Staples 2007 Annual Report Download - page 32

• No family relationships exist between any of our directors, nominees for director or executive officers.
• During the past three years, we have had business relationships involving the purchase or sale of products or
services or leasing of real property with the following companies at which certain of our independent directors
serve, or during 2007 served, as executive officers, partners or directors: AMB Group, LLC; Atlanta Falcons;
Bain & Company; Becton, Dickinson and Company; CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc.; Cox Enterprises, Inc.; CRA
International, Inc.; eFunds Corporation; Emory University; Georgia Force; J. Sainsbury plc;
MarketBridge, Inc.; Moody’s Corporation; Rent-A-Center, Inc; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Trammell Crow
Company; and Virtusa Corporation. In each instance, the relevant director did not participate in the
negotiation of the transaction and the applicable products or services or real property leases were provided on
arm’s length terms and conditions and in the ordinary course of each company’s business. Also, payments for
products or services or real property leases made during each of our 2008 (to date), 2007, 2006 and 2005 fiscal
years between Staples and each of the relevant companies did not exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated
gross revenues for such year and otherwise were not of an amount or nature to interfere with the exercise of
independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.
Meetings and Committees of our Board
Our Board of Directors held four regularly scheduled meetings during our 2007 fiscal year. The number of
meetings held by each of the committees of our Board during our 2007 fiscal year is set forth below. During our 2007
fiscal year, each incumbent director attended all of the Board meetings held while a director and all of the committee
meetings held while a member of such committee. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that directors are
encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting. Eight directors attended our 2007 Annual Meeting.
Our Board has five standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee, the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee. Each of our Board
committees operates under a written charter adopted by our Board, a copy of which is available at www.staples.com in
the Corporate Governance section of the About Staples webpage.
Committee membership as of April 14, 2008 was as follows:
Audit Committee Compensation Committee
Paul F. Walsh, Chairperson Martin Trust, Chairperson
Justin King Arthur M. Blank
Robert Sulentic Mary Elizabeth Burton
Carol Meyrowitz
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Finance Committee
Robert C. Nakasone, Chairperson Rowland T. Moriarty, Chairperson
Rowland T. Moriarty Basil L. Anderson
Vijay Vishwanath Paul F. Walsh
Executive Committee
Ronald L. Sargent, Chairperson
Arthur M. Blank
Rowland T. Moriarty
Robert C. Nakasone
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee assists our Board in overseeing our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the
integrity of our financial statements, our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and
independence, and the performance of our internal audit function and our independent registered public accounting
firm through receipt and consideration of certain reports from our independent registered public accounting firm. In
addition, the Audit Committee discusses our risk management policies and reviews and discusses with management
and the independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related
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