CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE GUIDELINES
1. Director Qualifications and Board Composition
Independence and Qualifications. The Board will
have a majority of Directors who meet the criteria for independence
required by the New York Stock Exchange. The Nominating &
Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing the qualifications
and independence of the members of the Board and its various committees
on a periodic basis as well as the composition of the Board as a
whole. This assessment will include members’ qualification
as independent, as well as consideration of diversity, skills,
and experience in the context of the needs of the Board. Nominees
for Directorship will be recommended to the Board by the Nominating & Governance Committee in accordance with the policies and principles
in its charter. The invitation to join the Board may be extended by the Board itself, by the Chairman of the Nominating &Governance Committee or the Chairman of the
Board, following Board approval.
Size of the Board. The Board presently has nine
members, the majority of whom satisfy the independence standards
established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the applicable rules
of the SEC and the NYSE. Although the Board considers its present
size to be appropriate, it may consider expanding its size to accommodate
an outstanding candidate or candidates or reducing its size if
the Board determines that a smaller Board would be more appropriate.
The Nominating & Governance Committee shall periodically review
the size of the Board and recommend any proposed changes to the
Board.
Lead Director. Unless the Chairman of the Board is an independent
Director, the Board shall appoint a Lead Director whose responsibilities shall include:
(i) presiding at meetings of the Board in the absence of the Chairman, including
the executive sessions of the non-management members of the Board, and providing
feedback to the CEO, other senior executives and key managing directors, as appropriate,
from such executive sessions of the non-management directors; (ii) for the purpose
of facilitating timely communication, serving as a liaison between (1) the non-management
directors (including committee chairpersons) and (2) the CEO, other senior executives
and, in consultation with the CEO, key managing directors regarding significant
matters (without impeding or replacing direct communication between the CEO and
other directors or between or among other directors); (iii) with input from the
other non-management directors, (1) reviewing Board meeting schedules and the agendas
for such meetings with the CEO and (2) calling meetings of the non-management directors
and setting the agendas in connection with such meetings; (iv) reviewing information
to be sent to the Board in advance of Board meetings; (v) together with the Board,
providing oversight and advice to the CEO regarding corporate strategy, direction
and implementation of initiatives; (vi) in consultation with the CEO, identifying
and supporting talent within the Company; (vii) being available for consultation
or direct communication with significant shareholders; (viii) together with the
chairperson of the Compensation Committee, conducting periodic performance appraisals
of the CEO; (ix) coordinating the activities of the chairpersons of Board committees;
and (x) performing such other duties as the Board may from time to time delegate
to the Lead Director.
Change of Status. Any individual Director who undertakes or assumes
a new principal occupation, position or responsibility from that which he
or she held when he or she was elected to the Board should volunteer
to resign from the Board. The Board does not believe that in every
instance that Directors who undertake
or assume a new occupation, position or responsibility from that which they held when they joined the Board
should necessarily leave the Board. There should, however, be an
opportunity for the Board, through the Nominating &
Governance Committee, to review the continued appropriateness of
Board membership under the circumstances.
Other Directorships. Directors should advise
the Chairman of the Board and the Chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee in advance of accepting an invitation
to serve on another public company board. There should be an opportunity
for the Board, through the Nominating & Governance Committee,
to review the Director’s availability to fulfill his or her
responsibilities as a Director if he or she serves on more than
three other public company boards.
Term Limits. The Board does not plan to establish
term limits. While term limits could help ensure that there are
fresh ideas and viewpoints available to the Board, they carry the
disadvantage of losing the contribution of Directors who have been
able to develop, over a period of time, increasing insight into
the Company and its operations and, therefore, to provide an increasing
contribution to the Board and the Company.
2. Director Responsibilities
Business Judgment; Indemnification. The basic
responsibility of the Directors is to exercise their business judgment
in good faith, to act in what they reasonably believe to be the
best interests of the Company. In discharging that obligation,
Directors shall be entitled to rely on the honesty and integrity
of their fellow Directors and of the Company’s senior executives,
outside advisors and outside auditors. The Directors shall also
be entitled to have the Company purchase reasonable Directors’ and
officers’ liability insurance on their behalf, and to the
benefits of indemnification to the fullest extent permitted by
law, the Company’s articles of association and any indemnification
agreements.
Meetings. Directors are expected to attend Board
meetings and meetings of committees on which they serve, and to
spend the time needed and meet as frequently as necessary to properly
discharge their responsibilities. Information and data that are
important to the Board’s understanding of the business to
be conducted at a Board or committee meeting will generally be distributed
in writing to the Directors before the meeting, and Directors should
review these materials in advance of the meeting.
Matters to be Considered. The Chairman will establish
the agenda for each Board meeting. At the beginning of the year,
the Chairman will establish a schedule of agenda subjects to be
discussed during the year (to the degree these can be foreseen).
Each Board member is free to suggest the inclusion of items on the
agenda. Each Board member is free to raise at any Board meeting
subjects that are not on the agenda for that meeting. The Board
will review the Company’s long-term strategic plans and the
principal issues that the Company will face in the future during
at least one Board meeting each year.
Meetings of Outside Directors. The non-management
Directors will meet periodically in executive session. If the non-management
directors include any directors who are not “independent”
pursuant to the Board’s standards for determining independence,
at least one executive session will include only independent Directors. Unless the Chairman of the Board is an independent Director,
the Lead Director will preside at these meetings.
Communications. Individual Board members may,
from time to time, meet or otherwise communicate with various constituencies
that are involved with the Company. However, it is expected that
Board members will do this only with the knowledge of the management
and, absent unusual circumstances or as contemplated by the committee
charters, only at the request of management.
3. Board Committees
Committees and Members. The Board will have at
all times an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating & Governance Committee. All of the members of these
committees will be independent Directors under the criteria established
by the New York Stock Exchange and, in the case of the Audit Committee,
Section 10A(m)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In general,
committee members will be appointed by the Board with consideration
of the desires and preferences of individual Directors. Due consideration
will be given to rotating committee members periodically, but rotation
will not be mandated as a policy and the emphasis will instead be based
on expertise, past performance and director preference.
Committee Charters. Each committee will have
its own charter. The charters will set forth the purposes, goals,
responsibilities and authority (consistent with any applicable bylaws
or resolutions of the Board) of the committees, as well as certain
specific qualifications for committee membership and procedures
for committee member appointment; in addition, the charters will
address committee reporting to the Board. The charters will also
provide that each committee will annually evaluate its own performance
and report the results of this evaluation to the Board.
Committee Meetings. The chairman of each committee,
in consultation with the committee members, will determine the frequency
and length of the committee meetings consistent with any requirements
set forth in the committee’s charter. The chairman of each
committee, in consultation with the appropriate members of the committee
and management, will develop the committee’s agenda. At the
beginning of the year each committee will establish a schedule of
agenda subjects to be discussed during the year (to the degree these
can be foreseen). The schedule for each committee will be furnished
to all Directors.
Independent Advisors. The Board shall have the
power to hire at the expense of the Company independent legal, financial
or other advisors as it may deem necessary, without consulting or
obtaining the approval of any officer of the Company in advance.
Additional Committees. The Board may, from time
to time, establish or maintain additional committees as necessary
or appropriate.
4. Director Access to Officers and Employees
Full Access. Directors have full and free access
to officers and employees of the Company. Any meetings or contacts
that a Director wishes to initiate may be arranged through the CEO
or the Corporate Secretary or directly by the Director. The Directors
will use their judgment to ensure that any such contact is not disruptive
to the business operations of the Company and does not inappropriately
disclose any confidential or sensitive information in the possession
of the Director and will inform, to the extent not inappropriate,
the CEO of any communications between a Director and an
officer or employee of the Company.
Non-Director Attendance at Board Meetings. The
Board welcomes regular attendance at each Board meeting of the appropriate
representatives of senior management of the Company as shall be
determined from time to time, subject to the Board’s right
in all instances to meet in executive session or with a more limited
number of management representatives. If the CEO wishes to have
additional Company personnel attend on a regular basis, this
suggestion should be brought to the Board for consideration.
5. Director Compensation
The form and amount of Director compensation will be determined
by the Nominating & Governance Committee in accordance
with the policies and principles set forth in its charter and any
NYSE or other applicable rules, and that committee will conduct
an annual review of Director compensation. The Nominating &
Governance Committee will consider that Directors’ independence
may be jeopardized if Director compensation and perquisites exceed
customary levels, if the Company makes substantial charitable contributions
to organizations with which a Director is affiliated or if the Company
enters into consulting contracts with (or provides other indirect
forms of compensation to) a Director or an organization with which
the Director is affiliated.
6. Director Orientation and Continuing Education
All new Directors must participate in the Company’s Orientation
Program. The orientation will include presentations by senior management
to familiarize new Directors with the Company’s strategic
plans, its significant financial, accounting and risk management
issues, its compliance programs, its Code of Business Conduct and
Ethics, its principal officers, and its internal and independent
auditors. These presentations may be made at Board dinners or as
a part of a general Board meeting.
7. CEO Evaluation and Management Succession
CEO Review. The Compensation Committee will conduct
an annual review of the CEO’s performance, as set forth in
its charter. The Board of Directors will review the Compensation
Committee’s report in order to confirm that the CEO is providing
effective leadership for the Company in the long- and short-term.
Succession Planning. The Chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee will
join the Compensation Committee for succession discussions.
The Compensation
Committee will periodically report to the Board on succession planning. The entire Board will work with the Compensation Committee to nominate
and evaluate potential successors to the CEO. The CEO should at
all times make available his or her recommendations and evaluations
of potential successors, along with a review of any development
plans recommended for such individuals.
8. Annual Performance Evaluation
The Board of Directors will conduct an annual self-evaluation to
determine whether it and its committees are functioning effectively.
The Nominating & Governance Committee will receive comments
from all Directors and report annually to the Board with an assessment
of the Board’s performance. The assessment
will focus on the Board’s contribution to the Company and
specifically focus on areas in which the Board or management believes
that the Board could improve.