Corporate Governance

Management and Governance Structure

Company-with-Committees System

Separating the directors' supervisory function from the executive officers' business-execution role

Konica Minolta has adopted a company with-committees system, enabling the management supervisory function of the directors to be separated from the business execution function of the executive officers. The executive officers perform decision-making and business execution, as entrusted by the Board of Directors. The content of this business execution is subject to the oversight of the Board of Directors and to audits by the Audit Committee, which enhances effectiveness, validity, legality and soundness of the management.

The Board of Directors includes four outside directors, who are highly independent and have no significant business relations with the company. A majority of directors do not serve as executive officers. Moreover, the Chairman of the Board of Directors has no executive officer position, which reinforces the supervisory function of the Board of Directors.

There are three committees within the Board of Directors: Nominating, Audit, and Compensation Committees-all of which are chaired by outside directors. Although the law in Japan only requires that no executive officers serve on the Audit Committee, Konica Minolta has implemented a system in which its executive officers do not serve on any of these committees, in order to ensure better transparency.

Corporate Structure

Reorganizing in the management system of the Group

Previously managed under a holding company system, seven companies in the Group were merged with Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. in April 2013 in a reorganization of the Group’s management system. Under this new structure, the Company’s trade name has been changed to Konica Minolta, Inc. from Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc., which had indicated a pure holding company status.
This reorganization will accelerate various initiatives designed to increase corporate value and achieve innovative management capabilities in the Business Technologies business, strategic and agile utilization of management resources, and systems to support efficient operation.

• News Release

Executive Structure

The Board of Directors appoints the Company’s executive officers and selects the Representative Executive Officer and the President (positions currently served by one person), as well as other executive officers in positions of responsibility, from among these officers. The division of executive duties is also determined by the Board. The Representative Executive Officer and President and other executive officers perform decision-making on and execute the business entrusted by the Board.
Matters of major importance to the management of the Group are deliberated and determined by the Management Council, a body established to provide support to the Representative Executive Officer and President in his or her decision-making capacity.

Operations of Board of Directors

Recognizing the importance of providing information to outside directors

In principle, the Board of Directors meets once a month. Outside directors receive advance briefings on agenda items in order to facilitate lively discussions at meetings of the Board of Directors. In particular, explanations of important management decisions are provided by relevant executive officers. In fiscal 2011, the overall attendance by outside directors at meetings of the Board of Directors and of its three committees exceeded 90%.
Every year, each board member provides an evaluation of the Board of Directors, which serves as a general review of the composition and administration of the board and its three committees, as well as other matters. This evaluation is summarized and discussed by the outside directors, chairman and president in an effort to enhance corporate governance.

Appointment of Directors

The Nominating and appointment of directors and executive officers is based on clear standards

Nominating of director candidates

The Nominating Committee determines internal and outside director candidates to be put before the General Meeting of Shareholders, according to the following selection criteria.

1. Good physical and mental health
2. A person that is well liked, dignified, and ethical
3. Completely law-abiding
4. In addition to having objective decision-making abilities for management, the person must have good foresight and insight
5. Someone with no possible conflict of interest or outside business relations that may affect management decisions in the company's main business areas, and who has organizational management experience in the business, academic, or governmental sectors. Otherwise, someone with specialized knowledge in technology, accounting, law or other fields (the independence of outside auditors is outlined separately)
6. For outside directors, a candidate with a history of performance and insight in that person's field, someone with sufficient time to fulfill the duties of a director, and who has the ability to execute required duties as a member of the three relevant committees
7. In addition, the candidate must have the abilities necessary for a director running and building a public corporation that is transparent, sound and efficient

For the selection of internal director candidates, the Nomination Committee can obtain the opinion of a president that is thoroughly familiar with the careers and track records of the candidates.

Ensuring the Independence of Outside Directors

In selecting outside directors, the highest priority is placed on their independence, as well as their experience in corporate management, which will enhance the supervisory functions of the Board of Directors. There are written criteria* on the independence of outside directors, stipulating, among others, that eligible candidates shall have no significant business relations with the Group or personal relationships with its executive officers. At the same time, it is preferable that outside directors have experience in corporate management, since their roles in the Board of Directors include decision making regarding management issues, as well as supervision of corporate management.
In order to ensure the independence of outside directors, during the selection stage for new outside directors, recommendations are taken from the outside directors currently serving. To address the concern that long serving outside directors have less independence, Konica Minolta limits their renominating to a four-year term of office in principle.
In June 2012, Mr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa was appointed as a new outside director.
All four outside directors have been appointed as independent executives in compliance with regulations established by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

*

Criteria on the Independence of Outside Directors

Executive Officer Appointment

The president makes the initial proposals for the appointment of executive officers by the Board of Directors.
The president then determines the executive officer candidates through a candidate evaluation meeting, based on executive officer selection standards. The Nominating Committee receives information on the executive officer candidates ahead of the Board of Directors and supervises the validity of the selection process.

Compensation for Directors and Executive Officers

Konica Minolta has a role-based compensation system

The Compensation Committee determines the salaries and compensation system for directors and executive officers. In June 2005, the Committee abolished the conventional retirement benefit system for directors and executive officers, and revised the compensation policy (see table below) to make it a better fit for their roles in the company.

Konica Minolta regards it as important to clearly indicate the company's policy on compensation for directors and executive officers, together with the ratio of incentive compensation for the achieved performance. Consequently, the compensation policy in the business report in the business year ending on March 2012 stipulate that the executive officers' compensation shall comprise base salary, a performance-based cash bonus as short-term incentive, and stock compensation as long-term incentive, with the ratio of the three being 60:25:15.
The amount of compensation to directors and executive officers recorded as expense for the year ended March 2012 is shown in the table below.

Note 1. As of March 31, 2012, there are 4 outside directors, 3 internal directors (excluding those who are also executive officers), and 21 executive officers.

Note 2. In addition to the 5 inside directors shown above, the Company has another 4 inside directors who concurrently hold executive officer posts, and the compensation to these directors is included in compensation to executive officers.

Note 3. Regarding the performance-based cash bonus, the amounts which should be recorded as expense in the period are stated.

Note 4. Regarding the compensation-type stock options, the amounts which should be recorded as expense based on an estimation of the fair value of the stock acquisition rights issued to directors (excluding outside directors) and executive officers as part of their compensation are stated.

Note 5. Figures for executive officers in the table above include base salary and performance-based cash bonus given to 13 executive officers who are primarily responsible for the company's subsidiaries which are partially paid by the subsidiaries concerned.

Guidelines on Officer Ownership of Konica Minolta Shares

In order to provide incentives for the boosting of earnings results and the company's share price from the perspective of shareholders, Konica Minolta has established guidelines on ownership of Konica Minolta shares by internal directors and executive officers, along with stock options as part of their compensation system.

Group Auditing System

Creating a system that aims for effective audits

Konica Minolta, which has adopted the company-with-committees system, has established an Audit Committee while its subsidiaries in Japan have appointed their own respective auditors. In addition, Konica Minolta has a Corporate Audit Division, which conducts an internal audit of the entire Group.
The members of the Audit Committee and the Corporate Audit Division, as well as auditors of the subsidiaries in Japan, where participants share related information and strengthen coordination of audit activities across the Group. With the aim of ensuring effective audits, the same parties hold regular meetings with the accounting auditors, review auditing systems and policies, and examine whether or not the accounting auditors can fulfill their tasks properly.

Audit Committee System and Roles

The Audit Committee is comprised of five directors (who do not hold positions as executive officers), three of whom are outside directors. The chairperson of the Audit Committee is selected from among the outside directors. To ensure effective operation of the committee, it has established its own office (Audit Committee Office) with two staff members who are independent of any sections committed to actual business operations.
The Audit Committee members evaluate the legality and validity of the management decisions made by directors and executive officers, monitor and validate internal control systems, and assess the adequacy of the accounting auditors. In principle, a committee meeting is held before the meeting of the Board of Directors, so that the committee members can present their opinions to the meeting of the Board of Directors, if deemed appropriate.

Corporate Audit Division Systems and Role

The Corporate Audit Division of Konica Minolta, which directly reports to the president and CEO, is responsible for the Group-wide internal audit and performs internal audits of Konica Minolta and its subsidiaries, as well as major overseas affiliated companies. Using the risk approach, the division evaluates these companies in terms of the reliability of their financial statements, efficiency, and validity of their businesses and the level of their legal compliance. The division also conducts follow-up audits in which it examines improvement measures taken by respective companies in response to suggestions provided by the internal auditors.
In addition, major subsidiaries have their own internal audit divisions which work closely with the Corporate Audit Division of Konica Minolta, and enhance the internal audit function of the entire Group.