Company: ACHV
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-059297
Chunk: 20

Company: ACHIEVE LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 20
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, including implementing procedures to ensure that the Board of Directors operates independently of management and without conflicts of interest. In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees compliance with our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The Compensation Committee oversees risks associated with our compensation policies, plans and practices. The Audit Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee each report to the Board of Directors regarding the foregoing matters, and the Board of Directors approves any changes in corporate policies, including those pertaining to risk management.

The Board of Directors has also adopted a Whistleblower Policy, which provides a means by which concerns about actual and suspected violations of laws, governmental rules or regulations; accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters; our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or other policies, and other public interest matters are to be reported. We recognize that individuals may not feel comfortable reporting a matter directly to the appropriate persons at

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the Company and therefore the Whistleblower Policy provides a mechanism by which a person may report a matter to Nasdaq OMX Group Corporate Services, Inc., a third party retained by us. Under the policy, the Chairperson of the Audit Committee determines whether and, if so, how an investigation is to be conducted and, together with the full Audit Committee in certain instances, resolves reported violations. In all cases, a report of the outcome is to be made to the Board of Directors.

We have determined that our compensation policies, plans and practices are appropriately balanced and do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our Company. To make this determination, our management reviewed the compensation policies, plans and practices for our executive officers, as well as for all other employees. We assessed the following features of our compensation, plans and practices: design, payment methodology, potential payment volatility, relationship to our financial results, length of performance period, risk-mitigating features, performance measures and goals, oversight and controls, and plan features and values compared to market practices. Based on this annual review, we believe that our compensation policies, plans and practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our Company.

Director Qualifications

Members of our Board of Directors must have broad experience and business acumen, a record of professional accomplishment in his or her field and demonstrate honesty and integrity consistent with our values. In evaluating director nominees, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers a variety of factors, including, without limitation, the director nominee’s skills, expertise and experience, wisdom