New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules for the year ended 30 June 2020

Under applicable SEC rules and the NYSE's corporate governance rules for listed companies, Diageo must disclose any significant ways in which its corporate governance practices differ from those followed by US companies under NYSE listing standards.

Diageo believes the following to be the significant areas in which there are differences between its corporate governance practices and NYSE corporate governance rules applicable to US companies. This information is also provided on the company's website at www.diageo.com.

  • Basis of regulation: UK listed companies are required to include in their annual report a narrative statement of (i) how they have applied the principles of the Code and (ii) whether or not they have complied with the best practice provisions of the Code. NYSE listed companies must adopt and disclose their corporate governance guidelines. Certain UK companies are required to include in their annual report statements as to (i) how directors have complied with s.172 of the UK Companies Act 2006, which requires directors to promote the success of the company for the benefit of the members as a whole, having regard to the interests of stakeholders, (ii) how directors have engaged with and taken account of the views of the company's workforce and other stakeholder groups. Diageo complied throughout the year with the best practice provisions of the Code and the disclosure requirements noted above.
  • Director independence: the Code requires at least half the Board (excluding the Chairman) to be independent Non-Executive Directors, as determined by affirmatively concluding that a Director is independent in character and judgement and determining whether there are relationship and circumstances which are likely to affect, or could appear to affect, the Director's judgement. The Code requires the Board to state its reasons if it determines that a director is independent notwithstanding the existence of relationships or circumstances which may appear relevant to its determination. NYSE rules require a majority of independent directors, according to the NYSE's own 'brightline' tests and an affirmative determination by the Board that the Director has no material relationship with the listed company. Diageo's Board has determined that, in its judgement and without taking into account the NYSE brightline tests, all of the Non-Executive Directors (excluding the Chairman) are independent. As such, currently five of Diageo's eight directors are independent.
  • Chairman and Chief Executive: the Code requires these roles to be separate. There is no corresponding requirement for US companies. Diageo has a separate chairman and chief executive.
  • Non-ExecutiveDirector meetings: NYSE rules require Non-Management Directors to meet regularly without management and independent directors to meet separately at least once a year. The Code requires Non-Executive Directors to meet without the Chairman present at least annually to appraise the Chairman's performance. During the year, an internally facilitated evaluation of the Board's effectiveness, including the effectiveness of the Chairman, was undertaken. During the year, Diageo's Chairman and Non-Executive Directors met six times as a group without Executive Directors being present.
  • Board committees: Diageo has a number of Board committees that are similar in purpose and constitution to those required by NYSE rules. Diageo's Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees consist entirely of independent Non-Executive Directors (save that the Chairman of the Nomination Committee, Javier Ferrán, is not independent). Under NYSE standards, companies are required to have a nominating/corporate governance committee, which develops and recommends a set of corporate governance principles and is composed entirely of independent directors. The terms of reference for Diageo's Nomination Committee, which comply with the Code, do not contain such a requirement. In accordance with the requirements of the Code, Diageo discloses in its Annual Report the results and means of evaluation of the Board, its Committees and the Directors, and it provides extensive information regarding the Directors' compensation in the Directors' remuneration report.
  • Code of ethics: NYSE rules require a Code of Business Conduct and ethics to be adopted for directors, officers and employees and disclosure of any waivers for executive directors or officers. Diageo has adopted a code of business conduct for all directors, officers and employees, as well as a code of ethics for Senior Officers in accordance with the requirements of SOX. Currently, no waivers have been granted to directors or executive officers.
  • Compliance certification: NYSE rules require chief executives to certify to the NYSE their awareness of any NYSE corporate governance violations. Diageo is exempt from this as a foreign private issuer but is required to notify the NYSE if any executive officer becomes aware of any non-compliance with NYSE corporate governance standards. No such notification was necessary during the period covered by this report.

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Diageo plc published this content on 07 August 2020 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 10 August 2020 07:48:16 UTC