Governance

The directors of the business groups and Cosun directors with a functional portfolio, such as Innovation, Corporate Development and Finance & Control, make up the Cosun Executive Board.

The Board’s primary duty is to manage the cooperative. It also has final responsibility for the formulation and implementation of the policy for the Cooperative and all the Cosun companies.  The Board has nine members, three of whom are not members of the cooperative.

The Supervisory Board supervises the policy pursued by the Board.  As an independent body, it advises the Board and the Members’ Council on its own initiative and when requested. Together with the external auditor, it examines the Cooperative’s annual accounts. The Supervisory Board has six members, two of whom are not members of the Cooperative.

Cosun members elect the committee of the district/section in which their company is located. All the Cosun District Committees together form the Members’ Council. This body elects the members of the Board from a list of candidates put forward by the Board.  It also elects the members of the Supervisory Board from the list of candidates put forward by the Supervisory Board.  The Members’ Council also adopts the annual accounts, the Articles of Association and the regulations on the Board’s recommendation.  Finally, it also serves as a sounding board for the Board. The Members’ Council consists of 61 members, who are all members of the Cooperative. Cosun has drawn up a job description for members of the District Committees and the Members’ Council.

The Youth Council is the talent pool for managers within the cooperative. The members of the Youth Council represent aspiring and young members. Local district and section managers nominate one or more members of the Youth Council. Together they form the national Youth Council.