Responsible business oversight
The Board of Directors
The Board and its committees maintain oversight for responsible business initiatives, engaging with senior management on risk management and activities, policies, and progress on these matters.
The Directors and Corporate Governance Committee
Oversees policies and practices related to corporate social responsibility, sustainability and other environmental, social and governance matters.
The Executive Compensation and Management Resources Committee
Oversees IBM’s compensation programs and employee engagement as an indicator of company culture and reviews IBM’s talent management, inclusion and other management resources programs.
The Audit Committee
Oversees key controls and processes regarding publicly reported environmental, social and governance data, as well as compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
Responsible Business Executive Steering Committee
The Responsible Business Executive Steering Committee is a cross-functional body that convenes quarterly to provide leadership and direction on key responsible business matters and organization-wide goals. Responsible business priorities are integrated throughout the organization via cross‑functional engagement mechanisms that elevate insights and recommendations to the Steering Committee.
Risk management
At IBM, we believe that innovation and leadership are impossible without taking risks. We also recognize that imprudent acceptance of risk or the failure to appropriately identify and mitigate risk could negatively impact stockholder value. Oversight of IBM’s risk management processes is a shared responsibility:
- The Board of Directors and its Committees have responsibility for oversight of IBM’s risk management processes and controls and regularly receive reports from management on salient risks and mitigation strategies. The Committees regularly provide reports to the full Board on the risk areas they are responsible for and other risks that may emerge.
- IBM’s management is responsible for the day-to-day implementation and execution of risk management processes and controls, and for managing and addressing the risks identified through IBM’s comprehensive annual enterprise risk review.
Business ethics
Every year, IBM employees worldwide participate in IBM’s Business Conduct Guidelines (BCGs) program to certify their understanding of those Guidelines and recommit to doing business with integrity. The IBM BCG policy and the accompanying certification course are available in multiple languages and address the ethical dilemmas that employees may face day-to-day.
Our internal reporting channels enable employees to report concerns, including suspected violations of our BCGs and potential unethical or unlawful behavior within IBM. Similar reporting channels have been established for suppliers, business partners and others to raise concerns.
