The Audit Committee has delegated authority from the Board to oversee the integrity of the Group’s financial statements and monitor financial reporting including the annual and interim reports, preliminary results announcements and formal announcements relating to financial performance and reporting. The Committee ensures the effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls and risk management process which identifies, assesses and reports on risks, including oversight of climate-related risks and the Group’s disclosures under the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (‘TCFD’) requirements. The Committee also monitors and reviews the Group’s whistleblowing arrangements.
The Committee monitors and reviews the effectiveness of the Group’s internal audit function, including the approval of any appointment or removal of the head of the internal audit function. The Committee is also responsible for considering and making recommendations to the Board on the appointment, reappointment and removal of external auditors including the setting of their remuneration. It also reviews its independence, including reviewing the impact of any non-audit services provided to the Group by the external auditors. A copy of the External Auditor Independence and Non-Audit Services Policy is available below.
All Committee members are independent non-executives, who collectively have a broad range of FMCG, commercial, operational, IT, financial and marketing experience relevant to the Group's business. In addition to the Committee members, the CEO, CFO, Group Chair, Group Financial Controller, Director of Internal Audit and Risk and external audit lead partners are regularly invited to attend and present at the Committee’s meetings. The Committee is scheduled to meet at least three times a year and meets with the internal and external auditors at least once a year without the executive directors present.