Board of Directors
Setting the tone and leading our values-driven culture.
Our Board is composed of 12 directors, including an independent Presiding Director and one employee director who is our Chairman and CEO, Marc Bitzer. Our Board includes leaders with expertise in areas critical to our business operations and strategy, such as product development, innovation, human capital management and cybersecurity. The Board operates under a set of corporate governance guidelines, and each committee operates under a charter that directs each committee’s activities. The Board regularly evaluates its leadership structure to confirm it is operating effectively.
Risk Management and Resilience
Whirlpool, with oversight from our Board of Directors, proactively manages potential risks across the organization and aids in alignment with our core values. This includes a focus on strategy and the most significant risks facing Whirlpool, including climate and water risk. The Board also receives risk management updates in connection with its general oversight and approval of significant matters. This has resulted in a strong track record of successfully managing and mitigating risk.
Our risk management, internal audit and compliance teams serve as the primary monitoring and testing functions for company-wide policies and procedures. This team is also responsible for managing the day-to-day oversight of the risk management strategy for Whirlpool Corporation, including:
Enterprise Risk:
Part of our strategy to deliver long-term value to our consumers and shareholders is our strong oversight and risk management approach. Our enterprise risk management (ERM) process involves systemic risk identification and mitigation, covering enterprise, strategic, financial, non-financial, operational, compliance and reporting risks. The Board of Directors oversees the ERM process and reviews a comprehensive enterprise risk assessment and prioritization process each year.
Climate Risk Management:
Climate change poses a risk to all businesses and communities. A changing climate and its impacts create risk throughout our operational footprint, from more frequent and severe fires, to earthquakes, floods, or other natural disasters. Risks are discussed further in our TCFD Index, which can be found in the Appendix of our latest Sustainability Report. Our Board of Directors oversees ESG strategy and initiatives, while the Risk Management and Sustainability functions assess climate risks and opportunities. Our Sustainability team collaborates across internal functions to monitor environmental metrics and track progress towards achieving our science-based emissions reduction goals.
Board Refreshment and Diversity
Whirlpool remains committed to a Board composition that reflects an effective mix of business expertise, company knowledge, and diverse perspectives, and our goal is to strike the right balance between board refreshment and continuity. Our Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is committed to seeking qualified candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds in its role in Board recruitment. Eight of our directors are gender or racially/ethnically diverse, and the three directors who most recently joined the Board are female or racially/ethnically diverse.
Our latest Proxy Statement contains information on board tenure, experience and diversity.
Board of Directors
Samuel R. Allen
Presiding Director and Governance/Nominating
Committee Chair
and Human Resources Committee
Marc Bitzer
Chairman of the Board
and Chief Executive Officer
Greg Creed
Governance/Nominating
and Human Resources Committees
Diane M. Dietz
Human Resources Committee Chair
and Finance Committee
Gerri T. Elliott
Finance and Human Resources Committees
Richard J. Kramer
Governance/Nominating and
Audit Committees
Jennifer A. LaClair
Audit Committee Chair
and Governance/Nominating Committee
John D. Liu
Finance Committee Chair
and Audit Committee
James M. Loree
Audit and Finance Committees
Harish Manwani
Governance/Nominating and
Human Resources Committees
General Larry Spencer
Finance and Governance/Nominating Committees
Rudy Wilson
Audit and Finance Committees
Environmental, Social, and Governance Oversight
Oversight of ESG is inextricably linked to the oversight of our company. Our Board of Directors operates pursuant to a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines that provides that the Board will periodically review the Company’s ESG policies, initiatives and objectives. This approach allows us to uncover new issues, address rising topics, and respond to the evolving needs of our stakeholders.
In addition to the Board of Directors, we have ESG oversight across our leadership, including Executive Committee members. There is additional oversight at the management and functional levels which supports the execution of key ESG initiatives. Our current ESG Task Force includes representation from:
- Communications
- Compliance
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Environment, Health and Safety
- Finance
- Global Information Systems
- Global Product Organization
- Global Product Quality
- Global Product Safety and Regulatory
- Global Strategic Sourcing
- Government Relations
- Human Resources
- Integrated Supply Chain
- Investor Relations
- Legal
- Manufacturing
- Risk Management
- Sustainability
- Tax