The Board of Directors of Vector Group Ltd. (the "Company"),
acting on the recommendation of its Corporate Governance and
Nominating Committee, has developed and adopted a set of corporate
governance principles to promote the functioning of the Board
and its committees and to set forth a common set of expectations
as to how the Board should perform its functions.
The composition of the Board should balance the following goals:
- The size of the Board should facilitate substantive discussions
of the whole Board in which each director can participate
meaningfully;
- The composition of the Board should encompass a broad range
of skills, expertise, industry knowledge, diversity of opinion
and contacts relevant to the Company's business; and
- A majority of the Board shall consist of directors who
the Board has determined have no material relationship with
the Company and who are otherwise "independent"
under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
The Board is free to select its Chairman and the Company's
Chief Executive Officer (the "CEO") in the manner
it considers in the best interests of the Company at any given
point in time. These positions may be filled by one individual
or by two different individuals.
Nominations. The Board is responsible for selecting
the nominees for election to the Company's Board of Directors.
The Company's Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
is responsible for recommending to the Board a slate of directors
or one or more nominees to fill vacancies occurring between
annual meetings of stockholders.
Criteria. The Board should, based on the recommendations
of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, select
new nominees for the position of independent director considering
the following criteria:
- Personal qualities and characteristics, accomplishments
and reputation in the business community;
- Current knowledge and contacts in the communities in which
the Company does business and in the Company's industry or
other industries relevant to the Company's business;
- Ability and willingness to commit adequate time to Board
and committee matters;
- The fit of the individual's skills and personality with
those of other directors and potential directors in building
a Board that is effective, collegial and responsive to the
needs of the Company; and
- Diversity of viewpoints, background, experience and other
demographics.
Invitation. The invitation to join the Board should
be extended by the Board itself via the Chairman of the Board
and CEO of the Company, together with an independent director,
when deemed appropriate.
Orientation and Continuing Education. Management, working
with the Board, should provide an orientation process for new
directors, including background material on the Company, its
business plan and its risk profile, and meetings with senior
management. The Company encourages its directors to participate
in continuing education programs to assist them in performing
their Board responsibilities.
The Board does not believe it should establish term limits.
The Board does not believe it should establish a mandatory
retirement age.
The Board currently plans at least four meetings each year,
with further meetings to occur (or action to be taken by unanimous
consent) at the discretion of the Board. The meetings may consist
of committee meetings, where appropriate, and the Board meeting.
The agenda of each Board meeting will be prepared by the Chairman
of the Board. Any director may request that an item be included
on the agenda or raise at any Board meeting subjects that were
not on the agenda for that meeting. Management will seek to
provide all directors with appropriate Board materials in advance
of meetings, although the Board recognizes that this will not
always be consistent with the timing of transactions and the
operations of the business and that in certain cases it may
not be possible.
Materials presented to the Board or its committees should
be as concise as possible, while still providing the desired
information needed for the directors to make an informed judgment.
To ensure free and open discussion and communication among
the non-management directors of the Board, the non-management
directors will meet in executive sessions periodically, with
no members of management present. The Chair of the Corporate
Governance and Nominating Committee will preside at the executive
sessions. Non-management directors who are not independent under
the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. may participate
in these executive sessions, but the independent directors should
meet separately in executive session at least once per year.
The non-management directors will maintain such records of executive
sessions as they deem appropriate, including records to enable
the CEO to satisfy applicable certification requirements of
the New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
The Company shall have at least the committees required by
the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Currently, these
are the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Each of these
three committees must have a written charter satisfying the
rules of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. The Audit Committee
must also satisfy the requirements of SEC Rule 10A-3.
All directors, whether members of a committee or not, are
invited to make suggestions to a committee chair for additions
to the agenda of his or her committee or to request that an
item from a committee agenda be considered by the Board. Each
committee chair will give a periodic report of his or her committee's
activities to the Board.
Each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and
the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee shall be composed
of directors who are not officers or employees of the Company,
who the Board has determined have no material relationship with
the Company and who are otherwise "independent" under
the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., and, in the
case of the Audit Committee, who satisfy the additional eligibility
requirements of SEC Rule 10A-3. The Audit Committee shall have
at least three members. The required qualifications for the
members of each committee shall be set out in the respective
committees' charters. A director may serve on more than one
committee for which he or she qualifies.
At least annually, the Board shall review and concur in a
succession plan, developed by management, addressing the policies
and principles for selecting a successor to the CEO, both in
an emergency situation and in the ordinary course of business.
The succession plan should include an assessment of the experience,
performance, skills and planned career paths for possible successors
to the CEO.