Corporate governance
Pick n Pay Stores Limited
Social and ethics committee report
In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2008, the Group has established a social and ethics committee. The committee reports to the Board and conducts its affairs within its approved charter. It performs an oversight and monitoring role with the aim of further entrenching the culture of ethical behaviour within the Group. The Group's principle of "doing good is good business" is the cornerstone of the work done by the committee.
Role of the committee
The committee has the following responsibilities:
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To monitor the Group's activities with regard to social and economic development, environment, health and public safety, consumer relationships, and labour and employment; |
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To draw matters within its mandate to the attention of the Board as required; and |
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To report to the shareholders at the Company's annual general meeting on the matters within its mandate. |
The committee meets quarterly and focuses, amongst other subjects, on the following:
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Best practice examples for social and ethics committees; |
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Ethics policies; |
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Whistleblowing structures; |
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BBBEE; |
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Employment equity; |
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Corporate social investment; |
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Ethical treatment of animals; |
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Local ethical procurement; and |
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Integrity of food products and ingredients. |
As a result of our commitment to doing business in a sustainable manner, the Group has been included on the Socially Responsible Investment Index of the JSE.
Composition of the committee
The committee is chaired by executive director, Suzanne Ackerman-Berman. Her positions as Director of Transformation, Chairman of the Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation and head of the Pick n Pay Small Business Incubator, as well as her philanthropic work, ensures that Suzanne is uniquely qualified to chair the committee. Other committee members comprise non-executive director, Lorato Phalatse, senior management and technical experts on areas of mandate. Care has been taken to ensure that management is representative of the organisation across all levels and areas of expertise.
Director
representation |
Status |
11 June
2012 |
27 August
2012 |
28 November
2012 |
21 February
2013 |
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Suzanne Ackerman-
Berman |
Chairman and executive director |
P |
P |
P |
P |
| Lorato Phalatse |
Independent non-
executive director |
P |
P |
P |
P |
| P = present |
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Sustainability governance structure
1. |
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Refer to here for composition of committees. |
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2. |
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The social and ethics committee provides ongoing governance and management review. |
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The executive sustainability steering committee meets on a quarterly basis to ensure alignment with the business strategy. The Board is represented on the steering committee by Suzanne Ackerman-Berman and Richard Brasher. |
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The sustainability team is tasked with co-ordinating Pick n Pay's response to ESG challenges across all of the Company's operations. |
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5. |
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The operational sustainability steering committee consists of senior management representing each of the focus areas set out in the
sustainability summary, and is responsible for implementation of the sustainability strategy. |
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Suzanne Ackerman-Berman
Chairman: Social and ethics committee
22 April 2013
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