► | The Company monitors its accounts payable, accounts receivable and other databases to identify any other potential related person transactions that may require disclosure. |
In determining whether or not to approve or ratify, if pre-approval was not feasible, a related person transaction, the NCG Committee may take such action as it may deem necessary or in the best interests of the Company and may take into account the effect of any related person transaction on independence status of a director.
Meetings of Non-Management Directors
Non-management members of the Board, all of whom are also independent directors, regularly hold executive sessions at Board meetings without members of management being present. In 2023, non-management independent directors met in executive session at least 6 times, including at each regular Board meeting. Mr. Mellor, the independent Chairman of the Board, presides over each such meeting.
Director Education and Development
We provide our new directors with an extensive onboarding process and provide ongoing education for all directors through board materials and presentations, discussions with management, visits to our sites and other sources to assist directors with staying up to date with any recent governance and industry trends and to provide direct exposure to our operations. In 2023, directors were provided concentrated educational and development programs at Board and Committee meetings and through online training opportunities covering geology, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment, diversity, equity and inclusion, political and regulatory trends and risks, reserve and resource estimation, tax matters, financial reporting and fiduciary obligations, among other matters. Several of our directors also attended programs focused on topics that are relevant to their duties as a director, including cyber risk oversight, climate risk and decarbonization, corporate governance, ethics, diversity, ESG topics, audit matters, economics, culture, crisis management, executive compensation, political and regulatory risks and developments in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and board best practices, and Ms. Hull completed a 20-hour cybersecurity oversight course.
Policy Regarding Recommending Nominees by Stockholders
The NCG Committee has adopted a policy pursuant to which a stockholder who owns at least 1% of our outstanding shares of common stock for at least two years may recommend a director candidate that the committee will consider when there is a vacancy on the Board either as a result of a director resignation or an increase in the size of the Board. Such recommendation must be in writing addressed to the Chairman of the NCG Committee at our principal executive offices and must be received by the Chairman at least 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the release of the prior year’s proxy statement. Although the NCG Committee has not formulated any specific minimum qualifications that it believes must be met by a nominee that the NCG Committee recommends to the Board, the NCG Committee would evaluate any stockholder nominee according to the same criteria as a nominee from any other source, including taking into account the factors discussed under “Director and Nominee Experience and Qualifications” on page
10.
Management Succession Planning and Talent Development
The Board oversees the recruitment, development, and retention of our senior executives. Significant focus is placed on succession planning both for key executive roles and deeper into the organization. In-depth discussions occur multiple times per year in meetings of the Board, CLD Committee and NCG Committee, including in executive sessions to foster candid conversations. The full Board receives an annual presentation from Mr. Krebs, our CEO, and Ms. Schouten, our Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, showing detailed succession plans for each executive and senior leadership position as well as the general managers for each operating mine and their senior leadership teams. These succession plans include development plans and readiness assessments for succession candidates. The CLD Committee receives regular presentations from Mr. Krebs and Ms. Schouten on the progress each executive has made on his or her individual development plans. These presentation materials result from a structured evaluation process by and under the leadership of Ms. Schouten, which includes one-on-one discussions with key leaders throughout the Company about their teams and employees. This process highlights organizational talent gaps, identifies development plans to close those gaps, and evaluates talent across ethnicity, gender and age. Directors have regular and direct exposure to senior leadership and high-potential