Company: ACCO
Filing Date: 2025-03-28
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-046374
Chunk: 11

Company: ACCO BRANDS Corp
Filing Date: 2025-03-28
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 11
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 access to management and an independent voice with significant input into corporate governance matters.

In connection with the appointment of Mr. Tedford as our CEO effective October 1, 2023, the role of Chairman and CEO was split, with Mr. Boris Elisman continuing to serve as Executive Chairman until his full retirement on March 31, 2024. Following Mr. Elisman’s retirement, the Board considered the benefits of continuing to allow Mr. Tedford to focus his time and energy on leading the Company as CEO and determined to keep the Chairman and CEO positions split, appointing E. Mark Rajkowski as our independent Chairman. The Board believes Mr. Rajkowski’s service as Chairman is valuable given his seasoned tenure on the Board, his familiarity with the Company’s overall business, and his understanding of our corporate governance practices. This structure also allows Mr. Tedford to focus his attention on his responsibilities as CEO.

Role and Responsibilities of Independent Chairman and Presiding Independent Director

The Chairman has the authority to call meetings of the Board and presides at such meetings. The Chairman is primarily responsible for shaping Board agendas (in consultation with our CEO, Corporate Secretary, and Presiding Independent Director, if applicable) and communicates with all directors on key issues and concerns outside of Board meetings. He also presides at meetings of all non-employee directors in executive session. Each regularly scheduled Board meeting includes a non-employee director executive session. The independent Chairman, or Presiding Independent Director, as applicable, attends committee meetings, as appropriate, and acts as a conduit for contact between the CEO and the other directors. Together with the chairman of our Compensation and Human Capital Committee, the independent Chairman, or Presiding Independent Director, as applicable, also facilitates the process of evaluating the CEO’s performance and determining his compensation. The independent Chairman, or Presiding Independent Director, as applicable, also facilitates and oversees our annual Board self-evaluation process, together with our Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee.

Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors believes in an effective enterprise risk management program (“ERM”). The objective of our ERM program is to identify in a timely manner the material near-term and emerging risks we face or may face in the future and communicate necessary information about those risks to senior management and, as appropriate, to the Board of Directors or its relevant committees. Additionally, our Board of Directors believes an effective ERM supports the implementation of appropriate and responsive risk management strategies and integrates risk management into our

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