted 50% to operating cost and 50% to operating profit margin
6 Operating cost has been adjusted to reflect transformation costs (see footnote 3); FX changes (see footnote 2) and discretion has been applied to neutralise the impact of costs directly 

linked to fully funded customer business and above target incentive accruals

7  Cumulative cash targets have been re-stated to reflect adjustments made in prior years, including removing the cash and profit contributions associated with business disposals (ITP and 

Airtanker), and for FX purposes (see footnote 2)

8  CO2 sustainability was calculated using an average of the divisions’ targets, which were a mix of product related milestones including proving compatibility with sustainable fuels across all 

our core platforms

The Committee considered adjustments to targets resulting from events which were not anticipated at the time the targets were set, to ensure 
that targets and assessments are measured on a like-for-like basis. The details of the adjustments are included in the footnotes above.

As a result of these adjustments, the incentive plan outturns are: 

 — combined annual and three-year targets, as applies to Panos Kakoullis and senior management: 170% of target and 97% of maximum.

 — in-year targets only, as applies to Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen McCabe: 169% of target; 97% of maximum.

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2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Group performance (% of maximum) – weighting 80%
Individual performance (% of maximum) – weighting 20%
Actual award – % of maximum
Actual award – % of salary
Actual award – £000

Panos Kakoullis
97%
100%
89%
197%
£1,430

 Tufan Erginbilgic
97%
175%
97%
374%
£4,680

 Helen McCabe
97%
110%
90%
125%
£908

All of the incentive outturn will be delivered in deferred shares, 40% for three years and 60% for four years, and for Tufan Erginbilgic and Helen 
McCabe will vest subject to continued employment. No further performance conditions are attached.

Definitions used for performance measures:

Operating profit – adjusted Group underlying operating profit before tax for 2023.

Free cash flow – adjusted Group free cash flow.

Operating cost – adjusted Group operating costs (which exclude direct procurement of parts and components).

Operating profit margin – adjusted Group underlying operating profit margin.

People – weighted 50% to the Gallup engagement survey and 50% to an internal safety measure, the safety index. The Gallup score increased 
from 3.92 in 2022 to 3.99 in 2023 and participation increased from 75% to 80%. This exceeded our target score of 3.97 which was set in 2019 
when the target was set to achieve upper quartile status versus Gallup’s manufacturing peer group. This is another meaningful improvement and 
an extremely positive result. The safety index is an established internal KPI used by all divisions and was included for the first time as an incentive 
metric for 2023.

CO2 sustainability – Calculated using an average of the three divisional targets which were mainly based on product compatibility with  
sustainable fuel.

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Individual performance
Subject to achievement of a minimum financial threshold, the Executive Directors have 20% of their incentive based on the achievement of their 
personal objectives. The financial threshold for 2023 was to deliver a Group free cash flow of a minimum of £300m. Personal performance  
objectives are set at the beginning of the year and are aligned with the Group’s priorities.

Objective

Measure

Assessment against objective

Chief Executive:  
Tufan Erginbilgic
Deliver the 2023 plan

Deliver the transformation 
programme

Deliver free cash flow of £800m; deliver 
operating  profit  of  £1,050m;  deliver  
operating cost of no more than £5,988m
Deliver improvement in earning and cash 
potential through creating credible business 
improvement plans

Safety

People

Strategic Review

Ensure  focus  on  safety  of  our  people,  
measured through progressing the safety 
index score of 90%, maintaining TRIR below 
0.38%,  and  maintaining  world-class  
performance of product safety
Deliver  effective  people  strategy  which 
ensures capability and engagement. Impact 
measured by Gallup score of 3.97, as well as 
progress against our 2025 D&I commitments
Complete the strategic review, obtain Board 
approval and engage with our investors in 
the second half of the year

Overall personal performance assessment: 175%
Chief Financial Officer * 
Helen McCabe
Deliver the 2023 plan

Deliver the transformation 
programme

Risk management

People

Deliver free cash flow of £800m; deliver 
operating  profit  of  £1,050m;  deliver  
operating cost of no more than £5,988m
Execute a smooth transition of leadership 
within the finance function and deliver CMD 
following strategic review
Ensure  effective  risk  management  and  
internal control over business operations

Lead  delivery  of  the  transformation  for 
Finance, GBS and IT/Digital. Gallup target of 
3�97

Strategic Review

Ensure robust financial plans in place to 
deliver five-year plan. Embed cash framework 
and deploy new investment criteria and 
investment approach
Overall personal performance assessment: 110%

Financial targets all exceeded, with maximum incentive targets achieved 
for free cash flow and operating profit margin. Operating cost was ahead 
of target but slightly below maximum.
The key strategic objectives of operating cost and operating profit  
margin  are  key  indicators  of  the  success  of  the  transformation  
programme,  and  maximum  incentive  targets  were  achieved  for  
operating profit, and slightly below maximum for operating cost.
Tufan has been clear that safety is our number one priority and is at the 
heart of everything we do. The metrics are the safety index, which 
achieved a score in 2023 of 94% (target 90%), and the total reported 
injury rate (TRIR) which was 0.31 against a target of 0.38.

The Group Gallup engagement score was 3.99 against a target of 3.97. 
The Committee considers this to be a very strong outcome given the 
amount of change being implemented at pace.

The strategic review was completed to plan, and a successful capital 
markets day was held in November. Investors have been actively engaged 
in the process, and our share price has responded favourably.

Financial targets all exceeded, with maximum incentive targets achieved 
for free cash flow and operating profit margin. Operating cost was ahead 
of target but slightly below maximum.
Helen has transitioned seamlessly into the Chief Financial Officer role, 
and has played a fundamental part in the preparation for and execution 
of the successful capital markets day.
Helen quickly identified the key priority areas and put in place robust 
transition plans including cyber; delegations; segregation of duties; 
intercompany activity; and balance sheet assurance
Organisation design complete and new ways of work being embedded 
to drive performance culture. Gallup participation increased compared 
to 2022, and the Finance score increased to 4.1, which was above the 
Group average of 3.99.
Robust plan in place for delivery of five year plan. Strategically aligned 
framework for M&A in place and being executed and risk managed.

*  The objectives for Helen McCabe applied equally to Panos Kakoullis who left the business on 31 August 2023. Panos fulfilled his objectives during this period, delivering the half-year 
results and also ensuring a smooth and effective handover of responsibilities to Helen. The Committee has determined that Panos’ performance was in line with expectations and he was, 
therefore, awarded 100% for the personal element of his 2023 incentive 

d) Pension (audited)
Executive Directors are offered membership of a defined contribution plan with a maximum employer contribution of 12% of salary (or cash 
allowance of equivalent value). This aligns to the average rate for the UK workforce. 

In 2023, Tufan Erginbilgic, Helen McCabe and Panos Kakoullis received a cash allowance in lieu of employer contributions.

e) Compensation for remuneration forfeited from previous employment (audited)
Chief Executive
As disclosed in the 2022 annual report, in line with the remuneration policy Tufan Erginbilgic was compensated for remuneration forfeited from 
previous employment. Tufan joined Rolls-Royce from private equity where remuneration arrangements are fundamentally different to listed 
companies. The arrangements are commercially sensitive, confidential and cannot be disclosed in the same way that disclosures are made for a 
UK listed company. A robust process was undertaken by the Committee to ensure that compensation awarded was fair and prudent considering 
the compensation forfeited, with the value awarded positioned at the lower end of a fair value range. The vesting period applied to the awards 
(with 50% vesting after four years and 50% vesting after five years) ensures long-term alignment with the interests of shareholders.

102

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

The compensation was in the form of two grants of shares valued at £7.5m. The awards were made in March 2023 and the number of shares 
subject to the awards was calculated using the average closing share price during the month prior to joining (December 2023). The number of 
shares awarded and the respective vesting dates are shown below:

 — 4,128,138 shares which will vest in March 2027 subject to continued employment

 — 4,128,138 shares which will vest in March 2028 subject to continued employment

Chief Financial Officer
Helen McCabe became Chief Financial Officer on 1 August 2023 and, in line with the remuneration policy, has been compensated for  
remuneration forfeited from previous employment with a total value of £2.54m. Compensation for the loss of equity, both in-flight LTIPs and share 
options, was issued in the form of a grant of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc shares. Compensation for the loss of cash bonus for the period January 
to July 2023 will be paid in cash in March 2024.

Long-Term Incentives: In-flight LTIPs valued at £1.58m were converted into Rolls-Royce Holdings plc shares using the average closing BP share 
price and the average closing share price in the three months prior to Helen joining Rolls-Royce, being May to July 2023. Restricted stock awards 
were replaced on a like-for-like basis; performance share awards were replaced with Rolls-Royce performance shares, with the vesting schedule 
aligned to the original BP vesting schedule. The number of shares awarded and the respective vesting dates are shown below:

 — 813,292 shares which will vest between February 2024 and March 2026 subject to continued employment

 —  118,156 shares which will vest in March 2025 subject to the long-term incentive plan performance conditions set for the wider Group in 2022 
being met. The performance conditions include a free cash flow target (45% weighting, threshold target of £874m and maximum target of 
£2,674m); a cumulative operating profit target (45% weighting, threshold target of £1,705m and maximum target of £2,905m); and a CO2  
sustainability target (10% weighting, calculated as an the average achievement of CO2 sustainability milestones across the divisions, subject 
mainly to product compatibility with sustainable fuels)

 —  99,212 shares which will vest in March 2026 subject to the long-term incentive plan performance conditions set for the wider Group in  
November 2023 being met. The performance conditions are equally weighted to operating profit (threshold target of £4.4bn, maximum of 
£5.4bn) and free cash flow (threshold target of £4bn and maximum of £5.3bn)

Share options: Compensation for the loss of 500,000 share options valued at £844,000. The options had no performance conditions other than 
requiring continued BP employment and were valued using a Black-Scholes model on the day before Helen joined the Group, 31 July 2023. The 
value of the options was then converted to Rolls-Royce Holdings plc shares using the average closing Rolls-Royce share price during the month 
prior to joining, July 2023. As a result, 536,966 shares were granted which will vest in March 2025 subject to continued employment.

Cash bonus: A cash payment of £113,750 will be made to Helen in March 2024. This assumes an on-target award of 65% of base salary. 

Malus and clawback
Awards to compensate for remuneration forfeited from previous employment for both Tufan and Helen are subject to the Rolls-Royce malus and 
clawback policy.

Payments to past directors (audited)
Warren East stepped down from the Board on 31 December 2022. In January 2023, he received a payment of £14,821 for leave not taken  
during 2022.

Jasmin Staiblin stepped down as a Non-Executive Director from the Board on 13 May 2021. Jasmin was appointed as a member of the supervisory 
board of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG on 10 June 2021 and as chair of their supervisory board, executive committee, audit committee and 
mediation committee on 11 June 2021. Payments of £270,948 have been made to Jasmin in 2023 in relation to her appointment (2022: £300,200). 
No other payments have been made to past directors during the year.

Payments for loss of office (audited)
It was announced on 31 March 2023 that Panos Kakoullis would be leaving the business. He stepped down from the Board on 4 August 2023 and 
left the Group on 31 August 2023. The Committee agreed that Panos would receive a payment in lieu of notice for the seven unworked months 
of his twelve month notice period, reflecting base pay, a cash allowance in lieu of pension plan provision and the cost of providing benefits.  
A pay in lieu of notice payment of £483,221 was therefore paid to Panos on exit. Panos was deemed a good leaver in respect of his unvested 
Incentive Plan awards from 2021 and 2022, all of which were delivered in shares in March 2022 and March 2023, and which will vest in accordance 
with the original vesting schedule between March 2025 and March 2027. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

103

GOVERNANCE REPORT2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Executive Directors’ shareholdings and share interests
Executive Directors’ share interests (audited)
The Directors and their connected persons hold the following interests in the ordinary shares of the Company:

Ordinary shares owned outright

Conditional shares not subject 
to performance conditions (salary 
as deferred shares)

Conditional shares not subject 
to performance conditions 
(Incentive Plan)

Conditional shares subject to 
performance conditions (LTIP)

22 February 
2024

31 December 
2023

22 February 
2024

31 December 
2023

22 February 
2024

31 December 
2023

22 February 
2024

31 December 
2023

Tufan Erginbilgic

Helen McCabe

Panos Kakoullis *

–

–

n/a

–

n/a

n/a

227,742

30,490

258,585

217,547

n/a

–

–

n/a

n/a

8,256,276

1,567,626

214,858

2,439,039

2,439,039

–

n/a

n/a

–

*  Panos Kakoullis stepped down from the Board on 4 August 2023

Executive Directors’ share awards (audited) 
The following sets out details of share awards that were granted, outstanding and vested during the year. See pages 102 and 103 for  
compensation for remuneration forfeited from previous employment in respect of the 2023 LTIP grants made during 2023 for Tufan Erginbilgic 
and Helen McCabe.

Tufan Erginbilgic
Salary as deferred 
shares
2023 LTIP (buyout)
2023 LTIP (buyout)

Helen McCabe
Salary as deferred 
shares
2023 LTIP (buyout)
2023 LTIP (buyout)

Panos Kakoullis
Salary as deferred 
shares
2022 Incentive Plan 

Salary as deferred 
shares *

2021 and 2022 
Incentive Plan

Balance at
31 December
 2022
–

Granted 
during
 the year
217,547

Vested 
during
 the year
–

Lapsed 
during
 the year
–

Balance at
31 December
2023
217,547

Date of 
grant
21/12/2023

Market price
at date of
grant (p)
Various

Date of 
vest/
lapse
21/12/2025

Market price
at date of
vest/lapse (p)
n/a

Face value

of award *
 (£000)
375

– 4,128,138
– 4,128,138

–
–

– 4,128,138 08/03/2023
– 4,128,138 08/03/2023

90�84 08/03/2027
90�84 08/03/2028

n/a
n/a

3,750
3,750

Balance at
31 December
 2022
–

Granted 
during
 the year
26,548

Vested 
during
the year
–

Lapsed 
during
 the year
–

Balance at
31 December
2023
26,548

Date of 
grant
21/12/2023

Market price
at date of
grant (p)
Various

Date of 
vest/
lapse
21/12/2025

Market price
at date of
vest/lapse (p)
n/a

Face value

of award *
 (£000)
60

– 1,030,660
– 536,966

–
–

– 1,030,660
– 536,966

29/11/2023
29/11/2023

153�00
157�00

29/11/2028
29/11/2028

n/a
n/a

1,577
843

Balance at
31 December
 2022
223,931

Granted
 during the
year
56�827

Vested 
during
 the year
22,173

Lapsed
during
 the year
–

Balance at
4 August
 2023

Date of 
grant
258,585 28/07/2023

Market price
 at date of
 grant (p)
Various

Date of 
vest/
lapse
28/07/2025

Market price
 at date of
 vest/lapse (p)
Various

Face value

of award *
 (£000)
84

1,316,606 1,122,433

–

– 2,439,039 08/03/2023

151�87 08/03/2026

–

1,705

30% of Tufan Erginbilgic’s salary and 20% of Helen McCabe’s and Panos Kakoullis’ salary was deferred into shares 
for two years. During 2023, shares were awarded on a monthly basis from January to December at market price under 
the rules of the Incentive Plan (the date of grant in the table above is the last grant made in 2023). These shares will 
vest on a monthly basis from January 2025 (the date of vest/lapse in the table above is the vest date of the last grant 
made in 2023). The face value has been determined using the market price of each monthly award in 2023 set out 
below. The shares are not subject to performance conditions nor conditional on continued employment. However, if 
the Executive Director is summarily dismissed as a result of their actions or the result of actions of others acting under 
their instruction, the shares will immediately lapse.

Jan

£1.13

Feb

£1.45

Mar

£1.44

Apr

£1.52

May

£1.49

Jun

Jul

Aug

£1.55

£1.90

£2.02

Sep

£2.19

Oct

Nov

Dec

£2.01

£2.43

£2.99

Both Warren East and Panos Kakoullis were granted an award of shares under the Incentive Plan in March 2022 in 
respect of the 2021 financial year, and in March 2023 in respect of the 2022 financial year. The average closing share 
price in the three days prior to the award was used to calculate the number of shares. 40% of each award was deferred 
for three years, vesting in March 2025 and March 2026 respectively, and 60% for four years, vesting in March 2026 
and March 2027 respectively. The awards are subject to malus and clawback. The performance outturn was assessed 
before the award was granted.

LTIP 2019 and 2020

Warren East was awarded an LTIP in 2019 and 2020. The performance conditions of both awards were assessed at 
the end of the 2021 and 2022 respectively and were not met. The performance adjustments were made on the three-
year anniversary of the grants and the awards will formally lapse on the five-year anniversary of the grant (March 
2024 and March 2025 respectively).

104

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Executive Directors’ shareholding requirements (audited)
In line with our shareholding requirements policy, Executive Directors are required to establish and maintain a level of share ownership in  
proportion to a percentage of base salary. The shareholding requirement is 400% for the Chief Executive and 300% for the Chief Financial 
Officer. Share interests that are included in the shareholding requirements are as follows: shares vested from Company share plans; shares held 
in the individual’s own name or by a nominee; shares held by a person closely associated (PCA) (as defined by UK Market Abuse Regulation) 
where the PCA has given express permission; shares held as part of the SharePurchase Plan; and, the estimated net-of-tax shares held in trust 
as part of unvested awards under the Incentive Plan where the awards are not subject to any performance conditions.

Individuals are expected to meet the shareholding requirement within five years of becoming subject to the policy. Where the shareholding 
requirements are not met, individuals may only dispose of shares in the following circumstances: to cover taxation; to cover any costs associated 
with the vesting or exercise of a share award; up to 50% of any shares acquired following the vesting of an award under the Incentive Plan; in 
connection with the operation of the malus and clawback policy; or where the Committee determines there are exceptional circumstances.

At 31 December 2023, Tufan Erginbilgic’s shareholding represented 877% of his base salary and Helen McCabe’s shareholding represented 285% 
of her base salary. They had been subject to the policy since January and August 2023 respectively. These percentages have been calculated 
by reference to the three-month average share price to 29 December 2023, being the last working day of the year.

Executive Directors are also required to retain the lower of their shareholding requirement or their actual shareholding at the date of leaving 
for 12 months after leaving and then half of that amount for the following 12 months. Warren East and Panos Kakoullis have agreed to hold shares 
in accordance with the shareholding requirements policy until January 2025 and August 2025 respectively. Warren East’s shareholding  
represented 1004% of his base salary and Panos Kakoullis’ shareholding represented 486% of his base salary at 31 December 2023. Panos had 
been subject to the policy since May 2021.

These percentages had been calculated by reference to the three-month average share price to 29 December 2023, being the last working day 
of the year.

Executive Directors’ contractual arrangements
Each Executive Director has a service agreement that sets out their contract with the Company.

Tufan Erginbilgic
Helen McCabe

Effective date of contract
1 January 2023
4 August 2023

Notice period from Company
12 months 
12 months

Notice period from individual
12 months
12 months

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

105

GOVERNANCE REPORT2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Pay across the organisation
This section of the report enables our remuneration arrangements to be seen in context by providing:

 — a comparison of the percentage change in our Directors’ remuneration with the change in our UK employees average remuneration over 

two years;

 — a ten-year history of our Chief Executive’s remuneration;

 — our TSR performance over the same period;

 — an indication of the ratio between our Chief Executive’s remuneration and the remuneration of employees; 

 — gender pay reporting; and

 — a year-on-year comparison of the total amount spent on employment costs across the Group and shareholder payments.

Percentage change in Directors’ remuneration
The following table compares the percentage change in each of the Director’s salary/fees, benefits and incentive to the average percentage 
change in salary, benefits and incentive for all UK employees for the past three years.

Dame Anita Frew 
Panos Kakoullis 1
Tufan Erginbilgic 1
Helen McCabe 1
Paul Adams 1
Birgit Behrendt 1
Stuart Bradie 1
Paulo Cesar Silva 1
George Culmer 2
Lord Jitesh Gadhia 1
Beverly Goulet 3 
Nick Luff 4
Mike Manley 1
Wendy Mars 1
Sir Kevin Smith 1,5 
Dame Angela Strank 7 
UK employees average 8,9

2022–2023

2021–2022

2020–2021

2019–2020

Salary/
fees
%

n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
38.46
6.25
n/a
n/a
18.57
n/a
(14.44)
5.77

Benefits
%

Incentive
award
%

(61.54)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
6.25
(50)
28.85
–
n/a
60
n/a
(50)
(1.87)

n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
25.42

Salary/
fees
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
14�29
n/a

Benefits
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
150
n/a
14�29 1,633.33
–
5�56
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
50
(20.95)
300
8�43
3�8
5�71

Incentive
award
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
3

Salary/
fees
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
7�69
38�46
n/a
n/a
8�25
n/a
1�03

Benefits
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
– 
– 
n/a
n/a

∞ 6

n/a
(9.13)

Incentive 
award
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
1,435

Salary/
fees
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
(7.5)
(7.5)
n/a
n/a
(7.5)
n/a
1�96

Incentive 
Benefits
award
%
%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
(72.27)
n/a
–
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
(79.32)
n/a
n/a
2�23 (89.94)

1  Appointed or stepped down during 2023, 2022 or 2021 and therefore unable to provide percentage change for a full year’s remuneration
2  George Culmer was appointed Senior Independent Director (SID) on 12 May 2022 and received an increase in fees
3  Beverly Goulet was appointed Lead Employee Champion on 12 May 2022 and received an increase in fees
4  Nick Luff was appointed Chair of the Audit Committee on 13 May 2021 and received an increase in fees
5  Sir Kevin Smith stepped down as SID and as Chair of the Science & Technology Committee on 12 May 2022 and received a decrease in fees
6 Unable to show percentage change as the increase was from zero
7  Dame Angela Strank was appointed Chair of the Safety, Ethics & Sustainability (SES) Committee on 13 May 2021 and received an increase in fees. She stepped down as Chair of the SES 

Committee on 11 May 2023

8 UK employees were chosen as a comparator group in order to avoid the impact of exchange rate movements over the year. UK employees including apprentices, graduates and interns 

make up 50% of the total employee population and are employed by Rolls-Royce plc or its relevant subsidiaries. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc has no employees

9 There was an incentive award for only a very small population in 2020, hence the significant increase in 2021

Chief Executive pay 

Year
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015

2014

Chief Executive 
Tufan Erginbilgic
Warren East
Warren East
Warren East
Warren East
Warren East
Warren East
Warren East
Warren East
John Rishton
John Rishton

Single figure of 
total remuneration 
£000
13,610
3,835
3,950
1,110
2,528
4,075
2,331
2,089
543
754
2,596

Incentive award as 
a % of maximum
97%
74
79�7
 –
52
60
68
55
–
–
– 

LTIP as a % of 
maximum
–
 –
 –
 –
53
100
 –
 –
–
–
45

John Rishton retired on 2 July 2015 and Warren East was appointed as Chief Executive on 3 July 2015.

Warren East retired on 31 December 2022 and Tufan Erginbilgic was appointed as Chief Executive on 1 January 2023. Tufan received  
compensation for remuneration forfeited from previous employment in 2023 (see pages 102 and 103). 

106

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

TSR performance
The Company’s TSR performance over the previous ten years compared to a broad equity market index is shown in the graph below.  
The FTSE 100 has been chosen as the comparator because it contains a broad range of other UK-listed companies. The graph shows the change 
in value of a hypothetical £100 holding in the Company’s ordinary shares over ten years (prior years adjusted for the rights issue), relative to the 
FTSE 100 index.

300

200

100

£

Rolls-Royce   
FTSE 100

2013

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Chief Executive pay ratio
The Committee is mindful of the relationship between the remuneration of the Chief Executive and the wider employee population. This is the 
sixth year that we have published our Chief Executive pay ratio and we have continued to use option A. We believe that this is the most accurate 
and robust methodology because it relies on calculating actual full time equivalent remuneration for all relevant employees rather than rely on 
data collected for other purposes. We have used the full time equivalent total remuneration of all UK employees at 31 December 2023.

Year
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018

Method
Option A
Option A
Option A
Option A
Option A
Option A

25th percentile
254:1
75:1
88�1
26:1
66:1
92:1

Median
219:1
64:1
76�1
22:1
56:1
77:1

75th percentile
185:1
55:1
63�1
19:1
48:1
66:1

For 2023, the salary and total remuneration for the three employees identified at the 25th, median and 75th percentiles are as follows:

Year
Salary *
Total remuneration

*  Calculated using base pay as at 31 December 2023

25th percentile
£42,453
£53,545

Median
£52,104
£62,168

75th percentile
£60,852
£73,618

The 2023 pay ratio is significantly higher than it has been in previous years driven primarily by the award of shares valued at £7.5m at the time 
of grant to the Chief Executive as compensation for remuneration forfeited from previous employment. If this value was removed from the  
calculation the pay ratio would be 98:1. The Chief Executive has a larger proportion of his total reward based on variable elements linked to 
performance than other UK employees, as well as a significant proportion of his total package delivered in shares ensuring a direct link between 
his reward and share price performance. The Committee recognises that the pay ratio for 2023 is significantly higher than in recent years,  
relating primarily to the £7.5m award of shares. The Committee considers this to be appropriate considering the exceptional performance  
delivered in 2023.

There is good alignment between the reward structure for the Chief Executive and that of the wider workforce, with the majority of employees 
participating in an incentive plan with aligned financial metrics. We also encourage all eligible employees to join our all-employee share plans, 
with approximately 50% of our global population enrolling in our most recent ShareSave plan and approximately 35% of the UK population 
participating in our SharePurchase Plan. In 2024, we will be broadening our all-employee share plan offering, launching a global purchase plan 
which will be structured to offer matching free shares for every share purchased up to maximum monthly limit. This aligns to our broader strategy 
to increase employee share ownership and links directly to the transformation programme.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

107

GOVERNANCE REPORT2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Relative importance of spend on pay
The following chart sets out the percentage change in payments to shareholders and overall expenditure on pay across the Group.

Payment to shareholders (£m)

(Consolidated cash flow statement)

Group employment costs (£m)

(Note 8, employee information – see page 150)

2023

2022

0 (0%)

0 (0%)

2023

2022

3,768 (8.7%) *

3,468 (8.2%)

* Excludes ITP employment costs. ITP Aero sale was completed September 2022

Gender pay reporting
The Company is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive place to work where our people can be themselves and be at their best.

More information about this can be found in the People and Culture section, pages 44 and 48. We published our UK gender pay gap in  
February 2024, which showed:

Median gender pay gap across all employees in the UK

Mean gender pay gap across all employees in the UK

2023

2022

3.7%

3.6%

2023

2022

1.2%

1.6%

The reducing pay gap in the UK is explained by the changing distribution of our workforce, with proportionately more women than men in higher 
paid positions. We continue to pursue diverse and under represented talent, including women, at all levels.

108

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Non-Executive Directors’ remuneration
Non-Executive Directors’ single figure of remuneration (audited)

Dame Anita Frew 
Birgit Behrendt 1
Stuart Bradie 1
Paulo Cesar Silva 2
George Culmer 3
Lord Jitesh Gadhia 4
Beverly Goulet 5 
Nick Luff 
Wendy Mars 6 
Dame Angela Strank 7
Paul Adams 8
Irene Dorner 9
Lee Hsien Yang 10
Mike Manley 11
Sir Kevin Smith 12
Total

Fees  
(£000)

Benefits  
(£000)

Total remuneration  
(£000)

2023
490
45
45
23
85
90
85
95
83
77
54
n/a
n/a
26
26
1,224

2022
490
n/a
n/a
n/a
80
65
80
95
70
90
83
39
70
70
83
1,315

2023
5
10
1
8
5
1
67
–
8
2
6
n/a
n/a
3
1
117

2022
13
n/a
n/a
n/a
5
2
52
–
5
4
10
–
19
7
3
120

2023
495
55
46
31
90
91
152
95
91
79
60
n/a
n/a
29
27
1,341

2022
503
n/a
n/a
n/a
85
67
132
95
75
94
93
39
89
77
86
1,435

1  Birgit Behrendt and Stuart Bradie were appointed as Non-Executive Directors on 11 May 2023
2  Paulo Cesar Silva was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 September 2023
3  George Culmer was appointed Senior Independent Director (SID) on 12 May 2022, when Sir Kevin Smith stepped down as SID
4  Lord Jitesh Gadhia was appointed as a NED on 1 April 2022 and as Chair of the Remuneration Committee on 12 May 2022
5  Beverly Goulet was appointed Lead Employee Champion on 12 May 2022
6  Wendy Mars was appointed Chair of the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee on 11 May 2023
7  Dame Angela Strank stepped down as Chair of the Safety, Ethics & Sustainability Committee on 11 May 2023
8  Paul Adams stepped down from the Board on 1 September 2023 and as Chair of the Science & Technology Committee on 11 May 2023
9  Irene Dorner stepped down from the Board on 12 May 2022
10 Lee Hsien Yang stepped down from the Board on 31 December 2022
11  Mike Manley stepped down from the Board on 11 May 2023
12 Sir Kevin Smith stepped down from the Board on 11 May 2023

Non-Executive Directors’ fees
The Chair’s fee is reviewed by the Board as a whole on the recommendation of the Committee. The review of the other Non-Executive Directors’ 
base fees is reserved to the Chair and Executive Directors. No individual may be involved in setting his or her own fee. In December 2023, the 
Chair’s fee and those of the other Non-Executive Directors were reviewed and it was agreed to change these with effect from 1 June 2024. No 
changes had been made to the Non-Executive Directors’ fees since 2014. Fees from 1 June 2024 are set out in the table below. The  
Non-Executive Directors are not eligible to participate in any of the Group’s share schemes, incentive arrangements or pension schemes. 

A facility is in place which enables Non-Executive Directors (who reside in a permitted dealing territory) to use some or all of their fees, after the 
appropriate statutory deductions, to make market purchases of shares in the Company on a monthly basis. Wendy Mars and Birgit Behrendt use 
this facility.

Chair
Other Non-Executive Directors base 
Chair of the Audit Committee
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Chair of the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee
Chair of the Safety, Ethics & Sustainability Committee
Chair of the Science & Technology Committee
Committee member
Senior Independent Director
Lead Employee Champion
UK Employee Champion
North American board member

1 June 2024
£000
630
90
35
35
35
–
–
15
35
20
15
15

2023
£000
490
70
25
20
–
20
20
–
15
15
–
–

2022
£000
490
70
25
20
–
20
20
–
15
15
–
–

Non-Executive Directors’ benefits (audited)
The benefits for Non-Executive Directors relate predominantly to travel, hotel, and subsistence incurred in attending meetings.

For Non-Executive Directors based outside the UK, the Company may also pay towards tax advice and the cost of making tax filings.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

109

GOVERNANCE REPORT2023 REMUNERATION REPORT

Non-Executive Directors’ share interests (audited)
The Non-Executive Directors and their connected persons hold the following interests in the ordinary shares of the Company:

Dame Anita Frew
Birgit Behrendt 1, 2

Stuart Bradie 1
Paulo Cesar Silva 3
George Culmer
Lord Jitesh Gadhia
Beverly Goulet
Nick Luff
Wendy Mars 2
Dame Angela Strank
Paul Adams 4
Irene Dorner 5
Lee Hsien Yang 6
Mike Manley 7
Sir Kevin Smith 8

22 February 2024 31 December 2023

23 February 2023 31 December 2022

350,000
1,092

95,437
94,546
37,960
50,000
40,972
120,000
34,339
60,583
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

350,000
379

95,437
94,546
37,960
50,000
40,972
120,000
33,155
60,583
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

350,000
n/a

n/a
n/a
37,960
50,000
40,972
120,000
23,026
13,780
10,000
n/a
n/a
–
116,540

350,000
n/a

n/a
n/a
37,960
50,000
40,972
120,000
19,546
13,780
10,000
n/a
76,089
–
116,540

1  Birgit Behrendt and Stuart Bradie were appointed as Non-Executive Directors on 11 May 2023
2  Both Birgit Behrendt and Wendy Mars have entered into a share purchase agreement allocating a percentage of their net fees for the monthly purchase of shares at market price
3  Paulo Cesar Silva was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 September 2023. He holds a percentage of his share interests as American Depository Receipts
4  Paul Adams stepped down from the Board on 1 September 2023
5  Irene Dorner stepped down from the Board on 12 May 2022
6 Lee Hsien Yang stepped down from the Board on 31 December 2022
7  Mike Manley stepped down from the Board on 11 May 2023
8 Sir Kevin Smith stepped down from the Board on 11 May 2023

Non-Executive Directors’ letters of appointment
Our Non-Executive Directors serve two, three-year terms followed by three, one-year terms (nine years in total). 

Dame Anita Frew
Birgit Behrendt
Stuart Bradie
Paulo Cesar Silva
George Culmer
Lord Jitesh Gadhia
Beverly Goulet
Nick Luff
Wendy Mars
Dame Angela Strank

Original appointment date
1 July 2021
11 May 2023
11 May 2023
1 September 2023
2 January 2020
1 April 2022
3 July 2017
3 May 2018
8 December 2021
1 May 2020

Current letter of  

appointment end date
30 June 2024
10 May 2026
10 May 2026
31 August 2026
1 January 2026
31 March 2025
2 July 2024
2 May 2024
7 December 2024
30 April 2026

Shareholder voting
The remuneration policy was last approved by shareholders at our 2021 AGM held on 13 May 2021 and the remuneration report was last approved 
by shareholders at our 2023 AGM held on 11 May 2023. Details of voting are shown in the table below.

Approval of the remuneration policy (2021)
Approval of the remuneration report (2023)

For
5,662,106,630
4,894,967,977

% For
97�04
88�17

Against
172,496,155
656,792,687

% Against
2�96
11�83

Withheld 
14,886,550
1,563,614

Withheld votes are not counted towards the total percentage of votes cast.

Statutory requirements
The Committee’s composition, responsibilities and operation comply with the principles of good governance, as set out in the Code, the Listing 
Rules (of the Financial Conduct Authority) and the Companies Act 2006. The Directors’ remuneration report has been prepared on the basis 
prescribed in the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment) Regulations 2013.

The Remuneration Report, comprising the Remuneration Committee 
report, the remuneration policy and the 2023 remuneration report, 
has been approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by:

Lord Jitesh Gadhia 
Chair of the Remuneration Committee 
22 February 2024

110

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee report 

K E Y A R E A S OF F OC U S IN 20 2 3

Principal risk reviews and deep dives into product and 
people safety. Site visit with safety focus to Civil Aerospace 
facilities in Derby, UK

Review of progress of with the energy transition and  
climate  agendas;  review  of  Sustainability  report  for  
recommendation to the Board

Initial discussions on tech strategy and roadmap

Members 

 Wendy Mars (Chair)  
Birgit Behrendt 
Stuart Bradie 
Paulo Cesar Silva 
Dame Angela Strank

Biographies are on pages 70 and 71

Remit 

See page 68

I am pleased to present the first report of the Safety, Energy Transition 
& Tech (SETT) Committee. This Committee was introduced in May 2023 
and I became chair from its inception. The SETT Committee focuses on 
safety and the energy transition agenda and provides oversight and 
assurance of the Company’s scientific and technological strategy,  
processes and investments. A summary of the SETT Committee’s remit 
can be found on page 68. The Committee members, all Non-Executive 
Directors, bring deep experience between them in the Committee’s 
areas  of  focus  which  they  have  gained  in  their  various  external  
executive roles. This is invaluable to the Committee in its oversight role 
and enables appropriate and robust challenge. 

The Committee has met twice in 2023 and also visited our Civil  
Aerospace facilities in Derby, UK with a particular focus on safety, both 
product and people. 

The Committee is supported at executive-level by the newly created 
appointment of the director of engineering, technology & safety and 
the chief transformation officer, who has responsibility for the energy 
transition  strategy,  and  the  Executive-level  energy  transition  &  
technology committee. The Group’s chief engineer also attends every 
meeting of the Committee.

Safety
Both product and people safety are the main priority for the Group. 

During 2023, we reviewed the updated product safety policy and 
considered in detail the product safety principal risk. We have paid 
close attention to the effectiveness of the product safety management 
system and the relevant controls as the Group’s transformation is  
progressed, in particular the organisational design. The Committee 
reviewed reports from the Group’s chief engineer detailing the status 
of product safety issues across the Group and are working with him to 
develop more granular reporting to support the Committee with greater 
understanding  of  the  divisional  safety  management  control  
effectiveness. The Committee also reviewed relevant internal audit 
reports in relation to product safety.

People  safety  updates  were  received  at  both  meetings  of  the  
Committee, including a summary of performance in 2023 and the 
associated action plans for 2024 to ensure continuous improvement in 
embedding Group-wide standards and policies. 

In October 2023, members of the Committee visited Derby, UK to meet 
different teams across various Civil Aerospace division’s facilities and 
to learn at first hand the management and importance of both product 
and people safety. We visited the service control centre and the major 
events centre as well as the Group’s newest testbed facility and two 
separate manufacturing facilities: new engine and turbine blade.  

We gained insight into the management of in-service fleets and how  
technologies were being developed to grow the capability. We also 
learnt how the right response teams would be assembled in the event 
of a major incident and how this would then be managed. The tour of 
the new product facility provided an understanding of how product 
and people safety was managed and we were taken through an  
assessment of both within the facility. The visit ended with a tour of the 
turbine blade manufacturing facility and the Committee members were 
able to see the degree of technology and automation deployed.

As part of the visit, the Committee was taken through an overview of 
the people safety framework and gained a detailed understanding of 
the approach and standards across the Group. The people safety risks 
were defined and the importance of the speak up line for both product 
and people risks was highlighted. Safety briefings were given to the 
Committee at each facility and the importance of personal protective 
equipment stressed. 

Energy Transition
The focus of the Committee is to provide oversight of the Group’s 
energy transition strategy and to receive progress reports against 
policies, strategies, KPIs, plans, capability, process and systems. At our 
first meeting, the Committee was updated on the focus of the Executive-
level energy transition & technology committee (see page 69). At the 
same meeting, the head of sustainability provided an introduction to 
the Group’s climate programme and its role in ensuring the reporting 
obligations of the Group are met and aligned with the strategic plan 
and financial forecasts. At our subsequent meeting, we reviewed  
progress made in 2023 with Scope 1 + 2 GHG emissions reduction plans 
and the Scope 3, category 11 (use of sold products) emissions reporting 
(see page 41). We also discussed the progress with the energy transition 
and climate agendas. At our meeting in February 2024, as part of the 
year-end reporting, the Committee reviewed the Sustainability report 
set out on pages 32 to 43 and recommended it to the Board for approval.

Tech
Following the strategy presentation at the capital markets day in  
November  2023,  the  Committee  had  initial  discussions  on  the  
technology  strategy  and  roadmap,  considering  prioritisation  of  
investment, funding and partnership approaches, the roadmapping 
process and organisation and potential disruptions and threats. The 
Committee’s oversight of the technology strategy will ensure alignment 
with the climate change strategy. 

Wendy Mars 
Chair of the Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

111

GOVERNANCE REPORT 
Responsibility statements

Statement of Directors’ responsibilities in respect of the 
financial statements
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the 
financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulation.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the 
Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the 
preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from 
legislation in other jurisdictions.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements 
for each financial year. Under that law, the Directors have prepared the 
Group Financial Statements in accordance with UK-adopted international 
accounting standards and the Company Financial Statements in  
accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting 
Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 101 
Reduced Disclosure Framework and applicable law).

Under  company  law,  Directors  must  not  approve  the  Financial  
Statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view 
of the state of affairs of the Group and Company and of the profit or 
loss of the Group for that period. In preparing the financial statements, 
the Directors are required to:

 — select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

 — state whether applicable UK-adopted international accounting  
standards have been followed for the Group financial statements 
and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 101 have 
been  followed  for  the  Company  financial  statements,  subject  
to  any  material  departures  disclosed  and  explained  in  the  
financial statements;

 — make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and 

prudent; and

 — prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless 
it is inappropriate to presume that the Group and Company will 
continue in business.

The Directors are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group 
and the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the  
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Directors’ confirmations
The Directors consider that the Annual Report and Accounts, taken as 
a  whole,  is  fair,  balanced  and  understandable  and  provides  the  
information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s and the 
Company’s position and performance, business model and strategy.

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed in the 
Directors’ Report confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

 — the Group financial statements, which have been prepared in  
accordance with UK-adopted international accounting standards, 
give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit of the Group;

 — the Company financial statements, which have been prepared in 
accordance with United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising 
FRS 101, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities and financial 
position of the Company; and

 — the Strategic Report includes a fair review of the development and 
performance of the business and the position of the Group and the 
Company, together with a description of the principal risks and 
uncertainties that it faces.

In the case of each Director in office at the date the Directors’ Report 
is approved:

 — so far as the Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information 
of which the Group’s and the Company’s auditors are unaware; and

 — they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a 
Director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit 
information and to establish that the Group’s and the Company’s 
auditors are aware of that information.

The Directors are also responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the Group’s and  
the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at 
any time the financial position of the Group and the Company and 
enable them to ensure that the financial statements and the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report comply with the Companies Act 2006.

By order of the Board

Pamela Coles  
Chief Governance Officer  
22 February 2024

112

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

Consolidated Financial Statements
Primary statements
Consolidated income statement �������������������������������������������������������������� 114

20  Financial instruments ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 163

21  Provisions for liabilities and charges ������������������������������������������������173

22  Post-retirement benefits ������������������������������������������������������������������ 174

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income �������������������������� 115

23  Share capital ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 179

Consolidated balance sheet ���������������������������������������������������������������� 116

24  Share-based payments ������������������������������������������������������������������������180

Consolidated cash flow statement ���������������������������������������������������������� 117

25  Contingent liabilities and commitments ����������������������������������������� 181

Consolidated statement of changes in equity ���������������������������������������120

26  Related party transactions �������������������������������������������������������������������181

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
1  Accounting policies������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 122

2  Segmental analysis ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 137

3  Research and development ��������������������������������������������������������������� 144
4  Net financing ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 144

5  Taxation ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 145

27   Acquisitions, disposals, held for sale and discontinued 

operations ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������182

28  Derivation of summary funds flow statement ������������������������������ 184

Company Financial Statements
Primary statements
Company balance sheet ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 185

6  Earnings per ordinary share ���������������������������������������������������������������149

Company statement of changes in equity �������������������������������������������186

7  Auditors’ remuneration ���������������������������������������������������������������������������149

8  Employee information �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 150

9 

Intangible assets ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 151

10  Property, plant and equipment ��������������������������������������������������������������154

11  Right-of-use assets ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������155

12  Investments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������156

13  Inventories ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 158

14  Trade receivables and other assets ���������������������������������������������������158
15  Contract assets and liabilities ����������������������������������������������������������� 159

16  Cash and cash equivalents ����������������������������������������������������������������� 160

17  Borrowings and lease liabilities �����������������������������������������������������������160

18  Leases ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 161

19  Trade payables and other liabilities ������������������������������������������������ 162

Notes to the Company Financial Statements
1  Accounting policies ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 187

2 

Investments – subsidiary undertakings ����������������������������������������� 188

3  Trade payables and other liabilities ������������������������������������������������ 188

4  Financial liabilities �����������������������������������������������������������������������������188

5  Share capital �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������189

6 

 Reconciliation of net assets between  

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Group and Company ��������������������������189
7  Contingent liabilities ����������������������������������������������������������������������������189

8  Other information ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������189

Subsidiaries ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������190
Joint ventures and associates �������������������������������������������������������������������194

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

113

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated income statement

Year ended 31 December 2023

Continuing operations

Revenue
Cost of sales 1
Gross profit
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Operating profit
Gain arising on disposal of businesses
Profit before financing and taxation 

Financing income
Financing costs
Net financing income/(costs) 2

Profit/(loss) before taxation 
Taxation

Profit/(loss) for the year from continuing operations

Discontinued operations

Profit for the year from ordinary activities
Loss on disposal of discontinued operations 
Loss for the year from discontinued operations

Profit/(loss) for the year

Attributable to:

Ordinary shareholders
Non-controlling interests (NCI)

Profit/(loss) for the year
Other comprehensive (expense)/income (OCI)
Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year

Earnings/(loss) per ordinary share attributable to ordinary shareholders:
From continuing operations:

Basic 
Diluted 

From continuing and discontinued operations:

Basic 
Diluted 

1  Cost of sales includes a net release for expected credit losses (ECLs) of £48m (2022: charge of £73m). Further detail can be found in note 14 
2  Included within net financing are fair value changes on derivative contracts. Further details can be found in notes 2, 4 and 20 

Notes

2023
£m

2022
£m

2

2

2

2, 3

12

27

4

4

5

27

27

6

16,486 
(12,866)
3,620 
(1,110)
(739)
173 
1,944 
1 
1,945 

1,163 
(681)
482 

2,427 
(23)
2,404 

– 
– 
– 

13,520 
(10,763)
2,757 
(1,077)
(891)
48 
837 
81 
918 

355 
(2,775)
(2,420)

(1,502)
308 
(1,194)

68 
(148)
(80)

2,404 

(1,274)

2,412 
(8)
2,404 
(171)
2,233 

28.85p 
28.70p 

28.85p 
28.70p 

(1,269)
(5)
(1,274)
522 
(752)

(14.24)p
(14.24)p

(15.20)p
(15.20)p

114

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 

Year ended 31 December 2023

Profit/(loss) for the year
Other comprehensive income/(expense) (OCI)

Actuarial movements on post-retirement schemes 
Revaluation to fair value of other investments
Share of OCI of joint ventures and associates
Related tax movements
Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Foreign exchange translation differences on foreign operations
Foreign exchange translation differences reclassified to income statement  
on disposal of businesses
Hedging reserves reclassified to income statement on disposal of businesses
NCI disposed of on disposal of businesses
Movement on fair values charged to cash flow hedge reserve
Reclassified to income statement from cash flow hedge reserve
Costs of hedging
Share of OCI of joint ventures and associates
Related tax movements
Items that will be reclassified to profit or loss

Total other comprehensive (expense)/income

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year

Attributable to:

Ordinary shareholders
NCI

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year attributable to ordinary  
shareholders arises from:
Continuing operations
Discontinued operations

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year attributable to ordinary shareholders

Notes

2023
£m
2,404 

2022
£m
(1,274)

22

12

12

5

27

12

5

116 
(4)
1 
(43)
70 

(226)

1 
– 
– 
(82)
61 
– 
1 
4 
(241)

(171)

2,233 

2,241 
(8)
2,233 

2,241 
– 
2,241 

(156)
(4)
2 
89 
(69)

452 

65 
111 
1 
(7)
(55)
10 
– 
14 
591 

522 

(752)

(748)
(4)
(752)

(673)
(75)
(748)

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

115

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated balance sheet

At 31 December 2023

ASSETS
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Right-of-use assets
Investments – joint ventures and associates
Investments – other
Other financial assets
Deferred tax assets
Post-retirement scheme surpluses
Non-current assets
Inventories
Trade receivables and other assets
Contract assets
Taxation recoverable
Other financial assets
Short-term investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Current assets
Assets held for sale
TOTAL ASSETS

LIABILITIES
Borrowings and lease liabilities
Other financial liabilities
Trade payables and other liabilities
Contract liabilities
Current tax liabilities
Provisions for liabilities and charges
Current liabilities
Borrowings and lease liabilities
Other financial liabilities
Trade payables and other liabilities
Contract liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
Provisions for liabilities and charges
Post-retirement scheme deficits
Non-current liabilities
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale
TOTAL LIABILITIES

NET LIABILITIES

EQUITY
Called-up share capital
Share premium 
Capital redemption reserve
Cash flow hedge reserve
Translation reserve
Accumulated losses
Equity attributable to ordinary shareholders
Non-controlling interest (NCI)
TOTAL EQUITY

Notes

2023
£m

2022
£m

9

10

11

12

12

20

5

22

13

14

15

20

20

16

27

17

20

19

15

21

17

20

19

15

5

21

22

27

23

4,009 
3,728 
905 
479 
31 
360 
2,998
782 
13,292 
4,848 
8,123 
1,242 
80 
34 
– 
3,784 
18,111 
109 
31,512 

(809)
(448)
(6,896)
(6,098)
(143)
(532)
(14,926)
(4,950)
(1,983)
(1,927)
(8,438)
(330)
(1,497)
(1,035)
(20,160)
(55)
(35,141)

4,098 
3,936 
1,061 
422 
36 
542 
2,731 
613 
13,439 
4,708 
6,936 
1,481 
127 
141 
11 
2,607 
16,011 
– 
29,450 

(358)
(1,016)
(6,983)
(4,825)
(104)
(632)
(13,918)
(5,597)
(3,230)
(2,364)
(7,337)
(286)
(1,701)
(1,033)
(21,548)
– 
(35,466)

(3,629)

(6,016)

1,684 
1,012 
167 
12 
634 
(7,190)
(3,681)
52 
(3,629)

1,674 
1,012 
166 
26 
861 
(9,789)
(6,050)
34 
(6,016)

The Financial Statements on pages 114 to 184 were approved by the Board on 22 February 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Tufan Erginbilgic 
Chief Executive  

Helen McCabe  
Chief Financial Officer 

116

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
 
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated cash flow statement

Year ended 31 December 2023

Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities

Operating profit from continuing operations
Operating profit from discontinued operations

Operating profit
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Dividends received from joint ventures and associates
Amortisation and impairment of intangible assets
Depreciation and impairment of property, plant and equipment
Depreciation and impairment of right-of-use assets
Adjustment of amounts payable under residual value guarantees within lease liabilities
Impairment of and other movements on investments 
Decrease in provisions
Increase in inventories
Movement in trade receivables/payables and other assets/liabilities
Movement in contract assets/liabilities
Cash flows on other financial assets and liabilities held for operating purposes 2
Cash flows on settlement of excess derivative contracts 1, 3
Interest received
Net defined benefit post-retirement cost recognised in profit before financing
Cash funding of defined benefit post-retirement schemes
Share-based payments
Net cash inflow from operating activities before taxation
Taxation paid
Net cash inflow from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Movement in other investments
Additions of intangible assets
Disposals of intangible assets
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
Disposals of property, plant and equipment
Acquisition of businesses
Disposal of businesses (including cash flows on disposals in prior periods)
Movement in investments in joint ventures and associates
Movement in short-term investments
Cash flows on other financial assets and liabilities held for non-operating purposes
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Repayment of loans 
Proceeds from increase in loans
Capital element of lease payments
Net cash flow from decrease in borrowings and lease liabilities
Interest paid
Interest element of lease payments
Fees paid on undrawn facilities
Transactions with NCI 4
Dividends to NCI
Redemption of C Shares
Net cash outflow from financing activities

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Notes

27

12

12

9

10

11

18

12

22

22

24

12

9

27

12

2023
£m

1,944 
– 
1,944 
18 
(173)
54 
272 
423 
334 
(10)
– 
(325)
(200)
(1,346)
2,703 
(845)
(389)
159 
41 
(69)
66 
2,657 
(172)
2,485 

1 
(284)
4 
(429)
10 
(14)
(4)
(9)
11 
(12)
(726)

(1)
2 
(291)
(290)
(196)
(85)
(52)
77 
(2)
(1)
(549)

Restated 1
2022
£m

837 
86 
923 
18 
(48)
73 
287 
430 
287 
(3)
75 
(197)
(887)
(56)
1,753 
(660)
(326)
36 
27 
(81)
47 
1,698 
(174)
1,524 

(5)
(237)
8 
(359)
48 
– 
1,398 
(24)
(3)
– 
826 

(2,024)
1 
(218)
(2,241)
(235)
(68)
(49)
57 
(3)
(1)
(2,540)

117

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated cash flow statement continued

Year ended 31 December 2023

Change in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 
Exchange (losses)/gains on cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 5

Notes

2023
£m
1,210 
2,605 
(84)
3,731 

Restated 1
2022
£m
(190)
2,639 
156 
2,605 

1  The cash flow statement to 31 December 2022 has been represented as a result of a change in accounting policy to disclose cash flows on settlement of excess derivative contracts as cash 
flows from operating activities. As a result, there has been a decrease in cash flows from operating activities during the year to 31 December 2022 from £1,850m to £1,524m and a decrease 
in cash outflow from financing activities from £(2,866)m to £(2,540)m. There is no impact to the total change in cash and cash equivalents or to any alternative performance measures. See 
note 1 for further detail

2  Predominately relates to cash settled on derivative contracts held for operating purposes
3  In 2020, the Group experienced a significant decline in its medium-term outlook and consequently a significant deterioration to its forecast net USD cash inflows. The Group took action 
to reduce the size of the USD hedge book by $11.8bn across 2020 to 2026 to reflect the fact that at that time, future operating cash flows were no longer forecast to materialise. To achieve 
the necessary reduction in the hedge book, a separate and distinct set of foreign exchange derivative instruments were entered into to buy $11.8bn. The associated cash outflow of these 
transactions is £1,674m and occurs over the period 2020 to 2026. This action had the impact of fixing the fair value of the over-hedged position and provided certainty over when the cash 
flows to settle the position would occur in future periods. During the year, the Group incurred a cash outflow of £389m (2022: £326m) and estimates that future cash outflows of £146m will 
be incurred in 2024 and £175m spread over 2025 and 2026

4  Relates to NCI investment received in the year, in respect of Rolls-Royce SMR Limited
5  The Group considers overdrafts (repayable on demand) and cash held for sale to be an integral part of its cash management activities and these are included in cash and cash equivalents 

for the purposes of the cash flow statement

In deriving the consolidated cash flow statement, movement in balance sheet items have been adjusted for non-cash items. The cash flow in the 
year includes the sale of goods and services to joint ventures and associates – see note 26.

Reconciliation of movements in cash and cash equivalents to movements in net debt
Change in cash and cash equivalents
Cash flow from decrease in borrowings and lease liabilities
Cash flow from (decrease)/increase in short-term investments
Change in net debt resulting from cash flows
Lease additions, modifications and other non-cash adjustments on borrowings and lease liabilities
Exchange gains/(losses) on net debt
Fair value adjustments
Debt disposed of on disposal of businesses
Movement in net debt
Net debt at 1 January
Net debt at 31 December excluding the fair value of swaps
Fair value of swaps hedging fixed rate borrowings
Net debt at 31 December

2023
£m

2022
£m

1,210 
290 
(11)
1,489 
(191)
57 
7
– 
1,362 
(3,337)
(1,975)
23 
(1,952)

(190)
2,241 
3 
2,054 
(170)
(150)
70 
53
1,857 
(5,194)
(3,337)
86 
(3,251)

118

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated cash flow statement continued

Year ended 31 December 2023

The movement in net debt (defined by the Group as including the items shown below) is as follows:

At 1 January
£m

Funds
flow
£m

Net debt on
disposal
£m

Exchange
 differences
£m

Fair value
 adjustments
£m

Reclassi-
fications
£m

Other
 movements
£m

At 
31 December
£m

2023
Cash at bank and in hand
Money market funds
Short-term deposits
Cash and cash equivalents  
(per balance sheet) 
Overdrafts
Cash and cash equivalents  
(per cash flow statement)
Short-term investments
Other current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Lease liabilities
Financial liabilities
Net debt excluding the fair value  
of swaps
Fair value of swaps hedging fixed rate 
borrowings 1
Net debt

2022
Cash at bank and in hand
Money market funds
Short-term deposits
Cash and cash equivalents  
(per balance sheet) 
Cash and cash equivalents included within 
assets held for sale
Overdrafts
Cash and cash equivalents  
(per cash flow statement)
Short-term investments
Other current borrowings
Non-current borrowings
Borrowings included within liabilities  
held for sale
Lease liabilities
Lease liabilities included within liabilities 
held for sale
Financial liabilities
Net debt excluding the fair value  
of swaps
Fair value of swaps hedging fixed rate 
borrowings 1 
Net debt

847 
34 
1,726 

2,607 
(2)

2,605 
11 
(1)
(4,105)
(1,847)
(5,953)

(79)
1,043 
297 

1,261 
(51)

1,210 
(11)
(1)
– 
291 
290 

(3,337)

1,489 

86 
(3,251)

– 
1,489 

795 
49 
1,777 

17 
(15)
(171)

2,621 

(169)

25 
(7)

2,639 
8 
(2)
(6,023)

(59)
(1,744)

(13)
(7,841)

(26)
5 

(190)
3 
2 
2,000 

21 
217 

1 
2,241 

(5,194)

2,054 

37 
(5,157)

– 
2,054 

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

40 
– 

13 
53 

53 

– 
53 

(29)
– 
(55)

(84)
– 

(84)
– 
– 
59 
82 
141 

57 

(59)
(2)

35 
– 
120 

155 

1 
– 

156 
– 
(1)
(125)

– 
(179)

(1)
(306)

(150)

125 
(25)

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
(13)
20 
– 
7 

7 

(4)
3 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
72 

(2)
– 

– 
70 

70 

(76)
(6)

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
(462)
462 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
(1)
(4)
(186)
(191)

739 
1,077 
1,968 

3,784 
(53)

3,731 
– 
(478)
(3,568)
(1,660)
(5,706)

(191)

(1,975)

– 
(191)

23 
(1,952)

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
(29)

– 
(141)

847 
34 
1,726 

2,607 

– 
(2)

2,605 
11 
(1)
(4,105)

– 
(1,847)

– 
(170)

– 
(5,953)

(170)

(3,337)

– 
(170)

86 
(3,251)

1  Fair value of swaps hedging fixed rate borrowings reflects the impact of derivatives on repayments of the principal amount of debt. Net debt therefore includes the fair value of derivatives 
included in fair value hedges (2023: £34m, 2022: £38m) and the element of fair value relating to exchange differences on the underlying principal of derivatives in cash flow hedges  
(2023: £(11)m, 2022: £48m) 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

119

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSCONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Year ended 31 December 2023

The following describes the nature and purpose of each reserve within equity:

Share capital – The nominal value of ordinary shares of 20p each in issue.
Share premium – Proceeds received in excess of the nominal value of ordinary shares issued, less the costs of issue.
Capital redemption reserve – Amounts transferred from accumulated losses on the repurchase of ordinary shares or the redemption of C Shares. 
In Rolls-Royce Holdings plc’s own Financial Statements, C Shares are issued from the merger reserve. This reserve was created by a scheme of 
arrangement in 2011. As this reserve is eliminated on consolidation in the Consolidated Financial Statements, the C Shares are shown as being 
issued from the capital redemption reserve.
Hedging reserves – Cumulative gains and losses on hedging instruments deemed effective in cash flow hedges and cost of hedging reserve.
Merger reserve – The premium on issuing shares to acquire a business where merger relief in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 applies.
Translation reserve – Gains and losses arising on retranslating the net assets of overseas operations into sterling.
Accumulated losses – All other net gains and losses and transactions with owners not recognised elsewhere and ordinary shares held for the 
purpose of share-based payment plans. 
Non-controlling interests – The share of net assets or liabilities of subsidiaries held by third parties.

At 1 January 2023

Profit/(loss) for the year
Foreign exchange translation 
differences on foreign 
operations
Foreign exchange translation 
differences reclassified to 
income statement on disposal 
of businesses
Actuarial movements on 
post-retirement schemes
Fair value movement on cash 
flow hedges
Reclassified to income 
statement from cash flow 
hedge reserve
Revaluation to fair value of 
other investments
OCI of joint ventures and 
associates
Related tax movements

Total comprehensive (expense)/
income for the year

Issues of ordinary shares
Redemption of C Shares 
Shares issued to employee 
share trust
Share-based payments –  
direct to equity 2
Dividends to NCI
Transactions with NCI 3
Related tax movements
Other changes in equity  
in the year
At 31 December 2023

Attributable to ordinary shareholders

Notes

Share 
capital
£m
1,674 
– 

Share 
premium
£m
1,012 
– 

Capital 
redemption 
reserve
£m
166 
– 

Cash flow 
hedging 
reserve
£m
26 
– 

Merger 
reserve
£m
– 
– 

Trans-
lation 
reserve
£m
861 
– 

Accum-
ulated
losses 1
£m
(9,789)
2,412 

Total
£m
(6,050)
2,412 

NCI
£m
34 
(8)

Total
equity
£m
(6,016)
2,404 

27

22

12

12

5

20

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
10 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
1 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

10 
1,684 

– 
1,012 

1 
167 

– 

– 

– 

(82)

61 

– 

2 
5 

(14)
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
12 

– 

(226)

– 

(226)

– 

(226)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

1 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(1)
(1)

– 

1 

116 

116 

– 

(82)

– 

(4)

1 
(43)

61 

(4)

2 
(39)

(227)
– 
– 

2,482 
– 
(1)

2,241 
10 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

(10)

(10)

49 
– 
57 
22 

49 
– 
57 
22 

– 
634 

117 
(7,190)

128 
(3,681)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

(8)
– 
– 

– 

– 
(2)
28 
– 

26 
52 

1 

116 

(82)

61 

(4)

2 
(39)

2,233 
10 
– 

(10)

49 
(2)
85 
22 

154 
(3,629)

120

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated statement of changes in equity continued

Year ended 31 December 2023

At 1 January 2022

Loss for the year
Foreign exchange translation 
differences on foreign 
operations
Foreign exchange translation 
differences reclassified to 
income statement on disposal 
of businesses
Hedging reserves reclassified 
to income statement on 
disposal of businesses
NCI disposed of on disposal  
of business
Actuarial movements on 
post-retirement schemes
Fair value movement on cash 
flow hedges
Reclassified to income 
statement from cash flow 
hedge reserve
Costs of hedging
Revaluation to fair value of 
other investments
OCI of joint ventures and 
associates
Related tax movements
Total comprehensive income/
(expense) for the year

Redemption of C Shares 
Share-based payments – direct 
to equity 2
Dividends to NCI
Transactions with NCI 3
Transfer to realised profit 4
Related tax movements
Other changes in equity  
in the year
At 31 December 2022

Attributable to ordinary shareholders

Notes

Share 
capital
£m
1,674 
– 

Share 
premium
£m
1,012 
– 

Capital
 redemption
 reserve
£m
165 
– 

Hedging 
reserves
£m
(45)
– 

Merger 
reserve
£m
650 
– 

Trans-
lation 
reserve
£m
342 
– 

Accum-
ulated
losses 1
£m
(9,189)
(1,269)

Total
£m
(5,391)
(1,269)

NCI
£m
26 
(5)

Total
equity
£m
(5,365)
(1,274)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
1 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

111 

– 

– 

(7)

(55)
10 

– 

– 
12 

71 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
1,674 

– 
1,012 

1 
166 

– 
26 

– 

452 

– 

452 

– 

452 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
(650)
– 

(650)
– 

65 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
2 

– 

– 

– 

65 

111 

– 

(156)

(156)

– 

– 
– 

(4)

2 
89 

(7)

(55)
10 

(4)

2 
103 

519 
– 

(1,338)
(1)

(748)
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

46 
– 
42 
650 
1 

46 
– 
42 
– 
1 

– 

– 

1 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

(4)
– 

– 
(3)
15 
– 
– 

65 

111 

1 

(156)

(7)

(55)
10 

(4)

2 
103 

(752)
– 

46 
(3)
57 
– 
1 

– 
861 

738 
(9,789)

89 
(6,050)

12 
34 

101 
(6,016)

22

12

12

5

20

1  At 31 December 2023, 52,912,406 ordinary shares with a net book value of £22m (2022: 11,402,796 ordinary shares with a net book value of £27m) were held for the purpose of share-based 

payment plans and included in accumulated losses. During the year: 
 – 7,875,240 ordinary shares with a net book value of £15m (2022: 18,488,558 ordinary shares with a net book value of £39m) vested in share-based payment plans; 
 – the Company issued 49,100,000 (2022: none) new ordinary shares to the Group’s share trust for its employee share-based payment plans with a net book value of £10m (2022: £nil); and
 – the Company acquired none (2022: none) of its ordinary shares via reinvestment of dividends received on its own shares and purchased 284,850 (2022: 486,163) of its ordinary shares 

through purchases on the London Stock Exchange

2  Share-based payments – direct to equity is the share-based payment charge for the year less actual cost of vesting excluding those vesting from own shares and cash received on  

share-based schemes vesting

3  Relates to NCI investment received in the year in respect of Rolls-Royce SMR Limited
4  On disposal of ITP Aero on 15 September 2022, the premium recognised on issue of shares for the previous acquisition became realised on receipt of qualifying consideration. As such, the 

total merger reserve has been transferred to accumulated losses

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

121

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies

The Company and the Group
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (the ‘Company’) is a public company limited by shares incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 and domiciled in 
England in the United Kingdom. The Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2023 consist of the 
audited consolidation of the Financial Statements of the Company and its subsidiaries (together referred to as the Group) together with the 
Group’s interest in jointly controlled and associated entities. 

Basis of preparation and statement of compliance
The Company has elected to prepare its individual Company Financial Statements under FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework� They are set 
out on pages 185 to 189 with the associated accounting policies from page 187.

The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with UK adopted International Accounting Standards (IAS) in  
conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and interpretations issued by the IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRS IC)  
applicable to companies reporting under UK adopted IFRS.

The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as described on page 58. The historical cost basis has 
been used except where IFRS require the revaluation of financial instruments to fair value and certain other assets and liabilities on an alternative 
basis, most significantly post-retirement scheme obligations are valued on the basis required by IAS 19 Employee Benefits�

The Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in sterling, which is the Company’s functional currency.

The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements requires management to make judgements and estimates that affect the statutory 
amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and the statutory amounts of revenue and expenses during 
the reporting period. Actual future outcomes could differ from those estimates.

Going concern
The Directors have undertaken a comprehensive going concern review. In adopting the going concern basis for preparing the Consolidated 
and Company Financial Statements, the Directors have undertaken a review of the Group’s cash flow forecasts and available liquidity, along with 
consideration of possible risks and uncertainties over an 18-month period from the date of this report to August 2025. The Directors have  
determined that an 18-month period is an appropriate timeframe over which to assess going concern as it considers the Group’s short- to  
medium-term cash flow forecasts and available liquidity. 

Recognising the challenges of reliably estimating and forecasting the impact of external factors on the Group, the Directors have considered 
the following two forecasts in their assessment of going concern, along with a likelihood assessment of these forecasts:

 — the base case forecast, which reflects the Directors current expectations of future trading; and

 — a stressed downside forecast, which has also been modelled and envisages a ‘stressed’ or ‘downside’ situation that is considered severe  

but plausible�

Further details are given in the going concern review on page 58. After reviewing the current liquidity position and the cash flow forecasts 
modelled under both the base case and stressed downside, the Directors consider that the Group has sufficient liquidity to continue in  
operational existence for a period of at least 18 months from the date of this report and are therefore satisfied that it is appropriate to adopt the 
going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Climate change
In preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements the Directors have considered the potential impact of climate change, particularly in  
the context of the disclosures included in the 2023 Strategic Report and the stated sustainability approach. The Group’s climate strategy sets 
out how it is responding to the climate challenge by:

 — decarbonising its operations, facilities and business activities. This will be met through continued investment in onsite renewable energy 
installations; the procurement of renewable energy; and continued investment in energy efficiency improvements to reduce the Group’s 
overall energy demands and operating costs. An estimate of the investment required to meet these scope 1 + 2 emission improvements is 
included in the forecasts that support these Consolidated Financial Statements;

 — enabling customers to operate their products in a way that is compatible with low or net zero carbon emissions. To accelerate this, the Group 
has demonstrated that all the commercial aero engines it produces, and the most popular reciprocating engines (that represent 80% of the 
Power Systems product portfolio) are compatible for use on sustainable fuels. The Group is also working with its armed forces customers to 
achieve the same for the engines they use from Defence; 

 — delivering new products and solutions that can accelerate the global energy transition, including investment in battery energy storage  
solutions in Power Systems, and in small modular reactors (SMRs). In the year, research and development (R&D) costs of £137m (2022: £108m) 
within New Markets included investment to ready the SMR to progress through the Great British Nuclear SMR technology selection process 
and the second stage of the design assessment process. Future investment required to deliver these technologies is included in the forecasts 
that support the Consolidated Financial Statements; and by

 — creating the necessary enabling environment, with public and policy support, to achieve our collective climate goals, through actively  

engaging with policy makers, regulators and others to advocate for the necessary policy and economic support we have identified.

122

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Climate change continued
The climate change scenarios previously prepared to assess the Group’s strategic planning and its approach to managing climate-related risk 
have continued to develop over the last year, as set out in the Strategic Review. The scenarios are used to assess how each of them impacts: the 
life of assets; future revenue projections; future profitability; and whether additional costs may occur. There remains inherent uncertainty around 
how the scenarios will impact the Group. The Directors assess the assumptions on a regular basis to ensure that they are consistent with the risk 
management activities and the commitments made to investors and other stakeholders.

Based on the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, the Group assesses the potential impact of  
climate-related transition and physical risks and opportunities. The Group has identified four key transition risks (relating to customer demand, 
cost due to carbon pricing, cost due to commodity pricing and changing investment needs) and three key physical risks (relating to facility 
disruption, supply chain disruption and impact on product performance) which may arise from the energy transition. The transition risks are the 
most likely to have an impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements, as exposure to physical risks will be greater in the longer-term. 

The key sources of estimation uncertainty at the balance sheet date are set out on page 126 and the Directors have considered the impact of 
climate change on those estimates. The key assumptions used in this assessment are consistent with those used in the climate scenarios presented 
in the Strategic Review. A summary of the assessment is set out below.

Risk
Changing 
customer demand

How reflected in the  
Financial Statements
Overall forecast demand is 
expected to be robust in 
each scenario, although 
product mix may change 
with customer requirements.

Changes in costs 
due to carbon 
pricing 1 and 
commodity price 
changes 2

1  Based on the IEA 

Net Zero by 2050  
scenario ($60 per 
tonne of carbon in 
2023 to $250 in 
2050)

2  Commodity prices 
from the Oxford  
Economics Global 
Climate Service and 
Databank 

Change in 
investment 
requirement

The potential impact of 
carbon pricing has been 
estimated by applying 
carbon prices to the 
forecast emissions 
generated by the Group 
and its supply chain. This 
impact, together with that 
from estimated commodity 
prices under each 
scenario, have been 
added/deducted to 
forecast costs in the base 
forecasts.

The analysis reflects that: 
decarbonisation activities 
will occur in both the 
Group and its supply chain; 
and that some supplier 
contracts offer protection 
from cost increases in the 
short to medium term 
where pricing is fixed or 
subject to capped 
escalation clauses.
Changing investment 
requirements may arise 
due to the introduction/
acceleration of new 
technologies�

Research is expensed and 
development costs 
capitalised as incurred.

Impact on Civil Aerospace LTSAs
Forecast EFH are based on 
customer and market data 
and therefore already 
include the latest 
expectation of the impact 
of climate change on 
demand. A sensitivity 
disclosing the impact of a 
1% change in EFH forecasts 
over the remaining term of 
Civil LTSA contracts is 
disclosed on page 129.
The increase in the cost 
base of the current Civil 
LTSA contracts due to 
carbon and commodity 
prices is estimated to be 
around 1% (2022: 1%) with 
the incremental cost 
included in the cost to 
complete estimates that 
drive revenue recognition. 
Changes in estimates have 
not had a material impact 
on revenue catch-ups or 
contract loss provisions in 
the year (2022: not 
material).

A sensitivity disclosing the 
impact of a 2% change in 
shop visit costs over the 
remaining term of Civil 
LTSA contracts is disclosed 
on page 129� 

No impact to existing 
LTSAs.

Impact on impairment of 
non-financial assets
Given the level of headroom 
in the programme intangible 
assets and Rolls-Royce 
Power Systems and 
Rolls-Royce Deutschland 
goodwill, the potential 
impact of a change in 
customer demand does not 
indicate any potential 
impact�

Impact on UK deferred tax asset 
recoverability
Forecast EFH are based on 
customer and market data 
and therefore include the 
latest expectation of the 
impact of climate change on 
demand. A sensitivity 
disclosing the impact of a 5% 
change in margin or shop 
visits is disclosed on page 
130�

Given the level of headroom 
in the programme intangible 
assets and Rolls-Royce 
Power Systems and 
Rolls-Royce Deutschland 
goodwill, the potential 
impact of the cost increased 
in the scenarios does not 
indicate any potential 
impact�

The assessment has 
considered each of the 
Group’s <1.5°C, 1.7°C and 
3.5°C scenarios.

The forecast of probable 
future taxable profits reflects 
the increase in the cost base 
that could arise from carbon 
and commodity prices 
consistent with the 
methodology applied for Civil 
Aerospace LTSA.

Disclosed on page 130 is the 
impact of changing the 
proportion of cost increases 
that can be passed onto 
customers following the 
expiry of existing LTSAs.

Impairment tests are either: 
performed on a value in use 
basis and the investment 
associated with new 
products is required to  
be excluded; or have 
sufficient headroom  
such that the estimated 
investment requirement  
is not significant.

Given the UK deferred tax 
asset recoverability is largely 
dependent on Civil and 
Defence aerospace markets, 
the increase in research and 
development expenditure 
required under this scenario 
does not have a material 
impact�

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

123

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Climate change continued
Items that may be impacted by climate-related risks, but which are not considered to be key areas of judgement or sources of estimation  
uncertainty in the current financial year are outlined below.

Useful lives of assets – The useful lives of property, plant and equipment and right-of-use assets could be reduced by climate-related matters, 
for example, as a result of physical risks, obsolescence or legal restrictions. The change in useful lives would have a direct impact on the amount 
of depreciation or amortisation recognised each year from the date of reassessment. The Directors’ review of useful lives has taken into  
consideration the impacts of the Group’s decarbonisation strategy (including the remaining useful life of assets that might be incompatible with 
the Group’s commitment to decarbonise its facilities and considering the Group’s physical risk assessment) and has not had a material impact on 
the results for the year. The Directors have also considered the remaining useful economic lives of material intangible assets, including the 
£1,920m and £238m capitalised development spend associated with the Trent and business aviation programmes disclosed in note 9. Given the 
measures the Group is taking, including demonstration that all the commercial aero-engines and 80% of the portfolio in Power Systems are 
compatible with SAF, the Directors judge that no adjustment is required to the useful economic lives.

Inventory valuation – Climate-related matters may affect the value of inventories as a result of a decline in selling prices, or they could become 
obsolete due to a reduction in demand. After consideration of the typical stock-turns of the inventory in relation to the rate of change in the 
market, the Directors consider that inventory is appropriately valued.

Recoverability of trade receivables and contract assets – The impact of climate-related matters could have an impact on the Group’s customers 
in the future, especially those customers in the Civil Aerospace division. No material climate-related issues have arisen during the year that have 
impacted the assessment of the recoverability of receivables. The Group’s expected credit loss (ECL) provision uses credit ratings which  
inherently will include the market’s assessment of the climate change impact on credit risk of the counter parties. Given the maturity time of trade 
receivables and the majority of contract assets, climate change is unlikely to cause a material increase on counter party credit risk in that time.

Share-based payments – A number of remuneration packages have included sustainability metrics. The Group is committed to reaching net zero 
carbon emissions by 2050, short-term targets were announced to help accelerate progress against this goal. These targets formed part of the 
Groups remuneration policy and at the end of the 2023, these targets have been met. A new remuneration policy is to be considered by  
shareholders at the AGM in May 2024. In addition, sustainability metrics are included as a performance condition in some of the long-term  
incentive plans awarded to employees. The charge to the income statement reflects both where performance conditions have been met in 2023 
and the expected outcome of future performance conditions.

Defined benefit pension plans – Climate-related risks could influence the performance of the invested assets and affect the financial position of 
defined benefit pension plans. As a result, this could have implications on the expected return on plan assets and measurement of defined  
benefit liabilities in future years. The Trustee of the Rolls-Royce UK Pension Fund (RRUKPF) meets the UK climate-related regulatory  
requirements. When making decisions about the plan, its analysis is carried out in a way consistent with TCFD. The Trustee has set a target for 
the plan asset portfolio to be net zero by 2050. Having assessed the risks and opportunities of climate change and considered the nature of the 
assets of the fund, climate change is unlikely to have a material impact on the position in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Going concern – Given the short-term nature of the Group’s going concern assessment, the impact of climate change does not have a significant 
impact. The Directors have considered the level of liquidity available, and the potential impact of the climate change risks, in making their  
assessment�

Presentation of underlying results
The Group measures financial performance on an underlying basis and discloses this information as an alternative performance measure (APM). 
This is consistent with the way that financial performance is measured by the Directors and reported to the Board in accordance with IFRS 8 
Operating Segments. The Group believes this is the most appropriate basis to measure the in-year performance, as underlying results reflect 
the substance of trading activity, including the impact of the Group’s foreign exchange forward contracts, which economically hedge net foreign 
currency cash flows at predetermined exchange rates. In addition, underlying results exclude the accounting impact of acquisition accounting 
and business disposals, impairment charges where the reasons are outside of normal operating activities, exceptional items, and certain other 
items which are market driven and outside of the control of management. Further details are given in note 2. A reconciliation of APMs to the 
statutory equivalent is provided on pages 213 to 217.

124

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Revisions to IFRS applicable in 2023
IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts
IFRS 17, issued in May 2018, establishes the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of insurance contracts 
within the scope of the Standard. The Standard is effective for years beginning on or after 1 January 2023 with a requirement to restate  
comparatives.

The Group has reviewed whether its arrangements meet the accounting definition of an insurance contract. While some contracts, including 
Civil Aerospace LTSAs, may transfer an element of insurance risk, they relate to warranty and service type agreements that are issued in  
connection with the Group’s sales of its goods or services and therefore will remain accounted for under the existing revenue and provisions 
standards. The Directors have judged that such arrangements entered into after the original equipment sale remain sufficiently related to the 
sale of the Group’s goods and services to allow the contracts to continue to be measured under IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers 
and IAS 37 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets.

The Group has identified that the Standard will impact the results of its captive insurance company as it issues insurance contracts, however, 
since the contracts insure other group companies, there is no impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Group has assessed that its parent company guarantee arrangements in the form of financial or performance guarantees, that meet the IFRS 
17 definition of insurance contracts, have no impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Group for the year to 31 December 2023, 
however there could be an impact on individual sets of financial statements of companies within the Group. 

The Directors are not aware of any other contracts where IFRS 17 would have an impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other
IAS 12 Income Taxes has been amended to incorporate the following revisions for ‘Deferred Tax related to Assets and Liabilities arising from a 
Single Transaction’ and ‘International Tax Reform: Pillar Two Model Rules’. There is no material impact on the Group as a result of the amendments 
relating to Deferred Tax related to Assets and Liabilities arising from a Single Transaction.

The Group is within the scope of the OECD Pillar Two (Global Minimum Tax) model rules. The legislation has been substantively enacted in some 
of the material jurisdictions in which the Group operates, including the UK and Germany, where the rules will be effective from 1 January 2024. 
Further information can be found in note 5.

There are no other new standards or interpretations issued by the IASB that had a significant impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Change in accounting policy
At 31 December 2023, cash flows on settlement of excess derivatives have been reclassified from cash flows from financing activities to cash 
flows from operating activities in the cash flow statement as a result of a change in accounting policy. In line with IAS 8 Accounting Policies, 
Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors, a change in accounting policy can be made either where it is required by an IFRS or results in the 
financial statements providing reliable and more relevant information about the effects of transactions, other events or conditions on the entity’s 
financial position, performance or cash flows.

The previous classification as cash flows from financing activities was based on the Directors’ judgement of the economic nature of the activities 
as the cash flows relate to cash payments deferred in connection with the Group’s action taken in 2020 to reduce the size of the USD hedge 
book by $11.8bn across 2020 to 2026. The Directors have reassessed their judgement in line with IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows and have  
concluded that it would be more appropriate to classify these cash flows as cash flows from operating activities.

As a result of the above, cash flows from operating activities during the year to 31 December 2022 have reduced by £(326)m to £1,524m with a 
corresponding decrease in cash outflow from financing activities from £(2,866)m to £(2,540)m. There is no impact to the total change in cash 
and cash equivalents or to any alternative performance measures.

The above change resulted from a review which was prompted by an enquiry arising from a review of the Group’s 2022 Annual Report and 
Accounts by the Corporate Reporting Review team of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). The FRC review was part of a regular review and 
assessment of the quality of corporate reporting in the UK undertaken by the FRC. Further information regarding the review of the Group’s 2022 
Annual Report and Accounts is set out in the Audit Committee report on page 80. The Group agreed to make the above change within its 2023 
Annual Report and Accounts.

The FRC review was limited to the published 2022 Annual Report; it did not benefit from a detailed understanding of underlying transactions 
and provides no assurance that the 2022 Annual Report is correct in all material respects.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

125

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Key areas of judgement and sources of estimation uncertainty
The determination of the Group’s accounting policies requires judgement. The subsequent application of these policies requires estimates, and 
the actual outcome may differ from that calculated. The key judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty at the balance sheet date, 
that have a significant risk of causing material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year, are  
summarised below. Further details, together with sensitivities for key sources of estimation uncertainty where appropriate and practicable, are 
included within the significant accounting policies section of this note.

Area
Revenue 
recognition and 
contract assets 
and liabilities

Key judgements
 — Whether Civil Aerospace OE and aftermarket contracts 

should be combined.

 — How performance on long-term aftermarket contracts 

should be measured.

Key sources of estimation uncertainty
 — Estimates of future revenue, including customer 
pricing,  and  costs  of  long-term  contractual  
arrangements,  including  the  impact  of  climate 
change�

Page ref
128

 — Whether long-term aftermarket contracts contain a 

significant financing component.

 — Whether any costs should be treated as wastage.
 — Whether the Civil Aerospace LTSA contracts are warranty 
style contacts entered into in connection with OE sales 
and therefore can be accounted for under IFRS 15.

 — Whether sales of spare engines to joint ventures are at 

fair value.

 — When revenue should be recognised in relation to spare 

engine sales�

 — Determination of the nature of entry fees received.

 — Determination of the point in time where costs incurred 
on  an  internal  programme  development  meet  the  
criteria for capitalisation.

 — Determination of the basis for amortising capitalised 

development costs.

 — Determination of the lease term.
 — Determination of cash-generating units for assessing 

impairment of goodwill. 

 — Whether there are indicators of potential reversal of 
previous impairments of programme-related intangible 
assets�

 — Whether any costs should be treated as wastage.
 — Whether the criteria to recognise transformation and 

restructuring provisions have been met.

Risk and revenue 
sharing 
arrangements
Taxation

Research and 
development

Leases
Impairment of 
non-current 
assets

Provisions

129

130

132

133
134

135

 — Estimates necessary to assess whether it is probable 
that sufficient suitable taxable profits will arise in 
the UK to utilise the deferred tax assets recognised.

 — Estimates of the time to incorporate a modified and 
certified high-pressure turbine (HPT) blade into the 
fleet to resolve technical issues on the Trent 1000, 
and the implications of this on forecast future costs 
when assessing onerous contracts.

 — Estimates of the future revenues and costs to fulfil 

onerous contracts.

 — Assumptions  implicit  within  the  calculation  of  

discount rates.

Post-retirement 
benefits

 — Estimates of the assumptions for valuing the net 

136

defined benefit obligation.

Material accounting policies
The Group’s material accounting policies are set out on pages 126 to 136. These accounting policies have been applied consistently to all periods 
presented in these Consolidated Financial Statements.

Basis of consolidation
The Consolidated Financial Statements include the Company Financial Statements and its subsidiary undertakings, together with the Group’s 
share of the results in joint arrangements and associates made up to 31 December.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the Company. Control exists when the Company has power over an entity, exposure to variable returns 
from its involvement with an entity and the ability to use its power over an entity so as to affect the Company’s returns. Subsidiaries are  
consolidated in accordance with IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements�

126

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Basis of consolidation continued
A joint arrangement is an entity in which the Group holds a long-term interest and which is jointly controlled by the Group and one or more other 
investors under a contractual arrangement. Joint arrangements may be either joint ventures or joint operations. Joint ventures are accounted 
for using the equity method of accounting and joint operations are accounted for using proportionate accounting.

An associate is an entity that is neither a subsidiary nor a joint arrangement, in which the Group holds a long-term interest and where the Group 
has a significant influence. The results of associates are accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation. Adjustments are made to eliminate the profit or 
loss arising on transactions with joint arrangements and associates to the extent of the Group’s interest in the entity. Transactions with  
non-controlling interests are recorded directly in equity.

Any subsidiary undertaking, joint arrangement or associate sold or acquired during the year are included up to, or from, the date of change of 
control. Details of transactions in the year are set out in note 27.

Revenue recognition and contract assets and liabilities
Revenue recognised comprises sales to the Group’s customers after discounts and amounts payable to customers. Revenue excludes value added 
taxes. The transaction price of a contract is typically clearly stated within the contract, although the absolute amount may be dependent on 
escalation indices and long-term contracts that require the key estimates highlighted below to be made. Refund liabilities, where sales are made 
to customers with a right of return, are not typical in the Group’s contracts. Where they do exist, and consideration has been received, a portion 
based on an assessment of the expected refund liability is recognised within other payables. The Group has elected to use the practical  
expedient not to adjust revenue for the effect of financing components where the expectation is that the period between the transfer of goods 
and services to customers and the receipt of payment is less than a year. Consideration is received in the form of deposits and payments for 
completion of milestones or performance obligations. LTSA cash receipts are typically received based on EFHs.

Sales of standard OE, spare parts and time and material (T&M) overhaul services are generally recognised on transfer of control to the customer. 
This is generally on delivery to the customer, unless the specific contractual terms indicate a different point. The Directors consider whether 
there is a need to constrain the amount of revenue to be recognised on delivery based on the contractual position and any relevant facts,  
however, this is not typically required.

Sales of OE and services that are specifically designed for the contract (most significantly in the Defence division) are recognised by reference 
to the progress towards completion of the performance obligation, using the cost method described in the key judgements, provided the outcome 
of contracts can be assessed with reasonable certainty.

The Group generates a significant portion of its revenue on aftermarket arrangements arising from the installed OE fleet. As a consequence, in 
particular in the Civil Aerospace large engine business, the Group will often agree contractual prices for OE deliveries that take into account 
the anticipated aftermarket arrangements. Sometimes this may result in losses being incurred on OE. As described in the key judgements, these 
contracts are not combined. The consideration in the OE contract is therefore allocated to OE performance obligations and the consideration 
in the aftermarket contract to aftermarket performance obligations.

Key areas of the accounting policy are:

 — Future variable revenue from long-term contracts is constrained to take account of the risk of reduced utilisation e.g. EFHs, based on  

historical forecasting experience and the risk of aircraft being parked by the customer.

 — A significant amount of revenue and cost related to long-term contract accounting is denominated in currencies other than that of the relevant 
Group undertaking, most significantly USD transactions in sterling and euro denominated undertakings. These are translated at estimated 
long-term exchange rates.

 — The assessment of stage of completion is generally measured for each contract. However, in certain cases, such as for CorporateCare  
agreements, where there are many contracts covering aftermarket services each for a small number of engines, the Group accounts for a 
portfolio of contracts together, as the effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements would not differ materially from applying the standard 
to the individual contracts in the portfolio. When accounting for a portfolio of LTSAs, the Group uses estimates and assumptions that reflect 
the size and composition of the portfolio.

 — A  contract  asset/liability  is  recognised  where  payment  is  received  in  arrears/advance  of  the  revenue  recognised  in  meeting  

performance obligations.

 — Contract modifications of LTSAs can be accounted for as separate contracts, termination of the existing contract and the creation of a new  
contract, or as part of the existing contract. The treatment is dependent on whether the change in scope is because of the addition of promised 
goods or services that are distinct and whether the price increases by an amount that reflects their standalone selling prices.

 — Where material, wastage costs (see key judgements on page 128) are recorded as an expense and excluded from the measure of progress of 

LTSA contracts.

 — The Group recognises a liability for their obligation to repurchase parts it has sold to the maintenance, repair and overhaul bases who overhaul 

the Group’s customers’ engines.

If the expected costs to fulfil a contract exceed the expected revenue, a contract loss provision is recognised for the excess costs.

The Group pays participation fees to airframe manufacturers, its customers for OE, on certain programmes. Amounts paid are initially treated as 
contract assets and subsequently charged as a reduction to the OE revenue when the engines are transferred to the customer.

The Group has elected to use the practical expedient to expense as incurred any incremental costs of obtaining or fulfilling a contract if the 
amortisation period of an asset created would have been one year or less. Where costs to obtain a contract are recognised in the balance sheet, 
they are amortised over the performance of the related contract (eight to 23 years).

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

127

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Key judgement – Whether Civil Aerospace OE and aftermarket contracts should be combined
In the Civil Aerospace division, OE contracts for the sale of engines to be installed on new aircraft are with the airframers, while the contracts 
to provide spare engines and aftermarket goods and services are with the aircraft operators, although there may be interdependencies 
between them. IFRS 15 includes guidance on the combination of contracts, in particular that contracts with unrelated parties should not be 
combined. Notwithstanding the interdependencies, the Directors consider that the engine contract should be considered separately from 
the aftermarket contract. In making this judgement, they also took account of industry practice.

Key judgement – How performance on long-term aftermarket contracts should be measured
The Group generates a significant proportion of its revenue from aftermarket arrangements. These aftermarket contracts, such as TotalCare 
and CorporateCare agreements in the Civil Aerospace division, cover a range of services and generally have contractual terms covering 
more than one year. Under these contracts, the Group’s primary obligation is to maintain customers’ engines in an operational condition. 
This is achieved by undertaking various activities, such as maintenance, repair and overhaul, and engine monitoring over the period of the 
contract. Revenue on these contracts is recognised over the period of the contract and the basis for measuring progress is a matter of 
judgement. The Directors consider that the stage of completion of the contract is best measured by using the actual costs incurred to date 
compared to the estimated costs to complete the performance obligations, as this reflects the extent of completion of the activities to  
be performed.

Key judgement – Whether long-term aftermarket contracts contain a significant financing component
Long-term aftermarket contracts typically cover a period of eight to 15 years. Their pricing is the subject of negotiation with individual 
customers under competitive circumstances. It is the Directors’ judgement that the consideration received approximates to the cash selling 
price and any timing difference between consideration being received and the supply of goods and services is typical of the industry and 
arises for reasons other than to provide financing. The customers typically pay on an ‘as used’ basis (e.g. USD/EFH), which reflects the wear 
and tear of the engine as it flies and aligns to the customer’s own revenue streams. An adjustment to the transaction price is therefore  
not required.

Key judgement – Whether any costs should be treated as wastage
In rare circumstances, the Group may incur costs of wasted material, labour or other resources to fulfil a contract where the level of cost 
was not reflected in the contract price. The identification of such costs is a matter of judgement and would only be expected to arise where 
there has been a series of abnormal events which give rise to a significant level of cost of a nature that the Group would not expect to incur 
and hence is not reflected in the contract price. Examples include technical issues that: require resolution to meet regulatory requirements; 
have a wide-ranging impact across a product type; and cause significant operational disruption to customers. Similarly, in these rare  
circumstances, significant disruption costs to support customers resulting from the actual performance of a delivered good or service may 
be treated as a wastage cost. Provision is made for any costs identified as wastage when the obligation to incur them arises – see note 21.

Key judgement – Whether the Civil Aerospace LTSA contracts are warranty style contacts entered into in connection with OE sales and 
therefore can be accounted for under IFRS 15
The Group has considered whether these arrangements are insurance contracts as defined in IFRS 17. While they may transfer an element 
of insurance risk, they relate to warranty and service type agreements that are entered into in connection with the Group’s sales of its goods 
or services and therefore continue to be accounted for under the existing revenue and provisions standards. The Directors have judged 
that such arrangements entered into after the original equipment sale remain sufficiently related to the sale of the Group’s goods and 
services to allow the contracts to continue to be measured under IFRS 15 and IAS 37.

Key judgement – Whether sales of spare engines to joint ventures are at fair value
The Civil Aerospace division maintains a pool of spare engines to support its customers. Some of these engines are sold to, and held by, 
joint venture companies. The assessment of whether the sales price reflects fair value is a key judgement. The Group considers that based 
upon the terms and conditions of the sales, and by comparison to the sales price of spare engines to other third parties, the sales made to 
joint ventures reflect the fair value of the goods sold. See note 26 for the value of sales to joint ventures during the year.

Key judgement – When revenue should be recognised in relation to spare engine sales
Revenue is recognised at the point in time when a customer obtains control of a spare engine. The customer could be a related party, an 
external operator or a spare engine service provider. Depending on the contractual arrangements, judgement is required on when the 
Group relinquishes control of spare engines and, therefore, when the revenue is recognised. The point of control passing has been  
concluded to correspond to the point of legal sale, even for instances where the customer is contracted to provide some future spare engine 
capacity to the Group to support its installed engine base. In such cases, the customer has responsibility for generating revenue from the 
engines and exposure to periods of non-utilisation, exposure to risk of damage or loss, risk from residual value movements, and will determine 
if and when profits will be made from disposal. The spare engine capacity, that will be made available to the Group in the future, does not 
consist of identified assets and the provider retains a substantive right to substitute the asset through the Group’s period of use. It is,  
therefore, appropriate to recognise revenue from the sale of the spare engines at the point that title transfers. During 2023, of the total 53 
(2022: 44) large spare engine sales delivered, 27 (2022: 20) engines were sold to customers where contractual arrangement allows for some 
future spare engine capacity to be used by the Group. These sales contributed £578m (2022: £454m) to revenue for the year.

128

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Key estimate – Estimates of future revenue, including customer pricing, and costs of long-term contractual arrangements, including the 
impact of climate change
The Group has long-term contracts that fall into different accounting periods and which can extend over significant periods. The most 
significant of these are LTSAs in the Civil Aerospace division, with contracts typically covering a period of 8 to 15 years. The estimated 
revenue and costs are inherently imprecise and significant estimates are required to assess: EFHs, time-on-wing and other operating  
parameters; the pattern of future maintenance activity and the costs to be incurred; lifecycle cost improvements over the term of the  
contracts; and escalation of revenue and costs (that both include the impact of inflation). The impact of climate change on EFHs and costs 
is also considered when making these estimates. Industry and customer data on expected levels of utilisation is included in the forecasts 
used. Across the length of the current Civil Aerospace LTSA contracts, allowance has been made for around a 1% (2022: 1%) projected cost 
increase resulting from carbon pricing and commodity price changes.

The sensitivities below demonstrate how changes in assumptions (including as a result of climate change) could impact the level of revenue 
recognised were assumptions to change. The Directors believe that the estimates used to prepare the Consolidated Financial Statements 
take account of the inherent uncertainties, constraining the expected level of revenue as appropriate.

Estimates of future LTSA revenue within Civil Aerospace are based upon future EFH forecasts, influenced by assumptions over the recovery 
of the civil aviation industry. Finally, many of the revenues and costs are denominated in currencies other than that of the relevant group 
undertaking. These are translated at an estimated long-term exchange rate, based on historical trends and economic forecasts.

During the year, changes to the estimate in relation to the Civil Aerospace LTSA contracts resulted in adverse catch-up adjustments to 
revenue of £104m (2022: favourable catch up adjustment of £360m).

Based upon the stage of completion of all LTSA contracts within Civil Aerospace as at 31 December 2023, the following reasonably possible 
changes  in  estimates  would  result  in  catch-up  adjustments  being  recognised  in  the  period  in  which  the  estimates  change  (at  
underlying rates):

 — A change in forecast EFHs of 1% over the remaining term of the contracts would impact LTSA income and to a lesser extent costs,  
resulting in an in-year impact of around £20m. This would be expected to be seen as a catch-up change in revenue or, to the extent it 
impacts onerous contracts, within cost of sales.

 — A 2% increase or decrease in our pricing to customers over the life of the contracts would lead to a revenue catch-up adjustment in the 

next 12 months of around £280m.

 — A 2% increase or decrease in shop visit costs over the life of the contracts would lead to a revenue catch-up adjustment in the next 

12 months of around £80m.

Risk and revenue sharing arrangements (RRSAs)
Cash entry fees received are initially deferred on the balance sheet as deferred receipts from RRSA workshare partners within trade payables 
and other liabilities. The cash entry fee is a transaction with a supplier and is recognised as a reduction in cost of sales incurred. Individual  
programme amounts are allocated pro rata to the estimated number of units to be produced. Amortisation commences as each unit is delivered 
and then recognised on a 15-year straight-line basis.

The payments to suppliers of their shares of the programme cash flows for their production components are charged to cost of sales when OE 
sales are recognised or as LTSA costs are incurred. These prepayments are initially recognised within trade receivables and other assets. 

The Group also has arrangements with third parties who invest in a programme and receive a return based on its performance, but do not 
undertake development work or supply parts. Such arrangements (financial RRSAs) are financial instruments as defined by IAS 32 Financial 
Instruments: Presentation and are accounted for using the amortised cost method.

Key judgement – Determination of the nature of entry fees received
RRSAs with key suppliers (workshare partners) are a feature of the civil aviation industry. Under these contractual arrangements, the key 
commercial objectives are that: (i) during the development phase, the workshare partner shares in the risks of developing an engine by 
performing its own development work, providing development parts and paying a non-refundable cash entry fee; and (ii) during the  
production phase, the workshare partner supplies components in return for a share of the programme cash flows as a ‘life of type’ supplier 
(i.e. as long as the engine remains in service).

The non-refundable cash entry fee is considered to be one element of a long-term supply agreement. These receipts are deferred on the 
balance sheet and recognised against the cost of sales over the estimated number of units to be delivered on a similar basis to the  
amortisation of development costs.

Royalty payments
Royalty payments include payments to government bodies that have previously acquired an interest in a programme. These are recognised as 
a charge in cost of sales in line with sales made.

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Government grants
Government grants received are varied in nature and are recognised in the income statement so as to match them with the related expenses that 
they are intended to compensate. Where grants are received in advance of the related expenses, they are initially recognised as liabilities within 
trade payables and other liabilities and released to match the related expenditure. Non-monetary grants are recognised at fair value.

Interest
Interest receivable/payable is credited/charged to the income statement using the effective interest method. Where borrowing costs are  
attributable to the acquisition, construction or production of a qualifying asset, such costs would be capitalised as part of the specific asset.

Taxation
The tax charge/credit on the profit or loss for the year comprises current and deferred tax:

 — Current tax is the expected tax payable for the year, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date, and any 

adjustment to tax payable in respect of previous years.

 — Deferred tax is provided using the balance sheet liability method, providing for temporary differences between the carrying amounts of the 
assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for tax purposes and is calculated using the enacted or  
substantively enacted rates that are expected to apply when the asset or liability is settled. In the UK, the deferred tax liability on the pension 
scheme surplus is recognised consistently with the basis for recognising the surplus i.e. at the rate applicable to refunds from a trust.

Tax is charged or credited to the income statement or OCI as appropriate, except when it relates to items credited or charged directly to equity 
in which case the tax is also dealt with in equity.

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and joint arrangements, except 
where the Group is able to control the reversal of the temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in 
the foreseeable future. Deferred tax is not recognised on taxable temporary differences arising on the initial recognition of goodwill or for 
temporary differences arising from the initial recognition of assets and liabilities in a transaction that is not a business combination and that 
affects neither accounting nor taxable profit.

Deferred tax assets are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits, which include the reversal of taxable  
temporary differences, will be available against which the assets can be utilised. Further details on the Group’s tax position can be found on  
pages 147 and 148.

Key estimate – Estimates necessary to assess whether it is probable that sufficient suitable taxable profits will arise in the UK to utilise the 
deferred tax assets recognised
Deferred tax assets are only recognised to the extent it is probable that future taxable profits will be available, against which the deductible 
temporary difference can be utilised. On this basis, as at 31 December 2023, a deferred tax asset of £1,635m (2022: £2,040m) is not  
recognised in respect of UK tax losses. Further details are included in note 5.

In addition to taking into account a severe but plausible downside forecast (see below), the climate-related estimates and assumptions (set 
out on pages 122 to 124) have also been considered when assessing the recoverability of the deferred tax assets. Recognising the longer 
term over which these assets will be recovered, the Group has considered the risk that regulatory changes could materially impact demand 
for our products and shifting investment focus towards more sustainable products and solutions. The climate scenarios prepared do not 
indicate a significant deterioration in demand or profitability for Civil Aerospace programmes, given that all in production engines are now  
compatible with sustainable fuels.

While carbon and commodity pricing may put pressure on costs, decarbonisation and new supplier and customer contracts offer the 
opportunity to receive value for more efficient and sustainable products.

As explained in note 5, a 25% probability of there being a severe but plausible downside forecast in relation to the civil aviation industry 
has been taken into account in the assessment of the recoverability of deferred tax assets.

The estimates take account of the inherent uncertainties constraining the expected level of profit as appropriate. Changes in these estimates 
will affect future profits and, therefore, the recoverability of the deferred tax assets. The following sensitivities have been modelled to 
demonstrate the impact of changes in assumptions on the recoverability of deferred tax assets.

 — A 5% change in margin of the main Civil Aerospace large engine programmes;

 — A 5% change in the number of shop visits; and

 — Assumed future cost increases from climate change expected to pass through to customers at 100% are restricted to 90% pass through.

All of these could be driven by a number of factors, including the impact of climate change (as explained on pages 122 to 124) and  
macroeconomic factors.

A 5% change in margin or shop visits (which could be driven by EFHs) would result in an increase/decrease in the deferred tax asset of 
around £90m.

If only 90% of assumed future cost increases from climate change are passed on to customers, this would result in a decrease in the deferred 
tax asset of around £10m, and if carbon prices were to double this would be £50m.

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NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Foreign currency translation
Transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the transacting group undertaking are translated into the functional 
currency at the average monthly exchange rate when the transaction occurs. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies 
are translated into the relevant functional currency at the rate prevailing at the year end. Exchange differences arising on foreign exchange 
transactions and the retranslation of monetary assets and liabilities into functional currencies at the rate prevailing at the year end are included 
in profit/(loss) before taxation.

The trading results of Group undertakings are translated into sterling at the average exchange rates for the year. The assets and liabilities of 
overseas undertakings, including goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on acquisition, are translated at the exchange rates prevailing at 
the year end. Exchange adjustments arising from the retranslation of the opening net assets, and from the translation of the profits or losses at 
average rates, are recognised in OCI.

Discontinued operations, held for sale and business disposals
A discontinued operation is defined in IFRS 5 Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations as a component of an entity that 
has been disposed of or is classified as held for sale, represents a separate major line of business or geographical area of operations, is part of 
a single coordinated plan to dispose of such a line of business or is a subsidiary acquired exclusively with a view to resale. The results of  
discontinued operations are required to be presented separately in the income statement.

Assets and businesses are classified as held for sale when their carrying amounts will be recovered through sale rather than through continuing use.

Financial instruments – Classification and measurement
Financial assets primarily include trade receivables and other non-derivative financial assets, cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, 
derivatives (foreign exchange, commodity and interest rate contracts), and listed and unlisted investments.

 — Trade receivables and other assets are classified either as held to collect and measured at amortised cost, or as held to collect and sell and 
measured at fair value, with movements in fair value recognised through other comprehensive income (FVOCI). The Group may sell trade 
receivables due from certain customers before the due date. Any trade receivables from such customers that are not sold at the reporting 
date are classified as ‘held to collect and sell’.

 — Cash and cash equivalents (consisting of balances with banks and other financial institutions, money-market funds, short-term deposits) and 
short-term investments are subject to low market risk. Cash balances, short-term deposits (with a maturity of primarily three months or less) 
and short-term investments are measured at amortised cost. Money market funds are measured at fair value, with movements in fair value  
recognised in the income statement as a profit or loss (FVPL).

 — Derivatives and unlisted investments are measured at FVPL. The Company has elected to measure its listed investments at FVOCI.

Financial liabilities primarily consist of trade payables and other non-derivative financial liabilities, borrowings, derivatives, financial RRSAs and C Shares.

 — Derivatives are classified and measured at FVPL.

 — All other financial liabilities are classified and measured at amortised cost.

Financial instruments – Impairment of financial assets and contract assets
IFRS 9 Financial Instruments sets out the basis for the accounting of ECLs on financial assets and contract assets resulting from transactions within 
the scope of IFRS 15. The Group has adopted the simplified approach to provide for ECLs, measuring the loss allowance at a probability weighted 
amount that considers reasonable and supportable information about past events, current conditions and forecasts of future economic conditions 
of customers. These are incorporated in the simplified model adopted by using credit ratings which are publicly available, or through internal risk 
assessments derived using the customer’s latest available financial information. The ECLs are updated at each reporting date to reflect changes in 
credit risk since initial recognition. ECLs are calculated for all financial assets in scope, regardless of whether or not they are overdue.

Financial instruments – Hedge accounting
Forward foreign exchange contracts and commodity swaps (derivative financial instruments) are held to manage the cash flow exposures of 
forecast transactions denominated in foreign currencies or in commodities, respectively. Derivative financial instruments qualify for hedge 
accounting when: (i) there is a formal designation and documentation of the hedging relationship and the Group’s risk management objective 
and strategy for undertaking the hedge at the inception of the hedge; and (ii) the hedge is expected to be effective. In general, the Group has 
chosen to not apply hedge accounting in respect of these exposures.

The Group economically hedges the fair value and cash flow exposures of its borrowings. Cross-currency interest rate swaps are held to manage 
the fair value or cash flow exposures of borrowings denominated in foreign currencies and are designated as fair value hedges or cash flow 
hedges as appropriate. Interest rate swaps are held to manage the interest rate exposures of fixed and floating rate borrowings and may be 
designated as fair value hedges or cash flow hedges as appropriate. If the swaps are not designated as fair value or cash flow hedges, the  
economic effect is included in the underlying results – see note 2.

Changes in the fair values of derivatives that are designated as fair value hedges are recognised directly in the income statement. The fair value 
changes of effective cash flow hedge derivatives are recognised in OCI and subsequently recycled to the income statement in the same period or 
periods during which the hedged cash flows affect profit or loss. Any ineffectiveness in the hedging relationship is included in the income statement.

Hedge accounting is discontinued when the hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated, exercised, or no longer qualifies for hedge 
accounting. At that time, for cash flow hedges and, if the forecast transaction remains probable, any net cumulative gain or loss on the hedging 
instrument recognised in the SOCIE is retained until the forecast transaction occurs. If a hedged transaction is no longer expected to occur, the 
net cumulative gain or loss is recycled to the income statement.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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Business combinations and goodwill
Goodwill recognised represents the excess of the fair value of the purchase consideration over the fair value to the Group of the net of the 
identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. On transition to IFRS on 1 January 2004, business combinations were not retrospectively 
adjusted to comply with UK-adopted International Accounting Standards and goodwill was recognised based on the carrying value under the 
previous accounting policies. Goodwill, in respect of the acquisition of a subsidiary, is recognised as an intangible asset. Goodwill arising on the 
acquisition of joint arrangements and associates is included in the carrying value of the investment.

Customer relationships
The fair value of customer relationships recognised as a result of a business combination relate to the acquired company’s established  
relationships with its existing customers that result in repeat purchases and customer loyalty. Amortisation is charged on a straight-line basis 
over its useful economic life, up to a maximum of 15 years.

Certification costs
Costs incurred, in respect of meeting regulatory certification requirements for new Civil Aerospace aero-engine/aircraft combinations,  
including payments made to airframe manufacturers for this, are recognised as intangible assets to the extent that they can be recovered out of 
future sales. They are charged to the income statement over the programme life. Individual programme assets are allocated pro rata to the 
estimated number of units to be produced. Amortisation commences as each unit is delivered and then charged on a 15-year straight-line basis.

Research and development
Expenditure incurred on research and development is distinguished as relating either to a research phase or to a development phase. All research 
phase expenditure is charged to the income statement. Development expenditure is recognised as an internally generated intangible asset 
(programme asset) only if it meets strict criteria, relating in particular to technical feasibility and generation of future economic benefits. More 
specifically, development costs are capitalised from the point at which the following conditions have been met:

 — the technical feasibility of completing the programme and the intention and ability (availability of technical, financial and other resources) to 

complete the programme asset and use or sell it;

 — the probability that future economic benefits will flow from the programme asset; and

 — the ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the programme asset during its development.

Capitalisation continues until the point at which the programme asset meets its originally contracted technical specification (defined internally 
as the point at which the asset is capable of operating in the manner intended by the Directors).

Subsequent expenditure is capitalised where it enhances the functionality of the programme asset and demonstrably generates an enhanced 
economic benefit to the Group. All other subsequent expenditure on programme assets is expensed as incurred.

Individual programme assets are allocated pro rata to the estimated number of units to be produced. Amortisation commences as each unit is 
delivered and then charged on a straight-line basis over a maximum of 15-years. In accordance with IAS 38 Intangible Assets, the basis on which 
programme assets are amortised is assessed annually.

Key judgement – Determination of the point in time where costs incurred on an internal programme development meet the criteria 
for capitalisation
The Group incurs significant research and development expenditure in respect of various development programmes. Determining when 
capitalisation should commence and cease is a key judgement, as is the determination of when subsequent expenditure on the programme 
assets should be capitalised. During the year, £192m (2022: £131m) of development expenditure was capitalised.

Within the Group, there are established processes in place, e.g. the Product Introduction and Lifecycle Management process (PILM). Within 
these processes, the technical feasibility, the commercial viability and financial assessment of the programme is assessed at certain  
milestones. When these are met, development expenditure is capitalised. Prior to this, expenditure is expensed as incurred.

The Group continues to invest in new technologies as a result of its decarbonisation commitments. As these are new technologies, there is 
a higher level of uncertainty over potential outcomes and, therefore, this could impact the level of expenditure that is capitalised or  
recognised in the income statement in future years. During 2023, no development costs incurred within New Markets were capitalised.

Subsequent expenditure after entry into service which enhances the performance of the engine and the economic benefits to the Group 
is capitalised. This expenditure is referred to as enhanced performance and is governed by the PILM process referred to above. All other 
development costs are expensed as incurred.

Key judgement – Determination of the basis for amortising capitalised development costs
The economic benefits of the development costs are primarily those cash inflows arising from LTSAs, which are expected to be relatively 
consistent for each engine within a programme. Amortisation of development costs is recognised on a straight-line basis over the estimated 
period of operation of the engine by its initial operator.

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Software
Software that is not specific to an item of property, plant and equipment is classified as an intangible asset, recognised at its acquisition cost and 
amortised on a straight-line basis over its useful economic life, up to a maximum of 10 years. The amortisation period of software assets is reviewed 
annually. The cost of internally developed software includes direct labour and an appropriate proportion of overheads.

Other intangible assets
These include intangible assets arising on acquisition of businesses, such as technology and which is amortised on a straight-line basis over a 
maximum of 15 years, and trademarks which are not amortised. They also include the costs incurred testing and analysing engines with the  
longest time in service (fleet leader engines) to gather technical knowledge on engine endurance, which are amortised on a straight-line basis 
over a maximum of 15 years.

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at acquisition cost less accumulated depreciation and any provision for impairment in value. The cost 
of self-constructed assets includes the cost of materials, direct labour, an appropriate proportion of overheads and, where appropriate, interest.

Depreciation is provided on a straight-line basis to write off the cost, less the estimated residual value, of property, plant and equipment over 
their estimated useful lives. No depreciation is recorded on assets in the course of construction. Estimated useful lives are reassessed annually 
and are as follows:

 — Land and buildings, as advised by the Group’s professional advisers:

•  freehold buildings – three to 50 years (average 23 years); and

•  no depreciation is provided on freehold land.

 — Plant and equipment – two to 27 years (average 11 years).

 — Aircraft and engines – five to 20 years (average 16 years).

Leases
Assets and liabilities arising from a lease are initially measured on a present value basis.

Lease liabilities include the net present value of the following lease payments:

 — fixed payments less any lease incentive receivable;

 — variable lease payments that are based on an index or a rate;

 — amounts expected to be payable by the Group under residual value guarantees;

 — the exercise price of a purchase option if the Group is reasonably certain to exercise that option; and

 — payments of penalties for termination of the lease, if the lease term reflects the Group exercising that option.

Where leases commenced after the initial IFRS 16 Leases transition date, the lease payments are discounted using the interest rate implicit in the 
lease. If that rate cannot be determined, the Group’s incremental borrowing rate is used, being the rate that the Group would have to pay to 
borrow the funds necessary to obtain an asset of similar value in a similar economic environment with similar terms and conditions. Where 
appropriate, lease liabilities are revalued at each reporting date using the spot exchange rate.

Right-of-use assets are measured at cost comprising the following:

 — the amount of the initial measurement of lease liability or a revaluation of the liability;

 — any lease payments made at or before the commencement date less any lease incentives received;

 — any initial direct costs; and

 — restoration costs.

Each right-of-use asset is depreciated over the shorter of its useful economic life and the lease term on a straight-line basis unless the lease is 
expected to transfer ownership of the underlying asset to the Group, in which case the asset is depreciated to the end of the useful life of the asset.

Short-term leases are leases with a lease term of 12 months or less. Payments associated with short-term leases and low-value leases are  
recognised on a straight-line basis as an expense in the income statement.

Key judgement – Determination of lease term
In determining the lease term, the Group considers all facts and circumstances that create an economic incentive to exercise an extension 
option, or not exercise a termination option. Extension options (or periods after termination) are only included in the lease term if the lease 
is reasonably certain to be extended (or not terminated). Certain land and building leases have renewal options although there are no 
renewal dates for any of the most significant property leases in the next 12 months. Other renewals are evenly spread between 2025 to 2032 
and then post 2038. The Group reviews its judgements on lease terms annually, including the operational significance of the site, especially 
where utilised for manufacturing activities.

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Impairment of non-current assets
Impairment of non-current assets is considered in accordance with IAS 36 Impairment of Assets. Where the asset does not generate cash flows 
that are independent of other assets, impairment is considered for the cash-generating unit (CGU) to which the asset belongs. Goodwill,  
indefinite life intangible assets and intangible assets not yet available for use are tested for impairment annually. Other intangible assets  
(including programme-related intangible assets), property, plant and equipment, right-of-use assets and investments are assessed for any  
indications  of  impairment  annually.  If  any  indication  of  impairment  is  identified,  an  impairment  test  is  performed  to  estimate  the  
recoverable amount.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or CGU) is estimated to be below the carrying value, the carrying value is reduced to the recoverable 
amount and the impairment loss is recognised as an expense. The recoverable amount is the higher of value in use or fair value less costs of 
disposal. The value in use is the present value of future cash flows using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects the time value of money and the risk 
specific to the asset (or CGU). Fair value less costs of disposal (FVLCOD) reflects market inputs or inputs based on market evidence if readily 
available. If these inputs are not readily available, the fair value is estimated by discounting future cash flows modified for market participants’ 
views. The relevant local statutory tax rates have been applied in calculating post-tax to pre-tax discount rates.

Key judgement – Determination of CGUs for assessing impairment of goodwill
The Group conducts impairment reviews at the CGU level. As permitted by IAS 36, impairment reviews for goodwill are performed at the 
groups of CGUs level, representing the lowest level at which the Group monitors goodwill for internal management purposes and no higher 
than the Group’s operating segments. The main CGUs for which goodwill impairment reviews have been performed are Rolls-Royce 
Deutschland Ltd & Co KG and at an aggregated Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG level.

Key judgement – Whether there are indicators of potential reversal of previous impairments of programme-related intangible assets
Previously impaired intangible assets (including programme intangible assets but excluding goodwill) have been reviewed to ensure that 
no impairment reversal is required in accordance with IAS 36. In determining whether there was an indication that an impairment loss  
recognised in a prior period may no longer exist or may have decreased, the Directors considered whether the estimated service potential 
from the use of impaired assets had increased, other than by amounts generated through the passage of time (which would not represent 
an economic change in the value of the asset). An impairment of £573m was recorded in previous periods in relation to Business Aviation 
programme-related intangible assets. No indicator of reversal was present at 31 December 2023. Small changes to assumptions, including 
those related to discount rates which would be impacted by changes in market interest rates, could result in an increase in the asset’s 
recoverable amount requiring a reversal in the future.

Inventories
Inventories are valued on a first-in, first-out basis, at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost comprises direct materials and, where  
applicable, direct labour costs and those direct and indirect overheads, including depreciation of property, plant and equipment, that have been 
incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition. Net realisable value represents the estimated selling prices less all 
estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution. All inventories are classified as current, as it is 
expected that they will be used in the Group’s operating cycle, regardless of whether this is expected to be within 12 months of the balance  
sheet date.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash at bank and in hand, investments in money-market funds and short-term deposits with a maturity of three 
months or less on inception. The Group considers overdrafts (repayable on demand) to be an integral part of its cash management activities and 
these are included in cash and cash equivalents for the purposes of the cash flow statement. Where the Group operates pooled banking  
arrangements across multiple accounts, these are presented on a net basis when it has both a legal right and intention to settle the balances on 
a net basis�

The Group’s suppliers have access to a supply chain financing (SCF) programme through partnership with banks. This enables smaller suppliers, 
who are on standard 75 day or more payment terms, and joint ventures (90-day standard payment terms) to receive their payment sooner. The 
election to utilise the programme is at the sole decision of the supplier. As the Group continues to have a contractual obligation to pay its  
suppliers under commercial terms, which are unaffected by any utilisation of the programme, and it does not retain any ongoing involvement in 
the SCF, the related payables are retained on the Group’s balance sheet and classified as trade payables. Further details are disclosed in  
note 19�

Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation as a result of a past event, and it is probable that the Group will be required 
to settle that obligation. Provisions are discounted to present value where the effect is material.

The principal provisions are recognised as follows:

 — contract losses based on an assessment of whether the direct costs to fulfil a contract are greater than the expected revenue;

 — warranty and guarantees based on an assessment of future claims with reference to past experience and recognised at the earlier of when the 

underlying products and services are sold and when the likelihood of a future cost is identified; 

 — Trent 1000 in-service issues when wastage costs are identified as described on page 128; and

 — transformation and restructuring (included in other provisions) when the Group has approved a detailed and formal restructuring plan, and 

the restructuring has either commenced or has created a valid expectation to those affected.

134

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Key judgement – Whether any costs should be treated as wastage
As described further on page 128, in rare circumstances, the Group may incur costs of wasted material, labour or other resources to fulfil a 
contract where the level of cost was not reflected in the contract price. The identification of such costs is a matter of judgement and would 
only be expected to arise where there has been a series of abnormal events which give rise to a significant level of cost of a nature that the 
Group would not expect to incur and hence is not reflected in the contract price. Provision is made for any costs identified as wastage when 
the obligation to incur them arises.

Specifically for the Trent 1000 wastage costs, provision has been made as the Group is an owner of an engine Type Certificate under which 
it has a present obligation to develop appropriate design changes to address certain engine conditions that have been noted in issued 
Airworthiness Directives. The Group is also required to ensure engine operators can continue to safely operate engines within the terms of 
their LTSAs, and this requires the engines to be compliant with the requirements of those issued Airworthiness Directives. These  
requirements cannot be met without the Group incurring significant costs in the form of replacement parts and customer claims. Given the 
significant activities of the Group in designing and overhauling aero engines, it is very experienced in making the required estimates in 
relation to the number and timing of shop visits, parts costs, overhaul labour costs and customer claims.

Key judgement – Whether the criteria to recognise a transformation and restructuring provision have been met
On 17 October 2023, the Group announced plans for a simpler, more streamlined, organisation as part of its multi-year transformation. It is 
estimated that 2,000 to 2,500 roles will be removed globally.

IAS 19 requires that a liability and expense for termination benefits should be recognised at the earlier of: (a) when an offer of those benefits 
can no longer be withdrawn; and (b) when the cost for a restructuring that is within the scope of IAS 37 that involves the payment of  
termination benefits is recognised. 

The Directors have considered whether the Group’s communications to employees during 2023 have led to an offer of benefits that could 
no longer be withdrawn. In a small number of situations this has been the case and a charge of £6m has been recognised in the year. For 
the significant majority of the 2,000 to 2,500 roles, the Directors do not consider that the plan of termination met the requirement for a 
provision to be recognised on the basis that communications as at 31 December 2023 had not yet been in sufficient detail to identify the 
functions or locations of the roles, the expected completion date, or the type and amount of benefits that would be received should  
employees employment be terminated.

Key estimates – Estimates of the time to incorporate a modified and certified high-pressure turbine (HPT) blade into the fleet to resolve 
technical issues on the Trent 1000, and the implications of this on forecast future costs when assessing onerous contracts
The Group has provisions for Trent 1000 wastage costs at 31 December 2023 of £116m (2022: £179m). These represent the Directors’ best 
estimate of the expenditure required to settle the obligations at the balance sheet date. These estimates take account of information  
available and different possible outcomes.

The Group considers that at 31 December 2023 the Trent 1000 contract loss provisions and the Trent 1000 wastage cost provision are most 
sensitive to changes in estimates. A 12-month delay in the availability of the modified HPT blade could lead to around a £30m-£50m charge 
in relation to the Trent 1000 programme.

Key estimates – Estimates of the future revenues and costs to fulfil onerous contracts
The Group has provisions for onerous contracts at 31 December 2023 of £1,472m (2022: £1,592m).

An increase in Civil Aerospace large engine estimates of LTSA costs of 1% over the remaining term of the contracts could lead to around 
a £90m-£120m increase in the provision for contract losses across all programmes.

Key estimates – Assumptions implicit within the calculation of discount rates
The contract loss provisions for onerous contracts are sensitive to changes in the discount rate used to value the provisions. The rate used 
for each contract is derived from bond yields (i.e. risk-free rates) with a similar duration and currency to the contract that they are applied 
to. The rate is adjusted to reflect the specific inflation characteristics of the contracts. The forecast rates are determined from third-party 
market analysis and average 4%. A 1% change in the discount rates used could lead to around a £70m-£80m change in the provision.

Customer financing support
In connection with the sale of its products, the Group will, on occasion, provide financing support for its customers. Credit-based guarantees 
are disclosed as commitments or contingent liabilities dependent on whether aircraft have been delivered or not. As described on page 181, the 
Directors consider the likelihood of crystallisation in assessing whether provision is required for any liabilities.

The Group’s contingent liabilities relating to financing arrangements are spread over many years and relate to a number of customers and a broad 
product portfolio and are reported on a discounted basis.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

135

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Post-retirement benefits
Pensions and similar benefits (principally healthcare) are accounted for under IAS 19.

For defined benefit plans, obligations are measured at discounted present value, using a discount rate derived from high-quality corporate bonds 
denominated in the currency of the plan, whilst plan assets are recorded at fair value. Surpluses in schemes are recognised as assets only if they 
represent economic benefits available to the Group in the future. Actuarial gains and losses are recognised immediately in OCI. The service and 
financing costs of such plans are recognised separately in the income statement:

 — current service costs are spread systematically over the lives of employees;

 — past-service costs and settlements are recognised immediately; and

 — financing costs are recognised in the periods in which they arise.

UK pension obligations include the estimated impact of the obligation to equalise defined benefit pensions and transfer values for men and women.

Payments to defined contribution schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Key estimate – Estimates of the assumptions for valuing the net defined benefit obligation
The Group’s defined benefit pension schemes and similar arrangements are assessed annually in accordance with IAS 19. The valuations, 
which are based on assumptions determined with independent actuarial advice, resulted in a net deficit of £253m before deferred taxation 
being recognised on the balance sheet at 31 December 2023 (2022: deficit of £420m). The size of the net surplus/deficit is sensitive to the 
actuarial assumptions, which include the discount rate, price inflation, pension and salary increases, longevity and, in the UK, the number 
of plan members who take the option to transfer their pension to a lump sum on retirement or who choose to take the Bridging Pension 
Option. Following consultation, the UK scheme closed to future accrual on 31 December 2020.

A reduction in the discount rate of 0.25% from 4.50% could lead to an increase in the defined benefit obligations of the RR UK Pension 
Fund (RRUKPF) of approximately £185m. This would be expected to be broadly offset by changes in the value of scheme assets, as the 
scheme’s investment policies are designed to mitigate this risk.

An increase in the assumed rate of inflation of 0.25% (RPI of 3.30% and CPI of 2.85%) could lead to an increase in the defined benefit  
obligations of the RRUKPF of approximately £75m.

A one-year increase in life expectancy from 20.8 years (male aged 65) and from 21.5 years (male aged 45) would increase the defined  
benefit obligations of the RRUKPF by approximately £155m.

Further details and sensitivities are included in note 22.

Share-based payments
The Group provides share-based payment arrangements to certain employees. These are principally equity-settled arrangements and are  
measured at fair value (excluding the effect of non-market based vesting conditions) at the date of grant. The fair value is expensed on a  
straight-line basis over the vesting period. The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect the actual number of shares or options 
that will vest based on expected performance, except where additional shares vest as a result market-based performance conditions where no 
adjustment is required as allowance for these performance conditions are included in the initial fair value.

Cash-settled share options (grants in the International ShareSave plan) are measured at fair value at the balance sheet date. The Group recognises 
a liability at the balance sheet date based on these fair values, taking into account the estimated number of options that are expected to vest 
and the relative completion of the vesting period. Changes in the value of this liability are recognised in the income statement for the year.

The cost of shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc held by the Group for the purpose of fulfilling obligations in respect of employee share plans is 
deducted from equity in the consolidated balance sheet. See note 24 for a further description of the share-based payment plans.

Revisions to IFRS not applicable in 2023
Standards and interpretations issued by the IASB are only applicable if endorsed by the UK. The Group does not consider that any standards, 
amendments or interpretations issued by the IASB, but not yet applicable will have a significant impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other
IBOR reform transition
A number of the Group’s lease liabilities have been based on a USD LIBOR index. The majority of contracts in which the Group is a lessee have 
been amended. These have been amended to Secured Overnight Financing Rate (USD Term SOFR) plus credit adjustment spread (CAS), and the 
impact to the Financial Statements is not material. There are a number of lease contracts which currently have fixed rentals which will move to 
floating rentals based on USD LIBOR after the end of the fixed rental period. These will be amended before the end of the fixed rental period to 
USD Term SOFR plus CAS. The Group has taken the practical expedient available to account for the lease modification required by the IBOR 
reform by applying IFRS 16 paragraph 42.

Post balance sheet events
The Group has taken the latest legal position in relation to any ongoing legal proceedings and reflected these in the 2023 results  
as appropriate.

136

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 Segmental analysis

The analysis by segment is presented in accordance with IFRS 8, on the basis of those segments whose operating results are regularly reviewed 
by the Board (who acts as the Chief Operating Decision Maker as defined by IFRS 8). The Group’s four divisions are set out below. 

Civil Aerospace 

 development, manufacture, marketing and sales of commercial aero engines and aftermarket services

Defence 

  development, manufacture, marketing and sales of military aero engines, naval engines, submarine nuclear power plants 
and aftermarket services

Power Systems 

 development, manufacture, marketing and sales of integrated solutions for onsite power and propulsion

New Markets 

 development, manufacture and sales of small modular reactor (SMR) and new electrical power solutions

Other businesses include the trading results of the UK Civil Nuclear business. 

Underlying results 
The Group presents the financial performance of the divisions in accordance with IFRS 8 and consistently with the basis on which performance 
is communicated to the Board each month. 

Underlying results are presented by recording all relevant revenue and cost of sales transactions at the average exchange rate achieved on 
effective settled derivative contracts in the period that the cash flow occurs. The impact of the revaluation of monetary assets and liabilities 
(other than lease liabilities) using the exchange rate that is expected to be achieved by the use of the effective hedge book is recorded within 
underlying cost of sales. Underlying financing excludes the impact of revaluing monetary assets and liabilities to period end exchange rates. 
Lease liabilities are not revalued to reflect the expected exchange rates due to their multi-year remaining term, the Directors believe that doing 
so would not be the most appropriate basis to measure the in-year performance. Transactions between segments are presented on the same 
basis as underlying results and eliminated on consolidation. Unrealised fair value gains/(losses) on foreign exchange contracts, which are  
recognised as they arise in the statutory results, are excluded from underlying results. To the extent that the previously forecast transactions 
are no longer expected to occur, an appropriate portion of the unrealised fair value gain/(loss) on foreign exchange contracts is recorded 
immediately in the underlying results.  

Amounts receivable/(payable) on interest rate swaps which are not designated as hedge relationships for accounting purposes are reclassified 
from fair value movement on a statutory basis to interest receivable/(payable) on an underlying basis, as if they were in an effective  
hedge relationship. 

In the year to 31 December 2023, the Group was a net seller of USD at an achieved exchange rate GBP:USD of 1.50 (2022: 1.50) based on the USD 
hedge book. 

In 2020, the Group experienced a significant decline in its medium-term outlook and consequently a significant deterioration to its forecast net 
USD cash inflows. The Group took action to reduce the size of the USD hedge book by $11.8bn across 2020 to 2026 to reflect the fact that, at 
that time, future operating cash flows were no longer forecast to materialise. An underlying charge of £1.7bn was recognised within the  
underlying finance costs in 2020 and the associated cash settlement costs occur over the period 2020 to 2026. The derivatives relating to this 
underlying charge have been subsequently excluded from the hedge book, and therefore are also excluded from the calculation of the average 
exchange rate achieved in the current and future periods. 

Underlying performance also excludes the following:

 — the effect of acquisition accounting and business disposals;

 — impairment of goodwill, other non-current and current assets where the reasons for the impairment are outside of normal operating activities;

 — exceptional items; and

 — certain other items which are market driven and outside of the control of management.

Subsequent changes in items excluded from underlying performance in a prior period will also be excluded from underlying performance.  
All other changes will be recognised within underlying performance.

Acquisition accounting, business disposals and impairment
The Group exclude these from underlying results so that the current year and comparative results are directly comparable.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

137

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 Segmental analysis continued

Exceptional items
Items are classified as exceptional where the Directors believe that presentation of the results in this way is useful in providing an understanding 
of the Group’s financial performance. Exceptional items are identified by virtue of their size, nature or incidence.

In determining whether an event or transaction is exceptional, the Directors consider quantitative as well as qualitative factors such as the  
frequency or predictability of occurrence. Examples of exceptional items include one-time costs and charges in respect of aerospace programmes, 
costs of exceptional transformation and restructuring programmes and one-time past service charges and credits on post-retirement schemes.

Exceptional items are not allocated to segments and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Other items
The financing component of the defined benefit pension scheme cost is determined by market conditions and has therefore been included as 
a reconciling difference between underlying and statutory performance.

The tax effects of adjustments above are excluded from the underlying tax charge. Changes in tax rates are excluded from the underlying tax 
charge. In addition, changes in the amount of recoverable deferred tax recognised are excluded from the underlying results to the extent that 
their recognition or derecognition was not originally recorded within the underlying results.

The following analysis sets out the results of the Group’s divisions on the basis described above and also includes a reconciliation of the  
underlying results to those reported in the consolidated income statement.

Year ended 31 December 2023
Underlying revenue from sale of original equipment
Underlying revenue from aftermarket services
Total underlying revenue 
Gross profit/(loss)
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit/(loss)

Year ended 31 December 2022
Underlying revenue from sale of original equipment
Underlying revenue from aftermarket services
Total underlying revenue
Gross profit/(loss)
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit/(loss)

Civil 
Aerospace 
£m

Defence 
£m

Power 
Systems 
£m

New 
Markets 
£m

Other 
businesses 
£m

Corporate 
and Inter-
segment 1
£m

Total 
Underlying
£m

2,703 
4,645 
7,348 
1,394 
(354)
(343)
153 
850 

1,982 
3,704 
5,686 
853 
(371)
(452)
113 
143 

1,766 
2,311 
4,077 
804 
(173)
(72)
3 
562 

1,634 
2,026 
3,660 
726 
(174)
(122)
2 
432 

2,661 
1,307 
3,968 
1,050 
(456)
(187)
6 
413 

2,187 
1,160 
3,347 
918 
(441)
(204)
8 
281 

2 
2 
4 
1 
(24)
(137)
– 
(160)

1 
2 
3 
(1)
(23)
(108)
– 
(132)

12 
– 
12 
(15)
– 
– 
– 
(15)

– 
– 
– 
(29)
(2)
– 
– 
(31)

– 
– 
– 
(3)
(57)
– 
– 
(60)

(5)
– 
(5)
10 
(51)
– 
– 
(41)

7,144 
8,265 
15,409 
3,231 
(1,064)
(739)
162 
1,590 

5,799 
6,892 
12,691 
2,477 
(1,062)
(886)
123 
652 

1  Corporate and Inter-segment consists of costs that are not attributable to a specific segment and consolidation adjustments

138

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 Segmental analysis continued

Reconciliation to statutory results

Year ended 31 December 2023
Continuing operations

Revenue from sale of original equipment
Revenue from aftermarket services
Total revenue 
Gross profit
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Operating profit
Gain arising on the disposal of businesses
Profit before financing and taxation
Net financing
Profit before taxation
Taxation 

Profit for the year
Attributable to:

Ordinary shareholders
NCI

Year ended 31 December 2022
Continuing operations

Revenue from sale of original equipment
Revenue from aftermarket services
Total revenue
Gross profit
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Operating profit
Gain arising on the disposal of businesses
Profit before financing and taxation 
Net financing
Profit/(loss) before taxation
Taxation 
Profit/(loss) for the year from continuing operations

Discontinued operations 1
Profit/(loss) for the year
Attributable to:

Ordinary shareholders
NCI

Underlying 
adjustments and 
adjustments to 
foreign exchange
£m

Group 
statutory results
£m

Total underlying
£m

7,144 
8,265 
15,409 
3,231 
(1,064)
(739)
162 
1,590 
– 
1,590 
(328)
1,262 
(120)
1,142 

1,150 
(8)

5,799 
6,892 
12,691 
2,477 
(1,062)
(886)
123 
652 
– 
652 
(446)
206 
(48)
158 
67 
225 

230 
(5)

491 
586 
1,077 
389 
(46)
– 
11 
354 
1 
355 
810 
1,165 
97 
1,262 

1,262 
– 

474 
355 
829 
280 
(15)
(5)
(75)
185 
81 
266 
(1,974)
(1,708)
356 
(1,352)
(147)
(1,499)

(1,499)
– 

7,635 
8,851 
16,486 
3,620 
(1,110)
(739)
173 
1,944 
1 
1,945 
482 
2,427 
(23)
2,404 

2,412 
(8)

6,273 
7,247 
13,520 
2,757 
(1,077)
(891)
48 
837 
81 
918 
(2,420)
(1,502)
308 
(1,194)
(80)
(1,274)

(1,269)
(5)

1  Discontinued operations relate to the results of ITP Aero and are presented net of intercompany trading eliminations and related consolidation adjustments 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

139

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 Segmental analysis continued

Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers
Analysis by type and basis of recognition

Year ended 31 December 2023
Original equipment recognised at a point in time
Original equipment recognised over time
Aftermarket services recognised at a point in time
Aftermarket services recognised over time
Total underlying customer contract revenue 
Other underlying revenue 1
Total underlying revenue 2

Year ended 31 December 2022
Original equipment recognised at a point in time
Original equipment recognised over time
Aftermarket services recognised at a point in time
Aftermarket services recognised over time
Total underlying customer contract revenue 
Other underlying revenue 1
Total underlying revenue 2

Civil 
Aerospace 
£m

2,703 
– 
1,227 
3,335 
7,265 
83 
7,348 

1,982 
– 
865 
2,772 
5,619 
67 
5,686 

Defence 
£m

632 
1,134 
854 
1,457 
4,077 
– 
4,077 

689 
945 
769 
1,257 
3,660 
– 
3,660 

Power 
Systems 
£m

New 
Markets 
£m

Other 
businesses 
£m

Corporate 
and Inter-
segment 
£m

Total 
Underlying
£m

2,611 
50 
1,206 
101 
3,968 
– 
3,968 

2,155 
32 
1,076 
84 
3,347 
– 
3,347 

2 
– 
2 
– 
4 
– 
4 

1 
– 
2 
– 
3 
– 
3 

– 
12 
– 
– 
12 
– 
12 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

(5)
– 
– 
– 
(5)
– 
(5)

5,948 
1,196 
3,289 
4,893 
15,326 
83 
15,409 

4,822 
977 
2,712 
4,113 
12,624 
67 
12,691 

1  Includes leasing revenue
2  Includes £(136)m, of which £(104)m relates to Civil LTSA contracts, (2022: £367m, of which £360m relates to Civil LTSA contracts) of revenue recognised in the year relating to performance 

obligations satisfied in previous years 

Year ended 31 December 2023
Original equipment recognised at a point in time
Original equipment recognised over time
Aftermarket services recognised at a point in time
Aftermarket services recognised over time
Total customer contract revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue 

Year ended 31 December 2022
Original equipment recognised at a point in time
Original equipment recognised over time
Aftermarket services recognised at a point in time
Aftermarket services recognised over time
Total customer contract revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue 

Underlying 
adjustments and 
adjustments to 
foreign exchange
£m

Group 
statutory results 1
£m

Total underlying
£m

5,948 
1,196 
3,289 
4,893 
15,326 
83 
15,409 

4,822 
977 
2,712 
4,113 
12,624 
67 
12,691 

491 
– 
186 
382 
1,059 
18 
1,077 

474 
– 
164 
176 
814 
15 
829 

6,439 
1,196 
3,475 
5,275 
16,385 
101 
16,486 

5,296 
977 
2,876 
4,289 
13,438 
82 
13,520 

1  During the year to 31 December 2023, revenue recognised within Civil Aerospace, Defence and Power Systems of £1,766m (2022: £1,788m) was received from a single customer 

140

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
2 Segmental analysis continued

Analysis by geographical destination 
The Group’s revenue by destination of the ultimate operator is as follows:

United Kingdom
Germany
Ireland
Turkey
Switzerland
France
Spain
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Norway
Rest of Europe
Europe
United States
Canada
North America
South America
Central America
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Rest of Middle East
Middle East
China
Japan
Singapore
South Korea
India
Thailand
Rest of Asia
Asia
Africa
Australasia

2023
£m
2,230 
1,035 
504 
399 
379 
351 
290 
282 
149 
110 
71 
308 
6,108 
4,668 
430 
5,098 
230 
106 
394 
148 
128 
200 
870 
1,263 
586 
437 
303 
221 
132 
529 
3,471 
313 
290 
16,486 

2022
£m
1,669 
855 
328 
220 
334 
255 
188 
238 
95 
43 
61 
463 
4,749 
4,334 
267 
4,601 
168 
91 
322 
180 
231 
164 
897 
1,246 
276 
317 
164 
119 
– 
381 
2,503 
282 
229 
13,520 

Order backlog
Contracted consideration, translated at the estimated long-term exchange rates, that is expected to be recognised as revenue when performance 
obligations are satisfied in the future (referred to as order backlog) is as follows: 

Civil Aerospace 
Defence 
Power Systems 
New Markets
Other businesses

Within 
five years
£bn
28.4 
8.3 
3.9 
– 
– 
40.6 

2023

After 
five years
£bn
26.8 
0.9 
0.2 
– 
– 
27.9 

Within 
five years
£bn
25�7 
7�8 
3�7 
– 
– 
37�2 

2022

After 
five years
£bn
22�0 
0�7 
0�3 
– 
– 
23�0 

Total
£bn
55.2 
9.2 
4.1 
– 
– 
68.5 

Total
£bn
47�7 
8�5 
4�0 
– 
– 
60�2 

The parties to these contracts have approved the contract and customers do not have a unilateral enforceable right to terminate the contract 
without compensation. The Group excludes Civil Aerospace OE orders (for deliveries beyond the next seven-12 months) that customers have 
placed where they retain a right to cancel. The Group’s expectation based on historical experience is that these orders will be fulfilled. Within 
the five years category, contracted revenue in Defence will largely be recognised in the next three years and Power Systems will be recognised 
over the next two years, as it is a short cycle business. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

141

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 Segmental analysis continued

Underlying adjustments

Underlying performance
Impact of foreign exchange differences  
as a result of hedging activities on  
trading transactions 1
Unrealised fair value changes on  
derivative contracts held for trading 2 
Unrealised fair value changes on  
derivative contracts held for financing 3 
Exceptional programme credits/(charges) 4
Exceptional transformation and  
restructuring (charges)/credits 5
Impairment reversals/(charges) 6
Effect of acquisition accounting 7
Other 8
Gains arising on the disposals of businesses
Recognition of deferred tax assets 9
Total underlying adjustments
Statutory performance per consolidated 
income statement

A – FX, B – Exceptional, C – M&A and impairment, D – Other

2023

Profit
before 
financing
£m
1,590 

Net 
financing
£m
(328)

Revenue
£m
15,409 

Taxation 
£m
(120)

Revenue
£m
12,691 

2022

Profit
before 
financing
£m
652 

Net 
financing
£m
(446)

Taxation 
£m
(48)

A

A

A

B

B

C

C

D

C

D

1,077 

469 

394 

(210)

829 

267 

(358)

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
1,077 

6 

– 
21 

(102)
8 
(50)
2 
1 
– 
355 

514 

(130)

7 
– 

– 
– 
(105)
– 
– 
810 

(2)
(5)

25 
(2)
12 
24 
– 
385 
97 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
829 

(3)

(1,768)

– 
69 

(47)
(65)
(58)
22 
81 
– 
266 

191 
(3)

– 
– 
– 
(36)
– 
– 
(1,974)

(81)

451 

(47)
– 

4 
– 
9 
(71)
(2)
93 
356 

16,486 

1,945 

482 

(23)

13,520 

918 

(2,420)

308 

1  The impact of measuring revenues and costs at the average exchange rate during the year and the impact of valuation of assets and liabilities using the year end exchange rate rather than 
the achieved rate or the exchange rate that is expected to be achieved by the use of the hedge book increased statutory revenues by £1,077m (2022: £829m) and increased profit before 
financing and taxation by £469m (2022: £267m). Underlying financing excludes the impact of revaluing monetary assets and liabilities at the year end exchange rate

2  The underlying results exclude the fair value changes on derivative contracts held for trading. These fair value changes are subsequently recognised in the underlying results when the 

contracts are settled

3  Includes net fair value gains of £1m (2022: £190m) on any interest rate swaps not designated into hedging relationships for accounting purposes
4  During the year to 31 December 2023, £21m of Trent 1000 wastage costs provision previously recognised in respect of estimated costs to settle obligations have been reversed to reflect 

the current status of claims in respect of the Trent 1000 technical issues which were identified in 2019

5  During the year to 31 December 2023, the Group incurred total transformation and restructuring related charges of £102m (2022: £47m). In 2023, the Group announced a major multi-year 
transformation programme which consists of seven workstreams that were set out in the 2022 Annual Report. During the year, £88m was incurred in relation to this multi-year programme, 
comprising £45m for advisory fees and transformation office costs, £37m related to impairments and write-offs and £6m related to severance costs. In the year to 31 December 2023, a £14m 
(2022: £47m) charge related to initiatives to enable restructuring under a previous programme

6 The Group has assessed the carrying value of its assets. Further details are provided in notes 9, 10, 11 and 12
7  The effect of acquisition accounting includes the amortisation of intangible assets arising on previous acquisitions
8 Includes interest received of £83m (2022: interest received of £14m) on interest rate swaps which are not designated into hedge relationships for statutory purposes from interest payable 

on an underlying basis to fair value movement and £2m (2022: credit of £22m) of past-service credit on defined benefit schemes

9 Relates to the recognition of deferred tax assets on UK tax losses of £328m and foreign exchange derivatives of £57m. The £93m recognised in 2022 relates to foreign exchange derivatives

142

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 Segmental analysis continued

Balance sheet analysis

At 31 December 2023
Segment assets
Interests in joint ventures and associates
Segment liabilities
Net (liabilities)/assets
Investment in intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, right-of-use 
assets and joint ventures and associates
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

At 31 December 2022
Segment assets
Interests in joint ventures and associates
Segment liabilities
Net (liabilities)/assets
Investment in intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, right-of-use 
assets and joint ventures and associates
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

Civil Aerospace
£m
17,718 
444 
(24,447)
(6,285)

562 
719

17,537 
387 
(25,357)
(7,433)

415 
755 

Defence
£m
3,517 
7 
(3,376)
148 

176 
105

3,430 
4 
(3,146)
288 

146 
128 

Power 
Systems 
£m
3,814 
28 
(1,765)
2,077 

160 
194

4,084 
31 
(1,802)
2,313 

177 
193 

New 
Markets 
£m
115 
– 
(88)
27 

Total 
reportable 
segments
£m 
25,164 
479 
(29,676)
(4,033)

17 
9

915 
1,027 

135 
– 
(97)
38 

16 
6 

25,186 
422 
(30,402)
(4,794)

754 
1,082 

Reconciliation to the balance sheet

Total reportable segment assets (excluding held for sale)
Other businesses
Corporate and Inter-segment
Interests in joint ventures and associates
Assets held for sale 
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments
Fair value of swaps hedging fixed rate borrowings
Deferred and income tax assets
Post-retirement scheme surpluses
Total assets
Total reportable segment liabilities (excluding held for sale)
Other businesses
Corporate and Inter-segment
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale
Borrowings and lease liabilities
Fair value of swaps hedging fixed rate borrowings
Deferred and income tax liabilities
Post-retirement scheme deficits
Total liabilities
Net liabilities

2023
£m
25,164 
8 
(2,010)
479 
109 
3,784 
118 
3,078 
782 
31,512
(29,676)
(58)
2,010 
(55)
(5,759)
(95)
(473)
(1,035)
(35,141)
(3,629)

2022
£m
25,186 
19 
(2,460)
422 
– 
2,618 
194 
2,858 
613 
29,450 
(30,402)
(34)
2,456 
– 
(5,955)
(108)
(390)
(1,033)
(35,466)
(6,016)

The carrying amounts of the Group’s non-current assets including investments but excluding financial instruments, deferred tax assets and  
post-retirement scheme surpluses/(deficits), by the geographical area in which the assets are located, are as follows: 

United Kingdom
Germany
United States
Other

2023
£m
4,981 
2,052 
1,414 
705 
9,152 

2022
£m
5,202 
2,151 
1,465 
735 
9,553 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

143

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS3 Research and development

Gross research and development costs
Contributions and fees 1
Expenditure in the year
Capitalised as intangible assets
Amortisation and impairment of capitalised costs 2
Net cost recognised in the income statement
Underlying adjustments relating to effects of acquisition accounting and foreign exchange 
Net underlying cost recognised in the income statement

1  Includes £531m (2022: £350m) of government funding
2  See note 9 for analysis of amortisation and impairment

4 Net financing

2023
£m
(1,390)
548 
(842)
192 
(89)
(739)
– 
(739)

2023

2022

Interest receivable and similar income 2
Net fair value gains on foreign currency contracts
Net fair value gains on non-hedge accounted interest rate swaps 3
Net fair value gains on commodity contracts
Financing on post-retirement scheme surpluses
Net foreign exchange gains 
Financing income

Interest payable
Net fair value losses on foreign currency contracts
Foreign exchange differences and changes in forecast payments relating  
to financial RRSAs
Net fair value losses on commodity contracts
Financing on post-retirement scheme deficits
Net foreign exchange losses
Cost of undrawn facilities
Other financing charges
Financing costs

Net financing income/(costs)

Analysed as:
Net interest payable
Net fair value gains/(losses) on derivative contracts
Net post-retirement scheme financing
Net foreign exchange gains/(losses)
Net other financing
Net financing income/(costs)

2022
£m
(1,287)
359 
(928)
131 
(94)
(891)
5 
(886)

Underlying 1
£m
35 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
35 

(320)
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
(61)
(100)
(481)

Statutory
£m
164 
574 
1 
– 
30 
394 
1,163 

Underlying 1
£m
164 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
164 

Statutory
£m
35 
– 
190 
106 
24 
– 
355 

(343)
(1,875)

(7)
– 
(26)
(358)
(61)
(105)
(2,775)

(275)
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
(57)
(160)
(492)

(369)
– 

(1)
(60)
(42)
– 
(57)
(152)
(681)

482

(205)
515 
(12)
394 
(210)
482 

(328)

(2,420)

(446)

(111)
– 
– 
– 
(217)
(328)

(308)
(1,579)
(2)
(358)
(173)
(2,420)

(285)
– 
– 
– 
(161)
(446)

1  See note 2 for definition of underlying results
2  Includes interest income on cash balances and short-term deposits of £117m (2022: £28m) and similar income of £47m (2022: £7m) on money market funds
3  The consolidated income statement shows the net fair value gain/(loss) on any interest rate swaps not designated into hedging relationships for accounting purposes. Underlying financing 

reclassifies the realised fair value movements on these interest rate swaps to net interest payable

144

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS5 Taxation

Current tax charge for the year
Adjustments in respect of prior years
Current tax

Deferred tax charge/(credit) for the year
Adjustments in respect of prior years
Recognition of deferred tax
Deferred tax

(Credited)/charged in the income statement

Other tax (charges)/credits 

Deferred tax:

Movement in post-retirement schemes
Cash flow hedge
Net investment hedge
Share-based payments – direct to equity

Other tax (charges)/credits

Tax reconciliation on continuing operations

UK

2023
£m
19 
– 
19 

224 
(5)
(406)
(187)

(168)

2022
£m
18 
(5)
13 

(427)
4 
– 
(423)

(410)

Overseas

Total

2023
£m
256 
2 
258 

(69)
2 
– 
(67)

191 

2022
£m
159 
(8)
151 

(61)
12 
– 
(49)

102 

2023
£m
275 
2 
277 

155 
(3)
(406)
(254)

2022
£m
177 
(13)
164 

(488)
16 
– 
(472)

23

(308)

Items that will not be reclassified

Items that will be reclassified

OCI

Equity

2023
£m

2022
£m

2023
£m

2022
£m

2023
£m

(43)
– 
– 
– 
(43)

2022
£m

89 
– 
– 
– 
89 

– 
5 
(1)
– 
4 

– 
12 
2 
– 
14 

– 
– 
– 
22 
22 

Profit/(loss) before taxation from continuing operations
Less: share of results of joint ventures and associates (note 12)
Profit/(loss) before taxation from continuing operations excluding joint ventures and associates
Nominal tax charge/(credit) at UK corporation tax rate 23.5% (2022: 19%)
UK tax rate differential 1
Overseas rate differences 2
Exempt gain on disposal of businesses 3
R&D credits
Other permanent differences
Benefit to deferred tax from previously unrecognised tax losses and temporary differences 4
Tax losses and other temporary differences not recognised in deferred tax 5
Benefit arising from previously unrecognised tax losses 6
Recognition of deferred tax assets 7
Adjustments in respect of prior years

Underlying items (note 2)
Non-underlying items

Tax on discontinued operations

Tax charge on loss before taxation from discontinued operations 
Tax credit on disposal of discontinued operations 

1  The UK tax rate differential arises on the difference between the deferred tax rate and the statutory tax rate
2  Overseas rate differences mainly relate to tax on profits or losses in countries such as the US and Germany
3  The exempt gain in 2022 relates to the disposal of Airtanker Holdings Ltd
4  Benefit to deferred tax from previously unrecognised tax losses and temporary differences mainly relate to foreign exchange derivatives
5  Movement on tax losses not recognised relate to foreign exchange derivatives
6 Relates to foreign exchange derivatives
7  The recognition of deferred tax relates to UK tax losses

2023
£m
2,427 
(139)
2,288 
538 
16 
9 
– 
(16)
16 
(57)
9 
(85)
(406)
(1)
23 
120 
(97)
23 

2023
£m
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
1 
1 

2022
£m
(1,502)
(9)
(1,511)
(287)
(69)
18 
(14)
(7)
23 
(134)
159 
– 
– 
3 
(308)
48 
(356)
(308)

2022
£m
10 
(31)
(21)

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

145

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS5 Taxation continued

Deferred taxation assets and liabilities

At 1 January 

Amount credited to income statement
Amount (charged)/credited to OCI
Amount credited to hedging reserves
Amount credited to equity
On acquisition/disposal of businesses 1
Exchange differences

At 31 December
Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax liabilities

2023
£m
2,445 
254 
(44)
5 
22 
(1)
(13)
2,668 
2,998 
(330)
2,668 

2022
£m
1,792 
495 
91 
12 
1 
28 
26 
2,445 
2,731 
(286)
2,445 

1  The 2023 deferred tax relates to the acquisition of Team Italia Marine S.R.L. The 2022 deferred tax relates to the disposal of ITP Aero

The analysis of the deferred tax position is as follows: 

At 1 January 
£m

Recognised
in income
statement
£m

Recognised
in OCI
£m

Recognised
in equity
£m

Disposals and 
acquisition 
related 
activity
£m

Exchange 
differences
£m

At 31 December
£m

2023
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Other temporary differences 1
Net contract liabilities
Pensions and other post-retirement  
scheme benefits
Foreign exchange and commodity financial assets 
and liabilities
Losses
R&D credit
Advance corporation tax 2

Recognised in:

Continuing operations

2022
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Other temporary differences 1
Net contract liabilities
Pensions and other post-retirement  
scheme benefits
Foreign exchange and commodity financial assets 
and liabilities
Losses
R&D credit
Advance corporation tax 2

Recognised in:

Continuing operations
Discontinued operations

(436)
230 
650 
64 

(57)

693 
1,072 
67 
162 
2,445 

(464)
193 
465 
73 

(140)

362 
1,085 
56 
162 
1,792 

6 
(7)
88 
(4)

(15)

(243)
417 
12 
– 
254 

254

29 
33 
133 
(9)

(19)

329 
(12)
11 
– 
495 

472 
23 

– 
– 
4 
– 

(43)

– 
– 
– 
– 
(39)

– 
– 
(1)
– 

89 

15 
– 
– 
– 
103 

– 
– 
22 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
22 

– 
– 
1 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
1 

(1)
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
(1)

– 
6 
44 
– 

– 

(22)
– 
– 
– 
28 

– 
6 
(12)
– 

(8)

1 
– 
– 
– 
(13)

(1)
(2)
8 
– 

13 

9 
(1)
– 
– 
26 

(431)
229 
752 
60 

(123)

451 
1,489 
79 
162 
2,668 

(436)
230 
650 
64 

(57)

693 
1,072 
67 
162 
2,445 

1  Other temporary differences mainly relate to the deferral of relief for interest expenses in the UK and revenue recognised earlier under local GAAP compared to IFRS in Germany
2  Prior to 1999 advance corporation tax was paid to the UK Tax Authority when cash dividends were paid by the Group. This was a payment on account which was available to offset against 

UK corporation tax liabilities. Any unused balance remaining after 1999 can be carried forward indefinitely and utilised against future UK corporation tax liabilities

146

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS5 Taxation continued

Unrecognised deferred tax assets

Advance corporation tax
UK losses
Foreign exchange and commodity financial assets and liabilities
Losses and other unrecognised deferred tax assets
Deferred tax not recognised on unused tax losses and other items on the basis that future economic benefit 
is uncertain

2023
£m
19 
1,635 
69 
34 

1,757 

2022
£m
19 
2,040 
218 
33 

2,310 

Gross amount and expiry of losses and other deductible temporary differences for which no deferred tax asset has been recognised. 

Total gross 
losses and 
deductible 
temporary 
differences
£m

UK 
losses
£m

81 

– 

216 
6,891 
7,188 

– 
6,537 
6,537 

2023

Foreign 
exchange 
and 
commodity 
financial 
assets and 
liabilities
£m

– 

– 
275 
275 

Other 
deductible 
temporary 
differences
£m

Total gross 
losses and 
deductible 
temporary 
differences
£m

UK 
losses
£m

– 

– 
– 
– 

83 

– 

265 
9,057 
9,405 

– 
8,157 
8,157 

Other 
losses 
£m

81 

216 
79 
376 

2022

Foreign 
exchange 
and 
commodity 
financial 
assets and 
liabilities
£m

– 

– 
871 
871 

Other 
deductible 
temporary 
differences
£m

– 

– 
2 
2 

Other 
losses 
£m

83 

265 
27 
375 

Expiry within  
five years
Expiry within  
six to 30 years
No expiry

In addition to the gross balances shown above, advance corporation tax of £19m (2022: £19m) has not been recognised. Advance corporation 
tax has no expiry.

Of the total deferred tax asset of £2,998m, £2,399m (2022: £2,183m) relates to the UK and is made up as follows:

 — £1,476m (2022: £1,054m) relating to tax losses; 

 — £412m (2022: £668m) arising on unrealised losses on derivative contracts;

 — £162m (2022: £162m) of advance corporation tax; and 

 — £349m (2022: £299m) relating to other deductible temporary differences, in particular tax depreciation and relief for interest expenses. 

The UK deferred tax assets primarily arise in Rolls-Royce plc and have been recognised based on the expectation that the business will generate 
taxable profits and tax liabilities in the future against which the losses and deductible temporary differences can be utilised. 

Most of the UK tax losses relate to the Civil Aerospace large engine business which makes initial losses through the investment period of  
a programme and then makes a profit through its contracts for services. The programme lifecycles are typically in excess of 30 years. 

Deferred tax assets are recognised only to the extent it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the assets can be 
utilised. A recoverability assessment has been undertaken, taking account of deferred tax liabilities against which the reversal can be offset and 
using latest UK forecasts, which are mainly driven by the Civil Aerospace large engine business, to assess the level of future taxable profits. 

The recoverability of deferred tax assets has been assessed on the following basis: 

 — using the most recent UK profit forecasts, covering the next five years which are consistent with external sources on market conditions; 

 — the long-term forecast profit profile of existing large engine programmes which are typically in excess of 30 years from initial investment to 

retirement of the fleet, including the aftermarket revenues earned from airline customers; 

 — the long-term forecast is adjusted to exclude engine programmes which are in the development stage with no confirmed orders; 

 — taking into account the risk that regulatory changes could materially impact demand for our products;

 — consideration that although all Civil Aerospace large engines are now compatible with sustainable fuels, there is a risk that in the longer term 

demand will shift towards more sustainable products and solutions;

 — the long-term forecast profit and cost profile of the other parts of the UK business;

 — taking into consideration past performance and experience as well as a 25% probability of a severe but plausible downside forecast  

materialising in relation to the civil aviation industry; and

 — consideration that, whilst profitable in 2023, the UK business has historically been loss making.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

147

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS5 Taxation continued

The assessment takes into account UK tax laws that, in broad terms, restrict the offset of carried forward tax losses to 50% of current year  
profits. In addition, the amounts and timing of future taxable profits incorporate: 

 — the impact of new contracts signed in 2023. These include the trilateral AUKUS agreement involving the UK Defence business; 

 — the outcomes of strategic initiatives including cost and commercial optimisation;

 — the growth in Civil Aerospace engine flying hours; and

 — management’s assumptions on the impact of macroeconomic factors and climate change on the UK business. 

The climate change scenarios previously prepared to assess the viability of our business strategy, decarbonisation plans and approach to  
managing climate-related risks have continued to develop over the last year. The scale up of sustainable aviation fuel is expected to play a  
crucial role in reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the Group has demonstrated that all Civil Aerospace production engines are 
compatible with sustainable aviation fuels. The impact that this could have on our costs and customer pricing is factored into the deferred tax 
assessment. However, benefits that may arise in the future from the development of breakthrough new technologies are not taken into account.

Based on the assessment, the Group has recognised a total UK deferred tax asset of £2,399m, which includes the re-recognition of a £57m 
deferred tax asset on unrealised losses on foreign exchange derivative contracts and recognition of a further £406m (of which £328m is  
non-underlying and £78m is underlying) deferred tax asset relating to UK tax losses. This reflects the conclusions that: 

 — Based on current financial results and an improved outlook it is probable that the UK business will generate taxable income and tax liabilities 

in the future against which these losses can be utilised. 

 — Using current forecasts and various scenarios these losses and other deductible temporary differences will be used in full within 30-40 years, 
which is within the expected programme lifecycles. An explanation of the potential impact of climate change on forecast profits and  
sensitivity analysis can be found in note 1. 

Any future changes in tax law or the structure of the Group could have a significant effect on the use of losses and other deductible temporary 
differences, including the period over which they can be used. In view of this and the significant judgement involved the Board continuously 
reassesses this area. 

The other significant deferred tax asset arises in Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG, where the main activity is business aviation. The total 
net deferred tax asset is £328m (2022: £284m), which has been recognised in full. The deferred tax asset relates to revenue being recognised 
and taxed earlier under local tax rules resulting in a benefit when revenue is recognised in the accounts.

The Group is within the scope of the OECD Pillar Two (Global Minimum Tax) model rules. The legislation has been substantively enacted in some 
of the main jurisdictions in which the Group operates including the UK and Germany where the rules will be effective from 1 January 2024. Initial 
assessments indicate that Pillar Two income taxes will not be material to the Group and a majority of the jurisdictions in which the Group operates 
will meet one of the transitional safe harbours. For those jurisdictions which are material or where the statutory tax rate is close to 15%, the 
assessment is based on 2023 data. Elsewhere prior year data has been used. 

For the year to 31 December 2023, the Group has applied the mandatory exception to recognising and disclosing information about deferred 
tax assets and liabilities related to Pillar Two income taxes.

The temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, for which a deferred tax liability has not 
been recognised, aggregate to £1,230m (2022: £1,062m). No deferred tax liability has been recognised on the potential withholding tax due on 
the remittance of undistributed profits as the Group is able to control the timing of such remittances and it is probable that consent will not be 
given in the foreseeable future. 

148

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS6 Earnings per ordinary share

Basic earnings per ordinary share (EPS) is calculated by dividing the profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average 
number of ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding ordinary shares held under trust, which have been treated as if they had  
been cancelled.

Where there is a continuing loss during the year, the effect of potentially dilutive ordinary shares is anti-dilutive.

2023

Potentially 
dilutive share 
options

Diluted

Basic

2022

Potentially 
dilutive share 
options

Profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders (£m):

Continuing operations
Discontinued operations 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (millions)
EPS (pence):

Continuing operations
Discontinued operations 

Basic

2,412 
– 
2,412 
8,361 

28.85 
– 
28.85 

The reconciliation between underlying EPS and basic EPS is as follows: 

44 

(0.15)
– 
(0.15)

Underlying EPS/Underlying profit from continuing operations attributable  
to ordinary shareholders

Total underlying adjustments to profit/(loss) before taxation (note 2)
Related tax effects

EPS/Profit/(loss) from continuing operations attributable to ordinary shareholders
Diluted underlying EPS from continuing operations attributable to ordinary 
shareholders

7 Auditors’ remuneration

Diluted

(1,189)
(80)
(1,269)
8,349 

(14.24)
(0.96)
(15.20)

(1,189)
(80)
(1,269)
8,349 

(14.24)
(0.96)
(15.20)

– 

– 
– 
– 

2022

£m

Pence

£m

1,150 
1,165 
97 
2,412 

1�95 
(20.45)
4�26 
(14.24)

1�95 

163 
(1,708)
356 
(1,189)

2,412 
– 
2,412 
8,405 

28.70 
– 
28.70 

2023

Pence

13.75 
13.94 
1.16 
28.85 

13.68 

Fees payable to the Company’s auditor for the audit of the Company’s annual Financial Statements
Fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates for the audit of the Company’s subsidiaries 
pursuant to legislation 
Total fees payable for audit services
Fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates for other services:

Audit related assurance services 1
Other assurance services 2

Total fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates 3
Fees payable in respect of the Group’s pension schemes:

Audit

1  This includes £0.7m (2022: £0.7m) for the review of the half-year report and £nil (2022: £0.6m) in respect of assurance procedures over certain grant claims 
2  This includes £0.1m (2022: £0.1m) in respect of agreed upon procedures in respect of levies payable and £0.1m for sustainability assurance work (2022: £0.1m)
3  Audit fees for overseas entities are reported at the average exchange rate for the year 

2023
£m
3.6 

8.6 
12.2 

0.7 
0.2 
13.1 

0.1

2022
£m
3�5 

8�5 
12�0 

1�3 
0�2 
13�5 

0�1 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

149

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
8 Employee information

United Kingdom
Germany
United States
Italy
Singapore
Canada
India
Spain
Rest of world
Monthly average number of employees

Civil Aerospace 
Defence 
Power Systems 
New Markets 
Corporate 1
Monthly average number of employees excluding discontinued operations
ITP Aero (classified as discontinued operation)
Monthly average number of employees

Wages, salaries and benefits
Social security costs
Share-based payments (note 24)
Pensions and other post-retirement scheme benefits 
(note 22)
Group employment costs 2

2023
Number
20,900 
10,000 
5,300 
900 
700 
700 
600 
100 
2,200 
41,400 

18,300 
12,000 
9,800 
1,200 
100 
41,400 
– 
41,400 

2023

Total
£m
2,940 
416 
66 

346 
3,768 

Continuing 
operations
£m
2,629 
378 
47 

268 
3,322 

2022

Discontinued 
operations
£m
117 
27 
– 

2 
146 

2022
Number
19,900 
9,700 
5,000 
900 
700 
700 
500 
1,800 
2,600 
41,800 

17,700 
11,000 
9,400 
800 
100 
39,000 
2,800 
41,800 

Total
£m
2,746 
405 
47 

270 
3,468 

1  Corporate consists of employees who do not provide a shared service to the segments. Where corporate functions provide such a service, employees have been allocated to the segments 

on an appropriate basis 

2  Remuneration of key management personnel is shown in note 26

150

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS9 Intangible assets

Cost:
At 1 January 2022

Additions
Disposals
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2022

Additions
Acquisition of businesses (see note 27)
Transferred to held for sale 3
Transferred to current assets 4
Disposals
Reclassifications 5
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2023

Accumulated amortisation and impairment:
At 1 January 2022

Charge for the year 6
Impairment
Disposals
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2022

Charge for the year 6
Impairment
Transferred to held for sale 3
Transferred to current assets 4
Disposals
Reclassifications 5
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2023

Net book value at:
At 31 December 2023
At 31 December 2022

Goodwill
£m

Certification
costs
£m

Development
expenditure
£m

Customer
relationships
£m

Software 1
£m

Other 2
£m

Total
£m

1,060 
– 
– 
75 
1,135 
– 
8 
(10)
– 
– 
– 
(32)
1,101 

34 
– 
– 
– 
2 
36 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(1)
35 

933 
– 
– 
2 
935 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(4)
– 
(1)
930 

425 
21 
– 
– 
1 
447 
24 
– 
– 
– 
(4)
– 
– 
467 

3,393 
131 
– 
80 
3,604 
192 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(1)
(32)
3,763 

1,760 
77 
17 
– 
58 
1,912 
89 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(25)
1,976 

1,066 
1,099 

463 
488 

1,787 
1,692 

475 
– 
– 
37 
512 
– 
2 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(16)
498 

342 
35 
– 
– 
29 
406 
41 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(14)
433 

65 
106 

978 
78 
(90)
12 
978 
79 
– 
– 
(23)
(27)
3 
(6)
1,004 

650 
86 
13 
(82)
8 
675 
84 
– 
– 
(14)
(23)
1 
(5)
718 

286 
303 

833 
21 
(1)
33 
886 
13 
– 
(185)
– 
(2)
(1)
(12)
699 

420 
33 
5 
(1)
19 
476 
41 
(7)
(144)
– 
(2)
(1)
(6)
357 

7,672 
230 
(91)
239 
8,050 
284 
10 
(195)
(23)
(33)
1 
(99)
7,995 

3,631 
252 
35 
(83)
117 
3,952 
279 
(7)
(144)
(14)
(29)
– 
(51)
3,986 

342 
410 

4,009 
4,098 

1  Includes £97m (2022: £93m) of software under course of construction which is not amortised
2  Other intangibles includes trademarks, brands and the costs incurred testing and analysing engines with the longest time in service (fleet leader engines) to gather technical knowledge 

on engine endurance, which will improve reliability and enable the Group to reduce the costs of meeting LTSA obligations

3  At 31 December 2023, the Group held for sale the assets and liabilities of the off-highway engines business in the lower power range based in Power Systems. See note 27 for further detail
4  During the year, the Group signed a service concession arrangement with a customer effective from 1 January 2024. Accordingly, assets that will be derecognised have been transferred 

to trade receivables and other assets to reflect the nature of these assets as current assets 

5  Includes reclassifications within intangible assets or from property, plant and equipment when available for use
6 Charged to cost of sales and commercial and administrative costs except development costs, which are charged to research and development costs

At 31 December 2023, the Group had expenditure commitments for software of £30m (2022: £37m).  

The carrying amount of goodwill or intangible assets allocated across multiple CGUs is not significant in comparison with the Group’s total  
carrying amount of goodwill or intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

151

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS9 Intangible assets continued

Goodwill 
In accordance with the requirements of IAS 36, goodwill is allocated to the Group’s CGUs, or groups of CGUs, that are expected to benefit from 
the synergies of the business combination that gave rise to the goodwill as follows:

Cash-generating unit (CGU) or group of CGUs 

Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG
Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
Other

Primary 
operating
segment
Power Systems
Civil Aerospace
Various

2023
£m
798 
237 
31 
1,066 

2022
£m
818 
241 
40 
1,099 

Goodwill has been tested for impairment during 2023 on the following basis: 

 — The carrying values of goodwill have been assessed by reference to the recoverable amount, being the higher of value in use or fair value less 

costs of disposal (FVLCOD).

 — The recoverable amount has been estimated using cash flows from the most recent forecasts prepared by the Directors, which are consistent 
with past experience and external sources of information on market conditions. These forecasts generally cover the next five years. Growth 
rates for the period not covered by the forecasts are based on growth rates of 2% which reflects the products, industries and countries in 
which the relevant CGU or group of CGUs operate. Inflation has been included based on contractual commitments where relevant. Where 
general inflation assumptions have been required, these have been estimated based on externally sourced data. General inflation assumptions 
of 2% to 4% have been included in the forecasts, depending on the nature and geography of the flows.

 — The key forecast assumptions for the impairment tests are the discount rate and the cash flow projections, in particular the programme  
assumptions (such as sales volumes and product costs), the impact of foreign exchange rates on the relationship between selling prices and 
costs, and growth rates. Impairment tests are performed using prevailing exchange rates.

 — The Group believes there are significant business growth opportunities to come from Rolls-Royce playing a leading role in the transition to 
net zero, whilst at the same time climate change poses potentially significant risks. The assumptions used by the Directors are based on past 
experience and external sources of information. Based on the climate scenarios prepared, the forecasts do not assume a significant  
deterioration of demand for Civil Aerospace (including Rolls-Royce Deutschland) programmes given that all commercial aero-engines were 
compatible with sustainable fuels by the end of 2023. Similarly, 80% of the engines in Power Systems are compatible with sustainable fuels. 
The investment required to ensure our new products will be compatible with net zero operation, and to achieve net zero scope 1 + 2 GHG  
emissions is reflected in the forecasts used.

A 1.5°C scenario has been prepared using key data points from external sources, including Oxford Economics, Global Climate Service and  
Databank and the International Energy Agency. This scenario has been used as the basis of a sensitivity. It is assumed that governments adopt 
stricter product and behavioural standards and measures that result in higher carbon pricing. Under these conditions, it is assumed that markets 
are willing to pay for low carbon solutions and that there is an economic return from strategic investments in low carbon alternatives. The  
sensitivity has considered the likelihood of demand changes for our products based on their relative fuel efficiency in the marketplace and the 
probability of alternatives being introduced earlier than currently expected. The sensitivity also reflects the impact of a broad range of potential 
costs imposed by policy or regulatory interventions (through carbon pricing). This sensitivity does not indicate the need for an impairment 
charge� 

The principal assumptions for goodwill balances considered to be individually significant are:

Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG
 — Recoverable amount represents FVLCOD to reflect the future strategy of the business. The Directors consider that disclosing information 
prepared on a FVLCOD basis here is a more useful representation of the recoverable amount when considering the future strategy of the 
business, including the impact of climate-related risks and opportunities. Due to the unavailability of observable market inputs or inputs based 
on market evidence, the fair value is estimated by discounting future cash flows (Level 3 as defined by IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement) 
modified for market participants views;

 — Trading assumptions (e.g. volume of equipment deliveries, pricing achieved and cost escalation) that are based on current and known future 

programmes, estimates of market share and long-term economic forecasts;

 — Plausible downside scenario in relation to macro-economic factors included with a 25% weighting;

 — Cash flows beyond the five-year forecasts are assumed to grow at 2.0% (2022: 1.0%); and

 — Nominal post-tax discount rate 9.2% (2022: 10.0%).

The Directors do not consider that any reasonably possible changes in the key assumptions (including taking consideration of the climate-related 
risks above) would cause the FVLCOD of the business to fall below its carrying value of goodwill.

152

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
9 Intangible assets continued

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
 — Recoverable amount represents the value in use of the assets in their current condition;

 — Trading assumptions (e.g. volume of engine deliveries, flying hours of installed fleet, including assumptions on the recovery of the aerospace 
industry, and cost escalation) that are based on current and known future programmes, estimates of market share and long-term economic 
forecasts;

 — Plausible downside scenario in relation to macro-economic factors included with a 25% weighting;

 — Cash flows beyond the five-year forecasts are assumed to grow at 2.0% (2022: 2.0%); and

 — Nominal pre-tax discount rate 14.4% (2022: 13.2%). 

The Directors do not consider that any reasonably possible changes in the key assumptions (including taking consideration of the climate-related 
risks above) would cause the value in use of the goodwill to fall below its carrying value.

Other CGUs
Goodwill balances across the Group that are not considered to be individually significant were also tested for impairment, resulting in no  
impairment charge (2022: £nil) being recognised at 31 December 2023.

Material intangible assets (excluding goodwill)
The carrying amount and the residual life of the material intangible assets (excluding goodwill) for the Group is as follows: 

Trent programme intangible assets 2
Business aviation programme intangible assets 3
Intangible assets related to Power Systems 4

Residual life 1

Net book value

2-15 years
11-15 years 

2023
£m
1,920 
238 
370 
2,528 

2022
£m
1,826 
250 
466 
2,542 

1  Residual life reflects the remaining amortisation period of those assets where amortisation has commenced. As per page 133, the amortisation period of 15 years will commence on those 

assets which are not being amortised as the units are delivered

2  Included within the Trent programmes are the Trent 1000, Trent 7000 and Trent XWB
3  Included within business aviation are the Pearl 700 and Pearl 15 
4  Includes £112m (2022: £114m) in respect of a brand intangible asset which is not amortised. Remaining assets are amortised over a range of three to 15 years 

Intangible assets (including programme intangible assets) have been reviewed for impairment in accordance with IAS 36. Assessments have 
considered potential triggers of impairment such as external factors including climate change, significant changes with an adverse effect on a 
programme and by analysing latest management forecasts against those prepared in 2022 to identify any deterioration in performance. Where 
a trigger event has been identified, an impairment test has been carried out. Where an impairment was required, the test was performed on the 
following basis:

 — The carrying values have been assessed by reference to value in use. These have been estimated using cash flows from the most recent  
forecasts prepared by the Directors, which are consistent with past experience and external sources of information on market conditions over 
the lives of the respective programmes; and

 — The key assumptions underpinning cash flow projections are based on estimates of product performance related estimates, future market 
share and pricing and cost for uncontracted business. Climate-related risks are considered when making these estimates consistent with the 
assumptions above.

There have been no (2022: none) individually material impairment charges or reversals recognised during the year. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

153

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
10 Property, plant and equipment

Cost:
At 1 January 2022

Additions
Disposals/write-offs
Reclassifications 1
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2022

Additions
Transferred to current assets 2
Disposals/write-offs
Reclassifications 1
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2023

Accumulated depreciation and impairment:
At 1 January 2022

Charge for the year 3
Impairment
Disposals/write-offs
Reclassifications 1
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2022

Charge for the year 3
Impairment 4
Transferred to current assets 2
Disposals/write-offs
Reclassifications 1
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2023

Net book value at:
At 31 December 2023
At 31 December 2022

Land and 
buildings
£m

Plant and 
equipment
£m

Aircraft and 
engines
£m

In course of 
construction
£m

1,865 
34 
(38)
3 
72 
1,936 
19 
(90)
(19)
69 
(32)
1,883 

614 
79 
5 
(24)
(2)
23 
695 
70 
4 
(48)
(18)
17 
(11)
709 

4,986 
127 
(142)
82 
172 
5,225 
147 
(93)
(309)
78 
(86)
4,962 

3,244 
296 
(5)
(142)
5 
109 
3,507 
296 
6 
(61)
(299)
(9)
(56)
3,384 

1,174 
1,241 

1,578 
1,718 

1,046 
26 
(81)
(3)
11 
999 
34 
– 
(33)
13 
(7)
1,006 

414 
55 
– 
(57)
(3)
4 
413 
40 
1 
– 
(25)
8 
(3)
434 

572 
586 

Total
£m

8,197 
349 
(262)
– 
276 
8,560 
423 
(226)
(370)
14 
(138)
8,263 

4,280 
430 
– 
(223)
– 
137 
4,624 
406 
17 
(109)
(342)
9 
(70)
4,535 

300 
162 
(1)
(82)
21 
400 
223 
(43)
(9)
(146)
(13)
412 

8 
– 
– 
– 
– 
1 
9 
– 
6 
– 
– 
(7)
– 
8 

404 
391 

3,728 
3,936 

1  Includes reclassifications of assets under construction to the relevant classification in property, plant and equipment, right-of-use assets or intangible assets when available for use
2  During the year, the Group signed a service concession arrangement with a customer effective from 1 January 2024. Accordingly, assets that will be derecognised have been transferred 

to trade receivables and other assets to reflect the nature of these assets as current assets

3  Depreciation is charged to cost of sales and commercial and administrative costs or included in the cost of inventory as appropriate 
4  The carrying values of property, plant and equipment have been assessed during the year in line with IAS 36. Material items of plant and equipment and aircraft and engines are assessed 
for impairment together with other assets used in individual programmes – see potential triggers considered in note 9. Land and buildings are generally used across multiple programmes 
and are considered based on future expectations of the use of the site, which includes any implications from climate-related risks. As a result of this assessment, there are no (2022: none) 
individually material impairment charges or reversals in the year

Property, plant and equipment includes: 

Assets held for use in leases where the Group  
is the lessor:

Cost
Depreciation
Net book value

Capital expenditure commitments
Cost of fully depreciated assets

Land and 
buildings
£m

2023

Plant and 
equipment
£m

Aircraft and 
engines
£m

Land and 
buildings
£m

2022

Plant and 
equipment
£m

Aircraft and 
engines
£m

6 
(4)
2 

38 
(21)
17 

760 
(348)
412 

6 
(4)
2 

41 
(22)
19 

2023
£m
222 
2,084 

732 
(317)
415 

2022
£m
221 
2,184 

The Group’s share of equity accounted entities’ capital commitments is £16m (2022: £34m). 

154

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS11 Right-of-use assets

Cost:
At 1 January 2022

Additions/modification of leases
Disposals
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2022

Additions/modification of leases
Acquisition of business (see note 27)
Disposals
Transferred to current assets 1
Reclassifications to PPE
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2023

Accumulated depreciation and impairment:
At 1 January 2022

Charge for the year 2
Impairment 3
Disposals
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2022

Charge for the year 2
Impairment 3

Disposals
Transferred to current assets 1
Reclassifications from PPE
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2023

Net book value:
At 31 December 2023
At 31 December 2022

Right-of-use assets held for use in operating leases where the Group is the lessor:

Cost
Depreciation

Net book value at 31 December 2023

Cost

Depreciation

Net book value at 31 December 2022

Land and 
buildings
£m

Plant and 
equipment
£m

Aircraft and 
engines
£m

456 
52 
(30)
28 
506 
38 
2 
(6)
(4)
(5)
(18)
513 

186 
43 
(2)
(13)
16 
230 
42 
3 

(6)
– 
(1)
(9)
259 

254 
276 

6 
(3)
3 
6 

(3)
3 

143 
34 
(19)
4 
162 
56 
– 
(22)
– 
– 
(2)
194 

66 
37 
(1)
(19)
1 
84 
42 
6 

(22)
– 
– 
(1)
109 

85 
78 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

Total
£m

2,384 
145 
(71)
37 
2,495 
198 
2 
(82)
(4)
(15)
(23)
2,571 

1,181 
270 
17 
(54)
20 
1,434 
263 
71 

(82)
– 
(9)
(11)
1,666 

1,785 
59 
(22)
5 
1,827 
104 
– 
(54)
– 
(10)
(3)
1,864 

929 
190 
20 
(22)
3 
1,120 
179 
62 

(54)
– 
(8)
(1)
1,298 

566 
707 

905 
1,061 

1,864 
(1,298)
566 
1,827 

(1,120)
707 

1,870 
(1,301)
569 
1,833 

(1,123)
710 

1  During the year, the Group signed a service concession arrangement with a customer effective from 1 January 2024. Accordingly, assets that will be derecognised have been transferred 

to trade receivables and other assets to reflect the nature of these assets as current assets

2  Depreciation is charged to cost of sales and commercial and administrative costs as appropriate
3  The carrying values of right-of-use assets have been assessed during the year in line with IAS 36. Material items of plant and equipment and aircraft and engines are assessed for  
impairment together with other assets used in individual programmes – see potential triggers considered in note 9. Land and buildings are generally used across multiple programmes and 
are considered based on future expectations of the use of the site (which includes any implications from climate-related risks). As a result of this assessment, the carrying values of assets, 
where a trigger was identified, have been assessed by reference to value in use considering assumptions such as estimated future cash flows, product performance related estimates and 
climate-related risks. An impairment charge of £71m has been recognised, which includes £27m in relation to lease engines that have been returned following the termination of the lease 
by the lessee. In addition, during the year, a number of existing leases were extended as a result of renegotiations. An assessment was performed in reference to value in use to  
support the increase in asset value over the extended lease term, and as a result, an impairment of £26m has been recognised in Civil Aerospace (2022: no individually material impairment 
charges or reversals)

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

155

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS12 Investments

Composition of the Group 
The entities contributing to the Group’s financial results are listed on pages 190 to 195. 

Where the Group does not own 100% of the shares of a group undertaking, there are a number of arrangements with the other shareholder(s) 
that give the Group the option or potential obligation to acquire the third parties’ shares. These arrangements have been assessed and are not 
considered to have a significant value, individually or in aggregate. 

The Group does not have any non-wholly owned subsidiaries that have a material non-controlling interest.

Equity accounted and other investments 

Equity accounted

Other 1

At 1 January 2022

Additions
Disposals 
Impairment
Share of retained loss 2
Reclassification of deferred profit to deferred income 3
Repayment of loans
Revaluation of other investments accounted for as FVOCI
Exchange differences
Share of OCI
At 1 January 2023

Additions 4
Disposals 
Share of retained profit 2
Reclassification of deferred profit to deferred income 3
Revaluation of other investments accounted for as FVOCI
Exchange differences
Share of OCI

At 31 December 2023

Joint ventures
£m
403 
29 
– 
(74)

Associates
£m
1 
– 
(1)
– 

(25)
(4)
(5)
– 
96 
2 
422 
9 
(5)
119 
(18)
– 
(50)
2 
479 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

Total
£m
404 
29 
(1)
(74)

(25)
(4)
(5)
– 
96 
2 
422 
9 
(5)
119 
(18)
– 
(50)
2 
479 

£m
36 
7 
(2)
(1)

– 
– 
– 
(4)
– 
– 
36 
– 
(1)
– 
– 
(4)
– 
– 
31 

1  Other investments includes unlisted investments of £24m (2022: £26m) and listed investments of £7m (2022: £10m) 
2  See table below
3  The Group’s share of unrealised profit on sales to joint ventures is eliminated against the carrying value of the investment in the entity. Any excess amount, once the carrying value is 

reduced to £nil, is recorded as deferred income

4  During the year, additions to investments of £9m includes the second instalment of investment related to the joint venture, Beijing Aero Engine Services Company Limited of £6m

Reconciliation of share of retained profit/(loss) to the income statement and cash flow statement:

Share of results of joint ventures and associates
Adjustments for intercompany trading 1
Share of results of joint ventures and associates to the Group
Dividends paid by joint ventures and associates to the Group (cash flow statement)
Share of retained profit/(loss) above

2023
£m
139 
34 
173 
(54)
119 

2022
£m
9 
39 
48 
(73)
(25)

1  During the year, the Group sold spare engines to Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance, a joint venture and subsidiary of Alpha Partners Leasing Limited. The Group’s share of the profit on these 
sales is deferred and released to match the depreciation of the engines in the joint venture’s financial statements. In 2023 and 2022, profit deferred on the sale of engines was lower than 
the release of that deferred in prior years

156

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS12 Investments continued

The following joint ventures are considered to be individually material to the Group:

Alpha Partners Leasing Limited (APL)
Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Limited (HAESL)
Singapore Aero Engine Services Pte Limited (SAESL)

Principal location
UK
Hong Kong
Singapore

Activity
Aero-engine leasing
Aero-engine repair and overhaul
Aero-engine repair and overhaul

Ownership interest
50.0%
50.0% 
50.0% 

Summarised financial information of the Group’s individually material joint ventures is as follows:

Revenue
Profit and total comprehensive income  
for the year
Dividends paid during the year
Profit for the year included the following:

Depreciation and amortisation
Interest income
Interest expense
Income tax expense

Current assets
Non-current assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Net assets
Included in the above:

Cash and cash equivalents
Current financial liabilities 1
Non-current financial liabilities 1

APL

2023
£m
371 

106 
(5)

(166)
15 
(122)
(37)

336 
3,048 
(261)
(2,358)
765 

223 
(165)
(1,914)

2022
£m
310 

55 
(22)

(190)
– 
(89)
(13)

375 
3,199 
(480)
(2,389)
705 

239 
(411)
(2,003)

HAESL

2023
£m
3,214 

2022
£m
2,388 

SAESL

2023
£m
2,224 

73 
(67)

(11)
– 
(4)
(14)

1,103 
93 
(886)
(73)
237 

12 
– 
(66)

72 
(66)

(13)
– 
(2)
(14)

886 
98 
(716)
(26)
242 

6 
(135)
(17)

29 
– 

(20)
7 
(2)
(2)

954 
130 
(790)
(8)
286 

99 
– 
(8)

2022
£m
2,012 

31 
– 

(21)
1 
(3)
(2)

865 
154 
(687)
(60)
272 

61 
– 
(60)

Reconciliation to the carrying amount recognised in the Consolidated Financial Statements
Ownership interest
Group share of net assets above
Goodwill
Adjustments for intercompany trading
Included in the balance sheet

50.0%
383 
– 
(383)
– 

50.0%
353 
– 
(353)
– 

50.0%
119 
36 
– 
155 

50.0%
121 
38 
(2)
157 

50.0%
143 
11 
(4)
150 

50.0%
136 
11 
– 
147 

1  Excluding trade payables and other liabilities

The summarised aggregated results of the Group’s share of equity accounted investments is as follows:

Individually material joint  
ventures (above)

Other joint ventures

Associates

Profit/(loss) and total 
comprehensive income for 
the year

Assets: 

Non-current assets
Current assets

Liabilities: 1 

Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities

Group adjustment  
for goodwill
Adjustment for 
intercompany trading
Included in the  
balance sheet
1  Liabilities include borrowings of:

2023
£m

104

1,637 
1,197 

(969)
(1,220)

47 

(387)

305 
(1,076)

2022
£m

2023
£m

2022
£m

2023
£m

2022
£m

79

37 

(68)

1,726 
1,063 

(942)
(1,237)

49 

(355)

304 
(1,313)

159 
359 

(264)
(43)

– 

(37)

174 
(60)

199 
327 

(245)
(58)

– 

(105)

118 
(84)

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 
– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Total

2023
£m

2022
£m

141 

11 

1,796 
1,556 

(1,233)
(1,263)

47 

(424)

479 
(1,136)

1,925 
1,390 

(1,187)
(1,295)

49 

(460)

422 
(1,397)

157

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS13 Inventories

Raw materials
Work in progress
Finished goods
Payments on account

Inventories stated at net realisable value
Amount of inventory write-down
Reversal of inventory write-down

14 Trade receivables and other assets

Trade receivables
Prepayments 2
RRSA prepayment for LTSA parts 2
Receivables due on RRSAs 
Amounts owed by joint ventures and associates 
Other taxation and social security receivable
Costs to obtain contracts with customers 3
Other receivables and similar assets 4

Trade receivables and other assets are analysed as follows:
Financial instruments (note 20):

Trade receivables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial assets

Non-financial instruments

2023
£m
516 
1,679 
2,653 
– 
4,848 

187 
79 
21 

Current

Non-current 1

Total

2023
£m
2,724 
1,032 
236 
1,159 
731 
160 
7 
478 
6,527 

2022
£m
2,376 
737 
149 
928 
632 
147 
12 
617 
5,598 

2023
£m
40 
102 
1,084 
193 
10 
13 
109 
45 
1,596 

2022
£m
43 
37 
856 
255 
16 
9 
67 
55 
1,338 

2023
£m
2,764 
1,134 
1,320 
1,352 
741 
173 
116 
523 
8,123 

4,857 
332 
2,934 
8,123 

2022
£m
479 
1,633 
2,593 
3 
4,708 

209 
85 
27 

2022
£m
2,419 
774 
1,005 
1,183 
648 
156 
79 
672 
6,936 

4,147 
775 
2,014 
6,936 

1  Trade receivables and other assets have been presented on the face of the balance sheet, in line with the operating cycle of the business. Further disclosure is included in the table above 

and relate to amounts not expected to be received in the next 12 months, in line with specific customer payment arrangements, including customers on payment plans 

2  At 31 December 2023, prepayments to RRSA partners for LTSA parts have been shown separately to provide additional detail for the reader. These amounts reflect the contractual share 
of EFH flows from customers paid to RRSA partners in return for the supply of parts in future periods under long-term supply contracts. In the prior year, these amounts were included 
within prepayments. There is no change to the total amount of trade receivables and other assets

3  These are amortised over the term of the related contract in line with engine deliveries, resulting in amortisation of £9m (2022: £11m) in the year. There were no impairment losses
4  Other receivables includes unbilled recoveries relating to completed overhaul activity where the right to consideration is unconditional

The Group has adopted the simplified approach to provide for ECLs, measuring the loss allowance at a probability weighted amount incorporated 
by using credit ratings which are publicly available, or through internal risk assessments derived using the customer’s latest available financial 
information. 

The ECLs for trade receivables and other assets has decreased by £104m to £242m (2022: increased by £87m to £346m). This movement is mainly 
driven by the Civil Aerospace division of £(100)m, of which £(82)m relates to specific customers and £(18)m relates to updates to the  
recoverability of other receivables.

The assumptions and inputs used for the estimation of the ECLs are disclosed in the table below: 

Credit rating C and above
Credit rating below C
Without credit rating

Trade receivables
and other 
financial assets
£m
1,744 
80 
3,607 
5,431 

2023

Loss 
allowance
£m
(102)
(6)
(134)
(242)

Average 
ECL rate
%
6%
8%
4%
4%

Trade receivables
and other 
financial assets
£m
1,637 
124 
3,507 
5,268 

2022

Loss 
allowance
£m
(177)
(16)
(153)
(346)

Average 
ECL rate
%
11%
13%
4%
7%

158

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
14 Trade receivables and other assets continued

The movements of the Group ECLs provision are as follows: 

At 1 January
Increases in loss allowance recognised in the income statement during the year
Loss allowance utilised
Releases of loss allowance previously provided
Exchange differences
At 31 December

2023
£m
(346)
(80)
34 
128 
22 
(242)

15 Contract assets and liabilities

Contract assets
Contract assets with customers
Participation fee contract assets

Current

Non-current 1

2023
£m

534 
26 
560 

2022
£m

621 
28 
649 

2023
£m

481 
201 
682 

2022
£m

617 
215 
832 

Total 2

2023
£m

1,015 
227 
1,242 

2022
£m
(259)
(118)
22 
45 
(36)
(346)

2022
£m

1,238 
243 
1,481 

1  Contract assets and contract liabilities have been presented on the face of the balance sheet, in line with the operating cycle of the business. Contract liabilities are further split according 
to when the related performance obligation is expected to be satisfied and, therefore, when revenue is estimated to be recognised in the income statement. Further disclosure of contract 
assets is provided in the table above, which shows within current the element of consideration that will become unconditional in the next year 

2  Contract assets are classified as non-financial instruments

The balance includes £494m (2022: £885m) of Civil Aerospace LTSA assets and £410m (2022: £263m) Defence LTSA assets.

The decrease in the Civil Aerospace balance is due to higher invoicing than revenue recognised in relation to the completion of performance 
obligations on those contracts with a contract asset balance. Revenue recognised relating to performance obligations satisfied in previous years 
was £64m (2022: £26m) in Civil Aerospace. 

The increase in the Defence balance is due to revenue recognition in relation to performance obligations completed being higher than the  
payments received from the customer.

No impairment losses in relation to these contract assets (2022: none) have arisen during the year. 

Participation fee contract assets have reduced by £16m (2022: £3m) due to amortisation of £15m and foreign exchange on consolidation of £1m. 

The absolute value of ECLs for contract assets has decreased by £15m to £6m (2022: £21m).

Contract liabilities 

Contract liabilities are analysed as follows 1:
Financial instruments (note 20)
Non-financial instruments

Current

Non-current

2023
£m
6,098 

2022
£m
4,825 

2023
£m
8,438 

2022
£m
7,337 

Total

2023
£m
14,536 

1,358 
13,178 
14,536 

2022
£m
12,162 

1,006 
11,156 
12,162 

1  Amounts within contract liabilities as at 31 December 2022 have been represented to better reflect the nature of the balance between financial and non-financial instruments. This resulted 

in an increase in financial instruments of £586m and a corresponding decrease in non-financial instruments. There is no impact to total contract liabilities

During the year, £3,813m (2022: £3,321m) of the opening contract liability was recognised as revenue.

Contract liabilities have increased by £2,374m. The movement in the Group balance is primarily as a result of increases in Civil Aerospace of 
£1,865m and Defence of £381m. The Civil Aerospace increase is primarily a result of growth in LTSA liabilities of £1,317m to £9,574m (2022: £8,257m) 
driven by price escalation, the continued rise in EFHs and the associated customer receipts, as well as commercial discipline driving more timely 
invoicing and recovery of contractual fees. In 2023 contract liabilities increased by £168m as a result of revenue recognised in relation to  
performance obligations satisfied in previous years (2022: £334m decrease). The increase in Defence is from the receipt of deposits in advance 
of performance obligations being completed. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

159

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
16 Cash and cash equivalents

Cash at bank and in hand
Money-market funds
Short-term deposits
Cash and cash equivalents per the balance sheet
Overdrafts (note 17)
Cash and cash equivalents per cash flow statement (page 118)

2023
£m
739 
1,077 
1,968 
3,784 
(53)
3,731 

2022
£m
847 
34 
1,726 
2,607 
(2)
2,605 

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2023 includes £279m (2022: £235m) that is not available for general use by the Group. This balance 
includes £40m (2022: £40m), which is held in an account that is exclusively for the general use of Rolls-Royce Submarines Limited and £195m 
(2022: £138m), which is held exclusively for the use of Rolls-Royce Saudi Arabia Limited. This cash is not available for use by other entities within 
the Group. The remaining balance relates to cash held in non-wholly owned subsidiaries and joint arrangements. 

Balances are presented on a net basis, when the Group has both a legal right of offset and the intention to either settle on a net basis or realise 
the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

17 Borrowings and lease liabilities

Unsecured
Overdrafts
Bank loans 
0.875% Notes 2024 €550m 1
3.625% Notes 2025 $1,000m 1
3.375% Notes 2026 £375m 2
4.625% Notes 2026 €750m 3
5.75% Notes 2027 $1,000m 3
5.75% Notes 2027 £545m
1.625% Notes 2028 €550m 1
Other loans
Total unsecured

Lease liability – Land and buildings
Lease liability – Aircraft and engines
Lease liability – Plant and equipment
Total lease liabilities

Total borrowings and lease liabilities

Current

2023
£m

53 
3 
475 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
531 

42 
203 
33 
278 

809 

2022
£m

Non-current

2023
£m

– 
– 
– 
770 
361 
649 
782 
542 
455 
9 
3,568 

382 
949 
51 
1,382 

2 
1 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
3 

46 
278 
31 
355 

358 

2022
£m

– 
– 
472 
801 
351 
661 
825 
541 
444 
10 
4,105 

400 
1,047 
45 
1,492 

Total

2023
£m

53 
3 
475 
770 
361 
649 
782 
542 
455 
9 
4,099 

424 
1,152 
84 
1,660 

2022
£m

2 
1 
472 
801 
351 
661 
825 
541 
444 
10 
4,108 

446 
1,325 
76 
1,847 

4,950 

5,597 

5,759 

5,955 

All outstanding items described as loan notes above are listed on the London Stock Exchange

1  These notes are the subject of cross-currency interest rate swap agreements under which the Group has undertaken to pay floating rates of GBP interest, which form a fair value hedge. 

They are also subject to interest rate swap agreements under which the Group has undertaken to pay fixed rates of interest, which are classified as fair value through profit and loss

2  These notes are the subject of interest rate swap agreements under which the Group has undertaken to pay floating rates of interest, which form a fair value hedge. They are also subject 

to interest rate swap agreements under which the Group has undertaken to pay fixed rates of interest, which are classified as fair value through profit and loss 

3  These notes are the subject of cross-currency interest rate swap agreements under which the Group has undertaken to pay fixed rates of GBP interest, which form a cash flow hedge

160

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS17 Borrowings and lease liabilities continued

The Group has access to the following undrawn committed borrowing facilities at the end of the year:

Expiring within one year
Expiring after one year
Total undrawn facilities

Total

2023
£m
– 
3,500 
3,500 

2022
£m
– 
5,500 
5,500 

Further details can be found in the going concern and liquidity statements on page 58.

During the year to 31 December 2023, the Group cancelled its undrawn £1bn bank loan facility which was due to mature in January 2024 and its 
undrawn UK Export Finance (UKEF) £1bn facility which was due to mature in March 2026. These facilities had remained undrawn during the year. 
In addition, the Group replaced the £2,500m committed bank borrowing facility with a new £2,500m facility with a maturity date of November 2026 
with the banks having the option to extend with two one-year extension options (3+1+1). 

Under the terms of the £1bn UKEF loan facility, the Company is restricted from declaring, making or paying distributions to shareholders unless 
certain conditions are satisfied. The conditions are linked to free cash flow performance in the prior year, and actual and forecast minimum 
liquidity levels. At 31 December 2023, these conditions were met but the Group is not making shareholder distributions. Once the Group is 
comfortably within an investment grade profile and the strength of the balance sheet is assured, the Group is committed to reinstating and 
growing shareholder distributions. This loan facility expires in 2027. The restrictions on distributions do not prevent the Company from  
redeeming any unredeemed C Shares issued prior to March 2021.

18 Leases

Leases as lessee 
The net book value of right-of-use assets at 31 December 2023 was £905m (2022: £1,061m), with a lease liability of £1,660m (2022: £1,847m), per 
notes 11 and 17, respectively. Leases that have not yet commenced to which the Group is committed have a future liability of £5m and consist of 
mainly plant and equipment and properties. The consolidated income statement shows the following amounts relating to leases: 

Land and buildings depreciation and impairment 1
Plant and equipment depreciation and impairment 2
Aircraft and engines depreciation and impairment 3
Total depreciation and impairment charge for right-of-use assets 
Adjustment of amounts payable under residual value guarantees within lease liabilities 3, 4
Expense relating to short-term leases of 12 months or less recognised as an expense on a straight line basis 2
Expense relating to variable lease payments not included in lease liabilities 3, 5
Total operating costs
Interest expense 6
Total lease expense
Income from sub-leasing right-of-use assets
Total amount recognised in the income statement

2023
£m
(45)
(48)
(241)
(334)
10 
(49)
(5)
(378)
(85)
(463)
31 
(432)

2022
£m
(41)
(36)
(210)
(287)
3 
(28)
(2)
(314)
(68)
(382)
32 
(350)

1  Included in cost of sales and commercial and administration costs depending on the nature and the use of the right-of-use asset
2  Included in cost of sales, commercial and administration costs, or research and development depending on the nature and use of the right-of-use asset
3  Included in cost of sales 
4  Where the cost of meeting residual value guarantees is less than that previously estimated, as costs have been mitigated or liabilities waived by the lessor, the lease liability has been 

remeasured. Where the value of this remeasurement exceeds the value of the right-of-use asset, the reduction in the lease liability is credited to cost of sales 

5  Variable lease payments primarily arise on a small number of contracts where engine lease payments are dependent upon utilisation rather than a periodic charge
6 Included in financing costs

The total cash outflow for leases in 2023 was £429m (2022: £316m). Of this, £375m related to leases reflected in the lease liability, £49m to  
short-term leases where lease payments are expensed on a straight-line basis and £5m for variable lease payments where obligations are only 
due when the assets are used. The timing difference between income statement charge and cash flow relates to costs incurred at the end of 
leases for residual value guarantees and restoration costs that are recognised within depreciation over the term of the lease, the most significant 
amounts relate to engine leases�

Engine leases in the Civil Aerospace division often include clauses that require the engines to be returned to the lessor with specific levels of 
usable life remaining or cash payments to the lessor. The costs of meeting these requirements are included in the lease payments. The amounts 
payable are calculated based upon an estimate of the utilisation of the engines over the lease term, whether the engine is restored to the required 
condition by performing an overhaul at our own cost or through the payments of amounts specified in the contract and any new contractual 
arrangements arising when the current lease contracts end. Amounts due can vary depending on the level of utilisation of the engines, overhaul 
activity prior to the end of the contract, and decisions taken on whether ongoing access to the assets is required at the end of the lease term. 
During the year, adjustments to return conditions at the end of leases resulted in a credit of £10m to the income statement. The lease liability at 
31 December 2023 included £354m relating to the cost of meeting these residual value guarantees in the Civil Aerospace division. Up to £76m 
is payable in the next 12 months, £185m is due over the following four years and the remaining balance after five years.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

161

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS18 Leases continued

Leases as lessor
The Group acts as lessor for engines to Civil Aerospace customers when they require engines to support their fleets. Lease agreements with the 
lessees provide protection over the assets. Usage in excess of specified limits and damage to the engine while on lease are covered by variable 
lease payment structures. Lessee bankruptcy risk is managed through the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment 
(including a specific protocol relating to aircraft equipment); an international treaty that creates common standards for the registration of lease 
contracts and establishes various legal remedies for default in financing agreements, including repossession and the effect of particular states’ 
bankruptcy laws. Engines are only leased once the Group confirm that appropriate insurance documentation is established that covers the engine 
assets to pre-agreed amounts. All such contracts are operating leases. The Group also leases out a small number of properties, or parts of  
properties, where there is excess capacity under operating leases.

Operating lease income 1, 2 

1  Includes variable lease payments received of £87m (2022: £73m) that do not depend on an index or a rate
2  Items of property, plant and equipment subject to an operating lease are disclosed in note 10

2023
£m
104

2022
£m
84

Total non-cancellable future operating lease rentals (undiscounted) of £91m (2022: £95m) are receivable over the next 12 years. £12m (2022: £12m) 
is due within one year, £43m (2022: £45m) between one to five years and £36m (2022: £38m) after five years. 

In a limited number of circumstances, the Group sublets properties that are treated as a finance lease when the arrangement transfers  
substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset. At 31 December 2023, the total undiscounted lease payments receivable is £35m 
(2022: £39m) on annual lease income of £4m (2022: £4m). The discounted finance lease receivable at 31 December 2023 is £28m (2022: £32m). 
There was no (2022: £nil) finance income recognised during the year.

19 Trade payables and other liabilities

Trade payables
Accruals
Customer discounts 1
Payables due on RRSAs
Deferred receipts from RRSA workshare partners
Amounts owed to joint ventures and associates
Government grants 2
Other taxation and social security
Other payables 3

Trade payables and other liabilities are analysed as follows:
Financial instruments (note 20): 4

Trade payables and similar items 
Other non-derivative financial liabilities 

Non-financial instruments

Current

Non-current

Total

2023
£m
1,608 
1,134 
1,018 
1,713 
56 
542 
30 
92 
703 
6,896

2022
£m
1,735 
1,477 
828 
1,392 
32 
567 
21 
88 
843 
6,983 

2023
£m
– 
96 
773 
– 
774 
– 
54 
– 
230 
1,927 

2022
£m
– 
199 
1,016 
– 
829 
– 
41 
– 
279 
2,364 

2023
£m
1,608 
1,230 
1,791 
1,713 
830 
542 
84 
92 
933 
8,823 

5,091 
2,521 
1,211 
8,823 

2022
£m
1,735 
1,676 
1,844 
1,392 
861 
567 
62 
88 
1,122 
9,347 

5,376 
2,748 
1,223 
9,347 

1  Customer discounts include customer concession credits. Revenue recognised comprises sales to the Group’s customers after such items. Customer concession credits are discounts given 
to a customer upon the sale of goods or services. A liability is recognised to correspond with the recognition of revenue when the performance obligation is met as set out on page 127. 
The largest element of the balance, approximately £1.2bn, arises when the Civil Aerospace division delivers its engines to an airframer. A concession is often payable to the end customer 
(e.g. an airline) on delivery of the aircraft from the airframer. The concession amounts are known and the payment date is reasonably certain, hence there is no significant judgement or 
uncertainty associated with the timing of these amounts. Warranty credits of £364m and customer concessions of £1,480m have been represented at 31 December 2023 to be included 
within customer discounts to better reflect the nature of these balances

2  During the year, £74m, (2022: £20m) of government grants were released to the income statement
3  Other payables includes payroll liabilities and HM Government UK levies
4  Amounts within financial instruments classified as trade payables and similar items and other non-derivative financial liabilities as at 31 December 2022 have been represented to better 
reflect the nature of the balance. This resulted in a decrease in trade payables and similar items of £363m and a corresponding increase in other non-derivative financial instruments. There 
is no impact to total trade payables and other liabilities

The Group’s payment terms with suppliers vary on the products and services being sourced, the competitive global markets the Group operates 
in and other commercial aspects of suppliers’ relationships. Industry average payment terms vary between 90 to 120 days. The Group offers 
reduced payment terms for smaller suppliers, who are typically on 75-day payment terms, so that they are paid in 30 days. In line with civil  
aviation industry practice, the Group offers a SCF programme in partnership with banks to enable suppliers, including joint ventures who are 
on 90-day standard payment terms, to receive their payments sooner. The SCF programme is available to suppliers at their discretion and does 
not change rights and obligations with suppliers or the timing of payment of suppliers. At 31 December 2023, suppliers had drawn £418m under 
the SCF scheme (2022: £422m) of which £154m (2022: £180m) is drawn by joint ventures. The Group, in some cases, settles the costs incurred by 
joint venture as a result of them utilising either the Group offered SCF arrangement, or an alternative SCF arrangement. During the year to 
31 December 2023, the Group incurred costs of £28m (2022: £12m) to settle the costs incurred by joint ventures as a result of them utilising the 
Group offered SCF arrangement. These costs are included within other financing charges.  

162

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
20 Financial instruments

Carrying values and fair values of financial instruments

2023
Other non-current asset investments
Trade receivables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial assets
Other assets
Derivative financial assets 1
Cash and cash equivalents
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Derivative financial liabilities 1
Financial RRSAs
Other liabilities
C Shares
Trade payables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial liabilities
Contract liabilities

2022
Other non-current asset investments
Trade receivables and similar items 
Other non-derivative financial assets 
Other assets
Derivative financial assets 1
Short-term investments
Cash and cash equivalents 
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Derivative financial liabilities 1
Financial RRSAs
Other liabilities
C Shares
Trade payables and similar items 2
Other non-derivative financial liabilities 2
Contract liabilities 3

Basis for
 determining 
fair value

Notes

FVPL
£m

FVOCI
£m

Amortised 
cost
£m

FVPL
£m

Other
£m

Assets

Liabilities

12

14

14

16

17

17

19

19

15

12

14

14

16

17

17

19

19

15

A 
B/C 
B 
D/F 
C 
B 
E/F 
G 
C 
H 
H 
B 
B 
B 
B 

A 
B/C 
B 
D 
C 
B 
B 
E/F 
G 
C 
H 
H 
B 
B 
B 
B 

24 
– 
– 
32 
350 
1,077 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
1,483 

26 
– 

35 
648 
– 
34 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
743 

7 
9 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
16 

10 
10 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
20 

– 
4,848 
332 
12 
– 
2,707 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
7,899 

– 
4,137 
775 
– 
– 
11 
2,573 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
7,496 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(2,228)
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(2,228)

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(4,099)
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(4,099)

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(4,099)
(1,660)
– 
(17)
(163)
(23)
(5,091)
(2,521)
(1,358)
(14,932)

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(4,108)
(1,847)
– 
(22)
(101)
(24)
(5,376)
(2,748)
(1,006)
(15,232)

Total

£m

31 
4,857 
332 
44 
350 
3,784 
(4,099)
(1,660)
(2,228)
(17)
(163)
(23)
(5,091)
(2,521)
(1,358)
(7,762)

36 
4,147 
775 
35 
648 
11 
2,607 
(4,108)
(1,847)
(4,099)
(22)
(101)
(24)
(5,376)
(2,748)
(1,006)
(11,072)

1  In the event of counterparty default relating to derivative financial assets and derivative financial liabilities, offsetting would apply and financial assets and liabilities held with the same 

counterparty would net off. If this occurred with every counterparty, total financial assets would be £3m (2022: £8m) and liabilities £1,881m (2022: £3,459m)

2  As described in note 19, trade payables and similar items at 31 December 2022 has decreased by £363m with a respective increase in other non-derivative financial liabilities
3  As described in note 15, contract liabilities at 31 December 2022 has increased by £586m

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

163

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Fair values equate to book values for both 2023 and 2022, with the following exceptions:

Other assets
Borrowings
Borrowings
Financial RRSAs

2023

2022

Basis for 
determining 
fair value
F
E 
F 
H 

Book value
£m
12 
(4,034)
(65)
(17)

Fair value
£m
12 
(3,977)
(67)
(16)

Book value
£m
– 
(4,095)
(13)
(22)

Fair value
£m
– 
(3,812)
(15)
(22)

The fair value of a financial instrument is the price at which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled, between knowledgeable, willing 
parties in an arm’s-length transaction. There have been no transfers during the year from or to Level 3 valuation. Fair values have been determined 
with reference to available market information at the balance sheet date, using the methodologies described below. 

A These primarily comprise unconsolidated companies where fair value approximates to the book value. Listed investments are valued using Level 1 methodology
B Fair values are assumed to approximate to cost either due to the short-term maturity of the instruments or because the interest rate of the investments is reset after periods not exceeding 

six months. Money market funds are valued using Level 1 methodology

C Fair values of derivative financial assets and liabilities and trade receivables held to collect or sell are estimated by discounting expected future contractual cash flows using prevailing 
interest rate curves. For commodity derivatives, forward commodity prices are used to determine expected future cash flows. Amounts denominated in foreign currencies are valued at 
the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. These financial instruments are included on the balance sheet at fair value, derived from observable market prices (Level 2)

D Other assets are included on the balance sheet at fair value, derived from observable market prices or latest forecast (Level 2/Level 3). At 31 December 2023, Level 3 assets totalled £25m 

(2022: £25m)

E  Borrowings are carried at amortised cost. Amounts denominated in foreign currencies are valued at the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. The fair value of borrowings 

is estimated using quoted prices (Level 1)

F Other assets and borrowings are carried at amortised cost. Amounts denominated in foreign currencies are valued at the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. The fair value 

of borrowings is estimated by discounting contractual future cash flows (Level 2)

G The fair value of lease liabilities are estimated by discounting future contractual cash flows using either the interest rate implicit in the lease or the Group’s incremental cost of borrowing 

(Level 2)

H The fair value of RRSAs and other liabilities are estimated by discounting expected future cash flows. The contractual cash flows are based on future trading activity, which is estimated 

based on latest forecasts (Level 3)

IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement defines a three level valuation hierarchy:

  Level 1 – quoted prices for similar instruments
  Level 2 – directly observable market inputs other than Level 1 inputs
  Level 3 – inputs not based on observable market data

Carrying values of other financial assets and liabilities 

2023
Non-current assets
Current assets
Assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities

Liabilities

2022
Non-current assets
Current assets
Assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Liabilities

Foreign 
exchange 
contracts
£m

72 
10 
82 
(351)
(1,766)

(2,117)
(2,035)

58 
87 
145 
(966)
(3,030)
(3,996)
(3,851)

Commodity 
contracts
£m

Interest rate 
contracts 1
£m

Total 
derivatives 
£m

Financial 
RRSAs
£m

Other
£m

C Shares
£m

Total
£m

– 
6 
6 
(10)
(15)

(25)
(19)

25 
40 
65
(1)
(2)
(3)
62 

254 
8 
262 
(13)
(73)

(86)
176 

436 
2 
438 
(2)
(98)
(100)
338 

326 
24 
350 
(374)
(1,854)

(2,228)
(1,878)

519 
129 
648 
(969)
(3,130)
(4,099)
(3,451)

– 
– 
– 
(10)
(7)

(17)
(17)

– 
– 
– 
(8)
(14)
(22)
(22)

34 
10 
44 
(41)
(122)

(163)
(119)

23 
12 
35 
(15)
(86)
(101)
(66)

– 
– 
– 
(23)
– 

(23)
(23)

– 
– 
– 
(24)
– 
(24)
(24)

360 
34 
394 
(448)
(1,983)

(2,431)
(2,037)

542 
141 
683 
(1,016)
(3,230)
(4,246)
(3,563)

1  Includes the foreign exchange impact of cross-currency interest rate swaps 

164

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
20 Financial instruments continued

Derivative financial instruments
The Group uses various financial instruments to manage its exposure to movements in foreign exchange rates. The Group uses commodity swaps 
to manage its exposure to movements in the price of commodities (jet fuel and base metals). To hedge the currency risk associated with a  
borrowing denominated in a foreign currency, the Group has currency derivatives designated as part of fair value or cash flow hedges.  
The Group uses interest rate swaps and forward rate agreements to manage its exposure to movements in interest rates.

Movements in the fair values of derivative financial assets and liabilities were as follows:

Foreign exchange 
instruments

2023
£m
(3,851)

2022
£m
(3,039)

– 

– 

574 
1,242 
(2,035)

– 

(56)

(1,875)
1,119 
(3,851)

Commodity 
instruments

Interest rate instruments  
– hedge accounted 1

Interest rate instruments 
– non-hedge accounted

2023
£m
62 

– 

– 

(60)
(21)
(19)

2022
£m
32 

– 

– 

106 
(76)
62 

2023
£m
125 

(71)

(78)

– 
69 
45 

2022
£m
57 

(74)

142 

– 
– 
125 

2023
£m
213 

– 

– 

1 
(83)
131 

2022
£m
37 

– 

– 

190 
(14)
213 

Total

2023
£m
(3,451)

(71)

(78)

515 
1,207 
(1,878)

2022
£m
(2,913)

(74)

86 

(1,579)
1,029 
(3,451)

At 1 January
Movements in fair 
value hedges 
Movements in cash 
flow hedges
Movements in other 
derivative contracts 2
Contracts settled
At 31 December

1  Includes the foreign exchange impact of cross-currency interest rate swaps
2  Included in net financing

Financial risk and RRSAs and other financial assets and liabilities
The Group has financial liabilities arising from financial RRSAs that are valued at each reporting date using the amortised cost method. This 
involves calculating the present value of the forecast cash flows of the arrangements using the internal rate of return at the inception of the 
arrangements as an appropriate discount rate. Other liabilities includes royalties payable to airframers where the present value of the liability is 
calculated using the Group’s average borrowing rate as that reflects the nature of the balance in line with the effective interest method. In each 
case below, the fair value of the assets and liabilities reflect a level 3 valuation.

Movements in the carrying values were as follows: 

At 1 January

Exchange adjustments included in OCI
Additions
Financing charge 1
Excluded from underlying profit/(loss):

Changes in forecast payments 1

Cash paid
Other

At 31 December

1  Included in financing

Financial RRSAs

Other – assets

Other – liabilities

2023
£m
(22)
1 
– 
– 

(1)
5 
– 
(17)

2022
£m
(12)
(2)
(6)
– 

(7)
5 
– 
(22)

2023
£m
25 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
25 

2022
£m
15 
2 
11 
– 

– 
(3)
– 
25 

2023
£m
(101)
2 
(80)
(8)

– 
11 
13 
(163)

2022
£m
(75)
(4)
(35)
(4)

– 
8 
9 
(101)

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

165

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Effect of hedging instruments on the financial position and performance 
To manage the risk of changes in the fair values of fixed rate borrowings (the hedged items), the Group has entered into fixed-to-floating interest 
rate swaps (the hedging instruments), which, for accounting purposes, are designated as fair value hedges. The impact of fair value hedges on 
the financial position and performance of the Group is as follows:

At 31 December 2023
Sterling 

USD

Euro

At 31 December 2022
Sterling

USD

Euro

Hedged item 1

Hedging instrument 2

FV 
adjustment 
in the
period
£m

FV 
adjustment 
since 
inception
£m

Nominal
£m

Carrying 
amount
£m

Nominal
£m

Carrying 
amount 
asset
£m

Carrying 
amount 
liability
£m

FV 
movement 
in the 
period
£m

Hedge 
ineffect-
iveness 
in the 
period 3
£m

Weighted 
average 
FX rate

Weighted 
average 
interest 
rate

(375)

(10) 

14 

(361)

375 

– 

(14)

10 

(658)

31 

(112)

(770)

658 

104 

– 

(30)

(968)

(14)

37 

(931)

968 

– 

(56)

16 

(375)

43 

24 

(351)

375 

– 

(24)

(43)

(658)

(20)

(143)

(801)

658 

134 

– 

(968)

49 

52 

(916)

968 

– 

(72)

18 

(51)

– 

1 

2 

– 

(2)

(2)

1.00  SONIA + 
0.89 
1.52  SONIA + 
1.47 
1.14  SONIA + 
0.92 

1�00  SONIA + 
0�89 
1�52  SONIA + 
1�47 
1�14  SONIA + 
0�92 

1  Hedged items are included in borrowings in the balance sheet 
2  Hedging instruments are included in other financial assets or liabilities in the balance sheet 
3  Hedge ineffectiveness is included in net financing in the income statement

To manage the foreign exchange rate risk in cash flows on fixed rate non-GBP borrowings (the hedged items), the Group has entered into  
fixed-to-fixed cross-currency interest rate swaps (the hedging instruments) to hedge the cash flows into GBP, which, for accounting purposes, 
are designated as cash flow hedges.

The impact of cash flow hedges on the financial position and performance of the Group is as follows: 

Hedged item 

Hedging instrument 1

Hedging reserves

FV
 movement 
in the 
period
£m

Nominal
£m

Nominal
£m

Carrying
amount
asset/
(liability)
£m

FV 
movement 
in the 
period
£m

Hedge 
ineffect-
iveness 
in the 
period 2
£m

Weighted 
average 
FX rate

Weighted 
average
interest 
rate

Amount 
recognised 
in OCI
£m

Recycled
to net 
financing
£m

Closing 
cash flow 
hedge 
reserve
£m

(772)
(677)

65 
14 

772 
677 

(772)
(677)

(104)
(35)

772 
677 

28 
(17)

89 
(2)

(62)
(14)

109 
35 

3 
– 

5 
– 

1.29 
1.11 

5.33 
5.45 

61 
21 

(41)
(20)

(5)
(8)

1�29 
1�11 

5�33
5�45

(111)
(27)

96 
28 

(25)
(9)

At 31 December 2023
USD
Euro

At 31 December 2022
USD
Euro

1  Hedging instruments are included in other financial assets or liabilities in the balance sheet
2  Hedge ineffectiveness is included in net financing in the income statement

166

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Risk management policies and hedging activities 
The principal financial risks to which the Group is exposed are: foreign currency exchange rate risk; liquidity risk; credit risk; interest rate risk; 
and commodity price risk. The Board has approved policies for the management of these risks.

Foreign currency exchange rate risk – The Group has significant cash flows (most significantly USD, followed by the euro) denominated in  
currencies other than the functional currency of the relevant trading entity. To manage its exposures to changes in values of future foreign  
currency cash flows, so as to maintain relatively stable long-term foreign exchange rates on settled transactions, the Group enters into derivative 
forward foreign currency transactions. In addition, the Group enters in to fixed-to-floating cross-currency interest rate swaps to manage its 
exposure to changes in fair value as a result of foreign exchange risk. See below.

The Group economically hedges its GBP/USD exposure by forecasting highly probable net USD receipts up to five years forward. Hedges are 
taken out within prescribed maximum and minimum hedge positions set out in the Group FX Policy. The maximum and minimum policy bands 
decline gradually over the five-year horizon and are calculated as a percentage of forecast net income. A similar policy is operated for the Group’s 
EUR/USD exposure. For accounting purposes, these derivative contracts are not designated in hedging relationships. 

The Group also has exposures to cash flows on EUR and USD denominated fixed rate borrowings. To manage its exposures to changes in values 
of future foreign currency cash flows, the Group has entered into fixed-to-fixed cross-currency interest rate swaps, which, for accounting  
purposes, are designated as cash flow hedges. The swaps have similar critical terms to the hedged items, such as the initial exchange amounts, 
payment dates and maturities. Therefore, there is an economic relationship and the hedge ratio is established as 1:1. Possible sources of  
ineffectiveness in the cash flow hedge relationship are changes in the credit risk of either party to the interest rate swap. Another possible source 
of ineffectiveness would be if the notional of the borrowings is less than the notional of the derivative, for example, in the event of a partial 
repayment of hedged debt prior to its maturity. 

The Group regards its interests in overseas subsidiary companies as long-term investments. The Group aims to match its translational exposures 
by matching the currencies of assets and liabilities. 

Liquidity risk – The Group’s policy is to hold financial investments and maintain undrawn committed facilities at a level sufficient to ensure that 
the Group has available funds to meet its medium-term capital and funding obligations and to meet any unforeseen obligations and  
opportunities. The Group holds cash and short-term investments, which, together with the undrawn committed facilities, enable the Group to 
manage its liquidity risk. 

Credit risk – The Group is exposed to credit risk to the extent of non-payment by either its customers or the counterparties of its financial  
instruments. The effective monitoring and controlling of credit risk is a key component of the Group’s risk management activities. The Group has 
credit policies covering both trading and financial exposures. Credit risks arising from treasury activities are managed by a central treasury 
function, in accordance with the Group credit policy. The objective of the policy is to diversify and minimise the Group’s exposure to credit risk 
from its treasury activities by ensuring the Group transacts strictly with ‘BBB’ or higher rated financial institutions based on pre-established 
limits per financial institution. At the balance sheet date, there were no significant concentrations of credit risk to individual customers or  
counterparties. The Group’s revenue is generated from customers located across multiple geographical locations (see note 2). These customers 
are typically: airframers and airline operators relating to Civil Aerospace; government defence departments for the UK and US; and multiple 
smaller entities for Power Systems. Whilst there are a limited number of customers related to Civil Aerospace and Defence, they are spread across 
various geographical locations. The maximum exposure to credit risk at the balance sheet date is represented by the carrying value of each 
financial asset, including derivative financial instruments. 

Interest rate risk – The Group’s interest rate risk is primarily in relation to its fixed rate borrowings (fair value risk), floating rate borrowings and 
cash and cash equivalents (cash flow risk). Interest rate derivatives are used to manage the overall interest rate profile of the Group. The fixed 
or floating rate interest rate decision on long-term borrowings is determined for each new agreement at the point it is entered into. The  
aggregate interest rate position of the Group is reviewed regularly and can be revised at any time in order to react to changes in market  
conditions or circumstances. 

The Group also has exposures to the fair values of non-derivative financial instruments such as EUR, GBP and USD fixed rate borrowings. To 
manage the risk of changes in these fair values, the Group has entered into fixed-to-floating interest rate swaps and cross-currency interest rate 
swaps, which, for accounting purposes, are designated as fair value hedges. The swaps have similar critical terms to the hedged items, such as 
the reference rate, reset dates, notional amounts, payment dates and maturities. Therefore, there is an economic relationship and the hedge 
ratio is established as 1:1. Possible sources of ineffectiveness in the fair value hedge relationship are changes in the credit risk of either party to 
the interest rate swap and, for cross-currency interest rate swaps, the cross-currency basis risk as this risk is present in the hedging instrument 
only. Another possible source of ineffectiveness would be if the notional of the borrowings is less than the notional of the derivative, for example, 
in the event of a partial repayment of hedged debt prior to its maturity. 

The Group has exposure to changes in cash flows due to changes in interest rates. To manage this risk, the Group has entered into  
floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps to hedge a proportion of its floating rate exposure to fixed rates. The swaps have similar critical terms to the 
floating leg of swaps that form part of the fair value hedges, such as the reference rate, reset dates, notional amounts, payment dates and 
maturities. For accounting purposes, these derivative contracts are generally not designated as hedging instruments. 

Commodity price risk – The Group has exposures to the price of jet fuel and base metals arising from business operations. To minimise its cash 
flow exposures to changes in commodity prices, the Group enters into derivative commodity transactions. The commodity hedging policy is 
similar to the Group FX policy, in that the Group forecasts highly probable exposures to commodities, and takes out hedges within prescribed 
maximum and minimum levels as set out in the policy. The maximum and minimum policy bands decline gradually over time. For accounting 
purposes, these derivative contracts are generally not designated in hedging relationships. 

Other price risk – The Group’s cash equivalent balances represent investments in money-market instruments, with a term of up to three months. 
The Group does not consider that these are subject to significant price risk.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

167

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Derivative financial instruments
The nominal amounts, analysed by year of expected maturity, and fair values of derivative financial instruments are as follows:

At 31 December 2023
Foreign exchange contracts:
Non-hedge accounted

Interest rate contracts:
Fair value hedges
Cash flow hedges
Non-hedge accounted

Commodity contracts:

Non-hedge accounted

At 31 December 2022
Foreign exchange contracts:
Non-hedge accounted

Interest rate contracts:
Fair value hedges
Cash flow hedges
Non-hedge accounted

Commodity contracts:

Non-hedge accounted

Nominal
amount
£m

Within
one year
£m

Expected maturity

Between
one and
two years
£m

Between
two and
five years
£m

Fair value

After
five years
£m

Assets
£m

Liabilities
£m

15,972 

6,965 

4,341 

4,666 

2,001 
1,449 
2,001 

257 
21,680 

484 
– 
484 

102 
8,035 

658 
– 
658 

73 
5,730 

859 
1,449 
859 

82 
7,915 

22,844 

9,539 

4,180 

8,898 

2,001 
1,449 
2,001 

219 
28,514 

– 
– 
– 

97 
9,636 

484 
– 
484 

79 
5,227 

1,033 
1,449 
1,033 

43 
12,456 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 

227 

484 
– 
484 

– 
1,195 

82 

(2,117)

103 
28 
131 

6 
350 

(69)
(17)
– 

(25)
(2,228)

145 

(3,996)

135 
89 
214 

65 
648 

(97)
(2)
(1)

(3)
(4,099)

As described above, all derivative financial instruments are entered into for risk management purposes, although these may not be designated 
into hedging relationships for accounting purposes.

Currency analysis 
Foreign exchange contracts are denominated in the following currencies:

Nominal amount of currencies purchased forward

Sterling
£m

USD
£m

Euro
£m

Other
£m

Total
£m

At 31 December 2023
Currencies sold forward:

Sterling
USD
Euro
Other

At 31 December 2022
Currencies sold forward:

Sterling
USD
Euro
Other

– 
11,389 
53 
6 

– 
16,246 
30 
– 

1,573 
– 
171 
3 

4,321 
– 
160 
8 

– 
2,316 
– 
22 

45 
1,578 
– 
17 

The nominal value of interest rate and commodity contracts are denominated in the following currencies:

115 
303 
21 
– 

146 
253 
40 
– 

2023
£m
2,376 
1,671 
1,661 

1,688 
14,008 
245 
31 

4,512 
18,077 
230 
25 

2022
£m
2,376 
1,629 
1,665 

Sterling
USD
Euro

168

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Non-derivative financial instruments are denominated in the following currencies: 

At 31 December 2023
Other non-current investments
Trade receivables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial assets
Other assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Assets
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Financial RRSAs
Other liabilities
C Shares
Trade payables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial liabilities
Contract liabilities
Liabilities

At 31 December 2022
Other non-current investments
Trade receivables and similar items 
Other non-derivative financial assets 
Other assets
Short-term investments
Cash and cash equivalents 
Assets
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Financial RRSAs
Other liabilities
C Shares
Trade payables and similar items 1
Other non-derivative financial liabilities 1 
Contract liabilities 2
Liabilities

Sterling
£m

10 
219 
94 
– 
1,242 
1,565 
(904)
(195)
– 
(32)
(23)
(976)
(334)
– 
(2,464)
(899)

10 
231 
61 
– 
– 
398 
700 
(893)
(181)
– 
(11)
(24)
(690)
(271)
– 
(2,070)
(1,370)

USD
£m

Euro
£m

21 
4,039 
163 
22 
869 
5,114 
(1,605)
(1,222)
(7)
(131)
– 
(3,561)
(2,008)
(1,358)
(9,892)
(4,778)

16 
3,270 
666 
24 
– 
897 
4,873 
(1,627)
(1,401)
(7)
(90)
– 
(3,952)
(2,304)
(1,006)
(10,387)
(5,514)

– 
513 
58 
22 
1,463 
2,056 
(1,590)
(45)
(10)
– 
– 
(493)
(134)
– 
(2,272)
(216)

10 
565 
33 
11 
11 
1,155 
1,785 
(1,587)
(49)
(15)
– 
– 
(675)
(129)
– 
(2,455)
(670)

Other
£m

– 
86 
17 
– 
210 
313 
– 
(198)
– 
– 
– 
(61)
(45)
– 
(304)
9 

– 
81 
15 
– 
– 
157 
253 
(1)
(216)
– 
– 
– 
(59)
(44)
– 
(320)
(67)

Total
£m

31 
4,857 
332 
44 
3,784 
9,048 
(4,099)
(1,660)
(17)
(163)
(23)
(5,091)
(2,521)
(1,358)
(14,932)
(5,884)

36 
4,147 
775 
35 
11 
2,607 
7,611 
(4,108)
(1,847)
(22)
(101)
(24)
(5,376)
(2,748)
(1,006)
(15,232)
(7,621)

1  As described in note 19, trade payables and similar items at 31 December 2022 has decreased by £363m with a respective increase in other non-derivative financial liabilities
2  As described in note 15, contract liabilities at 31 December 2022 has increased by £586m

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

169

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Currency exposures
The Group’s actual currency exposures on financial instruments after taking account of derivative foreign currency contracts, which are not 
designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, are as follows:

Functional currency of Group operations 
At 31 December 2023
Sterling 
USD
Euro
Other

At 31 December 2022
Sterling 
USD
Euro
Other

Ageing beyond contractual due date of financial assets 

At 31 December 2023
Other non-current asset investments
Trade receivables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial assets
Other assets
Derivative financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents

At 31 December 2022
Other non-current asset investments
Trade receivables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial assets
Other assets
Derivative financial assets
Short-term investments
Cash and cash equivalents 

Sterling
£m

USD
£m

Euro
£m

Other
£m

– 
(6)
1 
109 

– 
(7)
(1)
108 

Within
terms
£m

31 
4,054 
328 
44 
350 
3,784 
8,591 

36 
3,646 
755 
35 
648 
11 
2,607 
7,738 

– 
– 
4 
38 

– 
– 
– 
26 

– 
1 
– 
40 

1 
(2)
– 
86 

5 
– 
(2)
– 

4 
7 
– 
– 

Up to
three
months
overdue
£m

Between
three
months and
one year
overdue
£m

More than
one year
overdue
£m

– 
650 
– 
– 
– 
– 
650 

– 
219 
9 
– 
– 
– 
– 
228 

– 
87 
4 
– 
– 
– 
91 

– 
169 
10 
– 
– 
– 
– 
179 

– 
66 
– 
– 
– 
– 
66 

– 
113 
1 
– 
– 
– 
– 
114 

Total
£m

5 
(5)
3 
187 

5 
(2)
(1)
220 

Total
£m

31 
4,857 
332 
44 
350 
3,784 
9,398 

36 
4,147 
775 
35 
648 
11 
2,607 
8,259 

170

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Contractual maturity analysis of non-derivative financial liabilities

At 31 December 2023
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Financial RRSAs
Other liabilities
C Shares
Trade payables and similar items
Other non-derivative financial liabilities
Contract liabilities

At 31 December 2022
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Financial RRSAs
Other liabilities
C Shares
Trade payables and similar items 1
Other non-derivative financial liabilities 1
Contract liabilities 2

Between
one and
two years
£m

Gross values

Between
two and
five years
£m

After
five years
£m

Carrying 
value
£m

(943)
(366)
– 
(6)
– 
(15)
(235)
– 
(1,565)

(653)
(311)
(7)
(10)
– 
(131)
(443)
– 
(1,555)

(3,042)
(697)
(1)
(25)
– 
(47)
(267)
– 
(4,079)

(3,612)
(886)
(1)
(30)
– 
(65)
(276)
– 
(4,870)

(14)
(735)
(4)
(90)
– 
(77)
(373)
– 
(1,293)

(510)
(734)
(5)
(46)
– 
(52)
(438)
– 
(1,785)

(4,099)
(1,660)
(17)
(163)
(23)
(5,091)
(2,521)
(1,358)
(14,932)

(4,108)
(1,847)
(22)
(101)
(24)
(5,376)
(2,748)
(1,006)
(15,232)

Within
one year
£m

(694)
(358)
(10)
(42)
(23)
(4,952)
(1,646)
(1,358)
(9,083)

(168)
(435)
(10)
(15)
(24)
(5,128)
(1,591)
(1,006)
(8,377)

1  As described in note 19, trade payables and similar items at 31 December 2022 has decreased by £363m with a respective increase in other non-derivative financial liabilities
2  As described in note 15, contract liabilities at 31 December 2022 has increased by £586m

Expected maturity analysis of derivative financial instruments 

At 31 December 2023
Derivative financial assets:

Cash inflows
Cash outflows
Other net cash flows 1

Derivative financial liabilities:

Cash inflows
Cash outflows
Other net cash flows 1

At 31 December 2022
Derivative financial assets:

Cash inflows
Cash outflows
Other net cash flows 1

Derivative financial liabilities:

Cash inflows
Cash outflows
Other net cash flows 1

1  Derivative financial assets and liabilities that are settled on a net cash basis 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Within
one year
£m

2,024 
(2,021)
88 
91 

5,535 
(6,418)
(21)
(904)

3,002 
(2,907)
131 
226 

6,658 
(8,019)
(10)
(1,371)

Between
one and
two years
£m

Gross values

Between
two and
five years
£m

After
five years
£m

Carrying 
value
£m

1,943 
(1,805)
43 
181 

3,296 
(4,027)
(13)
(744)

551 
(540)
90 
101 

4,238 
(5,162)
(10)
(934)

2,333 
(2,311)
33 
55 

4,377 
(5,189)
(3)
(815)

3,179 
(2,886)
98 
391 

8,290 
(10,604)
(4)
(2,318)

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
7 
7 

722 
(745)
– 
(23)

350 

(2,228)

648 

(4,099)

171

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 Financial instruments continued

Interest rate risk 
In respect of income-earning financial assets and interest-bearing financial liabilities, the following table indicates their effective interest rates. 
The value shown is the carrying amount before taking account of swaps.

Short-term investments
Cash and cash equivalents 1
Borrowings
Lease liabilities 

Weighted average interest rates
Borrowings
Lease liabilities 2

Fixed rate
£m
– 
– 
(4,036)
(1,269)
(5,305)

2023

Floating rate
£m
– 
3,784 
(63)
(391)
3,330 

3.7% 
4.6% 

5.9% 
6.8% 

Total
£m
– 
3,784 
(4,099)
(1,660)
(1,975)

Fixed rate
£m
– 
– 
(4,096)
(1,235)
(5,331)

3.7% 
3.9% 

2022

Floating rate
£m
11 
2,607 
(12)
(612)
1,994 

4.7% 
6.3% 

Total
£m
11 
2,607 
(4,108)
(1,847)
(3,337)

1  Cash and cash equivalents comprises bank balances and term deposits and earn interest based on short-term floating market interest rates
2  Interest rates for lease liabilities are considered to be the discount rates at the balance sheet date

None (2022: none) of the Group’s borrowings are subject to the Group meeting certain obligations, including customary financial covenants. 
There are no rating triggers contained in any of the Group’s facilities that could require the Group to accelerate or repay any facility for a given 
movement in the Group’s credit rating. 

£105m (2022: £111m) of the Group’s lease liabilities include a customary loan-to-value covenant. The Group has several contractual cures available 
in the event the stipulated loan-to-value ratio is exceeded. Failure by the Group to satisfy its contractual obligations under the covenant gives 
rights to the lessor to terminate its lease and claim termination amounts for the outstanding lease balance. At 31 December 2023, none (2022: 
none) of these were in breach. 

Sensitivity analysis

Sensitivities at 31 December (all other variables held constant) – impact on profit after tax and equity
Sterling 10% weaker against the USD
Sterling 10% stronger against the USD
Euro 10% weaker against the USD
Euro 10% stronger against the USD
Sterling 10% weaker against the Euro
Sterling 10% stronger against the Euro
Commodity prices 10% lower
Commodity prices 10% higher
Interest rates 50 basis points lower
Interest rates 50 basis points higher

2023
£m
(1,207)
988 
(176)
144 
(17)
14 
(17)
17 
(43)
42 

2022
£m
(1,600)
1,309 
(46)
38 
(17)
14 
(21)
21 
(65)
64 

C Shares and payments to shareholders 
The Company issues non-cumulative redeemable preference shares (C Shares) as an alternative to paying a cash dividend. C Shares in respect 
of a year are issued in the following year. Shareholders are able to redeem any number of their C Shares for cash. Any C Shares retained attract 
a dividend of Bank of England base rate on the 0.1p nominal value of each share, paid on a twice-yearly basis, and have limited voting rights. The 
Company has the option to compulsorily redeem the C Shares, at any time, if the aggregate number of C Shares in issue is less than 10% of the 
aggregate number of C Shares issued, or on the acquisition or capital restructuring of the Company.

Movements in issued and fully paid C Shares during the year were as follows:

At 1 January
Redeemed
At 31 December

2023

2022

Millions 
23,855 
(702)
23,153 

Nominal
value
£m 
24 
(1)
23 

Millions 
24,928 
(1,073)
23,855 

Nominal
value
£m 
25 
(1)
24 

Payments to shareholders represent the value of C Shares to be issued in respect of the results for the year. There have been no issues  
(2022: no issues) of C Shares declared in respect of the year to 31 December 2023.

172

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
21 Provisions for liabilities and charges

Contract losses
Warranty and guarantees 
Trent 1000 wastage costs
Employer liability claims
Tax related interest and penalties
Claims and litigation
Other

Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities

At 1 January 
2023
£m
1,592 
317 
179 
33 
16 
122 
74 
2,333 
632 
1,701 

Charged to 
income 
statement 1
£m
500 
112 
45 
1 
9 
71 
26 
764 

Reversed
£m
(433)
(14)
(29)
(7)
– 
(39)
(18)
(540)

Utilised
£m
(185)
(91)
(79)
(3)
(2)
(111)
(35)
(506)

Transferred to
 held for sale
£m
– 
(8)
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(8)

Exchange 
differences
£m
(2)
(10)
– 
– 
(1)
– 
(1)
(14)

At 
31 December
 2023
£m
1,472 
306 
116 
24 
22 
43 
46 
2,029 
532 
1,497 

1  The charge to the income statement within net financing includes £59m (2022: £33m) as a result of the unwinding of the discounting of provisions previously recognised

Contract losses
Provisions for contract losses are recorded when the direct costs to fulfil a contract are assessed as being greater than the expected  
recoverable amount. Provisions for contract losses are measured on a fully costed basis and during the year £185m of the provision has been 
utilised. Additional contract losses for the Group of £500m have been recognised as a result of increases in the estimates of future LTSA costs, 
due to inflationary increases and costs associated with supply chain challenges. Contract losses of £433m previously recognised have been 
reversed following the renegotiation of some major contracts resulting in contract extensions and improved margins. The Group continues to 
monitor the contract loss provision for changes in the market and revises the provision as required. The value of the remaining contract loss 
provisions reflect, in each case, the single most likely outcome. The provisions are expected to be utilised over the term of the customer contracts, 
typically within eight to 16 years.

IAS 37 requires a company to recognise any impairment loss that has occurred on assets used in fulfilling the contract before recognising 
a separate provision for an onerous contract. No impairments were required for any of the assets solely used in the fulfilment of onerous contracts. 
However, as per note 11, a number of aero engine lease right-of-use assets were impaired during the year and these will be used on a range of 
contracts some of which are onerous. 

The Trent 1000 intangible assets (certification costs and development costs) and Trent 1000 spare engines (right of use and owned) are tested 
for impairment as part of the Trent 1000 Cash generating unit (CGU) and no impairment was required.

Warranty and guarantees 
Provisions for warranty and guarantees relate to products sold and are calculated based on an assessment of the remediation costs related to 
future claims based on past experience. During the year, £112m of additional provision has been recognised representing the single best estimate 
of warranty and guarantee costs to be incurred on relevant sales and £91m of previously recognised costs have been utilised. The provision 
generally covers a period of up to three years. 

Trent 1000 wastage costs
In November 2019, the Group announced the outcome of testing and a thorough technical and financial review of the Trent 1000 TEN programme, 
following technical issues which were identified in 2019, resulting in a revised timeline and a more conservative estimate of durability for the 
improved HP turbine blade for the TEN variant. During the year, the Group has utilised £79m of the Trent 1000 wastage costs provision. This 
represents customer disruption costs and remediation shop visit costs attributable to the wastage costs provision. During the year, a net charge 
to the provision of £16m has been recognised reflecting the discount unwind and updates to forecasted costs based on the latest available 
information. The value of the remaining provision reflects the single most likely outcome and is expected to be utilised in 2024.

Employer liability claims
The provision relating to employer healthcare liability claims is as a result of an historical insolvency of the previous provider and is expected to 
be utilised over the next 30 years.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

173

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS21 Provisions for liabilities and charges continued

Tax related interest and penalties
Provisions for tax related interest and penalties relate to uncertain tax positions in some of the jurisdictions in which the Group operates.  
Utilisation of the provisions will depend on the timing of resolution of the issues with the relevant tax authorities.

Claims and litigation
Provisions for claims and litigation represent ongoing matters where the outcome for the Group may be unfavourable. On 3 July 2023,  
judgement in respect of a legal claim was rendered by the High Court, resulting in a charge to the income statement of £34m. The judgement 
was satisfied in August 2023 resulting in a £92m utilisation. The value of any remaining provisions reflects the single most likely outcome in 
each case. 

The balance also includes the best estimate of any retained exposure by the Group’s captive insurance company for any claims that have been 
incurred but not yet reported to the Group, as that entity retains a portion of the exposures it insures on behalf of the remainder of the Group. 
Such exposures include policies for aviation claims, employer liabilities and healthcare claims. Significant delays can occur in the notification 
and settlement of claims, and judgement is involved in assessing outstanding liabilities, the ultimate cost and timing of which cannot be known 
with certainty at the balance sheet date. The insurance provisions are based on information currently available, however, it is inherent in the 
nature of the business that ultimate liabilities may vary if the frequency or severity of claims differs from estimated.

Other
Other items are individually immaterial. The value of any remaining provisions reflects the single most likely outcome in each case.

22 Post-retirement benefits

The Group operates a number of defined benefit and defined contribution schemes: 

 — The UK defined benefit scheme is funded, with the assets held in a separate UK trust. The scheme closed to future accrual on 31 December 
2020 for all active members and there are no new defined benefit accruals in the UK scheme. As at 31 December 2023, the scheme was  
estimated to be funded at 113% on the Technical Provisions basis.

 — The Group also operates a large trust-based defined contribution scheme for current employees in the UK (Rolls-Royce Retirement Savings 
Trust). Pension contributions are generally paid as a salary sacrifice under which employees agree to a reduction in gross contractual pay in 
return for the Group making additional pension contributions on their behalf. As a result, there is a decrease in wages and salaries and  
a corresponding increase in pension costs of £72m (2022: £46m) in the year.

 — Overseas defined benefit schemes are a mixture of funded and unfunded plans and provide benefits in line with local practice. Additionally, 
in the US, and to a lesser extent in some other countries, the Group’s employment practices include the provision of healthcare and life  
insurance benefits for retired employees. These healthcare schemes are unfunded.

The valuations of the defined benefit schemes are based on the results of the most recent funding valuation from 31 March 2023, where relevant, 
updated by the scheme actuaries to 31 December 2023.  

Changes to the defined benefit scheme 
During the year, Power Systems continued to replace a number of their existing defined benefit schemes with a new company pension scheme 
to offer payment options at time of retirement for other employee populations not included in 2022. The new system, which is similar in structure 
to a defined contribution scheme with a guarantee from the company in accordance with German legislation, significantly reduces interest risks 
and longevity risks for the employer for future commitments. A past service cost of £3m has been recognised within non-underlying operating 
profit in relation to this new scheme. In addition, Rolls-Royce Power Systems concluded a works agreement resulting in a change to jubilee 
benefits  offered  to  employees  based  in  Friedrichshafen.  A  past  service  credit  of  £5m  has  been  recognised  within  non-underlying  
operating profit.

Other
The Group is aware of a UK High Court legal ruling in June 2023 between Virgin Media Limited and NTL Pension Trustees II Limited, which 
decided that certain historic rule amendments were invalid if they were not accompanied by the actuarial certifications. The ruling is subject to 
appeal and the Group is monitoring developments. Whilst this ruling was in respect of another scheme, any final judgment would need to be 
reviewed for its relevance to the RRUKPF scheme. As yet the RRUKPF pension advisers have not completed any analysis and, as the outcome of 
the appeal is still unknown, no adjustments have been made to the Consolidated Financial Statements at 31 December 2023.

174

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS22 Post-retirement benefits continued

Amounts recognised in the income statement

Defined benefit schemes:

Current service cost and administrative expenses
Past-service credit and settlement loss

Defined contribution schemes
Operating cost
Net financing (credit)/charge in respect of defined benefit schemes
Total income statement charge

The operating cost is charged as follows: 

Cost of sales
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs

Discontinued operations

Net financing comprises: 

Financing on scheme obligations
Financing on scheme assets
Net financing (income)/charge in respect of defined benefit schemes
Financing income on scheme surpluses
Financing cost on scheme deficits

Amounts recognised in OCI in respect of defined benefit schemes

Actuarial gains and losses arising from: 

Demographic assumptions 1
Financial assumptions 2
Experience adjustments 3

Return on scheme assets excluding financing income 2

UK
schemes
£m

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m

8 
– 
8 
195 
203 
(29)
174 

35 
(2)
33 
98 
131 
41 
172 

UK
schemes
£m

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m

8 
(6)
2 
154 
156 
(21)
135 

44 
(19)
25 
87 
112 
23 
135 

Total
£m

43 
(2)
41 
293 
334 
12 
346 

Defined benefit

Defined contribution

Total

2023
£m
33 
2 
6 
41 
– 
41 

2022
£m
37 
(17)
7 
27 
– 
27 

UK
schemes
£m
218 
(247)
(29)
(29)
– 

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m
66 
(25)
41 
(1)
42 

UK
schemes
£m

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m

180 
(132)
116
(12)
152 

– 
(63)
1 
26 
(36)

2023
£m
211 
41 
41 
293 
– 
293 

Total
£m
284 
(272)
12 
(30)
42 

Total
£m

180 
(195)
117 
14 
116 

2022
£m
168 
38 
33 
239 
2 
241 

UK
schemes
£m
149 
(170)
(21)
(21)
– 

UK
schemes
£m

19 
3,423 
(235)
(3,751)
(544)

2023
£m
244 
43 
47 
334 
– 
334 

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m
46 
(23)
23 
(3)
26 

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m

– 
602 
(7)
(207)
388 

Total
£m

52 
(25)
27 
241 
268 
2 
270 

2022
£m
205 
21 
40 
266 
2 
268 

Total
£m
195 
(193)
2 
(24)
26 

Total
£m

19 
4,025 
(242)
(3,958)
(156)

1  For the UK Scheme, this reflects latest available CMI mortality projections and an update of the post-retirement mortality assumptions based on an analysis prepared for the 31 March 2023 

funding valuation 

2  Actuarial gains and losses arising from financial assumptions arise primarily due to changes in discount rate and inflation
3  This reflects an experience gain as a result of allowance for updated membership data following the valuation during the year offset by realised inflation being higher than expected in  

the year

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

175

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS22 Post-retirement benefits continued

Amounts recognised in the balance sheet in respect of defined benefit schemes

Present value of funded obligations
Fair value of scheme assets
Net asset/(liability) on funded schemes
Present value of unfunded obligations
Net asset/(liability) recognised in the balance sheet
Post-retirement scheme surpluses 1
Post-retirement scheme deficits

UK
schemes
£m
(4,537)
5,304 
767 
– 
767 
767 
– 

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m
(993)
520 
(473)
(547)
(1,020)
15 
(1,035)

Total
£m
(5,530)
5,824 
294 
(547)
(253)
782 
(1,035)

UK
schemes
£m
(4,621)
5,215 
594 
– 
594 
594 
– 

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m
(944)
493 
(451)
(563)
(1,014)
19 
(1,033)

Total
£m
(5,565)
5,708 
143 
(563)
(420)
613 
(1,033)

1  The surplus in the UK scheme is recognised as, on an ultimate wind-up when there are no longer any remaining members, any surplus would be returned to the Group, which has the power 

to prevent the surplus being used for other purposes in advance of this event 

Overseas schemes are located in the following countries:

Canada
Germany
US pension schemes
US healthcare schemes
Other
Net asset/(liability) recognised in the balance sheet

2023

Obligations
£m
(239)
(679)
(301)
(318)
(3)
(1,540)

Assets
£m
199 
31 
290 
– 
– 
520 

Net
£m
(40)
(648)
(11)
(318)
(3)
(1,020)

2022

Obligations
£m
(226)
(638)
(308)
(333)
(2)
(1,507)

Assets
£m
187 
10 
296 
– 
– 
493 

Net
£m
(39)
(628)
(12)
(333)
(2)
(1,014)

Defined benefit schemes 
Assumptions
Significant actuarial assumptions for UK schemes at the balance sheet date were as follows: 

Discount rate
Inflation assumption (RPI)
Inflation assumption (CPI) 
Transfer take-up assumption (employed deferred/deferred)
Bridging Pension Option (BPO) take-up assumption
Life expectancy from age 65:  current male pensioner

future male pensioner currently aged 45
current female pensioner 
future female pensioner currently aged 45

2023
4.50%
3.30%
2.85%
35%/25%
30%
20.8 years 
21.5 years 
22.8 years 
24.1 years 

2022
4.80%
3.50%
2.95%
50%/40%
30%
21�9 years 
23�2 years 
23�7 years
25�5 years

Discount rates are determined by reference to the market yields on AA rated corporate bonds. The rate is determined by using the profile of 
forecast benefit payments to derive a weighted average discount rate from the yield curve.

The inflation assumption is determined by the market-implied assumption based on the yields on long-term index-linked government securities.

The mortality assumptions adopted for the UK pension schemes are derived from the SAPS S3 ‘All’ actuarial tables, with future improvements in 
line with the CMI 2022 core projections updated to reflect use of an ‘A’ parameter of 0.25% for future improvements and long-term improvements 
of 1.25%. Where appropriate, these are adjusted to take account of the scheme’s actual experience.

The assumption for transfers and the BPO is based on actual experience and actuarial advice.

Other assumptions have been set on advice from the actuary, having regard to the latest trends in scheme experience and the assumptions used 
in the most recent funding valuation. The rate of increase of pensions in payment is based on the rules of the scheme, combined with the inflation 
assumption where the increase is capped.

176

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
  
  
  
22 Post-retirement benefits continued

Assumptions for overseas schemes are less significant and are based on advice from local actuaries. The principal assumptions are:   

Discount rate
Inflation assumption
Long-term healthcare cost trend rate
Male life expectancy from age 65: current pensioner

future pensioner currently aged 45

Changes in present value of defined benefit obligations

At 1 January

Exchange differences
Current service cost
Past-service cost
Finance cost
Contributions by employees
Benefits paid out 
Actuarial gains/(losses)
Transfers
Transferred to held for sale
Settlement
At 31 December
Funded schemes
Unfunded schemes

The defined benefit obligations are in respect of:

Active plan participants 1
Deferred plan participants
Pensioners
Weighted average duration of obligations (years)

2023
4.20%
1.60%
4.75%
20.5 years
22.4 years

2022
4.70%
2.30%
4.75%
20�5 years
22�4 years

UK
schemes
£m
(8,010)
– 
(4)
6 
(149)
– 
329 
3,207 
– 
–
–
(4,621)
(4,621)
– 

(1,681)
(1,172)
(1,768)
17 

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m
(2,204)
(165)
(43)
24 
(49)
(4)
102 
599 
(2)
–
235 
(1,507)
(944)
(563)

Total
£m
(10,214)
(165)
(47)
30 
(198)
(4)
431 
3,806 
(2)
–
235 
(6,128)
(5,565)
(563)

(693)
(93)
(721)
13 

(2,374)
(1,265)
(2,489)
16 

UK
schemes
£m
(4,621)
– 
(4)
– 
(218)
– 
142 
164 
– 
– 
– 
(4,537)
(4,537)
– 

(1,584)
(1,287)
(1,666)
16 

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m
(1,507)
54 
(33)
2 
(66)
(9)
80 
(61)
(2)
2 
– 
(1,540)
(993)
(547)

Total
£m
(6,128)
54 
(37)
2 
(284)
(9)
222 
103 
(2)
2 
– 
(6,077)
(5,530)
(547)

(731)
(100)
(709)
12 

(2,315)
(1,387)
(2,375)
15 

1  Although the UK scheme closed to future accrual on 31 December 2020, members who became deferred as a result of the closure and remain employed by the Group retain some additional 

benefits compared to other deferred members. The obligations for these members are shown as active plan participants

Changes in fair value of scheme assets

At 1 January

Exchange differences
Administrative expenses
Financing
Return on plan assets excluding financing
Contributions by employer
Contributions by employees
Benefits paid out 
Settlement
At 31 December
Total return on scheme assets

UK
schemes
£m
5,215 
– 
(4)
247 
(12)
– 
– 
(142)
– 
5,304 
235 

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m
493 
(21)
(1)
25 
26 
69 
9 
(80)
– 
520 
51 

UK
schemes
£m
9,128 
– 
(4)
170 
(3,751)
1 
– 
(329)
– 
5,215 
(3,581)

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m
861 
77 
(1)
23 
(207)
80 
4 
(102)
(242)
493 
(184)

Total
£m
5,708 
(21)
(5)
272 
14 
69 
9 
(222)
– 
5,824 
286 

Total
£m
9,989 
77 
(5)
193 
(3,958)
81 
4 
(431)
(242)
5,708 
(3,765)

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

177

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
22 Post-retirement benefits continued

Fair value of scheme assets at 31 December

Sovereign debt
Corporate debt instruments
Interest rate swaps
Inflation swaps
Cash and similar instruments 1
Liability driven investment (LDI) portfolios 2
Listed equities
Unlisted equities
Synthetic equities 3
Corporate debt instruments
Cash
Other
At 31 December

UK
schemes
£m
3,259 
1,996 
170 
86 
(892)
4,619 
– 
32 
20 
630 
– 
3 
5,304 

2023

Overseas
schemes
£m
118 
270 
– 
– 
– 
388 
69 
– 
– 
– 
10 
53 
520 

UK
schemes
£m
3,574 
1,492 
196 
212 
(1,066)
4,408 
– 
40 
(8)
772 
– 
3 
5,215 

2022

Overseas
schemes
£m
120 
257 
– 
– 
– 
377 
78 
– 
– 
– 
5 
33 
493 

Total
£m
3,377 
2,266 
170 
86 
(892)
5,007 
69 
32 
20 
630 
10 
56 
5,824 

Total
£m
3,694 
1,749 
196 
212 
(1,066)
4,785 
78 
40 
(8)
772 
5 
36 
5,708 

1  UK cash and similar instruments include repurchase agreements on UK Government bonds amounting to £(993)m (2022: £(1,221)m). The latest maturity date for these short-term borrowings 

is September 2024

2  A portfolio of gilt and swap contracts, backed by investment-grade credit instruments and diversified liquidity funds, that is designed to hedge the majority of the interest rate and inflation 

risks associated with the schemes’ obligations

3  Portfolios of swap contracts designed to provide investment returns in line with global equity markets. The maximum exposure (notional value and accrued returns) on the portfolios was 

£379m (2022: £344m)

The investment strategy for the UK scheme is controlled by the Trustee in consultation with the Group. The scheme assets do not directly include 
any of the Group’s own financial instruments, nor any property occupied by, or other assets used by, the Group. At 31 December 2023, there was 
no indirect holding of the Group’s financial instruments (2022: none).

Future contributions
The Group expects to contribute approximately £73m to its overseas defined benefit schemes in 2024 (2023: £70m).

In the UK, any cash funding of RRUKPF is based on a statutory triennial funding valuation process. The Group and the Trustee negotiate and 
agree the actuarial assumptions used to value the liabilities (Technical Provisions); assumptions which may differ from those used for accounting 
as set out on page 176. The assumptions used to value Technical Provisions must be prudent rather than a best estimate of the liability. Most 
notably, the Technical Provisions discount rate is currently based upon UK Government bond yields plus a margin (0.5% at the 31 March 2023 
valuation) rather than being based on yields of AA corporate bonds. Once each valuation is signed, a Schedule of Contributions (SoC) must be 
agreed which sets out the cash contributions to be paid. The most recent valuation, as at 31 March 2023, agreed by the Trustee in October 2023, 
showed that the RRUKPF was estimated to be 115% funded on the Technical Provisions basis (estimated to be 113% at 31 December 2023). All cash 
due has been paid in full and the current SoC does not currently require any cash contributions to be made by the Group.

178

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS22 Post-retirement benefits continued

Sensitivities
The calculations of the defined benefit obligations are sensitive to the assumptions set out above. The following table summarises how the  
estimated impact of a change in a significant assumption would affect the UK defined benefit obligation at 31 December 2023, while holding all 
other assumptions constant. This sensitivity analysis may not be representative of the actual change in the defined benefit obligation as it is 
unlikely that the change in assumptions would occur in isolation of one another as some of the assumptions may be correlated.

For the most significant funded schemes, the investment strategies hedge the risks from interest rates and inflation measured on a proxy  
solvency basis. 

For the UK scheme, the interest rate and inflation hedging is currently based on UK Government bond yields without any adjustment for any 
credit spread. The sensitivity analysis set out below has been determined based on a method that estimates the impact on the defined benefit 
obligation as a result of reasonable changes in key assumptions occurring at the end of the reporting period.

Reduction in the discount rate of 0.25% 1

Increase in inflation of 0.25% 1

Increase of 1% in transfer value assumption 
One year increase in life expectancy

Obligation
Plan assets (LDI portfolio)
Obligation
Plan assets (LDI portfolio)
Obligations
Obligations

2023
£m
(185)
204 
(75)
77 
(30)
(155)

2022
£m
(205)
235 
(70)
91 
(30)
(165)

1  The differences between the sensitivities on obligations and plan assets arise largely due to differences in the methods used to value the obligations for accounting purposes and the 

adopted proxy solvency basis

23 Share capital

Issued and fully paid
At 1 January 2022
At 31 December 2022
Shares issued to employee share trust
At 31 December 2023

Non-equity

Equity

Special
Share
of £1

Nominal
value
£m

Ordinary shares
of 20p each
Millions

1 
1 
– 
1 

– 
– 
– 
– 

8,368 
8,368 
49 
8,417 

Nominal
value
£m

1,674 
1,674 
10 
1,684 

The rights attaching to each class of share are set out on page 218.

In accordance with IAS 32, the Company’s non-cumulative redeemable preference shares (C Shares) are classified as financial liabilities.  
Accordingly, movements in C Shares are included in note 20. In addition, the rights of C share holders are included on page 218.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

179

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS24 Share-based payments

Effect of share-based payment transactions on the Group’s results and financial position 

Total expense recognised for equity-settled share-based payments transactions
Total cost recognised for cash-settled share-based payments transactions
Share-based payments recognised in the consolidated income statement
Liability for cash-settled share-based payment transactions

A description of the share-based payment plans is included in the remuneration report on pages 84 to 110.

Movements in the Group’s share-based payment plans during the year 

2023
£m
49 
17 
66 
18 

2022
£m
46 
1 
47 
1 

Outstanding at 1 January 2022

Granted
Forfeited
Exercised

Outstanding at 31 December 2022

Granted
Forfeited
Exercised

Outstanding at 31 December 2023
Exercisable at 31 December 2023
Exercisable at 31 December 2022

ShareSave

LTIP

DSBP

Number
Millions
75�1 
0�1 
(9.6)
– 
65�6 
0.1 
(12.3)
– 
53.4 
– 
– 

Weighted average
 exercise price
Pence
132 
104 
161 
– 
127 
115 
203 
– 
107 
– 
– 

Number
Millions
77�0 
47�2 
(13.4)
(17.8)
93�0 
44.7 
(29.1)
(7.6)
101.0 
– 
– 

Number
Millions
0�8 
12�3 
(0.2)
(0.7)
12�2 
7.0 
(1.9)
(0.1)
17.2 
– 
– 

The weighted average share price at the date share options were exercised was 159p (2022: 95p). The closing price at 31 December 2023 was  
300p (2022: 93p). 

The weighted average remaining contractual life for the share options as at 31 December 2023 was one year (2022: two years) and the range of 
exercise prices for the share options as at 31 December 2023 was 97p to 261p. 

Fair values of share-based payment plans
The weighted average fair value per share of equity-settled share-based payment plans granted during the year, estimated at the date of grant, 
are as follows:

LTIP
DSBP

2023
216p 
157p 

2022
90p 
91p 

Long-term incentive plans (LTIP) 
The fair value of shares awarded is calculated using a pricing model that takes account of the non-entitlement to dividends (or equivalent) during 
the vesting period and the market-based performance condition based on expectations about volatility and the correlation of share price returns 
in the group of FTSE 100 companies and which incorporates into the valuation the interdependency between share price performance and total 
shareholder return (TSR) vesting where market-based conditions are applicable. This adjustment decreases the fair value of the award relative 
to the share price at the date of grant.

ShareSave
The fair value of the options granted is calculated using a pricing model that assumes that participants will exercise their options at the beginning 
of the six-month window if the share price is greater than the exercise price. Otherwise, it assumes that options are held until the expiration of 
their contractual term. This results in an expected life that falls somewhere between the start and end of the exercise window.

Deferred Share Bonus Plan (DSBP)
The fair value of shares awarded under DSBP is calculated as the share price on the date of the award, excluding expected dividends  
(or equivalent).

180

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS25 Contingent liabilities and commitments

In January 2017, after full cooperation, the Company concluded deferred prosecution agreements (DPA) with the SFO and the US Department 
of Justice (DoJ) and a leniency agreement with the MPF, the Brazilian federal prosecutors. The terms of both DPAs have now expired. The  
Company has submitted a final report to the Controller General, Brazil (CGU) under the terms of a two-year leniency agreement, signed in  
October 2021, relating to the same historical matters. Certain authorities are investigating members of the Group for matters relating to  
misconduct in relation to historical matters. The Group is responding appropriately. Action may be taken by further authorities against the 
Company or individuals. In addition, the Group could still be affected by actions from other parties, including customers, customers’ financiers 
and the Company’s current and former investors, including certain potential claims in respect of the Group’s historical ethics and compliance 
disclosures which have been notified to the Company. The Directors are not currently aware of any matters that are likely to lead to a material 
financial loss over and above the penalties imposed to date, but cannot anticipate all the possible actions that may be taken or their  
potential consequences.

The Group has, in the normal course of business, entered into arrangements in respect of export finance, performance bonds, grant funding, 
countertrade obligations and minor miscellaneous items, which could result in potential outflows if the requirements related to those  
arrangements are not met. Various Group undertakings are party to legal actions and claims (including with tax authorities) which arise in the 
ordinary course of business, some of which are for substantial amounts.

In connection with the sale of its products, the Group will, on some occasions, provide financing support for its customers, generally in respect 
of civil aircraft. The Group’s commitments relating to these financing arrangements are spread over many years, relate to a number of customers 
and a broad product portfolio and are generally secured on the asset subject to the financing. These include commitments of $0.9bn  
(2022: $1.2bn) (on a discounted basis) to provide facilities to enable customers to purchase aircraft (of which approximately $0.7bn could be called  
during 2024). These facilities may only be used if the customer is unable to obtain financing elsewhere and are priced at a premium to the  
market rate. Significant events impacting the international aircraft financing market, the failure by customers to meet their obligations under 
such financing agreements, or inadequate provisions for customer financing liabilities may adversely affect the Group’s financial position.

Customer financing provisions are made to cover guarantees provided where it is probable that a payment will be made. These are reported on 
a discounted basis at the Group’s borrowing rate to better reflect the time span over which these exposures could arise. The values of aircraft 
providing security are based on advice from a specialist aircraft appraiser. There were no provisions for customer financing provisions at 
31 December 2023 or 31 December 2022. 

The Group has responded appropriately to the Russia-Ukraine conflict to comply with international sanctions and export control regime, and to 
continue to implement the business decision to exit from Russia. The Group could be subject to action by impacted customers, suppliers and 
other contract parties.

While the outcome of the above matters cannot precisely be foreseen, the Directors do not expect any of these arrangements, legal actions or 
claims, after allowing for provisions already made, to result in significant loss to the Group.

26 Related party transactions

Sales of goods and services 
Purchases of goods and services 1
Lease payments to joint ventures and associates
Guarantees of joint arrangements’ and associates’ borrowings
Guarantees of non-wholly owned subsidiaries’ borrowings
Dividends received from joint ventures and associates
Other income received from joint ventures and associates

2023
£m
6,700 
(7,471)
(244)
2 
3 
54 
6 

2022
£m
5,074 
(5,577)
(163)
3 
3 
73 
2 

1  The Group has both sales and purchasing arrangements with its maintenance, repair and overhaul joint ventures. As part of this arrangement, the Group issues and receives credit notes 
usable against amounts receivable and payable to these related parties. Purchases of goods and services from related parties are presented to be shown gross of these concessions. This 
is consistent with the presentation of sales to related parties. Purchases from related parties incurred during the year to 31 December 2022 have been represented on this basis resulting 
in an increase to this balance of £662m

Included in sales of goods and services to related parties are sales of spare engines amounting to £48m (2022: £19m). Profit recognised in the 
year on such sales amounted to £88m (2022: £50m), including profit on current year sales and recognition of profit deferred on similar sales in 
previous years. Cash receipts relating to the sale of spare engines amounted to £73m (2022: £40m).

Included in other financing charges in the income statement are interest costs of £34m (2022: £17m) incurred during the year which have been 
settled by the Group on behalf of joint ventures, including £28m of costs incurred for using the Group offered SCF arrangement set out in note 19.

The aggregated balances with joint ventures are shown in notes 14 and 19. Transactions with Group pension schemes are shown in note 22.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

181

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS26 Related party transactions continued

Key management personnel are deemed to be the Directors (pages 70 to 71) and the members of the Executive Team (described on page 72). 
Remuneration for key management personnel is shown below: 

Salaries and short-term benefits
Post-retirement schemes
Share-based payments

2023
£m
26 
– 
15 
41 

2022
£m
18 
– 
10 
28 

During the year, one director (2022: none) received termination benefits. For further detail, see the remuneration report

More detailed information regarding the Directors’ remuneration, shareholdings, pension entitlements, share options and other long-term  
incentive plans is shown in the Remuneration Report on pages 84 to 110. The charge for share-based payments above is based on when the award 
is charged to the income statement in accordance with IFRS 2 Share-Based Payments, rather than when the shares vest, which is the basis used 
in the remuneration report.

27 Acquisitions, disposals, held for sale and discontinued operations

Acquisitions
On 30 June 2023, the Group completed its acquisition of Team Italia/Onyx Marine SRL for a cash consideration of £14m. Team Italia specialises 
in yacht bridges and marine navigation and automation systems. The acquisition will provide key technology for marine automation systems and 
will strengthen Power Systems’ position as a yacht market leader. The acquisition price of £14m has been allocated to £8m of goodwill, £2m of 
customer relationships, £2m to right-of-use assets and £2m to other assets and liabilities.

Disposals 
During the year, the Group divested of its 49% shareholding in its joint venture, Shanxi North MTU Diesel Co. Limited to the current JV partner 
for proceeds of £5m. The carrying value of the Group’s investment that was derecognised was £5m resulting in nil profit on disposal. 

Reconciliation of profit/(loss) on disposal of businesses in continuing operations to the income statement:

Profit/(loss) before taxation on disposal
Cumulative currency translation loss on liquidation of joint venture
Adjustment to consideration on disposals completed in prior periods
Profit on disposal of businesses per income statement

Reconciliation of cash flow on acquisition and disposal of businesses to the cash flow statement:

Proceeds on disposal
Cash outflow on acquisitions 
Net cash flows on disposals completed in prior periods
Cash flow on acquisition and disposal of businesses per cash flow statement

Total
£m
– 
(1)
2 
1 

Total
£m
5 
(14)
(9)
(18)

182

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS27 Acquisitions, disposals, held for sale and discontinued operations continued

Held for sale 
At 31 December 2023, the Group was in positive discussions with Deutz AG for the sale of the off-highway engines business in the lower power 
range based in Power Systems. The business is available for sale in its current condition and the sale is considered highly probable based on the 
agreement-in-principle reached as at 31 December 2023. In line with IFRS 5, the assets and liabilities related to the business have been classified 
as held for sale and measured at the lower of their carrying value or fair value less costs to sell, resulting in a £7m impairment reversal. 

The table below summarises the categories of assets and liabilities classified as held for sale at 31 December 2023. There were no assets  
or liabilities held for sale at 31 December 2022. 

Intangible assets
Inventory
Trade receivables and other assets
Assets held for sale
Trade payables and other liabilities
Contract liabilities
Provisions for liabilities and charges
Post-retirement scheme deficits
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale
Net assets held for sale

2023
£m
51 
11 
47 
109 
(41)
(4)
(8)
(2)
(55)
54 

Discontinued Operations 
ITP Aero represented a separate major line of business and was classified as a disposal group held for sale up to the date of disposal. Therefore, 
the results up to 15 September 2022, in line with IFRS 5, were presented as discontinued operations. 

The financial performance and cash flow information presented reflects the operations for the year that have been classified as discontinued 
operations.  

Revenue 
Operating profit 1
Profit before taxation 1
Income tax charge 1
Profit for the year from discontinued operations on ordinary activities 
Costs of disposal on discontinued operations 2
Loss on disposal of discontinued operations (see above)
Loss for the year from discontinued operations 

Net cash inflow from operating activities 2
Net cash outflow from investing activities 2
Net cash outflow from financing activities
Exchange gain/(losses)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents

2023
£m
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

2022
£m
275 
86 
78 
(10)
68 
– 
(148)
(80)

85 
(67)
(25)
– 
(7)

1  Profit from discontinued operations on ordinary activities is presented net of intercompany trading eliminations and related consolidation adjustments 
2  Cash flows from investing activities include £nil (2022: £42m) costs of disposal paid during the year that are not a movement in the cash balance of the disposal group as they were  

borne centrally 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

183

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS28 Derivation of summary funds flow statement

Operating profit/(loss)
Operating profit from discontinued operations
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
Movement in provisions
Movement in Civil LTSA balance
Movement in prepayments to RRSAs for LTSA parts 
Settlement of excess derivatives
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment 1
Joint venture trading 1
Interest received 
Contributions to defined benefit schemes in excess of underlying 
operating profit charge 1
Share-based payments 1
Other 1
Operating cash flow before working capital and taxation 2
Increase in inventories 3
Movement in trade receivables/payables and other assets/liabilities 
(excluding prepayments to RRSAs for LTSA parts) 3
Movement in contract assets/liabilities (excluding Civil LTSA) 3
Revaluation of trading assets (excluding exceptional items) 3
Realised derivatives in financing 3
Cash flows on other financial assets and liabilities held for  
operating purposes 
Income tax
Cash from operating activities 2
Capital element of lease payments
Capital expenditure
Investment
Interest paid
Other (M&A, exceptional transformation and restructuring costs)
Free cash flow
– of which is continuing operations

2023

 Impact of 
acquisition
accounting 
£m
 50 
 – 
 (50)
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 Impact of 
other 
non-
underlying
items 
£m
 71 
 – 
 9 
 21 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 Impact of 
hedge book 
£m
 (475)
 – 
 – 
 46 
 (377)
 63 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 – 
 – 
 (8)
 (751)
 – 

 (164)
 51 
 (10)
 – 

 853 
 – 
 (21)
 21 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

 2 
 – 
 1 
 104 
 – 

 (37)
 – 
 – 
 – 

 – 
 – 
 67 
 – 
 4 
 – 
 – 
 (71)
 – 

2022

 Funds flow 
£m
 652 
 86 
 953 
 (23)
 792 
 (8)
 (326)
 18 
 25 
 36 

 (32)
 47 
 (53)
 2,167 
 (887)

 (745)
 892 
 (521)
 737 

 77 
 (174)
 1,546 
 (198)
 (504)
 28 
 (352)
 (29)
 491 
 505 

 Funds flow 
£m
 1,590 
 – 
 978 
 (258)
 1,331 
 (252)
 (389)
 18 
 (119)
 159 

 (26)
 66 
 (7)
 3,091 
 (200)

 (2,291)
 1,046 
 196 
 853 

 8 
 (172)
 2,531 
 (270)
 (695)
 69 
 (333)
 (17)
 1,285 
 1,285 

Cash flow
£m
 1,944 
 – 
 1,019 
 (325)
 1,708 
 (315)
 (389)
 18 
 (119)
 159 

 (28)
 66 
 – 
 3,738 
 (200)

 (2,090)
 995 
 206 
 853 

 (845)
 (172)
 2,485 
 (291)
 (699)
 69 
 (333)
 54 
 1,285 
 1,285 

1  Included in other operating cash flows in the summarised free cash flow on page 22
2  The funds flow to 31 December 2022 has been represented to disclose cash flows on settlement of excess derivative contracts as cash flows from operating activities. As a result, operating 
cash flows before working capital and income tax during the year to 31 December 2022 have reduced by £(326)m to £2,167m. Cash flows on settlement of excess derivative contracts were 
previously shown after cash from operating activities in arriving at free cash flow. There is no impact to free cash flow

3  Included in working capital (excluding Civil LTSA balance) in the summarised free cash flow on page 22

The comparative information to 31 December 2023 has been presented in a different format to align to the current year presentation. In some 
instances, the groupings of items may have changed. All comparative figures remain unchanged versus those reported in the 2022 Annual Report.

Free cash flow is a measure of the financial performance of the businesses’ cash flows which is consistent with the way in which performance is 
communicated to the Board. Free cash flow is defined as cash flows from operating activities including capital expenditure and movements in 
investments, capital elements of lease payments, interest paid, amounts paid relating to the settlement of excess derivatives, and excluding 
amounts spent or received on activity related to business acquisitions or disposals and other material exceptional or one-off cash flows. The 
Board considers that free cash flow reflects cash generated from the Group’s underlying trading.

Cash flow from operating activities is determined to be the nearest statutory measure to free cash flow. The reconciliation between free cash 
flow and cash flow from operating activities can be found on page 216. 

184

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Company balance sheet

At 31 December 2023

ASSETS
Investments – subsidiary undertakings

LIABILITIES
Trade payables and other liabilities
Other financial liabilities
Current liabilities

NET ASSETS

EQUITY
Called-up share capital
Share premium
Merger reserve
Capital redemption reserve
Other reserve
Retained earnings 
TOTAL EQUITY

Notes

2023
£m

2022
£m

2

3

4

6

5

14,810

14,762 

(336)
(23)
(359)

(335)
(24)
(359)

14,451 

14,403 

1,684 
1,012 
6,962 
2,749 
397 
1,647 
14,451 

1,674 
1,012 
6,962 
2,748 
349 
1,658 
14,403 

The Company has elected to take the exemption under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 from presenting the parent company income 
statement. The result for the Company for the year was nil (2022: nil).

The Financial Statements on pages 185 to 189 were approved by the Board on 22 February 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Tufan Erginbilgic  
Chief Executive  

Helen McCabe 
Chief Financial Officer

Company’s registered number: 7524813 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

185

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Company statement of changes in equity

For the year ended 31 December 2023 

At 1 January 2022

Redemption of C Shares
Share-based payments – direct  
to equity

At 1 January 2023

Arising on issues of ordinary shares 
Redemption of C Shares
Share-based payments – direct  
to equity

At 31 December 2023

Attributable to ordinary shareholders

Share 
capital
£m
1,674 
– 

– 
1,674 
10 
– 

– 
1,684 

Share 
premium
£m
1,012 
– 

– 
1,012 
– 
– 

– 
1,012 

Merger 
reserve 1
£m
6,962 
– 

– 
6,962 
– 
– 

– 
6,962 

Capital
redemption
reserve
£m
2,747 
1 

– 
2,748 
– 
1 

– 
2,749 

Other
reserve 2
£m
303 
– 

46 
349 
– 
– 

48 
397 

Retained
earnings 3, 4

£m
1,659 
(1)

– 
1,658 
(10)
(1)

– 
1,647 

Total 
equity
£m
14,357 
– 

46 
14,403 
– 
– 

48 
14,451 

1  The Company’s merger reserve was created as a result of a High Court approved scheme of arrangement in 2011, when the Company became the holding company for the  

Rolls-Royce Group

2  Other reserve represents the value of the share-based payments in respect of employees of subsidiary undertakings for which payment has not been received
3  The reserves, which are distributable to the Company’s equity shareholders, are determined with reference to the Companies Act 2006 and requires judgement in determining the amount 
available for distribution, subject to the restrictions explained in note 17 of the Consolidated Financial Statements. Further guidance is given in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 
England and Wales technical release 02/17BL in relation to what profits can be treated as distributable. At 31 December 2023, all the Company’s retained earnings are distributable, however, 
the available amount may be different at the point any future distributions are made

4  At 31 December 2023, 52,912,406 ordinary shares with a net book value of £22m (2022: 11,402,796 ordinary shares with a net book value of £27m) were held for the purpose of share-based 

payment plans and included in accumulated losses. During the year:
 – 7,875,240 ordinary shares with a net book value of £15m (2022: 18,488,558 ordinary shares with a net book value of £39m) vested in share-based payment plans;
 – the Company issued 49,100,000 (2022: none) new ordinary shares to the Group’s share trust for its employee share-based payment plans with a net book value of £10m (2022: £nil); and
 – the Company acquired none (2022: none) of its ordinary shares via reinvestment of dividends received on its own shares and purchased 284,850 (2022: 486,163) of its ordinary shares 

through purchases on the London Stock Exchange

186

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

1 Accounting policies

Basis of accounting
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (the Company) is a public company limited by shares incorporated and domiciled in England in the United Kingdom. 
These Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework on the 
historical cost basis.

These financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. Further details are given in the Going Concern Statement on page 
58. After due consideration, the Directors consider that the Group has sufficient liquidity headroom to continue in operational existence for a 
period of at least 18 months from the date of this report and there are no material uncertainties that may cast doubt on the Company’s going 
concern status, accordingly they are satisfied that it is appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the Company 
Financial Statements�

In preparing these financial statements, the Company applies the recognition, measurement and disclosure requirements of International  
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the UK (UK-adopted international accounting standards), but makes amendments where 
necessary in order to comply with the Companies Act 2006 and to take advantage of FRS 101 disclosure exemptions:

 — a cash flow statement and related notes;

 — comparative period reconciliation for investments and financial liabilities;

 — comparative period reconciliation for share capital;

 — the effects of new, but not yet effective accounting standards; and

 — the requirements of IAS 24 Related Party Disclosures and has, therefore, not disclosed transactions between the Company and its  

wholly-owned subsidiaries.

The  accounting  policies  set  out  below  have,  unless  otherwise  stated,  been  applied  consistently  to  all  periods  presented  in  these  
Financial Statements�

There were no changes to accounting standards that had a material impact on these Financial Statements. The Company’s Financial Statements 
are presented in sterling, which is the Company’s functional currency.

As permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, a separate income statement for the Company has not been included in these Financial 
Statements. As permitted by the audit fee disclosure regulations, disclosure of non-audit fees information is not included in respect of  
the Company.

Key areas of judgement and sources of estimation uncertainty
The preparation of financial statements requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires the Directors to exercise their 
judgement in the process of applying the accounting policies. The Directors have not identified any critical estimates or judgements where there 
is a significant risk of material change in the next 12 months at 31 December 2023.

Material accounting policies
Investments in subsidiary undertakings
Investments included in assets are investments in subsidiary companies, and these are held at historical cost less impairments which is considered 
annually by the Directors.

Trade payables
Trade payables are recognised initially at the transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Financial instruments
In accordance with IAS 32, the Company’s C Shares are classified as financial liabilities and held at amortised cost from the date of issue 
until redeemed.

Equity
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Equity instruments are measured at the fair value of the cash or other resources received or receivable, 
net of the direct costs of issuing the equity instruments. The cost of issuing ordinary shares are charged to the share premium account.

Share-based payments
As  described  in  the  Remuneration  Report  on  pages  84  to  110,  the  Company  grants  awards  of  its  own  shares  to  employees  of  its  
subsidiary undertakings (see note 24 of the Consolidated Financial Statements). The costs of share-based payments in respect of these awards 
are accounted for, by the Company, as an additional investment in its subsidiary undertakings. The costs are determined in accordance with 
IFRS 2. Any payments made by the subsidiary undertakings in respect of these arrangements are treated as a return of this investment. 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

187

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS1 Accounting policies continued

Revisions to IFRS applicable in 2023
IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts
IFRS 17 issued in May 2018, establishes the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of insurance contracts within 
the scope of the Standard. The Standard is effective for years beginning on or after 1 January 2023 with a requirement to restate comparatives.

The Company enters into: financial guarantees where the Company guarantees payment in case of its subsidiary defaulting on a debt; and  
performance guarantees where the Company guarantees certain subsidiaries performance to a customer. The Company has reviewed and  
concluded that its arrangements meet the accounting definition of an insurance contract under IFRS 17. The Company has elected to apply IFRS 17 
(rather than IFRS 9) to all currently issued financial guarantee contracts. The Company has assessed the probability of losses on its financial and 
performance  guarantees  and  has  determined  that  the  probability  is  remote  after  consideration  of  both  historical  and  
forward-looking triggers and as such the estimated liability is immaterial. As a result, no transition accounting entries were required as at 1 January 
2023 and, as the estimated liability is immaterial at 31 December 2023, no liability has been recognised in the Company Financial Statements.

At 31 December 2023, financial guarantees of borrowings amounted to £7,601m (2022: £9,724m) of which the total amount of debt drawn is £4,101m 
(2022: £4,224m). Prior to adoption of IFRS 17, these potential exposures were considered to be contingent liabilities until such time that it became 
probable that the Company would be required to make a payment under the guarantee. Under IFRS 17, the Company must recognise any  
obligation at the inception of the contract for the expected fulfilment cash flows under the contract on a best estimate basis (liability for  
remaining coverage). 

2 Investments – subsidiary undertakings

Cost:
At 1 January 2023
Cost of share-based payments in respect of employees of subsidiary undertakings less receipts from subsidiaries  
in respect of those payments
At 31 December 2023

£m

14,762 

48 
14,810 

Details of the Company’s subsidiary undertakings and joint venture and associates undertakings are listed on pages 190 to 195.

The carrying value of the Company’s investments in subsidiary undertakings has been reviewed for impairment in accordance with IAS 36.  
No indicators of impairment were identified at 31 December 2023.

3 Trade payables and other liabilities

Amounts owed to – subsidiary undertakings 

Amounts owed to subsidiary undertakings are interest-free and repayable on demand.

4 Financial liabilities

C Shares
Movements during the year were as follows:

At 1 January 2023
Redeemed

At 31 December 2023

The rights attaching to C Shares are set out on page 218.

2023
£m
336

2022
£m
335

C Shares 
of 0.1p 
millions
23,854 
(702)
23,152 

Nominal 
value 
£m
24 
(1)
23 

188

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

NOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS5 Share capital

Issued and fully paid
At 1 January 2023
Shares issued to employee share trust
At 31 December 2023

The rights attaching to each class of share are set out on page 218. 

Non-equity

Equity

Special
Share
of £1

Preference 
shares of 
£1 each

Nominal
value
£m

1 
– 
1 

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

Ordinary
shares of
20p each
Millions

8,368 
49 
8,417 

Nominal
value
£m

1,674 
10 
1,684 

In accordance with IAS 32, the Company’s non-cumulative redeemable preference shares (C Shares) are classified as financial liabilities.  
Accordingly, movements in C Shares are included in note 4.

6 Reconciliation of net assets between Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Group and Company

As at 31 December 2023, Rolls-Royce Holdings plc consolidated group had net liabilities of £3.6bn (2022: £6.0bn) compared to £14.5bn (2022: 
£14.4bn) of net assets of the Company. The Company is a holding company and does not trade in its own right. The Company was incorporated 
in 2011 and became the Rolls-Royce holding company through a Scheme of Arrangement. On becoming the Rolls-Royce holding company, the 
value of the Company’s investment in subsidiaries was based on the market capitalisation of the Rolls-Royce Group at that time. There was an 
increase in the investment as a result of a capital injection to Rolls-Royce Group Limited during 2020. The Group’s consolidated financial  
statements are prepared on a historical cost basis except where UK adopted international accounting standards requires a valuation basis to be 
applied (see page 187 for further details). As different principles are applied in preparing the Company and consolidated group balance sheets, 
there is a difference in the financial position reported. Examples of such differences include the following items that are in the Consolidated 
balance sheet but not reflected in the Company’s balance sheet: net contract liabilities of £13,294m (2022: £10,681m) as a result of IFRS 15; and 
net financial liabilities of £2,035m (2022: £3,851m) arising from the recognition at fair value of foreign exchange derivatives held to manage 
exposure on the Group’s future trading.

7 Contingent liabilities

For further details on action related to historical matters that could have an impact on the Company, see page 181. 

8 Other information 

Employees
The Company had no employees in 2023 (2022: none).

Share-based payments
Shares in the Company have been granted to employees of the Group as part of share-based payment plans, and are charged in the  
employing company� 

Emoluments of Directors
The remuneration of the Directors of the Company is shown below, further information is in the Remuneration Report on pages 84  
to 110�

The total amount of remuneration paid to Directors for the year ended 31 December 2023 was £10,130,000 (2022: £7,577,000). £5,960,000 of 
this was attributed to the highest paid Director (2022: £3,718,000).A cash allowance in lieu of company contributions to a pensions scheme was 
also paid to three Directors (2022: two), which totalled £244,000 (2022: £199,000). No Directors exercised share options during the year (2022: 
none) or received vested shares under the Long-Term Incentive Plan (2022: none). One director received payments for loss of office which totalled 
£483,000 (2022: £nil).

No Director accrued any retirement benefits in the year (2022: none). 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

189

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTSSubsidiaries

As at 31 December 2023, the companies listed below and on the following pages are indirectly held by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, except  
Rolls-Royce Group Limited, which is 100% directly owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and Rolls-Royce plc which Rolls-Royce Holdings plc 
directly owns 3.54%. The financial year end of each company is 31 December unless otherwise indicated.

Company name
Aerospace Transmission Technologies GmbH 1 Adelheidstrasse 40, D-88046, Friedrichshafen, Germany
London 3
Amalgamated Power Engineering Limited 2

Address

Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited 2
Brown Brothers & Company, Limited 4

C.A. Parsons & Company Limited 4
Derby Specialist Fabrications Limited 2
Europea Microfusioni Aerospaziali S.p.A.
Heaton Power Limited 2
John Thompson Cochran Limited 2

London 3
Taxiway, Hillend Industrial Estate, Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, Fife, 
KY11 9JT, Scotland
London 3
London 3
Zona Industriale AS1, 83040 Morra de Sanctis, Avellino, Italy
London 3
Taxiway, Hillend Industrial Estate, Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, Fife, 
KY11 9JT, Scotland

Karl Maybach-Hilfe GmbH
Kinolt Immo SA
Kinolt Immobilien SA
Kinolt Trading and Contracting LLC 5

Kinolt Sistemas de UPS SpA
Kinolt UK Limited 2
LLC Rolls-Royce Solutions Rus
MTU Cooltech Power Systems Co., Limited 1

MTU India Private Limited 6

MTU Polska Sp. z o.o.
NEI International Combustion Limited 2
NEI Mining Equipment Limited 2
NEI Nuclear Systems Limited 2
NEI Parsons Limited 2
NEI Peebles Limited 2
NEI Power Projects Limited 2
Nightingale Insurance Limited

No-Break Power Limited 2
Powerfield Limited 2
PT Rolls-Royce

PT Rolls Royce Solutions Indonesia

Rolls-Royce (Ireland) Unlimited Company 2

Rolls-Royce (Thailand) Limited

Rolls-Royce Aero Engine Services Limited 2
Rolls-Royce Australia Pty Limited
Rolls-Royce Australia Services Pty Limited
Rolls-Royce Brasil Limitada

Rolls-Royce Canada Limited

Rolls-Royce Chile SpA

Rolls-Royce China Holding Limited

Rolls-Royce Commercial Aero Engines 
Limited 2
Rolls-Royce Controls and Data Services 
Limited 2
Rolls-Royce Controls and Data Services (NZ) 
Limited

Maybachplatz 1, 88045, Friedrichshafen, Germany
Rue de l’Avenir 61, 4460, Grace-Hollogne, Belgium
Rue de l’Avenir 61, 4460, Grace-Hollogne, Belgium
REGUS Service Office, Office No. 1034, Shoumoukh Tower, 10th 
Floor, Tower B, C-Ring Road, Al Sadd, PO Box 207207, Doha, Qatar
Bucarest No 17 Oficina, No 33, Previdencia, Santiago, Chile
London 3
Shabolovka Street 2, 119049, Moscow, Russian Federation
Building No 2, No 1633 Tianchen Road, Quingpu District, Shanghai, 
China
6th Floor, RMZ Galleria, S/Y No. 144 Bengaluru, Bangalore, 
Kamataka 560,064, India
Ul. Lekka 3., Lokal U4. Raum, PLZ: 01-910, Ort: Warszawa, Poland
London 3
London 3
London 3
London 3
London 3
London 3
PO Box 33, Dorey Court, Admiral Park, St Peter Port GY1 4AT, 
Guernsey
London 3
Derby 7
Secure Building Blok B, Jl. Raya Protokol Halim, Perdanakusuma, 
Jakarta, 13610, Indonesia
Secure Building Blok B, Jl. Raya Protokol Halim, Perdanakusuma, 
Jakarta, 13610, Indonesia
Ulster International Finance, 1st Floor IFSC House, IFSC, Dublin 1, 
Ireland
989 Floor 12A, Unit B1, B2, Siam Piwat Tower, Rama 1, Pathumwan, 
Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
London 3
Level 1, 60 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Level 1, 60 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Rua Jose Versolato, No. 111, Torre B, Sala 2502, Centro, São 
Bernando do Campo, Sao Paulo, CEP 09750-730, Brazil
9500 Côte de Liesse, Lachine, Québec H8T 1A2, Canada

Alcantra 200 office 601, Piso 6, C.O, 7550159 Las Condes, 
Santiago, Chile
305 Indigo Building 1, 20 Jiuxianqiao Road, Beijing, 100016, China

London 3

London 3

c/o Deloitte, 80 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, 
New Zealand

Class of shares
Capital Stock
Deferred
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

% of class
 held
50
100
100
100
100

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
6% Cumulative 
Preference 
Ordinary
Capital Stock
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Equity

Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Quotas

Common 
Stock
Ordinary

Registered 
Capital
Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

100
100
100
100
100

100
100
100
100
49 

100
100
100
50

100

100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100

100
100
100

100

100

100

100
100
100
100

100

100

100

100

100

100

190

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

SUBSIDIARIES

Company name
Rolls-Royce Controls and Data Services (UK) 
Limited 4
Rolls-Royce Corporation

Address
Derby 7

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce Crosspointe LLC

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce Defense Products and Solutions, 
Inc�
Rolls-Royce Defense Services, Inc.

Wilmington 8

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
Rolls-Royce Electrical Norway AS
Rolls-Royce Energy Angola, Limitada 2 

Rolls-Royce Energy Systems Inc. 2

Amtsgericht Potsdam, Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany
Jarleveien 8A, 7041, Trondheim 500, Norway
Rua Rei Katyavala, Edificio Rei Katyavala, Entrada B, Piso 8, 
Luanda, Angola
Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce Engine Services Holdings Co.

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce Engine Services Limitada Inc. 9

Rolls-Royce Erste Beteiligungs GmbH
Rolls-Royce Finance Company Limited 2

Bldg. 06 Berthaphil Compound, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, 
Clark Special Economic Zone, Clark, Pampanga, Philippines
Eschenweg 11, 15827 Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany
London 3

Rolls-Royce Finance Holdings Co.

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Limited 4
Rolls-Royce General Partner (Ireland) 
Limited
Rolls-Royce General Partner Limited 2
Rolls-Royce Group Limited 13

Rolls-Royce High Temperature Composites, 
Inc�
Rolls-Royce Holdings Canada Inc.
Rolls-Royce Hungary Kft
Rolls-Royce India Limited 2, 6, 10
Rolls-Royce India Private Limited 6

Rolls-Royce Industrial & Marine Power 
Limited 4
Rolls-Royce Industrial Power (India)  
Limited 2, 6, 10
Rolls-Royce Industrial Power Engineering 
(Overseas Projects) Limited 4
Rolls-Royce Industries Limited 4
Rolls-Royce International Limited
Rolls-Royce Japan Co., Limited

Rolls-Royce Leasing Limited
Rolls-Royce Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Rolls-Royce Marine North America, Inc.

Rolls-Royce Military Aero Engines  
Limited 2, 6, 10
Rolls-Royce New Zealand Limited

Rolls-Royce North America (USA)  
Holdings Co.
Rolls-Royce North America Holdings, Inc.

Derby 7
29 Earlshot Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland

London 3
London 3

Corporation Service Company, 2710 Gateway Oaks Drive, 
Suite 150N, Sacramento, California 95833, United States
9500 Côte de Liesse, Lachine, Québec H8T 1A2, Canada
Gizella U. 51–57, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
Derby 7
Birla Tower West, 2nd Floor 25, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, 
110001, India
London 3

Derby 7

Derby 7

Derby 7
Derby 7
31st Floor, Kasumigaseki Building, 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki,  
Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo, 100-6031, Japan
Derby 7
Unit A-3-6 TTDI Plaza, Jalan Wan Kadir 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 
6000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Wilmington 8

London 3

c/o Deloitte, 80 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, 
New Zealand
Wilmington 8

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce North America Ventures, Inc.

Wilmington 8

Rolls-Royce North America, Inc.

Wilmington 8

Class of shares
Ordinary

Common 
Stock
Partnership 
(no equity)
Common 
Stock
Common 
Stock
Ordinary
Ordinary
Quota

Common 
Stock
Common 
Stock
Capital Stock

Capital Stock
Deferred 
Ordinary
Common 
Stock
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary 
Ordinary A
Ordinary

Common C
Cash shares
Ordinary
Equity

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary

Common 
Stock
Ordinary

Ordinary

Common 
Stock
Common 
Stock
Common 
Stock
Common 
Stock

% of class
 held
100

100

100

100

100

100
100
100

100

100

100

100
100
100
100

100
100

100
100

100

100
100
100
100

100

100

100

100
100
100

100
100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

191

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSSUBSIDIARIES

Company name
Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, 
Inc�
Rolls-Royce Oman LLC

Rolls-Royce Operations (India) 
Private Limited 2, 6
Rolls-Royce Overseas Holdings Limited 4

Rolls-Royce Overseas Investments Limited 4
Rolls-Royce Placements Limited
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Power Engineering Limited
Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG
Rolls-Royce Retirement Savings Trust 
Limited 2, 6
Rolls-Royce Saudi Arabia Limited

Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Rolls-Royce SMR Limited
Rolls-Royce Solutions (Suzhou) Co. Ltd

Rolls-Royce Solutions Africa (Pty) Limited

Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc.
Rolls-Royce Solutions Asia Pte. Limited
Rolls-Royce Solutions Augsburg GmbH
Rolls-Royce Solutions Benelux B.V.
Rolls-Royce Solutions Berlin GmbH

Address
Wilmington 8

Bait Al Reem, Business Office #131, Building No 81, Way No 3409, 
Block No 234, Al Thaqafa Street, Al Khuwair, PO Box 20, Postal 
Code 103, Oman
Birla Tower West, 2nd Floor, 25 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, 
110001, India
Derby 7

Derby 7
London 3
London 3
Derby 7
Maybachplatz 1, 88045, Friedrichshafen, Germany
Derby 7

3010 – Al Arid, Unit No 1, Riyadh 13332 – 7663, Saudi Arabia

6 Shenton Way, #33-00 OUE, Downtown Singapore 068809, 
Singapore
Derby 7 
9 Long Yun Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215024,  
Jiang Su, China
36 Marconi Street, Montague Gardens, Cape Town, 7441,  
South Africa
Wilmington 8
10 Tukang Innovation Drive, Singapore 618302
Dasinger Strasse 11, 86165, Augsburg, Germany
Merwedestraat 86, 3313 CS, Dordrecht, Netherlands
Villa Rathenau, Wilhelminenhofstrasse 75, 12459 Berlin, Germany

Rolls-Royce Solutions Brasil Limitada
Rolls-Royce Solutions Enerji Deniz Ve 
Savunma Anonim Şirketi
Rolls-Royce Solutions France S.A.S.

Rolls-Royce Solutions GmbH 
Rolls-Royce Solutions Hong Kong Limited

Rolls-Royce Solutions Ibérica s.l.u.
Rolls-Royce Solutions Israel Limited

Rolls-Royce Solutions Italia S.r.l.
Rolls-Royce Solutions Japan Co. Limited

Rolls-Royce Solutions Korea Limited

Rolls-Royce Solutions Liège Holding S.A. 
Rolls-Royce Solutions Liège S.A.
Rolls-Royce Solutions Magdeburg GmbH 
Rolls-Royce Solutions Mexico City S.A. 
de C.V.
Rolls-Royce Solutions Middle East FZE

Rolls-Royce Solutions Ruhstorf GmbH
Rolls-Royce Solutions South Africa (Pty) 
Limited
Rolls-Royce Solutions UK Limited
Rolls-Royce Solutions Willich GmbH
Rolls-Royce Sp z.o.o.
Rolls-Royce Submarines Limited

Rolls-Royce Technical Support Sarl

Capital Stock
Ordinary

Capital Stock
Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary

Via Anhanguera, KM 29203, 05276-000 Sao Paulo – SP, Brazil
Hatira Sokak, No. 5, Ömerli Mahellesi, 34555 Arnavutköy, 
Istanbul, Turkey
Immeuble Colorado, 8/10 rue de Rosa Luxembourg-Parc des 
Bellevues 95610, Erangy-sur-Oise, France
Maybachplatz 1, 88045, Friedrichshafen, Germany
No.8 Hart Avenue, Unit D, 8th Floor, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, 
Hong Kong
Calle Copérnico 26–28, 28823 Coslada, Madrid, Spain
4 Ha’Alon Street, South Building, Third Floor, 4059300 Kfar Neter, 
Israel
Via Aurelia Nord, 328, 19021 Arcola (SP), Italy
Resorttrust Building 4-14-3, Nishitenma Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0047, 
Japan
22nd Floor, Olive Tower, 41 Sejongdaero 9 gil, Junggu, 100-737 
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Rue de l’Avenir 61, 4460, Grace-Hollogne, Belgium
Rue de l’Avenir 61, 4460, Grace-Hollogne, Belgium
Friedrich-List-Strasse 8, 39122 Magdeburg, Germany
Xochicalco 620, Colonia Letran Valle, Delegacion Benito Juarez, 
Mexico City 03650, Mexico
S3B5SR06, Jebel Ali Free Zone, South P.O. Box 61141, Dubai, 
United Arab Emirates
Rotthofer Strasse 8, 94099 Ruhstorf a.d. Rott, Germany
36 Marconi Street, Montague Gardens, Cape Town, 7441, 
South Africa
Derby 7
Konrad-Zuse-Str. 3, 47877, Willich, Germany
Opolska 100 31-323, Krakow, Poland
Atlantic House, Raynesway, Derby, Derbyshire DE21 7BE, 
United Kingdom
Centreda I, Avenue Didier Daurat, 31700 Blagnac, Toulouse, France Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Capital Stock
Common 
Shares
Ordinary

Capital Stock
Ordinary

192

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Class of shares
Common 
Stock
Ordinary

Ordinary

Ordinary 
Ordinary A
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Cash shares

Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary

Capital Stock

Ordinary
Ordinary
Capital Stock
Ordinary
Common
Seed 
Preferred
Series A 
Preferred
Ordinary
Ordinary

% of class
 held
100

100

100

100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100

100

100

75�7
100

100

100
100
100
100
100
100
100

100
100

100

100
100

100
100

100
100

100

100
100
100
100

100

100
100

100
100
100
100

100

SUBSIDIARIES

Company name
Rolls-Royce Total Care Services Limited 4
Rolls Royce Turkey Güç Çözümleri San. ve 
Tic.Ltd.Şti.
Rolls-Royce UK Pension Fund Trustees 
Limited 2
Rolls-Royce Zweite Beteiligungs GmbH
Ross Ceramics Limited
Servowatch Systems Limited

Sharing in Growth UK Limited 11

Spare IPG 20 Limited 4
Spare IPG 21 Limited 2
Spare IPG 24 Limited 4
Spare IPG 32 Limited 4
Spare IPG 4 Limited 2
Team Italia Marine S.R.L.

The Bushing Company Limited 4
Timec 1487 Limited 2
Turbine Surface Technologies Limited 1

Vessel Lifter, Inc. 2

Vinters Defence Systems Limited 2
Vinters Engineering Limited
Vinters International Limited 4
Vinters Limited 4
Vinters-Armstrongs (Engineers) Limited 2
Vinters-Armstrongs Limited 2
Yocova Private Ltd 2
Yocova PTE. Ltd.

Address
Derby 7
Acıbadem Mah. Çeçen Sk. Akasya A Kule Kent Etabı Blok No: 25, İç 
Kapı No:13, Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey
Derby 7

Class of shares
Ordinary
Cash shares

Ordinary

Eschenweg 11, 15827 Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany
Derby 7
Endeavour House, Benbridge Industrial Estate, Holloway Road, 
Heybridge, Maldon, Essex CM9 4ER, United Kingdom
Derby 7

London 3
London 3
London 3
London 3
London 3
Kampanien, Via Luigi Einaudi 114/B, 61032 Fano, Pesaro and 
Urbino, Italy
London 3
London 3
Unit 13a, Little Oak Drive, Sherwood Park, Annesley, 
Nottinghamshire NG15 0DR, United Kingdom
Corporation Service Company, 1201 Hays Street, Tallahassee, 
Florida 32301, United States
London 3
Derby 7
Derby 7
Derby 7
London 3
London 3
London 3
6 Shenton Way, #33-00 OUE, Downtown Singapore 068809, 
Singapore

Capital Stock
Ordinary
Ordinary

Limited by 
guarantee
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary A 
Ordinary B
Common 
Stock
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary B
Ordinary
Ordinary

% of class
 held
100
100

100

100
100
100

100

100
100
100
100
100
100

100
100
Nil
100
100

100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100

1  Although the interest held is 50%, the Company controls the entity (see note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and, as a result, consolidates the entity and records  

a non-controlling interest 

2  Dormant entity
3  Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9FX, United Kingdom
4  Entity to take advantage of s479A Companies Act 2006 (s479A) audit exemption for the year ended 31 December 2023. Rolls-Royce plc will issue a guarantee pursuant to s479A in relation 

to the liabilities of the entity

5  Although the interest held is 49%, the Company controls the entity (see note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and, as a result, consolidates the entity and records  

a non-controlling interest

6  Reporting year end is 31 March 2024
7  Moor Lane, Derby, Derbyshire DE24 8BJ, United Kingdom
8  Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, United States
9  Entity in liquidation 
10 Entity to take advantage of s479A Companies Act 2006 (s479A) audit exemption for the year ending 31 March 2024. Rolls-Royce plc will issue a guarantee pursuant to S479A in relation to 

the liabilities of the entity

11  The entity is not included in the consolidation, as Rolls-Royce plc does not have a beneficial interest in the net assets of the entity
12 The entity is accounted for as a joint operation (see note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements)
13 Entity to take advantage of s479A Companies Act 2006 (s479A) audit exemption for the year ended 31 December 2023. The Company will issue a guarantee pursuant to s479A in relation 

to the liabilities of the entity

14 Entity is accounted for as a joint venture as approval is required from the other shareholder for operationally running the affairs of the entity

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

193

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSClass of shares
Ordinary
Ordinary

% of class
 held
50
23�5

Group 
interest 
held
 %
50
23�5

Joint ventures and associates

Company name
Aero Gearbox International SAS 12
Airtanker Services Limited

Alpha Leasing (US) (No.2) LLC

Address
18 Boulevard Louis Sequin, 92700 Colombes, France
Airtanker Hub, RAF Brize Norton, Carterton, Oxfordshire 
OX18 3LX, United Kingdom
Wilmington 8

Alpha Leasing (US) (No.4) LLC

Wilmington 8

Alpha Leasing (US) (No.5) LLC

Wilmington 8

Alpha Leasing (US) (No.6) LLC

Wilmington 8

Alpha Leasing (US) (No.7) LLC

Wilmington 8

Alpha Leasing (US) (No.8) LLC

Wilmington 8

Alpha Leasing (US) LLC

Wilmington 8

Alpha Partners Leasing Limited
Beijing Aero Engine Services Company 
Limited
CFMS Limited

1 Brewer’s Green, London SW1H 0RH, United Kingdom
Room 711, Building 2, No.1 Jinhang Middle Road, Shunyi 
District, Beijing, China
43 Queen Square, Bristol BS1 4QP, United Kingdom

Clarke Chapman Portia Port Services 
Limited
Egypt Aero Management Services 9

EPI Europrop International GmbH
Eurojet Turbo GmbH
Force MTU Power Systems Private Limited Mumbai Pune Road, Akurdi, Pune, Maharashtra 411035, 

Maritime Centre, Port of Liverpool, Liverpool L21 1LA, 
United Kingdom
EgyptAir Engine Workshop, Cairo International Airport, 
Cairo, Egypt
Pelkovenstr. 147, 80992 München, Germany
Lilienthalstrasse 2b, 85399 Halbergmoos, Germany

Partnership
(no equity held)
Partnership
(no equity held)
Partnership
(no equity held)
Partnership
(no equity held)
Partnership
(no equity held)
Partnership
(no equity held)
Partnership
(no equity held)
Ordinary A
Capital

Limited by 
guarantee
Ordinary A

Ordinary

Capital Stock
Ordinary
Capital Stock

Genistics Holdings Limited
Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and 
Environmental Research Inc. 12
Hoeller Electrolyzer GmbH 14
Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Limited
International Aerospace Manufacturing 
Private Limited 6, 12
ITP Next Generation Turbines SLU

Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company 
(unincorporated partnership)
Manse Opus Management Company 
Limited 6 
MEST Co., Limited

MTU Power Systems Sdn. Bhd.

MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce ITP GmbH
MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce GmbH
MTU Yuchai Power Company Limited

Ordinary A
Ordinary

India
Derby 7
1000 Marie-Victorin Boulevard, Longueuil Québec  
J4G 1A1, Canada
Alter Holzhafen, 23966 Wismar, Germany
Ordinary
33rd Floor, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong Ordinary
Ordinary
Survey No. 3 Kempapura Village, Varthur Hobli, 
Bangalore, KA 560037, India
Parque Tecnologico Edificio 300, 48170, Zamudio, 
Vizcaya, Spain
Suite 119, 9238 Madison Boulevard, Madison, Alabama 
35758, United States
Third Floor Queensberry House, 3 Old Burlington Street, 
London W1S 3AE, United Kingdom
97 Bukjeonggongdan 2-gil, Yangsan-si, 
Gyeongsangnam-do, 50571, Republic of Korea
Level 10 Menara LGB, 1 Jalan Wan Kadir Taman Tun Dr 
Ismail 6000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Am Söldnermoos 17, 85399 Hallbergmoos, Germany
Am Söldnermoos 17, 85399 Hallbergmoos, Germany
No 7 Danan Road, Yuzhou, Yulin, Guangxi, China, 537005, 
China
Gerhard-Höltje-Strasse 1, D-99310, Arnstadt, Germany

Ordinary A

Capital Stock
Capital Stock
Capital Stock

Capital Stock

Partnership  
(no equity held)
Limited by 
guarantee
Normal

Ordinary-B

Gerhard-Höltje-Strasse 1, D-99310, Arnstadt, Germany

N3 Engine Overhaul Services GmbH  
& Co KG
N3 Engine Overhaul Services  
Verwaltungsgesellschaft Mbh
Rolls Laval Heat Exchangers Limited 2
Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance (US)  
(No 2) LLC
Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance (US) LLC Wilmington 8

Derby 7
Wilmington 8

SAFYRR Propulsion Limited 2
Singapore Aero Engine Services Private 
Limited
Taec Ucak Motor Sanayi AS

Derby 7
11 Calshot Road, 509932, Singapore

Levent Mahallesi Prof. Ahmet Kemal Aru Sk. No: 4/1, 
Beşiktaş, Turkey

Capital Stock

Ordinary
Partnership  
(no equity held)
Partnership  
(no equity held)
B Shares
Ordinary

Cash Shares

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

100
50

–

100

50

28
33
49

100
50

54�2
50
50

25

–

33

50

50

50

50

50

50

50

50
50

50

50

50

28
33
49

50
50

54�2
50
50

25

50

33

46�8

46�8

100

25
33�3
50

50

50

50
–

–

100
50

49

49

25
33�3
50

50

50

50
50

50

50
50

49

194

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

JOINT VENTURES AND ASSOCIATES

Company name
Techjet Aerofoils Limited 12

Address
Tefen Industrial Zone, PO Box 16, 24959, Israel

TRT Limited
Turbo-Union GmbH
United Battery Management GmbH 9
Xian XR Aero Components Co., Limited 12

Derby 7
Lilienthalstrasse 2b, 85399 Halbergmoos, Germany
Wilhelminenhofstr. 76/77, 12459, Berlin, Germany
Xujiawan, Beijiao, Po Box 13, Xian 710021, 
Shaanxi, China

Class of shares
Ordinary A 
Ordinary B
Ordinary B
Capital Stock
Ordinary
Ordinary

% of class
 held
50
50
100
40�0
30
49

Group 
interest 
held
 %
50

50
40�0
30
49

1  Although the interest held is 50%, the Company controls the entity (see note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and, as a result, consolidates the entity and records  

a non-controlling interest 

2  Dormant entity
3  Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9FX, United Kingdom
4  Entity to take advantage of s479A Companies Act 2006 (s479A) audit exemption for the year ended 31 December 2023. Rolls-Royce plc will issue a guarantee pursuant to s479A in relation 

to the liabilities of the entity

5  Although the interest held is 49%, the Company controls the entity (see note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and, as a result, consolidates the entity and records  

a non-controlling interest 

6  Reporting year end is 31 March 2024
7  Moor Lane, Derby, Derbyshire DE24 8BJ, United Kingdom 
8  Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, United States
9  Entity in liquidation 
10 Entity to take advantage of s479A Companies Act 2006 (s479A) audit exemption for the year ending 31 March 2024. Rolls-Royce plc will issue a guarantee pursuant to S479A in relation to 

the liabilities of the entity

11  The entity is not included in the consolidation, as Rolls-Royce plc does not have a beneficial interest in the net assets of the entity 
12 The entity is accounted for as a joint operation (see note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements)
13 Entity to take advantage of s479A Companies Act 2006 (s479A) audit exemption for the year ended 31 December 2023. The Company will issue a guarantee pursuant to s479A in relation 

to the liabilities of the entity

14 Entity is accounted for as a joint venture as approval is required from the other shareholder for operationally running the affairs of the entity

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

195

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSIndependent auditors’ report

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC

Report on the audit of the financial statements

Opinion
In our opinion:

 — Rolls-Royce Holdings plc’s consolidated financial statements and company financial statements (the “financial statements”) give a true and fair 
view of the state of the group’s and of the company’s affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of the group’s profit and the group’s cash flows for 
the year then ended;

 — the consolidated financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international accounting standards as 

applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006;

 — the company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice 

(United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework”, and applicable law); and

 — the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report, which comprise: the consolidated and company balance sheets as 
at 31 December 2023; the consolidated income statement, the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated cash flow  
statement, the consolidated and company statements of changes in equity for the year then ended; and the notes to the financial statements, 
comprising material accounting policy information and other explanatory information.

Our opinion is consistent with our reporting to the Audit Committee.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under 
ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that 
the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Independence
We remained independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in 
the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, as applicable to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled our other ethical  
responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, we declare that non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not provided.

Other than those disclosed in note 7, we have provided no non-audit services to the company or its controlled undertakings in the period  
under audit.

Our audit approach
Overview
Audit scope
 — Following our assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, including the impact of climate change, we subjected 
35 individual components (including three joint ventures) to full scope audits for group reporting purposes, which with an element of  
sub-consolidation, equates to 16 group reporting opinions. In addition, nine components performed targeted specified audit procedures.

 — The group engagement team audited the company and other centralised functions including those covering the group treasury operations, 
corporate taxation, post-retirement benefits, and certain goodwill and intangible asset impairment assessments. The group engagement team 
performed audit procedures over the group consolidation and financial statements disclosures and performed group level analytical  
procedures over out of scope components.

 — The components on which audit procedures were performed accounted for 96% of revenue, 76% of profit before taxation and 90% of  

total assets�

 — Some centralised audit testing was performed where appropriate for reporting components in group audit scope who are supported by the 

group’s Finance Service Centres (FSCs).

 — As part of the group audit supervision process, the group engagement team met with and discussed the approach and results of audit  
procedures with component teams and reviewed their audit files and final deliverables. In person site visits to components in the UK, Germany 
and US were also performed.

196

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Key audit matters
 — Long-term contract accounting and associated provisions (group)

 — Deferred tax asset recognition and recoverability (group)

 — Translation of foreign currency denominated transactions and balances (group)

 — Presentation and accuracy of underlying results and disclosure of other one-off items (including exceptional items) (group)

 — Recoverability of the company’s investments in subsidiary undertakings (company)

Materiality
 — Overall group materiality: £93m (2022: £80m) based on approximately 0.6% of underlying revenue (2022: approximately 0.6% of five year 

average underlying revenues from continuing operations).

 — Overall company materiality: £147m (2022: £147m) based on approximately 1.0% of total assets.

 — Performance materiality: £70m (2022: £60m) (group) and £110m (2022: £110m) (company).

The scope of our audit
As part of designing our audit, we determined materiality and assessed the risks of material misstatement in the financial statements.

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in the auditors’ professional judgement, were of most significance in the audit of the financial statements 
of the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified by the 
auditors, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the 
efforts of the engagement team. These matters, and any comments we make on the results of our procedures thereon, were addressed in the 
context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these 
matters.

This is not a complete list of all risks identified by our audit.

The key audit matters below are consistent with last year.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

197

OTHER INFORMATIONINDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Long-term contract accounting and associated provisions 
(group)
Audit Committee report and note 1 to the consolidated financial  
statements – Accounting policies – Revenue recognition and contract 
assets and liabilities

The Civil Aerospace and Defence businesses operate primarily with 
long-term  customer  contracts  that  span  multiple  periods.  These  
long-term contracts require a number of assumptions to be made in 
order to determine the expected lifetime revenue and costs of the 
contract and the amounts of revenue and profit/loss that are recognised 
in each reporting period. 

Small adjustments in assumptions can have a significant impact on the 
results of an individual financial year. Changes to the profile of shop 
visits  or  operating  conditions  of  engines  can  result  in  different  
performance assumptions and hence cost profiles. Some contracts 
include inflation linked price escalations which require judgement to 
determine  the  extent  to  which  future  price  increases  are  highly  
probable not to reverse and therefore can be recognised. These changes 
to  forecasts  can  result  in  revisions  to  the  revenue  previously 
recognised. 

For Defence, long-term contracts tend to be for a fixed price or based 
on a cost plus or target cost reimbursement for qualifying costs and 
there are also some flying hours arrangements. For Civil Aerospace 
aftermarket contracts, income is earned based on engine flying hours 
(EFH). Management is required to estimate this to determine the total 
income expected over the life of a contract. The group expects large 
engine EFH to recover to pre-pandemic levels during 2024. 

In addition, the profitability of Civil Aerospace aftermarket contracts 
typically assumes that there will be significant cost improvements over 
the lifetime (eight to 15 years) of the contracts. Significant assumptions 
need to be made in determining time-on-wing, whether incremental 
costs should be treated as wastage or are part of the ongoing cost of 
servicing a contract, future exchange rates used to translate foreign 
currency income and costs and other operating parameters used to 
calculate the projected life cycle. These future costs are also risk adjusted 
to  take  into  account  forecasting  accuracy  which  represents  an  
additional judgement. 

At the development stage of a programme, agreements are entered 
into with certain Civil Aerospace suppliers to share in the risk and 
rewards of the contracts (Risk and Revenue Sharing Partners – ‘RRSP’). 
This can involve upfront participation fees from the RRSP that are 
amortised over the engine production phase. In addition, certain revenue 
and costs are recorded in the consolidated income statement net of 
the RRSP’s share. 

The nature of the Civil Aerospace business gives rise to a number of 
contractual guarantees, warranties and potential claims, including the 
in-service issues of the Trent 1000 programme. The accounting for 
these can be complex and judgemental and may impact the consolidated 
income statement immediately or over the life of the contract. The  
valuation of provisions for the associated amounts are judgemental and 
need to be considered on a contract by contract basis. 

We focused our work on a number of contracts where we consider 
there to be the highest degree of management judgement or estimation 
and  designed  specific  procedures  over  the  long-term  contract  
accounting targeted at the associated risks. We also sample tested the 
remaining population of contracts. The audit procedures performed 
included:

 — We attended meetings with Civil Aerospace and Defence engine 
programme and customer contract managers in order to understand 
the operational matters impacting the performance of specific  
contracts and any amendments to contractual arrangements that 
could have an impact on performance;

 — We obtained and read the relevant sections of a sample of contracts 
to understand the key terms including performance obligations and 
pricing structures;

 — We assessed how management had forecast the speed and shape of 
the recovery of engine flying hours including by considering the 
downside scenarios modelled and comparing the assumptions to 
industry data;

 — We  challenged  management’s  judgments  and  associated  risk  
adjustments relating to the risk of customer default and insolvency;

 — We re-performed the calculations used to determine the degree of 
completion for a sample of contracts and this was also used in  
assessing the magnitude of any catch-up adjustments; 

 — We compared the previously forecast results of a sample of contracts 
with the actual results to assess the performance of the contract and 
the historical accuracy of forecasting; 

 — We verified a sample of costs incurred to third party documentation 
in order to assess the validity of the forecast costs to complete; 

 — We assessed the assumptions relating to life cycle cost reductions to 
determine the likelihood of realisation and where relevant the speed 
at which they would be achieved, including the impact on the number 
of shop visits, validating these assumptions directly with the senior 
programme engineers; 

 — We obtained support for the risk adjustments made in respect of 
future costs and challenged management’s assumptions through 
assessment against historical performance, known technical issues 
and the stage of completion of the programme; 

 — We recalculated the price escalation included within the contracts;

 — We challenged the assessment of provisions for onerous contracts 
to determine the completeness of the unavoidable costs to fulfil the 
contractual obligations. We also validated the rates used to discount 
the future cash flows; 

 — We assessed the sensitivity of the Trent 1000 provision to reasonable 
changes in estimates, particularly in respect of the repair and overhaul 
facility capacity, technical cost creep on the known issues and cost 
outturns against previous provisions, in determining whether the 
provision was sufficient;

 — We read and understood the key terms of a sample of RRSP contracts 
to assess whether revenue and costs had been appropriately reflected, 
net  of  the  share  attributable  to  the  RRSP  in  the  consolidated  
income statement; 

198

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Long-term contract accounting and associated provisions 
(group) continued
Management has modelled the potential impact of climate change on 
its forecasts and has incorporated these estimates into the long-term 
contracts for Civil Aerospace, which is the business with the highest 
expected exposure to the impact of climate change. This included 
incorporating the potential impact of carbon prices on the group’s 
direct emissions including engine testing and those of its suppliers and 
the potential impact of climate change on commodity prices in cost 
estimates. The impact of climate change on long-term contracts is highly 
uncertain and requires estimates on carbon prices, the cost and speed 
of decarbonisation, the ability of the group and its suppliers to pass on 
incremental costs and assessing the associated impact on aviation 
demand.

Deferred tax asset recognition and recoverability (group)
Audit Committee report, note 1 to the consolidated financial statements 
– Accounting policies – Taxation and note 5 to the consolidated financial 
statements – Taxation 

The recognition and recoverability of deferred tax assets in Rolls-Royce 
plc, where there have been significant taxable losses in the past, is 
based on a number of significant assumptions. Deferred tax assets can 
be recognised in relation to these losses to the extent it is probable 
that there will be sufficient future taxable profits to utilise them.  
Rolls-Royce plc has recognised significant deferred tax assets on the 
basis of expected future levels of profitability. The magnitude of the 
assets recognised necessitates the need for a number of assumptions 
in assessing the future levels of profitability in the UK over an extended 
period. This requires assumptions on future profits from the group’s 
aftermarket and original equipment sales including EFH, associated 
costs and the future exchange rates used to translate foreign currency 
denominated amounts.

At 31 December 2023, the group recognised £2,399m (2022: £2,183m) 
of deferred tax assets in the UK of which £1,476m (2022: £1,054m) relate 
to tax losses. £406m of additional deferred tax assets have been  
recognised in the year as a result of the latest assessment, including 
from the impact of new contracts (including the trilateral AUKUS  
agreement) signed in the year, the growth in Civil EFH, the expected 
outcome of the group’s strategic initiatives and other macroeconomic 
factors. £1,635m of potential deferred tax assets in relation to UK losses 
remain unrecognised on the basis that management has judged there 
are not yet sufficient probable future taxable profits for them to be 
utilised against.

 — With assistance from our valuation experts, we considered the  
appropriateness of the key assumptions used by management to 
model the impact of climate change, including deploying valuation 
experts to benchmark the carbon and commodity price forecasts 
utilised. We validated management’s assertions on the ability of  
suppliers and the group to pass on incremental costs by reviewing 
supplier and customer contracts for price change mechanisms. Where 
appropriate  we  performed  independent  sensitivity  analysis  to  
determine to what extent reasonably possible changes in these  
assumptions  could  result  in  material  changes  to  the  revenue  
recorded in the year and assessed the appropriateness of the  
associated disclosures; 

 — We read and challenged management’s accounting papers that were 
prepared to explain the positions taken in respect of their key contract 
judgements;

 — We considered whether there were any indicators of management 
override of controls or bias in arriving at their reported position; and 

 — We also assessed the adequacy of disclosures in note 1 of the key 
judgements and estimates involved in long-term contract accounting. 

Based on the work performed, we concur that management’s estimates 
for long-term contract accounting and associated provisions are  
materially appropriate, in the context of the financial statements taken 
as a whole.

We evaluated management’s methodology for assessing the recognition 
and recoverability of deferred tax assets, including the ability to offset 
certain  deferred  tax  liabilities  and  deferred  tax  assets.  Where  
recognition is supported by the availability of sufficient probable  
taxable profits in future periods against which brought forward tax 
losses can be utilised, our evaluation of these future profits considered 
both the business model and the applicable UK tax legislation. 

We assessed the future profit forecasts of the UK tax group and the 
underpinning assumptions including management’s risk weighting of 
particular  profit  streams  in  Rolls-Royce  plc  and  tested  that  the  
assumptions, including the forecasts for periods beyond the normal 
five year forecasting horizon, were reasonable. In doing this, we verified 
that the forecasts did not include taxable profit growth that could not 
be demonstrated as probable. 

Where applicable we assessed the consistency of the forecasts used 
to justify the recognition of deferred tax assets to those used elsewhere 
in  the  business,  including  for  long-term  contract  accounting,  
for the going concern assessment and longer term viability statement. 
We also assessed the risk adjustments applied by management to these 
profit forecasts to future periods that are significantly further in time 
than the group’s normal five year forecasting process and considered 
whether these appropriately reflect the estimation risk in the longer 
term forecasts. 

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OTHER INFORMATIONINDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Deferred tax asset recognition and recoverability (group)
continued
The existence of tax losses brought forward from prior periods and 
other deductible temporary differences in Rolls-Royce plc, combined 
with the impact of climate change on future forecasts, presents a 
heightened risk that deferred tax assets previously recognised may not 
be recoverable. Since the recognised deferred tax asset is recoverable 
over a long period, management has reflected their assessment of the 
impact of climate change within the model forecasting probable taxable 
profits. This incorporates multiple assumptions including future carbon 
prices, commodity prices, the impact of government action on aviation 
demand, the cost and speed of decarbonisation and the ability of  
suppliers and Rolls-Royce plc to pass on price changes. To assess the 
impact of inherent uncertainty management has performed sensitivities 
over key estimates.

Translation of foreign currency denominated transactions 
and balances (group)
Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements – Accounting policies 
– Foreign currency translation 

Foreign exchange rate movements influence the reported consolidated 
income  statement,  the  consolidated  cash  flow  statement  and  
consolidated balance sheet. One of the group’s primary accounting 
systems  that  is  used  by  a  number  of  its  subsidiaries  translates  
transactions and balances denominated in foreign currencies at a fixed 
budget rate for management information purposes. Foreign currency 
denominated transactions and balances are then re-translated to actual 
average and closing spot rates through manual adjustments. Due to 
the manual nature of the process and significance of the recurring 
adjustments needed there is a risk that transactions and balances 
denominated in foreign currencies are incorrectly translated in the 
consolidated financial statements.

We considered the appropriateness of the climate change assumptions 
modelled as part of their probability weighted scenarios to forecast 
probable profit levels and performed consistent procedures to those 
set-out in the long-term contract accounting and associated provisions 
key audit matter. We also performed additional sensitivity analysis to 
understand whether reasonably possible changes to these assumptions 
could lead to a material change in the recognised asset and where 
appropriate ensured that adequate disclosure was provided.

We assessed the treatment of the losses that are realised or unrealised 
on the group’s hedge book and whether they were treated appropriately 
and how they are recovered using the same profit forecasts.

We also assessed the adequacy of disclosures over this area, particularly 
the impact of changes in key estimates of the asset recognised and this 
has been disclosed in notes 1 and 5. 

We did not identify any material uncorrected exceptions from our  
audit work.

We performed the following specific audit procedures over this area:

 — Obtained an understanding of the process employed by management 
to correctly record the translation of foreign currency balances  
and transactions; 

 — Tested system reports identifying transactions and balances in source 

currency by agreeing these to general ledger balances; 

 — Tested on a sample basis the manual calculations of the adjustment 
needed to correctly record the translation of the foreign currency 
denominated transactions and balances;

 — Sampled balances and transactions requiring adjustment by source 
currency and tested to source data and assessed the completeness 
of these balances and transactions; 

 — Created an independent expectation of the gain on the translation 
of monetary assets and liabilities based on the movements in the 
group’s key exchange rates and associated balances in the year and 
compared this to the gain recorded in the year; and

 — Agreed the exchange rates used in management’s translation adjust-

ments to an independent source.

There were no material uncorrected exceptions from our audit work.

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Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Presentation and accuracy of underlying results and 
disclosure of other one-off items (including exceptional 
items) (group)
Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements – Accounting policies 
– Presentation of underlying results, note 2 to the consolidated financial 
statements – Segmental analysis and note 28 to the consolidated 
financial statements – Derivation of summary funds flow statement

In addition to the performance measures prescribed by International 
Financial Reporting Standards, the group also presents its results on 
an underlying basis, as the Directors believe this better reflects the  
performance of the group during the year. The group also presents a 
free cash flow metric which the Directors believe reflects the cash 
generated from underlying trading. This differs from the cash flows 
presented in the consolidated cash flow statement. 

The underlying results differ significantly from the reported statutory 
results  and  are  used  extensively  to  explain  performance  to  
shareholders. Alternative performance measures can provide investors 
with additional understanding of the group’s performance if consistently 
calculated, properly used and presented. However, when improperly 
used and presented, these non-GAAP measures can mislead investors 
and may mask the real financial performance and position. There is 
judgement in determining whether items should be excluded from 
underlying profit or free cash flow. 

A key adjustment between the statutory results and the underlying 
results relates to the foreign exchange rates used to translate foreign 
currency transactions and balances. The underlying results reflect the 
achieved rate on foreign currency derivative contracts settled in the 
period and retranslates assets and liabilities at the foreign currency 
rates at which they are expected to be realised or settled in the future. 
As the group can influence which derivative contracts are settled in 
each reporting period it has the ability to influence the achieved rate 
and hence the underlying results. 

One  of  the  items  excluded  from  underlying  profit  is  exceptional  
restructuring costs associated with the new transformation programme. 
Judgement is required to determine what costs are related to this 
programme to warrant exclusion from underlying profit.

Recoverability of the company’s investments in subsidiary 
undertakings (company)
Note 2 to the company financial statements – Investments – subsidiary 
undertakings 

Investments in subsidiary undertakings of £14,810m (2022: £14,762m) 
are accounted for at cost less provision for impairment in the company 
balance sheet at 31 December 2023� 

Investments are tested for impairment if impairment indicators exist. If 
such indicators exist, the recoverable amounts of the investments in 
subsidiaries are estimated in order to determine the extent of the 
impairment loss, if any. Any such impairment loss is recognised in the 
income statement� 

A review of potential indicators of impairment was performed by  
management focusing on the developments in the year, concluding 
that no such indicators were present and therefore that the investments’ 
carrying values remain recoverable.

We have considered the judgements taken by management to determine 
what should be treated as an exceptional item and the translation of 
foreign  currency  amounts  and  obtained  corroborative  evidence  
for these. 

We also considered whether there were items that were recorded within 
underlying profit that are exceptional in nature and should be reported 
as an exceptional item. No such material items were identified. As part 
of this assessment we challenged management’s rationale for the  
designation of certain items as exceptional or one-off and assessed 
such items against the group’s accounting policy, considering the nature 
and value of those items. 

Within underlying results, foreign currency transactions are presented 
at rates achieved on derivative contracts hedging the net operating 
cash  flows  of  the  group  and  monetary  assets  and  liabilities  are  
retranslated at rates forecast to be achieved on derivative contracts 
when the associated cash flows occur. We have agreed these forecast 
rates to the profile of the derivatives that are expected to mature in the 
future and tested their application to the relevant monetary assets  
and liabilities.

We tested the reconciling items between the underlying operating 
profit and free cash flow disclosed in note 28 including verifying that 
the items adjusted for are consistent with the prior period. This included 
validating a sample of restructuring costs and verifying that the costs 
were sufficiently related to the announced transformation programme. 
We also considered whether free cash flow contains material one-off 
items which require further disclosure. 

We assessed the appropriateness and completeness of disclosures of 
the impact of one-off or non-underlying items primarily in notes 1, 2 
and 28 to the consolidated financial statements and found them to be 
appropriate. This included assessing the explanations management 
provided on the reconciling items between underlying performance 
and statutory performance in note 2.

Overall  we  found  that  the  classification  judgements  made  by  
management were in line with their policy for underlying results and 
exceptional items, had been consistently applied and there are no 
material uncorrected misstatements resulting from our testing.

We evaluated management’s assessment of whether any potential 
indicators of impairment existed at 31 December 2023. In doing this, 
we considered the market capitalisation of the company at 31 December 
2023, which exceeded the carrying value of investments in subsidiary 
undertakings. We also considered the latest expected performance of 
the group by comparing the latest cash flow forecasts audited as part 
of other key audit matters to those estimated in the 2022 impairment 
model as well as the performance in the year.

Overall, we found that management’s judgement that there has been 
no indicator of potential impairment to be appropriate.

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OTHER INFORMATIONINDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

How we tailored the audit scope
We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an opinion on the financial statements as a whole, 
taking into account the structure of the group and the company, the accounting processes and controls, and the industry in which they operate.

Our scoping is based on the group’s consolidation structure. We define a component as a single reporting unit which feeds into the group 
consolidation. Of the group’s 324 reporting components, 35 individual components (including three joint ventures) were subject to full scope 
audits for group purposes, which following an element of sub-consolidation, equates to 16 group reporting opinions; and nine components 
performed targeted specified audit procedures.

In order to achieve audit coverage over the financial statements, under our audit methodology, we test both the design and operation of relevant 
business process controls and perform substantive testing over each financial statement line item.

The group operates Finance Service Centres (FSCs) to bulk process financial transactions in Derby (UK), Indianapolis (US) and Bengaluru (India). 
Based on our assessment it is not possible to fully test revenue and profit centrally as certain key processes, such as long-term contracting, 
remain within the business due to their nature and are not handled by the FSCs.

Our audit covered 96% of revenue, 76% of profit before tax and 90% of total assets. All entities that contribute in excess of 1% of the group’s 
revenue were included in scope.

Further specific audit procedures over central functions, the group consolidation and areas of significant judgement (including corporate  
taxation, certain goodwill balances and intangible assets, treasury and post-retirement benefits) were performed by the group audit team.

Where work was performed by component auditors, we determined the level of involvement we needed to have in the audit work at those  
reporting units to be able to conclude whether sufficient appropriate audit evidence had been obtained as a basis for our opinion on the  
consolidated financial statements.

We issued formal written instructions to all component auditors setting out the audit work to be performed by each of them and maintained 
regular communication with the component auditors throughout the audit cycle. These interactions included attending certain component 
clearance meetings and holding regular conference calls, as well as reviewing and assessing any matters reported. The group engagement team 
also reviewed selected audit working papers for certain component teams to evaluate the sufficiency of audit evidence obtained and fully 
understand the matters arising from the component audits.

In addition, senior members of the group engagement team have visited component teams across all group’s major segments in the UK, US and 
Germany. These visits were in-person for these locations. They included meetings with the component auditor and with local management.

Reflective of its nature, our audit of the company financial statements focused on the investments in subsidiary undertakings and validating 
amounts owed to subsidiary undertakings.

The impact of climate risk on our audit
As part of our audit we made enquiries of management to understand the process they adopted to assess the extent of the potential impact of 
climate risk on the group’s and company’s financial statements and to support the disclosures made within the Sustainability section of the  
Strategic report. In addition to enquiries with management, we understood the governance process in place to assess climate risk, reviewed the 
group’s assessment of climate related risk including both physical and transition risks and read additional reporting made on climate related 
matters, including its CDP public submission and the group’s disclosures in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial disclosure  
(TCFD) framework.

We held meetings with management including the group’s sustainability team to consider the completeness of management’s climate risk  
assessment and its consistency with internal climate plans and board minutes, including whether the time horizons management have used take 
account of all relevant aspects of climate change such as transition risks. We also considered the consistency with the group’s communications 
on climate related impacts. The group’s short and medium term targets are currently under review, although it remains committed to emission 
reductions. The group has also set out net zero 2050 commitments, albeit the pathway to this is not fully developed.

We considered the following areas which depend on medium to long-term profit or cash flow forecasts to potentially be materially impacted by 
climate risk and consequently we focused our audit work in these areas: long-term contract accounting in the UK Civil business (including  
contract loss provisions); the recoverability of deferred tax assets in the UK and the recoverability of the carrying value of goodwill and certain 
intangible assets. Our findings were reported to and discussed with the Audit Committee and management. Where significant, further details of 
how climate change has been considered in these areas and our audit response is given in the key audit matters above.

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To respond to the audit risks identified in these areas we tailored our audit approach to address these, in particular, we:

 — Deployed our valuation experts to benchmark carbon pricing and key commodity price forecasts against forecasts of future prices and found 
them to be materially reasonable. These have been incorporated by management in their forecasts of the group’s future cost base for  
long-term contract accounting and associated provisions as well as scenarios utilised in assessing the recoverability of deferred tax assets, 
goodwill and other assets;

 — Considered the reasonableness of management’s assertion that climate change is unlikely to have a material impact on aviation demand by 
comparing management’s EFH forecasts against other industry benchmarks and considering the sensitivity of EFH to different GDP growth 
rates expected under differing climate scenarios;

 — Verifying that estimates of capital and cash costs from reductions to the group’s scope 1 and scope 2 emissions have been incorporated in the 
group’s forecasts including those used for going concern and the disclosures around the viability of the group that are included in the  
Strategic Report;

 — Considered whether management had adequately reflected the risk of regulatory changes or demand changes to the extent known in the 
useful economic lives and recoverable value of other intangible assets including those related to diesel engines produced by Power Systems;

 — Validated management’s judgement that climate change is unlikely to have a material impact on other estimates at 31 December 2023  
including the recoverability of inventory or the expected credit loss provision associated with trade receivables and contract assets by  
considering the short timeframe these assets are expected to be utilised compared to the period over which transition and physical risks are 
expected to arise; and 

 — Where appropriate, performed independent sensitivity analysis to determine to what extent reasonably possible changes in the climate related 
assumptions in the group’s forecasts could result in material changes to the impacted balances and assessed the appropriateness of the  
associated disclosures.

We also considered the consistency of the disclosures in relation to climate change (including the disclosures in the Sustainability section of the 
Strategic Report) within the Annual Report and our knowledge obtained from our audit. This included considering the models management used 
in  the  TCFD  scenario  analysis  and  if  the  assumptions  in  those  models  are  consistent  with  the  assumptions  used  elsewhere  in  the  
financial statements.

As disclosed within the Sustainability section of the Strategic Report the achievement of net zero by 2050 will require significant change across 
the aviation sector in particular, including widespread adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuels or other alternative fuel sources. Management has 
not included the incremental cost of this in its longer term forecasts, based on the assumptions that such costs can be passed onto customers 
and will occur after the average life of the current existing contracts.

Our procedures did not identify any material impact in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole for the year ended  
31 December 2023. The future estimated financial impacts of climate risk are clearly uncertain given the medium to long-term timeframes involved 
and their dependency on how governments, global markets, corporations and society respond to the issue of climate change and the speed of 
technological advancements that may be necessary. Accordingly, financial statements cannot capture all possible future outcomes as these are 
not yet known.

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203

OTHER INFORMATIONINDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Materiality
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. These, together 
with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures on the 
individual financial statement line items and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements, both individually and in aggregate on the 
financial statements as a whole.

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows:

Financial statements – group

Financial statements – company

Overall materiality

£93m (2022: £80m).

£147m (2022: £147m).

How we determined it

Rationale for benchmark 
applied

Approximately  0.6%  of  underlying  revenue  (2022:  
approximately  0.6%  of  five  year  average  underlying  
revenues from continuing operations).

We have consistently used underlying revenue to determine 
materiality as opposed to a profit based benchmark. This 
is because there is considerable volatility in profit before 
tax as a result of revenue recognition under IFRS 15 and 
from the fair value movement in the group’s derivatives. 
Underlying revenue continues to be a key performance 
metric for the group and is more stable than the profit 
metric. Reflecting the reduced impact that the COVID-19 
pandemic has had on the group’s revenue in the year, we 
have reverted back to basing our materiality on in-year 
underlying revenue only.

Approximately 1.0% of total assets.

We determined our materiality based on total assets, which 
is more applicable than a performance-related measure 
as the company is an investment holding company for the 
group. The higher company materiality level was used for 
the purposes of testing balances not relevant to the group 
audit, such as investments in subsidiary undertakings and 
intercompany balances�

For each component in the scope of our group audit, we allocated a materiality that is less than our overall group materiality. The range of 
materiality allocated across components was between £4m and £70m. Certain components were audited to a local statutory audit materiality 
that was also less than our overall group materiality.

We use performance materiality to reduce to an appropriately low level the probability that the aggregate of uncorrected and undetected  
misstatements exceeds overall materiality. Specifically, we use performance materiality in determining the scope of our audit and the nature and 
extent of our testing of account balances, classes of transactions and disclosures, for example in determining sample sizes. Our performance 
materiality was 75% (2022: 75%) of overall materiality, amounting to £70m (2022: £60m) for the group financial statements and £110m (2022: £110m) 
for the company financial statements.

In determining the performance materiality, we considered a number of factors – the history of misstatements, risk assessment and aggregation 
risk and the effectiveness of controls – and concluded that an amount at the upper end of our normal range was appropriate.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified during our audit above £3m (group audit)  
(2022: £3m) and £7m (company audit) (2022: £7m) as well as misstatements below those amounts that, in our view, warranted reporting for  
qualitative reasons.

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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Conclusions relating to going concern
Our evaluation of the directors’ assessment of the group’s and the company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of  
accounting included:

 — Testing the model used for management’s going concern assessment which is primarily a liquidity assessment given there are no significant 
financial covenants in its committed debt facilities. Management’s assessment covered the 18 months to August 2025. We focused on this 
period and also considered the subsequent four months to the end of 2025;

 — Management’s base case forecasts are based on its normal budget and forecasting process for each of its businesses for the next five years. 
We understood and assessed this process by business including the assumptions used for 2024 and 2025 and assessed whether there was 
adequate support for these assumptions. We also considered the reasonableness of the monthly phasing of cash flows. A similar assessment 
was performed on the stressed downside cash flows, including understanding of the scenarios modelled by management, how they were 
quantified and the resultant monthly phasing of the stressed downside cash flow forecast;

 — We have read and understood the key terms of all committed debt facilities to understand any terms, covenants or undertakings that may 

impact the availability of the facility;

 — Using our knowledge from the audit and assessment of previous forecasting accuracy we calculated our own sensitivities to apply to  
management’s cash flow forecasts. We overlaid these on management’s forecasts to arrive at our own view of management’s downside forecasts. 
This included consideration of management’s assessment of the impact of climate change and the likelihood of any downside risks crystallising 
in the period to August 2025;

 — We considered the potential mitigating actions that management may have available to it to reduce costs, manage cash flows or raise additional 

financing and assessed whether these were within the control of management and possible in the period of the assessment; and

 — We assessed the adequacy of disclosures in the Going concern statement and statements in note 1 of the consolidated and company financial 

statements and found these appropriately reflect the key areas of uncertainty identified.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or 
collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group’s and the company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve 
months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of 
the financial statements is appropriate.

However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this conclusion is not a guarantee as to the group’s and the company’s 
ability to continue as a going concern.

In relation to the directors’ reporting on how they have applied the UK Corporate Governance Code, we have nothing material to add or draw 
attention to in relation to the directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether the directors considered it appropriate to adopt the 
going concern basis of accounting.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our auditors’ report thereon. 
The directors are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, 
accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in this report, any form of assurance thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether 
the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be 
materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to  
conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on 
the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.  
We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities.

With respect to the Strategic report and Directors’ report, we also considered whether the disclosures required by the UK Companies Act 2006 
have been included.

Based on our work undertaken in the course of the audit, the Companies Act 2006 requires us also to report certain opinions and matters as 
described below.

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OTHER INFORMATIONINDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Strategic report and Directors’ report
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the Strategic report and Directors’ report  
for the year ended 31 December 2023 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with applicable  
legal requirements.

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we did not 
identify any material misstatements in the Strategic report and Directors’ report.

Directors’ Remuneration
In our opinion, the part of the Remuneration Committee report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies 
Act 2006.

Corporate governance statement
The Listing Rules require us to review the directors’ statements in relation to going concern, longer-term viability and that part of the corporate 
governance statement relating to the company’s compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review. 
Our additional responsibilities with respect to the corporate governance statement as other information are described in the Reporting on other 
information section of this report.

Based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded that each of the following elements of the corporate governance  
statement, included within the governance report is materially consistent with the financial statements and our knowledge obtained during the 
audit, and we have nothing material to add or draw attention to in relation to:

 — The directors’ confirmation that they have carried out a robust assessment of the emerging and principal risks;

 — The disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those principal risks, what procedures are in place to identify emerging risks and an  

explanation of how these are being managed or mitigated;

 — The directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether they considered it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of  
accounting in preparing them, and their identification of any material uncertainties to the group’s and company’s ability to continue to do so 
over a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements;

 — The directors’ explanation as to their assessment of the group’s and company’s prospects, the period this assessment covers and why the 

period is appropriate; and

 — The directors’ statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that the company will be able to continue in operation and meet 
its liabilities as they fall due over the period of its assessment, including any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary  
qualifications or assumptions.

Our review of the directors’ statement regarding the longer-term viability of the group and company was substantially less in scope than an audit 
and only consisted of making inquiries and considering the directors’ process supporting their statement; checking that the statement is in 
alignment with the relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code; and considering whether the statement is consistent with the 
financial statements and our knowledge and understanding of the group and company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit.

In addition, based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded that each of the following elements of the corporate  
governance statement is materially consistent with the financial statements and our knowledge obtained during the audit:

 — The directors’ statement that they consider the Annual Report, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable, and provides the  

information necessary for the members to assess the group’s and company’s position, performance, business model and strategy;

 — The section of the Annual Report that describes the review of effectiveness of risk management and internal control systems; and

 — The section of the Annual Report describing the work of the Audit Committee.

We have nothing to report in respect of our responsibility to report when the directors’ statement relating to the company’s compliance with the 
Code does not properly disclose a departure from a relevant provision of the Code specified under the Listing Rules for review by the auditors.

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Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ responsibilities in respect of the Financial Statements, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. 
The directors are also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s and the company’s ability to continue as a going 
concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either 
intend to liquidate the group or the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether 
due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a 
guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise 
from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, 
outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of 
detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Based on our understanding of the group and industry, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related 
to the regulations of country aviation authorities such as the Civil Aviation Authority, import and export restrictions including sanctions, and the 
UK Bribery Act, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also  
considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the financial statements such as the Listing Rules of the UK Financial Conduct 
Authority, the Companies Act 2006 and tax legislation. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation 
of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to (1) posting  
inappropriate journal entries to manipulate financial results; (2) management bias in accounting estimates such as long-term contract accounting 
and associated provisions; (3) the sale of Civil engines to joint ventures for no clear commercial purpose or above market prices; and  
(4) inappropriately including or excluding transactions from the group’s underlying or free cash flow alternative performance metrics. The group 
engagement team shared this risk assessment with the component auditors so that they could include appropriate audit procedures in response 
to such risks in their work. Audit procedures performed by the group engagement team and/or component auditors included:

 — Discussions throughout the year with management, internal audit, the group’s legal counsel, and the head of ethics and compliance, including 

consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and fraud;

 — Reading the minutes of the group’s Safety, Energy Transition & Tech Committee and assessment of ‘speak-up’ matters reported through the 

group’s Ethics Line and the results of management’s investigation of such matters;

 — Verifying sales of spare engines to joint ventures are in line with the approved timetable and are at a price supported by external valuation;

 — Reading the minutes of Board meetings to identify any inconsistencies with other information provided by management;

 — Reviewing legal expense accounts to identify significant legal spend that may be indicative of non-compliance with laws and regulations;

 — Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in determining significant accounting estimates (because of the risk of  

management bias), in particular in relation to long-term contract accounting and associated provisions;

 — Identifying and testing unusual journal entries, in particular journal entries posted with unusual account combinations, and testing all material 

consolidation journals; and

 — Challenging why certain items are excluded or included from underlying profit or free cash flow and review of disclosures included in the 

Annual Report explaining and reconciling alternative performance measures to statutory metrics.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with 
laws and regulations that are not closely related to events and transactions reflected in the financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting 
a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment 
by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

Our audit testing might include testing complete populations of certain transactions and balances, possibly using data auditing techniques. 
However, it typically involves selecting a limited number of items for testing, rather than testing complete populations. We will often seek to 
target particular items for testing based on their size or risk characteristics. In other cases, we will use audit sampling to enable us to draw a 
conclusion about the population from which the sample is selected.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the FRC’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditors 
responsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

207

OTHER INFORMATIONINDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT

Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the company’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 
16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other 
purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent 
in writing.

Other required reporting
Companies Act 2006 exception reporting
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

 — we have not obtained all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

 — adequate accounting records have not been kept by the company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches 

not visited by us; or

 — certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

 — the company financial statements and the part of the Remuneration Committee report to be audited are not in agreement with the accounting 

records and returns.

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility.

Appointment
Following the recommendation of the Audit Committee, we were appointed by the members on 3 May 2018 to audit the financial statements for 
the year ended 31 December 2018 and subsequent financial periods. The period of total uninterrupted engagement is six years, covering the 
years ended 31 December 2018 to 31 December 2023.

Other matter
In due course, as required by the Financial Conduct Authority Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 4.1.14R, these financial statements 
will form part of the ESEF-prepared annual financial report filed on the National Storage Mechanism of the Financial Conduct Authority in 
accordance with the ESEF Regulatory Technical Standard (‘ESEF RTS’). This auditors’ report provides no assurance over whether the annual 
financial report will be prepared using the single electronic format specified in the ESEF RTS.

Ian Morrison (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
London
22 February 2024

208

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Sustainability assurance statement

Independent assurance report

To the stakeholders of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
1. Introduction and objectives of work
Bureau  Veritas  UK  Limited  (Bureau  Veritas)  has  been  engaged  by  
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (Rolls-Royce) to provide limited assurance of its 
selected sustainability performance indicators for inclusion in its 2023 
Annual Report (the ‘Report’). The objective is to provide assurance to  
Rolls-Royce and its stakeholders over the accuracy and reliability of the 
reported information and data.

2. Scope of work
The  scope  of  our  work  was  limited  to  assurance  over  the  following  
information  included  within  the  Report  for  the  period  1  January  to  
31 December 2023 (the ‘Selected Information’):
 — Total Energy Consumption;
 — Total Scope 1 + 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions (market based):  
Operations and facility emissions (excluding product testing activities);

 — Total Solid and Liquid Waste Generated;
 — Recycling and Recovery Rate (%);
 — Number of Total Reportable Injuries;
 — Number of People Reached Through Science, Technology, Engineering 

and Mathematics (STEM) Education Outreach Programmes; and

 — Employee Engagement Score – ‘grand mean’ and increase compared  

to 2022�

3. Reporting criteria
The Selected Information needs to be read and understood together with 
the Rolls-Royce ‘Sustainability Data Basis of Reporting’, a copy of which is 
set out at www.rollsroyce.com/sustainability/performance/reporting-
approach.aspx. These internal definitions draw on externally available 
guidance, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and  
Reporting standard (revised edition).

4. Limitations and exclusions
Excluded  from  the  scope  of  our  work  is  assurance  of  information  
relating to:
 — activities outside the defined assurance period;
 — positional  statements  of  a  descriptive  or  interpretative  nature,  
or of opinion, belief, aspiration or commitment to undertake future  
actions; and

 — other information included in the Report other than the Selected  
Information, including but not limited to normalised figures, total  
reportable injury rate etc.

The following limitations should be noted:
 — This limited assurance engagement relies on a risk-based selected  
sample  of  sustainability  data  and  the  associated  limitations  that  
this entails.

 — The reliability of the reported data is dependent on the accuracy of 
metering and other production measurement arrangements employed 
at site level, not addressed as part of this assurance.

 — This independent statement should not be relied upon to detect all errors, 

omissions or misstatements that may exist.

 — For  the  sites  Solihull,  Raynesway  and  Barnoldswick  (collectively  
contributing approximately 7% of the total waste reported by Rolls-Royce) 
we received excel reports from the third-party waste management  
provider as evidence but additional waste documentation (waste transfer 
notes, consignment notes, invoices) were not provided for all the waste 
movements sampled within the timeframe.

 — For Aiken site, we did not receive evidence for the liquid waste reported 
by the site, as the documentation was not available within the timeframe. 
The liquid waste from Aiken contributes approximately 1% of the total 
waste reported by Rolls-Royce.

5. Responsibilities
This preparation and presentation of the Selected Information in the Report 
are the sole responsibility of the management of Rolls-Royce.

Bureau Veritas was not involved in the drafting of the Report or of the 
Reporting Criteria. Our responsibilities were to:
 — obtain limited assurance about whether the Selected Information has 

been prepared in accordance with the Reporting Criteria;

 — form an independent conclusion based on the assurance procedures 

performed and evidence obtained; and

 — report our conclusions to the directors of Rolls-Royce.

6. Assessment standard
We performed our work to a limited level of assurance in accordance with 
International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 Revised, 
Assurance Engagements Other than Audits or Reviews of Historical  
Financial Information (effective for assurance reports dated on or after 
December 15, 2015), issued by the International Auditing and Assurance 
Standards Board.

7. Summary of work performed
As part of our independent assurance our work included:
1�  Conducting interviews with relevant personnel of Rolls-Royce, including 

the central corporate team and representatives from nine sites;

2�  Reviewing the data collection and consolidation processes used to 
compile Selected Information, including assessing assumptions made 
and the data scope and reporting boundaries;

3�  Reviewing documentary evidence provided by Rolls-Royce;
4�  Agreeing a selection of the Selected Information to the corresponding 

source documentation;

5�  Reviewing Rolls-Royce systems for quantitative data aggregation  

and analysis;

6�  Assessing  the  disclosure  and  presentation  of  the  Selected  

Information to ensure consistency with assured information;

7�  Carrying out six remote site visits to Aiken, USA; Friedrichshafen,  
Germany; Indianapolis, USA; Raynesway, UK; Solihull, UK; Tukang,  
Singapore, and three physical site visits Barnoldswick (Bankfield), UK; 
EMA, Italy; and Magdeburg, Germany selected on a risk-based basis 
following  discussion  with  Bureau  Veritas  and  Rolls  Royce,  with  
consideration  of  contribution  to  assured  data,  geographical  
contribution and type of operations;

8�  Re-performing  a  selection  of  aggregation  calculations  of  the  

Selected Information; and

9�  Re-performing greenhouse gas emissions conversions calculations.

A 5% materiality threshold was applied to this assurance. It should be noted 
that the procedures performed in a limited assurance engagement vary in 
nature and timing from, and are less in extent than for, a reasonable  
assurance engagement. Consequently, the level of assurance obtained in 
a limited assurance engagement is substantially lower than the assurance 
that would have been obtained had a reasonable assurance engagement 
been performed.

8. Conclusion
On the basis of our methodology and the activities and limitations described 
above nothing has come to our attention to indicate that the Selected 
Information is not fairly stated in all material respects.

9. Statement of independence, integrity and competence
Bureau Veritas is an independent professional services company that  
specialises  in  quality,  environmental,  health,  safety  and  social  
accountability with over 190 years history. Its assurance team has extensive 
experience in conducting verification over environmental, social, ethical 
and health and safety information, systems and processes.

Bureau Veritas operates a certified 1 Quality Management System which 
complies with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, and accordingly maintains 
a comprehensive system of quality control including documented policies 
and  procedures  regarding  compliance  with  ethical  requirements,  
professional standards, quality reviews and applicable legal and regulatory 
requirements which we consider to be equivalent to ISQM 1 & 2 2�

Bureau Veritas has implemented and applies a Code of Ethics, which meets 
the requirements of the International Federation of Inspections Agencies 
(IFIA) 3, across the business to ensure that its employees maintain integrity, 
objectivity,  professional  competence  and  due  care,  confidentiality,  
professional behaviour and high ethical standards in their day-to-day  
business activities. We consider this to be equivalent to the requirements 
of the IESBA code 4. The assurance team for this work does not have any 
involvement in any other Bureau Veritas projects with Rolls-Royce.

Bureau Veritas UK Limited
Registered in England & Wales, Company Number: 1758622
Registered Office: Suite 206 Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway,  
Birmingham, B24 9FD
London, 13 February 2024

1  Certificate available on request
2  International Standard on Quality Management 1 (Previously International Standard on 

Quality Control 1) & International Standard on Quality Management 2

3  International Federation of Inspection Agencies – Compliance Code – Third Edition
4  Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants issued by the International Ethics Standards 

Board for Accountants

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

209

OTHER INFORMATIONGreenhouse gas emissions

In 2023, our total gross Scope 1 + 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 328,277 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This represents 
a decrease of 14% compared with 381,530 tCO2e in 2022�

Aspect

tCO2e

2019

2020

2021

2022

 154,353 

 150,169 

 146,666 

 129,705 

2023

 109,257 

Global
(excluding UK)

UK
Global
(excluding UK)

UK
Global
(excluding UK)
UK
Global
(excluding UK) 

Emissions from activities for which the 
Company own or control including the 
combustion of fuel and operation of  
facilities. [Direct GHG Emissions (Scope 1)]

Emissions from the purchase of electricity, 
heat, steam and cooling purchased for our 
own use. [Indirect GHG Emissions (Scope 2) 
location-based]

Total gross GHG emissions

Energy consumption used to calculate above 
emissions – kWh

Intensity Ratio (total GHG emissions per £m 
revenue)
Emissions from the purchase of electricity, 
heat, steam and cooling purchased for our 
own use. [Indirect GHG Emissions (Scope 2) 
market-based]

Outside of Scopes

Additional supporting information
Electricity purchased from renewable 
sources – kWh

Energy generated on-site from renewable 
sources – kWh

 90,540 
 120,836 

 84,684 
 98,816 

 72,689 
 101,916 

 101,389 
 97,682 

 72,346 
 88,504 

 80,469 
 275,189 

 60,945 
 248,985 

 53,608 
 248,582 

 52,754 
 227,387 

 58,170 
 197,761 

 171,009 
 1,045,900,361 

 145,629 
 950,440,181 

 126,297 
 915,918,407 

 154,143 
 853,562,740 

 130,516 
 766,756,722 

UK  740,382,626 
 27�9 

Total

 656,739,567 
 34�3 

 591,579,063 
 33�4 

 733,201,790 
 28�3 

 631,964,645 
 19.9 

Global
(excluding UK)

UK
Global
(excluding UK)
UK

Global
 (including UK)

Global
 (including UK)

 303 

 2,023 

 203 

 4,294 

 751 

 1,707 
 – 

 1,900 
 – 

 1,830 
 – 

 1,033 
 – 

 1,326 
 – 

 20,743 

 45,213 

 23,614 

 2,802 

 2,960 

 245,314,593 

 304,067,206 

 297,013,845 

 306,978,404 

 307,898,844 

 7,517,844 

 7,401,115 

 3,350,779 

 9,209,251 

 13,849,461 

The above figures include 307,898,844 kWh of renewable energy 
purchases either backed by the Renewable Energy Guarantees of 
Origin (REGO) scheme in the UK or the Guarantees of Origin (GoO) 
from a relevant EU Member State. This energy is used by the majority 
of our facilities in the UK and Germany. The source in the UK includes 
a proportion of electricity that was generated by the combustion of 
biofuel. The associated emissions are included above under the location 
based Scope 2 emissions (using grid average emission factors). They 
are also reported separately as market-based Scope 2 emissions  
(covering the emissions of nitrous oxide and methane) and Outside of 
Scopes (covering the emissions of carbon dioxide). In addition, the 
above figures include 13,849,461 kWh of electricity and heat generated 
on-site from renewable energy sources, including solar panels and 
ground source heat pumps.

We include the reporting of fugitive emissions of hydrofluorocarbons 
(HFCs), associated with air conditioning equipment, into our GHG  
emissions figures. These include emissions from our facilities in the US 
and Canada only. We do not anticipate that emissions from other  
facilities will have a significant impact on the above figures. 

With the exceptions noted above, we have reported on the underlying 
energy use and emission sources required under the Companies  
(Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and 
Carbon Report) Regulations 2018. In accordance with these regulations, 
the above statement excludes emissions associated with the ITP Aero 
business, sold on 15 September 2022. Historical data has been restated 
to reflect this. All these sources fall within the scope of our Consolidated 
Financial Statements�

We have used the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting 
Standard  (revised  edition)  as  of  31  December  2014  utilising  the  
operational control approach, supplemented by the GHG Reporting 
Guidance for the Aerospace Industry (version 3) and emission factors 
from the UK Government’s GHG Conversion Factors for Company 
Reporting 2023. We report our emissions of: carbon dioxide; methane; 
nitrous oxide; hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons on a carbon 
dioxide equivalent basis. We had no emissions of sulphur hexafluoride 
or nitrogen trioxide. 

Further details on our methodology for reporting and the criteria  
used can be found within our basis of reporting, available to download 
at www.rolls-royce.com

210

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
Other financial information

Investments and capital expenditure
The Group subjects all major investments and capital expenditure to a 
rigorous examination of risks and future cash flows. Investments and 
capital expenditure must align to the Group’s strategy and create 
shareholder value. All major investments, including the launch of major 
programmes, require Board approval.

The Group has a portfolio of projects at different stages of their  
lifecycles. All of our major investments and projects are assessed using 
a range of financial metrics, including discounted cash flow and return 
on investment.

Financial risk management
The Board has established a structured approach to financial risk 
management. The Financial risk committee (Frc) is accountable for 
managing, reporting and mitigating the Group’s financial risks and 
exposures. These risks include the Group’s principal counterparty, 
currency, interest rate, commodity price, liquidity and credit rating 
risks outlined in more depth in note 20. The Frc is chaired by the Chief 
Financial Officer. The Group has a comprehensive financial risk policy 
that advocates the use of financial instruments to manage and hedge 
business operations risks that arise from movements in financial,  
commodities, credit or money markets. The Group’s policy is not to 
engage in speculative financial transactions. The Frc sits quarterly to 
review and assess the key risks and agree any mitigating actions required.

Capital structure

£m
Total equity
Cash flow hedges
Group capital
Net debt

2023
(3,629)
(12)
(3,641)
(1,952)

2022
(6,016)
(26)
(6,042)
(3,251)

Operations are funded through various shareholders’ funds, bank  
borrowings, bonds and notes. The capital structure of the Group reflects 
the judgement of the Board as to the appropriate balance of funding 
required. Funding is secured by the Group’s continued access to the 
global debt markets. Borrowings are funded in various currencies using 
derivatives where appropriate to achieve a required currency and 
interest rate profile. The Board’s objective is to retain sufficient  
financial investments and undrawn facilities to ensure that the Group 
can both meet its medium-term operational commitments and cope 
with unforeseen obligations and opportunities.

The Group holds cash and short-term investments which, together with 
the undrawn committed facilities, enable it to manage its liquidity risk.

Foreign exchange
Foreign exchange rate movements influence the reported income 
statement, the cash flow and closing net debt balance. The average 
and spot rates for the principal trading currencies of the Group are 
shown in the table below:

USD per GBP

EUR per GBP

Year-end spot rate
Average spot rate
Year-end spot rate
Average spot rate

2023
1.27
1.24
1.15
1.15

2022
1�20
1�24
1�13
1�17

Change
+6%
0%
+2%
-2%

The Group’s global corporate income tax contribution
The Group’s total corporation tax payments in 2023 were £172m. Around 
90% of this was paid in the US, Germany, Singapore and Canada. 
Together with the UK, the operations in these countries are where the 
majority of the Group’s business is undertaken and employees are 
based. Although the UK group was profitable in 2023, UK tax payments 
were not material due to the availability of losses and other tax reliefs 
which have been brought forward from loss making years. The balance 
of tax payments were made in around 40 other countries. 

In common with most multinational groups, the total of all profits and 
losses for corporate income tax purposes is not the same as the  
consolidated loss before taxation reported on page 114.

The main reasons for this are:
(i) 

the consolidated income statement is prepared under IFRS, whereas 
the corporate income tax profits and losses for each company are 
determined by local tax accounting rules;

(ii)  accounting rules require certain income and costs relating to our 
commercial activities to be eliminated from, or added to, the  
aggregate  of  all  the  profits  of  the  Group  companies  when  
preparing the consolidated income statement (consolidation  
adjustments); and

(iii)  specific tax rules including exemptions or incentives as determined 

by the tax laws in each country.

In most cases, paragraphs (i) and (ii) above are only a matter of timing 
and therefore tax will be paid in an earlier or later year. The impact of 
paragraph (iii) above will often be permanent, depending on the  
relevant tax law. Further information on the tax position of the Group 
can be found as follows:

 — Audit Committee Report (page 80) – updates given to the Audit 

Committee during the year;

 — note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements (page 122) – details 

of key areas of uncertainty and accounting policies for tax;

 — note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements (pages 145 to 148); 

and

 — Details of the tax balances in the Consolidated Financial Statements 
together with a tax reconciliation. This explains the main drivers of 
the tax rate and the impact of our assessment on the recovery of UK 
deferred tax assets.

Information on the approach to managing the Group’s tax affairs can 
be found at www.rolls-royce.com

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

211

OTHER INFORMATIONOTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION

During the year to 31 December 2023, the Group cancelled its undrawn 
£1bn bank loan facility, which was due to mature in January 2024 and 
its undrawn UKEF £1bn facility, which was due to mature in March 2026. 
These facilities had remained undrawn during the year. In addition, the 
Group replaced the £2,500m committed bank borrowing facility with 
a new £2,500m facility with a maturity date of November 2026 with the 
banks having the option to extend with two one-year extension options 
(3+1+1).

At the year end, the Group retained aggregate liquidity of £7.2bn, 
including cash and cash equivalents of £3.7bn and undrawn borrowing 
facilities of £3.5bn.

The Group has one material debt maturity in 2024. The maturity profile 
of  the  borrowing  facilities  is  regularly  reviewed  to  ensure  that  
refinancing levels are manageable in the context of the business and 
market conditions. There are no rating triggers in any borrowing  
facility that would require the facility to be accelerated or repaid due 
to an adverse movement in the Group’s credit rating. The Group  
conducts some of its business through a number of joint ventures. A 
major proportion of the debt of these joint ventures is secured on the 
assets of the respective companies and is non-recourse to the Group. 
This debt is further outlined in note 17.

Credit rating

£m
Moody’s Investors Service
Standard & Poor’s
Fitch

Rating
Ba2
BB+
BB+

Outlook
Positive
Positive
Positive

The Group subscribes to Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch for 
independent long-term credit ratings with the ratings in the table above 
being applicable at the date of this report.

Accounting
The  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  have  been  prepared  in  
accordance with IFRS, as adopted by the UK.

During the year, the Group adopted IFRS 17 described on page 125. The 
Group identified that the Standard will impact the results of its captive 
insurance company as it issues insurance contracts, however, since the 
contracts insure other group companies, there is no material impact on 
the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Group also concluded that 
its parent company guarantee arrangements in the form of financial or 
performance guarantees, that meet the IFRS 17 definition of insurance 
contracts, have no impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements of 
the Group for the year to 31 December 2023.

There are no other new standards or interpretations issued by the IASB 
that had a significant impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Following a review which was prompted by an enquiry arising from a 
review of the Group’s 2022 Annual Report and Accounts by the  
Corporate Reporting Review team of the Financial Reporting Council 
(FRC), cash flows on settlement of excess derivatives have been  
reclassified from cash flows from financing activities to cash flows from 
operating activities in the cash flow statement as a result of a change 
in accounting policy as at 31 December 2023.

The previous classification as cash flows from financing activities was 
based on the Directors judgement of the economic nature of the  
activities as the cash flows relate to cash payments deferred in  
connection with the Group’s action to reduce the size of the USD hedge 
book  by  $11.8bn  across  2020-2026  in  2021.  The  Directors  have  
reassessed their judgement in line with IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows 
and have concluded that it would be more appropriate to classify these 
cash flows as cash flows from operating activities.

As a result of the above, cash flows from operating activities during the 
year to 31 December 2022 have reduced by £(326)m to £1,524m with a 
corresponding decrease in cash outflows from financing activities from 
£(2,866)m to £(2,540)m. There is no impact to the total change in cash 
and cash equivalents or to any alternative performance measures.

The Group does not consider that any standards, amendments or 
interpretations issued by the IASB, but not yet applicable will have a 
significant impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements in 2024.

212

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Reconciliation of alternative performance measures

Alternative performance measures (APMs)
Business performance is reviewed and managed on an underlying basis. These alternative performance measures reflect the economic substance 
of trading in the year. In addition, a number of other APMs are utilised to measure and monitor the Group’s performance.

Definitions and reconciliations to the relevant statutory measure are included below. All comparative periods relate to 31 December 2022. 

Underlying results from continuing operations
Underlying results are presented by recording all relevant revenue and cost of sales transactions at the average exchange rate achieved on 
effective settled derivative contracts in the period that the cash flow occurs. Underlying results also exclude: the effect of acquisition  
accounting and business disposals, impairment of goodwill and other non-current assets where the reasons for the impairment are outside of 
normal operating activities, exceptional items and certain other items which are market driven and outside of managements control. Statutory 
results have been adjusted for discontinued operations and underlying results from continuing operations have been presented on the same 
basis. Further detail can be found in note 2 and note 27. 

Revenue from continuing operations
Statutory revenue
Derivative and FX adjustments
Underlying revenue

Gross profit from continuing operations
Statutory gross profit
Derivative and FX adjustments
Programme exceptional credits
Exceptional transformation and restructuring charges
Acquisition accounting and M&A
Impairments
Underlying gross profit

Commercial and administrative costs from continuing operations
Statutory commercial and administrative (C&A) costs
Derivative and FX adjustments
Exceptional transformation and restructuring charges
Other underlying adjustments
Underlying C&A Costs

Research and development costs from continuing operations
Statutory research and development (R&D) costs
Derivative and FX adjustments
Acquisition accounting 
Underlying R&D costs

Operating profit from continuing operations 
Statutory operating profit
Derivative and FX adjustments
Programme exceptional credits
Exceptional transformation and restructuring charges
Acquisition accounting and M&A
Impairments
Other underlying adjustments
Underlying operating profit
Underlying operating margin 

Basic EPS from continuing operations
Statutory basic EPS

Effect of underlying adjustments to profit/(loss) before tax
Relate tax effects
Basic underlying EPS

2023 
£m

2022 
£m

16,486 
(1,077)
15,409 

13,520 
(829)
12,691 

3,620 
(461)
(21)
55 
46 
(8)
3,231 

(1,110)
1 
47 
(2)
(1,064)

(739)
(4)
4 
(739)

1,944 
(475)
(21)
102 
50 
(8)
(2)
1,590 
10.3%

2,757 
(262)
(69)
8 
53 
(10)
2,477 

(1,077)
(2)
39 
(22)
(1,062)

(891)
– 
5 
(886)

837 
(264)
(69)
47 
58 
65 
(22)
652 
5.1%

2023 
pence

2022 
pence

28.85 

(13.94)
(1.16)
13.75 

(14.24)

20�45 
(4.26)
1�95 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

213

OTHER INFORMATION 
RECONCILIATION OF ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Underlying results from discontinued operations

Results from discontinued operations
Profit for the year from ordinary activities
Loss on disposal of discontinued operations 
Statutory operating loss
Acquisition accounting and M&A
Derivative and FX adjustments
Related tax effects
Underlying operating profit

2023 
£m

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

2022 
£m

68 
(148)
(80)
179 
(1)
(31)
67 

Organic change
Organic change is the measure of change at constant translational currency applying full year 2022 average rates to 2023. The movement in 
underlying change to organic change is reconciled below.

All amounts below and on the following page are shown on an underlying basis and reconciled to the nearest statutory measure above.

Total Group income statement

Underlying revenue

Underlying gross profit
Underlying operating profit
Net financing costs
Underlying profit before taxation
Taxation
Underlying profit for the year (continuing operations)

Civil Aerospace

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit

Defence

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit

2023 
£m
15,409 

3,231 
1,590 
(328)
1,262 
(120)
1,142 

2023 
£m
7,348 
2,703 
4,645 
1,394 
(354)
(343)
153 
850 

2023 
£m
4,077 
1,766 
2,311 
804 
(173)
(72)
3 
562 

2022 
£m
12,691 

2,477 
652 
(446)
206 
(48)
158 

2022 
£m
5,686 
1,982 
3,704 
853 
(371)
(452)
113 
143 

2022 
£m
3,660 
1,634 
2,026 
726 
(174)
(122)
2 
432 

Change 
£m
2,718 

754 
938 
118 
1,056 
(72)
984 

Change 
£m
1,662 
721 
941 
541 
17 
109 
40 
707 

Change 
£m
417 
132 
285 
78 
1 
50 
1 
130 

FX 
£m
88 

22 
5 
– 
5 
(1)
4 

FX 
£m
17 
15 
2 
1 
(1)
(3)
– 
(3)

FX 
£m
(11)
(4)
(7)
– 
(1)
1 
– 
– 

Organic 
change 
£m
2,630 

732 
933 
118 
1,051 
(71)
980 

Organic 
change 
£m
1,645 
706 
939 
540 
18 
112 
40 
710 

Organic 
change 
£m
428 
136 
292 
78 
2 
49 
1 
130 

Organic 
change 
%
21%

30%
143%
(26)%
– 
– 
– 

Organic 
change 
%
29%
36%
25%
63%
(5)%
(25)%
35%
– 

Organic 
change
 %
12%
8%
14%
11%
(1)%
(40)%
50%
30%

214

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

RECONCILIATION OF ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Power Systems

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating profit

New Markets

Underlying revenue
Underlying OE revenue
Underlying services revenue
Underlying gross profit/(loss)
Commercial and administrative costs
Research and development costs
Joint ventures and associates
Underlying operating loss

2023 
£m
3,968 
2,661 
1,307 
1,050 
(456)
(187)
6 
413 

2023 
£m

4 
2 
2 
1 
(24)
(137)
– 
(160)

2022 
£m
3,347 
2,187 
1,160 
918 
(441)
(204)
8 
281 

2022 
£m

3 
1 
2 
(1)
(23)
(108)
– 
(132)

Change 
£m
621 
474 
147 
132 
(15)
17 
(2)
132 

Change 
£m

1 
1 
– 
2 
(1)
(29)
– 
(28)

FX 
£m
82 
55 
27 
21 
(8)
(4)
– 
9 

FX 
£m

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
(2)
– 
(2)

Organic 
change 
£m
539 
419 
120 
111 
(7)
21 
(2)
123 

Organic 
change
 £m

1 
1 
– 
2 
(1)
(27)
– 
(26)

Organic 
change 
%
16%
19%
10%
12%
2%
(10)%
(25)%
44%

Organic 
change
 %

33%
100%
– 
– 
4%
25%
– 
20%

Trading cash flow
Trading cash flow is defined as free cash flow (on page 216) before the deduction of recurring tax and post-employment benefit expenses.  
Trading cash flow per segment is used as a measure of business performance for the relevant segments. 

Civil Aerospace
Defence
Power Systems 
New Markets
Total reportable segments trading cash flow
Other businesses
Central and inter-segment
Trading cash flow from continuing operations
Discontinued operations
Trading cash flow
Underlying operating profit charge exceeded by contributions to defined benefit schemes
Tax 1
Free cash flow

1  See page 117 for tax paid in the statutory cash flow statement 

2023 
£m
626 
511 
461 
(63)
1,535 
5 
(57)
1,483 
– 
1,483 
(26)
(172)
1,285 

2022 
£m
226 
426 
158 
(57)
753 
5 
(49)
709 
(12)
697 
(32)
(174)
491 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

215

OTHER INFORMATIONRECONCILIATION OF ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Free cash flow
Free cash flow is a measure of the financial performance of the businesses’ cash flow which is consistent with the way in which performance is 
communicated to the Board. Free cash flow is defined as cash flows from operating activities, including capital expenditure and movements in 
investments, capital elements of lease payments, interest paid, amounts paid relating to the settlement of excess derivatives, and excluding 
amounts spent or received on activity related to business acquisitions or disposals and other material exceptional or one-off cash flows. Free 
cash flow from continuing operations has been presented to remove free cash flow from discontinued operations as defined in note 27. For 
further detail, see note 28.  

Free cash flow from cash flows from operating activities

Statutory cash flows from operating activities 1
Capital expenditure
Investment (including investment from NCI and movement in joint ventures, associates and other investments)
Capital element of lease payments
Interest paid
Exceptional transformation and restructuring costs
M&A costs
Other
Free cash flow 
Discontinued operations free cash flow 2
Free cash flow from continuing operations

2023 
£m
2,485 
(699)
69 
(291)
(333)
69 
2 
(17)
1,285 
– 
1,285 

2022 
£m
1,524 
(540)
28 
(218)
(352)
76 
2 
(29)
491 
14 
505 

1  Statutory cash flows from operating activities at 31 December 2022 has been re-presented. See note 1
2  Discontinued operations free cash flow excludes: transactions with parent company of £nil (2022: £(65)m), movements in borrowings of £nil (2022: £22m), exceptional restructuring costs 

of £nil (2022: £nil), M&A costs of £nil (2022: £44m) and other of £nil (2022: £(6)m)

Group R&D expenditure
In year gross cash expenditure on R&D excludes contributions and fees, amortisation and impairment of capitalised costs and amounts capitalised 
during the year. For further detail, see note 3. 

Gross capital expenditure
Gross capital expenditure during the year, excluding capital expenditure from discontinued operations. All proposed investments are subject to 
rigorous review to ensure that they are consistent with forecast activity and provide value for money. The Group measures annual capital 
expenditure as the cash purchases of PPE acquired during the year.

Purchases of PPE (cash flow statement)
Less: capital expenditure from discontinued operations
Net capital expenditure

2023 
£m
429 
– 
429 

2022 
£m
359 
(14)
345 

216

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

RECONCILIATION OF ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Key performance indicators
The following measures are key performance indicators and are calculated using alternative performance measures or statutory results. See below 
for calculation of these amounts. 

All comparative periods relate to 31 December 2022, unless otherwise stated.

Order backlog
Order backlog, also known as unrecognised revenue, is the amount of revenue on current contracts that is expected to be recognised in future 
periods. Civil Aerospace OE orders, where the customer has retained the right to cancel (for deliveries in the next seven to 12 months), are 
excluded. Further details are included in note 2 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Adjusted return on capital (abbreviated to return on capital)
Return on capital is defined as net operating profit after tax (NOPAT) as a percentage of average invested capital. NOPAT is defined as  
underlying net profit excluding net finance costs and the tax shield on net finance costs. Invested capital is defined as current and non-current 
assets less current liabilities. It excludes pension assets, cash and cash equivalents, and borrowings and lease liabilities. Return on capital assesses 
the efficiency in allocating capital to profitable investments.

Underlying operating profit
Less: taxation 1
Underlying operating profit (post-taxation)

Total assets
Less: post-retirement schemes surpluses
Less: cash and cash equivalents
Current liabilities
Liabilities held for sale
Less: borrowings and lease liabilities
Invested capital (closing)
Invested capital (average)
Return on capital

2023 
£m
1,590 
(151)
1,439 

31,512 
(782)
(3,784)
(14,926)
(55)
809 
12,774 
12,722 
11.3%

2022 
£m
652 
(48) 
604 

29,450 
(613)
(2,607)
(13,918)
– 
358
12,670
12,334 
4.9%

1  Excluding underlying taxation on underlying finance income/(costs) of £31m (2022: £nil)

Total underlying cash costs as a proportion of underlying gross margin (abbreviated to TCC/GM)
Total underlying cash costs during the year (represented by underlying research and development (R&D) expenditure and underlying  
commercial and administrative (C&A) costs) as a proportion of underlying gross profit. This measure provides an indicator of total cash costs 
relative to gross profit. A reduction in total cash costs relative to gross profit indicates how effective the business is at managing and/or  
reducing its costs.

Underlying R&D expenditure 1
Underlying C&A
Total cash costs
Underlying gross profit

Total cash costs as a proportion of underlying gross profit

1  Excludes £6m (2022: £nil) impact of derivative and FX adjustments

2023 
£m
836 
1,064 
1,900 
3,231 

2022 
£m
928 
1,062 
1,990 
2,477 

0.59 

0�80 

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

217

OTHER INFORMATIONDirectors’ report

Index
Accounting policies ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������122

Employment of disabled people ��������������������������������������������������������������47

Agreements for compensation for loss of office ��������������������������������103

Financial instruments and risk management ���������������������������������������163

Authority to issue and purchase shares �������������������������������������������������219

Future developments ����������������������������������4 to 15, 18 to 31 and 32 to 43

Board of Directors ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 70

Greenhouse gas emissions ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 210

Change of control �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 219

Major shareholdings ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������219

Changes to the Articles of Association �������������������������������������������������219

Political donations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������220

Corporate governance statement ���������������������������������������������������������������������65

Post-balance sheet events �������������������������������������������������������������������������136

Directors’ conflicts of interest ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 79

Purchase of own shares ������������������������������������������������������������������������������219

Directors’ indemnities ������������������������������������������������������������������������������218

Related party transactions ��������������������������������������������������������������������������182

Directors’ service contracts and letters of appointment ��������������� 105

Research and development ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 144

Directors’ share interests ����������������������������������������������������������� 104 and 110

Share capital and rights ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������218

Disclosure of information to auditors ��������������������������������������������������������112

Subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates �������������������������������������������190

Engagement with employees ���������������������������������������������������������������������60

Task force on climate-related financial disclosures ��������������������������� 35

Engagement with suppliers, customers and others  

in a business relationship with the Company ���������������������������������������60

Board of Directors
The Directors of the Company who were in office during the year and 
up to the date of signing the financial statements were Dame Anita 
Frew, Tufan Erginbilgic, Helen McCabe, Birgit Behrendt, Stuart Bradie, 
Paulo Cesar Silva, George Culmer, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Beverly Goulet, 
Nick Luff, Wendy Mars and Dame Angela Strank. In addition, Paul Adams, 
Panos Kakoullis, Mike Manley and Sir Kevin Smith served as Directors 
during the year, before stepping down from the Board. Their respective 
resignation dates can be found on page 18.

Directors’ indemnities
The Directors have the benefit of an indemnity provision contained in 
the Articles. In addition, the Directors have been granted a qualifying 
third-party indemnity provision which was in force throughout the 
financial year and remains in force. Also, throughout the year, the 
Company purchased and maintained directors’ and officers’ liability 
insurance in respect of the Company and its subsidiaries and for their 
directors and officers.

Share price
During the year, the share price increased by 227% from 92p to 300p, 
compared to a 67% increase in the FTSE aerospace and defence  
sector and a 3% increase in the FTSE 100. The Company’s share price 
ranged from 91p in January 2023 to 313p in December 2023.

Share capital
On 31 December 2023, the Company’s issued share capital comprised:

8,416,696,989
23,152,464,515
1

Ordinary Shares
C Shares
Special Share

20p each
0�1p each
£1

The ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The Company issues non-cumulative redeemable preference shares 
(C  Shares)  as  an  alternative  to  paying  a  cash  dividend.  Further  
information on payments to shareholders is on page 221.

Share class rights
The full share class rights are set out in the Company’s Articles, which 
are available at www.rolls-royce.com. The rights are summarised below.

Ordinary Shares
Each member has one vote for each Ordinary Share held. Holders of 
Ordinary Shares are entitled to: receive the Company’s Annual Report; 
attend and speak at general meetings of the Company; appoint one or 
more proxies or, if they are corporations, corporate representatives; 
and exercise voting rights. Holders of Ordinary Shares may receive a 
bonus issue of C Shares or a dividend and on liquidation may share in 
the assets of the Company.

C Shares
C Shares have limited voting rights and attract a preferential dividend, 
paid on a twice-yearly basis. On a return of capital on a winding-up, 
the holders of C Shares shall be entitled, in priority to any payment to 
the holders of Ordinary Shares, to the repayment of the nominal  
capital paid-up or credited as paid-up on the C Shares held by them, 
together with a sum equal to the outstanding preferential dividend 
which will have been accrued but not paid until the date of return of 
capital. The holders of C Shares are only entitled to attend, speak and 
vote at a general meeting if a resolution to wind up the Company is to 
be considered, in which case they may vote only on that resolution. 
The Company has the option to redeem the C Shares compulsorily, at 
any time if: the aggregate number of C Shares in issue is less than 10% 
of the aggregate number of all C Shares issued on or prior to that time 
or the event of a capital restructuring of the Company; the introduction 
of a new holding company; the acquisition of the Company by another 
company; or a demerger from the Group.

Special Share
Certain rights attach to the special rights non-voting share (Special 
Share) issued to the UK Secretary of State for the Department of  
Business and Trade (Special Shareholder). These rights are set out in 
the Articles. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (the 
Act), the Treasury Solicitor may redeem the Special Share at par value 
at any time. The Special Share confers no rights to dividends but, in the 
event of a winding-up, it shall be repaid at its nominal value in priority 
to any other shares.

Certain provisions of the Articles (in particular those relating to the 
foreign  shareholding  limit,  disposals  and  the  nationality  of  the  
Company’s Directors) that relate to the rights attached to the Special 
Share may only be altered with the consent of the Special Shareholder. 
The Special Shareholder is not entitled to vote at any general meeting 
or any other meeting of any class of shareholders.

218

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

Restrictions on transfer of shares and limitations on holdings 
There are no restrictions on transfer or limitations on the holding of 
the Ordinary Shares or C Shares other than under the Articles (as 
described here), under restrictions imposed by law or regulation (for 
example, UK Market Abuse Regulations) or pursuant to the Company’s 
inside information and share dealing policy. The Articles provide that 
the Company should be and remain under UK control. As such, an 
individual foreign shareholding limit is set at 15% of the aggregate votes 
attaching to the share capital of all classes (taken as a whole) and 
capable of being cast on a poll and to all other shares that the Directors 
determine are to be included in the calculation of that holding. The 
Special Share may only be issued to, held by and transferred to the 
Special Shareholder or their successor or nominee.

Shareholder agreements and consent requirements
No disposal may be made to a non-Group member which, alone or when 
aggregated with the same or a connected transaction, constitutes a 
disposal of the whole or a material part of either the nuclear propulsion 
business or the assets of the Group as a whole, without the consent of 
the Special Shareholder.

Authority to issue shares
At the 2023 AGM, an ordinary resolution was passed authorising the 
Directors  to  allot  new  ordinary  shares  up  to  a  nominal  value  of 
£557,839,799, equivalent to one-third of the issued share capital of the 
Company. This resolution also authorised the Directors to allot up to 
two-thirds of the total issued share capital of the Company, although 
only in the case of a rights issue. A further special resolution was passed 
to effect a disapplication of pre-emption rights for a maximum of 5% 
of the issued share capital of the Company. These authorities are valid 
until the 2024 AGM or 30 June 2024, whichever is sooner. During the 
year, 49,100,000 ordinary shares were issued to the Employee Benefit 
Trust to satisfy awards under the Company’s share plans. The Directors 
propose to renew each of these authorities at the 2024 AGM to be held 
on 23 May 2024. The Board believes that these authorities will allow 
the Company to retain flexibility to respond to circumstances and  
opportunities as they arise.

Authority to purchase own shares
At the 2023 AGM, the Company was authorised by shareholders to 
purchase up to 836,759,698 of its own ordinary shares, representing 
10% of its issued ordinary share capital.

The authority for the Company to purchase its own shares expires at 
the conclusion of the 2024 AGM or 30 June 2024, whichever is sooner. 
A  resolution  to  renew  the  authority  will  be  proposed  at  the  
2024 meeting.

Major shareholdings
At 31 December 2023, the following shareholders had notified an  
interest  in  the  issued  ordinary  share  capital  of  the  Company  in  
accordance with section 5.1.2 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules. 
No  notifications  have  been  received  in  the  period  1  January  to  
22 February 2024.

Shareholder 
Blackrock, Inc.
Causeway Capital  
Management LLC
Harris Associates L.P.
Massachusetts Financial 
Services Company
The Capital Group  
Companies, Inc.

Date of change 
in interest
18 December 2023

% of issued 
ordinary 
share capital
5�01

29 September 2023
16 November 2020

28 March 2022

3 February 2022

4�99
4�99

4�94

4�98

Changes to the Articles of Association
The Articles may be amended or new articles may be adopted by a 
special resolution of the Company’s shareholders, subject to the  
provisions of the Act. The Company will propose certain changes to 
the Articles at the 2024 AGM, full details of which can be found in the 
Notice of Meeting available at www.rolls-royce.com

Change of control
Contracts and joint venture agreements
There are a number of contracts and joint venture agreements which 
would allow the counterparties to terminate or alter those arrangements 
in the event of a change of control of the Company. These arrangements 
are commercially confidential and their disclosure could be seriously 
prejudicial to the Company.

Borrowings and other financial instruments
The Group has several borrowing facilities provided by various banks. 
These facilities generally include provisions which may require any 
outstanding borrowings to be repaid or the alteration or termination 
of the facility upon the occurrence of a change of control of the  
Company. At 31 December 2023, these facilities were 36% drawn 
(2022: 27%).

The Group has entered into a series of financial instruments to hedge 
its currency, interest rate and commodity exposures. These contracts 
provide for termination or alteration in the event that a change of 
control of the Company materially weakens the creditworthiness of 
the Group.

The Company did not purchase any of its own ordinary shares under 
this authority during 2023.

Employee share plans
In the event of a change of control of the Company, the effect on the 
employee share plans would be as follows:

Deadlines for exercising voting rights
Electronic and paper proxy appointments, together with voting  
instructions, must be received by the Registrar not less than 48 hours 
before a general meeting.

Voting rights for employee share plan shares
Shares are held in an employee benefit trust for the purpose of  
satisfying awards made under the various employee share plans. For 
shares held in a nominee capacity or if plan/trust rules provide the 
participant with the right to vote in respect of specifically allocated 
shares, the trustee votes in line with the participants’ instructions. For 
shares that are not held absolutely on behalf of specific individuals, the 
general policy of the trustees, in accordance with investor protection 
guidelines, is to abstain from voting in respect of those shares.

 — Incentive Plan – deferred share awards will normally vest immediately, 
and may be time pro-rated. The new controlling company might offer 
an award in exchange instead (normally on substantially equivalent 
terms to the existing award).

 — ShareSave – options would become exercisable immediately. The 
new controlling company might offer an equivalent option in exchange 
for cancellation of the existing option.

 — Share Purchase Plan (SPP) – consideration received as shares would 
be held within the SPP, if possible, otherwise the consideration would 
be treated as a disposal from the SPP.

 — LTIP – awards would vest on the change of control, subject to the 
Remuneration Committee’s judgement of performance and may be 
reduced pro rata to service in the vesting period. Any applicable 
holding period will cease in the event of a change of control.

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

219

OTHER INFORMATIONDIRECTORS’ REPORT

Political donations
The Company’s policy is that it does not, directly or through any  
subsidiary, make what are commonly regarded as donations to any 
political party. However, the Act defines political donations very broadly 
and so it is possible that normal business activities, such as sponsorship, 
subscriptions, payment of expenses, paid leave for employees fulfilling 
certain public duties and support for bodies representing the business 
community in policy review or reform, which might not be thought of 
as political expenditure in the usual sense, could be captured. Activities 
of this nature would not be thought of as political donations in the 
ordinary sense of those words. The resolution to be proposed at the 
2024 AGM, authorising political donations and expenditure, is to ensure 
that the Group does not commit any technical breach of the Act.

During the year, expenses incurred by Rolls-Royce North America, Inc. 
in providing administrative support for the Rolls-Royce North America 
political action committee (PAC) was $60,584.71 (2022: $59,169.05). 
PACs are a common feature of the US political system and are governed 
by the Federal Election Campaign Act.

The PAC is independent of the Group and independent of any political 
party. The PAC funds are contributed voluntarily by employees and the 
Group cannot affect how they are applied, although under US law, the 
business  expenses  are  paid  by  the  employee’s  company.  Such  
contributions do not count towards the limits for political donations 
and expenditure for which shareholder approval will be sought at the 
2024 AGM to renew the authority given at the 2023 AGM.

Disclosures in the Strategic Report
The Board has taken advantage of section 414C(11) of the Act to include 
disclosures in the Strategic Report including:

 — employee involvement;

 — the employment of disabled people;

 — the  future  development,  performance  and  position  of  the  

Group; and

 — research and development activities.

Information required by UK Listing Rule (LR) 9.8.4 
There are no disclosures to be made under LR 9.8.4.

Management report
The Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report together are the  
management report for the purposes of Rule 4.1.8R of the DTR.

By order of the Board

Pamela Coles  
Chief Governance Officer  
22 February 2024

Disclosures required under Listing Rule 9.8.6 as at 31 December 2023

Gender identity

Men
Women

Other categories
Not specified/prefer not to say

Ethnic background

White British or other White (including  
minority-white groups)

Mixed/multiple ethnic groups
Asian/Asian British
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
Other ethnic group, including Arab
Not specified/prefer not to say

Number of 
Board 
members
6
6

–
–

Percentage 
of the 
Board
50%
50%

–
–

Number of 
senior positions 
on the Board
Chief Executive, SID
Chair, Chief Financial 
Officer
–
–

Number in 
executive 
management
7
3

Percentage of 
executive 
management
70%
30%

–
–

–
–

Number of 
Board 
members
11

Percentage 
of the 
Board
92%

–
1
–
–
–

–
8%
–
–
–

Number of 
senior positions 
on the Board
Chair, Chief Executive
Chief Financial Officer,
 SID
–
–
–
–
–

Number in 
executive 
management
10

Percentage of 
executive 
management
100%

–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

220

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

 
Shareholder information

Managing your shareholding
Your shareholding is managed by Equiniti Limited (the Registrar). When 
making contact with the Registrar, please quote your shareholder 
reference number (SRN). This is an 11-digit number that can be found 
on your share certificate or on any other shareholder correspondence. 
You can manage your shareholding at www.shareview.co.uk, speak to 
the Registrar on +44 (0)371 384 2637 (8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to 
Friday) or you can write to the Registrar at Equiniti, Aspect House, 
Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA. If you hold your shares 
in a share dealing account (sometimes referred to as a nominee account) 
then you must contact your account provider with any questions about 
your shareholding.

Payments to shareholders
The Company makes payments to shareholders by issuing redeemable 
C Shares of 0.1p each. You can redeem C Shares for cash and either 
take the cash or reinvest the proceeds in the C Share Reinvestment 
Plan (CRIP) to purchase additional Ordinary Shares providing you 
complete a payment instruction form, which is available from the  
Registrar. Once you have submitted your payment instruction form, 
you will receive cash or additional Ordinary Shares each time the 
Company issues C Shares. If you choose to receive cash, we strongly 
recommend  that  you  include  your  bank  details  on  the  payment  
instruction form and have payments credited directly to your bank 
account. This removes the risk of a cheque going astray and means that 
cleared payments will be credited to your bank account on the  
payment date.

As set out in further detail elsewhere (see page 19), our capital  
framework is focused on three clear priorities: a strong balance sheet 
with an investment grade profile; a commitment to reinstating and 
growing shareholder returns; and a disciplined approach to investments. 
Strengthening the balance sheet is a clear priority. We are positioning 
Rolls-Royce to withstand better volatility and external shocks and to 
give us financial flexibility for the future. When the Board is confident 
that  the  strength  of  the  balance  sheet  is  assured  and  we  are  
comfortably within an investment grade profile, we are committed to 
reinstating and growing shareholder distributions.

Shareholders wishing to redeem their existing C Shares, or participate 
in the CRIP must lodge instructions with the Registrar to arrive no later 
than 5.00pm on 31 May 2024 (CREST holders must submit their election 
in CREST by 2.55pm). The payment of C Share redemption monies will 
be made on 4 July 2024 and the CRIP purchase will begin as soon as 
practicable after 5 July 2024.

Share dealing
The Registrar offers ordinary shareholders an internet dealing service 
at www.shareview.co.uk and a postal dealing service. Real-time dealing 
is available during market hours, 8.00am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday 
excluding bank holidays. Orders can still be placed outside of market 
hours. The fee for internet dealing is 1.5% of the transaction value, 
subject to a minimum fee of £45. The fee for telephone dealing is 1.5% 
of the transaction value, subject to a minimum fee of £60. The fee for 

Analysis of ordinary shareholders at 31 December 2023

Type of holder
Individuals

Institutional and other investors
Total
Size of holding (number of ordinary shares)
1 – 150
151 – 500
501 – 10,000
10,001 – 100,000
100,001 – 1,000,000
1,000,001 and over
Total

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

postal dealing is 1.9% of the transaction value, subject to a minimum 
fee of £70. This service is only available to shareholders resident in 
certain jurisdictions. Before you can trade you must register to use the 
service. Other share dealing facilities are available, but you should 
always use a firm regulated by the FCA (see register.fca.org.uk). 

Your share certificate
Your share certificate is an important document. If you sell or transfer 
your shares you must make sure that you have a valid share certificate 
in the name of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc. If you place an instruction to 
sell your shares and cannot provide a valid share certificate, the  
transaction cannot be completed and you may be liable for any costs 
incurred by the broker. If you are unable to find your share certificate, 
please inform the Registrar immediately.

American Depositary Receipts (ADR)
ADR holders should contact the depositary, JP Morgan, by calling 
+1(800) 990 1135 (toll free within the US) or +1(651) 453 2128 (outside 
the US) or via www.adr.com/contact/jpmorgan 

Warning to shareholders – investment scams
We are aware that some of our shareholders have received unsolicited 
telephone calls or correspondence, offering to buy or sell their shares 
at very favourable terms. The callers can be very persuasive and extremely 
persistent and often have professional websites and telephone numbers 
to support their activities. They will sometimes imply a connection to 
Rolls-Royce and provide incorrect or misleading information. This type 
of call should be treated as an investment scam – the safest thing to do 
is hang up. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 
You should always check that any firm contacting you about potential 
investment opportunities is properly authorised by the FCA. If you deal 
with an unauthorised firm you will not be eligible for compensation under 
the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. You can find out more 
about protecting yourself from investment scams by visiting the FCA’s 
website  at  www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart,  or  by  calling  the  FCA’s  
consumer  helpline  on  0800  111  6768  (overseas  callers  dial  
+44 207 066 1000). If you have already paid money to share fraudsters, 
contact Action Fraud immediately on 0300 123 2040, whose website is  
www.actionfraud.police.uk 

Visit Rolls-Royce online
Visit www.rolls-royce.com to find out more about the latest financial 
results, the share price, payments to shareholders, the financial  
calendar and shareholder services.

Communication preferences
You can sign up to receive the latest news updates to your phone or 
email by visiting www.rolls-royce.com and registering for our alert 
service. If you do not wish to receive a hard copy Annual Report in 
future, you can do this online at www.shareview.co.uk 

Annual general meeting (AGM)
The 2024 AGM will be held at 11.00am on 23 May 2024 as a hybrid  
meeting. Full details are available on our website at www.rolls-royce.com 

Number of 
shareholders
156,041

1,884
157,925

47,764
55,557
50,289
3,426
498
391
157,925

% of total 
shareholders
98�81

Number of
shares
192,398,711

% of  

total shares
2�29

1�19
100

8,224,298,278
8,416,696,989

30�25
35�18
31�84
2�17
0�31
0�25
100

4,182,746
14,854,037
95,754,916
84,657,464
170,166,920
8,047,080,906
8,416,696,989

97�71
100

0�05
0�17
1�14
1�01
2�02
95�61
100

221

OTHER INFORMATION 
 
 
 
Glossary

annual general meeting
artificial intelligence
alternative performance measure
Articles of Association of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
Australia, United Kingdom, United States
battery energy storage system
basis points
commercial and administrative
Carbon Disclosure Project
non-cumulative redeemable preference shares

AGM
AI
APM
Articles
AUKUS
BESS
bps
C&A
CDP
C Shares
Our Code Global Code of Conduct
the Code
CMD
Company
CPS
CRIP
D&I
DoJ
DPAs
DTR
EFH
ELG
EPS
ESG
ET&S
EU
EUR
FCA
FCF
FLAAA
FRC
FTE
FX
GBP
GCAP
GDA
GDP
GHG
Group
HPT
HSE
HVO
IASB
ICAO
IFRS

2018 UK Corporate Governance Code
capital markets day
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
cash flow per share
C Share Reinvestment Plan
diversity and inclusion
US Department of Justice
deferred prosecution agreements
the FCA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules
engine flying hours
Enterprise Leadership Group
earnings per share
environment, social, governance
engineering, technology and safety
European Union
euro
Financial Conduct Authority
free cash flow 
Future Long Range Assault Aircraft
Financial Reporting Council
full time equivalent
foreign exchange
Great British pound or pound sterling
Global Combat Air Programme
generic design assessment
gross domestic product
greenhouse gas
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and its subsidiaries
high pressure turbine
health, safety and environment
hydrotreated vegetable oil 
International Accounting Standards Board
International Civil Aviation Organisation
International Financial Reporting Standards

KPIs
ktCO2e
kW
LIBOR
LTIP
LTSA
M&A
MoU
MRO
MSP
MtCO2e
MWh
NCI
NED
net zero 
company

NOPAT
OCI
OE
OECD

key performance indicators
kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
kilowatts
London inter-bank offered rate
long-term incentive plan
long-term service agreement
mergers and acquisitions
memorandum of understanding
maintenance repair and overhaul
Manchester Square Partners
million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
megawatt-hour
non-controlling interest
Non-Executive Director
net zero carbon emissions from our operations and 
facilities and our products are compatible with net zero 
operations by 2050
net operating profit after tax
other comprehensive income
original equipment
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and 
Development
profit and loss
profit before tax
property, plant and equipment
performance share plan
research and development
Equiniti Limited
risk management system
Rolls-Royce management system
risk and revenue sharing arrangements 
sustainable aviation fuel
Science-Based Targets
Senior Independent Director
UK Serious Fraud Office
small modular reactors
science, technology, engineering and mathematics
total cash costs

P&L
PBT
PPE
PSP
R&D
Registrar
RMS
RRMS
RRSAs
SAF
SBTs
SID
SFO
SMR
STEM
TCC
TCC/GM total underlying cash costs as a proportion of 

TCFD
TRI
TSR
UKEF
UNSDG
USD/US$

underlying gross margin
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
total reportable injuries
total shareholder return
UK Export Finance
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
United States dollar

Trade marks
The following trade marks which appear throughout this Annual Report are 
trade marks registered and owned by companies within the Rolls-Royce Group:

CorporateCare®
mtu®
Pearl® 
TotalCare® 
Trent®
UltraFan®

222

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC  ANNUAL REPORT 2023

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© Rolls-Royce plc 2024

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc 
Registered office: Kings Place,  
90 York Way, London N1 9FX

T +44 (0)20 7222 9020
www.rolls-royce.com

Company number: 7524813