3.2.9Other Regulatory Matters
Conflicts of Interest
The members of the Management Board have a services contract with SBM Offshore N.V. These contracts stipulate that members of the Management Board may not compete with the Company. Conflict of interest procedures are included in the Management Board and Supervisory Board Rules and the Company’s Code of Conduct, and reflect Dutch law and the principle and best practices of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. In 2021, there were no conflicts of interest in relation to the members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board reported other than ordinary course compensation arrangements. The Company is compliant with best practice 2.7.3 to 2.7.4 of the Corporate Governance Code.
In 2021, SBM Offshore did not enter into transactions with persons who held at least ten percent of the shares in the Company. The Company is compliant with best practice 2.7.5 of the Corporate Governance Code.
Regulations concerning Ownership of and Transactions in Shares
In addition to the Company’s Insider Trading Rules, the Supervisory Board rules and Management Board rules contain a provision stipulating that Supervisory Board and Management Board members will not trade in Company shares or other shares issued by entities other than the Company on the basis of share price sensitive information if this information has been obtained in the course of managing or supervising the Company’s business. For information about the shares (or other financial instruments) held in SBM Offshore N.V. by members of the Management Board, reference is made to section 4.3.6 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
CHANGE OF CONTROL
The Company is not a party to any material agreement that takes effect, alters or terminates upon a change of control of the Company following a take-over bid as referred to in section 5:70 of the Dutch Financial Markets Supervision Act, other than as mentioned in this paragraph. SBM Offshore N.V. has a revolving credit facility agreement under which the approval of the participating lenders must be obtained in the event of a change in control of the Company after a public take-over bid has been made. Certain vessel charter contracts contain clauses to the effect that the prior consent of the client is required in case of a change of control or merger or where the company resulting from such change of control or merger would have a lower financial rating or where such change of control or merger would affect the proper execution of the contract. In addition, local bidding rules and regulations (e.g. in Brazil for Petrobras) may require client approval for changes in control. A change of control clause is included in the services contract between the Company and each of the members of the Management Board.
Executive committee
Since the end of 2012, an Executive Committee has been in place. The Executive Committee facilitates decision-making without detracting from the exercise of statutory responsibilities by the members of the Management Board and the internal company authority matrix. Currently, the Executive Committee is comprised of the Management Board members, the Managing Directors of Floating Production Solutions, Global Resources & Services, Operations, Strategic Growth and New Energies & Services, as well as the Group HR Director and the Chief Strategy Officer. In principle, the Executive Committee meets every three weeks. In the meetings strategic, operational and organisational topics are discussed.
diversity
In 2021, a revised Diversity Policy for the Supervisory Board and for the Management Boardwas finalised and can now be found on the Company website. Diversity targets found to be relevant are i) nationality/cultural background with a due and fair representation of the geographic regions in which the Company operates and ii) gender. At least one third of the Supervisory Board members should be male and one third should be female. The Company will set diversity targets for the Management Board and senior management in 2022.
In 2021 the members of the Management Board covered four and the members of the Supervisory Board covered six nationalities. Two additional nationalities were represented in the Executive Committee. A broad range of experience in the geographic regions the Company operates is seen, or in case of new regions, experience is being build up. For gender, as at December 31, 2021 28.5% of the Supervisory Board members was female, whereby it is noted that a female candidate is proposed to be appointed at the 2022 AGM.The Management Board consisted of 100% males. More than for re-appointments, whereby experience and good performance are weighing heavily on the decision, new appointments offer opportunity to re-balance the composition in view of fair and equal gender representation when needed. The targets set for (gender) diversity will be taken into consideration when there are vacancies in the Supervisory Board, Management Board and senior management positions.
Code of Conduct and Speak up line
The Company has a Code of Conduct which is built on the Company’s four core values Integrity, Care, Entrepreneurship and Ownership. Reporting channels and a Speak Up Line are in place and enable SBM Offshoreto carefully listen to its employees and partners in the value chain about concerns related to potential violations against the Code of Conduct, Core Values, or the law. The Speak Up Line, managed by an independent third party, is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, supports multiple languages, and allows for anonymous and confidential reporting. For more details on SBM Offshore’s compliance program reference is made to section 3.6.2. The Code of Conduct can be found on the Company website.
Compliance with the code
SBM Offshore complies with the principles and best practices of the Corporate Governance Code.