BOARD COMMITTEES - ICSI

1 BOARD COMMITTEES A HAND BOOKThe Companies Act, 2013 SeriesICSI House, 22, Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110 003tel 011-4534 1000, 4150 4444fax +91-11-2462 6727email 2014 PRICE : Rs. 100/- (Excluding Postage) THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIAAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated orcopied in any form or by any means without the prior written permissionof The Institute of Company Secretaries of by :THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIAICSI House, 22, Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003 Phones : 41504444, 45341000 oFax : 24626727 Website : o E-mail: 97882207221 Laser typesetting at AArushi GraphicsAnd Printed at, Samrat Offset Works/1000/December 2014iiiPrefaceIf legitimacy is to be restored to the system, the chain of accountabilitymust be made more effective.

2 David S. R. Leighton and Donald H. ThainWith the advent of globalization and the blurring of geographicalborders have created tremendous demands on the Boards of Directors,in terms of their time, commitment and required skill sets. The regulatoryrequirements are complex and the onus on the Boards is immense andtherefore, it is imperative to delegate certain matters to specialistboard COMMITTEES . These COMMITTEES with formally established termsof reference, criteria for appointment, life span, role and functions,constitute an important element of the governance process. Committeesenable better management of full BOARD s time and allow in-depthscrutiny and focused attention, which will lead ultimately to evolveappropriate are a sub-set of the BOARD , deriving their authority fromthe powers delegated to them by the BOARD .

3 The boards were enabledto delegate its authority to COMMITTEES under the Companies Act, , with the raising of the benchmark of corporate governance,the Companies Act, 2013 prescribes the constitution of certain additionalcommittees. On similar lines, the revised Clause 49 of the ListingAgreement also requires listed entities to constitute these Handbook on BOARD Committee brings together, in a concisemanner, the need for committee management, the legal prescriptionsof the COMMITTEES , how to enhance the effectiveness of committeesand the frequently asked questions in relation to COMMITTEES of theboard and its place on record my sincere thanks to Mr.

4 Agarwal, formerlyPrincipal Director, ICSI for his valuable inputs in finalizing the book. Icommend the dedicated efforts put in by team ICSI led by Ms. AlkaKapoor, Joint Secretary and comprising Ms. Banu Dandona, DeputyDirector, Ms. Deepa Khatri, Assistant Director and Ms. Disha Kant,Assistant Education Officer in the Directorate of ProfessionalDevelopment II in preparing this publication under the overallguidance of Mr. Sutanu Sinha, Chief Executive, of the Institute and theguidance and leadership of Mr. Sanjay Grover, Central Council Memberand Chairman, Corporate Laws and Governance am sure that publication will prove to be of immense benefit tocompanies in adopting and implementing better corporate any publication of this kind, there is always a scope for furtherrefinement.

5 I would be personally grateful to users and readers of thishandbook for their R. SridharanPresidentvCONTENTSPageIntroduct ion1 Need for Committees2 Committee points for consideration while to constitute a Functioning5 COMMITTEES mandatorily to be constituted under the Companies7 Act, and Remuneration Relationship Social Responsibility Committee17 Convening and Conducting Committee Meetings21 Other Legal Aspects of Committee Functioning24 Enhancing Committee Effectiveness26 FAQs in Relation to COMMITTEES of BOARD of Directors and their27 FunctioningConclusion28 AnnexuresAnnexure A Schedule VII29 Annexure B The Committee A Comparative Table31 INTRODUCTIONA BOARD committee is a small working group identified by the BOARD ,consisting of BOARD members, for the purpose of supporting the BOARD swork.

6 COMMITTEES are generally formed to perform some expertise of the committee are expected to have expertise in thespecified are usually formed as a means of improving boardeffectiveness and efficiency, in areas where more focused, specializedand technical discussions are required. These COMMITTEES prepare thegroundwork for decision-making and report at the subsequent boardmeeting. COMMITTEES enable better management of full BOARD s timeand allow in-depth scrutiny and focused , the BOARD of Directors are ultimately responsible for the actsof the committee. BOARD is responsible for defining the committee roleand structure of a BOARD and the planning of the BOARD s work are keyelements to effective governance.

7 Establishing COMMITTEES is one wayof managing the work of the BOARD , thereby strengthening the BOARD sgovernance role. Boards should regularly review its own structure andperformance and whether it has the right committee structure and anappropriate scheme of delegation from the often serve several different functions:Governance: In large organizations participation of each and everydirector is not possible in decisions making of the organization as awhole, a committee is given the power to make decisions, spend money,or take actions. Some or all such powers may be limited or effectivelyunlimited. Members of the committee take decisions, keeping in viewthe interest of all : Where there is a large BOARD , it is common to havecommittees with more specialized functions for better coordination -for example, audit committee, finance committee, compensationcommittee, etc.

8 Wherein members meet regularly to discussdevelopments in their areas, review projects that cut acrossorganizational boundaries, talk about future options, etcResearch and recommendations: COMMITTEES are often formed todo research and make recommendations on a potential or plannedproject or change. For example, an organization considering amajor capital investment might create a temporary working committee1 BOARD COMMITTEES A HAND BOOK2of several people to review options and make recommendations to theBoard of Directors. Such COMMITTEES are typically dissolved after the increasing business complexities and time commitment ofBoard members, constituting COMMITTEES has become inevitable fororganization of any significant size.

9 COMMITTEES keep the number ofparticipants manageable; in larger groups, either many people do notget to speak or discussion gets quite FOR COMMITTEESA BOARD can set up COMMITTEES with particular terms of reference whenit needs assistance (for example a New project sub-committee) or whenan issue requires more resources and attention (review of effect oflegislative changes on organisational programs). They can be set up fora specific purpose or to deal with general issues such as development .They can be established on a short-term or temporary basis, or they canbe formed as a permanent body for ongoing BOARD can either delegate some of its powers to the committee,enabling it to act directly, or can require the recommendations of thecommittee to be approved by the BOARD .

10 The BOARD will normallydepend heavily on the findings and recommendations of its COMMITTEES ,although final decisions to accept or reject these recommendationswill be made by the BOARD . COMMITTEES thus have an important role toplay in company governance. COMMITTEES may be formed for a range of purposes, including: BOARD development or Governance Committee to look after/administer/support BOARD members andcommittee members and other executive positions Selection Committee/Nomination Committee to select BOARD members, to select a CEO, to select keymanagerial and senior management personnel Investment Committee Risk Management Committee Safety, Health & Environment Committee Committee of Inquiry to inquire into particular questions (disciplinary, technical, etc.)