Corporate Governance Practices
The Board is committed to maintaining a good corporate governance standard, with the Chairman being primarily responsible for establishing relevant practices and procedures. The Board believes that a good corporate governance standard will provide a framework for the Group to formulate its business strategies and policies, and manage the associated risks through effective internal control procedures. It will also enhance the transparency of the Group and strengthen accountability to shareholders and creditors. Therefore the Board has reviewed and will continue to review and improve the Company’s corporate governance practices from time to time.
Directors’ Securities Transactions
The Company has adopted the Model Code for Securities Transactions by Directors of Listed Issuers set out in Appendix 10 of the Listing Rules as the code of conduct for dealing in securities of the Company by the Directors (the “Required Standard of Dealings”).
Functions, Roles and Responsibilities of the Board
The Board is responsible for leadership and control of the Group and is collectively responsible for promoting the success of the Group by directing and supervising the Group’s affairs. The Board focuses on formulating the Group’s overall strategies, authorising the development plan and budget; monitoring financial and operating performance; reviewing the effectiveness of the internal control system; supervising and managing management’s performance of the Group; and setting the Group’s values and standards. The Board delegates the day-to-day management, administration and operation of the Group to the Chief Executive Officer and senior management. The delegated functions are reviewed by the Board periodically to ensure that they accommodate the needs of the Group. The abovementioned personnel should report back and obtain prior approval from the Board before making any significant decisions or entering into any significant commitments on the Company’s behalf, and they may not exceed any authority given to them by resolutions of the Board or the Company.
The Non-executive Director does not involve general management and day-to-day operation of the Group. However, he will provide advice on strategic direction for the Group in Board meetings.
The Independent Non-executive Directors bring a wide range of business and financial expertise, experience and independent judgement to the Board, on issues of strategic direction, policies, development, performance and risk management. Through active participation in Board meetings, taking the lead in managing issues involving potential conflict of interests and serving on Board committees, they scrutinise the Company’s performance in achieving corporate goals and objectives and monitor performance reporting. By doing so, they are able to contribute positively to the Company’s strategy and policies through independent, constructive and informed comments at Board and committee meetings.
Each Director has confirmed that he can give sufficient time and attention to the Company’s affairs, and has regularly provided information on the number and nature of offices held in public companies or organisations and other significant commitments, including the identity of such companies or organisations and an indication of the time involved.
The Company has arranged appropriate insurance cover for Directors’ liabilities in respect of legal actions against them for corporate activities.
Board/Board Committee Meetings
The Board is scheduled to meet in person or through other electronic means of communication at least four times a year to, among other matters, review past financial and operating performance and discuss the Group’s direction and strategy. An agenda and accompanying papers together with all appropriate information will be sent to all Directors at least 3 days before each Board or committee meeting so as to ensure timely access to relevant information. Appropriate notice of at least 14 days for regular Board meetings and reasonable notice for other Board committee meetings will be given to all Directors, who will all be given an opportunity to attend and include matters in the agenda for discussion. Senior management will be invited to join all Board meetings to enhance communication between the Board and management; the Board and each Director will also have separate and independent access to senior management whenever necessary. The Company Secretary will take detailed minutes of the meetings and keep records of matters discussed and decisions resolved at the meetings, including any concerns raised or dissenting views expressed by Directors, and the voting results of Board meetings fairly reflect Board consensus. Both draft and final versions of the minutes will be sent to all Directors for their comments and records respectively, within a reasonable time after each meeting, and such minutes will be open for inspection with reasonable advance notice by any Director. Directors are entitled to have access to board papers and related materials, and any queries will be responded to fully.
Upon reasonable request to the Board, the Directors can seek independent professional advice in performing their duties at the Company’s expense, if necessary. According to the current Board’s practice, should a potential conflict of interest involving a substantial shareholder or Director of the Company arise, the matter will be discussed in a Board meeting, as opposed to being dealt with by written resolution. Independent Non-executive Directors with no conflict of interest will be present at such meetings. When the Board considers any proposal or transaction in which a Director has a conflict of interest, the Director concern will declare his/her interest and abstains from voting.
Nomination Policy
The Company has adopted a Nomination Policy which sets out the selection criteria of Board members and the appointment process. In assessing the suitability of a candidate for directorship, the Nomination Committee shall consider the following criteria:
- Accomplishment, experience, reputation in the manufacturing industry and qualifications which include professional and academic qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience that are relevant to the Company’s business and corporate strategy;
- The number of existing directorships and other commitments that may demand the attention of the candidate;
- The ability to assist and support the management and make significant contributions to the Company’s success;
- Willingness to devote sufficient time to discharge his/her duties as a Board member and other directorships and commitment in respect of time, interest and attention to the Company’s business;
- Requirement for the Board to have Independent Non-executive Directors in accordance with the Listing Rules and whether the candidate would be considered independent with reference to the independence guidelines set out in Rule 3.13 of the Listing Rules;
- Board Diversity Policy of the Company and any measurable objectives adopted by the Board for achieving diversity on the Board;
- Any other relevant factors as may be determined by the Board from time to time.
Director Nomination Procedure
Subject to the provisions in the Articles of Association of the Company and the Listing Rules, if the Board recognizes the need for an additional Director or a member of senior management, the following procedure will be followed:
- The Nomination Committee and/or the Board will identify potential candidate(s) based on the criteria as set out in the selection criteria, possibly with assistance from external agencies and/or advisors;
- The Nomination Committee and/or the Company Secretary of the Company will then provide the Board with the biographical details of the candidate(s) and details of his/her/their relationship with the Company and/or Directors, directorships held, skills and experience, other positions which involve significant time commitment and any other particulars required by the Listing Rules, the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and other regulatory requirements for any candidate(s) for appointment to the Board;
- The Nomination Committee would then make recommendation to the Board on the proposed candidate(s) and the terms and conditions of the appointment;
- The Nomination Committee should ensure that the proposed candidate(s) will enhance the diversity of the Board, being particularly mindful of gender balance;
- In the case of the appointment of an Independent Non-executive Director, the Nomination Committee should obtain all information in relation to the proposed Director to allow the Board to adequately assess the independence of the Director in accordance with the factors set out in Rule 3.13 of the Listing Rules, subject to any amendments as may be made by the Stock Exchange from time to time; and
- The Board will then deliberate and decide on the appointment based upon the recommendation of the Nomination Committee.
Accountability and Audit
The Board acknowledges its responsibility to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group. The Board is not aware of any material uncertainties relating to events or condition that might cast significant doubt upon the Company’s ability to continue in business.
Accordingly, the Board has prepared the financial statements of the Company on a going concern basis. The Board also acknowledges its responsibility to present a balanced, clear and comprehensible assessment in the Company’s annual and half-yearly reports, other price-sensitive announcements and other financial disclosures required under the Listing Rules, and reports to the regulators as well as to information required to be disclosed pursuant to statutory requirements.
The above statements, which should be read in conjunction with the independent auditor’s report, are made with a view to distinguishing for Shareholders how the responsibilities of the Directors differ from those of the auditor in relation to the financial statements.
Risk Management and Internal Control
The main features of the risk management and internal control systems are to provide a clear governance structure, policies and procedures, as well as reporting mechanism to facilitate the Group to manage its risks across business operations.
The Group has established a risk management framework, which consists of the Board of Directors, the Audit Committee and the Senior Management. The Board of Directors determines the nature and extent of risks that shall be taken in achieving the Group’s strategic objectives, and has the overall responsibility for monitoring the design, implementation and the overall effectiveness of risk management and internal control systems.
The Group has formulated and adopted Risk Management Policy in providing direction in identifying, evaluating and managing significant risks. At least on an annual basis, the Senior Management should identify risks that would adversely affect the achievement of the Group’s objectives, and assess and prioritize the identified risks according to a set of standard criteria. Risk mitigation plans and risk owners should then be established for those risks considered to be significant.
In addition, the Group has engaged an independent professional advisor to assist the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee in ongoing monitoring of the risk management and internal control systems of the Group. Deficiencies in the design and implementation of internal controls are to be identified and recommendations to be proposed for improvement. Significant internal control deficiencies should be reported to the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors on a timely basis to ensure prompt remediation actions are taken.
The Board of Directors had performed annual review on the effectiveness of the Group’s risk management and internal control systems, including but not limited to the Group’s ability to cope with its business transformation and changing external environment; the scope and quality of management’s review on risk management and internal control systems; result of internal audit work; the extent and frequency of communication with the Board of Directors in relation to result of risk and internal control review; significant failures or weaknesses identified and their related implications; and status of compliance with the Listing Rules. The Board of Directors considers the Group’s risk management and internal control systems are effective.
The risk management and internal control systems are designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve business objectives, and can only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance against material misstatement or loss.
Procedures and internal controls for the handling and dissemination of inside information
The Group complies with requirements of Securities & Futures Ordinance (“SFO”) and the Listing Rules. The Group discloses inside information to the public as soon as reasonably practicable unless the information falls within any of the Safe Harbours as provided in the SFO. Before the information is fully disclosed to the public, the Group ensures the information is kept strictly confidential. If the Group believes that the necessary degree of confidentiality cannot be maintained or that confidentiality may have been breached, the Group would immediately disclose the information to the public. The Group is committed to ensure that information contained in announcements is not false or misleading as to a material fact, or false or misleading through the omission of a material fact in view of presenting information in a clear and balanced way, which requires equal disclosure of both positive and negative facts.