Requirements – the United Kingdom

PLC is required, as a company that is incorporated in the UK and listed on the London Stock Exchange, to state how it has applied the principles and how far it has complied with the provisions set out in Section 1 of the 2006 UK Combined Code on Corporate Governance ('the Combined Code').

Previously within Corporate governance we have described how we have applied the principles and the provisions in the Combined Code. In 2007, Unilever complied with the Combined Code except in the following areas:

• Since the 2007 AGMs, Michael Treschow has been Unilever's first independent Non-Executive Chairman. His predecessor, Antony Burgmans, was not considered to be independent during his period as Chairman of Unilever, as he was before May 2005 an Executive Director.
  
  
• The Remuneration Committee, following the stepping down from that committee by Jean-Cyril Spinetta upon his retirement as a Non-Executive Director of Unilever in September 2007, has had two independent Non-Executive Directors on its membership. Michael Treschow was appointed a member of the Remuneration Committee in February 2008. The Committee and the Board are currently working to replace Jean-Cyril Spinetta with a new Non-Executive Director.
  
  
• Due to the requirement for Unilever to hold two AGMs for its respective companies on consecutive days, it may not always be possible for all Directors, and possibly the Chairmen of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees, to be present at both meetings. The Chairman ensures that a majority of Directors attend both meetings and that at least one member of each Committee attends each AGM.