Corporate Ethics, Conflicts of Interest and Code of Conduct
HC-2.2.2
Each member of the board must understand that under the Company Law he is personally accountable to the
licensee and theshareholders if he violates his legal duty of loyalty to thelicensee , and that he can be personally sued by thelicensee or theshareholders for such violations.January 2014HC-2.2.3
The board must establish corporate standards for
approved persons and employees. This requirement should be met by way of a documented and published code of conduct or similar document. These standards must be communicated throughout thelicensee , so that theapproved persons and staff understand the importance of conducting business based on good corporate governance values and understand their accountabilities to the various stakeholders of the licensee.Licensee's approved persons and staff must be informed of and be required to fulfil their responsibilities to the stakeholders.January 2014HC-2.2.4
An internal code of conduct is separate from the business strategy of a
licensee . A code of conduct should outline the practices thatapproved persons and staff should follow in performing their duties.Licensees may wish to use procedures and policies to complement their codes of conduct. The suggested contents of a code of conduct are covered below:(a) Commitment by the board and management to the code. The code of conduct should be linked to the objectives of thelicensee , and its responsibilities and undertakings to customers,shareholders , staff and the wider community (see HC-2.2.3 and HC-2.2.4). The code should give examples or expectations of honesty, integrity, leadership and professionalism;(b) Commitment to the law and best practice standards. This commitment would include commitments to following accounting standards, industry best practice (such as ensuring that information to clients is clear, fair, and not misleading), transparency, and rules concerning potential conflicts of interest (see HC-2.3);(c) Employment practices. This would include rules concerning health and safety of employees, training, policies on the acceptance and giving of business courtesies, prohibition on the offering and acceptance of bribes, and potential misuse oflicensee's assets;(d) How thelicensee deals with disputes and complaints (see Chapter BC-2) from clients and monitors compliance with the code; and(e) Confidentiality. Disclosure of client orlicensee information should be prohibited, except where disclosure is required by law (see HC-1.2.10 b).January 2014HC-2.2.5
The CBB expects that the board and its members individually and collectively:
(a) Act with honesty, integrity and in good faith, with due diligence and care, with a view to the best interest of thelicensee and itsshareholders and other stakeholders (see Paragraphs HC-2.2.2 to HC-2.2.4);(b) Act within the scope of their responsibilities (which should be clearly defined – see HC-1.2.9 and HC-1.2.11) and not participate in the day-to-day management of thelicensee ;(c) Have a proper understanding of, and competence to deal with the affairs and products of thelicensee and devote sufficient time to their responsibilities; and(d) To independently assess and question the policies, processes and procedures of thelicensee , with the intent to identify and initiate management action on issues requiring improvement. (i.e. to act as checks and balances on management).January 2014HC-2.2.6
The duty of loyalty (mentioned in Paragraph HC-2.2.2) includes a duty not to use property of the
licensee for his personal needs as though it was his own property, not to disclose confidential information of thelicensee or use it for his personal profit, not to take business opportunities of thelicensee for himself, not to compete in business with thelicensee , and to serve thelicensee's interest in any transactions with alicensee in which he has a personal interest.January 2014HC-2.2.7
For purposes of Paragraph HC-2.2.6, an
approved person should be considered to have a "personal interest" in a transaction with alicensee if:(a) He himself; or(b) A member of his family (i.e. spouse, father, mother, sons, daughters, brothers or sisters); or(c) Anotherlicensee of which he is adirector or controller,is a party to the transaction or has a material financial interest in the transaction. (Transactions and interests which are de minimis in value should not be included.)
January 2014