The Control and Risk Committee comprises four non-executive independent directors:
- Raphael Louis L. Vermeir (Chairman)
- Carolyn Adele Dittmeier
- Federica Seganti
- Cristina Sgubin
In particular, the Directors Vermeir, Dittmeier and Seganti have been identified by the Board as members "with adequate knowledge and experience in accounting, finance or risk management", required by the Code of Corporate Governance (Recommendation 35). The Chairman of the Committee was elected from the minority list presented by Italian and foreign institutional investors.
The Committee supports the Board of Directors’ assessments and decisions relating to the Internal Control and Risk Management System (ICRMS) and the approval of periodical financial and non-financial reports. The Committee supports the Board with preparatory work, following which it formulates assessments and/or opinions to the Board.
In particular, it supports the Board, by expressing an opinion, regarding definition and updating of the guidelines of the ICRMS, consistently with the Company’s strategies, so that the main risks that affect the Company and its subsidiaries can be correctly identified and appropriately measured, managed and monitored, and on the evaluation, performed every six months, of the adequacy of the ICRMS taking account of the characteristics of the Company and its risk profile, as well as its effectiveness, in conjunction with other parties involved in the management and/or supervision of the ICRMS. To this end, on the occasion of the approval of the annual and half-yearly financial report, it reports to the Board on its activities and on the overall adequacy of the ICRMS itself. It also supports the BoD in defining, as part of the Strategic Plan, the annual guidelines for the internal control and risk management system (called the "Annual plan for the integrated management of strategic risks"), proposed by the Chief Executive Officer, in consistency with the strategies of the company, as well as in the annual assessment about the implementation of said guidelines, based on the Report prepared for this purpose by the Chief Executive Officer.
It examines and expresses its opinion on the adoption and amendment of the rules for transparency and substantial and procedural correctness of transactions with related parties and those in which a director or statutory auditor holds an interest on his own or on behalf of third parties, in this regard also expressing an opinion about certain types of transactions pursuant to the procedures themselves. It also expresses an opinion on the fundamental guidelines of the Regulatory System, the regulatory instruments to be approved by the Board of Directors, their amendment or update.
In addition, the Committee monitors the independence, adequacy, efficiency and effectiveness of the Internal Audit Department and oversees its activities with respect to the duties of the Board, and the Chairman of the Board on its behalf, in this area, ensuring that the necessary conditions of independence and due objectivity, competence and professional diligence are maintained; it expresses an opinion on proposals concerning appointment, dismissal, remuneration structure and adequacy of the resources provided ( budget) of the Internal Audit Director, as well as on the Annual Audit Plan, and examines the results of the audit activities and the periodic reports drawn up by the function. It also supports the Board in evaluating the opportunities to adopt measures to ensure the effectiveness and impartiality of judgment of the Integrated Risk Management and Integrated Compliance units and of any other functions involved in the controls identified by the BoD, as well as in the annual verification that the same are equipped with adequate professionalism and resources.
It also carries out the tasks relating to the Model on the internal control system on financial reporting, in particular it assesses, after having consulted the officer in charge of preparing financial reports, the Audit firm and the Board of Statutory Auditors, the proper application of the accounting standards and their consistency for the purposes of preparing the consolidated financial statements, issuing an opinion prior to approval by the Board; it also examines and evaluates Reports prepared by the Officer in charge of preparing financial reports through which it shall give its opinion to the Board of Directors on the appropriateness of the powers and resources assigned to the Officer himself and on the proper application of accounting and administrative procedures, enabling the Board to exercise its tasks of supervision required by law.
The Committee examines and evaluates findings reported by the Audit Firm in any management letter it may issue and, in the latter’s, additional report, addressed to the Board of Statutory Auditors.
The Committee assesses whether the periodic financial and non-financial information is suitable to correctly represent the Company’s business model, its strategies, the impact of its business and the performance achieved, expressing an opinion to the Board and coordinating with the Sustainability and Scenarios Committee; it also examines the content of the periodic non-financial information relevant to the ICRMS.
On request of the Board, it supports, with adequate preliminary activities, the Board of Directors’ assessments and resolutions on the management of risks arising from detrimental facts which the Board may have become aware of. It examines the information on the ICRMS, also in the context of periodic meetings with the relevant structures of the Company.
The Committee ensures the establishment of an information flow to the Board of Statutory Auditors for the performance of their respective duties and coordination of activities.