Corporate Governance Statement
Governance at BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton’s corporate objective is: to create long-term value through the discovery, development and conversion of natural resources and the provision of innovative customer and market-focused solutions.
In pursuing the Corporate Objective, we have committed to the highest level of governance and strive to foster a culture that values and rewards exemplary ethical standards, personal and corporate integrity and respect for others.
Our approach to governance is predicated on the belief that there is a link between high-quality governance and the creation of shareholder value. Our expectations of our employees and those to whom we contract business are set out in our Guide to Business Conduct. A copy of the Guide can be found at www.bhpbilliton.com/aboutus/governance.
This Statement outlines BHP Billiton’s system of governance. Shareholders are reminded that BHP Billiton operates as a single economic entity under a Dual Listed Company (DLC) structure with a unified Board and management. It has primary listings in Australia and the UK and is registered in the US and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In formulating our governance framework, the regulatory requirements in Australia, the UK and the US have been taken into account, together with prevailing standards of best practice. Where governance principles vary across these jurisdictions, as they inevitably do, the Directors have resolved to adopt what they consider to be the better of the prevailing standards.
