We believe the trust of investors, cardholders, merchants and financial institution clients needs to be earned. That is why Visa commits to the highest standards of professional and personal conduct and always seeks to act with openness and transparency. We have implemented a robust governance structure, and we regularly monitor our corporate governance policies and practises to ensure we meet or exceed the requirements of applicable laws, regulations and rules, the NYSE's listing standards and the expectations of our investors.
Visa's corporate governance framework, including our Corporate Governance guidelines exemplifies our commitment to these standards.
Key components include:
- Our Board of Directors is comprised entirely of independent directors (other than our CEO), as are the key committees of the Board (Compensation, Audit and Risk, and Governance);
- Each director is elected annually by our shareholders
- Independent directors meet regularly in executive sessions;
- Committee chairs are generally rotated at least once every 5 years;
- The Board and each Committee conduct annual self-evaluations and peer reviews, and our Board is actively engaged in succession planning at the Board and management levels
- The charters of the Board's committees clearly establish the roles and responsibilities of each of the committees
Visa also has a comprehensive Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for how we conduct everyday business activities around the world. The Code applies to all directors, officers, employees and contingent staff and covers a wide range of business practises and standards. The Code requires personnel to engage in honest and ethical conduct in performing their duties, details guidelines for how we ethically handle actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships and provides a mechanism for anyone inside or outside the company to report a suspected violation of the Code.
Download Visa's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
As a further extension of our commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainability and to seek to mitigate risk in our supply chain, Visa has adopted a new Supplier Code of Conduct to articulate our expectations to those who provide us with goods and/or services. The Code goes beyond compliance with local law and is based upon universal principles that align with Visa’s values globally. The Code outlines our expectations of our suppliers in areas including human rights, employment practices, environmental impact, supplier diversity, conflicts of interest and other areas of responsible business.