Supervisory Board Committees

The Supervisory Board has established three permanent committees: the Audit Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Remuneration Committee. This section explains aspects of the governance and roles and responsibilities of these committees. Information on the work, composition and attendance of the Supervisory Board members at the meetings of the committees during the year is set out in the Report of the Supervisory Board.

Each committee has a charter describing its role and responsibilities, as well as the manner in which it discharges its duties and reports to the full Supervisory Board. These charters are included in the Supervisory Board Rules of Procedure. The committees report on their deliberations and findings to the full Supervisory Board.

In 2017, the Supervisory Board also established a temporary committee – the Shareholders Relations Committee. Its role is to oversee the strengthening of AkzoNobel’s relationship with shareholders and review relevant feedback from the investor community. The committee reports on its deliberations and findings to the full Supervisory Board. The Shareholders Relations Committee comprises Mr. Verwaayen (Chairman), Mr. Burgmans, Dr. Kirby and Mr. Grote, with three meetings being held in 2017. David Mayhew and the team at JP Morgan Cazenove have been appointed as advisors to this committee, with Mr. Lloyd Midwinter (AkzoNobel’s Director of Investor Relations) acting as Secretary.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee assists the Supervisory Board in overseeing the quality and integrity of the accounting, reporting, risk management and internal control practices of the company, as well as the company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the performance of the Internal Audit function and the qualifications, performance and independence of the external auditor. The Audit Committee has a role in assessing the quality and integrity of reporting on sustainability performance and takes an active role in reviewing the company’s sustainability performance data.

As a rule, the CFO, the Group Controller, the Corporate Director of Internal Audit and the lead partner of the external auditor attend all regular meetings. After most Audit Committee meetings, members hold a separate meeting with only the internal auditor present, a separate meeting with only the external auditor present and sessions with only Audit Committee members in attendance. In addition, there are regular meetings with only Audit Committee members and the CFO present. Other members of the Executive Committee attend as and when requested. The General Counsel reports to the Audit Committee on compliance matters at every regular Audit Committee meeting and provides a claim and liability report to the Audit Committee once a year. The Chairman of the Audit Committee is primarily responsible for the proper functioning of the Audit Committee and reports the activities and findings of the committee to the Supervisory Board, which discusses these activities and findings when necessary. The Chairman also initiates the evaluation of the functioning of the Audit Committee and its individual members, without members of the Board of Management being present.

Nomination Committee

The Nomination Committee focuses on drawing up selection criteria and appointment procedures for Supervisory Board and Board of Management members. The Nomination Committee assesses the size and composition of both Boards, evaluates the functioning of the individual members, makes proposals for appointments and reappointments and supervises the Board of Management on the selection of senior management. The Nomination Committee also considers appointments by the CEO of Executive Committee members who are not also a member of the Board of Management. When selecting candidates for appointment to the Supervisory Board, account is taken of the Supervisory Board profile, the diversity requirements of the Dutch Civil Code and the Code, as well as the need for knowledge of the markets in which the company operates and insights from other markets and non-operational areas.

Remuneration Committee

The Remuneration Committee is responsible for making proposals to the Supervisory Board on the Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management, for overseeing the remuneration of the individual members of the Board of Management and the other members of the Executive Committee and for overseeing the remuneration schemes for AkzoNobel executives involving the company’s shares. The Remuneration Committee conducts periodic reviews of the performance of the members of the Board of Management and the Executive Committee. The Remuneration Committee also reviews the remuneration of the members of the Supervisory Board and prepares proposals for adjustments, if necessary.