Company: CL
Filing Date: 2025-03-26
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001308179-25-000223
Chunk: 3

Company: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-26
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 3
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 Lead Director/Executive Sessions The independent directors of the Board meet in executive session, without any members of management present, at every regularly scheduled Board meeting. The Lead Director chairs these sessions. The Lead Director serves a three-year term and is selected by the independent directors following nomination by the NGCR Committee. Lorrie M. Norrington is currently serving as our independent Lead Director. For more information regarding the Board’s leadership structure and the responsibilities of the Lead Director, see “Board Structure and Responsibilities—Board Leadership Structure.” All Directors Elected Annually by Majority Vote The Board is accountable to stockholders through the annual election of all directors by majority vote. We have never had a staggered board. Under our by-laws, in uncontested elections for directors, if a nominee for director who is an incumbent director is not re-elected by a majority of the votes cast, the by-laws require the director to promptly tender their resignation to the Board. The NGCR Committee will then consider the resignation and make a recommendation to the Board. Proxy Access Our by-laws permit a group of up to 20 stockholders who have owned at least three percent of our outstanding Common Stock continuously for at least three years to submit director nominees (up to the greater of two individuals or 20% of the Board) for inclusion in our proxy statement if the stockholder(s) and the nominee(s) satisfy the requirements specified in our by-laws. Audit Committee Independence and Financial Literacy All members of the Audit Committee are independent directors. The Board has also determined that all members of the Audit Committee are “audit committee financial experts,” as that term is defined under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and that they meet the independence and financial literacy requirements of the NYSE.

| 6 |

Governance Board Experience As our present directors exemplify, we value the following attributes in Board members:

| ● | enterprise            
 leadership experience |

| ● | experience                                                                                     
 in one or more of the following areas: digital, technology and innovation; finance; our        
 or a complementary industry or field; risk management and cybersecurity; and/or sustainability 
 and social responsibility                                                                      |

| ● | international 
 experience    |

| ● | corporate             
 governance experience |

| ● | academic    
 achievement |

| ● | strong                      
 moral and ethical character |

Fifty percent of director nominees are female and/or members of underrepresented communities. A copy of our criteria for Board membership, entitled “Independent Board Candidate Qualifications,” is available on our website. Board Focused