CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
2
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Committee meeting held on that same day, the Board assessed the independence status of its members based on each of the above criteria. The
Board’s conclusions are set out in the table below:
Dominique
Louis
Miriam
Maes
Gilbert
Lehmann
Salvepar
(V. Favier)
Virginie
Calmels
Is not – and has not been within the past five years – an employee
or executive officer of the Company, or an employee, executive officer
or director of its parent or an entity that is consolidated by its parent.
x
X
X
Is not an executive officer of an entity in which the Company is a
corporate director, either directly or indirectly, or in which an employee
or executive officer of the Company (currently in office or having held
such office in the past five years), holds a directorship.
x
x
x
x
x
Is not a customer, supplier, investment banker or commercial banker:
•
that is significant for the Company or the Group, or
•
for which the Company or the Group represents a significant proportion
of the entity’s business.
x
x
x
x
Has no close family ties with a Company officer
x
x
x
x
x
Has not been a Statutory Auditor of the Company in the past five years
x
x
x
x
x
Has not been a director of the Company for more than 12 years
x
*
x
x
Does not represent a shareholder with a controlling interest
in the Company or in its parent
x
x
X
Director’s independence status
Not
independent
Independent
Independent
Not
independent
Independent
* As Gilbert Lehmann has been a director of the Company since 3 May 2004, he no longer met this criterion at 31 December 2016. In accordance with the AFEP-MEDEF Code, his
independence status, along with that of all of the directors, was reviewed by the Board on 7 March 2017, particularly in view of the fact that the Board will recommend to shareholders at
the 16 May 2017 Annual General Meeting that he be re-elected as a director for a further three-year term. The Board considered that the fact Mr. Lehmann has been a director for more
than twelve consecutive years does not mean that he should lose his classification as an independent director. The aim of this criterion is to ensure that as a result of their time spent on the
Board, the director concerned does not lose their financial and professional independence or their capacity to be critical with respect to the Company’s Management. In reaching its decision
the Board took into account not only Gilbert Lehmann’s expertise in key accounting and financial matters related to the nuclear sector – which is one of Assystem’s core business areas – and
his extensive experience in general, but also the fact that he has always taken a completely objective stance in Board discussions and decisions and has demonstrated his ability to express
his opinions and form a balanced judgement about the Company’s Management in all circumstances. The Board also considers that Mr. Lehmann is financially independent from the Group
as the directors’ fees that he receives from the Company only represent a low proportion of his overall income.
The membership structure of the Board of Directors, the Audit Committee
and the Nominations and Remuneration Committee therefore complies
with the AFEP-MEDEF Code which specifies that:
●
independent directors must represent at least one third of the Board
members of companies that have a controlling shareholder and at
least one half for other companies. At 31 December 2016, three
of the Company’s five directors were independent,
i.e.
at least one
third of the Board;
●
at least two thirds of the Audit Committee’s members must be
independent directors. At 31 December 2016, two of this Committee’s
three members (Gilbert Lehmann and Miriam Maes) were independent
(Salvepar is not independent),
i.e.
at least two thirds of the Committee;
●
the majority of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee
members must be independent. At 31 December 2016, two of this
Committee’s three members (Gilbert Lehmann and Miriam Maes)
were independent (Salvepar is not independent),
i.e.
the majority
of the Committee.
RESPONSIBLE DIRECTORS
Conflicts of interest
The Company is not aware of any potential conflict of interests between
the directors’ and executive managers’ duties to Assystem and their own
personal interests and/or other obligations.
Furthermore, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, none of its
officers:
●
has been convicted of fraud in the past five years;
●
has been associated with a bankruptcy, receivership or liquidation
in the past five years;
●
has been publicly and officially incriminated and/or sanctioned by
statutory or regulatory authorities (including professional bodies);
●
has been disqualified by a court from acting as a member of an
administrative, management or supervisory body of an issuer or from
taking part in the management or conduct of the business of any
issuer in the past five years.
Lastly, there are no family ties between the members of the Board.
Securities Trading Code of Conduct and prevention of insider trading
In compliance with the recommendations of the AMF General
Regulations, members of the Board are required to disclose any trades
they carry out in the Company’s securities and to refrain from trading in
any Assystem securities they hold personally during the closed periods
specified in the applicable laws and set out in the AMF’s General
Regulation.
The procedures for applying these trading rules are described in
the Company’s Securities Trading Code, which was revised by the
Board on 1 February 2017 in order to align it with European Union
ASSYSTEM
REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
2016
16