28 <strong>Compass</strong> <strong>Group</strong> PLC Annual Report 2007Directors’ ReportCorporate governancecontinuedAudit CommitteeThe Audit Committee comprises Steve Lucas(Chairman), Sven Kado, Sir Ian Robinsonand Tim Parker. Val Gooding and PeterCawdron stepped down as members of thiscommittee upon their retirement as directorsof the Company on 31 December 2006 and16 February 2007 respectively as did PeterBlac<strong>kb</strong>urn upon his retirement from theBoard on 31 October 2007. The committee’smembership is reviewed by the NominationCommittee and as part of the annual Boardperformance evaluation. Members of thecommittee are appointed by the Boardfollowing recommendations by theNomination Committee.Each member of the committee bringsrelevant financial experience from seniorexecutive levels. The expertise and experienceof the members of the committee aresummarised on page 17. The Board considersthat each member of the committee isindependent within the definition set out inthe Code. Steve Lucas is considered by theBoard to have significant, recent and relevantfinancial experience, as he is currentlyFinance Director of National Grid plc.All members of the committee receiveappropriate induction, which is in addition tothe induction which all new directors receiveand includes an overview of the business, itsfinancial dynamics and risks. Audit Committeemembers are expected to have anunderstanding of the principles of, anddevelopments in, financial reporting,including the applicable accounting standardsand statements of recommended practice, keyaspects of the Company’s policies, financing,internal control mechanisms, and matters thatrequire the use of judgement in thepresentation of accounts and key figures aswell as the role of internal and externalauditors. Members of the committeeundertake ongoing training as required.The committee meets regularly throughoutthe year and its agenda is linked to events inthe Company’s financial calendar. Eachmember of the committee may requirereports on matters of interest in addition tothe regular items. Members’ attendance at themeetings held during the year is set out in thetable on page 29.The committee invites Sir Roy Gardner, the<strong>Group</strong> Chief Executive, the <strong>Group</strong> FinanceDirector, the <strong>Group</strong> Financial Controller andthe Director of Internal Audit together withsenior representatives of the external auditorsto attend each meeting although it reservespart of each meeting for discussions withoutinvitees being present. Other seniormanagement are invited to present suchreports as are required for the committee todischarge its duties.The Chairman of the Audit Committeeattends the Annual General Meeting torespond to any shareholder questions thatmight be raised on the committee’s activities.The remuneration of the members of thecommittee is set out on page 35 and the policywith regard to the remuneration of the nonexecutivedirectors is set out on page 38.The committee assists the Board to fulfil itsresponsibilities related to external financialreporting and associated announcements.During the year, the committee reviewed:the interim and annual financial statements;the interim and preliminary announcementsmade to the London Stock Exchange;significant accounting issues including theconsideration of any goodwill impairmentassessments; operation of the ‘whistle-blowing’policy; litigation and contingent liabilities andtax matters, including compliance withstatutory tax reporting obligations.The committee is also responsible for thedevelopment, implementation and monitoringof the Company’s policy on external audit.The committee reserves oversightresponsibility for monitoring the auditors’independence, objectivity and compliancewith ethical, professional and regulatoryrequirements. The committee recommendsthe appointment, reappointment and removalof the Company’s external auditors. Thecommittee also reviews the terms, areas ofresponsibility and scope of the audit as set outin the external auditors’ engagement letter;the overall work plan for the forthcomingyear, together with the associated fee proposaland cost-effectiveness of the audit; any majorissues which arise during the course of theaudit and their resolution; key accounting andaudit judgements; the level of errors identifiedduring the audit; the recommendations madeto management by the auditors andmanagement’s response; and the auditors’overall performance. The committee alsoensures that key partners within the externalauditors are rotated from time to time inaccordance with applicable UK rules. Thecommittee also monitors the extent of nonauditwork which the external auditors canperform, to ensure that the provision of thosenon-audit services that can be undertaken bythe external auditors falls within the agreedpolicy and does not impair their objectivity orindependence. In this respect the committeehas agreed that, unless there is no othercompetent and available provider, theexternal auditors should be excluded fromproviding the Company with generalconsultancy and all other non-audit and nontax-relatedservices.Within the constraints of applicable UK rules,the external auditors undertake some duediligence reviews and provide assistance ontax matters given their in-depth knowledge ofthe <strong>Group</strong>’s business although assistance ontax matters is also obtained from other firms.The provision of non-audit services withinsuch constraints and the agreed policy isassessed on a case-by-case basis so that thebest-placed advisor is retained. During theyear, the committee reviewed the effectivenessof the external auditors and consideredwhether the agreed plan had been fulfilledand the reasons for any variation from theplan. The committee also considered theexternal auditors’ robustness and the degreeto which the external auditors were able toassess key accounting and audit judgementsand the content of the management letter.The total fees paid to Deloitte & Touche LLPin the year ended 30 September 2007 were£5.1 million (2006: £7.6 million 1 ) of which£2.1 million (2006: £4.0 million) related tonon-audit work. Further disclosure of thenon-audit fees paid during the year ended30 September 2007 can be found in note 2to the consolidated financial statements onpages 52 and 53.The committee also reviews the effectivenessof the <strong>Group</strong>’s internal audit function and itsrelationship with the external auditors,including internal audit resources, plans andperformance as well as the degree to which thefunction is free of management restrictions.Throughout the year, the committee reviewedthe internal audit function’s plans and itsachievements against plans. The committeeconsidered the results of the audits undertakenby the internal audit function and consideredthe adequacy of management’s response tomatters raised, including the time taken toresolve any such matters.The committee also reviews, wherepracticable, all proposed announcements tobe made by the Company to the extent thatthey contain material financial information.The committee monitors and reviews theeffectiveness of the <strong>Group</strong>’s internal controlsystems, accounting policies and practices andcompliance controls as well as the Company’sstatements on internal control before they areagreed by the Board for each year’s annualreport. The Board retains overall responsibilityfor internal control and the identification andmanagement of business risk.The Company’s ‘whistle-blowing’ or ‘Speak Up’policy (which is an extension of the Code ofEthics) sets out arrangements for the receipt,in confidence, of complaints on accounting,risk issues, internal controls, auditing issues andrelated matters which would, as appropriate,be reported to the committee. A copy of theCode of Ethics is available on the Company’swebsite at www.compass-group.com.Each year the committee reviews criticallyits own performance and considers whereimprovements can be made.1. £7.3 million of which relates to the continuing business.
29 <strong>Compass</strong> <strong>Group</strong> PLC Annual Report 2007Nomination CommitteeThe Nomination Committee meets on an asneeded basis and at the date of this report iscomprised of Sir Roy Gardner (Chairman),Sir James Crosby and Sir Ian Robinson.Val Gooding and Peter Cawdron steppeddown as members of this committee upontheir retirement as directors of the Companyon 31 December 2006 and 16 February 2007respectively as did Peter Blac<strong>kb</strong>urn upon hisretirement from the Board on 31 October2007. The committee reviews the structure,size and composition of the Board and itscommittees and makes recommendations withregard to any changes that are considerednecessary, both in the identification andnomination of new directors and appointmentof members to the Board committees, and thecontinuation of existing directors in office toensure that there is a balanced Board in termsof skills, knowledge and experience. Thecommittee retains external search consultantsas appropriate and reviews the leadershipneeds of the <strong>Group</strong> to enable it to competeeffectively in the marketplace. The committeealso advises the Board on succession planningfor executive Board appointments althoughthe Board itself is responsible for successiongenerally. The committee met four timesduring the year and director attendance forsuch meetings is shown in the table below.Remuneration CommitteeThe committee comprises; Sir James Crosby(Chairman), Steve Lucas, Sven Kado andTim Parker all of whom are independentwithin the definition set out in the Code. ValGooding stepped down as a member of thecommittee upon her retirement as a directorof the Company on 31 December 2006. SirJames Crosby succeeded Peter Cawdron asChairman of the committee on 17 February2007. The committee met six times during theyear and director attendance for each meetingis shown in the table below. The committee isresponsible for making recommendations onremuneration to the Board. The Director’sremuneration report is set out on pages33 to 39.The Chairman of the RemunerationCommittee attends the Annual GeneralMeeting to respond to any shareholderquestions that might be raised on thecommittee’s activities.General Business CommitteeThe General Business Committee comprisesall the executive directors and meets asrequired to conduct the Company’s businesswithin the clearly defined limits delegated bythe Board and subject to those mattersreserved to the Board.Corporate Responsibility CommitteeThe Corporate Responsibility Committeecomprises Sir Roy Gardner (Chairman),Richard Cousins, Andrew Martin, SteveLucas, Mark White and the <strong>Group</strong> HumanResources Director. The committee’s primaryresponsibilities include; health, safety andenvironmental practices, business conduct,the promotion of employee engagement anddiversity and community investment.Disclosure CommitteeThe Disclosure Committee comprises AndrewMartin, Mark White, the <strong>Group</strong> FinancialController and the Director of CorporateStrategy, Media and Investor Relations. Thecommittee meets as required to deal with allmatters relating to public announcements ofthe Company and the Company’s obligationsunder the Listing Rules and Disclosure Rulesof the UK Listing Authority.Executive CommitteeThe Executive Committee comprises, theexecutive directors of the Company, theGeneral Counsel and Company Secretary,<strong>Group</strong> Human Resources Director andthe <strong>Group</strong> Managing Directors. Thecommittee normally meets monthly and it isresponsible for implementing <strong>Group</strong> policy,day-to-day management, monitoring businessperformance and reporting on these areas tothe Board.Meetings attendanceThe table below shows the attendance ofdirectors at meetings of the Board, Audit,Remuneration and Nomination Committeesduring the year.Directors’ attendanceInternal auditThe internal audit function is involved in theassessment of the quality of risk managementand internal control and helps to promote andfurther develop effective risk managementwithin the businesses. Certain internal auditassignments (such as those requiring specialistexpertise) continue to be outsourced by theDirector of Internal Audit to KPMG LLPas required. A policy has been establishedregarding the recruitment of staff fromDeloitte & Touche LLP. The Audit Committeereviews internal audit reports and considersthe effectiveness of the function.Internal controlIn a highly decentralised <strong>Group</strong>, where localmanagements have considerable autonomy torun and develop their businesses, a welldesigned system of internal control isnecessary to safeguard shareholders’investments and the Company’s assets. Thedirectors acknowledge that they have overallresponsibility for the <strong>Group</strong>’s systems ofinternal control and for reviewing theeffectiveness of those controls. In accordancewith the guidance set out in the TurnbullReport, ‘Internal Control: Guidance forDirectors on the Combined Code’, anongoing process had been established foridentifying, managing and evaluating the risksfaced by the <strong>Group</strong>. This process has been inplace for the full financial year and up to thedate on which the financial statements wereapproved.The systems are designed to manage ratherthan eliminate the risk of failure to achievethe <strong>Group</strong>’s objectives, safeguard the <strong>Group</strong>’sassets against material loss, fairly report theAudit Remuneration NominationBoard meetings Committee meetings Committee meetings Committee meetingsEligible Eligible Eligible EligibleName of director Attended to attend Attended to attend Attended to attend Attended to attendPeter Blac<strong>kb</strong>urn 8 9 3 4 – – 3 4Peter Cawdron 1 3 3 – – 3 3 3 3Richard Cousins 9 9 – – – – – –Sir James Crosby 2 4 5 – – 3 3 1 1Sir Roy Gardner 9 9 – – 4 4 4 4Val Gooding 1 2 2 – – 2 2 2 2Gary Green 2 7 7 – – – – – –Sven Kado 8 9 3 4 6 6 – –Steve Lucas 8 9 4 4 6 6 – –Andrew Martin 9 9 – – – – – –Tim Parker 2 4 5 2 2 2 2 – –Sir Ian Robinson 2 7 8 2 2 – – 1 1This table shows only those meetings which each director attended as a member rather than as an invitee.1. Val Gooding and Peter Cawdron retired as directors on 31 December 2006 and 16 February 2007 respectively.2. Sir Ian Robinson and Gary Green were appointed directors on 1 December 2006 and 1 January 2007 respectively.Sir James Crosby and Tim Parker were appointed directors on 17 February 2007.