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Corporate Governance

Terms of Reference Audit Committee
Terms of Reference Remuneration Committee
Terms of Reference Nomination Committee

TERMS OF REFERENCE – AUDIT COMMITTEE
Adopted by the Board on 17 May 2004

Reference to “the Committee” shall mean the Audit Committee.
Reference to “the Board” shall mean the Board of Directors.

Constitution and Purpose

The board of T&F Informa plc (“T&F Informa”) has established a committee of the board to be known as the Audit Committee.

The purpose of the committee is to fulfil its duties set out below in relation to all companies and businesses within T&F Informa.

The committee makes reports and recommendations to the board and has no authority of its own.

1.0

Membership

Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board, on the recommendation of the Nomination Committee in consultation with the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Committee shall be made up of at least three members.

All members of the Committee shall be independent non-executive directors at least one of whom shall have recent and relevant financial experience. The Chairman of the Board shall not be a member of the Committee.

Only members of the Committee have the right to attend Committee meetings. However, other individuals such as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive, Finance Director, other directors, the heads of risk, compliance and internal audit and representatives from the finance function may be invited to attend all or part of any meeting as and when appropriate.

The external auditors will be invited to attend meetings of the Committee on a regular basis.

At least once a year the committee shall meet with external auditors without executive directors being present.

At least once a year the committee shall meet the head of internal audit without executive directors being present.

Appointments to the Committee shall be for a period of up to three years, which may be extended for two further three year periods, provided the director remains independent.

The Board shall appoint the Committee Chairman who shall be an independent non-executive director. In the absence of the Committee Chairman and/or an appointed deputy, the remaining members present shall elect one of themselves to chair the meeting.

2.0

Secretary

The Company Secretary or their nominee shall act as the Secretary of the Committee.

3.0

Quorum

The quorum necessary for the transaction of business shall be two members. A duly convened meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all or any of the authorities, powers and discretions vested in or exercisable by the Committee.

4.0

Frequency of Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least three times a year at appropriate times in the reporting and audit cycle and otherwise as required or requested by the chairman.

5.0

Notice of Meetings

Meetings of the Committee shall be summoned by the Secretary of the Committee at the request of any of its members or at the request of external or internal auditors if they consider it necessary.

Unless otherwise agreed, notice of each meeting confirming the venue, time and date together with an agenda of items to be discussed, shall be forwarded to each member of the Committee, any other person required to attend and all other non-executive directors, no later than five working days before the date of the meeting. Supporting papers shall be sent to Committee members and to other attendees as appropriate, at the same time.

6.0

Minutes of Meetings

The Secretary shall minute the proceedings and resolutions of all meetings of the Committee, including recording the names of those present and in attendance.

The Secretary shall ascertain, at the beginning of each meeting, the existence of any conflicts of interest and minute them accordingly.

Minutes of Committee meetings shall be circulated promptly to all members of the Committee and, once agreed, to all members of the Board.

7.0

Annual General Meeting

The Chairman of the Committee shall attend the Annual General Meeting prepared to respond to any shareholder questions on the Committee’s activities.

8.0

Duties

he Committee should carry out the duties below for T&F Informa and all its group companies as appropriate.

8.1

Financial Reporting

The Committee shall monitor the integrity of the financial statements of the company, including its annual and interim reports, preliminary results’ announcements and any other formal announcement relating to its financial performance, reviewing significant financial reporting issues and judgements which they contain. The Committee shall also review summary financial statements, significant financial returns to regulators and any financial information contained in certain other documents, such as announcements of a price sensitive nature.

The Committee shall review and challenge where necessary:
  • The consistency of, and any changes to, accounting policies both on a year on year basis and across the company/group;
  • The methods used to account for significant or unusual transactions where different approaches are possible;
  • Whether the company has followed appropriate accounting standards and made appropriate estimates and judgements, taking into account the views of the external auditor;
  • the clarity of disclosure in the company’s financial reports and the context in which statements are made; and
  • all material information presented with the financial statements, such as the operating and financial review and the corporate governance statement (insofar as it relates to the audit and risk management);

The Committee shall review the annual financial statements of the pension funds where not reviewed by the Board as a whole.

8.2

Internal Controls and Risk Management Systems

The Committee shall:
  • keep under review the effectiveness of the company’s internal financial controls, internal controls and risk management systems including:
  • the procedures for identifying business risks and controlling their financial impact on the group.
  • Policies for preventing and detecting fraud
  • Ensuring each business line complies with the relevant regulatory and legal requirements and best practice.
  • Operational effectiveness of the policies and procedures.
  • Actual performance as reported by line management, internal and external audit.

Review of insurance arrangements.

Review the group strategy and plans for assessing and dealing with risks.

Review and approve the statements to be included in the Annual Report concerning internal controls and risk management.

8.3

Whistleblowing

The Committee shall review the company’s arrangements for its employees to raise concerns, in confidence, about possible wrongdoing in financial reporting or other matters. The Committee shall ensure that these arrangements allow proportionate and independent investigation of such matters and appropriate follow up action.

8.4

Internal Audit

The Committee shall:

  • monitor and review the effectiveness of the company’s internal audit function in the context of the company’s overall risk management system;
  • approve the appointment and removal of the head of the internal audit function;
  • consider and approve the remit of the internal audit function and ensure it has adequate resources and appropriate access to information to enable it to perform its function effectively and in accordance with the relevant professional standards. The Committee shall also ensure the function has adequate standing and is free from management or other restrictions;
  • review and assess the annual internal audits and annual internal audit work plan
  • review promptly all reports on the company from the internal auditors and receive such reports periodically;
  • review and monitor management’s responsiveness to the findings and recommendations of the internal auditor; and
  • meet the head of internal audit at least once a year, without management being present, to discuss their remit and any issues arising from the internal audits carried out. In addition, the head of internal audit shall be given the right of direct access to the Chairman of the Board and to the Committee.

8.5

External Audit

The Committee shall:
  • consider and make recommendations to the Board, to be put to shareholders for approval at the AGM, in relation to the appointment, re-appointment and removal of the company’s external auditor. The Committee shall oversee the selection process for new auditors and if an auditor resigns the Committee shall investigate the issues leading to this and decide whether any action is required;
  • ensure that the auditors of T&F Informa have full and direct access to all the auditors of companies within the group.
  • Oversee the relationship with the external auditor including (but not limited to):
    • approval of their remuneration, whether fees for audit or non audit services and that the level of fees is appropriate to enable an adequate audit to be conducted;
    • approval of their terms of engagement, including any engagement letter issued at the start of each audit and the scope of the audit;
    • assessing annually their independence and objectivity taking into account relevant [UK] professional and regulatory requirements and the relationship with the auditor as a whole, including the provision of any non audit services;
    • satisfying itself that there are no relationships (such as family, employment, investment, financial or business) between the auditor and the company (other than in the ordinary course of business);
    • agreeing with the Board a policy on the employment of former employees of the company’s auditor, then monitoring the implementation of this policy;
    • monitoring the auditor’s compliance with relevant ethical and professional guidance on the rotation of audit partners, the level of fees paid by the company compared to the overall fee income of the firm, office and partner and other related requirements; and
    • assessing annually their qualifications, expertise and resources and the effectiveness of the audit process which shall include a report from the external auditor on their own internal quality procedures;
  • Meet regularly with the external auditor, including once at the planning stage before the audit and once after the audit at the reporting stage. The Committee shall meet the external auditor at least once a year, without management being present, to discuss their remit and any issues arising from the audit;
  • Review and approve the annual audit plan and ensure that it is consistent with the scope of the audit engagement;
  • Review the findings of the audit with the external auditor. This shall include but not be limited to, the following;
    • a discussion of any major issues which arose during the audit,
    • any accounting and audit judgements, and
    • levels of errors identified during the audit.

The Committee shall also review the effectiveness of the audit.

Review any representation letter(s) requested by the external auditor before they are signed by management;

Review the management letter and management’s response to the auditor’s findings and recommendations; and

Develop and implement a policy on the supply of non audit services by the external auditor, taking into account any relevant ethical guidance regarding the provision of non-audit services by the external audit firm, and to report to the board, identifying any matters in respect of which it considers that action or improvement is needed and making recommendations as at to the steps to be taken.

8.6

Reporting Responsibilities

  • The Committee Chairman shall report formally to the Board on its proceedings after each meeting on all matters within its duties and responsibilities.
  • The Committee shall make whatever recommendations to the Board it deems appropriate on any area within its remit where action or improvement is needed.
  • The Committee shall compile a report to shareholders on its activities to be included in the company’s Annual Report.
8.7

Other Matters

The Committee shall:
  • have access to sufficient resources in order to carry out its duties, including access to the company secretariat for assistance as required;
  • be provided with appropriate and timely training, both in the form of an induction programme for new members and on an ongoing basis for all members;
  • give due consideration to laws and regulations, the provisions of the Combined Code and the requirements of the UK Listing Authority’s Listing Rules as appropriate;
  • be responsible for co-ordination of the internal and external auditors;
  • oversee any investigation of activities which are within its terms of reference and act as a court of the last resort; and
  • at least once a year, review its own performance, constitution and terms of reference to ensure it is operating at maximum effectiveness and recommend any changes it considers necessary to the Board for approval.
  • Consider the major findings of internal investigations and management’s responses.
  • Consider the performance of internal and external auditors at least annually and report back to them.
  • Review the quality of management information and associated reporting systems.
  • Review the principles and policies being applied to the management and regulatory requirements.
  • Consider other topics as defined by the board.

9.0Authority

The Committee is authorised to:

  • to investigate any matter which it regards as relevant to its duties as set out below.
  • to seek any information it requires from any employee of the company in order to perform its duties;
  • to obtain, at the company’s expense, outside legal or other professional advice and to secure the attendance of outsiders with relevant experience and expertise on any matter within its terms of reference; and
  • to call any employee of any T&F Informa group companies to be questioned at a meeting of the Committee as and when required. All employees are directed to co-operate with any request made by the committee.

10.0

Reporting Procedures

The secretary shall circulate the minutes to the meeting of the committee to all members of the boards.

Should the committee identify through its business indicative evidence of any fraud or illegal act, the chairman will report these matters immediately to the chairman of the company, the chief executive and the board.

The chairman shall prepare and submit to the board a brief report either in writing or verbally following each committee meeting.

11.0

Other

The Committee shall, at least once a year, review its own performance, constitution and terms of reference to ensure it is operating at maximum effectiveness and recommend any changes it considers necessary to the Board for approval.

TERMS OF REFERENCE – REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
Adopted by the Board on 17 May 2004

References to “the Committee” shall mean the Remuneration Committee.
References to “the Board” shall mean the Board of Directors.

1.0Membership

Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board, on the recommendation of the Nomination Committee in consultation with the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee. The Committee shall be made up of at least three members, all of whom are independent non-executive directors.

Only members of the Committee have the right to attend Committee meetings. However, other individuals such as the Chairman of the board, Chief Executive, the head of human resources and external advisers may be invited to attend for all or part of any meeting as and when appropriate.

Appointments to the Committee shall be for a period of up to three years, which may be extended for two further three-year periods, provided the director remains independent.

The Board shall appoint the Committee Chairman who shall be an independent non-executive director. In the absence of the Committee Chairman and/or an appointed deputy, the remaining members present shall elect one of themselves to chair the meeting. The Chairman of the Board shall not be Chairman of the Committee.

2.0

Secretary

The Company Secretary or their nominee shall act as the Secretary of the Committee.

3.0

Quorum

The quorum necessary for the transaction of business shall be two. A duly convened meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all or any of the authorities, powers and discretions vested in or exercisable by the Committee.

4.0

Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least twice a year and at such other times as the Chairman of the Committee shall require.

5.0

Notice of Meetings

Meetings of the Committee shall be summoned by the Secretary of the Committee at the request of any of its members.

Unless otherwise agreed, notice of each meeting confirming the venue, time and date together with an agenda of items to be discussed, shall be forwarded to each member of the Committee, any other person required to attend and all other non-executive directors, no later than five days before the date of the meeting. Supporting papers shall be sent to Committee members and to other attendees as appropriate, at the same time.

6.0

Minutes of Meetings

The Secretary shall minute the proceedings and resolutions of all Committee meetings, including the names of those present and in attendance.

Minutes of Committee meetings shall be circulated promptly to all members of the Committee and, once agreed, to all members of the Board, unless a conflict of interest exists.

7.0

Annual General Meeting

The Chairman of the Committee shall attend the Annual General Meeting prepared to respond to any shareholder questions on the Committee’s activities.

8.0

Duties

The Committee shall:
  • determine and agree with the Board the framework or broad policy for the remuneration of the company’s Chairman and Executive Directors serving on the main board, the company secretary and such other members of the executive management as it is designated to consider. The remuneration of non-executive directors shall be a matter for the Chairman and the executive members of the Board. No director or manager shall be involved in any decisions as to their own remuneration;
  • in determining such policy, take into account all factors which it deems necessary. The objective of such policy shall be to ensure that members of the executive management of the company are provided with appropriate incentives to encourage enhanced performance and are, in a fair and responsible manner, rewarded for their individual contributions to the success of the company;
  • review the ongoing appropriateness and relevance of the remuneration policy;
  • approve the design of, and determine targets for, any performance related pay schemes operated by the company and approve the total annual payments made under such schemes;
  • review the design of all share incentive plans for approval by the Board and shareholders. For any such plans, determine each year whether awards will be made, and if so, the overall amount of such awards, the individual awards to executive directors and other senior executives and the performance targets to be used;
  • determine the policy for, and scope of, pension arrangements for each executive director, the chairman and other senior executives;
  • ensure that contractual terms on termination, and any payments made, are fair to the individual, and the company, that failure is not rewarded and that the duty to mitigate loss is fully recognised;
  • within the terms of the agreed policy and in consultation with the Chairman and/or Chief Executive as appropriate, determine the total individual remuneration package of each executive director and other senior executives including bonuses, incentive payments and share options or other share awards;
  • in determining such packages and arrangements, give due regard to any relevant legal requirements, the provisions and recommendations in the Combined Code and the UK Listing Authority’s Listing Rules and associated guidance;
  • review and note annually the remuneration trends across the company or group;
  • be aware of and advise on any major changes in employee benefits structures throughout the T&F Informa group;
  • agree the policy for authorising claims for expenses from the Chairman and Chief Executive;
  • ensure that all provisions regarding disclosure of remuneration including pensions, as set out in the Directors’ Remuneration Report Regulations 2002 and the Combined Code are fulfilled; and
  • be exclusively responsible for establishing the selection criteria, selecting, appointing and setting the terms of reference for any remuneration consultants who advise the committee: and to obtain reliable, up-to-date information about remuneration in other companies. The Committee shall have full authority to commission any reports or surveys which it deems necessary to help it fulfil its obligations .

9.0

Reporting Responsibilities

The Committee Chairman shall report formally to the Board on its proceedings after each meeting on all matters within its duties and responsibilities.

The Committee shall make whatever recommendations to the Board it deems appropriate on any area within its remit where action or improvement is needed.

The Committee shall produce an annual report of the company’s remuneration policy and practices which will form part of the company’s Annual Report and ensure each year that it is put to share holders for approval at the AGM.

10.0

Other

The Committee shall, at least once a year, review its own performance, constitution and terms of reference to ensure it is operating at maximum effectiveness and recommend any changes it considers necessary to the Board for approval.

11.0

Authority

The Committee is authorised by the Board to seek any information it requires from any employee of the company in order to perform its duties.

In connection with its duties the Committee is authorised by the Board to obtain, at the company’s expense, any outside legal or other professional advice, including the advice of independent remuneration consultants and obtain reliable, up-to-date information about remuneration in other companies. The Committee shall have full authority to commission any reports or surveys which it deems necessary to help it fulfil its obligations.


TERMS OF REFERENCE – NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Adopted by the Board on 17 May 2004

Reference to “the Committee” shall mean the Nomination Committee.
Reference to “the Board” shall mean the Board of Directors.

1.0Membership

Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board and shall be made up of least three members, the majority of whom should be independent non-executive directors.

Only members of the Committee have the right to attend Committee meetings. However, other individuals such as the Chairman of the board, Chief Executive, the head of human resources and external advisers may be invited to attend for all or part of any meeting, as and when appropriate.

Appointments to the Committee shall be for a period of up to three years, which may be extended for two further three-year periods provided that the majority of the Committee members remain independent.

The Board shall appoint the Committee Chairman who should be either the Chairman of the Board or an independent non-executive director. In the absence of the Committee Chairman and/or an appointed deputy, the remaining members present shall elect one of their number to chair the meeting. The Chairman of the Board shall not chair the Committee when it is dealing with the matter of succession to the chairmanship.

2.0

Secretary

The Company Secretary or their nominee shall act as the Secretary of the Committee.

3.0

Quorum

The quorum necessary for the transaction of business shall be two both of whom must be independent non-executive directors. A duly convened meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all or any of the authorities, powers and discretions vested in or exercisable by the Committee.

4.0

Frequency of Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least twice a year and at such other times as the Chairman of the Committee shall require.

5.0

Notice of Meetings

Meetings of the Committee shall be summoned by the Secretary of the Committee at the request of the Chairman of the Committee.

Unless otherwise agreed, notice of each meeting confirming the venue, time and date, together with an agenda of items to be discussed, shall be forwarded to each member of the Committee, any other person required to attend and all other non-executive directors, no later than five [working] days before the date of the meeting. Supporting papers shall be sent to Committee members and to other attendees as appropriate, at the same time.

6.0Minutes of Meetings

The Secretary shall minute the proceedings and resolutions of all Committee meetings, including the names of those present and in attendance.

Minutes of Committee meetings shall be circulated promptly to all members of the Committee and the Chairman of the Board and, once agreed, to all other members of the Board, unless a conflict of interest exists.

7.0

Annual General Meeting

The Chairman of the Committee shall attend the Annual General Meeting prepared to respond to any shareholder questions on the Committee’s activities.

8.0Duties

The Committee shall:

  • regularly review the structure, size and composition (including the skills, knowledge and experience) required of the Board compared to its current position and make recommendations to the Board with regard to any changes;
  • give full consideration to succession planning for directors and other senior executives in the course of its work, taking into account the challenges and opportunities facing the company, and what skills and expertise are therefore needed on the Board in the future;
  • be responsible for identifying and nominating for the approval of the Board, candidates to fill board vacancies as and when they arise;
  • before making an appointment, evaluate the balance of skills, knowledge and experience on the board, and, in the light of this evaluation prepare a description of the role and capabilities required for a particular appointment. In identifying suitable candidates the Committee shall:
    • use open advertising or the services of external advisers to facilitate the search;
    • consider candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and look beyond the "usual suspects"; and
    • consider candidates on merit and against objective criteria, taking care that appointees have enough time available to devote to the position;
  • keep under review the leadership needs of the organisation, both executive and non-executive, with a view to ensuring the continued ability of the organisation to compete effectively in the marketplace;
  • keep up to date and fully informed about strategic issues and commercial changes affecting the company and the market in which it operates;
  • review annually the time required from non-executive directors (the board should not agree to a full-time executive director taking on more than one non-executive directorship in a FTSE 100 company nor the chairmanship of such a company). Performance evaluation should be used to assess whether the non-executive directors are spending enough time to fulfil their duties; and
  • ensure that on appointment to the Board, non-executive directors receive a formal letter of appointment setting out clearly what is expected of them in terms of time commitment, committee service and involvement outside board meetings.

The Committee shall also make recommendations to the Board concerning:

  • plans for succession for both executive and non-executive directors and in particular for the key roles of Chairman and Chief Executive;
  • suitable candidates for the role of senior independent director;
  • membership of the Audit and Remuneration Committees, in consultation with the chairmen of those committees;
  • the re-appointment of any non-executive director at the conclusion of their specified term of office having given due regard to their performance and ability to continue to contribute to the Board in the light of the knowledge, skills and experience required;
  • the continuation (or not) in service of any director who has reached the age of 70 years;
  • the re-election by shareholders of any director under the ‘retirement by rotation’ provisions in the company’s articles of association having due regard to their performance and ability to continue to contribute to the Board in the light of the knowledge, skills and experience required;
  • any matters relating to the continuation in office of any director at any time including the suspension or termination of service of an executive director as an employee of the company subject to the provisions of the law and their service contract; and
  • the appointment of any director to executive or other office other than to the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive, the recommendation for which would be considered at a meeting of the full board.

9.0

Reporting Responsibilities

The Committee Chairman shall report formally to the Board on its proceedings after each meeting on all matters within its duties and responsibilities.

The Committee shall make whatever recommendations to the Board it deems appropriate on any area within its remit where action or improvement is needed.

The Committee shall make a statement in the annual report about its activities, the process used to make appointments and explain if external advice or open advertising has not been used in the appointment of a chairman or a non-executive director.

10.0

Other

The Committee shall, at least once a year, review its own performance, constitution and terms of reference to ensure it is operating at maximum effectiveness and recommend any changes it considers necessary to the Board for approval.

11.0

Authority

The Committee is authorised to seek any information it requires from any employee of the company in order to perform its duties.

The Committee is authorised to obtain, at the company’s expense, outside legal or other professional advice on any matters within its terms of reference, including the advice of independent consultants and obtain reliable, up-to-date information about other companies. The Committee shall have full authority to commission any reports or surveys which it deems necessary to help it fulfil its obligations.

 

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