GOVERNANCE Governance
I-ne strives to maximize corporate value and sustainable growth by enhancing our management efficiency and transparency.
Corporate Governance
Fundamental Philosophy of Corporate Governance
We regard corporate governance as a mechanism for maximizing corporate value and realizing our management philosophy. Therefore, we will work to build an organizational structure that is capable of making flexible management decisions in response to changes in the business environment, executing business operations, and implementing internal controls and supervisory functions over them.
Corporate Governance Structure
We have established our current corporate governance structure to accelerate management decision-making and enhance corporate value. For more information, please refer to the Corporate Governance Report.
Compliance
Compliance Policy
Our MISSION:
Chain of Happiness - Making the world a happier place through our products at I-ne Group, both executives and employees are conscious of our customers’ (clients and end users) activities that are in line with their intentions.
We are passionate about bringing happiness through our products to our customers, employees, business partners, their families, friends, and everyone involved. To bring as many smiles as possible, our mission as a beauty tech company is to deliver happy experiences to customers worldwide.
At I-ne, where we create innovative ideas and products, we have a diverse workforce with various personalities. Some employees may find complicated rules and regulations challenging to follow. However, compliance is essential to ensure that we achieve our number one priority, which is to put a smile on our customers’ faces.
Therefore, we strictly comply with all global rules and regulations while understanding their significance.
While we value the freedom that enables us to deliver great performance and creativity, we must never overlook the importance of self-discipline.
To maximize our MISSION, we hereby declare that we are fully committed to ensuring compliance.
Anti-Corruption Policy
I-ne Group (hereinafter referred to as “our Group”) considers fair trade and competition as one of the important pillars of compliance and declares that in the compliance policy.
The laws and regulations against bribery and corruption, which are major threats to the rule of law and sustainable development in countries worldwide, are strengthened. To maintain the trust of society and achieve sustainable development, we establish a policy and work to prevent all forms of corruption that abuse professional authority and status for the gain of individuals and organizations, including bribery, embezzlement, breach of trust, obstruction of justice and money laundering in Japan and all countries and regions where we do business.
Efforts to Comply with Compliance
■ Verifying the effectiveness of the Compliance Policy (Code of Conduct) and Anti-Corruption Policy
Since fiscal 2023, we will regularly assess and verify the effectiveness of our Compliance Policy and Anti-Corruption Policy across the I-ne Group (hereafter referred to as “our group”). We will continue to make improvements as needed based on these evaluations. The monitoring process involves the following procedure.
- Annually confirm the number of violations of the Compliance Policy (Code of Conduct) and Anti-Corruption Policy.
- The Compliance and Risk Management Committee will propose amendments to the Compliance Policy(Code of Conduct) or Anti-Corruption Policy if the policy proves inadequate in view of the Internal Audit Department’s analysis of the violation data or in view of the external business environment.
- If such amendments are approved by the Board of Directors, we will notify all executive officers and employees (including part-time workers and temporary staff) in I-ne and its corporate group about the changes.
■ Actions for preventing bullying and harassment
To prevent harassment, all employees across our group attend an annual workshop for preventing workplace bullying and harassment. The workshop presents case studies illustrating bullying and harassment trends and how to address the problem. After the workshop, we share the video and conduct a questionnaire as follow-up activities to reinforce the training content and ensure effective implementation.
Employee whistleblowing hotline
I-ne Group (hereafter referred to as ”our group”) established an employee whistleblowing hotline for all officers and employees (including part-time workers and temporary staff). The hotline, which conforms to Japan’s Whistleblower Protection Act, includes an internal system (in which the inquiry is handled internally) and an external system (in which the inquiry is handled by an external law office). All inquiries are handled in confidence. Employees can use the hotline to report instances of bribery or other inappropriate behavior, such as discrimination, human rights violations, and workplace bullying or harassment. In addition, the whistleblowing hotline ensures the protection of the whistleblowers and their personal information so that they are not treated unfavorably.
When concerns are raised on the hotline, the Internal Audit Department seeks legal advice and conducts an inquest in line with our internal rules. The matter is then adjudicated by the Disciplinary Committee.
To make the whistleblowing hotline more effective, the outcomes of inquiries are reported to the Compliance and Risk Management Committee (chaired by the President & CEO promptly after ensuring the anonymity of the whistleblower.
We have a separate hotline for raising concerns about compliance issues in business partners and other relevant parties.
Internal hotline for reporting and consultation
I-ne Co., Ltd. Internal Audit Office
External hotline for reporting and consultation
NEC VALWAY Corporation
Compliance hotline for external stakeholders
As part of our commitment to corporate compliance, we have established various hotlines for external stakeholders (including business partners) and the general public. These hotlines include both internal and external channels, and reports can be made anonymously. Stakeholders can use these hotlines to report instances of bribery, discrimination, human rights violations, and workplace bullying or harassment. We ensure that whistleblowers are protected from retaliation and that their personal data is safeguarded.
Please use one of the dedicated forms below to report instances where an officer or a permanent or non-permanent employee of our organization (I-ne and group companies) has committed or may have committed a compliance violation. Please refrain from using the hotline for malicious purposes, such as making false accusations or defamatory statements (statements that are intended to tarnish another person’s reputation and that involve no issue of public concern).
■ Responding Department
I-ne’s Internal Audit Department
■ How my inquiry be handled?
- The department will verify the facts and conduct an investigation. Prompt action will then be taken.
- The department may contact you to clarify the details or request additional information.
- The department will inform you of the outcome of your inquiry if necessary.
■ Precautions
- Any personal information you provide in your inquiry will be used solely to contact you and address your inquiry.
- Some inquiries may take longer to process than others. It may not be possible to address all inquiries.
- Remember that any replies you receive are for you only. You must not distribute, reproduce, or create derivative works from such replies, either in whole or in part.
Form for consultation and reporting for business partners
Risk Management
Risk management system
To enhance the value of I-ne Group (hereafter referred to as “our group”), it is essential to pursue efficient strategic management while effectively controlling the risks associated with our business activities. This involves identifying and addressing risks to prevent major crises from occurring and minimizing the damage to our businesses if they do arise.
With this two-pronged approach to risk management (prevention and minimization), we have structures in place for managing risk and ensuring compliance, with back-office departments responsible for risk management.
In line with the Board of Directors’ Basic Policy on Internal Control Systems, the Compliance and Risk Management Committee operates directly under the Board of Directors as the highest-level decision-making body on risk management and compliance.
The Compliance and Risk Management Committee, along with the Sustainability Committee subcommittees and other relevant bodies, 1) enforces compliance with our policy on bribery and other forms of corruption and with legal and regulatory requirements relevant to our business activities, 2) sets action plans and evaluates major risks in areas such as health and safety, human rights (including workplace bullying and harassment), environmental issues, disaster preparedness, quality management, and cybersecurity, 3) shares information when a risk materializes, 4) sets protocols for handling risk incidents, and 5) regularly reports risk management and related issues to the Board of Directors.
The Legal Affairs Department receives risk management reports from other departments to regularly monitor and assess risks and responses across the organization. This involves determining the significance of each risk and assigning responsibility for its management. The department then develops response plans, monitors their progress, and reports quarterly to the Compliance and Risk Management Committee. It also conducts an annual risk evaluation, which covers the frequency and impact of each incident, and reports its findings to the Compliance and Risk Management Committee.
The Board of Directors supervises risk management and evaluates its effectiveness through the analysis and reporting of major risks by the Compliance and Risk Management Committee. Additionally, the Audit & Supervisory Committee independently reviews and oversees the effectiveness of risk management structures and evaluates the processes for handling risk incidents.
