Duties and Activities of the Board of Management
The Board of Management of Bayer AG defines the long-term goals and the strategies for the company and the Group and sets forth the principles and directives for the resulting corporate policies. It coordinates and monitors the most important activities, defines the portfolio, develops and deploys managerial staff, allocates resources and decides on the Group’s financial steering and reporting.
The members of the Board of Management bear joint responsibility for running the business as a whole. However, the individual members manage the areas assigned to them on their own responsibility within the framework of the decisions made by the full Board. The allocation of functions among the members of the Board of Management is defined in a written schedule.
The full Board of Management makes decisions on all matters of fundamental importance and in cases where a decision of the full Board is prescribed by law or otherwise mandatory. The rules of procedure of the Board of Management contain a list of topics that must be dealt with and resolved by the full Board.
Meetings of the Board of Management are held regularly. They are convened by the Chairman of the Board of Management. Any member of the Board of Management may also demand that a meeting be convened. The Board of Management makes decisions by a simple majority of the votes cast, except where unanimity is required by law. In the event of a tie, the Chairman has the casting vote.
According to the Board of Management’s rules of procedure and the functional responsibilities assigned to its members, the Chairman bears particular responsibility for leading and coordinating the Board’s work. He represents the company and the Group in dealings with third parties and the workforce on matters relating to more than one part of the company or the Group. He also bears special responsibility for certain functions.
In addition to the function of Board Chairman (the incumbent also serving as Labor Director), there are three functions with special responsibility for the operating divisions and one Finance function: Finance; Human Resources, Technology and Sustainability (the incumbent also serving as Labor Director); and Innovation.
A Deal Committee was established within the Board of Management that makes final decisions with regard to acquisitions and divestitures and license transactions of a defined, medium size. There are no other committees within the Board of Management.
