Corporate Governance
Committed to Strong Corporate Governance
At CITI EQUITY, we’re dedicated to being strong corporate stewards: serving as responsible fiduciaries, maintaining transparency, managing risk and striving for clear, open communication. Senior management sets a consistent tone from the top.
Diverse, Independent Corporate Leadership
CITI EQUITY'S Executive Officers and Board of Directors oversee the firm’s strategic direction. The following board characteristics reflect our belief in strong governance guided by diversity of thought:
Majority—independent 11-person Board of Directors
Independent Chair of the Board
Separation of duties between Chair and CEO
Unique skills, perspectives and backgrounds
Four Standing Board Committees
Executive
Audit & Risk
Compensation and Workplace Practices
Corporate Governance
Adding Diverse Leadership Voices
In 2020, the Head of Diversity & Inclusion, the CEO of CITI EQUITY and the Head of Human Capital joined the operating committee, and CITI EQUITY welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors. These appointments bring important perspectives and expertise to the highest levels of the firm.
Fiduciary Obligations
We take our fiduciary obligations seriously, and we expect our people to treat all clients fairly and equitably—clients’ interests come first. We’ve built our business model on the foundation of a strong risk-aware culture, prudent risk-taking and a strong governance framework.
Robust Compliance Framework
Firms are defined by the quality and rigor of their systems, training and oversight. We’ve designed our compliance framework to ensure that business operations stay compliant and that our employees are empowered to raise and resolve potential issues.
Code of Business Conducts and Ethics
Explains rules and policies governing employees, including conflicts of interest, employee personal trading, gifts and entertainment, and political contributions and activities.
Compensation and Workplace Practices
We consider compensation-related matters and workplace practices, such as diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Compliance Manual
Includes policies on mitigating potential conflicts of interest, investment guidelines for services and clients, research activities, security transactions with CITI EQUITY affiliates, and beneficial ownership reporting.
Risk Appetite
A set of guiding principles and industry best practices that bring consistency to how we identify, measure, monitor and manage risk firmwide.
Whistle Blower Policies
Our employees have several paths for securely reporting and escalating ethical, compliance or other concerns, including:
- Formal reporting channels (a supervisor or manager) or the CITI EQUITY Compliance Department, General Counsel’s Office or Head of Audit
- The Ombuds Office—a confidential channel to get help on ethics‐related issues or questionable practices
- EthicsPoint, a third‐party service, which gives employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders a secure online way to report potential ethics and compliance issues quickly, easily and anonymously (if desired)
Strong Security and Business Continuity Infrastructure
At CITI EQUITY, we take information security—in particular the protection of clients’ and employees’ information—extremely seriously. Our Information Security Standards and Guidelines and Corporate Information Security Policy outline the efforts we undertake to secure information.
Continuity and Security
- Our Chief Security Officer and his team monitor and control the processes related to our robust cybersecurity infrastructure.
- All websites and cybersecurity infrastructure are also third-party tested with state-of-the-art software to safeguard sensitive information.
- A comprehensive business continuity strategy and disaster recovery plan allow us to maintain critical functions while minimizing client impact.
Governance and Proxy Voting
Advocating the Ownership Perspective
As shown by our voting record, we continue to support proposals that encourage companies to strengthen their corporate governance structures, support shareholder rights and strive for greater transparency.
Here are some key corporate governance principles:
Transparency: This involves being open and transparent in all business practices, including financial reporting, executive compensation, and decision-making processes.
Accountability: This involves holding executives and board members accountable for their actions and decisions, and ensuring that they act in the best interests of shareholders and other stakeholders.
Fairness: This involves treating all stakeholders fairly and equitably, including employees, customers, suppliers, and shareholders.
Responsibility: This involves taking responsibility for the impact of business operations on society and the environment, and implementing practices to minimize negative effects.
Independence: This involves ensuring that board members are independent and free from conflicts of interest, and that they are able to provide objective oversight of the company's operations.
Board effectiveness: This involves ensuring that the board of directors is effective and able to provide effective oversight and guidance to management.