Corporate Governance and ESG Oversight
Board of Directors
S&P Global is committed to the highest standards of corporate governance. Our Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the company’s direction and strategy, taking into account the interests of our shareholders as well as other stakeholders, including oversight of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Other than our CEO, all Directors are independent and elected annually. Because we believe diversity is an important attribute of a well-functioning board, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee works to ensure Directors bring appropriately varied backgrounds, perspectives, skills and experience to help guide the growth and performance of the company.
For additional information on our Board of Directors, including committees and assignments, please see our 2024 Proxy Statement.
Our 10-member Executive Committee is comprised of executive leaders from across the company. This committee currently includes three women and three persons of color.
Board of Directors Profile and Demographics (as of May 2024)
ESG Oversight and Leadership
The Board views oversight and effective management of ESG-related risks and opportunities as essential to the company’s ability to execute its strategy and achieve long-term sustainable growth. As such, the full Board receives regular updates on a variety of ESG topics, including sustainability and climate-related matters, as part of its annual, in-depth strategy and risk management sessions, as well as ongoing discussions and committee reports throughout the year. The full Board also receives biannual updates on the company’s ESG products and offerings.
In addition to oversight by the full Board, the Board coordinates with its various committees to ensure active and ongoing committee-level oversight of the company’s management of ESG-related risks and opportunities across the relevant committees. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee oversees sustainability matters, while our Compensation and Leadership Development Committee oversees and regularly engages with management on a broad range of human capital management topics, including culture and purpose; talent attraction and development; succession planning; compensation and benefits; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); workplace health, safety and wellbeing; and employee engagement and retention.
Our ESG leadership structure at the management level also reflects our focus on ESG issues and commitment to provide value to our stakeholders. The Corporate Responsibility and DEI functions are managed by our Chief Corporate Responsibility & Diversity Officer, who also serves as the Chair of the S&P Global Foundation Board. This reinforces our internal DEI and ESG integration efforts and drives employee volunteerism and philanthropic giving through the S&P Global Foundation. The Corporate Responsibility team directs efforts to help minimize S&P Global’s environmental impact and transition to a net-zero future, in coordination with other key internal stakeholders across the business. Along with our Executive Committee, this team manages the Company’s ESG reporting and provides regular updates to the Board on our strategy, activities and progress. Other senior leaders also provide input through internal committees such as our Environmental Health & Safety Committee. Our global Corporate Responsibility team implements day-to-day programs with support from senior leaders and relevant corporate functions.
These efforts are further supported by the Nonfinancial Disclosure Working Group, which consists of a cross-section of senior leaders and provides strategic oversight of all the company’s sustainability-related disclosure documents.
S&P Global’s Board of Directors, CEO and Executive Committee review our annual Impact, DEI and Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Reports.