ROLE OF THE BOARD; CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
Board Leadership Structure and the Role of the Board in Risk Oversight
Board Leadership Structure. The positions of our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are separated. Separating these positions allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing the Chairman of the Board to lead our Board in its fundamental role of providing advice to and independent oversight of management.
Our Board recognizes the time, effort and energy that the Chief Executive Officer must devote to the position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our Chairman, particularly as our Board’s oversight responsibilities continue to grow. Our Board also believes that this structure ensures a greater role for the independent directors in the oversight of the Company and active participation of the independent directors in setting agendas and establishing priorities and procedures for the work of our Board.
Although our by-laws do not require that we separate the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer positions, our Board believes that having separate positions is the appropriate leadership structure for us at this time. Our Board recognizes that depending on the circumstances, other leadership models, such as combining the role of Chairman of the Board with the role of Chief Executive Officer, might be appropriate. Accordingly, our Board may periodically review its leadership structure. Our Board believes its administration of its risk oversight function has not affected its leadership structure.
Role of the Board in Risk Oversight. The Board is actively involved in oversight of risks that could affect the Company including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, accounting risk, operational risk, regulatory/compliance risk, legal risk, strategic risk and reputation risk. This oversight is conducted in part through committees of the Board, but the full Board has retained responsibility for general oversight of risks. The Board satisfies this responsibility through reports by each committee regarding its considerations and actions, regular reports from officers responsible for oversight of particular risks within the Company as well as through internal and external audits. Risks relating to the direct operations of the Company are further overseen by the Board of Directors of HarborOne Bank, who are the same individuals who serve on the Board of the Company. Further, the Board oversees risks through the establishment of policies and procedures that are designed to guide daily operations in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and risks acceptable to the organization.
Director Independence
The Nasdaq listing rules requires that independent directors compose a majority of a listed company’s board of directors. In addition, the Nasdaq listing rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation, and nominating and governance committees be independent and that audit committee members also satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Under Nasdaq listing rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of our Board, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In order to be considered independent under the Exchange Act, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors or any other board committee: (1) accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries; or (2) be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries. In addition to satisfying general independence requirements under the Nasdaq listing rules, a member of a compensation committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the compensation committee, the board of directors or any other board committee, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries. Additionally, the board of directors of the listed company must consider whether the compensation committee member is an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries and, if so, must determine whether such affiliation would impair the director’s judgment as a member of the compensation committee.
Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, including family and other relationships, including those relationships described under