Month: June 2023

Originally published in GoDaddy’s 2022 Sustainability Report

Corporate Governance

We’re committed to generating value and earning trust.

To execute our strategy, generate long-term value and earn and maintain the trust of our stakeholders, it’s essential that we cultivate and uphold robust corporate governance practices. Through our corporate governance framework, we’ve built a strong foundation for effective oversight and management accountability.

Our Board of Directors

Our business is managed under the direction of the GoDaddy Board of Directors. Our Board is actively involved in the oversight of strategy and risk, and its members serve as valuable resources for our leadership team. Our Board has adopted thoughtful Corporate Governance Guidelines that set forth the qualifications and responsibilities of our directors and director candidates. The guidelines also outline the Board and committee self-assessment program, provide limits on other Board service for our directors, and require that our directors hold meaningful equity ownership positions pursuant to our robust stock ownership guidelines, which apply to our directors and executive officers. For additional information, please reference our Corporate Governance Guidelines.

Our Board of Directors and the Nominating and Governance Committee actively seek candidates who reflect the diversity seen among both our employees and our customers. The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews diversity — whether that’s in terms of ethnicity, gender, skills or experience — when building our succession pipeline or searching for new director candidates. Our Board believes that diversity is an essential component of fostering comprehensive, balanced and thoughtful decisions to help drive GoDaddy forward.

In September 2022, Chuck Robel resigned from his role as Chair of the Board and from the Audit and Finance Committee. He will retire at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board appointed Brian Sharples as Chair of the Board effective September 30, 2022.

In January 2023, the Board also announced the appointment of Srinivas Tallapragada and Sigal Zarmi as new independent directors.

The data below reflects the independence, tenure, gender, and racial and ethnic diversity of the members of our Board following GoDaddy’s 2023 Annual Meeting.

Tenure:

50% < 4 years25% 4-6 years25% > 6 years

Diversity

75% Ethnically or Racially Diverse and/or Female

Independence

87.5% Independent Directors12.5% Non Independent Directors

Oversight of Risk and ESG Topics

Oversight of risk management is a key function of our Board of Directors, which oversees the formation of long-term strategic, financial and organizational goals for GoDaddy. Oversight extends to plans designed to achieve such goals, as well as the management of strategic, legal, regulatory, financial and operational risks.

To perform these functions more effectively and efficiently, the Board has delegated key responsibilities to its standing committees. Each committee reports back to the Board at least quarterly on topics reviewed by the committees at their respective meetings.

The key oversight responsibilities of each committee include:

The Audit and Finance Committee reviews major financial risk exposures and mitigation strategies, data privacy and cybersecurity risk management, enterprise risk management and other compliance risk programsThe Compensation and Human Capital Committee maintains oversight of executive compensation and human capital management mattersThe Nominating and Governance Committee retains oversight of sustainability strategies, programs and practices, and the related disclosures

For more information on the responsibilities of our Board and committees, including with respect to risk oversight, please see our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our committee charters and our Proxy Statement on our Governance web page.

About This Report 
Unless otherwise noted, the GoDaddy 2022 Sustainability Report outlines our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, activities, progress, metrics and performance for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2022. This report references the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and includes select Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards metrics for the Internet Media and Services sector.

GoDaddy is committed to regular, transparent communication about our sustainability progress, and to that end, we will share updates on an ongoing basis through our website and will continue to publish an annual Sustainability Report.

To learn more, please read our 2022 Sustainability Report.

Originally published on bloomberg.com

Mental health struggles are more common than we think. In Asia Pacific (including Oceania), it is estimated that between 4 and 20 percent of the adult population have a diagnosable mental health condition. Yet, this remains a taboo topic that’s seldom discussed among family, friends and colleagues. Indeed, 45 percent of APAC employees say that they do not tell anyone in the workplace about their mental health issues.

In Asia, where collectivism and the goal of the group are highly valued, mental illness is often viewed as a sign of weakness, a mark of shame and a threat to social standing – for both one’s self and their family. As such, those who experience mental health issues might refrain from seeking professional help to “save face” – a sociological concept that refers to one’s reputation and dignity. In Singapore, for instance, over 86 percent of employees say they wouldn’t seek help for a mental health condition due to the stigma surrounding the topic. Treatment options are sorely lacking in the region – research shows that there is fewer than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people in upper-middle-income APAC countries.

“Many of our colleagues in APAC have been raised to believe that mental health is something to keep hidden and secret. This leads to it being very difficult for many to engage in the topic and seek support when it’s needed,” notes Alisha Fernando, Head of Diversity and Inclusion (APAC) at Bloomberg.

However, mental health should be a key consideration in the workplace – especially in APAC, where more than a quarter of employees report symptoms of depression and anxiety. And there is a strong business case for addressing mental health issues in the workplace. After all, employers have a duty of care toward their staff Moreover, happy, healthy employees make for a productive workforce, which improves both morale and the bottom line. The World Health Organization estimates that for every US$1 invested in the treatment and support of mental health disorders, there is a return of US$4 in improved health and productivity.

“To perform at our best and contribute positively to the firm’s success, it’s important for all of us to be mentally well,” Alisha says. “Focusing on employee mental wellbeing helps facilitate greater psychological and emotional safety in the workplace, which in turn contributes to an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”

At Bloomberg, we are committed to supporting mental health in the workplace. Globally, we run an Employee Assistance Program, which offers staff short-term, confidential counseling and referral services for issues ranging from financial concerns to relationship issues. We also offer a range of courses: for instance, managers are taught how to initiate conversations about mental health with their team, while employees have access to webinars on topics such as stress and resilience. In addition, employees can express their interest in becoming a mental health first aider and receive formal training, where they will learn how to spot symptoms of mental illness and strategies for reaching out to affected individuals.

Attitudes toward mental health differ among cultures and societies, and we strive to provide support tailored to each unique context. Clearly in APAC, addressing the taboo is the first step to greater understanding and acceptance. To this end, Bloomberg is spearheading the “This is Me” campaign with our Corporate Philanthropy partner Community Business, in a bid to destigmatize mental health issues in APAC.

First launched in 2014 by Barclays in the UK and now led by the Lord Mayor’s Appeal in London, “This is Me” aims to normalize conversations about mental health in the workplace through the sharing of personal stories and lived experiences.

“Through this campaign, we’re hoping to facilitate open, vulnerable and honest discussions about mental health. We want to provide a means for colleagues to have similar conversations with friends, family and peers, as well as promote further understanding of the mental health resources and support Bloomberg has to offer,” Alisha says. “We’re all at our best when everyone is at theirs, and we can only do that if we stand in solidarity and break the cultural stigma attached to mental health.”

Learn more Bloomberg’s approach to diversity and inclusion and how it’s central to our success here.

Identifying ESG Reporting Topics

PotlatchDeltic conducts a materiality assessment every two years to identify the ESG topics deemed to be priorities to a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.

ESG PRIORITIES ASSESSMENT

The ESG priorities assessment encourages stakeholder dialogue regarding our corporate responsibility strategy and reporting. The results of the assessment focus attention and transparency on the most important ESG topics, inform management of ESG issues, and assist with our ongoing alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Global Reporting Initiative, and other reporting frameworks. Our most recent materiality assessment was completed in 2022. 

Our process for the ESG priorities assessment began with the identification of a range of potential issues, followed by selected internal interviews to narrow the issues into topics. We then engaged with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to identify the importance of each topic. The final phase consisted of interviews and analysis with members of the management team to prioritize the importance of each topic to PotlatchDeltic’s business success. The results were plotted on an ESG Materiality Assessment matrix which was then reviewed and approved by the ESG Working Group and ESG Management Group.

Several topics were identified as “priority,” both in importance to stakeholders and in importance to our business success. These priorities align with our core UN SDGs. The topics Best Forest Management Practices and Sustainable Forest Management directly support our work towards UN SDG 15 – Life on Land, which is further supported by our efforts in Biodiversity and Conservation. Safety and Wellness, Economic Performance, and Economic Contribution align with our initiatives supporting UN SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth. Direct Environmental Impacts are a key component of our work toward UN SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. Several other topics deemed “significant” also run parallel with our core or supported UN SDGs. Climate Change and Natural Climate Solution Strategies reflect the work we are doing in support of UN SDG 13 – Climate Action. Government Relations and Public Advocacy, combined with the support of our associations, are key to our work in UN SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals. The additional UN SDGs we support are reflected in many of the other topics that are important to both stakeholders and to our business success.

Note: The term “materiality” in this context is intended to reflect priority ESG issues and does not carry the same meaning as it does under applicable securities and other laws.

View the full PotlatchDeltic 2022 ESG Report here.