Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Canatu Plc is responsible for the company’s strategy and for the monitoring of its implementation in the company’s business and management. Further, in line with the company’s Articles of Association and the Finnish Companies Act, the Board represents the company and is responsible for the appropriate organisation of its operations and for the appropriate arrangement of the control of the company accounts and finances.
Charter of the Board of Directors
The operations of the Board are governed by the Finnish Companies Act, the Finnish Securities Markets Act, the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland marketplace, other applicable legislation, the company’s Articles of Association and the Charter of the Board of Directors. The content of the Charter is assessed as appropriate and, if necessary, it is updated.
The principal duty of the Board is to adopt the company’s strategy and to monitor its implementation to ensure that it enables the achievement of the company’s financial targets and maximizes the shareholder value. In addition to the execution of the said principal duty, the Board takes into consideration, as appropriate, i.a., corporate social responsibility, sustainability and various stakeholders.
Composition and Term of the Board of Directors
Pursuant to the company’s Articles of Association, its Board consists of a minimum of five (5) and a maximum of eight (8) members. The Sponsor Representatives (as defined below) are included in the count of ordinary members of the Board and the General Meeting appoints the other from three to six ordinary members. Up until 16 September 2026, Timo Ahopelto, Kai Bäckman, Petteri Koponen, Juha Lindfors and Tuomo Vähäpassi (jointly, the “Sponsors”) will have the right upon written notice to the company to appoint two Sponsor representatives to the company’s Board (a Board member thus appointed a “Sponsor Representative”).
The Board elects, unless the General Meeting has appointed one, a Chair from among its members. Unless the General Meeting has appointed a deputy Chair from among the members of the Board, the Board may elect one.
Notwithstanding the Sponsor Representatives, each member is elected for a one-year term of office expiring at the end of the first Annual General Meeting following the election. Notwithstanding, the intention of the company is that the Board members elected at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 23 August 2024 would continue to be elected to the Board at least until the Annual General Meeting of 2027, to oversee the execution of the company’s strategy. The company’s intention is, that without a reasonable cause to the contrary, the Shareholders’ Nomination Board would propose the election of Timo Ahopelto, Ari Ahola, Thomas P. Lantzsch, Scott Sears, Anthony Cannestra, Kai Seikku and Tuomo Vähäpassi to the Board at the Annual General Meetings to be held in 2025 and 2026.
Independence of Board of Directors
At least one of the members of the Board shall be independent from the company, its senior management, and any significant shareholder. Evaluation of director candidates’ independence is an essential part of the director candidate’s nomination process. Each director candidate’s independence is assessed annually against the independence criteria of the Finnish Corporate Governance Code issued by the Finnish Securities Market Association in 2020. The independence of a director, who has served as a director for more than ten consecutive years, is subject to an overall evaluation on an annual basis.
Board of Directors’ Diversity Principles
Diversity of the Board supports the vision and the long-term objectives of the company. The company recognises the importance of a diverse Board in execution of the principal duty of the Board, including but not limited to age, educational and international background, professional expertise, and experience from relevant industrial sectors as well as a representation of both genders. The company’s long-term objective is to achieve a more balanced representation of diversity, taking into account the above-mentioned criteria. As means to achieve the aforesaid objective, the Board seeks to include representatives of both genders in the director candidates search and evaluation process.