Company: ABBV
Filing Date: 2025-03-24
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001558370-25-003537
Chunk: 14

Company: AbbVie Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-24
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 14
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 mandating an independent chair. Investors have also expressed support for our current leadership structure through our stockholder engagement program. |

| ● | Other Board leadership and independence considerations.  In addition to Ms. Austin’s strong independent leadership, AbbVie has recently made several additional changes to the Board, all of which further strengthen the independent oversight of the Board.  The Board added three new directors since October 2023 (two of whom are independent) and appointed all new committee chairs for the four key Board committees in July 2024.  This commitment to refreshment further supports the use of a combined CEO and chair role. |

| ● | Practices at peer companies and trends across the S&P 500. AbbVie benchmarks peer companies and their leadership structures on an ongoing basis and also monitors the external landscape in terms of the number of S&P 500 companies that utilize independent chairs. |

| facilitates communication with the board and presides over regularly conducted executive sessions of the independent directors or sessions where the chair of the board is not presentreviews and approves matters, such as schedule sufficiency, and, where appropriate, information provided to other board membersserves as the liaison between the chair of the board and the independent directorshas the authority to call meetings of the independent directorsleads the board’s evaluation of the CEOleads the annual board and committee evaluation process, including discussing evaluations with each director individually​                                                                                  | encourages effective director participation by fostering an environment of open dialogue and constructive feedback among independent directorsinvolved in selection and interviewing of new board membersif requested by major stockholders, ensures that he or she is available for consultation and direct communication as neededif required, represents independent board members externally, including in communications with stockholders and other stakeholdersperforms such other duties as the board may determine from time to time​                                                                      |
| Our Lead Independent Director has robust and well-defined responsibilities that provide our Board with significant leadership and oversight:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ✓   leads the CEO succession planning process✓   facilitates communication with the Board and presides over regularly conducted executive sessions of the independent directors or sessions where the Executive Chairman of the Board is not present✓   reviews and approves matters, such as schedule sufficiency, and, where appropriate, information provided to other Board members✓   serves as the liaison between the chair of the Board and the independent directors✓   has the authority to call meetings of the independent directors✓   leads the Board’s evaluation of the CEO✓   leads