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AGL Resources Compensation and Management Development Committee Charter
AGL RESOURCES INC.
COMPENSATION AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHARTER
Adopted August 1, 2007
The Compensation and Management Development Committee (the "Committee")
of AGL Resources Inc., a Georgia corporation (the "Company"), is a
committee of the Board of Directors of the Company, the composition and responsibilities
of which are described in this Compensation and Management Development Committee
Charter ("Charter").
The Compensation and Management Development Committee shall assist the Board
in overseeing the Company's efforts to achieve its goal of maximizing the long-term
total return to shareholders by establishing policies by which officers, directors
and employees are to be compensated in accordance with the Company's compensation
philosophy, objectives and compensation policies and by overseeing management
succession and executive development processes. In performing this function,
it shall be the objective of the Committee to: (i) encourage the achievement
of the Company's long-range objectives by providing compensation which appropriately
rewards the performance of the individual and the achievement of internal strategic
objectives; (ii) establish compensation policies and guidelines that are designed
to attract and retain qualified personnel through an overall level of compensation
opportunity, at a reasonable cost, that is competitive within the Company's
industry; (iii) promote a direct relationship between compensation and the Company's
performance by facilitating executive officer stock ownership through long-term
incentive awards, which may include awards of stock options and restricted stock;
and (iv) encourage and oversee the development by management of management succession
and executive development plans. The Committee shall produce an annual committee
report for inclusion in the Company's proxy statement for the annual meeting
of shareholders, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The Committee
may be assisted with its functions from time to time by various members of the
Company's staff and shall consult with the Company's Chief Executive Officer
and other members of senior management as necessary. The Compensation and Management
Development Committee may retain and have direct access to outside consultants
to assist it in determining and establishing compensation policies and may authorize
independent studies of corporate compensation and benefits of comparable companies.
I. Composition
In accordance with Article III of the Bylaws of the Company, the Board of Directors,
by resolution adopted by a majority of the whole Board of Directors, may designate
a Compensation and Management Development Committee. The Committee shall consist
of no less than three (3) and no more than five (5) Directors. The Committee
shall be composed entirely of independent directors, each of whom is determined
by the Board of Directors to be independent under the rules of the New York
Stock Exchange and under any applicable independence standards adopted by the
Board of Directors. In addition, at all times, at least two members of the Committee
shall each be a "Non-employee Director" for purposes of Rule 16b-3
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and at least two members
of the Committee shall each be an "Outside Director" for purposes
of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any member
of the Committee who is not a Non-employee Director or an Outside Director shall
not participate in proceedings or actions that must be conducted and/or approved
by a committee composed solely of at least two members who meet the qualifications
for Non-employee Directors and Outside Directors as set forth under Rule 16b-3
or Section 162(m), respectively..
The members of the Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors
or until their successors shall be duly designated. Vacancies in the Committee
shall be filled by the Board of Directors.
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II. Responsibilities
The Compensation and Management Development Committee shall:
Evaluations, Succession Planning and Executive Development
- Perform an annual performance evaluation of the Committee.
- Oversee an annual evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer, which shall
be communicated to the Chief Executive Officer by the Lead Director of the
Board of Directors or, in the absence of a Lead Director, by the Chairman
of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Such evaluation should
include objective criteria such as attainment of established goals and objectives,
performance of the business, accomplishment of long-term strategic objectives
and development of management. The Committee also may consider such other
criteria, and solicit input from such other parties, as it deems relevant.
- Use such annual evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer in the course
of the Committee's deliberations when considering the compensation of the
Chief Executive Officer
- Review management succession and executive development plans.
- The Committee shall focus, in particular, on succession planning with respect
to the position of Chief Executive Officer and shall keep available on a continuing
basis, the Chief Executive Officer's recommendation as to successor(s) should
he or she become disabled.
- Provide developmental feedback, when appropriate, to the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company.
Director Compensation
- With the assistance of outside consultants, annually review and recommend
to the Board, as appropriate, changes to retainer fees, meeting fees or any
other compensation (including stock based compensation) to be paid to non-employee
directors.
Executive Compensation
- Annually review and approve goals with respect to compensation for the Chief
Executive Officer and the other executive officers.
- Annually review and approve a compensation philosophy/policy with respect
to executive officer compensation and set the compensation of the Chief Executive
Officer and the other executive officers. In determining the long-term incentive
component of the Chief Executive Officer's compensation, the Committee shall
consider, among other things, the Company's performance and relative shareholder
return, the value of similar incentive awards to Chief Executive Officers
at comparable companies, and the awards given to the Company's Chief Executive
Officer in past years.
- To the extent short- and/or long-term incentive compensation plans are used
to compensate executives in a given year, establish short- and long-term performance
objectives under the Company's short- and long-term incentive compensation
plans and determine the attainment of such performance objectives.
- Determine, from time to time, the advisability of retaining a compensation
consultant or consultants to assist in the evaluation of non-employee director,
Chief Executive Officer or other executive officer compensation, with the
authority to retain and terminate such compensation consultants, including
sole authority to approve the consultants' fees and other retention terms.
Annually, review the performance of such outside consultants.
- Prepare an annual committee report for the Company's proxy statement, as
required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or relevant
stock exchanges. Review and discuss management's Compensation Discussion &
Analysis (CD&A) for the Company's proxy statement, as required by the
rules of the SEC, and, based on that review and discussion, determine whether
the Committee recommends to the Board of Directors that the CD&A be included
in the Company's proxy statement and annual report on Form 10-K.
Employee Benefit Plans
- Review proposed significant changes to employee benefit plans, including
the retirement plans of the Company, and recommend plan changes to the Board
of Directors, as appropriate.
- Periodically review and provide oversight of those incentive and equity-based
compensation and benefit plans that are applicable to Company management,
including whether such plans are consistent with the Company's compensation
philosophy and policy.
- Administer the Company's long-term incentive plans including the consideration
and determination of (i) those executive officer employees to whom stock based
awards are to be granted and the number of shares subject to and terms of
each such grant; and (ii) grants to be made to non-executive officer employees
and other key employees.
General
- Review with management compliance of compensation programs and practices
of the Company with tax, accounting, legal and regulatory requirements.
- Keep abreast of current developments in executive compensation and employee
compensation practices outside the Company.
- Review with management management's assessments, actions, processes and
procedures with respect to certain risks, as identified from time to time
by the Committee or by the Audit Committee.
- Coordinate between the Committee and other Board committees, as appropriate
and necessary.
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III. Reporting
The Committee shall keep written minutes of each meeting, which shall set forth
the Committee's actions as required by the Committee Charter, and shall be duly
filed in the Company's records. Reports of meetings of the Committee, including
a report of all actions taken, shall be made to the Board of Directors at its
next regularly scheduled meeting, following the Committee meeting, accompanied
by any recommendations to the Board of Directors approved by the Committee.
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| << COMMITTEE COMPOSITION |
| Committee Members |
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Arthur E. Johnson |
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James A. Rubright |
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Charles R. Crisp |
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Thomas D. Bell |
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Bettina M. Whyte |
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Sandra N. Bane |
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