Key takeaways from our member meeting on 26 March at A.P. Moller – Maersk with insights shared by Lars Sandstrøm, Corporate Relations and Thomas Ryttersgaard, A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Best Practice Perspectives on Annual Reporting – general insights

The current reporting landscape highlights a clear shift towards increased regulatory complexity, making strong governance, early planning, and disciplined project management essential—particularly for small and mid-sized companies. Best‑practice organisations address this by embedding reporting processes across the organisation and ensuring close collaboration between finance, sustainability, communication, and external advisors.

At the same time, leading companies are consciously safeguarding the strategic narrative. While compliance is a given, best practice demonstrates that the annual report remains a powerful platform for telling a coherent value creation story – one that connects strategy, business model, sustainability priorities, and financial performance. The most effective reports strike a balance between meeting regulatory requirements and communicating purpose, positioning, and long-term ambitions.

Sustainability is increasingly integrated into the core business narrative, not treated as a stand-alone topic. High-quality reporting clearly links sustainability initiatives to strategy, risk management, innovation, and growth opportunities, supported by transparent materiality assessments and meaningful stakeholder engagement.

A strong equity story is another defining characteristic of best practice. Companies are sharpening their articulation of why they are relevant, competitive, and investable—using clear strategic priorities, market context, and forward-looking insights. This is reinforced by more sophisticated approaches to guidance, scenario analysis, and risk disclosure, enabling stakeholders to better understand uncertainty and long-term resilience.

Looking ahead, best practice in annual reporting will continue to focus on achieving the right balance between compliance and communication. Digitisation and AI are increasingly used to enhance data quality, analysis, and drafting efficiency, while editorial judgement and human oversight remain critical to credibility and clarity. At the same time, companies are preparing for evolving regulatory frameworks and adjusting ESG ambitions with a focus on realism, long-term value creation, and trust.

Components of the annual report and process at A.P. Moller – Maersk

1. The numbers – Financial data, ESG data, other supporting data
2. The texts – the business, the year, the future
3. The layout – graphics, pictures, design

Tight timeline – and clear project management

• Outlook and guidance are communicated on an ongoing basis
• Clear timeline spanning the entire year
• Changes are considered starting in Q2 the previous year based on the same template, with last year’s annual report used as a starting point
• Layout and design coordinated in Q3, new photos selected every year, in Q4 all text not dependent on numbers is ready, financials and storyline are drafted.
• Helping management steering the narrative to get the most correct outline of the narrative
• Important to celebrate announcements in the team (with homemade cake 😊)

Link to report ‘How to write an Annual Report 2026