TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE NOMINATION
COMMITTEE
Reference to "the Board" shall mean the Board of Directors of the
Company.
Reference to "the Company" shall mean Aga Rangemaster Group plc.
1. Membership
1.1 The committee shall comprise at least three
directors. A majority of the members of the committee shall be
independent non-executive directors.
1.2 Only members of the committee have the right
to attend committee meetings. However, other individuals such as
the chief executive, the head of human resources and external
advisers may be invited to attend for all or part of any meeting,
as and when appropriate and necessary.
1.3 Appointments to the committee are made by the
board and shall be for a period of up to three years, which may be
extended for further periods of up to three-years, provided the
director still meets the criteria for membership of the
committee.
1.4 The board shall appoint the committee
chairman who should be either the chairman of the board or an
independent non-executive director. In the absence of the committee
chairman and/or an appointed deputy, the remaining members present
shall elect one of themselves to chair the meeting from those who
would qualify under these terms of reference to be appointed to
that position by the board. The chairman of the board shall not
chair the committee when it is dealing with the matter of
succession to the chairmanship.
2. Secretary
2.1 The company secretary or his or her nominee
shall act as the secretary of the committee.
3. Quorum
3.1 The quorum necessary for the transaction of
business shall be two, both of whom must be independent
non-executive directors. A duly convened meeting of the committee
at which a quorum is present shall be competent to exercise all or
any of the authorities, powers and discretions vested in or
exercisable by the committee.
4. Frequency of meetings
4.1 The committee shall meet at least twice per
year and otherwise as required.
5. Notice of meetings
5.1 Meetings of the committee shall be called by
the secretary of the committee at the request of the committee
chairman.
5.2 Unless otherwise agreed, notice of each
meeting confirming the venue, time and date, together with an
agenda of items to be discussed, shall be forwarded to each member
of the committee, any other person required to attend and all other
non-executive directors, no later than three working days before
the date of the meeting. Supporting papers shall be sent to
committee members and to other attendees as appropriate, at the
same time.
6. Minutes of meetings
6.1 The secretary shall minute the proceedings
and resolutions of all committee meetings, including the names of
those present and in attendance.
6.2 The secretary shall ascertain, at the
beginning of each meeting the existence of any conflicts of
interest and minute them accordingly.
6.3 Draft minutes of committee meetings shall be
circulated promptly to all members of the committee. Once approved,
minutes should be circulated to all other members of the board
unless it would be inappropriate to do so.
7. Annual General Meeting
7.1 The committee chairman should attend the
annual general meeting to answer any shareholder questions on the
committee's activities.
8. Duties
The committee should carry out the duties below for the
parent company, major subsidiary undertakings and the group as a
whole, as appropriate.
The committee shall:
8.1 regularly review the structure, size and
composition (including the skills, knowledge, experience and
diversity) of the board and make recommendations to the board with
regard to any changes;
8.2 give full consideration to succession
planning for directors and other senior executives in the course of
its work, taking into account the challenges and opportunities
facing the company, and the skills and expertise needed on the
board in the future;
8.3 keep under review the leadership needs of the
organisation, both executive and non-executive, with a view to
ensuring the continued ability of the organisation to compete
effectively in the marketplace;
8.4 keep up to date and fully informed about
strategic issues and commercial changes affecting the company and
the market in which it operates;
8.5 be responsible for identifying and nominating
for the approval of the board, candidates to fill board vacancies
as and when they arise;
8.6 before any appointment is made by the board,
evaluate the balance of skills, knowledge, experience and diversity
on the board, and, in the light of this evaluation prepare a
description of the role and capabilities required for a particular
appointment. In identifying suitable candidates the committee
shall:
8.6.1 use open advertising or the services of
external advisers to facilitate the search;
8.6.2 consider candidates from a wide range of
backgrounds;
8.6.3 consider candidates on merit and against
objective criteria and with due regard for the benefits of
diversity on the board, including gender, taking care that
appointees have enough time available to devote to the
position.
8.7 for the appointment of a chairman, the
committee should prepare a job specification, including the time
commitment expected. A proposed chairman's other significant
commitments should be disclosed to the board before appointment and
any changes to the chairman's commitments should be reported to the
board as they arise;
8.8 prior to the appointment of a director, the
proposed appointee should be required to disclose any other
business interests that may result in a conflict of interest and be
required to report any future business interests that could result
in a conflict of interest;
8.9 ensure that on appointment to the board,
non-executive directors receive a formal letter of appointment
setting out clearly what is expected of them in terms of time
commitment, committee service and involvement outside board
meetings;
8.10 review the results of the board performance
evaluation process that relate to the composition of the
board;
8.11 review annually the time required from
non-executive directors. Performance evaluation should be used to
assess whether the non-executive directors are spending enough time
to fulfil their duties;
The committee shall also make recommendations to the board
concerning:
8.12 formulating plans for succession for both
executive and non-executive directors and in particular for the key
roles of chairman and chief executive;
8.13 suitable candidates for the role of senior
independent director;
8.14 membership of the audit and risk and
remuneration committees, and any other board committees as
appropriate, in consultation with the chairmen of those
committees;
8.15 the re-appointment of any non-executive
director at the conclusion of their specified term of office having
given due regard to their performance and ability to continue to
contribute to the board in the light of the knowledge, skills and
experience required;
8.16 the re-election by shareholders of directors
under the retirement by rotation provisions in the company's
articles of association, having due regard to their performance and
ability to continue to contribute to the board in the light of the
knowledge, skills and experience required and the need for
progressive refreshing of the board (particularly in relation to
directors being re-elected for a term beyond six years);
8.17 any matters relating to the continuation in
office of any director at any time including the suspension or
termination of service of an executive director as an employee of
the company subject to the provisions of the law and their service
contract;
8.18 the appointment of any director to executive
or other office.
9. Reporting responsibilities
9.1 The committee chairman shall report to the
board on its proceedings after each meeting on all matters within
its duties and responsibilities.
9.2 The committee shall make whatever
recommendations to the board it deems appropriate on any area
within its remit where action or improvement is needed.
9.3 The committee shall produce a report to be
included in the company's annual report about its activities, the
process used to make appointments and explain if external advice or
open advertising has not been used.
10. Other matters
The committee shall:
10.1 have access to sufficient resources in order
to carry out its duties, including access to the company
secretariat for assistance as required;
10.2 be provided with appropriate and timely
training, both in the form of an induction programme for new
members and on an ongoing basis for all members;
10.3 give due consideration to laws and
regulations, the provisions of the Code and the requirements of the
UK Listing Authority's Listing, Prospectus and Disclosure and
Transparency Rules and any other applicable Rules, as
appropriate;
10.4 arrange for periodic reviews of its own
performance and, at least annually, review its constitution and
terms of reference to ensure it is operating at maximum
effectiveness and recommend any changes it considers necessary to
the board for approval.
11. Authority
The committee is authorised by the board to obtain, at the
company's expense, outside legal or other professional advice on
any matters within its terms of reference.
Issue No 6 - Effective 1st January 2011