3.2.9Other Regulatory Matters

Conflicts of Interest

The members of the Management Board have a services contract with SBM Offshore N.V. These contracts stipulate that members of the Management Board may not compete with the Company. Conflict of interest procedures are included in the Management Board and Supervisory Board rules and the Company’s Code of Conduct, and reflect Dutch law and the principle and best practices of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. In 2022, there were no conflicts of interest in relation to the members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board reported other than ordinary course compensation arrangements. The Company is compliant with best practice 2.7.3 to 2.7.4 of the Corporate Governance Code.

In 2022, SBM Offshore did not enter into transactions with persons who held at least 10% of the shares in the Company. The Company is compliant with best practice 2.7.5 of the Corporate Governance Code.

Regulations concerning Ownership of and Transactions in Shares

In addition to the Company’s Insider Trading Rules, the Supervisory Board rules and Management Board rules contain a provision stipulating that Supervisory Board and Management Board members will not trade in Company shares or other shares issued by entities other than the Company on the basis of share-price-sensitive information if this information has been obtained in the course of managing or supervising the Company’s business. For information about the shares (or other financial instruments) held in SBM Offshore N.V. by members of the Management Board, reference is made to section 4.3.6 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

CHANGE OF CONTROL

The Company is not a party to any material agreement that takes effect, alters or terminates upon a change of control of the Company following a take-over bid as referred to in section 5:70 of the Dutch Financial Markets Supervision Act, other than as mentioned in this paragraph. SBM Offshore N.V. has a revolving credit facility agreement under which the approval of the participating lenders must be obtained in the event of a change in control of the Company after a public take-over bid has been made. Certain vessel charter contracts contain clauses to the effect that the prior consent of the client is required in case of a change of control or merger or where the company resulting from such change of control or merger would have a lower financial rating or where such change of control or merger would affect the proper execution of the contract. In addition, local bidding rules and regulations (e.g. in Brazil for Petrobras) may require client approval for changes in control. A change of control clause is included in the services contract between the Company and each of the members of the Management Board.

Executive committee

Since the end of 2012, an Executive Committee has been in place. The Executive Committee facilitates decision-making without detracting from the exercise of statutory responsibilities by the members of the Management Board. Currently, the Executive Committee is comprised of the Management Board members, the Managing Directors of Floating Production Solutions, Global Resources & Services, Operations, and New Energies & Services, as well as the Group HR Director, the Group HSSEQ & Sustainability Director and the Group General Counsel. In principle, the Executive Committee meets monthly. In the meetings strategic, operational and organisational topics are discussed.

diversity

The Diversity Policy for the Supervisory Board and for the Management Board can be found on the Company website. Diversity targets found to be relevant for SBM Offshore are i) nationality/cultural background with a due and fair representation of the geographic regions in which the Company operates and ii) gender.

In 2022 the members of the Management Board covered four and the members of the Supervisory Board covered five nationalities. Two additional nationalities were represented in the Executive Committee. A broad range of experience in the geographic regions the Company operates is seen, or in case of new regions, experience is being build up.

The Gender Diversity Act, which entered into force in The Netherlands on January 1, 2022 requires all 'large' Dutch companies to set appropriate and ambitious targets for gender diversity in its Management Board, Supervisory Board and senior management. The Company set the following gender diversity targets: i) Supervisory Board: males and females each hold at least one third of the seats; ii) Management Board: to have at least one female; and iii) senior management: there are at least one third of each of males and females.

As at December 31, 2022 42.86% of the Supervisory Board members was female (above target). The same applies for senior management as 42.86% of the Executive Committee (excluding Management Board) was female. The Management Board consisted of 100% males, which means the set target was not met. In 2022, the Management Board went from four to three members, and there was a vacancy for which a male was appointed as he was considered to be the best candidate for the position. In general, more than for re-appointments, whereby experience and good performance are weighing heavily on the decision, new appointments offer opportunity to re-balance the composition in view of fair and equal gender representation when needed. The targets set for (gender) diversity will be taken into consideration when there are vacancies in the Supervisory Board, Management Board and senior management positions. For example, the leadership programme (RISE) is designed to ensure that both men and women can advance into senior management and executive positions. For 2023, the target is that 25% of the broader group of senior management consists of females.

Code of Conduct and Speak up line

The Company has a Code of Conduct which is built on the Company’s four core values Integrity, Care, Entrepreneurship and Ownership. Reporting channels and a Speak Up Line are in place and enable SBM Offshore to carefully listen to its employees and partners in the value chain about concerns related to potential violations against the Code of Conduct, Core Values, or the law. The Speak Up Line, managed by an independent third party, is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, supports multiple languages, and allows for anonymous and confidential reporting. For more details on SBM Offshore’s compliance program reference is made to section 3.6.2. The Code of Conduct can be found on the Company website.

Compliance with the code

SBM Offshore complies with the principles and best practices of the Corporate Governance Code.