We strive to promote democracy in the organisation by ensuring the involvement of our employees.

Employee representation in governing bodies
The Board of Directors and the Council are the two main governing bodies of DNV. Both have employee representation.

Board of Directors
There are ten members of the Board of Directors. Six are externally elected by the DNV Council to represent various sectors in which DNV operates; they are chosen according to criteria such as professional experience, internationalism, gender, and personal qualities. Four members and ten deputies are elected by and among DNV employees: 2 members and 4 deputies from Norway, 1 member and 3 deputies from Europe (outside Norway), and 1 member and 3 deputies from the Worldwide constituency (outside Norway and Europe). The Board of Directors is a potential arena for active participation by employee representatives in the governance of DNV. The employee representatives are elected for two-year terms. The Board of Directors, being the supreme governing body of the Foundation, has delegated specific parts of its authority to the Council as made possible through the Norwegian Foundation Act.

The Council
The Council currently has 40 members and one honorary member. Six members are elected by and among DNV employees worldwide. The majority of the members of the Council are appointed by external organisations. Seven members are appointed by the Council itself. These members represent stakeholders, users, customers and other parties interested in DNV services. They come from the marine insurance, shipping, oil and gas and other industry sectors.

Employee associations in DNV
Approximately 30% of permanent employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. See the Annual Report for details.

EWC - European Works Council
The DNV European Works Council - EWC has been established in accordance with the European Economic Area (EEA) regulations and Norwegian law. The EWC comprises one selected representative for the DNV employees in each of the EEA member states. The council is to work for the improvement of communication and consultation between employees and management in multinational companies operating in at least two EEA member states. The European Works Council normally meets once a year, and events and questions of major concern for the employees in two or more countries, are natural topics at the meetings. Topics that are not included in the scope of the EWC are staff terms and conditions, as well as local matters concerning each member state.

VEFF (Veritas Employee Association)
Veritas Employee Association (VEFF) represents all employees in Norway and Denmark. VEFF's objective is;

• to contribute in securing the individual workspace and develop this in line with societal development
• to represent and protect the interests of individal members or group of members towards the employer
• to secure, promote and coordinate the members economic, tariff, social and working environmental issues
• to assist individual members to the extent that VEFF considers this obvious

Employee involvement in strategy processes
A Global Employee Forum (GEF) facilitates that the employees within DNV worldwide are informed and consulted on major activities and strategies of that will have a significant impact for the employees.

The topics for information and consultation between GEF and DNV shall be of cross-border concern for two Employee Forums/Works Councils and provide the DNV Executive Board with employee input to important processes.