Kesko recognised for good corporate governance

KESKO CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 27.02.2012 AT 13.00 1(1)

Kesko has been awarded by World Finance Magazine for 'the Best Corporate Governance in Finland' in terms of corporate governance development and reporting for the second time in succession. The international comparison listed companies which significantly exceed the minimum governance standards and report on their operating practices openly and transparently.

World Finance awarded the best companies from 53 countries. In addition to Kesko, the awarded companies included Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands), HSBC (UK) Microsoft (US) and Nestlé (Switzerland).

Kesko is committed to the best practices of good corporate governance: openness and transparency, and the pursuit of the interests of the company and all of its shareholders.

"For Kesko, good corporate governance is a success factor, which creates a strong basis for long-term success in business for the benefit of customers and all shareholders," says the Kesko Group's General Counsel, Vice President Anne Leppälä-Nilsson.

"We want to exceed the level of the regulations binding listed companies and create clear, transparent decision-making structures and systems, providing open and up-to-date information about them to the market and other stakeholders."

Kesko has received several recognitions for responsibility work in Finland and internationally. Kesko has, for example, been included on 'the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list for eight times in succession (www.global100.org). Last year Kesko was awarded for the best responsibility reporting in Finland (www.fibsry.fi).

Read more about Kesko's corporate governance at: www.kesko.fi/en/investors/Keskos-Corporate-Governance

Further information is available from Anne Leppälä-Nilsson, Vice President General Counsel, tel. +358 10 53 22347.

Kesko (www.kesko.fi) is a retail specialist whose stores offer quality to the daily lives of consumers. Kesko has about 2,000 stores engaged in chain operations in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, and Belarus.

World Finance (www.worldfinance.com) is an international financial magazine owned by the UK company World News Media.