|
NEWMARKET
TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE/NOMINATING COMMITTEE
CHARTER
1. Mission Statement
The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee has been
established by the Board of Directors of NewMarket
Technology, Inc. (the “Company”), in order, among other
things to:
- · develop and recommend to the Board the Corporate
Governance Guidelines of the Company and oversee
compliance therewith;
- · assist the Board in effecting Board organization,
membership and function including identifying qualified
Board nominees;
- · assist the Board in effecting the organization,
membership and function of Board committees including the
composition of Board committees and recommending qualified
candidates therefor;
- · evaluate and provide successor planning for the
Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers; and
- · to develop criteria for Board membership, such as
independence, term limits, age limits and ability of
former employees to serve on the Board and the evaluation
of candidates' qualifications for nominations to the Board
its committees as well as removal therefrom, respectively.
2. Objectives, Responsibilities and Authority
In carrying out its mission, the Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee shall have the following
objectives, responsibilities and authority:
Board of Directors/Committees
- · periodically evaluate the desirability of, and
recommend to the Board, any changes in the size and
composition of the Board;
- · identify and evaluate candidates for director in
accordance with the general and specific criteria set
forth herein or determined in accordance herewith;
- · evaluate each new director candidate and each
incumbent director before recommending that the Board
nominate or re-nominate such individual for election or
re-election (or that the Board elect such individual on an
interim basis) as a director based on the extent to which
such individual meets the general criteria set forth
herein and will contribute significantly to satisfying the
overall mix of specific criteria identified herein and
remedying any deficiencies therein; each annual decision
to nominate incumbent directors should be based on a
careful consideration of each such individual's
contributions, including the value of his or her
experience as a director of the Company, the availability
of new director candidates who may offer unique
contributions and the Company's changing needs;
- · diligently seek to identify potential director
candidates who will strengthen the Board and remedy any
perceived deficiencies in the specific criteria identified
herein;
- · establish procedures for soliciting and reviewing
potential nominees from directors and for advising those
who suggest nominees of the outcome of such review;
- · submit to the Board the candidates for director to
be recommended by the Board for election at each annual
meeting of shareholders and to be added to the Board at
any other times due to Board expansions, director
resignations or retirement or otherwise;
- · monitor performance of directors based on the
general criteria and the specific criteria applicable to
each such director and, if any serious problems are
identified, work with such director to resolve such
problems or, if necessary, seek such director's
resignation or recommend to the Board such person's
removal;
- · develop and periodically evaluate initial
orientation guidelines and continuing education guidelines
for each member of the Board and each member of each Board
committee regarding his or her responsibilities as a
director generally and as a member of any applicable Board
committee, and monitor and evaluate annually (and at any
additional time a new member joins the Board or any Board
committee) each director's cooperation in fulfilling such
guidelines which shall take into account all relevant
factors, including the nature of each individual's
responsibilities and related background and any particular
complexities relating to the Company's business, financial
statements or other characteristics and which guidelines
may impose higher standards for directors who are members
of certain Board committees than for those who are not and
may, in appropriate circumstances, impose higher or lower
requirements for a particular director based upon his or
her background and/or occupation; and
- · retain and terminate any search firm used to
identify director candidates and to approve any such
search firm's fees and other terms of retention.
Board Committees
- · evaluate at least annually the performance,
authority, operations, charter and composition of each
standing or ad hoc Board committee, including this
charter, (including any authority of a committee to
delegate to a subcommittee) and the performance of each
committee member and recommend any changes considered
appropriate in the authority, operations, charter, number
or membership of each committee and, if any serious
problems are identified with a committee member, the
Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee shall work with
such person to resolve such problems or, if necessary,
seek such person's resignation or recommend to the Board
such person's removal from the applicable committee(s);
and
- · submit to the Board annually (and at any additional
times that any committee members are to be selected)
candidates for membership on each Board committee and for
the chairperson of each committee.
Evaluation of and Successor Planning for the Chief
Executive Officer and Other Executive Officers
- · assist the Board in evaluating the performance of
and other factors relating to the retention of the Chief
Executive Officer and assist the Board in overseeing the
evaluation of the performance of other executive officers,
subject to the Chief Executive Officer's primary
responsibility for evaluating the performance of other
executive officers;
- · develop and periodically review and revise as
appropriate, a management succession plan and related
procedures including consideration and recommendation of
candidates for successor to the Chief Executive Officer to
the Board and, with appropriate consideration of the Chief
Executive Officer's recommendations, consideration and
recommendation of candidates for successors to other
executive officers, in each case when vacancies shall
occur in those offices.
Corporate Governance
- · develop and recommend to the Board Corporate
Governance Guidelines and any changes therein, setting
forth the corporate governance principles applicable to
the Company and, at least annually, review and reassess
the adequacy of such Corporate Governance Guidelines;
- · oversee compliance with the Company's Corporate
Governance Guidelines and report on such compliance to the
Board and review requests for waivers compliance with the
Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines
- · review potential conflicts of interest involving
directors and determine whether such directors may vote on
issues as to which there may be a conflict;
- · monitor and make recommendations to the Board on
other matters of Board policy and practices relating to
corporate governance;
- · review and make recommendations to the Board
regarding proposals of shareholders that relate to
corporate governance.
3. Composition, Membership and Qualification
The number of members comprising the Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee shall be as determined by
the Board consistent with the Company's certificate of
incorporation and by-laws and applicable law, as the same
may be amended from time to time, but shall not be less than
two (2) members each of whom shall be independent
non-employee directors. A majority of the full Board shall
appoint the members of the Corporate Governance/Nominating
Committee annually and as vacancies or newly created
positions occur. Members of the Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee may also be removed, at any
time, with or without cause, by a majority of the full
Board.
The Board shall designate the Chairperson of the
Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee. The Board shall,
in the exercise of its business judgment, determine the
"independence" of directors within the meaning of applicable
law, SEC rules and any rule of any national securities
exchange or national market on which the Common Stock is
publicly traded. Members of the Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee shall also qualify as
"non-employee directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3
promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and as "outside directors" within the meaning of
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended.
4. Meetings and Other Actions The Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee shall meet at least once a
year and at such additional times as may be necessary to
carry out its responsibilities. Meetings may be called by
the Chairperson of the Corporate Governance/Nominating
Committee or the Chairperson of the Board. All meetings of
and other actions by the Corporate Governance/Nominating
Committee shall be held and taken pursuant to the by-laws of
the Company including by-law provisions governing notice of
meetings and waiver thereof, action by written consent and
other related matters.
A majority of the Corporate Governance/Nominating
Committee members shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. The action of a majority of those
present at a meeting at which a quorum is attained, shall be
the act of the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee and
when only two (2) members are present and this constitutes a
quorum, the unanimous vote of the two (2) members, shall
constitute the act of the Corporate Governance/Nominating
Committee.
The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee shall meet
in executive session without the presence of any members of
management as often as it deems appropriate. The Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee shall meet as required and
report thereon from time to time to the Board of Directors.
Reports of meetings of and actions taken at meetings or by
consent by the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee
shall be made by the Chairperson or his or her delegate to
the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting following
the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee meeting or
action and shall be accompanied by any recommendations from
the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee to the Board.
Except as expressly provided by this charter, the
Company's certificate of incorporation, by-laws or Corporate
Governance Guidelines or as required by law, regulations or
any rule of any national securities exchange or national
market on which the Common Stock is publicly traded, the
Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee shall establish
its own rules of procedure.
5. Nominating Criteria
The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee shall
identify and evaluate candidates for director in accordance
with the general and specific criteria set forth in the
Company's by-laws and below or determined as provided below:
A. General Criteria. Director selection should include at
least enough independent directors, as defined under
applicable law and rules, to satisfy the requirement that a
majority of the Company's directors be independent and such
independent directors should have appropriate skills,
experiences and other characteristics to provide qualified
persons to fill all Board committee positions required to be
filled by independent directors. Subject to the right of the
Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee and the Board to
decide otherwise when deemed appropriate, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Company should be a director and,
depending on the circumstances, certain other members of
management, as well as certain individuals having
relationships with the Company that prevent them from being
independent directors, may be appropriate members of the
Board. Each director should:
- · be an individual of the highest character and
integrity and have an inquiring mind, vision, a
willingness to ask hard questions and the ability to work
well with others;
- · be free of any conflict of interest that would
violate any applicable law or regulation or interfere with
the proper performance of a director's responsibilities;
- · be willing and able to devote sufficient time to the
affairs of the Company and be diligent in fulfilling the
responsibilities of a director and Board committee member
(including developing and maintaining sufficient knowledge
of the Company and its industry, reviewing and analyzing
reports and other information important to Board and
committee responsibilities, preparing for, attending and
participating in Board and committee meetings and
satisfying appropriate orientation and continuing
education guidelines); and
- · have the capacity and desire to represent the best
interests of the shareholders as a whole and not primarily
a special interest group or constituency.
B. Specific Criteria. In addition to the foregoing
general criteria, the Corporate Governance/Nominating
Committee shall develop, reevaluate at least annually and
modify as appropriate a set of specific criteria outlining
the skills, experiences (whether in business or in other
areas such as public service, academia or scientific
communities), particular areas of expertise, specific
backgrounds (such as biotechnology) and other
characteristics that should be represented on the Board to
enhance the effectiveness of the Board and Board committees.
The specific criteria should:
- · take into account any particular needs of the
Company based on its business, size, ownership, growth
objectives, community, customers and other characteristics
and will need to be adjusted and refocused as these
Company characteristics change and evolve;
- · reflect the Company's belief that gender and ethnic
diversity provide additional perspectives that are
helpful; and
- · prepare at least annually a list of any specific
criteria so identified that are not adequately represented
on the Board and, when practical, the Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee should indicate the most
significant deficiencies that should be given the highest-
priority in recruiting new director candidates possessing
the missing criteria.
6. Additional Resources The Corporate
Governance/Nominating Committee shall have the right to use
reasonable amounts of time of the Company's internal and
independent accountants, internal and outside lawyers and
other internal staff and also have the authority to hire
independent experts, lawyers and other consultants to assist
and advise it in connection with its responsibilities
(provided that the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee
shall keep the Company's finance department advised as to
the general range of anticipated expenses for outside
consultants and shall obtain the concurrence of the full
Board in advance for non-routine and/or extraordinary
expenses). |