Audit Functions
The external auditor is appointed by the General Meeting of Shareholders. Wolters Kluwer intends to have the auditor appointed by the General Meeting of Shareholders every four years after a thorough assessment of their performance. In addition to this thorough assessment, the Executive Board and the Audit Committee shall report their dealings with the external auditor to the Supervisory Board on an annual basis.
The Supervisory Board has the discretion to put the appointment of the external auditor on the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders before the lapse of a four-year period, if so warranted. Reference is made to the Report of the Supervisory Board in the Annual Report for more information about the latest assessment of the external auditor and the proposal to reappoint.
The external auditor may be questioned by the General Meeting of Shareholders in relation to their opinion of the financial statements. The external auditor shall therefore attend and be entitled to address the General Meeting of Shareholders.
In May 2023, an updated version of the Auditor Independence Policy was adopted.
The internal auditor operates under the responsibility of the Executive Board. The external auditor and the Audit Committee are involved in drawing up the work schedule of the internal auditor. The findings of the internal auditor are presented to the external auditor and the Audit Committee.