Skandia top of the class

Dow Jones Sustainability Group: SKANDIA TOP OF THE CLASS In a sustainable development evaluation conducted by the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index, Switzerland, Skandia has been named the best among a selection of large insurance companies in the world. In the report, a special study has been conducted of the 200 best companies of the 3,000 that are included in the Dow Jones Global Index. The concept of corporate sustainability is becoming very attractive to investors because of its aim to increase sustained shareholder value. Companies that strive for sustainable growth are good at managing not only the standard economic factors, but environmental and social factors as well. Companies' positions with regard to the UN's environmental programme, ethics, intellectual capital, leadership and employee care are becoming increasingly significant. There is convincing evidence that such companies' financial performance is superior to that of companies that do not adequately manage all these factors. "We are very pleased to be included in this new index," comments Ulf Spång, Executive Vice President and CFO of Skandia. "It shows that our strategy of working for sustainable growth by focusing on what we are best at is attracting attention and generating results." More detailed information on the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index can be found at the following website: www.sustainability-index.com. For further information, please contact: Ulf Spång, Executive Vice President and CFO, tel. +46-8-788 2905 Birgitta Hammarström, Press Officer, tel. +46-8-788 2755 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/09/13/19990913BIT00040/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/09/13/19990913BIT00040/bit0002.pdf