CEO Employment Agreement Template Package 2026 – Swedish & English Word/PDF

CEO Agreement Template 2026 – complete template package in Swedish and English

Professional CEO agreement for Swedish limited companies, designed for companies that want to regulate the CEO's employment terms, responsibilities, authority, remuneration, and termination in a clear and structured manner. The package contains both a Swedish CEO agreement template and an English CEO Employment Agreement governed by Swedish law, delivered in editable Word format and PDF.

The template package is updated and legally reviewed as of October 2, 2026. It specifically takes into account that a CEO may be covered by rules that differ from a standard employment relationship, including regarding key parts of the Employment Protection Act (LAS) when the CEO effectively holds a management position or a comparable position.

What's included

• CEO Agreement 2026 – Swedish in Word (DOCX)
• CEO Agreement 2026 – Swedish in PDF
• CEO Employment Agreement 2026 – English in Word (DOCX)
• CEO Employment Agreement 2026 – English in PDF

Both language versions also contain an integrated CEO instruction, an appendix for remuneration and benefits, and a practical checklist before signing.

Comprehensive regulation of the CEO role

The template is significantly more comprehensive than a standard employment contract. It regulates, among other things:

• appointment and the CEO’s company law position
• assignment, responsibilities, and reporting to the Board of Directors
• CEO instruction and delegation of authority
• authorized signatories, attestation, and internal powers
• place of work, travel, and availability
• working hours and any management position status
• fixed salary and salary review
• bonus and other variable remuneration
• pension and insurance
• benefits and expense reimbursements
• vacation and sick leave
• confidentiality and trade secrets
• information security and personal data
• intellectual property rights and employee inventions
• secondary employment, conflicts of interest, and disqualification
• non-compete and non-solicitation restrictions
• notice period
• leave of absence / garden leave
• severance pay
• immediate termination in the event of a material breach of contract
• the difference between removal from the CEO position and the termination of the employment contract
• change of control
• return and handover
• applicable law and dispute resolution

CEO instruction included

The package contains a specific CEO instruction that can be used as an appendix to the agreement and as support for the Board's internal governance. It covers, among other things, strategy and business plan, finance and internal control, reporting, risk and compliance, HR, monetary limits, agreements, board meetings, and annual review.

The CEO instruction does not replace the distribution of responsibilities under the Swedish Companies Act, but is designed to specify the Board's guidelines, reporting requirements, and internal decision-making thresholds.

Remuneration, bonus, pension, and severance pay

A separate appendix makes it easy to gather the financial terms in a clear manner. It can specify, among other things:

• fixed monthly salary
• bonus model and targets
• pension premiums
• vacation
• company car and other benefits
• health and D&O insurance
• notice periods for the company and the CEO respectively
• severance pay
• potential offsets against other income

Specifically on the Employment Protection Act (LAS) and management positions

A CEO is not automatically covered by all standard rules for employees in the same way as other staff. The Employment Protection Act contains exceptions from several key provisions for employees who, in view of their duties and employment terms, effectively hold a management position or a comparable position.

The template therefore does not use a categorical assumption that all CEOs fall outside the scope of LAS. Instead, the clauses are formulated so that the actual role and terms must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, termination, garden leave, and severance pay, among other things, are explicitly regulated.

Non-compete clause and non-solicitation

The template contains an optional non-compete and non-solicitation clause. It is deliberately designed with open fields for scope, geographical area, duration, and any potential compensation. A non-compete restriction must be reasonable under Swedish law and should not be more extensive than what the company's legitimate protective interest requires.

Swedish and English version in the same package

The English version is not an agreement under English or American law. It is an English-language CEO Employment Agreement that is explicitly based on Swedish law. This makes the package suitable, for example, when the CEO, board members, investors, or group functions work in English but the Swedish company must be subject to Swedish law.

Legal basis

The template has been designed with special consideration to, among others:

• Swedish Companies Act (2005:551), especially Chapter 8 regarding the CEO, ongoing management, conflicts of interest, and authorized signatories
• Employment Protection Act (1982:80), especially Section 1 regarding management or comparable positions
• Working Hours Act (1982:673), especially Section 2
• Annual Leave Act (1977:480)
• Trade Secrets Act (2018:558)
• Contracts Act (1915:218), including Sections 36 and 38
• Copyright Act (1960:729)
• Act (1949:345) on the Right to Employee Inventions

Who is the template for?

• Swedish private limited companies that have or are to appoint a CEO
• public limited companies that need clear contractual documentation
• boards and owners who want to separate the CEO's employment terms from the CEO instruction
• groups with English-speaking management or foreign owners
• companies that need to regulate bonus, pension, non-compete clauses, or severance pay

Frequently asked questions

Is a CEO agreement the same thing as a standard employment contract?
No. The CEO role has a special position under company law, and the agreement normally needs to address issues such as board instructions, authority, reporting, removal, and exit conditions significantly more explicitly.

Does the Employment Protection Act (LAS) apply to a CEO?
It depends on the actual position. Several key provisions in LAS do not apply to employees who, in view of their duties and employment terms, are considered to have a management position or a comparable position.

Is a CEO instruction included?
Yes. An adaptable CEO instruction is included as an appendix in both the Swedish and English versions.

Can the agreement be used for a foreign CEO?
The English version can be practical when the working language is English, but the template is intended for a Swedish limited company and Swedish law. International tax, social security, and choice-of-law issues may require separate advice.

Can the template be used directly without adaptation?
No. Fields for, among other things, salary, pension, bonus, notice period, severance pay, non-compete restrictions, and dispute resolution must be filled in and adapted. The company’s board decisions, CEO instruction, attestation procedures, and authorized signatories must also correspond with the agreement.

Format: Word (DOCX) + PDF
Language: Swedish + English
Jurisdiction: Sweden
Version: 1.0 – 2026-10-02

The template is a general documentation base and does not replace individual legal advice. Specifically, remuneration terms, non-compete restrictions, pension, tax, stock exchange regulations, collective agreements, and international conditions may require individual assessment.