Company: ARI
Filing Date: 2025-04-29
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001193125-25-104054
Chunk: 32

Company: Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-29
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 32
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2 to invest in non-profit organizations working to expand opportunity for underrepresented individuals. The Apollo Opportunity Foundation’s mission is to expand opportunity in communities where Apollo’s employees live and work around the globe by deploying capital and engaging Apollo’s employees to invest in career education, workforce development and economic empowerment for all. The Apollo Opportunity Foundation seeks to partner with organizations that are championed by Apollo employees to advance economic prosperity and expand opportunity for underrepresented individuals.

Corporate Responsibility

Apollo believes that taking all available factors into account can help drive value creation. Apollo has taken an integrated approach to incorporating financially significant environmental, social and/or governance considerations into Apollo’s investment analysis and decision-making process. Apollo’s strategy prioritizes the creation of economic value for its stockholders and addressing the needs of its clients and personnel in a responsible way. Corporate responsibility and sustainability matters are reviewed by the sustainability and corporate responsibility committee of Apollo’s board of directors. Apollo has also adopted several policies, including an Environmental, Health and Safety policy, a Human Rights Policy, and a Supplier Code of Conduct. In addition, Apollo publishes on its website an annual sustainability report, which provides further details about Apollo’s approach to corporate responsibility.**

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Director Independence The Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a majority of the directors serving on our board of directors must be independent as required by NYSE listing standards. In addition, as permitted under the Corporate Governance Guidelines, our board of directors has adopted certain categorical standards (the “Independence Standards”) to assist it in making determinations with respect to the independence of directors. The Independence Standards are available for viewing on our website at www.apollocref.com. Based upon its review of all relevant facts and circumstances, our board of directors has affirmatively determined that six of the nine nominees for election as directors—Mark C. Biderman, Pamela G. Carlton, Brenna Haysom, Robert A. Kasdin, Scott S. Prince and Michael E. Salvati—qualify as independent directors under the NYSE listing standards and the Independence Standards. In connection with this review, our board of directors did not determine that our director nominee Carmencita N.M. Whonder qualifies as an independent director under our Independence Standards. She is not an employee of Apollo, any Apollo portfolio company or any of their affiliates but, solely because she is employed by a law firm that provides advice to Apollo and to certain Apollo portfolio companies on legislative, regulatory and related matters, our board of directors did not determine that she qualified as