Governance Information • Apr 20, 2021
Governance Information
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(approved by the Board of Directors of Enel S.p.A. on March 18, 2021)
(Drawn up pursuant to Articles 123-bis of the Consolidated Financial Act and 144-decies of CONSOB Issuers' Regulation)
| ENEL: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PROFILE AND | |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE 3 | |
| A. | KEY DATA OF THE ENEL GROUP3 |
| B. | OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE4 |
| C. | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MODEL4 |
| D. | COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND |
| THE COMMITTEES 5 | |
| E. | FUNCTIONING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND |
| COMMITTEES 7 | |
| F. | CONTROL AND RISK SYSTEM 8 |
| G. | ANALYSIS OF PRIORITIES AND DETERMINATION OF |
| SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS13 | |
| SECTION I: OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE16 | |
| 1. | OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE16 |
| 1.1 | SHARE CAPITAL STRUCTURE16 |
| 1.2 | MAJOR SHAREHOLDINGS AND SHAREHOLDERS' |
| AGREEMENTS 16 | |
| 1.3 | LIMIT ON THE OWNERSHIP OF SHARES AND VOTING |
| RIGHTS 16 | |
| 1.4 | SPECIAL POWERS OF THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT |
| 16 | |
| 1.5 | EMPLOYEE-SHAREHOLDINGS: MECHANISM FOR |
| EXERCISING VOTING RIGHTS17 | |
| 1.6 | ELECTION AND REPLACEMENT OF DIRECTORS AND |
| AMENDMENTS OF THE BYLAWS 17 | |
| 1.7 | AUTHORIZATIONS TO INCREASE THE SHARE |
| CAPITAL AND TO BUY BACK SHARES 17 | |
| 1.8 | CHANGE-OF-CONTROL CLAUSES 18 |
| 1.9 | COMPENSATION OWED TO DIRECTORS IN THE |
| EVENT OF EARLY TERMINATION OF THE | |
| RELATIONSHIP, INCLUDING AS THE RESULT OF A | |
| TAKEOVER BID 20 | |
| SECTION II: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE | |
| RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CORPORATE | |
| GOVERNANCE CODE AND ADDITIONAL | |
| INFORMATION21 | |
| 1. | BOARD OF DIRECTORS21 |
| 1.1 | CURRENT COMPOSITION AND TERM 21 |
| 1.2 | ELECTION, REPLACEMENT AND CONTINGENCY |
| PLAN 21 | |
| 1.3 | ROLE AND FUNCTIONS 23 |
| 1.4 | BOARD MEETINGS26 |
| 1.5 | CHAIR 26 |
| 1.6 | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER27 |
| 1.7 | EXECUTIVE AND NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 27 |
| 1.8 | INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS 28 |
| 1.9 | LIMITS ON THE NUMBER OF OFFICES HELD BY |
| DIRECTORS29 | |
| 1.10 EVALUATION OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THE BOARD | |
| OF DIRECTORS AND ITS COMMITTEES 29 | |
| 1.11 BOARD INDUCTION AND UPDATE31 | |
| 1.12 DIVERSITY POLICY OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS | |
| AND MEASURES ADOPTED TO PROMOTE THE EQUAL |
| TREATMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES REGARDLESS OF | |
|---|---|
| GENDER WITHIN THE COMPANY STRUCTURE 32 | |
| 1.13 REMUNERATION 34 | |
| 2. | COMMITTEES 34 |
| 2.1 | ORGANIZATIONAL AND FUNCTIONING RULES 34 |
| 2.2 | NOMINATION AND COMPENSATION COMMITTEE 35 |
| 2.3 | CONTROL AND RISK COMMITTEE 37 |
| 2.4 | RELATED PARTIES COMMITTEE 39 |
| 2.5 | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY |
| COMMITTEE 40 | |
| 3. | BOARD OF STATUTORY AUDITORS 42 |
| 3.1 | CURRENT COMPOSITION AND TERM 42 |
| 3.2 | ELECTION AND REPLACEMENT 42 |
| 3.3 | TASKS AND PREROGATIVES 43 |
| 3.4 | MEETINGS 43 |
| 3.5 | EVALUATION OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THE BOARD |
| OF STATUTORY AUDITORS 43 | |
| 3.6 DIVERSITY POLICY OF THE BOARD OF STATUTORY | |
| AUDITORS 44 | |
| 3.7 | REMUNERATION 45 |
| 4. | THE INTERNAL CONTROL AND RISK MANAGEMENT |
| SYSTEM 45 | |
| 5. | EXECUTIVE IN CHARGE OF PREPARING CORPORATE |
| ACCOUNTING DOCUMENTS 47 | |
| 5.1 | THE SYSTEM OF RISK MANAGEMENT AND |
| INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL | |
| INFORMATION 47 | |
| 6. | EXTERNAL CONTROLS 50 |
| 6.1 | AUDIT FIRM 50 |
| 6.2 | OVERSIGHT OF THE ITALIAN COURT OF AUDITORS |
| (CORTE DEI CONTI) 50 | |
| 7. | RELATIONS WITH INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS AND |
| SHAREHOLDERS IN GENERAL 50 | |
| 8. | SHAREHOLDERS' MEETINGS 52 |
| 9. | OTHER CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRACTICES 53 |
| 9.1 | RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 53 |
| 9.2 | PROCESSING OF CORPORATE INFORMATION 55 |
| 9.3 | CODE OF ETHICS 56 |
| 9.4 | ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT MODEL . 56 |
| 9.5 | "ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CORRUPTION" PLAN AND |
| ANTI – CORRUPTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 57 | |
| 9.6 | HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY 58 |
| SCHEDULE 1: BIOGRAPHY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE | |
| BOARD OF DIRECTORS 59 SCHEDULE 2: BIOGRAPHY OF THE REGULAR MEMBERS |
|
| OF THE BOARD OF STATUTORY AUDITORS 66 | |
| TABLE 1: STRUCTURE OF ENEL'S BOARD OF | |
| DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES 68 TABLE 2: STRUCTURE OF ENEL'S BOARD OF |
Enel S.p.A. ("Enel" or the "Company") is the parent company of a multinational group that is one of the worldwide leaders in the electricity and gas sector, with a particular focus on Europe and Latin America (the "Enel Group" or the "Group"). The Group operates in more than 40 countries (in 5 continents), where it produces energy through a net installed capacity of 84 GW and distributes electricity on a network of approximately 2.2 million kilometres. The Group has the largest customer base among European operators in the sector with approximately 74 million of end users throughout the world.
| (in million of Euro) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | 2020 | 2019 | Change |
| Ordinary EBITDA | 17,940 | 17,905 | +0.2% |
| Group net ordinary income | 5,197 | 4,767 | +9.0% |
| Net financial debt (as of December 31) | 45,415 | 45,175 | +0.5% |
| Capitalisation (as of December 31) | 84,139 | 71,899 | +17% |
| Employees (as of December 31) | 66,717 | 68,253 | -2.3% |
Performance of Enel's stock compared to the FTSE MIB index and Euro Stoxx Utilities Index from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2020 (100 basis)
Source: Bloomberg data
Since 1999 Enel is listed on the Mercato Telematico Azionario organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A. and currently has the highest number of shareholders among all Italian companies (about 640,000 counting both retail and institutional investors). Enel's shareholders include the most important international investment funds, insurance companies, pension funds and ethical funds, also thanks to the implementation by Enel and the Group
During 2020, the corporate governance structure of Enel proved to be compliant with the principles set forth in the July 2018 edition of the Corporate Governance Code for listed companies (1) (the "Corporate Governance Code"), adopted by the Company, and with the international best practices. It should be noted that in March 2021, the Company's process for the adoption of the new Italian Corporate Governance Code, published on January 31, 2020, was completed. A full description of the measures adopted by Enel in adhering to this new Code will be provided in the Corporate Governance Report to be published in 2022.
The corporate governance system adopted by Enel and its Group is aimed at achieving the objective of sustainable success, as it seeks to create value for the shareholders over the long term, taking into account the social importance of the Group's business operations and the consequent need, in conducting such operations, to adequately consider all the interests involved.
In compliance with the current legal framework applicable in Italy to listed companies, the organizational structure of the Company includes:
of the best international practices on transparency and corporate governance.
In addition, as of the date of this report, the Enel Group includes other 14 listed companies whose shares are listed on the Argentine, Brazilian, Chilean, Peruvian, Russian, Spanish and United States Stock Exchanges.
(1) The English translation of the code is available on Borsa Italiana's website (https://www.borsaitaliana.it/comitatocorporate-governance/codice/codiceeng2018.en.pdf).
sale of treasury shares, (iv) the remuneration policy and its implementation, (v) the sharebased compensation plans, (vi) amendments to the Company's bylaws, (vii) mergers and demergers, and (viii) the issue of convertible bonds.
The external audit of the accounts is entrusted to a specialized firm enrolled in the relevant registry and appointed by the shareholders' meeting, upon a reasoned proposal by the board of statutory auditors.
The following tables provide a summary of the main data on the composition of the current board of directors and board committees.
| Composition of the current Board of Directors | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Office | Role | M/m | CRC | NCC | RPC | CGSC |
| Michele Crisostomo | Chair | Non-executive | m | (C) |
|||
| Francesco Starace | CEO/GM | Executive | m | ||||
| Cesare Calari | Director | Independent | M | (C) |
| ||
| Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve |
Director | Independent | m | | | ||
| Samuel Leupold | Director | Independent | M | | | ||
| Alberto Marchi | Director | Independent | m | | (C) |
||
| Mariana Mazzucato | Director | Independent | m | | | ||
| Mirella Pellegrini | Director | Independent | m | | | ||
| Anna Chiara Svelto | Director | Independent | M | | (C) |
CEO/GM: Chief Executive Officer/General Manager CRC: Control and Risk Committee
NCC: Nomination and Compensation Committee RPC: Related Parties Committee
CGSC: Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee C: Chair of the Committee
M/m: Drawn from the slate that obtained the majority (M)/minority (m) of the votes expressed by the share capital represented at the shareholders' meeting. In this regard, it should be noted that during the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020, the slate – submitted by a group of institutional investors – that obtained the majority of votes expressed by the share capital represented in the meeting did not contain a sufficient number of candidates to appoint seven tenths of the directors to be elected; therefore, as provided for by the Corporate bylaws, the candidates necessary to complete the board of directors were drawn from the minority slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance. For further information in this regard, please refer to the second section of the document (under "Board of Directors - Current composition and term").
| Mix of expertise and experience - Skill matrix | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Office | Energy sector |
Strategic view |
Accounting, finance and risk management |
Legal and corporate governance |
Communication and marketing |
Experience in international context |
| Michele | Chair | | | ||||
| Crisostomo | |||||||
| Francesco | CEO/GM | | | | | ||
| Starace | |||||||
| Cesare Calari |
Director | | | | |||
| Costanza | Director | ||||||
| Esclapon de | | ||||||
| Villeneuve | |||||||
| Samuel | Director | ||||||
| Leupold | | | | | |||
| Alberto | Director | | | | | ||
| Marchi | |||||||
| Mariana | Director | | | ||||
| Mazzucato | |||||||
| Mirella | Director | | |||||
| Pellegrini | |||||||
| Anna Chiara | Director | | |||||
| Svelto |
| Changes with respect to the previous mandate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current mandate | Previous mandate | FTSE/MIB1 | ||
| Number of directors | 9 | 9 | 12.2 | |
| Directors drawn from the minority slate |
6 (66.7%)2 | 3 (33.3%) | 2.4 (19.7%) | |
| Female members of the BoD | 4 (44.4%) | 3 (33.3%) | 36.2%3 | |
| Independent directors under the Corporate Governance Code |
7 (77.7%)4 |
7 (77.7%) 4 |
7.3 (59.8%) | |
| Average age of directors | 55.3 | 64.3 | 575 | |
| Seniority in office (in financial years) | 2.7 | 5.9 | 4.7 | |
| Executive status of the Chair | no | no | - | |
| Lead independent director | no | no | - |
1Source: Assonime, Note e Studi 3/2021, "La Corporate Governance in Italia: autodisciplina, remunerazioni e comply-or-explain (anno 2020)", February 2021.
2 It should be noted that during the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020, the slate – submitted by a group of institutional investors – that obtained the majority of votes expressed by the share capital represented in the meeting did not contain a sufficient number of candidates to appoint seven tenths of the directors to be elected; therefore, as provided for by the Corporate bylaws, the candidates necessary to complete the board of directors were drawn from the minority slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance. For further information in this regard, please refer to the second section of the document (under "Board of Directors - Current composition and term").
3 Source: CONSOB, Bank of Italy and Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Equal opportunities Department, "La partecipazione femminile negli organi di amministrazione e controllo delle società italiane", March 2021.
4 It should be noted that the number of directors who are independent under the Consolidated Financial Act is equal to 8.
5 The figure refers to all the companies listed on Borsa Italiana MTA and not only to companies belonging to the FTSE/MIB Index.
The following graphs provide a summary of the main data on the functioning of the board of directors and the board committees during 2020.
| Board review process | Completion | Type of evaluation |
Reviewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board review 2020 | Yes | Independent | Spencer Stuart |
The following tables provide a summary of the main data on the functioning of the board of statutory auditors during 2020.
| Main elements of the risk control system | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Existence of a document setting forth the guidelines of the internal control and risk management system |
Yes |
| Existence of a Mandate of the Audit Function approved by the Board of Directors | Yes |
| Existence of special organizational structures in charge of risk management activities | Yes |
| Annual assessment on the compatibility of the business risks with a management of the business that is consistent with the strategic objectives identified |
Yes |
| Preparation of specific compliance programs (231 Model, Zero Tolerance for Corruption, Human Rights Policy, etc.) |
Yes |
| Preparation of a contingency plan in order to ensure the normal management of the Company in the event of "crisis management" (i.e. early termination of the Chief Executive Officer before the expiry of the ordinary term of office) |
Yes |
The following chart identifies and summarizes the main risks to which the Enel Group is exposed, as well as of the main activities carried out to mitigate their effects and ensure that they are adequately managed. For a more detailed analysis, please refer to the 2020 Annual Report, which is available at the Company's registered office and on the Company's website (www.enel.com).
| Strategic risks The markets and the businesses where the Group operates The business risks stemming from the Group's natural connected with are subject to a gradual and increasing competition and presence in competitive markets are faced with a strategy of the evolution, both from a technological and regulatory integration through the value chain, with a greater drive for macroeconomic standpoint, with different timing from Country to Country. technological innovation, diversification and geographical and geopolitical As a result, the Group faces an increasing competitive expansion. Specifically, the actions enacted have produced trends, pressure. the evolution of the customer portfolio on the free market, in legislative and Furthermore, the Group operates in regulated markets or a downstream integration logic on the final markets, the regulatory regimes. Thus, changes in the rules of functioning of those optimization of the productive mix, by improving the developments, markets and regimes, as well as their provisions and competitiveness of the plants on the basis of a cost competitive obligations, along with fluctuations in macroeconomic leadership, as well as the search for new markets with a high scenario variables, can influence the management's evolution and the growth potential and the development of renewable sources Group's results. through adequate investment plans in different Countries. In view of the risks deriving from regulatory factors, the Company has intensified the relations with government and regulatory bodies, by adopting a transparent, collaborative and proactive approach to face and remove the sources of instability in the regulatory framework. |
|---|
| Commodity risk Exchange rate risk |
Exposure to the prices volatility of fuels and electricity commodities on international markets, which may significantly affect the business results. Exposure to the variations on the availability of fuels supplies. Exposure to exchange rate volatility among the account currency and other currencies that may generate unexpected variations on economic and financial figures, emerging from the financial statements of each company of the Group. The consolidated financial statements are also exposed to the risk associated with the consolidation values of equity investments denominated in currencies other than the euro (translation risk). The geographical diversification, the access to international financial markets and the operations of commodities on different currencies are sources of volatility. |
The commodities price risk management policy aims at protecting margins by: - contracting in advance the sourcing of fuels and the sales of electricity and gas to clients; - using derivatives to cover the financial exposure. The diversification of supply sources, in terms of suppliers and geographical areas, would mitigate the risk of lack of fuels. The exchange rate risk management policy aims at ensuring the systematic coverage of each company exposure through hedging strategies that typically involve the use of derivatives. The translation risk is not covered. |
|---|---|---|
| Interest rates risk |
Exposure to volatility of interest rates on international markets that might bring about unexpected variations on net financial expenses or on the value of assets and liabilities measured at fair value. The financing conditions for new debts and the floating-rate indebtedness constitute the main sources of uncertainty. |
The interest rate risk management policy aims at limiting the costs of funding and its volatility through the optimization of the financial liabilities portfolio and even through simultaneous or early hedging of exposures by derivative agreements. |
| Credit and counterparties risk |
Exposure arising from changes in the creditworthiness of counterparties which causes: - an increase in the average payment times for trade receivables or insolvency and payment default (default risk); - deterioration of the market value of the creditor position (spread risk). |
The credit risk management policy provides for a preliminary evaluation of the creditworthiness of counterparties and the adoption of instruments for mitigation, such as the acquisition of collateral securities and guarantees. Furthermore, the assignments of receivables pro soluto allow the total elimination from the financial statements of the corresponding assigned assets, consequently eliminating the corresponding risk. With reference to the financial and commodities operations, the risk mitigation is achieved through the portfolio diversification and through the adoption of specific standard framework agreements providing for risk mitigation clauses (e.g. netting) and, potentially, cash collateral exchange. |
| Liquidity risk | Risk that the Group, although solvent, could not promptly fulfil its obligations or could fulfil them only at unfavourable economic conditions due to situations of financial distress or systemic crisis (e.g. credit crunch, sovereign debt crisis, etc.) or to changed perception on its riskiness by the market. Among the factors that define the riskiness perceived by the market, the credit worthiness assigned by rating agencies plays a key role since it influences the possibility to access to financing resources and to corresponding economic conditions (credit spread). |
The liquidity risk management policy aims at maintaining sufficient liquidity in order to fulfil the expected obligations in a predetermined timeframe without relying on other financing resources. It also aims at maintaining a prudential liquidity reserve so as to fulfil unexpected obligations. In order to fulfil the medium/long-term obligations, the Company follows a debt-management strategy which sets forth a diversified structure of the financing resources which are used to cover the financial needs and a balanced profile of maturities. |
| Country risk | The Group maintains a strong international presence, since approximately 50% of revenues are generated abroad and in different currencies. The cash flows and the Company's assets are therefore exposed not only to changes in the global macro-economic and financial scenario, but also to idiosyncratic risks, such as: exchange rate volatility and changes in economic, politics, social and financial conditions in the various countries where the Group operates. Global risks related to possible pandemics or crises that may affect the continuity of supply of materials or raw materials, migrations, production activities of single countries, are also considered, given the impacts closely related to the economic, social and energy matrixes of single countries. |
Definition and implementation of a strategy for the geographical diversification, also supported by models for the prospective evaluation of the Country risk. |
| Climate risks | Physical risks arising from climate change can be classified as acute (i.e. extreme events) and chronic: the former are linked to extremely intense weather-climatic conditions, while the latter refers to gradual but structural changes in climatic conditions. Extreme events may expose the Group to a potential unavailability of assets and infrastructures, restoration costs, and inconvenience for customers, etc. Chronic changes in climatic conditions, on the other hand, may expose the Group to other physical risks or opportunities (depending on the geographical location): for example, structural rainfall or wind changes could impact the Group's business in terms of generation, while structural temperature changes could have an impact on electricity demand. With regard to the energy transition process moving towards a more sustainable model with a progressive electrification and reduction in CO2 emissions, in line with the Group's decarbonization strategy, there are risks, but above all opportunities, tied to both, the changing regulatory context and the technological and electrification trends, and resulting market developments, with potential effects also on commodities and energy prices. |
The Group is committed to making continuous improvements to the environmental impact of its activities. It has constantly improved its emissions reduction targets, certifying a new target with the SBTi in 2020 for 82 g/kWh of CO2 by 2030, heading for "zero emission generation" by 2050. The Group's strategic actions make it possible to mitigate the potential risks and grasp the opportunities provided by transition variables. The use of capital is indeed focused on decarbonisation, through the development of generation assets from renewable sources, on enabling infrastructures linked to the development of networks and on the implementation of platform models, taking advantage of technological and digital evolution, which will favour consumption's electrification, as well as the development of new services for end customers. Overall, the Group is dedicating more than 90% of the total investments planned for the 2021-2023 timeframe to the fight against climate change. Enel participates in the entire electricity value chain and has a diversified portfolio of activities, both in terms of generation technologies and the geographical areas and markets where it operates, mitigating climate change risks and their economic and financial impacts. The management of weather and climate phenomena adopts the best strategies for prevention, protection and boosting resilience, while also carrying out weather forecasting activities. Moreover, best practices are implemented on physical events to ensure a prompt recovery of operating conditions in the event of adverse events. In terms of insurance risk assessment activities, the Group manages loss prevention global programmes for property and liability risks, aimed at covering losses relating to damages to assets, business interruptions and damages to third parties; such activities also include the assessment of the main exposures linked to natural events. All areas of the Group are subject to the ISO 14001 certification and, by applying internationally recognised Environmental Management Systems (EMSs), potential sources of risk are monitored so that any critical issue may be promptly identified. The Group develops short-, medium- and long term scenarios in the energy and the financial macroeconomic sectors in order to support its strategic and industrial planning, investment valuation, scenario planning and extraordinary transactions. By gradually integrating climate and transition scenarios, combined with the development of energy system models at country level, it is possible to intercept the effects on variables such as electricity demand, the system energy mix and the electrification of consumption. These activities make it possible to identify and assess related risks and |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental risks |
Over the last years, there has been a growing public awareness of the risks connected with development models that generate impacts on environmental quality and on ecosystems through the exploitation of scarce natural resources (including raw materials and water). In some cases, the synergistic effects between these impacts – such as global warming and the growing exploitation and degradation of water resources – increase the risk of environmental emergencies arising in the most sensitive areas of the planet, with the risk of various water resource uses having to compete, such as industrial, agricultural and civil uses. In response to these needs, governments have imposed increasingly restrictive environmental regulations, placing ever more stringent constraints on the development of new industrial initiatives and, in the most impactful industries, incentivizing or requiring the elimination of technologies no longer considered sustainable. In this context, companies in every sector, and above all industry leaders, are ever more aware that environmental risks are increasingly economic risks. As a result, they are called upon to increase their commitment and accountability |
opportunities. Enel has made the effective prevention and minimization of environmental impacts and risks a foundational element of each project across its entire life cycle. The adoption of ISO 14001-certified environmental management systems certified within the Group ensures the implementation of structured policies and procedures to identify and manage the environmental risks and opportunities associated with all corporate activities. A structured control plan combined with actions and improvement objectives inspired by the best environmental practices, with requirements higher than those linked to simple environmental regulatory compliance, mitigates the risk of impacts on the environmental matrix, reputational damage and legal disputes. Also contributing are the multitude of actions to achieve the challenging environmental improvement objectives set by Enel, such as, for example, those regarding atmospheric emissions, waste production and water consumption, especially in areas with high water stress. The risk of water scarcity is directly mitigated by Enel's development strategy, which is based on the growth of generation from renewable sources that are essentially not |
| dependent on the availability of water for their operation. |
| for developing and adopting innovative and sustainable technical solutions and development models. |
Special attention is also devoted to assets in areas with a high level of water stress, in order to develop technological solutions to reduce consumption. Ongoing collaboration with local river basin management authorities enables us to adopt the most effective shared strategies for the sustainable management of hydroelectric generation assets. Lastly, appropriate terrestrial, marine and river monitoring of ecosystems is carried out to verify the effectiveness of measures adopted in order to protect, restore and preserve biodiversity. |
|
|---|---|---|
| People and organization risks |
The profound transformations of the energy sector, which has experienced sweeping technological developments, require the presence of new professional profiles and skills, as well as an important cultural and organizational change. Organizations must move to adopt new agile and flexible business models. Policies to enhance diversity and to manage and promote talent have become key factors for companies that are managing the transition and have a widespread geographical presence. |
Enel places the people who work for it at the center of its business model: the management of human capital is a priority for which specific objectives have been established. The main goals include: the development of the digital capabilities and skills made necessary by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as the promotion of reskilling and upskilling programs for employees in order to support the energy transition; the effective involvement of employees in the pursuit of the corporate purpose, which ensures the achievement of better results while offering greater satisfaction to our people; the development of systems for evaluating the working environment and performance; the dissemination of diversity and inclusion policies to all countries in which the Group operates, as well as instilling an inclusive organizational culture based on the principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunity, a key driver in ensuring that everyone can make an effective contribution. In addition, Enel is developing specific initiatives to foster the diffusion of agile working methods in business processes. The Group is committed on enhancing the resilience and flexibility of organisational models through simplification and digitalisation in order to enable the effectiveness and autonomy of people working in the company within new smart working arrangements, already effectively tested in response to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, which will be a key element of future working models. |
| Cyber attacks risks |
The speed of technological developments that constantly generate new challenges, the ever increasing frequency and intensity of cyber attacks and the attraction of critical infrastructures and strategic industrial sectors as targets underscore the potential risk that, in extreme cases, the normal operations of companies could grind to a halt. Cyber attacks have evolved dramatically in recent years: their number has grown exponentially, as has their complexity and impact (theft of company and customer data), making it increasingly difficult to promptly identify the source of threats. This exposure reflects the many environments in which the Group operates (data, industry and people), a circumstance that accompanies the intrinsic complexity and interconnection of the resources that over the years have been increasingly integrated into the Group's daily operating processes. |
The Group has adopted a holistic governance approach to cyber security that is applied to all the sectors of IT (Information Technology), OT (Operational Technology) and IoT (Internet of Things). The framework is based on the commitment of top management, on global strategic management, on the involvement of all business areas as well as on the units involved in the design and management of our systems. It seeks to use cutting edge technologies, to design ad hoc business processes, to strengthen people's IT awareness and to implement regulatory requirements for IT security. In addition, the Group has developed an IT risk management methodology founded on "risk-based" and "cyber security by design" approaches, making business risk analysis the fundamental step in all strategic decisions. Enel has also created its own Cyber Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) in order to proactively respond to any IT security incidents. Finally, since 2019, the Group also took out an insurance policy for cyber security risks in order to mitigate IT threats. |
| Risks connected with digitalisation, IT effectiveness and service continuity |
The Group is carrying out a complete digital transformation of how it manages the entire energy value chain, developing new business models and digitalising its business processes, integrating systems and adopting new technologies. A consequence of this digital transformation is that the Group is increasingly exposed to risks related to the functioning of the IT systems implemented throughout the Company with impacts on operational processes and activities, which could lead to the exposure of IT and OT (Operational Technology) systems to service interruptions or data losses. |
These risks are managed using a series of measures developed by the Global Digital Solutions unit, which is responsible for guiding the Group's digital transformation. It has set up an internal control system that introduces control points along the entire IT value chain, enabling us to prevent the emergence of risks relating to such issues as the creation of services that do not meet business needs, the failure to implement adequate security measures and service interruptions. The internal control system of the Global Digital Solutions unit oversees both the activities performed in-house and those outsourced to external associates and service providers. Furthermore, Enel is promoting the dissemination of a digital culture and digital skills within the Group in order to successfully guide the digital transformation and minimize the associated risks. |
| Risks | In the era of digitalization and markets globalization, Enel's | In order to manage and mitigate this risk, Enel has adopted |
|---|---|---|
| connected with | business strategy focused on accelerating the transformation | a global model of personal data governance through the |
| the protection | process towards a business model based on a digital | assignment of privacy roles at all levels – including the |
| of personal data | platform, through a data-driven approach focused on the | appointment of Data Protection Officers ("DPOs") both at |
| customer, which is being implemented along the entire value | a global and country level – as well as digital compliance | |
| chain. | instruments to map applications and processes and manage | |
| The Group's new business model requires the management | relevant risks to personal data protection, in compliance | |
| of an increasingly relevant and growing volume of personal | with the peculiarities of local sector regulations. | |
| data in order to achieve the financial and business results | ||
| envisaged in the 2021-2023 strategic plan. This naturally | ||
| increases our exposure to the risks connected with the | ||
| protection of personal data, also in view of the increasingly | ||
| stringent privacy legislation in most of the countries where | ||
| Enel operates. These risks may result in a loss of | ||
| confidentiality, integrity and availability of personal data of | ||
| customers, employees and third parties (e.g. suppliers), | ||
| causing penalties proportionate to the overall turnover, | ||
| interdiction from processes and consequent economic or | ||
| financial losses, as well as reputational damages. | ||
In order to identify the Group's priority actions on sustainability, Enel has been carrying out an analysis of priorities (the so called "materiality analysis"), based on the guidelines laid down by the most used international standards such as the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board), IIRC (International Integrated Reporting Framework), the AccountAbility standard AA1000APS (2018), as well as the SDG Compass which supports companies in adapting their strategies to the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG). The aim is to map and assess priorities among those matters of interest for the Enel Group's main stakeholders, crossing them with the business strategy and the priority actions of the Group itself. The targets to be included in the Group's Strategic Plan are determined based on the results of the materiality analysis; activities and projects developed by the corporate functions of the Group, as detailed in the Sustainability Plan, contribute to the achievement of such targets. The following schedule shows the materiality matrix as reported in 2020 Sustainability Report.
The Company's share capital consists exclusively of ordinary shares with full voting rights at both ordinary and extraordinary shareholders' meetings. At the end of 2020 (and as of the date of this report), Enel's share capital amounted to Euro 10,166,679,946, comprised of the same number of ordinary shares having a par value of Euro 1 each, which are listed on the Mercato Telematico Azionario organized and managed by Borsa Italiana.
Based upon the entries in Enel's shareholders' ledger, reports made to CONSOB and received by the Company, and other available information, as of the date of this report the Company's shareholders holding a stake exceeding 3%2 of the Company's share capital are:
| Principal shareholders | % of the share capital |
|---|---|
| Ministry of the Economy and Finance |
23.59% |
| Capital Research and Management Company |
5.03% |
| BlackRock Inc. | 5.00% |
To the Company's knowledge, no shareholders' agreements, as defined in Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998 ("Consolidated Financial Act"), exist with regard to Enel's shares.
The Company is subject to the de facto control of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, which so far has had sufficient votes to exercise a dominant influence at Enel's ordinary shareholders' meetings; however, the above-mentioned Ministry is not in any way involved in managing and coordinating the Company, since the Company makes its management decisions on a fully independent basis in accordance with the structure of duties and
responsibilities assigned to its corporate bodies; the foregoing is confirmed by Article 19, paragraph 6, of Law Decree No. 78/2009 (subsequently converted into Law No. 102/2009), which clarified that the regulations contained in the Italian Civil Code regarding the management and coordination of companies do not apply to the Italian Government.
In implementing the provisions of the legal framework on privatizations, the Company bylaws provide that – with the exception of the government, public bodies, and parties subject to their respective control – no shareholder may own, directly and/or indirectly, Enel shares representing more than 3% of its share capital.
The voting rights attaching to the shares owned in excess of the aforesaid limit of 3% may not be exercised, and the voting rights to which each of the parties affected by the limit on share ownership would have been entitled will be proportionately reduced, unless there are prior joint instructions from the shareholders involved. In the event of noncompliance, resolutions passed by shareholders' meetings may be challenged in court if it is found that the majority required would not have been attained without the votes expressed in excess of the abovementioned limit.
Under the legal framework on privatizations, as subsequently amended, the provisions of the bylaws concerning the limit on share ownership and voting rights will no longer be effective if the 3% limit is exceeded following a takeover bid following which the bidder holds shares representing at least 75% of the share capital with the right to vote on resolutions regarding the appointment and removal of directors.
There are no restrictions in relation to the transfer of Enel shares, such as the necessity to obtain a prior approval by the Company or other holders of securities.
Enel, along with other Group companies, holds strategic assets relevant for the national interest in
(2) Pursuant to Article 120, paragraph 2-bis of the Consolidated Financial Act, by means of the Resolution No. 21326 dated April 9, 2020 CONSOB imposed, for a three-month period as of April 11, 2020, the obligation for shareholders holding an interest higher than 1% in the share capital of companies having a particularly widespread shareholder base – including Enel – to submit a notice both to CONSOB and the relevant company. By means of the Resolutions No. 21434 dated July 8, 2020 and No. 21525 dated October 7, 2020 CONSOB has then extended the abovementioned obligation for successive three-month periods; most recently, by means of the Resolution No. 21672 dated
January 13, 2021 such obligation was further extended for a period of three months, from January 14, 2021 until April 13, 2021, unless early revoked. Based on these measures, as of the date hereof, the following shareholders have disclosed their ownership of a participation higher than 1% of the Company's share capital: (i) Norges Bank (which has disclosed its ownership of a participation equal to 2.57% of the Company's share capital); (ii) Bank of Italy (which has disclosed its ownership of a participation equal to 1.00% of the Company's share capital).
accordance with the D.P.C.M. No. 179 dated December 18, 2020 and is therefore subject to the legal framework on the special powers of the Italian Government in strategic sectors, set forth in Law Decree No. 21 of March 15, 2012, converted into law with amendments by Law No. 56 of May 11, 2012 and integrated by Law Decree No. 105 of September 21, 2019, converted with amendments by Law No. 133 of November 18, 2019.
The Company is also subject to the temporary provisions provided under the same Law Decree No. 105/2019 which – based on the regulation provided by the latter as of the date hereof – will be in force until June 30, 2021.
The Consolidated Financial Act recommends that the bylaws of listed companies contain provisions aimed at simplifying the exercise of voting rights through proxy by employee-shareholders, thus fostering their participation in the decision-making process at shareholders' meetings.
In such respect, since 1999, Enel bylaws expressly provide that for purposes of simplifying the collection of proxies by the employee-shareholders of the Company and its subsidiaries, who are affiliated with shareholders' associations which comply with the requirements imposed under applicable laws, areas for communication and for the collection of proxies shall be made available to such associations, pursuant to the terms and modalities to be agreed upon from time to time with their legal representatives.
In March 2008, the Company was informed of the establishment of an employee-shareholders' association called A.DI.G.E. – Associazione Azionisti Dipendenti Gruppo Enel (Association of Employee-Shareholders of Enel Group), which meets the requirements set forth in the Consolidated Financial Act and is therefore subject to the above-mentioned bylaws provisions.
The rules that regulate the election and replacement of directors are examined in the second section of this document (under "Board of Directors – Appointment, replacement and "contingency plan").
With regard to the rules applicable to amendments to the bylaws, extraordinary shareholders' meeting resolve on the same, in accordance with the relevant majorities provided for by law.
As permitted by law, however, the Corporate bylaws assign to the board of directors' authority on all resolutions concerning:
As of the date of this report, the board of directors has not been authorized to increase the share capital nor has it been authorized to issue participating financial instruments.
It should be noted that the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020 authorised – upon prior revocation of the authorization granted by the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 16, 2019 (on the basis of which, Enel, during 2019, purchased an overall amount of 1,549,152 treasury shares) – the board of directors to the acquisition and subsequent disposal of treasury shares up to a maximum of 500 million of the Company's shares, representing approximately 4.92% of the share capital, and up to a maximum amount of Euro 2 billion. The acquisition of treasury shares has been authorised for eighteen months starting from the date of the shareholders' meeting; no deadline has been established for the disposal of the acquired treasury shares. Moreover, the same shareholders' meeting defined, on the basis of the board of directors' proposal, purposes, terms and conditions for the acquisition and sale of the Company's treasury shares, laying down in particular the modalities for the determination of the purchase price and the operating procedures for the implementation of the purchase operations.
In implementation of the authorization granted by the shareholders' meeting as per above and of the
subsequent resolution of the board of directors approved on July 29, 2020, Enel concluded a buyback programme with the purpose of serving the 2020 long-term incentive plan reserved to the management of Enel and/or its subsidiaries pursuant to Article 2359 of the Italian Civil Code. As a consequence of the transactions carried out from September 3 to October 28, 2020 in execution of the aforesaid programme, the Company has purchased an overall amount of 1,720,000 treasury shares. Therefore, considering the No. 1,549,152 Enel shares already in held and purchased during 2019, at the date of this report, Enel holds 3,269,152 treasury shares, equal to 0.03% of the share capital.
A) The syndicated credit facility agreements of Enel and Enel Finance International N.V.
In December 2017, Enel and its subsidiary Enel Finance International N.V. entered into a credit facility agreement with a pool of banks for an amount up to Euro 10 billion, along with the simultaneous cancellation of the Forward Start Facility Agreement entered into in February 2013. As of December 2020, the above credit facility agreement, expiring in December 2022, had not been used.
During May 2020, Enel entered into two "Sustainability-Linked Loan" bridge credit facility agreements with a pool of banks for an overall amount equal to Euro 5 billion and expiring in May 2021. As of December 2020, following the partial cancellation of these lines, the overall residual amount of these loans is approximately equal to Euro 2.86 billion.
Furthermore, during October 2020, Enel entered into a "Sustainability-Linked Loan" credit facility agreement with a pool of banks for an amount equal to Euro 1 billion. As of December 2020, the above credit facility agreement, expiring in October 2026, has been fully used.
All the abovementioned loan agreements provide for common provisions for events of change of control in which (i) control of Enel is acquired by one or more parties other than the Italian Government or (ii) Enel or any of its subsidiaries contributes (including through mergers) a substantial portion of the assets of the Group to parties that are not part of the latter, such that the Group's creditworthiness is significantly compromised in the opinion of the aforementioned pool of banks. Specifically, if one of such hypothetical change of control events should occur:
each bank belonging to the pool may propose to renegotiate the terms and conditions of the agreement or communicate its intention to withdraw from the agreement;
Enel and its subsidiary Enel Finance International N.V., depending on the cases, may decide to repay in advance the sums received and to cancel, without incurring any penalties, the entire financial commitment assumed by each bank belonging to the pool (i) with which the renegotiation of the terms and conditions of the credit agreement has not been successful or (ii) that has notified its intention to withdraw from the agreement;
B) The credit facility agreements entered into with Unicredit S.p.A.
In June 2017, Enel and Unicredit S.p.A. entered into a credit facility agreement in cash: a medium/longterm agreement for an amount of Euro 200 million expiring in June 2021. As of December 2020, such credit line has been fully used.
In October 2019, Enel and Unicredit S.p.A. entered into a "revolving SDG Linked" credit facility agreement for an overall maximum amount of Euro 1 billion expiring in October 2024, with the simultaneous cancellation of the revolving credit facility agreement undersigned in July 2015 for an overall amount of Euro 450 million and the simultaneous repayment of the credit facility agreement in cash undersigned in July 2016 for an overall amount of Euro 500 million. As of December 2020, this new credit line has not been used.
Furthermore, during June 2020, Enel and Unicredit S.p.A. entered into a new "revolving SDG Linked" credit facility agreement for an amount of Euro 350 million expiring in June 2023, with the simultaneous cancellation of a previous credit facility agreement undersigned between the same parties in June 2017 for an amount of Euro 350 million. As of December 2020, this credit line has not been used.
All the above-mentioned agreements provide that in the event that control over Enel is acquired by one or more parties other than the Italian Government, such change of control over Enel shall be timely notified to Unicredit S.p.A. In the event that Unicredit S.p.A. deems that the change of control may adversely affect Enel's capacity to fulfil its obligations under the revolving credit facility agreement, it has the right to prevent Enel from using the available funds provided under the facility agreement and to request the reimbursement of the amounts already drawn.
In order to increase its investment in the field of renewable energy and environmental protection, in June 2007, the subsidiary Enel Produzione S.p.A. entered into a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank ("EIB") for up to Euro 450 million (amount that the parties subsequently agreed to reduce to Euro 400 million), expiring in July 2027. As of December 2020, following the reimbursements paid, the outstanding loan results to be equal to Euro 187 million.
This agreement provides that both Enel Produzione S.p.A. and Enel are obliged to inform the EIB of any changes in their control. If it deems that such changes could have negative consequences on the creditworthiness of Enel Produzione S.p.A. or Enel, EIB may demand additional guarantees, changes in the agreement, or alternative measures that it considers satisfactory. If Enel Produzione S.p.A. does not accept the solutions proposed, EIB shall be entitled to unilaterally terminate such loan agreement.
In order to develop the process of making its electricity grid more efficient, in November 2006 the subsidiary e-distribuzione S.p.A. entered into a loan agreement with the EIB for an amount of Euro 600 million, expiring in December 2026. As of December 2020, following the reimbursements paid, the outstanding loan results to be equal to Euro 240 million.
Such agreement is backed by a guarantee agreement entered into by the EIB and Enel, which provides that Enel, in its capacity as guarantor of the abovementioned loan, is obliged to inform the EIB of any changes in its control structure. After receiving such notification, the EIB will examine the new circumstances in order to decide upon a possible change in the conditions governing such loan to edistribuzione S.p.A.
Moreover, it should be noted that, in the context of a financing transaction necessary to finance an advanced electricity measuring system in the Italian territory, amounting to a total of Euro 1 billion, edistribuzione S.p.A. entered into the following loan agreements with EIB:
Such agreements, which are all guaranteed by Enel, provide the obligation for e-distribuzione S.p.A. to inform the EIB of any changes in its control structure, as well as of any changes in the control structure of the parent company Enel. Should EIB consider that such changes could have negative consequences on the capacity of e-distribuzione S.p.A. to fulfil the undertaken obligations, EIB may demand additional guarantees, or changes in the loan agreements, or alternative measures that it considers satisfactory. If the effects of such changes cannot be mitigated through the above-mentioned measures, EIB may cancel the loan not yet granted and ask for the advance repayment of the loans.
E) The Cassa Depositi e Prestiti loan to edistribuzione
In April 2009, e-distribuzione S.p.A. entered into a framework loan agreement with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti S.p.A. ("CDP") for an amount of Euro 800 million, which will expire in December 2028. The aforementioned agreement is also aimed at developing the process of making the power grid of such subsidiary more efficient. In 2011, the parties entered into two extensions to the framework loan agreement for a total amount of Euro 540 million. As of December 2020, following the reimbursements paid, the outstanding loan results to be equal to Euro 715 million.
This agreement is also accompanied by a guarantee agreement entered into by CDP and Enel, according to which Enel, as guarantor of the aforesaid loan, is obliged to inform CDP (i) of any change in the composition of the share capital of e-distribuzione S.p.A. that could entail the loss of control over said company, as well as (ii) of any significant
deterioration in e-distribuzione S.p.A.'s and/or Enel's net worth, economic, financial, or operational situation or perspectives. The occurrence of any of such circumstances may give rise to an obligation for e-distribuzione S.p.A. to repay immediately to CDP the loan received.
F) The ABSA Bank Limited and Nedbank Limited loan to Enel Green Power RSA 2
In July 2018, Enel Green Power RSA 2 Proprietary Limited ("EGP RSA 2"), a South African company of Enel Group operating in the renewable energy sector, entered into a project financing non-recourse loan agreement with the South African banks Nedbank Limited and ABSA Bank Limited, for a total maximum amount of approximately 15 billion of South African Rand, corresponding, at the time, to approximately Euro 950 million. Such loan agreement with a 21-year term, relates to the development of 5 wind projects awarded to the parent company Enel Green Power RSA Proprietary Limited ("EGP RSA") and is divided in 5 tranches, one for each of the projects financed.
As of December 2020, the total amount disbursed is equal to 11.92 billion of South African Rand, equal to approximately Euro 662 million.
The agreement provides that any changes in the control structure of EGP RSA 2, of the parent company EGP RSA, of the individual project companies and of the parent company Enel must be notified in advance to ABSA Bank Limited, in its capacity as "Facilities Agent" for the loan. In the event of an unwelcome change of control, the Facilities Agent may request early repayment of the amounts disbursed under the single tranche - if the change of control concerns specific project companies - or of the entire amount of the loan, if the change of control concerns EGP RSA 2, the parent company EGP RSA or Enel.
The payment package due to the chief executive officer (that is also the general manager) of Enel includes an end of mandate severance indemnity, which is also granted in the event of early termination of the directorship relationship following resignation for cause or revocation without cause.
For a detailed description of such payment please see the first section of the report on the remuneration policy and compensations paid, available to the public at the Company's registered office and on the Company's website, in compliance with the terms provided for by the applicable laws.
No specific indemnities are otherwise due in the event that the relationship with any member of the board of directors should terminate following a takeover bid.
*****
SECTION II: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The board of directors in force as of the date of this report, elected by the ordinary shareholders' meeting of May 14, 2020, is composed of the following nine members:
Michele Crisostomo, Francesco Starace, Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve, Alberto Marchi, Mariana Mazzucato e Mirella Pellegrini were drawn from the slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance (at the time holding the 23.59% of the Company's share capital), while Cesare Calari, Samuel Leupold and Anna Chiara Svelto were drawn from the slate submitted by a group of 26 institutional investors (at the time holding in the aggregate the 2.23% of the Company's share capital). In particular, this last slate was voted by the majority (approximately 51.10%) of the share capital represented at the shareholders' meeting and, therefore, all the candidates listed therein were appointed; however, considering that such slate did not contain a sufficient number of candidates to appoint seven tenths of the directors to be elected, as provided for by the Corporate bylaws, the candidates necessary to complete the board of directors were drawn from the slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance, which was voted by the minority (approximately 47.76%) of the share capital represented at the same shareholders' meeting.
The term of office of the current board of directors will expire with the approval of the annual financial statements for the year 2022.
A brief professional profile of the above-mentioned Company's directors is provided in Schedule 1 to this report.
The previous board of directors – composed of Patrizia Grieco, Francesco Starace, Alfredo Antoniozzi, Alberto Bianchi, Cesare Calari, Paola Girdinio, Alberto Pera, Anna Chiara Svelto, Angelo Taraborrelli – whose term of office expired with the approval of the 2019 financial statements, therefore ceased from office in 2020.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Corporate bylaws, the board of directors consists of three to nine members who are elected by the ordinary shareholders' meeting (which determines their number subject to such limits) for a term not exceeding three financial years and its members are eligible for re-election at the expiration of their term of office.
Under the current legal framework, all of the directors must meet the integrity requirements imposed upon statutory auditors of listed companies. In addition, directors must meet the additional integrity requirements provided under Article 14-bis of the bylaws as approved by the extraordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 22, 2014 and amended by the extraordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 28, 2015.
In compliance with the legal framework governing privatizations and in accordance with the provisions of the Consolidated Financial Act, the bylaws provide that the election of the entire board of directors must take place in accordance with the slate voting system aimed at allowing the presence on the board of directors of members elected by minority shareholders totalling three-tenths of the directors to be elected. In the event this number is a fraction, it is to be rounded up to the higher unit.
The extraordinary shareholders' meeting of May 26, 2016 resolved to introduce in the Corporate bylaws a specific provision pursuant to which should the slate that obtained the majority of the votes not have a suitable number of candidates in order to achieve the seven-tenths of directors to be elected (rounded, in the case of a fractional number, to the lower unit), the other candidates necessary to complete the board of directors shall be drawn from the minority slates, if the capacity of such slates is sufficient.
Each slate must include at least two candidates that meet the requirements of independence established by law (i.e., those provided for statutory auditors of listed companies), distinctly mentioning such candidates and listing one of them as first on the slate.
The slates which contain a number of candidates equal to or above three shall also include candidates
belonging to different genders, as indicated in the notice of call of the shareholders' meeting, in order to ensure that the composition of the board of directors is compliant with the applicable laws on gender balance; the latter provides that, starting from the renewals in 2020, at least 40% of the directors appointed shall be reserved to the less represented gender. As for the modalities for the election of the board of directors, the Corporate bylaws provide, in this regard, for a specific correction mechanism ("sliding clause") to be used in the event that, following the vote, balance between genders is not achieved.
Slates must list candidates in progressive order and may be filed by the expiring board of directors or by shareholders who, alone or jointly with other shareholders, own the minimum shareholding in the share capital of the Company set forth by CONSOB with regulation (i.e., considering Enel's market capitalization, as of the date of this report, the minimum shareholding is equal to 0.5% of the share capital). Slates must be filed at the Company's registered office, by those who submit them, at least 25 days before the date on which the shareholders' meeting is called to resolve upon the election of the board of directors. Such slates shall be published by the Company on its website and shall also be made available to the public at Enel's registered office at least 21 days before the date of the meeting, so as to ensure a transparent process for the election of the board of directors.
A report containing exhaustive information on the personal traits and professional qualifications of the candidates, accompanied (where applicable) by a statement by which individual candidates certify to meet the independence requirements provided by the applicable provisions of law and/or the Corporate Governance Code, must be filed at the Company's registered office together with the slates, and must also be published promptly on the Company's website.
For purposes of identifying the directors to be elected, candidates of the slates that have received a number of votes amounting to less than half of the percentage required for filing the same slates shall not be taken into account (i.e., as of the date of this report, 0.25% of the share capital).
For the election of directors who, for whatever reason, are not elected in accordance with the slate voting system, the shareholders' meeting resolves in accordance with the majorities required by the law, ensuring in any case:
the presence of the necessary number of directors that meet the requirements of independence established by the law (i.e., at least one director if the board consists of no more than seven members or two directors if the board consists of more than seven members); and
balance between genders.
The replacement of directors is regulated by applicable provisions of law. In addition to such provisions, the bylaws provide that:
With regard to succession plans for executive directors, in September 2016, the board of directors, upon proposal of the nomination and compensation committee, together with the corporate governance and sustainability committee, shared the contents of a specific "contingency plan", aimed at regulating the steps to be taken to ensure that the Company's activities are regularly managed in the event of early cessation of the chief executive officer before the expiry of the ordinary term of office (the so-called "crisis management" case). Based on such "contingency plan", if a crisis management case occurs:
the chair of the board of directors shall assume the powers for the management of the Company with the same limits previously envisaged in relation to the chief executive officer, and convene the board of directors without delay for the ratification of such powers and the consequent activities;
In order to ensure an adequate appreciation of merit and an effective managerial continuity, the Enel Group has also adopted a system for the management of development plans aimed at fostering the identification and differentiation of the profiles for successions in the managerial positions.
The process is aimed at ensuring appropriate organizational safeguards providing for each managerial position a list of potential successors and the necessary development actions in order to support respective growth, taking also into account the Enel Group's commitments on diversity and inclusion.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of such a process, all the Group's managerial positions are examined taking into account the main variables according to a method in line with international best practice and providing for each of them the identification of "Ready" successors, for the short term, and "Pipeline" successors, for the medium term, with a special regard to young, women, as well as to the valorisation of the inter-functional and international experiences.
Such process goes along with a "talent management" one, aimed at identifying development projects adequate to individual and professional profiles and to the positions the successors have been identified for.
The board of directors has a central role in the Company's governance structure, since it has powers over the strategic, organizational and control guidelines for the Company and the Group. In consideration of its role, the board of directors meets regularly and endeavours to ensure the effective performance of its duties.
In particular, and in accordance with the legal framework and specific resolutions of the board itself (and, in particular, the one adopted in May 2020), the board of directors:
as the activities carried out by them, see the paragraph entitled "Committees" of this section of the document);
determines, based on the analyses and proposals of the relevant committee, the remuneration policy of the directors and of the executives with strategic responsibilities; in implementing such policy, it determines, based on proposals of the committee and upon consultation with the board of statutory auditors, the compensation of the chief executive officer and the other directors who hold specific offices and resolves upon the adoption of incentive plans reserved to the management. In this respect, please note that the board of directors in April 2020 approved and subsequently amended and integrated the 2020 remuneration policy and the 2020-2022 incentive plan for the chief executive officer/general manager, and for the top management.
on the basis of the information received, evaluates the adequacy of the Company's and the Group's organisational, administrative, and accounting structure. Such evaluation was carried out in March 2020 and, lastly, in March 2021;
In particular, all financial transactions of a significant size (meaning: (i) the Company's contracting of loans for an amount exceeding Euro 75 million and the issuance of bonds by the Company; (ii) the issuance of bonds or the entering into loans by subsidiaries where, in both cases, the grant of a guarantee by Enel is required or the transaction's amount exceeds Euro 300 million; and (iii) the grant of guarantees by Enel, in the interest of subsidiaries or third parties, in both cases, where
( 3) For an illustration of the objectives of the strategic plan 2021- 2023 – which, in the context of a strategic vision extending to 2030, provides for investments focused on the decarbonization, the growth of renewable capacity, the electrification of energy
consumption and the digitalisation of networks – please see the presentation explained during the Capital Markets Day and available on the website www.enel.com.
such guarantees cover amounts exceeding Euro 50 million) must be approved in advance (if they concern the Company) or evaluated (if they regard other Group companies) by the board of directors.
In addition, acquisitions and disposals of equity investments amounting to more than Euro 50 million must be approved in advance (if they are carried out directly by the Company) or evaluated (if they concern other Group companies) by the same board of directors;
defines the guidelines of the internal control and risk management system so that the main risks regarding the Company and its subsidiaries – including those risks that might have an impact in the light of a medium-long term sustainability perspective – are correctly identified and properly measured, managed, and monitored, determining, moreover, the level of compatibility of such risks with the management of the company in a manner consistent with its strategic objectives. It should be observed in this regard that in November 2013, the board of directors has determined and formalized in a specific document the guidelines of the internal control and risk management system (such document was lastly updated in February 2016 to ensure that its content is consistent with the amendments to the Corporate Governance Code made in July 2015). Furthermore, in November 2020, the board of directors has assessed the compatibility of the main risks related to the strategic objectives set forth in the 2021-2023 strategic plan with a management of the Company that is in line with such targets;
evaluates, at least on an annual basis, the adequacy of the internal control and risk management system taking into account the characteristics of the Company's business and the types of risks taken, as well as its effectiveness. It should be noted that in February 2021, the board of directors expressed a positive evaluation in this respect with reference to the 2020 financial year;
of the Group and designates the directors and statutory auditors of such companies;
Among the additional activities carried out during 2020 and the first months of 2021, it should be noted that the board of directors:
rules of the board of directors; (ii) updating of the organizational rules of the control and risk committee, the nomination and compensation committee and the corporate governance and sustainability committee; (iii) adoption of a policy for the management of the dialogue with institutional investors and with the generality of shareholders and bondholders of Enel (so-called "engagement policy"), which takes into account the best practices adopted on the matter by institutional investors and reflected in the stewardship codes;
The following table illustrates the calendar of the board meetings held during the year 2020.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||||||
| Total | 16 | ||||||||||
| Average duration | 3h 30 m | ||||||||||
| Meetings scheduled for 2021 | 15 (4 of which have already been held) |
The participation of all directors in the meetings was regular and the latter were also attended by the board of statutory auditors and by a magistrate representing the Italian Court of Auditors (Corte dei Conti).
During 2020 the heads of the corporate functions in charge of the various matters related to the items on the agenda have been constantly invited to attend the meetings of the board of directors and, upon invitation by the chief executive officer, they have brought to the discussion their valuable contribution.
In May 2020, the shareholders' meeting appointed Michele Crisostomo as chair of Enel's board of directors.
In performing his role as coordinator of the board of directors' activities and providing proactive guidance on the functioning of the board, the chair calls the meetings of the board, establishes their agenda,
presides over them, and endeavours to ensure that the documentation related to the items on the agenda is circulated to the directors and statutory auditors in due advance prior to the date of each meeting; in this regard, it should be noted that the board of directors adopts a policy according to which, as a general rule, an advance notice of three days is congruous to send the relevant board of directors documentation, acknowledging however that such term could be increased in cases where the documentation is particularly important and/or complex or decreased in the event of urgent transactions or transactions in progress as well as of mere information; in 2020, such term was normally complied with, and in the very few cases in which this was not possible in relation to extraordinary operations underway, the chair still ensured that adequate and accurate indepth analyses were carried out during the board's meetings.
The chair also ascertains whether the Boards' resolutions are implemented, chairs shareholders' meetings, and – like the chief executive officer – is authorized to legally represent the Company.
In addition to the powers provided by law and by the bylaws regarding the functioning of the corporate bodies (the shareholders' meeting and the board of directors), the chair is also entrusted with the duties of (i) participating, jointly with the chief executive officer, in formulating to the board of directors proposals on the appointment, revocation and compensation of the head of the Company's "Audit" Function, which reports hierarchically to the board of directors and on which the chair exercises a supervisory role, and (ii) performing a proactive and supervisory role in the application of corporate governance rules concerning the board of directors' activities.
Finally, in agreement and coordination with the chief executive officer, the chair maintains relations with institutional bodies and authorities.
In May 2020, the board of directors confirmed Francesco Starace as chief executive officer of Enel, granting him all the powers to manage the Company, with the exception of those otherwise assigned according to legal or regulatory provisions, Corporate bylaws or the structure of powers approved in May 2020 (as regards the matters which under such structure are reserved to the board of directors, see the paragraph entitled "Board of directors – Role and functions" below).
The chief executive officer is also ascribed the role of the director in charge of the internal control and risk management system, pursuant to the Corporate Governance Code (for a detailed description of the tasks that such role entails please see the Guidelines of the Internal Control and Risk Management System, available on the Company's website).
The chief executive officer reports to the board of directors and to the board of statutory auditors, at least quarterly and in any case during the board of directors meetings, on the operations, the general trend of the Company's results and on its predictable evolution, as well as on the most relevant transactions under any economic, financial, patrimonial aspects or on transactions which are material with regard to their size or characteristics, carried out by the Company and its subsidiaries.
The Company's board of directors consists of executive and non-executive directors, with adequate expertise and professional skills.
In accordance with the recommendations set forth in the Corporate Governance Code, the following directors are considered executive directors:
Directors who do not fall under any of the abovementioned categories are qualified as nonexecutive.
According to the analysis carried out by the board of directors in May 2020, with the exception of the chief executive officer/general manager, all of the other members of the same board of directors (Michele Crisostomo, Cesare Calari, Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve, Samuel Leupold, Alberto Marchi, Mariana Mazzucato, Mirella Pellegrini and Anna Chiara Svelto) are non-executive directors.
The number, expertise, authority, and time availability of the non-executive directors are therefore appropriate to ensure that their judgment can have a significant influence on the decisions made by the board.
The non-executive directors bring their specific expertise to the board's discussions, so as to facilitate
an examination of the issues under discussion from different perspectives and consequently the adoption of reasoned and well-informed decisions that correspond with corporate interests.
In May 2020, following the renewal of the composition of the board of directors and on the basis of the information provided by the single persons concerned or otherwise available to the Company, the same board of directors verified and certified that directors Cesare Calari, Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve, Samuel Leupold, Alberto Marchi, Mariana Mazzucato, Mirella Pellegrini and Anna Chiara Svelto are independent pursuant to the Corporate Governance Code. As regards to Michele Crisostomo, it should be noted that the independence requisite envisaged under the Corporate Governance Code was not ascertained since such Code does not consider the chair of the board of directors as independent, it being a "significant representative" of the Company.
Specifically, directors were considered independent if they neither are part nor have recently been part to relationships, even indirectly, with the Company or with parties related to the Company that could currently compromise their autonomy of judgment.
As usual, the procedure followed by the board of directors began with an examination of an information document indicating the offices held and the relationships maintained by non-executive directors that could be deemed relevant for purposes of assessing their respective independence; this phase was followed by the self-assessment carried out by each of the non-executive directors regarding his personal position (also based on the execution of a specific statement from each of the relevant directors), after which the final assessment was made collectively by the board of directors, with the abstention, in turn, of the individual members whose position was under examination.
In evaluating the independence of the non-executive directors, the board of directors took into account the cases in which, according to the Corporate Governance Code, the requisites of independence should be considered lacking and, in this regard, applied the principle of the prevalence of substance over form recommended by such Code.
In order to assess the independence of directors, the board of directors has continued to refer to specific quantitative parameters applicable to the commercial, financial, or professional relations that may take place, directly or indirectly, between directors and the Company or any person related to the latter; unless there are specific circumstances, to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the exceeding of such parameters (specified in the Table 1 attached to the present report, together with the cases in which, according to the Corporate Governance Code, the requisites of independence must be considered lacking) precludes, in principle, the relevant non-executive director's satisfaction of the independence requisites provided under such Code. In this regard, it should be noted that during the above-mentioned evaluation on the independence of the non-executive directors the board of directors acknowledged that none of such parameters had been exceeded.
During the above-mentioned evaluation, the board of directors also ascertained that all of the nonexecutive directors – i.e. Michele Crisostomo, Cesare Calari, Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve, Samuel Leupold, Alberto Marchi, Mariana Mazzucato, Mirella Pellegrini and Anna Chiara Svelto – also met the requisites of independence provided for by the law (namely by the Consolidated Financial Act) for the statutory auditors of listed companies (such requisites are also clearly specified in Table 1 attached to this report).
During June 2020, the board of statutory auditors established that the board of directors, in carrying out the aforesaid evaluation, correctly applied the criteria recommended by the Corporate Governance Code, following for such purpose a transparent assessment procedure that enabled the board to learn about relations that were potentially relevant for purposes of the independence evaluation.
Even though independence of judgment characterises the activities of all directors, both executive and non-executive, an adequate presence of directors (both with respect to their number and skills) who can be qualified as independent according to the foregoing definition – having a significant role in the board of directors as well as in the committees – ensures a proper balance of the interests of all shareholders.
The independent directors held a specific meeting in November 2020, without the attendance of the other directors. During this meeting, which focused on the most important matters concerning the board of directors' functioning and the corporate management, they unanimously expressed a judgment of excellence regarding Enel's organisation and its ability to uniquely combine economic and financial performance with global leadership in terms of sustainability. During the same meeting, the independent directors also expressed their appreciation for the composition of the board of directors, characterised by the presence of
authoritative professional figures in their respective fields of activity and endowed with effective independence of judgement. For the purposes of an optimal functioning of the board of directors it was emphasised the importance of the role of the chair of the same body, who is responsible for ensuring an effective and transparent board debate based on a climate of trust, respect and collaboration. Given the variety and complexity of the issues addressed, it was also pointed out that the effectiveness of the board debate could be enhanced through a documentation even more focused on the selectivity and relevance of the information provided. Among the most important management issues on which the board of directors can provide a useful contribution in the future, the investment plan and the development of the management succession plan were highlighted. Lastly, the independent directors have expressed their appreciation for the timing of transmission of the documentation aimed at supporting the board of directors' and its committees' works, sharing some reflection aimed at further enhancing – also with the contribution of the structures – the work of such bodies.
The directors accept and maintain their office provided they expect to be in a position to devote the necessary time to the diligent performance of their duties, taking into account of both the number and nature of the offices they hold on as directors and/or statutory auditors (or equivalent) in other companies of significant size and the commitment required by the other functions or professional activities they carry out and the offices they hold in associations.
In this regard, it should be noted that since 2006 the board of directors approved a policy regarding the maximum number of offices that its members may hold as directors and/or statutory auditors (or equivalent) in other companies of significant size in order to ensure that the persons concerned have enough time to effectively perform their duties on the board of directors of Enel, also taking into account their participation in committees established within the board.
In February 2020 such policy (available on the Company's website) was lastly updated in order to align its contents to the best practices developed on this regard by main proxy advisors and major institutional investors.
In accordance with the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code, such policy considers significant those offices held as directors and/or
statutory auditors (or equivalent) in the following categories of companies:
In accordance with the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code, the policy adopted by the board of directors establishes differentiated limits upon the number of offices depending on the commitment connected with the role performed by each person involved, both as Enel's directors and as director and/or statutory auditor (or equivalent) in other companies of significant size, excluding from the related calculation those performed within Enel's subsidiaries and affiliates.
It is also expressly provided that Enel's chief executive officer may not hold at the same time the office of director of other companies of significant size that do not belong to the Enel Group and whose chief executive officer is another director of Enel (referred to as an "interlocking directorate").
Furthermore, according to the policy directors undertake to attend at least 90% of the meetings of the board of directors and of the committees they take part in, unless there are serious and justified impediments.
On the basis of the information provided by Enel's directors pursuant to the aforesaid policy – and taking into account the inquiry carried out by the board of directors most recently in February 2021 – the number of offices they hold as directors and/or statutory auditors (or equivalent) in other companies of significant size is compatible with the limits established under such policy.
At the end of 2020 financial year and during the first two months of 2021, the board of directors carried out, with the assistance of Spencer Stuart Italia S.r.l. – a specialized consultancy firm in this area and part of a network which in 2020 had further professional relationships with the Enel Group of limited relevance, and unable to concretely compromise its independence – an evaluation of the size,
composition, and functioning of the board itself and its committees (board review), in compliance with the most advanced corporate governance practices followed abroad that have been adopted under the Corporate Governance Code. This board review follows similar initiatives that have been conducted on an annual basis by the board of directors since 2004.
With reference to 2020 financial year – similarly to 2018 and 2019 – the board review concerned not only the board of directors, but also the board of statutory auditors (for the methods and results of such activity with reference to the board of statutory auditors, please see paragraph "Board of Statutory Auditors - Assessment of the functioning of the Board of Statutory Auditors" in this section of the document). Moreover, still in line with previous two years, the board review was carried out according to the "peer-to-peer review" method, i.e. by assessing not only the functioning of the body as a whole, but also the style and content of the contribution provided by each director.
The board review concerning the board of directors was firstly carried out by means of a questionnaire – filled out by each director – concerning the size, composition and functioning of the board as a whole; such phase was followed by individual interviews performed by the consultancy firm, in order to carry out an in-depth analysis of both the most relevant issues resulted from the questionnaire and the participation of each director in terms of style and content of their contribution. The members of the board of statutory auditors were also involved in this activity, as observers of the overall functioning of the board of directors, in order to enrich the evaluation process with an additional and qualified point of view. The corporate governance and sustainability committee carried out preliminary and supervisory functions with reference to the entire board review process of the board of directors.
In particular, the questionnaires and the interviews concerned: (i) the effectiveness of the board of directors on key issues, such as, inter alia, the definition of corporate strategies and the perception by the board itself on the efficiency and effectiveness of the internal control and risks management system; (ii) the organization and conduct of board meetings, with particular regard to the thoroughness and promptness of the information flows, to the quality of the minutes and to the support provided by the secretariat of the board of directors and by the top management; (iii) the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the company's operations to date, the effectiveness and promptness of the actions adopted in order to deal with the same, and the role played in this respect by the board of directors; (iv) the implementation of the sustainability principles within the Company's and the Group's business strategies and model, as well as the attention paid by the board of directors to sustainability issues; (v) the dynamic of the board's discussions and the decisionmaking processes followed; (vi) the role and responsibility of directors, with a specific focus on the chair and the chief executive officer; (vii) the size and composition of the board of directors and the committees, also in terms of skills and experience; (viii) the committee's functioning and the effectiveness of their activities in supporting the board of directors.
Within the board review process, the consulting firm carried out both an analysis of the functioning of Enel's board of directors compared to international best practices, and a benchmark analysis with a selected panel of listed Italian and foreign companies with regard to specific issues of board size and composition.
The results of the board review for the 2020 financial year, which is the first year of the mandate of the board of directors appointed by the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020, highlight a positive overall picture of the conduct of Enel's board of directors and committees, demonstrating that these bodies operate effectively and transparently, in accordance with the best national and international corporate governance practices, as confirmed by the consulting firm.
The results of the board review highlight, first of all, how the emergency situation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the directors' possibility to attend board meetings in person, thus hindering the natural process of getting to know each other, as well as the members of the board of statutory auditors and the management structures. There is, therefore, a need to deepen this knowledge – as soon as the health emergency permits – by holding board meetings and face-to-face informal meetings, even in a partial and/or progressive manner.
Anyway, the chair, with the support of the company's "Corporate Affairs" unit, acted promptly in order to ensure a maximum effectiveness of the board meetings by setting up suitable videoconferencing systems and using an IT portal to upload documents; the chief executive officer continued to coordinate the top management with determination and clear directions, thus minimising the negative impact on company operations of the new methods imposed by the pandemic.
The following strengths arise from the analysis prepared by the advisory company: (i) the composition of the board of directors shows a large
majority of independent directors and is based on a solid mix of skills and experiences as well as an adequate diversity of professional and managerial profiles, which allow to carry out an adequate indepth analysis of the issues which the board is called to address; (ii) the board of directors has a clear vision of its role and positively interacts with the chief executive officer; (iii) the participation of the various board members in the debate is characterised by a critical and constructive mindset; (iv) the relationship between the chair and the chief executive officer is perceived as fluid, and is not affected by their recent mutual acquaintance; (v) the quality of the committees' work and the support provided by them to the activity of board of directors result unanimously appreciated; (vi) the support of the "Corporate Affairs" unit is positively evaluated; (vii) general appreciation was expressed for the wideranging induction program organized in the second half of 2020 and focused on business matters, also in light of the significant renewal of the board members; the continuation of such induction program is whished for, starting with one or more indepth sessions on corporate governance matters; (viii) sustainability issues are perceived as being fully integrated in the corporate strategy.
The analysis carried out by the advisory company also reveals a number of issues on which attention should be focused in order to make the board of directors' actions even more effective. These issues include: (i) the opportunity to increase the number of top managers involved in the presentation to the board of directors of the matters for which they are competent, while at the same time ensuring a focus of the relative presentations that allows an adequate space for debate and for questions of in-depth analysis and clarification; (ii) the need to focus attention on the time spent during board meetings, through a commitment by the chair to ensure full consistency between the relevance of the issue addressed and the time devoted to its discussion, along with a commitment by the board members to intervene on the basis of a structured and focused approach on the issues under discussion from time to time; (iii) the pursuit of the aim to systematically address the most important issues at the beginning of the meeting.
The board of directors agreed to carry out the appropriate in-depth study of the analysis prepared by the advisory company during an informal meeting, hopefully to be attended face-to-face as soon as the health emergency induced by the COVID-19 pandemic permits.
Lastly, it is reminded that, following the recommendations arisen from a previous board review and the similar initiative carried out in 2016, in 2018 an ad hoc survey on the corporate climate has been carried out, which involved the Company's and the Group's entire work-force, with a significant participation rate (over 86%). This survey was meant to measure both how much some essential aspects of the company's strategy are shared by the work-force and how some particularly relevant indicators of the working conditions are perceived. The answers to the survey have shown a significant consent within the company on the several aspects of the corporate climate survey and an improvement of the indicators compared to 2016. During 2019, an action plan was defined at an overall Group level, as well as specific action plans for individual holding functions, business lines and geographical areas, through which the main needs that emerged from the climate survey (concerning, for example, meritocracy, personal development and work-life balance) were met. Lastly, in December 2020, the global programme "Open Listening - interview to build our future" was launched, addressed to all Group employees and aimed at identifying, through a targeted survey, the main initiatives to be undertaken in the interest of the same employees, with a particular focus on working methods once the COVID-19 health emergency has ended.
Directors carry out their tasks autonomously and consciously, having as their main objective the creation of value for shareholders in the long term. They are aware of the responsibilities concerning their role and, as well as the members of the board of statutory auditors, are constantly informed by the relevant business functions on the main legal and self-regulatory news regarding the Company and the exercise of their own functions.
Specifically, following the appointment of the board of directors resolved by the shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020, and given the broad renewal of its composition, the Company organized an ad hoc induction program, aimed at equipping directors with a suitable knowledge of the areas where the Group operates, the corporate dynamics and their evolution, the market trend and the reference legal framework; statutory auditors were involved too. During 2020, 17 induction initiatives were held, covering all the Group's business lines and the main geographic areas in which the Group operates, as well as the Global Service Functions (i.e., "Digital Solutions" and "Procurement") and the main staff functions (i.e., "Administration, Finance and Control", "Communications", "Innovability" and "People and Organization"), in addition to a session
on "Digital Transformation" involving an external expert.
Furthermore, following an initiative of the first board review (carried out in 2004), also during 2020 the annual strategic summit was organized, which took place in October and dedicated to the analysis and indepth assessment by members of the board of directors and the board of the statutory auditors of the medium/long-term strategies in the different industries of the Group as well as to the explanation of 2021-2023 strategic plan draft.
With regard to the composition of the board of directors, Enel applies several diversity criteria, also gender based, in compliance with the primary objective of granting an adequate level of expertise and professionalism of the directors. In particular, in January 2018, the board of directors, upon proposal of the corporate governance and sustainability committee and of the nomination and compensation committee, in implementation of the provisions provided for by the Consolidated Finance Act, approved a diversity policy that describes the optimal features of the composition of the board itself, in order for it to exercise its functions in the most effective way taking decisions with the concrete contribution of plural qualified point of views capable of examining the issues under discussion from different perspectives.
In drafting such diversity policy, the board of directors has moved from the awareness that diversity and inclusion are two fundamental elements of the business culture of a multinational group as the Enel Group, operating in more than 30 Countries. In particular, valorization of diversities as a funding basis for business' sustainability in the medium/long-run, is a reference paradigm both for Group's employees and members of Enel's board of directors and board of statutory auditors.
With reference to types of diversity and the relevant objectives, the afore-mentioned policy (available at the Company's website), states that:
important to keep ensuring that at least 1/3 of the board of directors is constituted by directors belonging to the least represented gender, both at the appointment and during the mandate;
With reference to implementation modalities of the diversity policy, it should be noted that, considering Enel ownership structure, the board of directors has always abstained from presenting its own slate of candidates, in the event of its several renewals, since no difficulties have been faced by the shareholders to present satisfactory candidatures. Thus, the policy mainly aims at orienting the candidatures submitted by the shareholders in case of renewal of the entire board of directors ensuring in such circumstances an adequate consideration of the benefits which may derive from a harmonious composition of the board itself, in line with the various above-mentioned diversity criteria.
In this regard, it should be noted that the board of directors whose mandate expired with the approval of the 2019 financial statements, in providing the shareholders with its guidelines on the optimal size and composition of the board of directors - in view of the renewal of the same by the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020 expressly took into account the criteria set out in the diversity policy. The current composition of the
board of directors broadly complies with the policy's objectives for the various types of diversity.
The nomination and compensation committee also takes into account the provisions of such policy when it is called to propose to the board of directors candidates to the office as directors, considering the proposals submitted by the shareholders' (if any) in the cases provided by its organizational regulation (for detailed explanation of such cases please refer to this section of the report under "Committees - Nomination and Compensation Committee – Tasks").
Moreover, please note that since a long time Enel has been devoting a particular attention to the issue of equal treatment and opportunities regardless of gender within its entire corporate organization and to the check of the results achieved thanks to the measures described below.
In 2015, Enel joined the "Women Empowerment Principles", an initiative promoted by the UN Global Compact and UN Women aimed at promoting gender equality, by adopting the seven key principles on the promotion of women in business.
Also in 2015, a company policy specifically focused on "diversity and inclusion" has been published; such policy is based on the fundamental principles of non-discrimination, equal opportunities and equal dignity in respect to all kinds of diversities, inclusion, and balance between private and professional life. This policy still represents the reference point in guiding the Group's activities related to "diversity and inclusion", with specific initiatives aimed at primarily affecting four dimensions of diversity (i.e., gender, age, nationality and disability) as well as culture of inclusion crosswise.
Particularly, in order to promote equal opportunities between genders, such policy identifies specific actions aimed at:
developing relations with universities in order to design and implement collaboration programs with the aim of promoting the participation of female students in so-called STEM faculties (i.e., science, technology, engineering, mathematics). In this regard, there are projects active in the main countries where Enel Group is located, with a steady increase in the number of female students involved at a global level in recent years and a significant increase in particular in 2020;
enhancing the experience of parenting through the "parental program" project, with a growing number of employees involved in all geographic areas in which the Group operates.
Still on gender diversity, specific initiatives have been promoted to support the empowerment and enhancement of women in managerial positions and promote pay equity.
In order to promote flexibility and integration between private and professional life, from several years smart working has been active in almost all geographic areas in which the Group operates. Furthermore, in the context of the emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this mode has become permanent for over 37,000 employees who carry out activities that can be remote, of which about 44% in Italy.
In recent years, an intense awareness-raising activity has also been carried out to spread and strengthen culture on inclusion of all diversities at all levels and organizational contexts, through communication campaigns and dedicated global events; in particular, in 2020 initiatives focused on the importance of creating professional contexts that facilitate inclusion and on the responsibility of each employee to adopt genuinely inclusive behaviours.
Results achieved on "diversity and inclusion" are measured on the basis of a wide range of "key performance indicators" (KPI) and with quarterly reporting covering all the countries in which the Enel Group is located. Several KPIs are included in the Group's sustainability plan, which includes targets concerning the percentage of women in selection processes and the increase of women managers and middle managers.
During 2020, the "Statement against harassment" has been published, referring to the principles outlined in the Global Workplace Harassment Policy. Such Policy integrates the principles of equal opportunities and non-discrimination affirming the respect for psycho-physical health, integrity and personality of each individual within a corporate context that is increasingly concerned with the protection of personal dignity and the wellbeing of the organization.
In the context of the "People and Organization" Function, the unit called "People Care & Diversity Management", merged in 2020 into the "Innovability People and Organization", has functions of guidance and supervision on these issues at a global level.
Shareholders' meetings determine the remuneration of the members of the board of directors; the board of directors sets the additional remuneration for the members of the committees with consultative and proposing functions instituted within the board of directors, upon a proposal submitted by the nomination and compensation committee, upon consultation with the board of statutory auditors; the total remuneration for the chair and for the chief executive officer/general manager is also established by the board of directors, upon a proposal submitted by the nomination and compensation committee and consultation with the board of statutory auditors.
For a detailed description of the structure and of the amount of the above-mentioned remuneration for 2020 financial year, please see the second section of the report on the remuneration policy and compensations paid, made available to the public at the Company's registered office and on the Company's website, in compliance with the applicable law.
The board of directors set up within the board itself the following four committees:
It should be noted that the responsibilities related to compensation and nomination have thus been jointly assigned to the same committee. Such unification, in line with expressly set forth under the Corporate Governance Code, complies with the composition requisites provided under the Code for both committees and ensures an effective and efficient performance of the relevant tasks.
Special organizational regulations approved by the board of directors govern the composition, tasks, and functioning of the said committees.
In particular, the organizational regulations provide that:
the nomination and compensation committee and the control and risk committee are comprised of non-executive directors, the majority of whom (including the chair) are independent (4) ;
In carrying out their duties, the committees in question are empowered to access the information and corporate functions necessary to perform their respective tasks and may avail themselves of external consultants at the Company's expense subject to the limits of the budget approved, for each committee, by the board of directors (except for the related parties committee that is not subject to budget limits in retaining external consultants). In this regard, it should be noted that in the event that the nomination and compensation committee decides to avail itself of external consultants in order to obtain information on market practices concerning remuneration policies, it previously verifies that the consultant is not in any situation which may effectively compromise his independence of judgment, while the related parties committee ascertains the independence and the absence of conflicts of interest, as well as the professional competence and skills of the consultant in relation to the subject matters concerning the transactions in which respect the committee shall issue its opinion.
Each committee appoints a secretary, who can also not be one of its members, who is assigned the task of drafting the meeting minutes. The chairmen of the nomination and compensation committee, of the control and risk committee and of the corporate governance and sustainability committee inform the board of directors on the matters discussed by each committee within their respective meetings, during the first available meeting of the board of directors following the committees' meetings.
The chair of the board of statutory auditors, or another designated auditor, attends the meetings of each committee (the other regular statutory auditors are also entitled to attend) and, upon invitation by the chair of the relevant committee, meetings may also be attended by other members of the board of directors or representatives of the company's functions or third parties whose presence may support the performance of the committee's duties. The meetings of the control and risk committee are also normally attended by the head of the "Audit" Function, and the meetings of the nomination and compensation committee are also normally attended
(4) Please note that, since June 2014 the nomination and compensation committee and the control and risk committee are entirely composed of independent directors.
by the head of the "People and Organization" Function; no directors may attend those meetings of the nomination and compensation committee that are called to resolve upon proposals regarding their own compensation, to be submitted to the board of directors, except in the case of proposals concerning all the members of the committees established within the board of directors.
In 2020, the nomination and compensation committee was composed, until May, of Alberto Pera (chair), Alberto Bianchi, Cesare Calari and Paola Girdino, all qualified as independent directors. Since its re-establishment in June, said committee has been composed of Alberto Marchi (as chair), Cesare Calari, Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve and Anna Chiara Svelto, all of whom with independence requisites as well. The board of directors verified that Alberto Pera and Cesare Calari, in the previous mandate, and Alberto Marchi and Cesare Calari, in this mandate, have adequate knowledge and experience in financial matters.
The nomination and compensation committee is responsible for supporting the board of directors, through proper inquiry, in its assessments and decisions on the size and composition of the board itself, as well as the compensation of the executive directors and of the executives with strategic responsibilities.
Specifically, in compliance with the edition of the organizational regulation applied during the 2020 financial year, the nomination and compensation committee is entrusted with the consultative and proposing tasks illustrated below.
The committee, in its capacity as nomination committee is called to:
express recommendations to the board of directors on the contents of the policy on the maximum number of offices as director and/or statutory auditor (or equivalent) in other companies of significant size which could be considered compatible with an effective performance of the office of director of the Company;
express recommendations to the board of directors on possible controversial issues related to the application of the restriction on competition imposed upon directors pursuant to article 2390 of the Italian Civil Code, if the shareholders' meeting, for organizational reasons, has authorized on a general and preliminary basis exemptions from such restriction;
The committee, in its capacity as compensation committee is called to:
submit to the board of directors proposals for the remuneration policy of the directors and of the executives with strategic responsibilities, evaluating periodically the adequacy, overall consistency and actual application of the adopted policy, also on the basis of information provided by the chief executive officer concerning the implementation of such policy
with respect to the executives with strategic responsibilities;
Furthermore, in its capacity as compensation committee, within the framework of its duties, the committee also plays a central role in elaborating and monitoring the performance of incentive systems (including stock-based plans, if any), addressed to the management and conceived as instruments aimed at attracting and motivating resources with appropriate abilities and experience, developing their sense of belonging and ensuring their constant, enduring effort to create value.
In addition to those recommended by the Corporate Governance Code, the nomination and compensation committee may eventually perform the task of assisting the chief executive officer and the relevant corporate functions in developing the potential of the Company's managerial resources, recruiting talented people, and promoting related initiatives with universities.
The following table illustrates the calendar of the nomination and compensation committee's meetings held during year 2020:
During these meetings, which were regularly attended by all its members (as well as by the chair and by the other regular members of the board of statutory auditors), the nomination and compensation committee, also availing itself of external independent consultants (at the Company's expense), has carried out the following main activities.
The committee, in its capacity as compensation committee:
analysed the outcomes of the shareholders' meetings votes upon the report on the remuneration policy for 2020 and compensations paid in 2019, as well as upon the 2020 long term incentive plan (LTI) for the chief executive officer/general manager and for the top management, starting, based on this analysis: (i) the preparation of the remuneration policy for directors and executives with strategic responsibilities for 2021; (ii) the definition of the short-term incentive plan (MBO) for the chief executive officer/general manager and of the LTI plan for the chief executive officer/general manager and for the top management with reference to the 2021 financial year;
in February 2021, examined, the amendments to CONSOB Issuers' Regulation concerning the report on the remuneration policy and compensations paid, adopted in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 49 of May 10, 2019, implementing Directive (EU) 2017/828 (so called "shareholder rights II") regarding the encouragement of long-term shareholder engagement in listed companies.
The committee, in its capacity as nomination committee:
In 2020, the control and risk committee was composed, until May, of Angelo Taraborrelli (chair), Paola Girdinio, Alberto Pera and Anna Chiara Svelto, all of whom directors with independence requisites. Since its re-establishment in June, said committee has been composed of Cesare Calari (chair), Samuel Leupold, Alberto Marchi and Mirella Pellegrini, all of whom with independence requisites as well. The board of directors ascertained that director Angelo Taraborrelli, in the previous mandate, and Cesare Calari, Samuel Leupold and Alberto Marchi, in this mandate, have an appropriate experience in accounting and finance as well as in risk management.
The control and risk committee has the task of supporting, through an adequate review process, the assessments and decisions of the board of directors regarding the internal control and risk management system and the approval of periodic financial reports.
Specifically, in compliance with the edition of the organizational regulation applied during 2020 financial year, the control and risk committee is entrusted with the following consultative and proposing tasks:
Human Rights Policies – submitting such documents to the board of directors for approval and assessing any possible subsequent amendments or supplements to the same;
The committee may also ask the "Audit" Function to perform checks on specific operating areas, giving simultaneous notice to the chair of the board of statutory auditors and, except where the subject matter of the request specifically concerns such persons' activity, to the chair of the board of directors and the director in charge of the internal control and risk management system.
The following table illustrates the calendar of the control and risk committee meetings held during the year 2020.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
| ● | ● | ● | |||||||||
| Total | 12 | ||||||||||
| Average duration | 2h 20m |
During such meetings, regularly attended by all of its members and always held in joint session with the board of statutory auditors, the control and risk committee carried out the following main activities:
throughout 2020 and expressed in this regard – based on the relevant outcomes and within the scope of its tasks – a similar favourable opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the internal control and risk management system;
scope of its responsibilities, favourable opinion on the contents of such document relevant for the purposes of internal audit and risk management system;
During 2020, the related parties committee was composed, until May, of Anna Chiara Svelto (chair, Alfredo Antoniozzi, Alberto Bianchi and Cesare Calari, all qualified as independent directors. Since its re-establishment in June, said committee has been composed of Anna Chiara Svelto (chair), Samuel Leupold, Mariana Mazzucato and Mirella Pellegrini, all of whom qualified as independent directors as well.
The related parties committee was established pursuant to the procedure on related party transactions, adopted by the board of directors in the month of November 2010. Such committee has been assigned with the essential task of issuing reasoned opinions on the interest of Enel – as well as of the companies that Enel controls, either directly or indirectly, and that may be involved in the transactions – in the completion of transactions with related parties, expressing an assessment on the advantageousness and substantial fairness of the relevant conditions, after receiving timely and adequate information in advance. In connection with transactions of major importance (as defined in the aforementioned procedure), such committee may also request information and make comments to the chief executive officer and those persons in charge of the negotiations or the inquiry on matters related to the information received. Lastly, the committee decides upon those cases, submitted to its attention by the advisory board established pursuant to the same procedure, in which the identification of a related party or the ordinary nature of a transaction is disputed.
For a more detailed analysis of the provisions of the above-mentioned corporate procedure, please refer to paragraph "Transactions with related parties" of this section of this document.
The following table illustrates the calendar of the committee meetings held during the year 2020.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||||||
| Total | 4 | ||||||||||
| Average duration | 1h 10m |
During such meetings, which were regularly attended by the majority of its members (and by the chair and the other regular members of the board of statutory auditors), the related parties committee carried out the following main activities:
procedure because of ordinary nature and executed at market-equivalent conditions or at standard terms.
During 2020, the corporate governance and sustainability committee was composed, until May, of Patrizia Grieco (chair), Alfredo Antoniozzi and Angelo Taraborrelli, all qualified as independent directors under the Consolidated Financial Act; Alfredo Antoniozzi and Angelo Taraborrelli were also qualified as independent under the Corporate Governance Code. Since its re-establishment in June, said committee has been composed of Michele Crisostomo (chair), Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve and Mariana Mazzucato, all qualified as independent directors under the Consolidated Financial Act; Costanza Esclapon de Villeneuve and Mariana Mazzucato are also qualified as independent under the Corporate Governance Code.
The corporate governance and sustainability committee assists with preliminary functions, both proposing and consultative in nature, the board of directors on its assessments and decisions related to the corporate governance of the Company and the Group and to sustainability (5 ) issues. In this regard, in accordance with the edition of the organizational regulation applied during 2020 financial year, the corporate governance and sustainability committee has the following specific tasks:
corporate governance system, if it is deemed necessary or appropriate;
( 5) Sustainability includes, among others, issues related to climate change, CO2 emissions, water management, biodiversity, circular economy, health and safety, diversity, management and development of people working in the company, relations with
communities and customers, supply chain, ethical conduct and human rights.
issuing in such regard a prior opinion to the board of directors called to approve them;
The following table illustrates the calendar of the corporate governance and sustainability committee meetings held during year 2020:
During such meetings, which were regularly attended by all its members (as well as by the chair and the other regular members of the board of statutory auditors) the corporate governance and sustainability committee carried out the following main activities:
institutional investors (for which reference is made to paragraph "Board of directors - Limits on the number of offices held by directors" under this section of this document);
of listed companies; (ii) the amendments made in the early 2020, in light of the health and economic emergency, to the regulations on the special powers of the Italian Government over companies operating in strategic sectors; as well as (iii) the European Commission's consultation on the revision of Directive 2014/95/EU on disclosure of non-financial information;
The board of statutory auditors in force as of the date hereof, appointed by the ordinary shareholders' meeting of May 16, 2019, is composed of the following regular members:
Barbara Tadolini was drawn from the slate submitted by an aggregation of 19 institutional investors (at the time holding in the aggregate 1.73% of the Company's share capital) and voted by the minority of the share capital represented at the meeting (approximately the 9.70% of the voting capital), while Romina Guglielmetti and Claudio Sottoriva were drawn from the slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance (at the time holding 23.59% of the Company's share capital) and voted by the majority of the share capital represented at the meeting (approximately the 89.77% of the voting capital).
A brief professional profile of the abovementioned regular statutory auditors is provided in Schedule 2 to this report.
The term of office of the current board of statutory auditors will expire with the approval of the annual financial statements for the year 2021.
According to the provisions of the law and the Corporate bylaws, the board of statutory auditors consists of three regular statutory auditors and three alternate statutory auditors who are elected by the ordinary shareholders' meeting for a period of three financial years and are eligible for re-election at the expiration of their term of office. Similar to bylaws provisions applicable to the board of directors – and in compliance with the Consolidated Financial Act – bylaws provide that election of the entire board of statutory auditors must take place in accordance with a slate voting system, which aims to allow the presence on the board of a regular statutory auditor (who is entitled to the office of chair) and an alternate statutory auditor (who will take the office of chair if the incumbent leaves before the end of his term) designated by minority shareholders.
This election system provides that slates, in which the candidates must be listed in progressive order, may be filed by shareholders who, alone or jointly with other shareholders, own the minimum shareholding in the share capital of the Company set forth by CONSOB with regulation for the filing of slates of candidates for the office of director (i.e., considering Enel's market capitalization, as of the date of this report, the minimum shareholding is therefore equal to 0.5% of the share capital).
Moreover, slates containing an overall number of candidates (considering both regular and alternate members) equal to or above three shall include candidates belonging to different genders in the first two places of the slate's section related to regular statutory auditors and the first two places of the slate's section related to alternate statutory auditors. Such provision is aimed at ensuring that the composition of the board of statutory auditors complies with the current legislation on gender balance; the latter provides that, starting from the renewals made in 2020, at least 40% of the regular statutory auditors shall be reserved to the less represented gender.
Slates of candidates for the office of statutory auditor (as provided for slates of candidates to the office of director) must be filed at the Company's registered office, by those who submit them, at least 25 days before the date on which the shareholders' meeting is called to resolve upon the election of the board of statutory auditors. Such slates shall then be published by the Company on its website and shall also be made available to the public at Enel's registered office at least 21 days before the date of the meeting, together with exhaustive information on the personal traits and professional qualifications of the candidates, so as to ensure a transparent process for the election of the board of statutory auditors.
When less than the entire board of statutory auditors is being elected, the shareholders' meeting resolves in accordance with the majorities required by law and without the need to follow the foregoing procedure, but in any case, in such a way as to ensure:
According to applicable laws, members of the board of statutory auditors must meet the requirements of integrity, professionalism and independence provided for statutory auditors of listed companies, as supplemented (only as regards the professionalism requirements) by specific provisions of the bylaws. They must also comply with the limits concerning the number of offices as directors and statutory auditors (or equivalent) in Italian companies as established by CONSOB through a specific regulation.
Throughout May 2019 (i.e. when members elected by the ordinary shareholders' meeting of May 16, 2019 took their offices) and, lastly, February 2020, the board of statutory auditors has verified that all its regular members meet the independence requirements set out both under the Consolidated Financial Act and under the Corporate Governance Code (which are the same set out by the latter for directors). In any case, the statutory auditors act autonomously and independently, also with regard to the shareholders who elected them.
As part of the tasks assigned to it by law (and indicated in the first part of this report entitled "Corporate Governance Model"), and in compliance with the recommendations set forth in the Corporate Governance Code, the board of statutory auditors has:
The board of statutory auditors also act as "internal control and audit committee" pursuant to the legal framework applicable to statutory audit.
The following table illustrates the calendar of the board of statutory auditors' meetings held during the year 2020.
The meetings were regularly attended by all regular statutory auditors and the magistrate representing the Italian Court of Auditors (Corte dei Conti).
At the end of the 2020 financial year and during the first two months of 2021, the board of statutory auditors carried out, with the assistance of Spencer Stuart Italia S.r.l. – a consultancy firm specialized in this area, belonging to a network which, during 2020, had further professional relationships with Enel Group of limited relevance, anyway unable to concretely compromise its independence – an evaluation of the size, composition and functioning of the board itself (so called "board review"), in analogy with what is done with regard to the board of directors since 2004 (for the methods and the results of the board of directors review, please refer to the paragraph "Board of directors - Evaluation of the functioning of the board of directors and its committees" of this section of the document).
This is a best practice that the board of statutory auditors intended to adopt since 2018, even in the absence of a specific recommendation under the Corporate Governance Code. The board review was conducted following the "peer-to-peer review" method, i.e. by assessing not only the functioning of the body as a whole, but also the style and content of the contribution provided by each statutory auditor.
Also the board review of the board of statutory auditors was firstly carried out through the completion by each statutory auditor of a questionnaire concerning the size, composition and functioning of the board as a whole; the completion of this questionnaire was followed by individual interviews carried out by the consulting firm to deepen both the most relevant aspects resulted from the questionnaire and the participation of each statutory auditor in terms of style and content of their contribution.
In view of the numerous and significant tasks entrusted to the board of statutory auditors by current regulation, the questionnaires and interviews concerned: (i) the actions proposed at the end of the board review of the previous financial year, together with a follow-up analysis of what was actually
achieved; (ii) the key aspects that distinguish the proper performance of the tasks of the board of statutory auditors, in order to identify strengths and possible areas for improvement; (iii) the organization and conduct of board meetings, with particular regard to the completeness and promptness of information flows, the dynamics of the debate, the decision-making processes adopted and the quality of the minutes; (iv) the degree of cohesion and collaboration among statutory auditors, as well as the quality of the interactions with the board of directors and the top management; (v) the awareness of the role and responsibilities assigned, as well as the adequacy of the remuneration paid; (vi) the adequacy of the size of the board of statutory auditors and of its composition in terms of professional profiles, skills and experience involved.
The results of 2020 board review show unanimity in the judgments expressed by the statutory auditors with regard to the full adequacy of the size, composition and functioning of the board. Compared to the results of the previous year, it is confirmed that the board of statutory auditors has adopted operating methods which are effective, efficient and in line with the reference regulatory framework.
The emergency situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has also conditioned the ability of statutory auditors to participate in face-to-face meetings; nevertheless, the spirit of collaboration and the mutual knowledge gained during the first year of their mandate have allowed the statutory auditors to continue along the path they have started, acquiring an increasingly in-depth knowledge of the company and the business of Enel Group and consolidating operating methods that have proved effective even when working remotely.
Conversely, it has not been possible for the statutory auditors to meet and interact in person with the directors elected for the first time in May 2020, who they are gradually getting to know.
In particular, the results of the board review for the 2020 financial year highlight the following strengths: (i) the composition of the board of statutory auditors is characterized by a solid mix of profiles, which (by age, gender, skills and professional experience) is suitable for overseeing the various areas of competence of the board itself; (ii) the board of statutory auditors works in a serene atmosphere, based on mutual recognition of distinctive and complementary skills and a high level of expertise, and has a clear vision of its role and the scope of its activities; (iii)statutory auditors show interest and willingness to examine in depth business issues and broaden their knowledge of the sector in which the Enel Group operates, having expressed in this regard great appreciation for the structured induction program organized in 2020; (iv) statutory auditors acknowledge each other's a high level in preparing for the meetings and the willingness to carry out their duties in a constructive spirit; (v) the support of the "Corporate Affairs" unit is particularly appreciated, especially with reference to the coordination of the preparation of the documentation submitted to the board of statutory auditors (which is judged by the statutory auditors clear and complete) and the promptness of its submission.
With regard to the remuneration paid, the statutory auditors point out that the commitment required by a diligent performance of the task, also in the light of the high number of meetings (over 80) of the various corporate bodies of Enel in which they had to participate during 2020, is not adequately reflected in the amount of their compensation.
With regard to the composition of the board of statutory auditors, Enel applies diversity criteria, also gender based. In particular, in January 2018, the board of statutory auditors, in implementation of the provisions provided for by the Consolidated Finance Act, approved a diversity policy that describes the optimal features of the composition of the board itself, in order for it to exercise its functions in the most effective way taking decisions with the concrete contribution of plural qualified point of views capable of examining the issues under discussion from different perspectives. The inspirational principles of such policy are similar to those described with regard to the symmetrical document approved by the board of directors (for further information, please refer to this section under "Board of directors – Diversity policy of the board of directors and measures adopted to promote the equal treatment and opportunities regardless of gender within the company structure").
With reference to types of diversity and the relevant objectives, the policy approved by the board of statutory auditors (available on the Company's website) states that:
1/3 of the board of statutory auditors is constituted by members belonging to the least represented gender;
With reference to implementation modalities of the diversity policy, Enel's Corporate bylaws does not grant the board of directors with the right to submit a slate of candidates in view of the renewal of the board of statutory auditors. Thus, the policy exclusively aims at orienting the candidatures submitted by the shareholders in case of renewal of the entire board of statutory auditors or of integration of the relevant composition ensuring in such circumstances an adequate consideration of the benefits which may derive from a harmonious composition of the board itself, in line with the various above-mentioned diversity criteria.
In February 2020, the board of statutory auditors verified that its current composition meets the objective set forth by the policy itself for the different types of diversity.
The shareholders' meeting determines the remuneration of the regular members of the board of statutory auditors, taking into account the effort required to them, the importance of their role and the dimensional and business sector characteristics of Enel. Specifically, in May 2019 the ordinary shareholders' meeting confirmed the gross remuneration to which the chair of the board of statutory auditors is entitled at euro 85,000 a year and the gross remuneration to which each of the other regular statutory auditors is entitled at euro 75,000 a year, in addition to the reimbursement of the expenses necessary for the performance of their duties.
The internal control and risk management system ("SCIGR") of Enel and of the Group consists of the set of rules, procedures, and organizational entities aimed at allowing the main corporate risks within the Group to be identified, measured, managed, and monitored.
The SCIGR is an integral part of the more general organizational and corporate governance structures adopted by the Company and by the Group and is based on Italian and international best practices. In particular, the system takes into account the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code and is consistent with the "Internal Controls – Integrated Framework" model issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO Report"), which constitutes the internationally recognized benchmark for the analysis and integrated assessment of the effectiveness of the SCIGR.
An effective SCIGR contributes to corporate management consistent with the corporate targets determined by the board of directors, because it allows the major risks to be identified, assessed, managed, and monitored with regard to their ability to influence the achievement of the aforesaid targets. In particular, the SCIGR contributes to ensuring the safeguard of corporate assets, the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate processes, the reliability of information provided to the corporate bodies and the market, compliance with laws and regulations, as
well as with the Corporate bylaws and internal procedures.
Therefore, the SCIGR plays a major role in the corporate organization, contributing to decisionmaking that is well informed and consistent with the propensity for risk, as well as to the dissemination of appropriate information regarding risks, the law, and corporate values. In effect, the culture of control occupies a significant position on the Group's scale of values, involving the entire corporate organization in the development and application of methods for identifying, measuring, managing, and monitoring risks.
More specifically, the SCIGR:
channels aimed at ensuring the reporting persons to remain anonymous;
The SCIGR consists of three distinct kinds of activities:
The SCIGR is subject to periodical tests and checks, taking into account the evolution of corporate operations and the situation in question, as well as both Italian and international best practices.
For a detailed description of the tasks and responsibilities of the main persons involved in the SCIGR, as well as the coordination among such persons, please see the Guidelines of the internal control and risk management system available on the Company's website, while for a description of the activities carried out during 2020 by the board of directors and by the control and risk committee regarding the SCIGR please refer to the paragraphs "Board of Directors – Role and Functions" and "Committees – Control and Risk Committee" of this section of the document.
In 2020, the role of executive in charge of preparing Enel's corporate accounting documents was held by the head of the "Administration, Finance and Control" function (i.e. Alberto De Paoli). Pursuant to Corporate bylaws, the executive in question was appointed by the board of directors upon consultation with the board of statutory auditors and meets the professional qualification requisites provided under the same Corporate bylaws.
For a description of the activities of such executive in charge, please refer to the "Guidelines of the internal control and risk management system" available on the Company's website.
The executive in charge of preparing corporate accounting documents has implemented in the context of both the Company and the Group a specific internal control and risk management system focusing on financial disclosure (the "System of ICFR") which oversees the preparation of the Company's annual financial statements, the Group's consolidated financial statements and the Group's consolidated half-year report. The purpose of such System is to ensure the reliability of the financial disclosure and the adequacy of the process of drafting the mentioned financial documents in order to have a disclosure compliant with the international auditing standards accepted in the European Union.
The ICFR System is defined as the set of activities intended to identify and assess the actions or events whose materialization or absence could compromise, partially or entirely, the achievement of the objectives of the control system, supplemented by the subsequent activities of identifying the controls and defining the procedures that ensure the achievement of the objectives of credibility, accuracy, reliability, and promptness of financial information.
The executive in charge of preparing corporate accounting documents supervised the development and execution of a special set of procedures – which all the personnel concerned has been informed of – which records the methods adopted and the responsibilities of the aforesaid personnel as part of the activities of maintaining and monitoring the System of ICFR. Specifically, the Group set a procedure which defines the roles and responsibilities within the Company's organization, providing for a specific flow of internal certifications.
The controls put in place have been monitored to check both their "design" (i.e., that the control, if operating, is adequate to mitigate the identified risk in an acceptable way) and their actual "effectiveness".
The System of ICFR is structured in accordance with the "Internal Controls – Integrated Framework" model issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the "COSO Report"), which consists of five components (environmental control, risk assessment, control activities, communication systems and information flows, monitoring activities) which, depending upon their characteristics, operate at both the entity level and the operating process level.
The COSO Report has been supplemented with regard to IT aspects by the model "Control Objectives for Information and related Technology" (the so-called "COBIT")
Further, the internal controls concerning proper book keeping provided for in Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are applied by some South-American companies of the Group having American Depositary Shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The process of defining, implementing and managing the System of ICFR, which is progressively extended to cover material companies newly acquired within the Group, is carried out under the responsibility of the executive in charge of preparing corporate accounting documents and is divided into the following phases:
• definition of the perimeter of companies, processes, risks and controls, along with the communication of methodologies and instructions to the management involved;
The perimeter of the Group companies to be included in the assessment is determined with regard to the specific level of risk, in both quantitative terms (for the level of materiality of the potential impact on the consolidated financial statements) and qualitative terms (taking into account the specific risks connected with the business or the process).
For the definition of the system, first of all a Group– level risk assessment was carried out in order to identify and evaluate the actions or events whose materialization or absence could compromise the achievement of the control system's objectives (for example, claims in the financial statements and other control objectives connected with financial information). The risk assessment was also conducted with regard to the risks of fraud.
Risks are identified at both entity level and process level. On the one hand, the risks identified are considered in any case to have a significant impact on financial information, regardless of the likelihood of their occurrence. Process-level risks, on the other hand, are assessed – regardless of relevant controls (known as the "valutazione a livello inerente") - in terms of potential impact and the probability of occurrence, on the basis of both qualitative and quantitative elements.
Following the identification and assessment of the risks, controls were established that are aimed at reducing to an acceptable level the possibility that risks may materialize, at both the entity and process levels.
In particular, the structure of controls for companies or groups of companies provides for "Entity/Company Level Controls", as control instruments determined on a central level and of common application in the context of the Group or of a specific area, which allow to the controlling company to address, determine and monitor the design and the effectiveness of the System of ICFR of controlled companies, or as control instruments which operate in transverse manner in respect of a single company or business line.
Entity level controls are classified in compliance with the five above-mentioned components referred to in the COSO Report.
The structure of controls in a process level provides instead specific or monitoring controls, as a set of activities, manual or automated, with the purpose of prevent, identify and correct any errors or irregularities that could occur during the carrying out of the operative activities.
In order to improve the efficiency of the System of ICFR and its sustainability over time, the controls have been sub-divided into standard controls and key controls, these latter meaning controls that are decisive for purposes of preventing false representations in accounting documents. Overarching structural controls are also identified, meaning structural elements of the System of ICFR aimed at defining a general context that promotes the proper execution and control of operating activities. In particular, over-arching structural controls are those related to the segregation of incompatible activities and responsibilities (the so-called "Segregation of Duties"), which aims to ensure that tasks and duties that could facilitate the commission and/or concealment of frauds/errors are not concentrated with the same person. Where activities are carried out with the support of IT systems, the proper segregation is verified also with regard to the assigned roles and usernames.
Within the scope of the companies identified as significant, the processes at greatest risk were defined and assessed and the "Top-Down Risk-Based Approach" was applied. In accordance with this approach, the Company then has identified and assessed the risks with the greatest impact and the related controls (referred to as "primary key controls"), both with regard to general monitoring and specific controls, aimed at reducing the
possibility of the aforesaid risks occurring to an acceptable level.
In order to assess the appropriateness of the process, risks and controls of financial information, every six months a specific monitoring is conducted by the process managers (that is, the individuals in charge of the activities, risks and controls) aimed at testing the design and effectiveness of the relevant process and controls.
In addition to this monitoring, an independent testing activity is carried out annually by an external consultancy firm on a significant subset of primary key controls – with the exclusion of IT controls (Information Technology General Controls) subject to independent monitoring on the part of the Company's "Audit" function – in order to verify their design and operation.
For each corporate process assessed, an appropriate documentation (referred to as "administrative and accounting procedures") is kept for the purpose of describing roles and responsibilities and the flows of data and information, as well as the key points of control.
The findings of the assessments performed are notified to the executive in charge of preparing the corporate accounting documents through specific periodic reporting, which classify any possible deficiencies in the effectiveness and/or design of the controls – with regard to their potential impact on financial information – into simple, significant or material deficiencies.
In the event the assessments carried out reveal deficiencies, the aforesaid information flows also report the corrective actions that have been or will be undertaken to allow the objectives of the credibility, accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of financial information to be achieved.
These flows are also used for the periodic disclosure/updates on the adequacy of the System of ICFR, provided by the executive in charge of preparing the corporate accounting documents to the board of statutory auditors, the control and risk committee, and to the audit firm.
On the basis of the aforesaid reports, and taking into account the certification issued by the heads of each corporate unit concerned, the executive in charge of preparing corporate accounting documents, together with the chief executive officer, issues a special certification regarding the adequacy and actual application of the administrative and accounting procedures established for the preparation of the stand-alone financial statements, the consolidated financial statements, or the half-year report (depending upon the relevant document in question from time to time).
Following the monitoring activities performed by the persons handling the processes, aimed at verifying the structure and functioning of the processes/subprocesses assigned to them, and the related controls identified, the documents comprising the administrative and accounting procedures (narratives, flow charts and list of controls) are extracted from the support system in order to proceed with the formalization of the same.
The administrative and accounting procedures are then issued by the executive in charge of preparing corporate accounting documents and are published on the Company's intranet.
In order to ensure the proper application of the methodology described above, specific training sessions are periodically held, aimed at both the local structures that handle the internal controls over the Group's financial disclosure and the persons who handle the processes involved in the line monitoring.
Furthermore, it should be noted that in order to develop a transparent and cooperative attitude towards the Italian Tax Authority, starting from the 2017 financial year, Enel promoted the joining to the "tax cooperative compliance" regime ("regime di adempimento collaborativo") for certain Italian companies of the Group which meet the requisites set out by the Italian national laws. Enel Group, on behalf of its Italian companies, has, therefore, committed to the progressive implementation of an ad hoc reporting, management, control and recognition of the tax risk, called "Tax Control Framework" (hereinafter referred to as "TCF") in line with the Guidelines of the OECD and the Italian tax laws.
Such TCF system is included in the wider ICFR System borrowing from it the process mapping criteria and risk measurement metrics. In July 2018, the Italian Tax Authority (Agenzia delle Entrate) issued the order to admit Enel and the subsidiary company e-distribuzione S.p.A. to the "tax cooperative compliance" regime ("regime di adempimento collaborativo") starting from the 2017 fiscal year.
In December 2020, the Italian Tax Authority issued the admission orders for three other Italian companies (i.e., Servizio Elettrico Nazionale S.p.A.,
Enel Energia S.p.A. and Enel Global Trading S.p.A.) to the "tax cooperative compliance" regime starting from the 2019 fiscal year.
Lastly, still in December 2020, the process of joining the "tax cooperative compliance" regime has started for the company Enel Italia S.p.A.
The audit firm KPMG S.p.A. has been entrusted with the statutory audit of Enel's annual financial statements and of the Group's consolidated financial statements.
The assignment was awarded to such audit firm by the ordinary shareholders' meeting of May 16, 2019, upon proposal of the board of statutory auditors, with reference to the financial years from 2020 until 2028.
Starting from the 2020 financial year, the partner responsible for the audit of Enel's statutory and consolidated financial statement is Mr. Renato Naschi.
Since 2009, for purposes of preserving the independence of audit firms that do business within the Group, a specific procedure was adopted to govern the assignments to such audit firms or entities belonging to their networks by companies belonging to the Group; as of its voluntary adoption, such procedure has represented a significant corporate governance pillar for the control and monitoring of the independence requisites upon the Group's main external auditor by Enel's board of statutory auditors. In November 2017, as a consequence of the changes in the relevant national and European legal framework, Enel's board of statutory auditors, in its capacity of "internal control and audit committee", provided for an update of the aforementioned procedure pursuant to art. 19 of the Legislative Decree No. 39 of January 27, 2010, with effect from January 1, 2018. In accordance with this procedure, lastly amended on February 3, 2021, the same board of statutory auditors is called upon to preliminary approve the assignment by companies of the Group of any additional assignment – i.e. assignments other than statutory audit assignment and which would not be found incompatible by the law – to the Group's main external auditor or to entities belonging to the auditor's network. In relation to some typologies of additional assignments, that may not hinder the independence of the main external auditor, the board of statutory auditors shall not express an ex ante approval, but rather be the addressee of an ex post periodical information on the granting of such additional assignments. In such case, Enel's "Audit" and "Corporate Affairs" functions shall verify from time to time the existence of the prerequisites for such simplified procedure. The additional assignments conferred to entities belonging to the network of the main external auditor by Enel's Group companies having shares or bonds listed on regulated markets – other than Enel – or by their subsidiaries, are subject to the preliminary approval by their corporate body which exercises functions similar to those exercised by the board of statutory auditors of Enel in relation to the monitoring of the external auditor's independence or to an ex post periodical information to such corporate body, in compliance with the law applicable to the concerned listed companies and to managerial autonomy of the latter.
The Italian Court of Auditors (Corte dei Conti) oversees the financial management of Enel, availing itself for this purpose of an appointed magistrate. During 2020, this role was performed by the delegated judge Carlo Alberto Manfredi Selvaggi.
The judge appointed by the Italian Court of Auditors (Corte dei Conti) attends the meetings of the board of directors and of the board of statutory auditors. In this respect, the board of directors resolved to pay this judge an attendance allowance of Euro 1,000 for each meeting of corporate bodies attended.
The Italian Court of Auditors (Corte dei Conti) presents annually to the Presidency of the Senate of the Republic (Senato della Repubblica) and to the Presidency of the House of Representatives (Camera dei Deputati) a report on the results of the oversight performed.
Enel deems it in line with its own specific interest – as well as with its duty towards the market – to ensure an ongoing and open relationship, based on mutual understanding of their respective roles, with its shareholders in general, as well as with institutional investors, in order to increase the relevant level of understanding about the activities carried out by the Company and the Group. In such context, Enel maintains a correct and transparent dialogue with its investors, in accordance with the national and European regulations on market abuse and in line with international best practices. During the last years, this engagement activity has gone along with
the significantly increasing participation of institutional investors in shareholders' meetings.
In particular, since its listing, Enel deemed it appropriate to establish corporate units dedicated to the dialogue with institutional investors, as well as with its shareholders in general. The Company therefore created (i) the "Investor Relations" unit, which is currently within the "Administration, Finance, and Control" function, and (ii) an area within the "Corporate Affairs" unit, which is itself part of the "Legal and Corporate Affairs" function. The "Investor Relations" unit deals with, inter alia:
Lastly, the "Investor Relations" unit lays down market analyses and reports on the Enel share market trends and monitors the financial analysts' consensus.
Furthermore, Enel avails itself of different modalities of interaction with institutional investors, which take into account, if necessary, the specific matters covered, in order to ensure a profitable and efficient dialogue for investors. These modalities include:
meeting is open to all the interested institutional investors also through the Company's website and the "Enel Investor" application.
Given the health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting from March 2020 the dialogue activity with the financial community, which is generally carried out in presence (e.g. in the case of roadshows and Capital Markets Day) has been conducted exclusively in virtual mode.
The recommendation contained in the Corporate Governance Code to consider shareholders' meetings as important occasions for discussion between the shareholders and the board of directors was carefully assessed and fully accepted by the Company, which, in addition to ensuring the regular attendance of its directors at shareholders' meetings, deemed it advisable to adopt specific measures to adequately enhance such meetings; in particular, reference is made to the provision of the Corporate bylaws aimed at enhancing proxy solicitation among the employee shareholders of the Company and its subsidiaries and at facilitating their participation in the decision-making process at shareholders' meetings (this provision is specifically described in the first part of the report, under "Ownership structure" – "Employee-shareholdings: mechanism for exercising voting rights").
The applicable law regarding the functioning of shareholders' meetings of listed companies, provided in the Italian Civil Code, in the Consolidated Financial Act and in the implementing regulations adopted by CONSOB, was significantly amended in the last years essentially to facilitate the exercise of the rights of the shareholders.
It should be noted that the shareholders' meeting is competent to resolve, in both ordinary and extraordinary sessions, upon, among other things: (i) appointment and removal of members of the board of directors and of the board of statutory auditors, determining their compensation and liability, if any; (ii) approval of the financial statements and allocation of the net income; (iii) purchase and sale of treasury shares; (iv) remuneration policy and its implementation; (v) share-based compensation plans; (vi) amendments to the Company bylaws; (vii) mergers and demergers; (viii) issue of convertible bonds.
On the basis of Enel's bylaws, ordinary and extraordinary shareholders' meetings are held, as a general rule, on single call (provided however that the board of directors may establish, where deemed advisable and providing express notice in such regard in the notice of call, that the shareholders' meeting are held following more than one call), are constituted and resolve with the majorities prescribed by applicable laws and are held in the municipality where the Company's registered office is located (unless otherwise decided by the board of directors, and provided that the venue is in Italy).
The ordinary shareholders' meeting must be convened at least once per year within 180 days after the end of the accounting period, for the approval of the financial statements.
The Consolidated Financial Act provides that entitlement to attend and vote in the shareholders' meeting must be certified by a communication sent to the issuer by the intermediary in the interest of the person entitled to vote, and issued on the basis of the accounting records at the end of the seventh trading day prior to the scheduled date of the shareholders' meeting ("record date").
Those entitled to vote may:
On the basis of the Consolidated Financial Act and the related implementing provisions issued by CONSOB, Enel bylaws (available on the Company's website) empower the board of directors to provide for, with respect to single shareholders' meetings, the
possibility of participating by electronic means, specifying the conditions for such participation in the notice of call.
Shareholders' meetings are governed, in addition to the law and Corporate bylaws, by a specific regulation that is available on the Company's website.
Shareholders' meetings shall be chaired by the chair of the board of directors or, in the event of his absence or impediment, by the deputy chair, if appointed, or if both are absent, by a person designated by the board of directors; lacking a designation, the meeting shall elect its own chair. The chair of a shareholders' meeting shall be assisted by a secretary, whose presence may be waived if the drafting of the minutes is entrusted to a notary public. The chair of the shareholders' meeting, among other things, verifies that the meeting is duly constituted, and verifies the identity and entitlement of those attending, regulates the proceedings and ascertains the voting results.
As regards the right of each shareholder to request to speak on the items on the agenda, the shareholders' meetings regulation provide that the chair, taking into account the nature and the importance of the specific matters under discussion, as well as the number of those requesting to take floor and the questions, if any, asked by shareholders before the shareholders' meeting to which no reply was given by the Company, shall predetermine the time limits for speaking from the floor and for rejoinders – normally no more than ten minutes for the former and five minutes for the latter – in order to ensure that the meeting is able to conclude its business at one sitting. All those entitled to vote may request the floor to speak on the matters under discussion only once, making observations, requesting information and making proposals. The chair and, at his or her request, those who assist him or her, shall reply to participants who speak on matters being discussed after all of them have spoken or after each one has spoken. Those who have requested the floor shall be entitled to a brief rejoinder.
The resolutions of the meeting shall be recorded in minutes signed by the chair and the secretary or notary public. The minutes of extraordinary shareholders' meetings shall be drafted by a notary public.
Lastly, it should be noted that considering the current health emergency related to COVID-19 pandemic and taking into account the special Italian legislation enacted for the containment of the contagion, in relation to the shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020, the Company decided to use the option set forth under Article 106, paragraph 4, of Law Decree No. 18 of March 17, 2020 (converted with amendments by Law No. 27 of April 24, 2020), providing that those entitled to attend and vote at the meeting could be entitled to participate in the latter exclusively through the representative appointed by the Company pursuant to Article 135-undecies of the Consolidated Financial Act, to whom shareholders could exceptionally give proxies or sub-proxies also in the forms provided for by Article 135-novies of the Consolidated Financial Act.
A procedure has been implemented within the Group, adopted by the board of directors in compliance with CONSOB regulations, aimed at governing the approval and conclusion of related party transactions carried out by Enel, either directly or through its subsidiaries, in order to ensure the transparency and fairness of such transactions from both a substantive and formal standpoint; such procedure is available on the Company's website.
In accordance with such procedure, which in 2021 will be updated in order to align its contents to changes in the relevant CONSOB regulation which will entry into force on July 1, 2021 ( 6 ), transactions with related parties concluded directly by Enel may be sub-divided into the following three categories:
transactions of "major importance", which are those exceeding a specific quantitative threshold (equal to 5%) of three relevance indexes, that take into account the equivalentvalue of the transaction, of the assets of the entity which is the target of the transaction and of the liabilities of the entity acquired. Such transactions, if not subject to the approval of the shareholders' meeting pursuant to the applicable laws or the bylaws, are necessarily subject to the board of director's approval;
( 6) In this regard, it should be noted that, with Resolution No. 21624 of December 10, 2020, CONSOB made some amendments to the regulation concerning related party transactions (adopted by the same Authority with Resolution No. 17221 of March 12, 2010) in order to conform the regulations contained therein to Directive (EU) 2017/828 (socalled "Shareholders' rights II") and to the national transposition
provisions contained in Legislative Decree No. 49 of May 10, 2019. Pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 2, of the same CONSOB Resolution No. 21624/2020, the companies are required to adjust their procedures on related party transactions by June 30, 2021, and to apply them starting from July 1, 2021.
In order to allow the related parties committee to express a previous reasoned opinion on Enel's interest in the completion of such transactions, as well as the advantageousness and substantial fairness of the relevant conditions, the procedure determines specific information flows that for "major importance" transactions cover also their preliminary inquiry.
With regard to the effectiveness of the opinion issued by the related parties committee, the procedure provides that:
If the relation exists with a director of the Company or with a party related through him/her, the interested director shall promptly notify the other directors and the statutory auditors of the nature, the terms, the origin and the range of his/her interest. If, on the other hand, the relation exists with the Company's chief executive officer or with a related party linked to him/her, in addition to the above, he/she will abstain from the execution of the transaction and entrust the board of directors with executing the transaction.
If the relation exists with one of the regular statutory auditors of the Company or with a related party linked to him/her, the interested auditor promptly notifies the other auditors and the chair of the board of directors of the nature, the terms, the origin and the range of his/her interest.
Further, the procedure sets that the chief executive officer of the Company, in the periodical report concerning the activities carried out in execution of the powers granted to him/her, provides the board of directors and the board of statutory auditors, at least quarterly, with specific information regarding the execution of transactions with related parties of both "major importance" and "minor importance".
A specific procedure is prescribed for transactions with related parties carried out by Enel not directly but through subsidiaries. In such cases it is set forth that the board of directors of the Company, or the competent delegated body on the basis of the structure of powers in force from time to time, makes – with the prior non-binding opinion of the related parties committee – a previous assessment of the transactions with related parties carried out by companies directly and/or indirectly controlled by Enel which fall within one or more of the following categories:
As observed above with reference to the transactions of "minor importance" carried out directly by Enel, also for the transactions carried out through subsidiaries it is provided that, if the board of directors of the Company, or the competent delegated body on the basis of the applicable structure of powers in force from time to time, has issued a favourable opinion concerning the carrying out of transactions of subsidiaries which are relevant for the purposes of the procedure, although the related parties committee issued a negative opinion, Enel shall make available to the public a specific document containing the reasons for disregarding such opinion.
The procedure does not apply to specific types of related parties transactions, among which the main are the regular transactions completed at marketequivalent or standard terms and the transactions with or between companies controlled, even jointly, by Enel, as well as transactions with companies affiliated with Enel, provided that in the controlled or affiliated companies that are counterparties to the transaction no significant interests (as identified in the procedure) of another Enel's related party exist.
A simplified procedure is then provided in the event of urgency for the approval of related parties transactions that are not attributed to the shareholders' meeting, it being understood that a subsequent non-binding vote concerning such transactions by the next ordinary shareholders' meeting of the Company is required.
Lastly, please note that, in January 2015, the board of directors approved a specific best practice guideline on corporate governance pursuant to which:
The Group applies a specific regulation, which contains the relevant rules on the management and processing within the Company of confidential information and points out the procedures to be followed for the public disclosure of documents and information concerning Enel and its subsidiaries, with particular regard to inside information. Such regulation has been adopted in compliance with the recommendations set out in the Corporate Governance Code and with the CONSOB Guidelines on the management of inside information as well as in compliance with the applicable European and Italian market abuse regulation.
Such regulation – lastly amended in September 2018 in order to take into account the above mentioned CONSOB Guidelines – is primarily aimed at keeping
undisclosed the confidential information, while at the same time ensuring that the corporate data and information disclosed to the market are correct, complete, adequate, prompt, and non-selective.
The rules entrust the Company's chief executive officer and the chief executive officers of the Group companies with the general responsibility of managing the confidential information concerning their respective spheres of authority, establishing that the dissemination of confidential information regarding individual subsidiaries must in any case be agreed upon with Enel's chief executive officer.
The regulation also establishes specific procedures to be followed in circulating company documents and information outside the Group – providing for specific rules for the internal management, processing and disclosure of relevant information, inside information and financial information – and carefully regulate the ways in which the company representatives enter into contact with the press and other mass media, as well as financial analysts and institutional investors.
Such rules are available to the public on the Company's website.
In 2020, in compliance with the European and national regulation on market abuse, Enel has:
shareholders who own at least 10% of the Company's share capital, the directors and regular statutory auditors of Enel, as well as 11 other managerial positions identified within Enel by the chief executive officer in accordance with the criteria indicated in the applicable law, since they have regular access to inside information and the power to take managerial decisions that could affect the future developments and business prospects of the Company. Please note that in March 2017, the board of directors of Enel, having acknowledged the material amendments introduced in 2016 by the relevant EU applicable law, deemed appropriate to approve an ad hoc company regulation on internal dealing, updated in July 2017 and, lastly, in September 2019, that is available to the public at the Company's website.
Awareness of the social and environmental effects that accompany the activities carried out by the Group, as well as consideration of the importance of both a cooperative approach with stakeholders and the good reputation of the Group itself (in both internal and external relations) inspired the drawing up of the Group's code of ethics, which was approved by the Company's board of directors since March 2002.
In the edition in force during the 2020 financial year, such code (available on the Company's website and updated several times) expresses the commitments and ethical responsibilities involved in the conduct of business, regulating and harmonizing corporate behaviour in accordance with standards calling for maximum transparency and fairness for all stakeholders. Specifically, the code of ethics consists of:
implementation mechanisms, which describe the control system devised to ensure observance of the code of ethics and its continual update.
It should be noted that in February 2021 the board of directors approved a further update of the code of ethics, in order to align its contents with the current relevant framework, the changes in the organisational structure and in the procedural system of the Group, as well as the national and international best practices.
Since July 2002, the Company's board of directors has adopted an Organizational and Management Model in accordance with the requirements of Legislative Decree No. 231 of June 8, 2001, which introduced into the Italian legal system a regime of administrative (but in fact criminal) liability with respect to companies for several kinds of crimes committed by their directors, executives, or employees in the interest of or to the benefit of the companies themselves.
This Model consists of a "general part" (available to the public on the Company's website) and separate "special parts", supplemented and updated from time to time in order to reflect the development both of the business organizational structure and of the different kinds of crimes that fall under Legislative Decree No. 231/2001, which the aforesaid Model aims to prevent.
At the same time, Enel encourages, from a general standpoint, the activities aimed at updating the organisational and management model adopted by the other Italian companies of the Group, in order to foster its correct and uniform implementation, also in light of the Group's organizational and operational structure.
In September 2016, Enel's board of directors has also approved the "Enel Global Compliance Program" ("EGCP"), a document addressed to the foreign companies of the Group. Such document is a governance tool aimed at strengthening the ethical and professional commitment of the Group to prevent the commission of crimes abroad (such as by way of example offences against the public administration, fraudulent accounting, money laundering, crimes committed in violation of the rules on work-place safety, environmental crimes) which may trigger the company's criminal liability and the related reputation risks.
The EGCP has been prepared in light of the main and leading international sources on the matter (i.e., main international conventions to combat
corruption, British Bribery Act, the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), as well as taking into account the current organizational structure of the Group and the specific relevant regulation applicable within the legal frameworks in which the various companies of the Group operate. Throughout 2020, the adoption of the aforementioned document by the Group's main foreign companies continued, including further companies recently acquired by the Group.
The body called to supervise the effective application of the aforementioned Model and to monitor its updating (the "supervisory body" or, merely, "SB") may be composed of a number of members ranging between three and five, who are appointed by the board of directors. Such members may be chosen either from within or outside the Company or the Group, with specific expertise and professional experience. In July 2020 the board of directors of Enel has appointed the new SB, which is currently composed of three external members with overall specific professional expertise on corporate organization and corporate criminal law matters, Claudio Sartorelli (who is also chair of the body), Attilio Befera and Antonio La Mattina. As a rule, the meetings of the SB are also attended by the head of the Enel "Audit" function. The duration of the office of the members of the SB is aligned to the office of the board of directors of the Company and therefore their term will expire at the date of approval of the 2022 financial statements.
During 2020, the SB, in carrying out its activities aimed at verifying the compliance of the effective corporate conducts with those set forth under the aforesaid organizational and management Model:
encouraged the updating of the organizational and management Model in order to take into account the specific law amendments and the changes occurred in the organizational structure. Such updating specifically concerned the introduction of the special part "N" ("Tax Crimes"), in line with the development of the relevant legislation;
promoted training initiatives aimed at allowing a constant updating of the personnel on the contents of the Model;
The Company has enacted since 2006 the "zero tolerance for corruption" plan - ZTC ("ZTC plan") in order to give substance to Enel's adherence to the Global Compact (an action program sponsored by the U.N. in 2000) and to the PACI – Partnership Against Corruption Initiative (sponsored by the Davos World Economic Forum in 2005).
The ZTC plan (available to the public on the Company's website) supplements the code of ethics and the organizational and management Model adopted pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 231/2001, representing a more significant step regarding corruption and aimed at adopting a series of recommendations for the implementation of the principles formulated by Transparency International.
It is reminded that during 2017 Enel has been among the first companies in the world to obtain the certificate the compliance of its anti-corruption management system with the international standard ISO 37001:2016 ("Anti bribery management system"). Such certification has been released after an independent assessment procedure carried out by a prominent accredited certification body, which was conducted in two different phases having the aim firstly of ascertaining the adequacy of the design of Enel's anti-corruption management system (in terms of governance, roles and responsibilities, control mechanisms, etc.) and therefore assessing the level of its concrete application and effectiveness.
During 2020, the Company carried on the activities to achieve the ISO 37001:2016 certification by other significant Group companies, as well as the activities related to the upholding of such certification by Group companies that have already achieved this certification.
From an organizational standpoint, the role of "Anti-Corruption Compliance Function" pursuant to the ISO 37001:2016 standard has been assigned, since 2018, to an internal collegial body composed of representatives of the "Legal and Corporate Affairs", "Audit" and " People and Organization" functions entrusted, among other things, with the task of
monitoring the internal structuring and the implementation of the system for the management and the prevention of bribery.
The Company enacted in 2013 a policy on human rights (available on the Company's website) that reflects the "Guidelines on Business and Human Rights" issued by the U.N., and corroborates and deepens the commitments already provided for under the code of ethics, the organizational and management Model adopted pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 231/2001 and the ZTC ("Zero Tolerance for Corruption") plan with regard to human rights matters.
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Michele Crisostomo
Year of birth: 1972
Office: Chair
Participation in committees: Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee (Chair)
In office since: May 2020
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's Policy: 0
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
He graduated in law with honors at the University of Bari in 1994 and became a lawyer in 1997.
He joined the law firm Clifford Chance in 1995, and he moved to CONSOB in 1997, where he worked at the Intermediaries Division for a year. He then returned to Clifford Chance where he worked at the Milan and London offices before becoming partner in 2003. In 2009, he founded the law firm RCCD, with offices located in Milan, Rome, and London, and where he still works as partner.
In his professional activity he has advised several banks, insurance companies, and financial intermediaries, domestic and international, on capital markets transactions (including issuance of equity, bonds and convertible financial instruments, as well as packaged retail investment products and liability management transactions).
He has a deep knowledge of laws and regulations affecting capital adequacy of financial intermediaries and a strong experience in transactions aimed at equity consolidation, including issuance of hybrid and subordinated securities. He also dealt with market abuse regulations, ownership structure transparency, and corporate governance issues of listed companies.
In his activity as a lawyer he has gained several awards from reliable international legal magazines (he received "Band 1" ranking from Chambers & Partners, "Highly Regarded" status from IFLR 1000, and was inducted in the Legal 500 "Hall of Fame"). He wrote several publications and acted as speaker at conferences and seminars on banking and financial markets issues.
In October 2020 he joined the Community of Chairpersons of the World Economic Forum, and since December 2020 he is Co-Chair of the B20 Italy 2021 "Integrity & Compliance" Task Force.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of Ansaldo STS in 2017 and 2018.
Francesco Starace
Year of birth: 1955
Office: Chief Executive Officer and General Manager
Participation in committees: -
In office since: May 2014
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's Policy: 0
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
He graduated in nuclear engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan. He began his career as a security analyst for electronuclear plants at Nira Ansaldo (from 1981 until 1982) and then, from 1982 until 1987, held numerous management roles in Italy, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates for Sae Sadelmi, which at the time belonged to the General Electric group. From 1987 until 2000, he worked at ABB and later at Alstom Power Corporation, where he was also chief executive officer of ABB Combustion Engineering Italia (from 1997 until 1998) and later (from 1998 until 2000), senior vice president of global sales and turnkey plants for the gas turbine division. He joined Enel Group in 2000, where he held several key management positions, including head of the "power" business area (from July 2002 until October 2005), head of the "market" division (from November 2005 until September 2008) and, lastly, the role of chief executive officer and general manager of Enel Green Power (from October 2008 until May 2014). He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the United Nations' Sustainable Energy for All ("SEforALL") initiative from June 2014 until the dissolution of the Board in 2017. In May 2015, he was appointed in the board of directors of the United Nations Global Compact. From January 2016 to January 2018 he was co-chair of the World Economic Forum's Energy Utilities and Energy Technologies Community. In October 2016, he was appointed co-chair of the B20 Climate & Resource Efficiency Task Force. From June 2017 to May 2019, he was chair of Eurelectric, the European-wide electric industry association. In September 2017, he was appointed by the European Commission as member of the "Multi-Stakeholder Platform on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the EU". In 2018, he received honours and recognitions by the governments of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil as appreciation for what he did in the energy and sustainable development areas of these countries. In May 2018, he was awarded with the title of "Cavaliere del Lavoro" by the President of the Italian Republic for his effort and for the results reached in the improvement of life and work conditions in Italy. Lastly, in June 2020 he became a member of the G20 Business Advisory Board for the Italian Presidency, which is led by The European House - Ambrosetti; moreover, in October 2020 he was appointed Chair of the Administrative Board of SEforALL, and since December 2020 he has held the role of Chair of the "Energy & Resource Efficiency" Task Force of the B20 Italy.
Cesare Calari
Year of birth: 1954
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Control and Risk Committee (Chair) and Nomination and Compensation Committee (member of the Related Parties Committee until May 14, 2020)
In office since: May 2017
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by a group of institutional investors In 1977 he graduated in law at the University of Bologna and in 1979 he earned a master of arts at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University (Washington DC). After a short period spent working at the Bank of Italy (1980-1981), in 1981 he joined the World Bank Group, where he held positions of increasing responsibility within the International Finance Corporation from 1982 to 2001, an affiliate of the World Bank Group whose aim is to support the private sector in developing countries. Among the positions held within the International Finance Corporation, it should be mentioned that of Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa department (from 1997 to 2000) and that of Head of the global financial markets group (from 2000 to 2001). From 2001 to 2006 he was Vice President of the World Bank, responsible for the Bank's operations and strategies in the financial sector, for its work on international financial architecture and for anti-money laundering; during this period, he was also member of the Financial Stability Board (formerly Financial Stability Forum) and Chair of CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), a trust fund for the promotion of microfinance. Since October 2006 he has been partner and managing director of Encourage Capital (formerly Wolfensohn Fund Management), a U.S. company managing private equity investments with high social and environmental impact, and he is currently partner and chair of the investment committee of Encourage Solar Finance, a private equity fund specialized in the financial services sector in India in support of rooftop solar finance. Covering such roles, he has gained a wide managerial and strategic experience in the financial services sector, as well as a broad knowledge of corporate and project finance and issues related to corporate governance and regulation of the financial sector worldwide. He has been member of the boards of directors of companies operating in different businesses, such as the Czech Zivnostenska Banka (from 1992 to 1995), the Chilean Moneda Asset Management (from 2001 to 2005), the Italian Assicurazioni Generali (from 2010 to 2013) and Terna (from 2014 to 2017), the Polish International Bank in Poland (from 1991 to 1994) and Meritum Bank (from 2011 to 2013), the Turkish Global Ports Holding (from 2013 to 2016) and the Hungarian Nomura Magyar (from 1991 to 1994). In addition, he has lectured as an adjunct professor of International Finance at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, in Washington.
Year of birth: 1965
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Nomination and Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee
In office since: May 2020
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's Policy: 1
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
She graduated in political science at the University of Florence in 1989. She started her career in the communication sector at the press office of Fondiaria, where she worked from 1990 until 1994, becoming External Relations Manager at the pharmaceutical company Menarini from 1994 until 1997. She then worked at Enel's press office from 1997 until 2002, becoming media relations manager in 2000. She then acted as Media Relations Manager at Intesa Sanpaolo from 2002 until 2008, and as Director of External Relations at Wind Telecomunicazioni from 2008 until 2012. After a short interlude as Corporate Communications Director at Alitalia (2012), she became Communication and External Relations Director at Rai from 2012 until 2016. She established Esclapon & Co. in 2016, a consulting company operating in the communication and marketing sector focusing on corporate, institutional, digital, and financial communication, as well as strategic positioning, brand identity, and crisis communication, where she still chairs the Board of Directors. She has been member of the steering committees of FERPI (Italian Federation of Public Relations) and the Advertising Self-Regulation Institute and has held lectures in business communication at La Sapienza University in Rome and Cattolica University in Milan. She was honored with the Bellisario Award in 2012. She has been Chair of the Board of Directors of RaiCom and member of the Board of Directors of RaiCinema and Pubblicità Progresso, and is currently member of the Board of Directors of Mediaset, Prelios SGR, and FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano).
Samuel Leupold
Year of birth: 1970
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Control and Risk Committee and Related Parties Committee
In office since: May 2020
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's Policy: 0
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by a group of institutional investors
He graduated in mechanical engineering qualifying in energy technology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich in 1995. He started his career at ABB Power Generation, where he worked from 1996 until 2000 dealing at first with the commissioning of gas turbines and combined cycle power plants, and then becoming sales project manager for the same assets. Having achieved an MBA at Insead (Fontainebleau) between 2000 and 2001, he joined the Zurich branch of McKinsey & Company in 2001, where he worked for European clients in the utility, telecom, and aerospace sectors. In 2003 he was hired by the Swiss multinational Bühler, where he first acted as Executive Assistant to the CEO before becoming Sales Director of the business unit "Grinding and Dispersion". He returned to the energy industry in 2006, joining the Swiss utility BKW as head of the business unit power generation Switzerland and Germany; he became a member of the company's Executive Board in 2008 heading the division "Energy International and Trading", where he was, among other things, responsible for commodity trading and commodity risk management. In 2013, he became CEO of the Danish multinational Ørsted Wind Power, where he successfully led the significant development of the offshore wind business, acting also as member of the Executive Board of the parent company Ørsted. He left Ørsted in 2018 and set up Leupold Advisory to provide independent consulting services in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Alberto Marchi
Year of birth: 1966
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Nomination and Compensation Committee (Chair) and Control and Risk Committee
In office since: May 2020
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's Policy: 0
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
He graduated in business and finance at Bocconi University in Milan and then qualified as chartered accountant. After working at Montedison (from 1990 until 1992), ING Bank (from 1992 until 1993), and Value Partners Management Consulting (from 1993 until 1996), he joined McKinsey & Company in 1996, where he became partner in 2002 and carried out his activity until May 2020, when he was awarded the title of Director Emeritus. In McKinsey, he supported several leading Italian and international industrial companies on topics affecting strategy, organization, digitalization, regulatory and risk management. He is recognized as a leading expert, on a domestic and international scale, in the energy, infrastructure, basic commodities, and logistic sectors. Moreover, during his time at McKinsey he supported governments and governmental organizations in Brazil, Italy, Malaysia, and Turkey on topics concerning privatizations and liberalizations, tariffs and public concessions, energy strategies, and carbon dioxide reduction emissions. At McKinsey, he was the leader of the sustainability practice in EMEA countries (from 2009 until 2013), the McKinsey Regulatory Center in Brussels (from 2013 until 2018), and the global energy and basic commodities sectors in Southern Europe (from 2014 until 2020). He was a member of the Sustainability Committee of the American Chambers of Commerce in Italy from 2010 until 2014. He wrote a few articles on the energy and regulation sectors, which appeared in Italian and international journals.
Mariana Mazzucato
Year of birth: 1968
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Related Party Committee and Control and Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee
In office since: May 2020
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
She graduated in history and international relations at Tufts University in Boston in 1990 and then achieved a master's in economics in 1994 and a PhD in economics in 1999 at the New School for Social Research in New York. After having taught at Denver University (from 1997 until 1999), she received an EC Marie Curie post-doctoral fellowship at the London Business School, and then joined the economics Department of the Open University in 1999, becoming a full professor in 2005, and founding and directing the Innovation, Knowledge and Development Research Center. She was a visiting professor at Bocconi University in Milan (from 2008 until 2010) and an RM Phillips professor in economics of innovation at the University of Sussex (between 2011 and 2017). She joined the University College of London in 2017 as professor in the economics of innovation and public value, where she is founding director of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. She was awarded with many important prizes including the 2018 Leontief Prize for advancing the frontiers of economic thought and the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for cultural values. Her two most well-known publications are "The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths" (Penguin, 2013) and "The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy" (Penguin, 2018). In her works, she examines the relationship between innovation, economic growth, and financial markets under different perspectives, emphasizing the importance of a targeted intervention of the State in the economy in order to foster a more inclusive and sustainable growth.
She was elected to the UK Academy of Social Sciences in 2017 and to Italian Academy of Sciences (Accademia dei Lincei) in 2018. She advises governments and supranational organizations around the world on innovation-led inclusive and sustainable growth. Her current roles include being a member of the Scottish Government's Council of Economic Advisors; the South African President's Economic Advisory Council; the OECD Secretary General's Advisory Group on a New Growth Narrative; the UN's Committee for Development Policy; Vinnova's Advisory Panel in Sweden for a use of innovation that can support the competitiveness of the economy; and Norway's Research Council. Through her role as special advisor for the EC Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation (2017-2019), she authored the high impact report "Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union", turning "missions" into a crucial new instrument in the European Commission's Horizon Innovation program.
Mirella Pellegrini
Year of birth: 1964
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Control and Risk Committee and Related Party Committee
In office since: May 2020
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's Policy: 1
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
She graduated in law with honors at the University of Pisa in 1990 and then became lawyer. She devoted herself to the academic career, initially gaining a PhD in financial markets law at the University of Pisa in 1997, and then becoming researcher of economic law at the University of Bologna in 2005. She was an associate professor (from 2005 until 2011) and then full professor (since 2011) of economic law and regulation at the economics department of LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome, and in 2019 she became the director of a bachelor's degree program in economics and management at the department of business and management. At the same LUISS University she currently teaches public economic law (since 2009) and financial markets and intermediaries law (since 2004), and co-teaches financial regulation and digital innovation (since 2018). She is the author of several scientific publications on national and international journals, where she deals with various aspects of economic law, such as the institutional and functional role of the European Central Bank, the definition of the various profiles of financial disputes, the analysis of alternative dispute resolution systems in the banking sector. Her research activity focuses on the relationships between the authorities of the Italian and international financial system, as well as the measures adopted at EU level concerning the transfer of responsibility for banking policy from the national to the EU level. She also acts as member of the advisory board of leading journals that deal with the aforesaid matters. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Fidi Toscana (from 2012 until 2014) and is currently an independent member of the Board of Directors and some of the related advisory committees of Generali Real Estate SGR (since 2016), Plenisfer Investments SGR and A.S. Roma (since 2020).
Anna Chiara Svelto
Year of birth: 1968
Office: Independent director
Participation in committees: Related Parties Committee (Chair) and Nomination and Compensation Committee (member of the Control and Risk Committee until May 14, 2020)
In office since: May 2014
Number of offices held in other relevant companies according to Enel's policy: 2
Slate of origin: director drawn from the slate submitted by a group of institutional investors
She graduated in law at the University of Milan in 1992 and became a lawyer in 1995. From March 1996 to February 1998 she worked at the legal affairs office of Edison, becoming later chief of the legal and corporate affairs office of Shell Italia from March 1998 to September 2000. Then she joined the Pirelli Group, in which she worked until May 2016, holding several managerial positions in the parent company, and specifically acting as chief of corporate affairs and compliance department, secretary of the board of directors and secretary of the advisory committees instituted inside the board of directors. From June 2016 to December 2018, she was chief general counsel of UBI Banca. Since she dealt extensively on governance issues, she attended several conferences as a speaker and she is currently a member of the ICGN (International Corporate Governance Network) "Ethic and Systemic Risk Committee". Over the years, she also held increasingly important offices in the boards of directors of listed companies. In particular, from April 2013 to February 2014 she has been director and member of the control and risk and corporate governance committee of Prelios. She is currently independent director and member of certain board committees of Brunello Cucinelli (since May 2020) and Techedge (since December 2018), having held similar offices in ASTM (from April 2016 to May 2019) and Banca Intermobiliare di Investimenti e Gestioni (from April to July 2019).
Barbara Tadolini
Year of birth: 1960
Office: Chair of the Board of Statutory Auditors
In office since: May 2019
No. of offices in other issuers according to CONSOB regulation: 2
Slate of origin: statutory auditor drawn from the slate submitted by a group of institutional investors
She graduated with honors in Economics and Business at the University of Genoa in July 1985. A certified chartered accountant and auditor, she has earned also the qualification as a shipbroker. After having worked in Genoa in a firm of accountant at first and then in a tax firm associated with Arthur Andersen, starting from 1991 she set up a firm of her own. Currently she is partner of the accountant firm "Tierre", that provides business and tax advice and carries out enterprise evaluation activity. She has held various offices within the college of certified chartered accountant and is a member of NedCommunity (the Italian association of non-executive directors) as well as Women Corporate Directors. She has held and still holds offices on the board of directors and the board of statutory auditors of important Italian companies. Specifically, she has been regular statutory auditor of Grandi Navi Veloci and Salmoiraghi & Viganò, as well as independent director of Fondiaria Sai. She is currently Chair of the board of statutory auditors of Tiscali and a regular statutory auditor of Luxottica Group and Parmalat, as well as independent director of Unipolsai.
Romina Guglielmetti
Year of birth: 1973
Office: Regular Statutory Auditor
In office since: June 2016
No. of offices in other issuers according to CONSOB regulation: 0
Slate of origin: statutory auditor drawn from the slate submitted by shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
After graduating in law at Parma University and becoming a lawyer, she has started to practice the profession of lawyer since 2001. She was senior associate of Bonelli Erede law firm and "of counsel" of Marchetti notary office; she cooperated from 2007 to 2013 with Santa Maria law firm (in which she was also partner) and she is currently founding partner of Starclex – Guglielmetti associated law firm. During her professional activity she has in particular deepened the subjects of corporate governance, corporate law and financial intermediaries regulation. From years she is specialized in corporate governance of, among others, listed and public companies, with specific regard to the profiles of internal controls, gender diversity and succession plans. She is associate of Nedcommunity (the Italian association of non-executive directors) and has been an advisor of the Ministry of Equal Opportunities. She is currently member of the board of directors of important companies, also listed, holding in particular the office of director (and, usually, also of member of the committees with consultative and proposing functions established within the same management bodies) of Tod's, Servizi Italia, Compass Banca, Pininfarina and MBFacta. She also holds the position of coordinator of the Supervisory Body of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena and of the Single Control Body of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. She is member of the steering committee of Nedcommunity as well as professor in courses and seminars. She lectures at LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome.
Claudio Sottoriva
Year of birth: 1973
Office: Regular Statutory Auditor
In office since: Maggio 2019
No. of offices in other issuers according to CONSOB regulation: 2
Slate of origin: statutory auditor drawn from the slate submitted by shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance
He grauated in economics and business studies from Università Cattolica in Milan in July 1997 and he is currently adjunct professor of Financial Accounting at the Faculty of Economics of the same Università Cattolica, as well as member of the related Faculty of the Second Level Master's Degree in "Corporate Governance". He is the author of a rich scientific output, mainly regarding the application of national and international accounting standards, business evaluation and extraordinary corporate transactions. He is a certified chartered accountant and auditor; he is a member of the European Accounting Association (EAA) and of the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI). He is also member of the Società Italiana dei Docenti di Ragioneria e di Economia Aziendale (SIDREA), of the Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA) and of the Associazione Italiana per l'Analisi Finanziaria (AIAF); moreover, he is member of the Working Group on international accounting standards of the Organismo Italiano di Contabilità (OIC). He is enrolled in the register of technical advisors and criminal advisors of the Court of Milan. He also holds offices on the board of statutory auditors of major Italian companies, operating in the financial as well as industrial sector. Specifically, he is currently chair of the board of statutory auditors of Sella Personal Credit, Sella Leasing and Smartika, as well as regular statutory auditor of Banca Sella, Nephis, PLC, IPG Photonics Italia and Fluorsid Alkeemia. Moreover, he is sole auditor of Fondazione Casa Verdi di Milano and chair of the board of auditors of Fondazione Luigi Clerici, as well as member of the supervisory body of Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi – Onlus.
| Board of Directors | Control and Risk Committee |
Compensa Committee |
Nomination and tion |
Related Parties Committee |
Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee |
|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Members | Year of birth |
Date of first election * |
In office since |
In office until |
Slate ** |
Exec. | Non exec. |
Indep. under Corporate Governance Code *** |
Indep. under CFA **** |
No. of other offices * |
(*) | (*) | (**) | (*) | (**) | (*) | (**) | (*) | (**) |
| Chair | Crisostomo Michele | 1972 | 2020 | 5/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | | - | 9/9 | 7/7 | C | ||||||||
| CEO/GMץ | Starace Francesco | 1955 | 2014 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | - | 16/16 | |||||||||||
| Director | Calari Cesare | 1954 | 2017 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | M | | | | - | 16/16 | 6/6 | C | 12/12 | M | - | M | |||
| Director | Esclapon de Villeneuve Costanza |
1965 | 2020 | 5/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | | | 1 | 9/9 | 6/6 | M | 7/7 | M | |||||
| Director | Leupold Samuel | 1970 | 2020 | 5/2020 | 12/2020 | M | | | | - | 9/9 | 6/6 | M | 2/4 | M | |||||
| Director | Marchi Alberto | 1966 | 2020 | 5/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | | | - | 9/9 | 6/6 | M | 6/6 | C | |||||
| Director | Mazzucato Mariana | 1968 | 2020 | 5/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | | | - | 9/9 | 4/4 | M | 7/7 | M | |||||
| Director | Pellegrini Mirella | 1964 | 2020 | 5/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | | | 1 | 9/9 | 6/6 | M | 4/4 | M | |||||
| Director | Svelto Anna Chiara |
1968 | 2014 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | M | | | | 2 | 16/16 | 6/6 | M | 6/6 | M | 4/4 | C | |||
| DIRECTORS CEASED | DURING THE YEAR | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chair | Grieco Patrizia | 1952 | 2014 | 1/2020 | 5/2020 | M | | | 3 | 7/7 | 4/4 | C | ||||||||
| Director | Antoniozzi Alfredo | 1956 | 2015 | 1/2020 | 5/2020 | M | | | | - | 7/7 | - | M | 4/4 | M | |||||
| Director | Bianchi Alberto | 1954 | 2014 | 1/2020 | 5/2020 | M | | | | - | 7/7 | 6/6 | M | - | M | |||||
| Director | Girdinio Paola | 1956 | 2014 | 1/2020 | 5/2020 | M | | | | - | 7/7 | 6/6 | M | 6/6 | M | |||||
| Director | Pera Alberto | 1949 | 2014 | 1/2020 | 5/2020 | M | | | | 1 | 7/7 | 6/6 | M | 6/6 | C | |||||
| Director | Taraborrelli Angelo | 1948 | 2011 | 1/2020 | 5/2020 | m | | | | - | 7/7 | 6/6 | C | 4/4 | M | |||||
| No. of meetings held in year 2020 Quorum required for the submission of slates for the election of the board of directors (pursuant to art. 147-ter |
Board of Directors: 16 | Control and Risk Committee: 12 | Nomination and Compensation Committee: 12 |
Related Parties Committee: 4 of the Consolidated Financial Act): |
0.5% of share capital | Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee: 11 |
• This symbol indicates the director in charge of the internal control and risk management system.
◊ This symbol indicates the main person in charge of managing Enel (Chief Executive Officer or CEO).
* The phrase "date of first appointment" of each director means the date on which the director was appointed for the very first time to the Board of Directors.
** This column shows M/m depending on whether the director has been drawn from the slate voted by the majority (M) or by the minority (m) of the share capital represented at the Meeting. It should be noted that during the ordinary shareholders' meeting held on May 14, 2020, the slate – submitted by a group of institutional investors – that obtained the majority of votes expressed by the share capital represented in the meeting did not contain a sufficient number of candidates to appoint seven tenths of the directors to be elected; therefore, as provided for by the Corporate bylaws, the candidates necessary to complete the board of directors were drawn from the minority slate submitted by the shareholder Ministry of the Economy and Finance.
*** In this column, a "" indicates the possess of the requisite of independence provided by Article 3 of the Corporate Governance Code. Specifically, according to applicative criterion 3.C.1 of the Corporate Governance Code, a director should normally be considered lacking the requisites of independence in the following cases:
In this regard, in February 2010 the Company's board of directors established the following quantitative criteria applicable to the aforesaid commercial, financial, or professional relations:
In principle, unless there are specific circumstances that should be concretely examined, exceeding these limits should mean that the non-executive director to whom they apply does not possess the requisites of independence provided for by the Corporate Governance Code;
e) if he/she was a director of the issuer for more than nine years in the last twelve years;
f) if he/she is vested with the executive director office in another company in which an executive director of the issuer holds the office of director;
**** In this column, a "" indicates the possess of the requisites of independence provided for the statutory auditors of listed companies by Article 148, paragraph 3, of the Consolidated Financial Act, applicable to the directors pursuant to Article 147-ter, paragraph 4, of the Consolidated Financial Act. Pursuant to the provisions of Article 148, paragraph 3, of the Consolidated Financial Act, the following do not qualify as independent:
a) persons who are in the situations provided for by Article 2382 of the Civil Code (that is, in the state of incapacitation, disqualification, or bankruptcy or who have been sentenced to a punishment that entails debarment, even temporary, from public offices or incapacitation from performing executive functions);
(7) It should be noted that, according to applicative criterion 3.C.2 of the Corporate Governance Code, the following are to be considered "significant representatives" of a company or an organisation (including for the purposes of the provisions of the other letters of applicative criterion 3.C.1): the chair of the entity, the chair of the Board of Directors, the executive directors and key management personnel of the relevant company or entity.
(8) The comment on Article 3 of the Corporate Governance Code states in this regard that "parents, children, the spouse who is not legally separated, the companion living together and family members living together with a person, who could not be considered as an independent director, should be judged theoretically as being not independent".
***** This column indicates the number of offices held by the person in question as director and/or statutory auditor (or equivalent) in other companies of significant size, identified on the basis of the relevant policy adopted by the board of directors. In such regard, it should be noted that the current directors of Enel hold the following offices that are considered relevant for such purpose:
(*) This column indicates the directors' attendance at meetings of, respectively, the board of directors and the committees (specifically, the number of meetings attended by the person in question out of the total number of meetings that he/she could have attended). Cases of absence were duly justified.
(**) This column indicates the role of the director on the committee: "C": chair; "M": member.
| Office | Members | Year of birth |
Date of first appointment * |
In office since | In office until | Slate (*) | Independence under the Corporate Governance Code |
Attendance at meetings of the board of statutory auditors (**) |
Number of other offices (***) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | Tadolini Barbara | 1960 | 2019 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | m | | 27/27 | 2 |
| Regular statutory auditor |
Guglielmetti Romina |
1973 | 2016 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | M | | 26/27 | - |
| Regular statutory auditor |
Sottoriva Claudio | 1973 | 2019 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | M | | 27/27 | 2 |
| Alternate statutory auditor |
De Filippo Maurizio |
1968 | 2019 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | M | - | - | - |
| Alternate statutory auditor |
Di Donato Francesca |
1973 | 2019 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | M | - | - | 2 |
| Alternate statutory auditor |
Vitali Piera | 1949 | 2019 | 1/2020 | 12/2020 | m | - | - | - |
| Number of meetings held in year 2020: 27 |
Quorum required for the submission of slates for the election of the board of statutory auditors (pursuant to art. 148 of the Consolidated Financial Act): 0.5% of the share capital
* The phrase "date of first appointment" of each auditor means the date on which the auditor was appointed for the very first time to the board of statutory auditors.
(*) This column shows M/m depending on whether the auditor has been drawn from the slate voted by the majority (M) or by the minority (m) of the share capital represented at the Meeting.
(**) This column indicates the auditors' attendance at meetings of the board of statutory auditors (specifically, the number of meetings attended by the person in question out of the total number of meetings that he/she could have attended). Cases of absence were duly justified.
(***) This column shows the number of offices that the person concerned has declared to CONSOB to hold as director and/or statutory auditors in other Italian issuers pursuant to Article 148-bis of the Consolidated Financial Act. The entire list of the offices is published by CONSOB and is available on its internet website, pursuant to Article 144-quinquiesdecies of CONSOB Issuers' Regulation.
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