Independent Director with Human Rights Expertise

2019 – Motorola Solutions Inc

 

 

WHEREAS, Motorola Solutions, Inc., a global corporation, faces increasingly complex problems as the international social and cultural context changes.

 

Companies are faced with ethical and legal challenges arising from diverse cultures and political and economic contexts. Today, management must address issues that include human rights, workers' right to organize, non-discrimination in the workplace, protection of environment, and sustainable community development. Motorola Solutions itself does business in countries with human rights challenges including China, Singapore, Middle East, Israel and occupied Palestinian territories.

 

We believe global companies must implement comprehensive codes of conduct, such as those found in Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Bench Marks for Measuring Business Performance, developed by an international group of religious investors (www.bench-marks.org).

 

Human rights expertise at both management and board levels is critical to industrials companies' success because of significant issues associated with their operations. These impact shareholders, lenders, host country governments and regulators, as well as affected communities and indigenous peoples. Companies' ability to demonstrate policies and best practices reflecting internationally accepted human rights standards can lead to successful business planning or, if not in place, difficulties in raising new capital and obtaining the necessary licenses from regulators.

 

We believe Motorola Solutions' Board of Directors would benefit by electing to its Board independent specialists versed in all business aspects of human rights. Just one authoritative figure with acknowledged expertise and standing could perform a valuable role in ways that would enable the Board to address more effectively the issues and risks inherent in its present business model regarding human rights. It would help ensure that the highest levels of attention are focused on developing human rights standards for new projects.

 

RESOLVED, shareholders request that, as elected board directors' terms of office expire, the Motorola Solutions Board Nominating Committee nominate for Board election at least one candidate who: has a high level of human rights expertise and experience in human rights matters relevant to Company production and supply chain, related risks, and is widely recognized in business and human rights communities as such, as reasonably determined by the Board, and will qualify, subject to exceptions in extraordinary circumstances explicitly specified by the Board, as an independent director.*

 

*A director shall not be considered "independent" if, during the last three years, she or he:

- was, or is affiliated with a company that was an advisor or consultant to Company;

- was employed by or had a personal service contract(s) with Company or senior management;

- was affiliated with a company or non-profit entity that received the greater of $2 million or 2% of its gross annual revenues from Company;

- had a business relationship with Company worth at least $100,000 annually;

- has been employed by a public company at which an executive officer of Company serves as a director;

- had a relationship of the sorts described herein with any affiliate of Company; and

- was a spouse, parent, child, sibling or in-law of any person described above.