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Thales is committed to providing all shareholders with full, clear information on a regular basis. The Group maintains constant contact with the financial community to provide a clearer understanding of the Thales corporate strategy, financial policy, and environmental, social and governance priorities.

The Thales Board of Directors is made up of 16 directors, of whom 14 are appointed by the annual general meeting and two are elected by the employees of the Group’s French companies. Three of the four outside directors have been declared independent directors as defined by the AFEP-MEDEF code of corporate governance. Thales’s major shareholders are committed to appointing directors whose experience is both diverse and relevant to the Group’s business.

Board of directors

Regular exchanges with the financial and extra-financial communities

Investors and financial analysts are increasingly taking non-financial factors into account in the valuation of a company. Ethical factors and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are now taken into consideration to identify and analyse risks that could potentially impact a company and its financial performance.

Thales regularly organises one-on-one meetings with investors as well as Corporate Responsibility Investor Days, and takes part in specialised conferences organised by brokers, to provide members of the socially responsible investor (SRI) community with details about its corporate responsibility policy, including environmental, social and governance issues, business ethics, corruption prevention and export control.

More broadly, Thales is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with financial analysts and institutional investors, particularly when it publishes its quarterly, half-yearly and annual financial statements, or conducts major financial or strategic operations, to provide them with insight into Thales’s business activities and strategy. Additionally, comprehensive financial information is published on the Thales corporate website (Investors section)

Employee share ownership

Since privatisation in 1998, Thales has proposed several share purchase offers (in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2011) to its employees.

As of 31 December 2011, employees owned 3.14% of the company’s share capital.

Employee shareholders have a Director who serves on the Board of Directors.

Long before it became a legal requirement, Thales was one of the few major companies in France to have a representative of employee shareholders on its Board of Directors. 

Several shareholder associations have been formed to help promote employee share ownership in 17 Thales countries throughout Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

In 2011, Thales was awarded the 'FCPE Governance Prize', given by the Federation of Employee Shareholders Association (FAS).