Corporate Governance
Related links
Downloads
*Text adopted by Ternium S.A. and taken as a model for the text approved, and applicable to each of its subsidiaries, except Siderar & Tenigal.
The Company
Ternium S.A. is organized as a public limited liability company (société anonyme), organized under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Company holds controlling stakes in steel companies operating in Latin America and the Southern United States. San Faustín S.A., the holding company of the Techint Group, an international group of companies, has a 62% controlling interest in Ternium. San Faustín also has controlling interests in Tenaris, a global supplier of steel pipes and related services mainly for the energy industry which holds an additional 11% interest in Ternium; Tecpetrol, an oil and gas company; Techint, an engineering and construction company; Tenova, a supplier of equipment and technology for iron mining and steel; and Humanitas, a network of hospitals in Italy.
The Company has an authorized share capital of a single class of 3.5 billion shares having a nominal value of $1.00 per share. The general extraordinary meeting of shareholders held on May 6, 2015 renewed the validity of the Company’s authorized share capital until 2020. As of December 31, 2017, there were 2,004,743,442 shares issued and outstanding, of which 41,666,666 are held in the Company’s treasury.
The Company’s ADSs are listed in the New York Stock Exchange. Each ADS represents ten shares. Holders of ADSs only have those rights that are expressly granted to them in the deposit agreement dated January 31, 2006, among the Company, The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly The Bank of New York), as depositary, and all owners and beneficial owners from time to time of ADRs of the Company. ADS holders may not attend or directly exercise voting rights in shareholders’ meetings, but may instruct the depositary how to exercise the voting rights for the shares, which underlie their ADSs. Holders of ADSs maintaining noncertificated positions must follow instructions given by their broker or custodian bank.
Our articles of association provide that our annual ordinary general shareholders’ meetings must take place in Luxembourg on the first Wednesday of every May at 2:30 p.m., Luxembourg time. At these meetings, our annual financial statements are approved and the members of our board of directors are elected. No attendance quorum is required at annual ordinary general shareholders’ meetings and resolutions are adopted by a simple majority vote of the shares represented at the meeting. There are no limitations currently imposed by Luxembourg law on the rights of non-resident shareholders to hold or vote the Company’s shares.
The Company’s board of directors is currently comprised of eight directors, of whom three are independent under the articles of association and SEC regulations applicable to foreign private issuers.
The board of directors has an audit committee consisting of three independent members. The charter of the audit committee sets forth, among other things, the audit committee’s purpose and responsibilities, which include the responsibility to review material transactions with related parties to determine whether their terms are consistent with market conditions or are otherwise fair to the Company and/or its subsidiaries. In addition, the audit committee reports to the board of directors on the adequacy of the systems of internal control over financial reporting.
Ternium has adopted a Code of Conduct incorporating guidelines and standards of integrity
and transparency that applies to all directors, officers and employees. In addition, it has adopted a Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers, a Transparency Policy governing relationships with third parties, a Policy on Business Conduct, a Code of Conduct for Suppliers, an Antifraud Policy, a Policy on Securities Trading and a Human Rights Policy.
Ternium has an internal audit area that reports to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and, with respect to internal control over financial reporting, to the Audit Committee. The internal audit area evaluates and reassures the effectiveness of control processes, risk management and governance.
Ternium established and encourages the use of a web-based anonymous compliance line to report situations contrary to the Code of Conduct, which operates according to the procedures designed by the internal audit area.
Ternium has an Internal Control and Business Conduct Compliance Officer reporting to the
CEO of the Company, who has responsibility for identifying and mitigating corruption risks and fostering a culture of ethical and transparent conduct, and for designing norms aligned with national and international laws against corruption and bribery.
Ternium purchases most of its supplies through Exiros, a specialized procurement company whose ownership we share with Tenaris. Ternium’s suppliers undergo a rigorous process of selection to ensure governance standards are in place, in line with applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with our Health and Safety and Environmental policies and Code of Conduct.
Our Code of Conduct for Suppliers covers ethical behavior, compliance with law, and health, safety and environmental care.
The board of directors has an audit committee consisting of three independent members. The charter of the audit committee sets forth, among other things, the audit committee’s purpose and responsibilities, which include the responsibility to review material transactions with related parties to determine whether their terms are consistent with market conditions or are otherwise fair to the Company and/or its subsidiaries. In addition, the audit committee reports to the board of directors on the adequacy of the systems of internal control over financial reporting.
Ternium has adopted a Code of Conduct incorporating guidelines and standards of integrity
and transparency that applies to all directors, officers and employees. In addition, it has adopted a Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers, a Transparency Policy governing relationships with third parties, a Policy on Business Conduct, a Code of Conduct for Suppliers, an Antifraud Policy, a Policy on Securities Trading and a Human Rights Policy.
Ternium has an internal audit area that reports to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and, with respect to internal control over financial reporting, to the Audit Committee. The internal audit area evaluates and reassures the effectiveness of control processes, risk management and governance.
Ternium established and encourages the use of a web-based anonymous compliance line to report situations contrary to the Code of Conduct, which operates according to the procedures designed by the internal audit area.
Ternium has an Internal Control and Business Conduct Compliance Officer reporting to the
CEO of the Company, who has responsibility for identifying and mitigating corruption risks and fostering a culture of ethical and transparent conduct, and for designing norms aligned with national and international laws against corruption and bribery.
Ternium purchases most of its supplies through Exiros, a specialized procurement company whose ownership we share with Tenaris. Ternium’s suppliers undergo a rigorous process of selection to ensure governance standards are in place, in line with applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with our Health and Safety and Environmental policies and Code of Conduct.
Our Code of Conduct for Suppliers covers ethical behavior, compliance with law, and health, safety and environmental care.