Management and governance

Amazon strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work in the industries in which we operate. Strong management and governance are key to that ambition. Our focus is on implementing best practice governance principles to operate an ethical business that our stakeholders trust.

Board leadership

Amazon’s Board of Directors is responsible for the control and direction of the company.

The Board represents the shareholders and its primary purpose is to build long-term shareholder value. The full Board regularly reviews reports from management on various aspects of our business, including related risks and strategies for addressing them. While the full Board has overall responsibility for risk oversight, the Board has delegated responsibility related to certain risks to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee, and the Audit Committee.

Learn about our committees below and read our committee charters on our Investor Relations website.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing management of risks related to our environmental, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility practices, including those associated with our operations and supply chain.

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Leadership Development and Compensation Committee

The Leadership Development and Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing management of risks related to succession planning and compensation for our executive officers. It is also responsible for overseeing management of risks related to our overall compensation program, as well as risks related to human capital management matters.

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Audit Committee

The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing management of risks related to our financial statements and financial reporting process, business continuity, and operational risks, the qualifications, independence, and performance of our independent auditors, the performance of our internal audit function, legal and regulatory matters, our compliance policies and procedures, tax planning and compliance, and political contributions and lobbying expenses.

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Shareholder engagement

We believe that effective corporate governance includes year-round engagement with our shareholders and other stakeholders. We meet regularly with our shareholders, including both large and small investors, to discuss business strategy, performance, compensation philosophy, corporate governance, and environmental and social topics.

We have significantly expanded our shareholder engagement over the past several years, including by expanding our shareholder engagement team with employees whose full-time, year-round responsibilities include engaging with our investors, communicating with management and directly with our Board members to inform them about topics discussed and feedback received in the course of their engagement meetings, and coordinating and promoting the effectiveness of direct shareholder engagement meetings that our directors participate in.

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2023 Sustainability Reporting Framework Summary

Download our 2023 Sustainability Reporting Framework Summary for more information on our approach to governance and reporting against the following frameworks: the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs).

Download 2023 Reporting Framework

Business ethics and oversight

Amazon enforces strict adherence to local, state, federal, and international laws. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (Code of Conduct) and associated policies, procedures, and communications outline our expectations of employees. All employees receive Code of Conduct training during onboarding, with regular refresher training required subsequently. Depending on risks associated with job role and location, employees may receive additional anti-bribery training.

Read Code of Conduct Read Code of Conduct

Advocacy and public policy

At Amazon, we regularly engage with others across the public and private sectors to advocate on various issues such as climate action, community empowerment, and immigration reform. Our beliefs on these issues are broad, forward-thinking, and driven by what is best for our customers, employees, and communities. We have publicly stated our position on several key issues, including:

Raising the federal minimum wage
Combating human-induced climate change
Recognizing the fundamental importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion
Supporting Black, LGBTQIA+, and Indigenous communities
Driving equitable, affordable housing access
Protecting data privacy
Promoting common sense immigration reform

Data privacy and cybersecurity

We strive to be transparent about how and why we collect data, offering customers choice in how it’s used with customizable privacy settings. We also design products, services, and systems with security in mind so people can rest assured their information is safely stored. We share details of policies, practices, and technologies through regularly updated public notices.

We maintain a comprehensive security awareness program for employees, with annual trainings and engagement opportunities to help employees identify and avoid cybersecurity threats. We also offer resources to educate other businesses and customers on protecting against online security threats.

Amazon.com Privacy Notice

Informs our customers of our privacy and data security policies, practices, and technologies.

Amazon.com Privacy Notice

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Amazon Web Services Privacy Notice

Outlines our privacy and data security policies, practices, and technologies for cloud and web services customers.

AWS Privacy Notice