Royal DSM N.V. is a public limited company with a Managing Board and an independent Supervisory Board. The Managing Board is responsible for the company's strategy, its portfolio policy, the deployment of human and capital resources and the company's financial performance as based on these factors. The Supervisory Board supervises the policy pursued by the Managing Board, the Managing Board's performance of its managerial duties and the company's general state, taking account of the interests of all the company's stakeholders. The annual financial statements are approved by the Supervisory Board and then submitted for adoption to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, accompanied by an explanation by the Supervisory Board of how it carried out its supervisory duties during the year concerned.

Members of the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board are appointed (and, if necessary, dismissed) by the General Meeting of Shareholders.

DSM fully informs its stakeholders about its corporate objectives, the way the company is managed and the company's performance. Its aim in doing so is to pursue an open dialog with its shareholders and other stakeholders.

DSM has a decentralized organizational structure built around business groups that are empowered to carry out all short-term and long-term business functions. This structure ensures a flexible, efficient and fast response to market changes. At the corporate level, DSM has a number of staff departments to support the Managing Board and the business groups. Intra-group product supplies and the services of a number of shared service departments and research departments are contracted by the business groups at market prices.

The company is governed by its Articles of Association, which can be consulted at the DSM website. A decision to amend the Articles of Association may only be taken at the proposal of the Managing Board, subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board. The General Meeting of Shareholders decides on an amendment to the Articles of Association by an absolute majority of the votes cast.