Company: DLX
Filing Date: 2025-03-10
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000027996-25-000107
Chunk: 17

Company: DELUXE CORP
Filing Date: 2025-03-10
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 17
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 the course of performing its responsibilities                                                                                                       |

#### Communications with Directors
Any interested party having concerns about our governance or business practices, or otherwise wishing to communicate with our board, our independent directors as a group or any individual director, may submit such concerns in writing to the independent Chair of the Board, or the designated group of directors or individual director, in the care of the Corporate Secretary, Deluxe Corporation, 801 Marquette Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402.

#### Board Leadership Structure; Independent Chair
The board does not maintain a written policy regarding separation of the offices of Chair and CEO, believing that this issue should be addressed as part of the board's succession planning processes. However, the board has maintained a separation of the Chair and CEO roles since 2005. The board has found this structure to be effective, both in allowing the CEO to focus on execution of our strategy and allowing the Chair to assist the CEO in managing the work of the board. This structure also reinforces the value of independent board oversight from a risk management perspective. Cheryl Mayberry McKissack has been the independent Chair of the Board since 2019.

#### Board Role in Risk Oversight
The board takes an active role in risk oversight, both as a full board and through its committees. Our independent directors regularly meet in executive session, without management present, to assess the quality of the board's meetings and to provide their observations to the President and CEO regarding our business challenges and risk mitigation strategies, among other things. Management conducts an annual enterprise-wide risk assessment. A formal report is delivered to the Audit and Finance Committee, the chair of which provides a synopsis to the board. Updates are provided as needed at board meetings. The objectives for the risk assessment process include the following: (1) addressing the NYSE governance requirement that the Audit and Finance Committee discuss policies related to risk assessment and risk management; (2) developing a defined list of key risks to be monitored by the board, its committees, and management; (3) determining whether any risks require additional or higher-priority mitigation efforts; (4) facilitating discussion of the risk factors to be included in our SEC reports; and (5) guiding the development of our internal audit plans.

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In 2024, the risk-assessment process was conducted by our ERM steering committee, led by members of our Assurance and Risk Advisory Services department, our Chief Financial Officer, and our Chief Administrative Officer, working with the executive leadership team and senior-level staff, including the