Registration Document 2011 - Schneider Electric
Registration Document 2011 - Schneider Electric
Registration Document 2011 - Schneider Electric
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3 ORGANISATIONAL<br />
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE<br />
AND OPERATING PROCEDURES OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD<br />
><br />
2. Organisational and operating<br />
procedures of the Supervisory Board**<br />
Missions and powers of the Supervisory Board<br />
The Supervisory Board exercises ongoing control over the<br />
Management Board’s management of the Company, in accordance<br />
with French law. To this end, it performs all the checks and controls<br />
that it considers appropriate and obtains copies of any and all<br />
documents that it considers necessary in order to fulfi l its duties.<br />
Specifi c powers are vested in the Supervisory Board under French<br />
law and the Company’s articles of association. These include the<br />
power to:<br />
• appoint the Management Board, designating the number of<br />
members that compose it as well as its Chairman. Establish the<br />
compensation of the members of the Management Board;<br />
• if necessary, remove Management Board members from offi ce;<br />
• authorise fi nancing transactions that may have a substantial<br />
effect on the Company’s fi nancial structure (loans, increase in<br />
share capital etc.);<br />
• authorise material business acquisitions and disposals, meaning<br />
strategic transactions amounting to more than EUR250 million, as<br />
well as strategic partnerships;<br />
• authorise the creation of stock option plans or stock grant plans,<br />
with or without performance criteria;<br />
• authorise the signature of regulated related party agreements;<br />
• authorise the issuance of bonds and other guarantees, subject to<br />
compliance with French law.<br />
The Supervisory Board also authorises recommendations made at<br />
the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting concerning the dividend, Board<br />
membership and changes statutory changes.<br />
The Supervisory Board may appoint between one and three<br />
non- voting members and decide to create Board committees. It<br />
draws up internal rules. It determines the allocation of attendance<br />
fees; the total amount is determined by the Annual Shareholders’<br />
Meeting .<br />
Internal rules and procedures of the Supervisory Board<br />
The Supervisory Board’s internal rules and procedures, adopted<br />
on May 3, 2006, include the internal rules and procedures of the<br />
Board committees (the Remunerations and Appointments and<br />
Human Resources Committee and the Audit Committee) as well as<br />
the Director’s charter recommended by the AFEP/MEDEF corporate<br />
governance guidelines. It has been amended on several occasions.<br />
The internal rules and procedures of the Supervisory Board are<br />
made up of 13 articles:<br />
Article 1 defi nes the role and powers of the Supervisory Board<br />
(see above). It specifi es the Management Board decisions that<br />
require the prior approval or consultation of the Supervisory Board.<br />
In particular, acquisitions amounting to more than EUR250 million<br />
require the prior approval of the Supervisory Board.<br />
Article 2 defi nes the principles applied by the Supervisory Board<br />
concerning the renewal of its membership. These include assuring<br />
international representation by maintaining a signifi cant number<br />
of non-French members, maintaining independence through a<br />
majority of independent members as defi ned in the AFEP/MEDEF<br />
corporate governance guidelines, ensuring continuity through<br />
the re-election of a certain proportion of the members at regular<br />
intervals and enabling representation of employee shareholders.<br />
Article 3 defi nes the procedures for organising and conducting<br />
Supervisory Board meetings (notice of meeting, methods of<br />
participation, minutes, etc.).<br />
Article 4 defi nes the role and powers of the Chairman of the<br />
Supervisory Board. The Chairman leads the work of the Board.<br />
He is regularly informed by the Management Board’s Chairman of<br />
material events and developments in the life of the Group.<br />
Article 5 concerns information received by the Supervisory Board.<br />
It stipulates that Supervisory Board members shall receive any<br />
information required to enable them to fulfi l their duties and that<br />
they may request any necessary or relevant documents prior to any<br />
meeting of the Board. The article also describes the content of the<br />
Management Board’s quarterly reports to the Supervisory Board,<br />
to be drawn up in accordance with Article L.225-68 of the French<br />
Commercial Code. It stipulates that the Management Board should<br />
present the Supervisory Board with annual targets, strategic and<br />
operational plans.<br />
Article 6 defi nes the status of members of the Supervisory Board.<br />
This is in compliance with the Director’s charter contained in the<br />
AFEP/MEDEF corporate governance guidelines.<br />
It states that Supervisory Board members must:<br />
• represent all shareholders and act in the corporate interest;<br />
• resign from the Board when they have not participated in more<br />
than half the Board meetings;<br />
• comply with an overall obligation of confi dentiality;<br />
• report any and all confl icts of interest;<br />
• hold at least 250 shares of Company stock;<br />
• abide by strict rules regarding transactions involving <strong>Schneider</strong><br />
<strong>Electric</strong> SA stock (no trading allowed in the 31 days preceding<br />
116 <strong>2011</strong> REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC