Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for the company’s strategic development and for supervising and steering the company’s business and management. Further, in line with the company’s Articles of Association and the Finnish Companies Act, the Board of Directors represents the company and is responsible for defining the company’s strategy, and also for proper arrangement of the control of the company’s accounts and finances. The Board of Directors comprises five to ten members who are elected at the Annual General Meeting for a one-year term of office expiring at the end of the first Annual General Meeting following the election. The Annual General Meeting also elects the Chair and the Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors.

Mikael Silvennoinen

Chair

Essimari Kairisto

Deputy Chair

Ralf Christian

Member

Luisa Delgado

Member

Jonas Gustavsson

Member

Marita Niemelä

Member

Teppo Paavola

Member

Maija Strandberg

Member

Johan Söder­ström

Member

Vesa-Pekka Takala

Member

Board of Directors in 2023
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The Annual General Meeting held on 13 April 2023 elected, in accordance with the proposal of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board, Mikael Silvennoinen as Chair, Essimari Kairisto as Deputy Chair, and Ralf Christian, Luisa Delgado, Jonas Gustavsson, Marita Niemelä, Teppo Paavola, Maija Strandberg, Johan Söderström and Vesa-Pekka Takala as members to the Board of Directors. Until the Annual General Meeting 2023, the Board of Directors comprised the following members: Veli-Matti Reinikkala as Chair, Anja McAlister as Deputy Chair, and Ralf Christian, Luisa Delgado, Essimari Kairisto, Teppo Paavola, Philipp Rösler, Annette Stube, and Kimmo Viertola (non-independent of the company’s significant shareholder, the State of Finland) as members.

The Chair, the Deputy Chair and the members of the Board of Directors are all independent of the company and of the company’s significant shareholders, with the exception of Maija Strandberg, who is non-independent of the company’s significant shareholder (the State of Finland). Four of the Board members are female and six are male.

The Board of Directors convened a total of 16 times in 2023, and the attendance rate of the meetings was 89%.

During 2023, the main focus of the board work was on the group’s new strategy and its implementation plans, overall transformation of business operations and organisations, development of risk framework including various short- and long-term risk scenario reviews and a Group Risk Appetite statement, as well as matters on climate change, the directive on corporate sustainability reporting (CSRD) and regulatory environment. Especially during the beginning of the year, the Board was closely monitoring the effects of the European energy crisis caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine which eventually resulted in the de facto loss of control of the company’s Russian operations. To this end, the Board of Directors established a temporary Russia Committee in April 2023. The members of the committee are Mikael Silvennoinen (Chair), Essimari Kairisto, Ralf Christian and Maija Strandberg. The committee convened a total of 8 times in 2023 and the attendance rate of the meetings was 97%. The Board of Directors established a new permanent board committee for technology and investment-related matters in April 2023. The duty of the Technology and Investment Committee is to evaluate and make recommendations to the board, inter alia, on technologies related to the production of clean energy, electricity and gas, investment proposals and the achievement of sustainability targets.

To further enhance the efficiency of its work, the Board, as part of its work, also conducted the annual self-assessment, including assessment of the committee work.

Working order of the Board
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The Chair of the Board of Directors decides on the agenda for the Board meetings based on the proposal by the President and CEO and /or the secretary to the Board of Directors. The members of the Board of Directors have the right to suggest specific items and have them included on the agenda. More than a half of the members must be present at the meeting to constitute a quorum. The decisions of the Board of Directors shall be made by a simple majority. The work of the Board of Directors is based on a written charter.

The President and CEO, the Chief Financial Officer, and the General Counsel, as secretary to the Board of Directors, all attend the Board meetings on a regular basis. The other Fortum Leadership Team members and senior executives attend meetings as appropriate.

The main duties of the Board of Directors include:

Strategy

  • Strategic development and steering of the company’s business
  • Confirming the operating principles and group policies, including the Code of Conduct and the sustainability policy, and overseeing their implementation
  • Defining the company’s values and oversee their manifestation in the company’s culture

Supervision and oversight

  • Ensuring that the administration and operations of the company are properly organised
  • Ensuring that the accounting, financial administration and the risk management of the company are properly organised

Financial matters of significance

  • Confirming the business plan on an annual basis
  • Setting and following up the annual performance targets, including sustainability and climate-related targets, for the group and its management
  • Reviewing and approving interim reports, consolidated financial statements, parent company financial statements and operating and financial review
  • Defining the financial targets, including the dividend policy
  • Defining the company’s investment authorities, and deciding on investments, divestments and business arrangements in line with the company’s decision authorities

Decisions having effect on the corporate organisation

  • Appointing and dismissing as well as deciding on the remuneration of the President and CEO
  • Confirming the Group’s organisational structure at the top management level, and appointing and dismissing the members of the Fortum Leadership Team and deciding on their remuneration
  • Appointing the Chair and Deputy Chair as well as members of the company’s Advisory Council

Other

  • Convening the Annual General Meeting, and the Extraordinary General Meeting, when necessary
  • Deciding on charitable contributions
Self-assessment of the Board
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As part of its duties, the Board of Directors also conducts an annual self-assessment in order to further develop its work. In accordance with the Finnish Corporate Governance Code, the Board of Directors also annually evaluates independence of each of its directors/members of both the company and its significant shareholders.

Board meetings
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The Board of Directors convenes according to a schedule agreed to discuss specified themes and issues on its charter. The Chair of the Board of Directors prepares the agenda for the Board of Directors’ meetings based on the proposal by the President and CEO. The members of the Board of Directors have the right to suggest specific matters to be included in the agenda. More than a half of the members must be present at the meeting to constitute a quorum. Decisions of the Board of Directors shall be made by a simple majority. The Board of Directors has approved a written charter for its work, the main content of which is disclosed on page 6 herein, including the duties of the Board of Directors.

The President and CEO, the Chief Financial Officer, and the General Counsel as secretary to the Board of Directors all attend the Board meetings on a regular basis. The other Fortum Executive Management members and senior executives attend the meetings as required.

Board meetings in 2022

The Board of Directors convened 42 times in 2022, and the attendance rate was 98%. Details of the attendance activity is available in the Corporate Governance Statement.

During 2022, the main focus of the board work was monitoring the effects of the European energy crisis caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, monitoring and overseeing the liquidity situation of Fortum and its subsidiary Uniper, divestment of Uniper, and a controlled exit from the Russian market and divestment of the group’s Russian operations. In addition, the board focused on the overall transformation of business operations through strategic reviews and various short- and long-term risk scenarios, as well as issues related to climate change and the regulatory environment. In December 2021, the Board of Directors established a temporary special committee on liquidity for the purpose of monitoring and overseeing the liquidity situation in the Fortum Group, including Uniper. The members of the committee on liquidity were Veli-Matti Reinikkala (Chair), Essimari Kairisto, and Teppo Paavola. The committee convened once during 2022, and the attendance rate was 100%. In addition, the Board of Directors established a temporary special committee on geopolitical escalation in March 2022. The members of the committee were Veli-Matti Reinikkala (Chair), Essimari Kairisto, Teppo Paavola, Philipp Rösler, Annette Stube and Kimmo Viertola. The committee convened 8 times in 2022, and the attendance rate was 94%. The Board also conducted the annual self-assessment, including the committee work, to further enhance the efficiency of its work.

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