Corporate Governance
The directors of the Company are pleased to present the Corporate Governance Statement for Amur Minerals. Going forward this will be reviewed at the same time as the Annual Report and Accounts are prepared. The Directors of Amur Minerals Plc (“Amur” or the “Company”) recognise the importance of sound corporate governance and have sought to address these new requirements in a timely manner and have set out below the Company’s Corporate Governance Statement.
In ensuring good governance Amur has adopted The Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate Governance Code 2018 (the “QCA Code” or the “Code”) and applies the ten principles of the QCA Code as set out in this statement.
Board structure, the chairman and its committees
The board comprises the chairman (non-executive), Chief Executive Officer, and two non-executive directors. The board meets regularly throughout the year and as issues arise which require board attention.
The Chairman conducts board and shareholder meetings and ensures that all directors are properly briefed. The directors are responsible for formulating, reviewing and approving the Company’s strategy, budgets, major items of capital expenditure and senior personnel appointments. The directors have access to independent professional advice at the Company’s expense and to the Company Secretary.
At each annual general meeting one third of the directors must retire by rotation, whereupon they can offer themselves for re-election if eligible.
The Company has established an Audit Committee and a Remuneration Committee. In view of the Company’s size, the directors do not consider the UK Corporate Governance Code recommendation for a Nominations Committee to be appropriate.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is responsible for considering the appointment and fees of external auditors, their cost effectiveness, independence and objectivity and for ensuring that the financial performance of the Company is properly reported and monitored. It meets at least twice a year and is comprised of at least two non-executive directors. Paul Gazzard (Chair) and Robert Schafer currently comprise this committee.
It liaises with the auditors and reviews the reports from the auditors relating to the financial statements and internal controls. The Committee has access to professional advice from inside and outside the Company at the Company’s expense.
Remuneration Committee
Amur Minerals Corporation aims to ensure that the level and compensation of remuneration of its Directors and executives are sufficient and reasonable for the sector in which the Company operates. The Board has adopted a code for Directors’ Dealings appropriate for a company whose shares are admitted to trading on AIM and in accordance with the Share Dealing Code. Tom Bowens is the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and Robert Schafer is the other member. The Committee, which meets at least once per year, is responsible for determining the contract terms, remuneration and other benefits of the executive directors. The remuneration of non-executive directors is determined by the Board within the limits set out in the Articles of Association. None of the Committee members has any personal financial interest in the matters to be decided (other than as shareholders), potential conflicts of interest arising from cross-directorships, or any day-to-day involvement in running the business. The Committee consults the Chief Executive about its proposals and has access to professional advice from inside and outside the Company at the Company’s expense.