Pursuant to section 3-3(b) of the Norwegian Accounting Act, the Norwegian Code of Practice for Corporate Governance, last revised by the Norwegian Corporate Governance Board on 14 October 2021 (the "Code"; which recommendations are highlighted in blue text below), and section 4.4 of the Oslo Stock Exchange's "Oslo Rule Book II – Issuer Rules", the board of directors (the "Board") of AKVA group ASA ("AKVA group" or the "Company", and together with its subsidiaries the "Group") reviews and updates the Company’s principles for corporate governance on an annual basis. This report is included in the Company’s annual report.

he Code is available on https://nues.no/.

1. IMPLEMENTATION AND REPORTING ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The board of directors must ensure that the company implements sound corporate governance. The board of directors must provide a report on the company’s corporate governance in the directors' report or in a document that is referred to in the directors' report. The report on the company’s corporate governance must cover every section of the Code of Practice. If the company does not fully comply with the Code of Practice, the company must provide an explanation of the reason for the deviation and what solution it has selected.

The Board of AKVA group has defined guidelines to ensure that the Company has sound corporate governance to, inter alia, support achievement of the Company's core objectives on behalf of its shareholders and to create a strong, sustainable company. The Board believes that good corporate governance involves openness and a trustful cooperation between all parties involved in and with the Group: The shareholders, the Board and the management, employees, customers, suppliers, public authorities and the society in general.

By pursuing the principles of corporate governance, approved by the Board, the Board and management shall contribute to achieving the following objectives:

  • Openness and honesty. Communication with the interest groups of AKVA group shall be based on openness and honesty on issues relevant for the evaluation of the development and position of the Company.
  • Independence. The relationship between the Board, the management and the shareholders shall be based on independence. Independence shall ensure that decisions are made on an unbiased and neutral basis.
  • Equal treatment. AKVA group has equal treatment and equal rights for all shareholders as one of its primary objectives.
  • Control and management. Good control and corporate governance mechanisms shall contribute to predictability and reduce the level of risks for shareholders and other interest groups.

The development of, and improvements in, AKVA group's corporate governance principles are considered by the Board as ongoing and important processes.

The individual recommendations in the Code are discussed below. To a large extent AKVA group’s principles correspond to the Code. Possible deviations from the Code are discussed under the relevant sections below, and any deviation is accounted for and any alternative practice adopted by the Company explained.

Deviation from the Recommendation: None

2. ​BUSINESS

The company’s articles of association should clearly describe the business that the company shall operate. The board of directors should define clear objectives, strategies and risk profiles for the company's business activities such that the company creates value for shareholders. The company should have guidelines for how it integrates considerations related to its stakeholders into its value creation. The board of directors should evaluate these objectives, strategies, and risk profiles at least yearly.

The operations of AKVA group shall be in compliance with the business objective as set forth in paragraph 3 of the Company’s articles of association (the "Articles of Association") which reads as follows:

“The purpose of the company is to develop, produce, project, sell and market own and purchased products, and everything connected to such activity, including participation in other companies with similar activities. The activities of the company shall in particular be directed towards technology for farming of fish and animals.”
 
The full Articles of Association are available at:

Articles of association

The Company’s strategic goals and objectives are described thoroughly in the annual report.

The Board has defined clear objectives, strategies and risk profiles for the Company's business activities to ensure that the Company creates value for shareholders in a sustainable manner. These objectives, strategies and risk profiles are evaluated by the Board yearly. The Board shall identify and assess which aspects of sustainability that from time to time are relevant to the Group's business.

The Company has established guidelines and a Code of Conduct addressing corporate social responsibility, including matters that relate to human rights, employee rights and social matters, the external environment, the prevention of corruption, the working environment, equal treatment, discrimination, and environmental impact, as well as setting out defined values upon which the Company shall base its activities. These are reviewed on a yearly basis and are described in a separate statement included in the annual report as required under the Norwegian Accounting Act.

Deviation from the Recommendation: None