Unilever 2013 Annual Report Download - page 53

A European Works ouncl, embracng employee and
management representatves from countres wthn Europe, has
been n exstence for several years and provdes a forum for
dscussng ssues that extend across natonal boundares
The Group carres out regular and wde-rangng opnon surveys
provdng valuable nsght nto employee vews, atttudes and
levels of engagement
The Drectors’ Reports of the Unted Kngdom operatng
companes contan more detals about how they have
communcated wth ther employees durng 2013
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DIVERSITY
In accordance wth our ode of Busness Prncples, Unlever
ams to ensure that applcatons for employment from everyone
are gven full and far consderaton and that everyone s gven
access to tranng, development and career opportuntes Every
effort s also made to retran and support employees who become
dsabled whle workng wthn the Group
Unlever contnuously revews ways n whch greater dversty can
be acheved across our teams n the UK We have put n place
polces whch promote the achevement of dversty n our
busness and we revew these regularly For example, Unlever UK
provdes polces on home workng, flexble workng, maternty
and paternty leave, chld care provson and career breaks, whch
help us to meet the objective of greater employee diversity
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS AND DISLOSURE OF
INFORMATION TO AUDITORS
A resoluton wll be proposed at the AGM on 14 May 2014 for the
appontment of KPMG LLP as audtors ofPL
Prcewaterhouseoopers LLP’s present appontment wll end at
the concluson of theAGM
To the best of each of the Drectors’ knowledge and belef, and
havng made approprate enqures of other offcers of the
Unlever Group, all nformaton relevant to enablng the audtors
to provde ther opnons on PL’s consoldated and parent
company accounts has been provded Each of the Drectors has
taken all reasonable steps to ensure ther awareness of any
relevant audt nformaton and to establsh that Unlever PL’s
audtors are aware of any such nformaton
Ths Drectors’ Report of Unlever PL has been approved by the
Board and sgned on ther behalf by Tona Lovell – Group Secretary
REQUIREMENTS  THE UNITED STATES
Both NV and PL are lsted on the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) As such, both companes must comply wth the
requrements of US legslaton, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002, regulatons enacted under US securtes laws and the
Lstng Standards of the NYSE, that are applcable to foregn
prvate ssuers, copes of whch are avalable at wwwsecgov and
wwwnysecom
We are complant wth the Lstng Standards of the NYSE
applcable to foregn prvate ssuers
We are also requred to dsclose any sgnfcant ways n whch our
corporate governance practces dffer from those typcally followed
by US companes lsted on the NYSE Our corporate governance
practces do not sgnfcantly dffer from those requred of US
companes lsted on the NYSE Attenton s drawn to the Report of
the Audt ommttee on pages 53 to 55 In addton, further detals
about our corporate governance are provded n the document
enttled ‘The Governance of Unlever’, whch can be found on our
webste at wwwunlevercom/nvestorrelatons/corp_governance
All senor executves and senor fnancal offcers have declared
ther understandng of and complance wth Unlever’s ode of
Busness Prncples and the related ode Polces No waver from
any provson of the ode of Busness Prncples or ode Polces
was granted n 2013 to any of the persons fallng wthn the scope
of the SE requrements The ode Polces nclude mandatory
requrements coverng, but not lmted to, the followng areas:
accurate records, reporting and accounting; anti-bribery;
avoiding conflicts of interest; gifts and entertainment; preventing
insider trading; political activities and political donations;
contact with government, regulators and non-governmental
organisations; respect, dignity and fair treatment; and
external communications (the media, investors and analysts).
Our Code of Business Principles can be found on our website
at www.unilever.com/investorrelations/corp_governance.
RISK MANAEMENT AND ONTROL
Following a review by the Disclosure Committee, Audit Committee
and Boards, the CEO and the CFO concluded that the design and
operation of the Group’s disclosure controls and procedures,
including those defined in United States Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 – Rule 13a – 15(e), as at 31 December 2013 were
effective, and that subsequently until the date of the approval
of the Annual Report and Accounts by the Boards, there have
been no significant changes in the Group’s internal controls,
or in other factors that could significantly affect those controls.
Unilever is required by Section 404 of the US Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 to report on the effectiveness of its internal control
over financial reporting. This requirement will be reported on
separately and will form part of Unilever’s Annual Report
on Form 20-F.
50 Unlever Annual Report and Accounts 2013overnance
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CONTINUED