Starwood 2007 Annual Report Download - page 19

may send a letter to the Board of Directors, c/o the Corporate Secretary, 1111 Westchester Avenue, White Plains,
New York 10604 or online at www.hotethics.com. You should specify in the communication that you are a
stockholder or an interested party. If the correspondence contains complaints about Starwood’s accounting, internal
or auditing matters or directed to the non-management directors, the Corporate Secretary will forward that
correspondence to a member of the Audit Committee. If the correspondence concerns other matters, the Corporate
Secretary will forward the correspondence to the Director to whom it is addressed or otherwise as would be
appropriate under the circumstances, attempt to handle the inquiry directly (for example where it is a request for
information or a stock-related matter), or not forward the communication if it is primarily commercial in nature or
relates to an improper or irrelevant topic. At each regularly scheduled Board meeting, the Corporate Secretary or
his/her designee will present a summary of all such communications received since the last meeting that were not
forwarded and shall make those communications available to the Directors upon request. This policy is also posted
on the Company’s website at www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/investor_relations.html.
The Company indemnifies its Directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law so that they will be
free from undue concern about personal liability in connection with their service to the Company. This is required
under the Company’s Charter, and the Company has also signed agreements with each of those individuals
contractually obligating it to provide this indemnification to them.
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Under the Charter, each of the Company’s Directors is elected to serve until the next annual meeting of
stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. If a nominee is unavailable for election,
proxy holders and stockholders may vote for another nominee proposed by the Board or, as an alternative, the Board
may reduce the number of Directors to be elected at the meeting. Each nominee has agreed to serve on the Board if
elected. Mr. Jean-Marc Chapus will serve until the expiration of his current term but will not stand for reelection in
2008. Mr. Chapus has served on the Company’s Board (or affiliates of the Company) since August 1995. The
Company acknowledges and expresses its thanks to Mr. Chapus for the many years of devoted service he provided
to the Company. Set forth below is information as of March 1, 2008 regarding the nominees for election, which has
been confirmed by each of them for inclusion in this Proxy Statement.
Directors Nominated at the Annual Meeting will be Elected to Serve Until the 2009 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and Until his or her Successor is Duly Elected and Qualified
Frits Van Paasschen, 46, has been Chief Executive Officer of the Company since September 2007. From
March 2005 until September 2007, he served as President and CEO of Molson Coors Brewing Company’s largest
division, Coors Brewing Company. Prior to joining Coors, from April 2004 until March 2005, Mr. Van Paasschen
worked independently through FPaasschen Consulting and Mercator Investments, evaluating, proposing, and
negotiating private equity transactions. Prior thereto, Mr. Van Paasschen spent seven years at Nike, Inc, most
recently as Corporate Vice President/General Manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Van
Paasschen was appointed to the Board of the Company in September 2007 in connection with his employment as
Chief Executive Officer.
Bruce W. Duncan, 56, has been a private investor since January 2006 and has served as Chairman of the Board
since September 2007. From April 2007 to September 2007, Mr. Duncan served as Chief Executive Officer of the
Company on an interim basis and prior thereto was Chairman of the Board since May 2005. From May 2005 to
December 2005, Mr. Duncan was Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of Equity Residential (“EQR”), the largest
publicly traded apartment company in the United States. From January 2003 to May 2005, he was President, Chief
Executive Officer and Trustee, and from April 2002 to December 2002, President and Trustee, of EQR. From April
2000 until March 2002, he was a private investor. From December 1995 until March 2000, Mr. Duncan served as
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited, a real estate
operating company. Mr. Duncan has served as a Director of the Company since April 1999, and was a Trustee of
Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a real estate investment trust and former subsidiary of the Company (the “Trust”) since
August 1995.
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