CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STANDARDS
October 1, 2012
Composition of the Board and Qualifications of Directors
1. Pursuant to the Company’s By-Laws, the Board determines the number of directors. A substantial majority of the Board shall be composed of directors who meet the requirements for independence established by the New York Stock Exchange. The Board shall make a determination at least annually as to the independence of each director, in accordance with standards that are disclosed to the shareowners.
2. All directors should be persons of the highest integrity, who abide by exemplary standards of business and professional conduct. Directors should possess the skills and judgment, and the commitment to devote the time and attention, necessary to fulfill their duties and responsibilities.
3. Directors are elected by the shareowners at the Annual Meeting of Shareowners for a one-year term, to serve until the next Annual Meeting. In the event of vacancies on the Board, the Board may elect directors to serve until the next Annual Meeting.
In any uncontested election of directors, a director nominee who receives more votes “withheld” than votes "for" his or her election shall immediately tender his or her resignation. The Board will accept the resignation unless there is a compelling reason for the director to remain on the Board, and will promptly disclose the action it has taken and the reasons for it.
4. The Chief Executive Officer is currently the only employee of the Company nominated by the directors to serve on the Board. The Board believes that, as a general rule, former Campbell executives should not serve as directors of the Company.
5. The Board believes that service on the boards of other companies, and of civic and charitable organizations, enhances the experience and perspective of directors, but may also limit their time and availability. To ensure that all members of the Board have sufficient time to devote proper attention to their responsibilities as directors of the Company, the Governance Committee shall annually review the other board commitments of each director on a case-by-case basis.
6. No person may serve as a director if he or she is employed by a major supplier, customer or competitor of Campbell. In addition, no person may serve as a director if he or she, or a member of his or her immediate family (as defined in the Listing Standards of the New York Stock Exchange), is an executive officer of another company for which an executive officer of Campbell serves on the compensation committee of the board of directors, or of a non-for-profit organization that receives substantial contributions from Campbell or the Campbell Soup Foundation.
7. A director shall notify the Chair of the Governance Committee prior to accepting an invitation to serve on the board of another company or to become affiliated with another business entity. The Governance Committee or its designee shall evaluate and advise the Board whether, by reason of conflicts in regular meeting schedules or business or competitive considerations, simultaneous service on the other board or affiliation with the other entity may impede the director’s ability to fulfill his or her responsibilities to Campbell. The Governance Committee shall also administer and apply the Board’s Policy Concerning Transactions with Related Persons.
8. A director who changes his or her principal employment, position, or professional role or affiliation following election or re-election to the Board shall tender his or her resignation for consideration by the Governance Committee and decision by the Board.
9. Directors are required to own at least 2,000 Campbell shares within one year of election, and 6,000 shares within three years of election.
10. The Board believes that the judgment as to the tenure of an individual director should rest on an assessment by the Governance Committee of his or her performance and contributions to the Board. Accordingly, there is no predetermined limit on the number of one-year terms to which a director may be re-elected prior to his or her 72nd birthday. No person may stand for election to the Board after age 72.
Responsibilities of Directors
11. The Board believes that the primary responsibilities of directors are to exercise their business judgment in good faith, to act in what they reasonably believe to be the best interest of all shareowners, and to ensure that the business of the Company is conducted so as to further the long-term interests of its shareowners.
12. Directors shall receive and review appropriate materials in advance of meetings relating to matters to be considered or acted upon by the Board and its committees. Directors are expected to prepare for, attend and participate actively and constructively in all meetings of the Board and of the committees on which they serve.
13. Directors are expected to become and remain well informed about the business, performance, operations and management of the Company; general business and economic trends affecting the Company; and principles and practices of sound corporate governance.
14. In consultation with the Governance Committee, management shall provide programs for director orientation in which all new directors are expected to participate, and information to all directors about programs for continuing director education in areas of importance to the Company.
15. A director shall not participate in the discussion of or decision on any matter in which he or she has a personal, business or professional interest other than his or her interest as a shareowner of the Company. Directors shall promptly inform the Chairman of the Board regarding any actual or potential conflict of interest.
Composition of Board Committees
16. The Board shall establish such standing committees as it deems appropriate and in the best interests of the Company. The current standing committees of the Board are the Audit Committee, the Compensation and Organization Committee, the Finance and Corporate Development Committee, and the Governance Committee.
17. The Governance Committee shall recommend and the Board shall appoint, annually and as vacancies or new positions occur, the members of the standing committees and the committee chairs. The Governance Committee shall annually review the membership of the committees, taking account of both the desirability of periodic rotation of committee members and the benefits of continuity and experience in committee service.
18. All members of the Audit, Governance, and Compensation and Organization Committees shall meet the independence requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.
19. Directors who serve on the Audit Committee shall also meet the requirements as to independence, experience and expertise for audit committee members established by the New York Stock Exchange and applicable laws and regulations. At least one member of the Audit Committee shall be an audit committee financial expert as defined by the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
20. No member of the Audit Committee shall simultaneously serve on the audit committees of more than two other public companies.
Board Operations
21. The Board shall determine the number of regular meetings to be scheduled each year, and shall meet more frequently as circumstances may require.
22. The Governance Committee shall recommend and the Board shall appoint, annually and as vacancies occur, a Chairman of the Board. When the Chief Executive Officer of the Company also holds the position of Chairman of the Board, the Chair of the Governance Committee will serve as the Lead Director to preside at executive sessions of non-management directors and provide oversight for the effective functioning of the Board.
23. Upon consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairman shall annually establish an agenda of the matters that are expected to be considered and acted upon by the Board during the following year. The annual schedule shall be provided to the full Board for review and comment. In addition, the CEO shall review with the Chairman of the Board, prior to each Board meeting, the agenda for the meeting and the nature and scope of the materials that will be furnished to the directors in advance of the meeting.
24. The agenda will provide for an executive session of non-management directors (as defined by the New York Stock Exchange) at every regularly scheduled Board meeting and for an executive session of independent directors at least once a year. The Chairman of the Board, or, when appropriate, the Chair of the Governance Committee, acting in the capacity of Lead Director, shall preside at executive sessions.
25. Directors shall have unfettered access to management and employees of the Company and to its inside and outside counsel and auditors. Executive officers and other senior management are expected to be present at Board meetings at the invitation of the Board.
26. The Board shall establish methods by which interested parties may communicate directly with the Chairman or Lead Director, or with the non-management directors as a group, and shall cause such methods to be disclosed in the proxy statement.
27. The Board and each of its committees are authorized to retain such independent legal, financial or other advisors as they may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out their duties.
28. Directors' fees (including, in the case of a non-executive Chairman of the Board, the Chairman’s annual retainer and any additional compensation approved by the Board) will be the sole compensation that any director who is not an employee of Campbell receives, directly or indirectly, from the Company. The form and amount of director compensation shall be based on principles recommended by the Governance Committee and adopted by the Board, and shall be reviewed annually by the Governance Committee. The current principles provide that annual director compensation shall be set at the median of a group of 23 food and consumer products companies, and shall be delivered 50% in unrestricted Campbell shares and 50% in cash unless a director elects to receive his or her compensation entirely in the form of Campbell stock.
29. The Governance Committee shall be furnished annually with a report identifying any charitable contributions or pledges made by the Company during the last year, in the aggregate amount of $25,000 or more, to any entity for which a director serves as an executive officer.
Committee Operations
30. Each standing committee of the Board will have a charter that is approved by the Board and sets forth the purposes, duties and responsibilities of the committee. At least annually, the members of each committee will evaluate the adequacy of the committee’s charter, and will conduct an evaluation of its performance and effectiveness in fulfilling the duties and responsibilities set forth in the charter.
31. The chair of each standing committee, in consultation with management, shall annually establish agendas of the matters that are expected to be considered and acted upon by the committee during the following year. The annual schedule shall be provided to committee members for review and comment. Management will review with the chair of each committee, prior to each meeting, the agenda for the meeting and the nature and scope of the materials that will be furnished to the committee members in advance of the meeting.
32. The chair of each committee shall report to the Board following each meeting of the committee on the principal matters reviewed or approved by the committee and its recommendations as to actions to be taken by the Board. All directors will receive copies of all minutes of standing committee meetings.
33. The Audit Committee shall have the sole authority and responsibility to select, appoint, evaluate and replace the Company’s independent auditors, subject only to ratification by the shareowners, and to approve audit engagement fees and terms. The Audit Committee shall approve in advance all audit services and all permissible non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors.
34. The Audit Committee shall meet periodically with senior management, the internal auditors, and the Company’s independent auditors, in separate executive sessions.
35. The Governance Committee shall have sole authority to retain and terminate any search firm used to assist in the identification of director candidates, and any compensation consultant retained to assist in the design or evaluation of director compensation, including sole authority to approve their fees and other retention terms.
36. The Governance Committee shall lead the Board in an annual self-evaluation of the performance and effectiveness of the Board and its committees, and shall report the results of the evaluation to the shareowners in the proxy statement. The Governance Committee shall also assess, on the basis of established criteria, the performance of each director standing for re-election at the next Annual Meeting of Shareowners.
37. The Compensation and Organization Committee shall have sole authority to retain and terminate any compensation consultant used to assist in the design or evaluation of executive compensation for the Chief Executive Officer or senior management, including sole authority to approve the consultant's fees and other retention terms.
Oversight of the Business and Management
38. The Board shall review and approve fundamental financial and business strategies and major corporate actions and an annual operating plan that integrates strategic plan milestones, and regularly evaluate business performance and results in light of the operating plan.
39. The Board shall develop principles and policies for the selection of the Chief Executive Officer and the assessment of his or her performance. The Compensation and Organization Committee shall lead the Board at least annually in an evaluation of the performance of the CEO. The results of the evaluation shall be reviewed in one or more meetings of non-management directors at which the CEO is not present.
40. The Compensation and Organization Committee shall recommend to the Board plans and policies regarding the succession of the CEO in the event of an emergency or the CEO's retirement. The CEO shall provide to the Board, on an ongoing basis, recommendations regarding a successor to be appointed in such an event.
41. The Chief Executive Officer will report at least annually to the Compensation and Organization Committee his or her evaluation of the senior management of the Company.
42. The Chief Executive Officer will report annually to the Compensation and Organization Committee on the Company’s executive organization and principal programs for management development and planning for executive succession. The Committee will evaluate and report annually to the Board on the effectiveness of these processes.
43. The Board shall approve a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to directors, officers and employees of the Company, which prohibits retaliation in any form against anyone who reports suspected violations. Any amendments to the Code or waivers of its provisions for directors or executive officers shall be approved by the Audit Committee and promptly disclosed to shareowners.
Executive Compensation
44. With input from the other independent directors, the Compensation and Organization Committee shall annually approve the corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer. The CEO will report to the Board on progress in achieving these goals. Together with the other independent directors, the Compensation and Organization Committee shall determine the CEO’s compensation based on the Board’s evaluation of his or her performance in light of these goals and objectives.
45. All equity-based compensation plans shall be approved by the shareowners.
46. Incentive compensation plans will be based on principles and policies for executive compensation recommended by the Compensation and Organization Committee and approved by the Board.
47. By the terms of the shareowner-approved incentive plan, stock options may not be repriced.
48. Pursuant to the Company’s program relating to ownership of Campbell stock by executives, approximately the 35 most senior executives of the Company must retain a portion of the equity compensation they receive until they own Campbell stock valued at varying amounts ranging from two to six times base salary, depending upon their positions. Restricted stock and stock options, including vested stock options, do not count toward satisfaction of this requirement.
Shareowners
49. All shareowners have equal voting rights.
50. The Board will develop, approve and annually review Corporate Governance Standards that are disclosed each year to shareowners in the proxy statement.
STANDARDS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
A director shall be considered independent if the Board determines that the director does not have, directly or indirectly, any material relationship with the Company. In making this determination the Board shall broadly consider all relevant facts and circumstances.
Under the Company's Corporate Governance Standards, directors’ fees are the sole compensation that any director who is not an employee of Campbell may receive, directly or indirectly, from the Company. The Board has established the following additional standards to assist it in determining director independence. For the purposes of these standards, the term "immediate family member" shall have the meaning given in the Listing Standards of the New York Stock Exchange.
1. A director will not be considered independent if, within the preceding three years:
(a) the director was employed by the Company, or an immediate family member of the director was employed as an executive officer of the Company;
(b) the director or an immediate family member of the director received direct compensation from the Company exceeding $120,000 during any twelve month period, other than (i) director or committee fees, (ii) pension or other forms of deferred compensation for prior service that are not contingent on continued service, (iii) compensation for former service as an interim chairman or CEO, or (iv) compensation received by an immediate family member for services as a non-executive employee of the Company.
(c) the director or an immediate family member of the director was a partner or employee of the Company’s present or former independent auditor and personally worked on the Company’s audit;
(d) an executive of Campbell served on the compensation committee of the board of directors of another company that employed the director or a member of the director’s immediate family as an executive officer;
(e) the director is an employee or executive officer of, or an immediate family member of the director is an executive officer of, another company that does business with Campbell, and the annual sales to or purchases from that company account for the greater of $1 million or 2% of such company’s gross revenues; or
(f) the director is an executive officer of another company that is indebted to Campbell, or to which Campbell is indebted, and the total amount of either company’s indebtedness to the other exceeds 1% of the total consolidated assets of the company where the director serves as an executive officer.
2. A director will not be considered independent if:
(a) the director is a current employee or an immediate family member of the director is a current partner of a firm that is the Company’s independent auditor; or
(b) the director has an immediate family member who is a current employee of the Company’s independent auditor and who personally works on the Company audit.
3. A director who serves as an executive officer of a not-for-profit entity shall not be considered to have a material relationship with the Company if the discretionary contributions made to the entity by Campbell or the Campbell Soup Foundation.
(excluding matching grants) during the preceding three years are less than $25,000 or 2% (whichever is greater) of the entity’s most recent publicly available operating budget
With respect to any relationship that is not covered by the guidelines in paragraphs 1 and 2 above, the members of the Board who satisfy the standards for independence set forth in those guidelines shall make a determination, based on all relevant facts and circumstances, as to whether or not the relationship is material, and therefore whether the director who has the relationship shall be considered independent. The Company will disclose and explain the basis for any determination that such a relationship is not material in its next proxy statement. The Company will also disclose and explain the basis for any determination of independence for a director who does not satisfy the guidelines in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above.
Pursuant to the requirements of U.S. law, the Company does not make any personal loans or extensions of credit to any director, or any arrangements for the extension of credit to any director.
The Company’s conflicts of interest policy requires the disclosure of any personal interest, influence, relationship or other situation that might constitute or be perceived as a potential conflict of interest. Each director is required annually to submit a signed statement attesting to his or her awareness of and compliance with this policy. In addition, under the Company’s Corporate Governance Standards, directors are required promptly to inform the Chairman of the Board regarding any actual or potential conflict of interest.
COMMUNICATING CONCERNS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Any person who has a concern about Campbell’s governance, corporate conduct, business ethics or financial practices may communicate that concern to the Board of Directors. Concerns may be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Board or to the non-management directors as a group in care of the Office of the Corporate Secretary at the Company’s headquarters, or by email to directors@campbellsoup.com. Concerns may also be communicated to the Board by calling the following toll-free Hotline telephone number in the U.S. and Canada: 1-800-210-2173. To place toll-free calls from other countries in which the Company has operations, please see the instructions listed in the governance section of the Company’s Web site at www.campbellsoupcompany.com. Any concern relating to accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters will be referred both to the Chairman and to the Chair of the Audit Committee.
Campbell policy prohibits the Company and any of its employees from retaliating in any manner, or taking any adverse action, against anyone who raises a concern or helps to investigate or resolve it. However, anyone who prefers to raise a concern in a confidential, anonymous manner may do so by calling the Hotline.
Concerns communicated to the Board will be addressed through the Company’s regular procedures for addressing such matters. Depending upon the nature of the concern, it may be referred to the Company’s Internal Audit Department, the Legal or Finance Department, or other appropriate departments. As they deem necessary or appropriate, the Chairman of the Board or the Chair of the Audit Committee may direct that certain concerns communicated to them be presented to the Audit Committee or the full Board, or that they receive special treatment, including the retention of outside counsel or other outside advisors.
The status of concerns communicated to the Board will be reported periodically to the Chairman and/or the Chair of the Audit Committee, as appropriate.
To place a toll free call, please click here for more information.
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