The Board

The Board and its principal Committees

The Board normally meets at least seven times during the year. In 2011 the Board met eleven times. There is a formal schedule of matters reserved for the Board's decision, the main terms of which are shown here. The Board has established a number of Committees with defined terms of reference and receives reports of their proceedings. The principal Committees are the Remuneration Committee, the Nomination Committee, the Audit Committee and the Safety and Environment Committee. The members of each principal Committee and main duties are as set out within the Annual Report. In addition there is an Executive Committee with authority to approve routine matters of business and a Tax and Treasury Committee which reviews the Group's tax planning, banking facilities and treasury reports. The number of meetings of the Board and its Committees during the year and individual attendance by the Board and Committee members at these meetings can be found here. All of the Committees are authorised to obtain legal or other professional advice as necessary, to secure the attendance of external advisors at their meetings and to seek information required from any employee of the Company in order to perform their duties. The full terms of reference of the principal Committees are available on the Company's website at www.nationalexpressgroup.com.

During the year the Chairman met on several occasions with the Non-Executives without the Executive Directors present to allow informal discussions on a variety of issues.

The Executive Directors are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Group's businesses, implementation of its strategy, policies and budgets and its financial performance. Executive management meetings, involving the Executive Directors and senior management from the divisions are held regularly to discuss current issues.

The Company purchases Directors' and Officers' Liability Insurance for the Company and its subsidiaries, which gives appropriate cover for any legal action brought against its Directors.

Information and professional development

Reports from the Executive Directors, which include in-depth financial information, are circulated to Board members prior to every Board meeting. Senior management and advisors give presentations to the Board on significant matters during the year.

Under the direction of the Chairman, the Company Secretary is responsible for ensuring Board procedures are followed and applicable rules and regulations are complied with and advises the Board on governance matters. All Directors have access to the advice and services of the Company Secretary and the appointment or removal of the Company Secretary is a matter for the Board as a whole. There is a procedure in place for any Director to take independent professional advice where considered necessary.

On appointment, Directors are offered training as appropriate and are thereafter encouraged to keep abreast of matters affecting their duties as a Director and to attend training courses relevant to their role. An induction process is in place for new Directors, the aims of which are to:

• build an understanding of the nature of the Company, its business and the markets in which it operates;
• establish a link with the Group's employees; and
• build an understanding of the Group's main relationships including stakeholders and customers.

Performance evaluation

Formal evaluation of the Board's performance is periodically carried out  An internal evaulation was commenced in late 2010 and completed in the first quarter of 2011.  The Board review concluded that generally the Board was considered to be working very well. The Board felt tht it was receiving high quality information to aid decision-making both in terms of the Board papers and specialist informaiton provided.  In late 2011 the Board commenced an externally facilitated Board review process and further information on this process and performance evaluation can be found here.

Re-election

In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association and the relevant corporate governance codes all Directors will retire at the AGM 2012 and submit themselves for re-election. Non-Executive Directors are appointed for specific terms, subject to re-election. Non-Executive Directors will only be put forward for re-election if, following performance evaluation, the Board believes the Director's performance continues to be effective and demonstrates commitment to the role.

Remuneration and service contracts

The Directors' Remuneration Report, including details of remuneration policy and service contracts, is set out within the Annual Report here.

Directors' conflicts of interest

The Board has a procedure in place to deal with a situation where a Director has a conflict of interest, as required by the Companies Act 2006. As part of this process, the members of the Board prepare a list of other positions held and all other conflict situations that may need authorising either in relation to the Director concerned or his/her connected persons. The Board considers each Director's situation and decides whether to approve any conflict situations, taking into consideration what is in the best interests of the Company and whether the Director's ability to act in accordance with his or her wider duties is affected. Each Director is required to notify the Company Secretary of any potential or actual conflict situations that will need authorising by the Board. Authorisations given by the Board are reviewed annually.

Accountability and audit

Statements of the respective responsibilities of the Directors and auditors are set out in the Annual Report within the Governance Section of the Annual Report and the Independent Auditor's Report.