Tag: 3BL

In an increasingly integrated world, cultural diversity is more than a matter of fact: it is a powerful force that shapes societies, workplaces, and day-to-day human experiences. To mark International Day for Tolerance on November 16th, we spoke with members of Lenovo EMEA’s champions of cultural diversity and tolerance, the MOSAIC Employee Resource Group (ERG), about the importance of embracing differences.

ERGs at Lenovo cater to different focus areas and are designed to play an instrumental role in advancing the employee experience as well as creating communities of shared identity. But despite the Lenovo EMEA employee workforce spanning over 100 nationalities, it was lacking a group looking at cultural diversity. This is where MOSAIC comes in, launched a year ago by executive sponsor Shashank Sharma, General Manager for Lenovo Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.

“With the world now being so integrated, there has to be an understanding of different cultures,” says Shashank. “MOSAIC works to create different forums where people can appreciate and learn about those different cultures.”

Shashank’s experience across culturally diverse markets has significantly influenced his approach to promoting tolerance and diversity as a leader and has allowed him to watch and see talents of different kinds firsthand.

“All the credit goes to the people I’ve met and the places I’ve worked,” he adds. “They made me evolve. Working closely with people from diverse backgrounds allowed me to break stereotypes and take people as they actually are.”

The influence of Shashank and MOSAIC can be seen throughout the organization, as members Darina Kortis and Gamze Erdogan recall their personal highlights from the group’s first year.

“I particularly enjoyed the sessions where colleagues from around the world showcased their ‘human’ sides,” says Darina. “In the midst of daily tasks, we often lack the time to connect on a deeper level due to work, and it was great seeing people I interact with on the job in a different light.”

“The MOSAIC ERG has stirred up some interesting conversations between teams and colleagues on topics that may not have otherwise come up in day-to-day interactions, which has in turn caused people to connect differently.”

Gamze, meanwhile, speaks about the experience of working for a global company and how MOSAIC helped in understanding the richness of diversity.

“MOSAIC has allowed me to recognize that not only do people come from different countries, but their cultural backgrounds, experiences, beliefs, methods of working, physical and mental characteristics are all different too.

“I think it has had a direct impact on increasing productivity. A diverse workplace allows for more ideas and processes.”

The team says that their main goal moving forward is to keep focus, ensuring that relatable stories of diversity continue to be told. While also making sure a range of internal and external speakers are heard so that members and colleagues develop a better understanding of diversity, as well as appropriate ways to be sensitive towards it.

Lenovo’s commitment to cultural diversity and the formal structures which measure tolerance and diversity are evident through the development of the MOSAIC ERG. And this is just the beginning.

As Shashank concludes: “We are currently still operating with less than a thousand members so our long-term aim will be to expand to 30 % of EMEA.”

On this International Human Solidarity Day – a day to celebrate our unity in #diversity – Albertsons Companies is reminded of our company’s commitment to building #belonging and putting people first. By embracing our common humanity and treating everyone with courtesy, dignity and respect, we are a better able to listen and value different perspectives… one conversation at a time… one connection made with each other… one more action taken in solidarity. 

We’re grateful to our nine Associate Resource Groups & Allies – representing more than 7,500 associates – that host events throughout the year for associates and for our communities, focused on driving a culture of Inclusion and cultivating a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We make better decisions when everyone’s voice is heard. Building belonging also means that we do not tolerate hate towards anyone… from our associates, to our customers who we serve. 

Treating everyone with courtesy, dignity and respect is also at the heart of our Nourishing Neighbors program. Our thanks go to our millions of customers – and our associates too – who contributed this year to this program and others that enabled over 142 million meals throughout U.S. communities. If each of those meals was put on a 12-inch plate, they would circle the Earth. A powerful reminder of the positive impact we each can have on the planet we share.

See original post on LinkedIn and read more about Albertsons Companies and our Recipe for Change on our website.

KOHLER, Wis., December 20, 2023 /3BL/ – Kohler Co. received the coveted Equality 100 Award from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQIA+ workplace equality. The CEI recognizes the concrete steps organizations have taken to establish and implement comprehensive policies, benefits, and practices that ensure greater equity for LGBTQIA+ associates and their families. Kohler joins more than 1,300 major U.S. businesses that were also ranked in the 2023-2024 CEI, and more than 500 companies that received the Equality 100 Award.

“We’re thrilled to achieve the Equality 100 Award as we take meaningful action to improve the wellbeing and experience of all our associates,” said AJ Hubbard, Vice President – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “We continue to strengthen our focus around DEI and deliver on our commitment to empower our associates to thrive within the organization and perform to their highest potential.

Kohler achieved the top score of 100 for its work on antidiscrimination policies; expanded benefits for same-sex spouses, the transgender community, and family formation; development training on LGBTQIA+ intersectionality; and a comprehensive self-identification data collection program to make optional disclosure a more inclusive experience.

Kohler’s associate-led LGBTQIA+ Business Resource Group (BRG), Kohler PROUD, has been an integral part of enriching the Kohler culture and spearheading corporate social responsibility efforts within the LGBTQIA+ community.

“At Kohler, we believe in the collective power of diversity, and our BRGs are a testament to the impact that comes from bold innovation and a focused intention on inclusion,” said Hubbard. “Together, we can make life better for our associates, our customers, and our communities around the world.”

Learn more about the Kohler PROUD and all of Kohler’s Business Resources Groups here.

About Kohler Co.

For 150 years, Kohler Co. has been a global leader in design and innovation, dedicated to providing gracious living through kitchen and bath products; luxury cabinetry, tile and lighting; distributed energy solutions – home energy, industrial power systems, and powertrain technologies – and luxury hospitality experiences and major championship golf. Privately held Kohler Co. was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin. The company also develops solutions to address pressing issues, such as clean water and sanitation, for underserved communities around the world to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations.

KOHLER Kitchen & Bath, Energy, Golf + Resort Destinations

Contact:
Vicki Valdez Hafenstein
Kohler Co. Public Relations
victoria.valdezhafenstein@kohler.com

The energy industry is undergoing a drastic change in the way it operates due to an ever-growing demand for renewables and low-carbon solutions to achieve net zero by 2050. Our teams across the globe are working on accelerating investments in transformative next-generation technologies to quickly transition towards energy efficiency in the power transmission market. Thanks to our variety of solutions in the cable industry, we help our customers and value chain partners to decarbonize and grow.

THE CHALLENGE

Rapid urbanization, the growth of renewable energy, and existing electrical grid upgrades are driving the decarbonization of the infrastructure of our built world. Insulated power cables are needed more than ever for electrical power transmission, led by rising demand for sustainable, high-performing materials in the cable industry.

As the power sector is moving towards a global sustainable energy transition, and cable manufacturers are aiming at improving manufacturing efficiency while delivering high reliability, industry players are faced with the critical need to provide solutions that can help us move toward net zero.

THE SOLUTION

To successfully address today’s challenges in the cable industry, we have developed a new compound (ENDURANCE™ HFDD-4201) for Cable Systems. It offers a next generation cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) compound for high voltage cable insulation that helps manufacturers improve production efficiency while also lowering associated carbon emissions. This innovative solution recently received the 2023 R&D100 Product Award. This recognition is a testament to the technology’s proven benefits in enabling significant material and energy savings. Production efficiency can be improved by up to 30% while associated carbon emissions from cable core manufacturing can be reduced by up to 80%.

Moreover, to further help our customers and value chain partners transition towards the envisioned future of the cable industry, our Silastic™ Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) and Silastic™ High Consistency Silicone Rubber (HCR) compounds for both medium and high voltage cable applications offer shortened development time, high reliability, and optimized manufacturing capabilities.

Decarbonizing means investing in a better tomorrow

Decarbonization is becoming a major priority globally from both a business and sustainability perspective. In the power transmission sector, the increased need for reliable high voltage cable systems is leading cable manufacturers to look for faster cable production and higher transmission rates. Our solutions such our new compound ENDURANCE™ HFDD-4201 for Cable Systems, Silastic™ Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) and High Consistency Rubber (HCR) compounds are designed to help our customers and partners to decarbonize and grow in today’s challenging environment. We have set ambitious sustainability targets, and we are committed to helping accelerate the global sustainable energy transition and transform the future of our industry for a better, more sustainable tomorrow.

Learn more about high and extra-high voltage cable systems here

Investors are warming to opportunities stemming from climate change, and other takeaways from COP28.

COP28, the latest United Nations Conference of the Parties on climate change, delivered mixed results on some key agenda items but provided new insights into climate-related opportunities and the initiatives needed to implement them. For investors, some of the most interesting discussions concerned opportunities in the form of transition finance, adaptation, blended finance, carbon markets and nature-based solutions.

Funding challenges—especially against a difficult global backdrop of looming elections in the US, Russia and elsewhere, high debt burdens and interest rates, and rising geopolitical tensions—were readily apparent. But so were potential opportunities for climate-related investment.

Investors Warm to Opportunities and Solutions

The need for mitigation and adaptation—particularly in hard-to-abate industries such as steel, cement, transportation and energy—appeared to resonate strongly with investors. Opportunities included scaling up technologies such as clean hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture and storage, and direct air capture and storage, using government support (through policies such as the US Inflation Reduction Act) and blended finance.

To that end, the COP28 Presidency unveiled the Global Decarbonization Accelerator, a set of initiatives focused on scaling up new energy systems, targeting noncarbon greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing energy systems today.

Among market-led developments, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change finalized its guidance on climate solutions, while several firms predicted the emergence of financial products, including exchange-traded funds, that claim to address the physical risks of climate change.

According to global consulting firm McKinsey, helping higher-emission industries and economies pivot to a lower-carbon economy would involve spending US$275 trillion on physical assets for energy and land-use systems between 2021 and 2050.1 The average annual spend of US$9.2 trillion would be US$3.5 trillion more than the current outlay. The transition would be universal, significant and front-loaded, with uneven effects on sectors, geographies and communities, even as it creates growth opportunities.

Renewable energy and nuclear power featured in high-level announcements, with heads of state and governments pledging to triple renewables capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts by 2030, and to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency from 2% to 4% annually in the same time frame.

More than 20 countries led by the US launched a declaration aimed at tripling global nuclear energy capacity by 2050, urging other countries to join and inviting shareholders of international financial institutions to push for nuclear power to be included in lending policies. Many decision-makers aired concerns about a potential dearth of appropriately skilled human capital for the scale and depth of such economic transformation.

Overall, the transition could result in a loss of about 185 million direct and indirect jobs and a gain of about 200 millon globally by 2050.

Loss and Damage Fund—A Win for Adaptation 

One of the most decisive measures announced at COP28 was the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund to compensate developing countries for the physical effects of climate change. After years of negotiation, the fund, which will launch in 2024, received pledges of more than US$700 million from countries at the event.

This is well below the US$387 billion a year that developing countries need, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Adaptation Gap Report. To complicate matters, public multilateral and bilateral adaptation flows to developing countries were down 15% to US$21 billion in 2021.

One of the ways to increase funding, according to UNEP, is for the Loss and Damage Fund to move toward more innovative financing mechanisms.

Blended Finance Needs a Fresh Approach

Despite criticism of multilateral development banks (MDBs) and development funding institutions defering excessively to the interests of the advanced economies that fund them, there is little appetite to change these organizations’ charters, given the elections underway or on the horizon in many large donor countries. Some institutions are stepping up their involvement in climate finance. The World Bank, for example, has committed to allocating 45% of its capital to climate-related transactions.

MDBs provided about US$5.5 billion in climate-related blended finance between 2015 and 2022, but more is needed. To this end, according to the Climate Policy Initiative, public financial institutions need to move from project-based approaches to more coordinated country platforms with local financial insitutions or national development banks.

Observers were cautious to point to blended finance as a panacea for enabling climate-related finance to developing countries. However, many investors noted that public financial institutions will have an increasingly critical role to play in derisking transactions at scale to enable private sector capital flows.

VCMs Lose, but Nature Gains Ground

In a setback for voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), which have been plagued by allegations of greenwashing, the conference failed to agree on new rules that would create a central accounting system for countries and companies to offset and trade their carbon emissions.

But nature-related solutions—which intersect strongly with emerging markets, blended finance and VCMs—won a share of the spotlight, underlined by the launch of a financial roadmap for restoring and preserving mangroves, which sequester carbon at three to four times the rate of terrestrial forests.

Many leaders also pointed to Ecuador’s debt-for-nature swap that was executed in May as an example of how developing countries could potentially capitalize on natural assets and address biodiversity risks.

The Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable initiative announced at COP will see the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and India facilitate discussions on the management of sustainability issues, sovereign debt restructuring and relief to emerrging-market countries.

Opportunities Grow, but the Right Approach Is Critical

As countries and governments struggle to reach consensus on curbing emissions in core areas such as fossil fuels, the focus on climate solutions is likely to grow. For investors, this suggests an increasing array of opportunities in mitigation, adaptation, blended finance and nature-based solutions.

It also underscores the importance of specialist climate knowledge, robust fundamental analytics and an active management style as the key to unlocking those opportunities.

1 McKinsey said its analysis was not a projection or prediction and did not claim it to be exhaustive but rather was a simulation of one “hypothetical, relatively orderly path” toward 1.5⁰C using the Net Zero 2050 scenario from the Network for Greening the Financial System.

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations and do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams. Views are subject to revision over time.

Investors are warming to opportunities stemming from climate change, and other takeaways from COP28.

COP28, the latest United Nations Conference of the Parties on climate change, delivered mixed results on some key agenda items but provided new insights into climate-related opportunities and the initiatives needed to implement them. For investors, some of the most interesting discussions concerned opportunities in the form of transition finance, adaptation, blended finance, carbon markets and nature-based solutions.

Funding challenges—especially against a difficult global backdrop of looming elections in the US, Russia and elsewhere, high debt burdens and interest rates, and rising geopolitical tensions—were readily apparent. But so were potential opportunities for climate-related investment.

Investors Warm to Opportunities and Solutions

The need for mitigation and adaptation—particularly in hard-to-abate industries such as steel, cement, transportation and energy—appeared to resonate strongly with investors. Opportunities included scaling up technologies such as clean hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture and storage, and direct air capture and storage, using government support (through policies such as the US Inflation Reduction Act) and blended finance.

To that end, the COP28 Presidency unveiled the Global Decarbonization Accelerator, a set of initiatives focused on scaling up new energy systems, targeting noncarbon greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing energy systems today.

Among market-led developments, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change finalized its guidance on climate solutions, while several firms predicted the emergence of financial products, including exchange-traded funds, that claim to address the physical risks of climate change.

According to global consulting firm McKinsey, helping higher-emission industries and economies pivot to a lower-carbon economy would involve spending US$275 trillion on physical assets for energy and land-use systems between 2021 and 2050.1 The average annual spend of US$9.2 trillion would be US$3.5 trillion more than the current outlay. The transition would be universal, significant and front-loaded, with uneven effects on sectors, geographies and communities, even as it creates growth opportunities.

Renewable energy and nuclear power featured in high-level announcements, with heads of state and governments pledging to triple renewables capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts by 2030, and to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency from 2% to 4% annually in the same time frame.

More than 20 countries led by the US launched a declaration aimed at tripling global nuclear energy capacity by 2050, urging other countries to join and inviting shareholders of international financial institutions to push for nuclear power to be included in lending policies. Many decision-makers aired concerns about a potential dearth of appropriately skilled human capital for the scale and depth of such economic transformation.

Overall, the transition could result in a loss of about 185 million direct and indirect jobs and a gain of about 200 millon globally by 2050.

Loss and Damage Fund—A Win for Adaptation 

One of the most decisive measures announced at COP28 was the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund to compensate developing countries for the physical effects of climate change. After years of negotiation, the fund, which will launch in 2024, received pledges of more than US$700 million from countries at the event.

This is well below the US$387 billion a year that developing countries need, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Adaptation Gap Report. To complicate matters, public multilateral and bilateral adaptation flows to developing countries were down 15% to US$21 billion in 2021.

One of the ways to increase funding, according to UNEP, is for the Loss and Damage Fund to move toward more innovative financing mechanisms.

Blended Finance Needs a Fresh Approach

Despite criticism of multilateral development banks (MDBs) and development funding institutions defering excessively to the interests of the advanced economies that fund them, there is little appetite to change these organizations’ charters, given the elections underway or on the horizon in many large donor countries. Some institutions are stepping up their involvement in climate finance. The World Bank, for example, has committed to allocating 45% of its capital to climate-related transactions.

MDBs provided about US$5.5 billion in climate-related blended finance between 2015 and 2022, but more is needed. To this end, according to the Climate Policy Initiative, public financial institutions need to move from project-based approaches to more coordinated country platforms with local financial insitutions or national development banks.

Observers were cautious to point to blended finance as a panacea for enabling climate-related finance to developing countries. However, many investors noted that public financial institutions will have an increasingly critical role to play in derisking transactions at scale to enable private sector capital flows.

VCMs Lose, but Nature Gains Ground

In a setback for voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), which have been plagued by allegations of greenwashing, the conference failed to agree on new rules that would create a central accounting system for countries and companies to offset and trade their carbon emissions.

But nature-related solutions—which intersect strongly with emerging markets, blended finance and VCMs—won a share of the spotlight, underlined by the launch of a financial roadmap for restoring and preserving mangroves, which sequester carbon at three to four times the rate of terrestrial forests.

Many leaders also pointed to Ecuador’s debt-for-nature swap that was executed in May as an example of how developing countries could potentially capitalize on natural assets and address biodiversity risks.

The Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable initiative announced at COP will see the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and India facilitate discussions on the management of sustainability issues, sovereign debt restructuring and relief to emerrging-market countries.

Opportunities Grow, but the Right Approach Is Critical

As countries and governments struggle to reach consensus on curbing emissions in core areas such as fossil fuels, the focus on climate solutions is likely to grow. For investors, this suggests an increasing array of opportunities in mitigation, adaptation, blended finance and nature-based solutions.

It also underscores the importance of specialist climate knowledge, robust fundamental analytics and an active management style as the key to unlocking those opportunities.

1 McKinsey said its analysis was not a projection or prediction and did not claim it to be exhaustive but rather was a simulation of one “hypothetical, relatively orderly path” toward 1.5⁰C using the Net Zero 2050 scenario from the Network for Greening the Financial System.

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations and do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams. Views are subject to revision over time.

AEG held its annual Day of Service with more than 350 AEG employees volunteering on service projects in conjunction with City Year and Playworks that benefitted local communities in New York and Los Angeles.

The 13th Day of Service is part of AEG’s tradition of giving back to the communities during its annual Season of Giving. The company encourages employees to volunteer and positively impact communities where it operates.

On December 8, in partnership with City Year New York employees from AEG and The Bowery Presents organized food and clothing donations for distribution to local families from The Emma Lazarus Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY,Additionally, volunteers brought holiday cheer to the campus by setting up festive decorations on campus and assembling educational activity kits for the students. In addition, AEG and The Bowery Presents made a $10,000 donation to the elementary school.

On December 12, in partnership with Playworks, 300 employees from the company’s Southern California-based offices, including AEG Presents, AXS, Crypto.com Arena, L.A. LIVE, Dignity Health Sports Park, LA Kings and LA Galaxy, participated in a school beautification project at Moffett Elementary School in Lennox, CA. Throughout the day, employees painted murals, beautified the playground, assembled teacher and staff appreciation bags and led games and activities for students during the school’s recess periods. In addition, AEG, made a $10,000 donation to the elementary school.

“Our annual Service Day is one of the many activities that underscores AEG’s purpose-driven mission to improve the communities where we operate,” said Anette Padilla, AEG’s Director of Community Foundation & Social Impact. “Our employees embody this commitment and choose to volunteer their time as a way of giving back. We are incredibly proud of them and role they continue to play as we seek to create positive and sustainable change.”

City Year New York AmeriCorps Members act as positive role models and near-peer mentors to elementary and middle school public school students. By partnering with NYC teachers, “City Years” drive measurable gains in academic and social emotional performance through in-class intervention, as well as robust after school programs. To learn more about City Year New York, click here.

Playworks is the leading nonprofit leveraging the power of play to support and improve children’s physical and emotional health. Focusing on recess, Playworks programs provide an opportunity for every student to learn collaboration, teamwork, respect, and inclusion – all through safe, fun, healthy play at school every day. To learn more about Playworks, click here.

AEG held its annual Day of Service with more than 350 AEG employees volunteering on service projects in conjunction with City Year and Playworks that benefitted local communities in New York and Los Angeles.

The 13th Day of Service is part of AEG’s tradition of giving back to the communities during its annual Season of Giving. The company encourages employees to volunteer and positively impact communities where it operates.

On December 8, in partnership with City Year New York employees from AEG and The Bowery Presents organized food and clothing donations for distribution to local families from The Emma Lazarus Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY,Additionally, volunteers brought holiday cheer to the campus by setting up festive decorations on campus and assembling educational activity kits for the students. In addition, AEG and The Bowery Presents made a $10,000 donation to the elementary school.

On December 12, in partnership with Playworks, 300 employees from the company’s Southern California-based offices, including AEG Presents, AXS, Crypto.com Arena, L.A. LIVE, Dignity Health Sports Park, LA Kings and LA Galaxy, participated in a school beautification project at Moffett Elementary School in Lennox, CA. Throughout the day, employees painted murals, beautified the playground, assembled teacher and staff appreciation bags and led games and activities for students during the school’s recess periods. In addition, AEG, made a $10,000 donation to the elementary school.

“Our annual Service Day is one of the many activities that underscores AEG’s purpose-driven mission to improve the communities where we operate,” said Anette Padilla, AEG’s Director of Community Foundation & Social Impact. “Our employees embody this commitment and choose to volunteer their time as a way of giving back. We are incredibly proud of them and role they continue to play as we seek to create positive and sustainable change.”

City Year New York AmeriCorps Members act as positive role models and near-peer mentors to elementary and middle school public school students. By partnering with NYC teachers, “City Years” drive measurable gains in academic and social emotional performance through in-class intervention, as well as robust after school programs. To learn more about City Year New York, click here.

Playworks is the leading nonprofit leveraging the power of play to support and improve children’s physical and emotional health. Focusing on recess, Playworks programs provide an opportunity for every student to learn collaboration, teamwork, respect, and inclusion – all through safe, fun, healthy play at school every day. To learn more about Playworks, click here.

Originally published in Alkermes September 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Board of Directors

Our Board is currently comprised of eleven members, each of whom has a term expiring at the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders.

Board Declassification Ongoing

In June 2021, after considering feedback from certain of our shareholders, we asked our shareholders to approve, and our shareholders approved, certain amendments to our Articles of Association that serve to declassify our Board over a three-year period. Accordingly, as of the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders, the Board will be fully declassified, with each director up for re-election on an annual basis.

Board Leadership

Richard Pops, our CEO, serves as Chairman of the Board. Recognizing the equal importance of effective independent oversight of the Board, the independent members of the Board annually elect an independent non-employee director to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board, with significant leadership, facilitation and shareholder engagement responsibilities. Effective July 2022, Nancy J. Wysenski was appointed to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board. For additional details about the role and responsibilities of the Lead Independent Director of the Board, see the Charter of Lead Independent Director which is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Board Diversity and Composition

We recognize the immense value of a diverse and inclusive Board and the importance of setting an example at the Board level for the diverse and inclusive culture and talent that the Company seeks to foster and attract. Each of our current directors is qualified to make unique and substantial contributions to the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board strives to ensure that the composition of the Board reflects an appropriate diversity of tenure, viewpoints, financial expertise, industry experience, skills and personal characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, and geographic or cultural backgrounds, and periodically reviews and updates the Company’s criteria and desired qualifications for nomination to the Board to reflect this goal.

Consistent with this approach, in 2019, the Board codified in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines our practice, also known as the “Rooney Rule”, of requiring that diverse candidates, including candidates who are women and candidates from underrepresented communities, be included in any pool from which nominees for a director opening are selected. We are proud that since 2011, women have comprised no less than 25% of our Board and that as of the date of this report, 45% of our Board is diverse in terms of gender or race/ethnicity, and we continue to look for ways to improve and enhance our Board’s diversity.

Additional information about the diversity, qualifications and experience of our Board is set forth in our proxy statement for our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders, which is available on the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website. A current copy of the Corporate Governance Guidelines is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Commitment to Maintaining a Robust Board

Our Board is comprised of skilled and highly experienced directors who are actively engaged in oversight of the Company and its strategy. Our Board has a strong and diverse set of skills and experiences relevant to our industry and operations, including management and governance experience; corporate strategy and business development; industry experience or knowledge; commercial marketing and sales; finance and accounting; human capital management and more.

In order to help ensure that the current and future business and stakeholder needs of the Company are being appropriately served by the Board and its committees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board regularly reviews and evaluates the skills, diversity, expertise and effectiveness of the Company’s Board members, and of the Board and its committees as a whole, and facilitates an annual Board, Board committee, and individual director self-assessment process.

Board Refreshment

Since September 2019, the Board has engaged in significant refreshment activities.

As a result of these ongoing efforts, five of our longerserving directors have retired and the Board has appointed seven new independent directors, including two appointed in 2021 and one appointed in 2022.

These efforts have further added to the diversity of our Board and strengthened the Board’s expertise in targeted areas of importance to our business strategy, including additional scientific, corporate governance and financial experience and investor perspectives.

Overboarding

As detailed in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Board members are expected to ensure that their other existing and planned future commitments do not materially interfere with their service as an effective Board member and are subject to our “overboarding” policy that limits the number of external public company boards on which each Board member may serve. The limitations under this policy are reviewed and updated periodically and were revised in 2022 to align with market practices and shareholder feedback. In addition, Board members must seek approval from the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board before accepting an invitation to serve on any new board of directors, and service on boards and board committees of other companies must be consistent with the Company’s conflict of interest policies set forth in our Code of Conduct.

Board Committees

The Board delegates substantial responsibilities to its three standing committees – Audit and Risk Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee – each of which is comprised solely of independent directors and led by an independent chair, and to other committees that the Board may establish from time to time, including the recently constituted Financial Operating Committee.

The Audit and Risk Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, appointing and overseeing the work performed by our independent auditor and accounting firm; reviewing our financial reporting and accounting controls; and overseeing our enterprise risk management program.The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, discharging the Board’s responsibilities relating to the compensation of our executives; reviewing, approving and administering our incentive compensation and equity plans; and assessing the risks arising from our compensation programs and practices, including as they may impact our human capital development and management initiatives.The Financial Operating Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, reviewing and providing advice with respect to the achievement by the Company of its financial targets; implementation of the Company’s cost structure optimization activities; and evaluation of potential options related to the Company’s non-core assets, including potential monetization and divestiture opportunities.The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, identifying qualified director candidates; facilitating an annual Board evaluation and self-assessment with respect to the performance and effectiveness of individual directors, the Board and its committees; and reviewing our governance objectives, practices, policies and initiatives, and overseeing related risks and opportunities, including in respect of director overboarding and conflicts of interest, political activities and contributions, human capital management initiatives and other corporate responsibility matters.

Each of the standing committees and the Financial Operating Committee, has a written charter, approved by the Board, which describes the committee’s general authority and responsibilities. Each standing committee of the Board undertakes an annual review of its charter and works with the Board to make such revisions as it and the Board consider appropriate. A current copy of the charters for each of the standing committees and the Financial Operating Committee is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Board’s Role in Oversight of Risks and Opportunities

Assessing and managing risks and opportunities is the responsibility of our management. Our Board, directly and through its committees, oversees and reviews various aspects of the Company’s management of such risks and opportunities, including periodic review of the Company’s operating plans and overall corporate strategy, and discussion of key enterprise risks to such plans and strategy, ways to mitigate such risks, and key related opportunities.

In addition, the Board has adopted a Compliance Policy Statement pursuant to Section 225 of the Irish Companies Act 2014. On an annual basis, our directors review the Company’s arrangements and structures intended to secure material compliance with the Company’s relevant obligations under applicable Irish corporate and tax laws.

In performing their oversight functions, the Board and each committee of the Board has full access to management, including the Company’s Chief Risk Officer and the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer, as well as the ability to engage outside advisors. Additional information about our Board’s role in oversight of risks and opportunities is set forth in our proxy statement for our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders, which is available on the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website.

Public Policy Participation

We believe that public policy engagement is important and appropriate for Alkermes. Public policy plays an integral role in helping to facilitate patient access to important medicines and in promoting and supporting medical innovation.

Our public policy advocacy reflects our commitment to enhancing public health and advancing medical innovation. We seek to do this by advocating for, among other things, patient access to, and awareness of, medicines approved by the FDA for use in our disease areas of focus, including addiction and serious mental illness, and treatment system reforms that foster patient-centered care – care customized by the physician and patient to the clinical needs of the patient, regardless of the treatment setting in which the patient is seen.

At the federal and state levels, Alkermes team members actively participate in public policy discussions with governments, trade associations, patient groups and other organizations to share our perspective and experience as a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing therapies for patients with unmet medical needs.

Our public policy engagement is guided by our commitment to our Code of Conduct, and support of policies that benefit patients who may use our products, including policies designed to support and improve access to medicines and foster innovation in health care.

For both our federal and state engagement efforts, our public policy priorities and positions are determined in consultation with our management team, and our Board is updated and provided an opportunity to comment on, our advocacy priorities and efforts. We also hire outside firms that can provide expertise on our key policy issues.

Additional information on our public policy participation, our political contributions and our trade association memberships can be found on the Public Policy page of the Responsibility section of our website.

Information Security and Privacy

As a global biopharmaceutical company, it is imperative that we maintain strong oversight of the security of all information in our possession to protect the privacy of patients, employees, partners and other stakeholders. This is essential to the sustainability and scalability of our business.

Our Information Security Governance Framework defines our information security strategy and is designed to provide oversight of our Information Security Management System (ISMS), which is aligned to the structured principles of the international standard ISO/IEC27001:2017. The ISMS is an integrated set of organizational processes designed to preserve the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA) of Alkermes-owned, -managed or -maintained information. We have an information classification hierarchy in place that includes definitions and handling rules for the different information classifications, and processes for the review of information security incidents and development of Information Security policies and strategies. We regularly review the framework and update it as appropriate to ensure the program’s effectiveness.

We have an established global data privacy compliance program that is designed to promote compliance with the requirements of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (HIPAA), as well as other applicable state and national laws and regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We also have a global Information Technology (IT) Governance, Risk and Compliance program that includes periodic audits and the assessment of IT and third-party risk.

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Originally published in Alkermes September 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Board of Directors

Our Board is currently comprised of eleven members, each of whom has a term expiring at the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders.

Board Declassification Ongoing

In June 2021, after considering feedback from certain of our shareholders, we asked our shareholders to approve, and our shareholders approved, certain amendments to our Articles of Association that serve to declassify our Board over a three-year period. Accordingly, as of the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders, the Board will be fully declassified, with each director up for re-election on an annual basis.

Board Leadership

Richard Pops, our CEO, serves as Chairman of the Board. Recognizing the equal importance of effective independent oversight of the Board, the independent members of the Board annually elect an independent non-employee director to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board, with significant leadership, facilitation and shareholder engagement responsibilities. Effective July 2022, Nancy J. Wysenski was appointed to serve as the Lead Independent Director of the Board. For additional details about the role and responsibilities of the Lead Independent Director of the Board, see the Charter of Lead Independent Director which is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Board Diversity and Composition

We recognize the immense value of a diverse and inclusive Board and the importance of setting an example at the Board level for the diverse and inclusive culture and talent that the Company seeks to foster and attract. Each of our current directors is qualified to make unique and substantial contributions to the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board strives to ensure that the composition of the Board reflects an appropriate diversity of tenure, viewpoints, financial expertise, industry experience, skills and personal characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, and geographic or cultural backgrounds, and periodically reviews and updates the Company’s criteria and desired qualifications for nomination to the Board to reflect this goal.

Consistent with this approach, in 2019, the Board codified in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines our practice, also known as the “Rooney Rule”, of requiring that diverse candidates, including candidates who are women and candidates from underrepresented communities, be included in any pool from which nominees for a director opening are selected. We are proud that since 2011, women have comprised no less than 25% of our Board and that as of the date of this report, 45% of our Board is diverse in terms of gender or race/ethnicity, and we continue to look for ways to improve and enhance our Board’s diversity.

Additional information about the diversity, qualifications and experience of our Board is set forth in our proxy statement for our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders, which is available on the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website. A current copy of the Corporate Governance Guidelines is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Commitment to Maintaining a Robust Board

Our Board is comprised of skilled and highly experienced directors who are actively engaged in oversight of the Company and its strategy. Our Board has a strong and diverse set of skills and experiences relevant to our industry and operations, including management and governance experience; corporate strategy and business development; industry experience or knowledge; commercial marketing and sales; finance and accounting; human capital management and more.

In order to help ensure that the current and future business and stakeholder needs of the Company are being appropriately served by the Board and its committees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board regularly reviews and evaluates the skills, diversity, expertise and effectiveness of the Company’s Board members, and of the Board and its committees as a whole, and facilitates an annual Board, Board committee, and individual director self-assessment process.

Board Refreshment

Since September 2019, the Board has engaged in significant refreshment activities.

As a result of these ongoing efforts, five of our longerserving directors have retired and the Board has appointed seven new independent directors, including two appointed in 2021 and one appointed in 2022.

These efforts have further added to the diversity of our Board and strengthened the Board’s expertise in targeted areas of importance to our business strategy, including additional scientific, corporate governance and financial experience and investor perspectives.

Overboarding

As detailed in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Board members are expected to ensure that their other existing and planned future commitments do not materially interfere with their service as an effective Board member and are subject to our “overboarding” policy that limits the number of external public company boards on which each Board member may serve. The limitations under this policy are reviewed and updated periodically and were revised in 2022 to align with market practices and shareholder feedback. In addition, Board members must seek approval from the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board before accepting an invitation to serve on any new board of directors, and service on boards and board committees of other companies must be consistent with the Company’s conflict of interest policies set forth in our Code of Conduct.

Board Committees

The Board delegates substantial responsibilities to its three standing committees – Audit and Risk Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee – each of which is comprised solely of independent directors and led by an independent chair, and to other committees that the Board may establish from time to time, including the recently constituted Financial Operating Committee.

The Audit and Risk Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, appointing and overseeing the work performed by our independent auditor and accounting firm; reviewing our financial reporting and accounting controls; and overseeing our enterprise risk management program.The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, discharging the Board’s responsibilities relating to the compensation of our executives; reviewing, approving and administering our incentive compensation and equity plans; and assessing the risks arising from our compensation programs and practices, including as they may impact our human capital development and management initiatives.The Financial Operating Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, reviewing and providing advice with respect to the achievement by the Company of its financial targets; implementation of the Company’s cost structure optimization activities; and evaluation of potential options related to the Company’s non-core assets, including potential monetization and divestiture opportunities.The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include, among others, identifying qualified director candidates; facilitating an annual Board evaluation and self-assessment with respect to the performance and effectiveness of individual directors, the Board and its committees; and reviewing our governance objectives, practices, policies and initiatives, and overseeing related risks and opportunities, including in respect of director overboarding and conflicts of interest, political activities and contributions, human capital management initiatives and other corporate responsibility matters.

Each of the standing committees and the Financial Operating Committee, has a written charter, approved by the Board, which describes the committee’s general authority and responsibilities. Each standing committee of the Board undertakes an annual review of its charter and works with the Board to make such revisions as it and the Board consider appropriate. A current copy of the charters for each of the standing committees and the Financial Operating Committee is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Investors section of our website.

Board’s Role in Oversight of Risks and Opportunities

Assessing and managing risks and opportunities is the responsibility of our management. Our Board, directly and through its committees, oversees and reviews various aspects of the Company’s management of such risks and opportunities, including periodic review of the Company’s operating plans and overall corporate strategy, and discussion of key enterprise risks to such plans and strategy, ways to mitigate such risks, and key related opportunities.

In addition, the Board has adopted a Compliance Policy Statement pursuant to Section 225 of the Irish Companies Act 2014. On an annual basis, our directors review the Company’s arrangements and structures intended to secure material compliance with the Company’s relevant obligations under applicable Irish corporate and tax laws.

In performing their oversight functions, the Board and each committee of the Board has full access to management, including the Company’s Chief Risk Officer and the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer, as well as the ability to engage outside advisors. Additional information about our Board’s role in oversight of risks and opportunities is set forth in our proxy statement for our 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders, which is available on the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website.

Public Policy Participation

We believe that public policy engagement is important and appropriate for Alkermes. Public policy plays an integral role in helping to facilitate patient access to important medicines and in promoting and supporting medical innovation.

Our public policy advocacy reflects our commitment to enhancing public health and advancing medical innovation. We seek to do this by advocating for, among other things, patient access to, and awareness of, medicines approved by the FDA for use in our disease areas of focus, including addiction and serious mental illness, and treatment system reforms that foster patient-centered care – care customized by the physician and patient to the clinical needs of the patient, regardless of the treatment setting in which the patient is seen.

At the federal and state levels, Alkermes team members actively participate in public policy discussions with governments, trade associations, patient groups and other organizations to share our perspective and experience as a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing therapies for patients with unmet medical needs.

Our public policy engagement is guided by our commitment to our Code of Conduct, and support of policies that benefit patients who may use our products, including policies designed to support and improve access to medicines and foster innovation in health care.

For both our federal and state engagement efforts, our public policy priorities and positions are determined in consultation with our management team, and our Board is updated and provided an opportunity to comment on, our advocacy priorities and efforts. We also hire outside firms that can provide expertise on our key policy issues.

Additional information on our public policy participation, our political contributions and our trade association memberships can be found on the Public Policy page of the Responsibility section of our website.

Information Security and Privacy

As a global biopharmaceutical company, it is imperative that we maintain strong oversight of the security of all information in our possession to protect the privacy of patients, employees, partners and other stakeholders. This is essential to the sustainability and scalability of our business.

Our Information Security Governance Framework defines our information security strategy and is designed to provide oversight of our Information Security Management System (ISMS), which is aligned to the structured principles of the international standard ISO/IEC27001:2017. The ISMS is an integrated set of organizational processes designed to preserve the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA) of Alkermes-owned, -managed or -maintained information. We have an information classification hierarchy in place that includes definitions and handling rules for the different information classifications, and processes for the review of information security incidents and development of Information Security policies and strategies. We regularly review the framework and update it as appropriate to ensure the program’s effectiveness.

We have an established global data privacy compliance program that is designed to promote compliance with the requirements of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (HIPAA), as well as other applicable state and national laws and regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We also have a global Information Technology (IT) Governance, Risk and Compliance program that includes periodic audits and the assessment of IT and third-party risk.

Read more