Corporate governance
Royal A-ware is committed to upholding high standards of corporate governance. This chapter outlines our corporate governance practices, providing an overview of the composition and structure of our Management Board and Supervisory Board and detailing their roles and responsibilities.
Management Board
Since 1 July 2025, Royal A-ware implemented a co-CEO structure, with Jan Anker continuing as CEO alongside Antonio Rodriguez, who formerly held the position of CFO. Subsequently, Floris Günther succeeded Antonio Rodriguez as CFO. Klaas de Jong served as COO throughout the year. On 31 December 2025, the Management Board consisted of four executive members (0% female): two Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), a Chief Operational Officer (COO) and a Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
The Management Board is responsible for developing and executing Royal A-ware's strategy, including all sustainability-related matters. This includes setting targets in relation to impacts, risks and opportunities (IROs), and monitoring our performance.
The Management Board has delegated the implementation of the sustainability strategy to the Sustainability Steering Group and stays informed about progress through quarterly monitoring reports. The ESG Director also regularly discusses sustainability-related matters with the CEO.
Royal A-ware's remuneration policy, adopted in 2024 and unchanged since, does not link any part of remuneration for Management Board members or employees to sustainability targets or KPIs.
Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board oversees the Management Board's performance as well as the general course of affairs at Royal A-ware and its affiliated companies. For more information on composition and functioning of the Supervisory Board see chapter Report of the Supervisory Board.
Sustainability Steering Group
The Sustainability Steering Group consists of 14 members who meet every four weeks. It consists of the co-CEO (Antonio Rodriguez), CFO, COO, and all divisional Managing Directors and the staff directors of HR, Legal, ESG and New Product Development (NPD) & Sustainability A-ware Cheese. The team's composition reflects the expertise and skills essential for managing all material sustainability topics.
The Sustainability Steering Group is ultimately responsible for implementing Royal A-ware’s sustainability strategy and all other matters related to sustainability. It reports to the Management Board and briefs the Supervisory Board on sustainability-related matters at least once a year.
ESG team
The ESG team consists of subject matter experts and is responsible for executing the sustainability strategy, internal reporting and external reporting for compliance purposes. The team consists of six people.
Diversity in management
Royal A-ware is committed to diversity in the workplace. In response to the Growth Quota and Targets Act, we have set clear gender representation targets for the Supervisory Board and senior management. For more information, please see the Diversity section of the sustainability statement in this report.
Employee representation
Employee representation in the Netherlands is structured through the Central Works Council, which includes representatives from the AB Texel Works Council and the Joint Works Council of A-ware Dairy. The works councils meet at least five times a year to review and discuss agenda items requiring consultation, such as changes in working conditions or the relocation of a branch. Management must inform and discuss these items with the works councils before they are implemented, enabling them to propose insights and potential improvements. The works councils are also engaged in discussions about other workplace topics, including absenteeism, development, diversity and risk events. While these topics are material for Royal A-ware, the works councils are not involved in target setting.
Additionally, the Central Works Council engages in regular dialogue with employees to be able to represent their interests and perspectives. Employees are also informed about progress on relevant targets through the annual report. Also, in Belgium and France employee participation is organised via Works Council. The level of involvement of works councils is determined by national legislation, and we ensure full compliance with these legal frameworks. Royal A-ware has not organised an overarching employee participation at the European level.
