Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 45 Requirements for the management body of a market operator

1. Member States shall require that all members of the management body of any market operator shall at all times be of sufficiently good repute, possess sufficient knowledge, skills and experience to perform their duties. The overall composition of the management body shall reflect an adequately broad range of experience.

2. Members of the management body shall, in particular, fulfil the following requirements:

(a) All members of the management body shall commit sufficient time to perform their functions in the market operator. The number of directorships a member of the management body can hold, in any legal entity, at the same time shall take into account individual circumstances and the nature, scale and complexity of the market operator’s activities.

Unless representing the Member State, members of the management body of market operators that are significant in terms of their size, internal organisation and the nature, the scope and the complexity of their activities shall not at the same time hold positions exceeding more than one of the following combinations:

(i)

one executive directorship with two non-executive directorships;

(ii)

four non-executive directorships.

Executive or non-executive directorships held within the same group or undertakings where the market operator owns a qualifying holding shall be considered to be one single directorship.

Competent authorities may authorise members of the management body to hold one additional non-executive directorship. Competent authorities shall regularly inform ESMA of such authorisations.

Directorships in organisations which do not pursue predominantly commercial objectives shall be exempt from the limitation on the number of directorships a member of a management body can hold.

(b) The management body shall possess adequate collective knowledge, skills and experience to be able to understand the market operator’s activities, including the main risks.

(c) Each member of the management body shall act with honesty, integrity and independence of mind to effectively assess and challenge the decisions of the senior management where necessary and to effectively oversee and monitor decision-making.

3. Market operators shall devote adequate human and financial resources to the induction and training of members of the management body.

4. Member States shall ensure that market operators which are significant in terms of their size, internal organisation and the nature, scope and complexity of their activities establish a nomination committee composed of members of the management body who do not perform any executive function in the market operator concerned.

The nomination committee shall carry out the following:

(a) identify and recommend, for the approval of the management body or for approval of the general meeting, candidates to fill management body vacancies. In doing so, the nomination committee shall evaluate the balance of knowledge, skills, diversity and experience of the management body. Further, the committee shall prepare a description of the roles and capabilities for a particular appointment, and assess the time commitment expected. Furthermore, the nomination committee shall decide on a target for the representation of the underrepresented gender in the management body and prepare a policy on how to increase the number of the underrepresented gender in the management body in order to meet that target;

(b) periodically, and at least annually, assess the structure, size, composition and performance of the management body, and make recommendations to the management body with regard to any changes;

(c) periodically, and at least annually, assess the knowledge, skills and experience of individual members of the management body and of the management body collectively, and report to the management body accordingly;

(d) periodically review the policy of the management body for selection and appointment of senior management and make recommendations to the management body.

In performing its duties, the nomination committee shall, to the extent possible and on an ongoing basis, take account of the need to ensure that the management body’s decision making is not dominated by any one individual or small group of individuals in a manner that is detrimental to the interests of the market operator as a whole.

In performing its duties, the nomination committee shall be able to use any forms of resources it deems appropriate, including external advice.

Where, under national law, the management body does not have any competence in the process of selection and appointment of any of its members, this paragraph shall not apply.

5. Member States or competent authorities shall require market operators and their respective nomination committees to engage a broad set of qualities and competences when recruiting members to the management body and for that purpose to put in place a policy promoting diversity on the management body.

6. Member States shall ensure that the management body of a market operator defines and oversees the implementation of the governance arrangements that ensure effective and prudent management of an organisation, including the segregation of duties in the organisation and the prevention of conflicts of interest, and in a manner that promotes the integrity of the market.

Member States shall ensure that the management body monitors and periodically assesses the effectiveness of the market operator’s governance arrangements and takes appropriate steps to address any deficiencies.

Members of the management body shall have adequate access to information and documents which are needed to oversee and monitor management decision-making.

7. The competent authority shall refuse authorisation if it is not satisfied that the members of the management body of the market operator are of sufficiently good repute, possess sufficient knowledge, skills and experience and commit sufficient time to perform their functions, or if there are objective and demonstrable grounds for believing that the management body of the market operator may pose a threat to its effective, sound and prudent management and to the adequate consideration of the integrity of the market.

Member States shall ensure that, in the process of authorisation of a regulated market, the person or persons who effectively direct the business and the operations of an already authorised regulated market in accordance with this Directive are deemed to comply with the requirements laid down in paragraph 1.

8. Member States shall require the market operator to notify the competent authority of the identity of all members of its management body and of any changes to its membership, along with all information needed to assess whether the market operator complies with paragraphs 1 to 5.

9. ESMA shall issue guidelines on the following:

(a) the notion of sufficient time commitment of a member of the management body to perform that member’s functions, in relation to the individual circumstances and the nature, scale and complexity of activities of the market operator;

(b) the notion of adequate collective knowledge, skills and experience of the management body as referred to in point (b) of paragraph 2;

(c) the notions of honesty, integrity and independence of mind of a member of the management body as referred to in point (c) of paragraph 2;

(d) the notion of adequate human and financial resources devoted to the induction and training of members of the management body as referred to in paragraph 3;

(e) the notion of diversity to be taken into account for the selection of members of the management body as referred to in paragraph 5.

ESMA shall issue those guidelines by 3 January 2016.