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Governance

Powering global trust and responsibility

Equinix is built on a foundation of strong corporate values and business practices. We know that our continued success depends on our commitment to doing business with honesty, integrity, professionalism and commitment to superior results.

At Equinix, we are powering global trust and responsibility through a foundation of unwavering corporate values and ethical business practices.

Our Governance Commitments

Powering global trust by doing business with honesty, integrity, transparency and the highest standard of excellence:

  • Governance and board structure
  • Legal and regulatory compliance
  • Public policy and government affairs
  • Notable third-party reporting, alignment, track record and transparency practices (e.g. GRI, ESG, custom sustainability reports, etc.)
  • Board commitments to ESG and diversity
  • Data privacy/data security

Powering global responsibility through a foundation of unwavering values and ethical practices:

  • Doing the right things for the right reasons
  • Uncompromising integrity
  • A commitment to ethical business practices
  • Employee ethics and compliance
  • Global Code of Business Conduct

Governance and Board Structure

Good corporate governance is not just a competitive advantage, but a key driver of Equinix’s culture of trust – one that is built with customers, suppliers and employees. We protect human and digital assets and deliver superior results with the highest standards of integrity and excellence.

Equinix’s Board of Directors Governance Committee oversees our ESG strategy and our Corporate Sustainability Executive Steering Committee manages the ESG program via quarterly meetings.

Equinix is governed by a single-tier Board of Directors.

Board of Directors and Governance Information

10

Size of Board at Equinix

8

Number of Independent Directors

30%

Women on the Board
(3 out of 10)

1 Year

Term

Yes

ESG Oversight

10

Board Meetings in 2019

95%

Average Director participation in Board and applicable Committee meetings

Yes

Separate Chair and CEO

Yes

Proxy Access

Yes

Code of Business Conduct for Directors and Exec officers

Standing Board Committees: Six: Audit, Compensation, Finance, Governance, Nominating, Real Estate

Current as of 6/18/2020 unless otherwise noted.

Board Diversity

Our Board understands the importance and value of diversity in its membership and requires that when selecting new members, the initial list of candidates include qualified women and minority candidates. We require any third-party consultant asked to furnish an initial list of candidates to follow the same requirements. The policy ensures that there is a majority of independent directors on the board. In October 2019 and January 2020, Equinix welcomed two women members to our Board of Directors  – bringing the total number of women to three out of the 11-member board. Equinix’s current board satisfies the California SB826 mandate requiring boards over six members include three women, in advance of the 2021 compliance deadline. For more details see our Corporate Governance Principles.

Operating with Integrity

Integrity is a core Equinix value. All employees, officers and directors must adhere to the Equinix Code of Business Conduct. The Code outlines the framework that guides our decision-making and actions on behalf of Equinix.

  • Whistleblower Policy – emphasizes zero tolerance for any discrimination or retaliation against whistleblowers and can be found here.
  • Ethics Helpline – accessible by all employees through our internal website, online and by third parties.

We designed our Code of Business Conduct to express our ethical values and serve as a steady framework to guide our response to shifting regulations in an ever-changing world. We provide mandatory trainings on compliance topics to ensure that all Equinix employees receive guidance on how to apply our ethical standards in their day-to-day decision-making and actions on behalf of our company.

For the sixth year in a row, 100% of all employees have completed annual compliance training courses. Additionally, 100% of all new hires completed the training within six months of being hired. Trainings are available in multiple languages, in live and online formats.

100% of employees have been trained on Compliance for six years running.

Data Privacy and Data Security

Our customers are some of the largest companies in the world. They require physical and data security for the equipment they deploy in our data centers, as well as data privacy protection for the business contact information that they share with us. Equinix’s Privacy Officer, in partnership with our Global Information Security Officer, leads our on-going efforts to monitor, assess, analyze and adapt our policies, processes and procedures to comply with all applicable data privacy and data security regulations.

  • Equinix meets the requirements of the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
  • Equinix has attained approval from the EU for its Binding Corporate Rules regulating the transborder flow of personal data from the EU world-wide
  • Regular employee training is conducted on how to spot suspicious activity and educate our employees on potential data privacy and security risks

Public Policy and Government Affairs

Equinix believes our responsibility as a good corporate citizen extends to active engagement to advance progress on clean energy, resilience in the energy sector and a more connected and secure world. Our Public Policy and Government Affairs team is committed to working alongside a wide range of stakeholders at all levels of government, including local and regional governments, as well as organizations in the communities in which we operate.

Equinix does not make political contributions nor does it have a Political Action Committee (PAC). Under the Equinix Code of Business Conduct, company employees are prohibited from making or committing to political contributions on behalf of Equinix. As required by the Lobby Disclosure Act, Equinix files semi-annual reports, which affirm these points. These reports can be accessed through the Lobby Contribution Filing Search page on the Lobbying Disclosure page of the U.S. Congress website.

Equinix belongs to trade and industry associations in the United States and abroad.  These memberships provide a number of benefits, including helping Equinix stay informed of emerging issues and industry standards, identifying trends, collecting and analyzing policy and political information, and providing educational opportunities for Equinix employees.  However, our membership in any trade association does not indicate our agreement with all views and positions taken by the association. We are members of the following organizations (note this list is not exhaustive):

  • Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) board member
  • European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) board member
  • Dutch Data Centre Association (DDA)

Advocacy and Collaboration

Advocacy is a hallmark of our strategy as we leverage the buying power of many companies through a single voice.